An Oogieloves Inspired Party

In anticipation of the upcoming interactive kids movie coming out on August 29, The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure, celebrations.com and contributor Chris Nease of Celebrations at Home recently put together an Oogieloves inspired party and asked me to share their ideas with YOU. This colorful and creative themed party is full of set-up inspiration, snacks and treats inspired by the characters in the moive, and lots of great DIY ideas.

Inspired by the beautiful and vibrantly-colored LovelyLoveville, the table was set with bright placemats, plates, utensils, and printables.

Image: Celebrations.com

I love the die-cut placemats and contrasting plates that are used at each place setting as well as the playful name cards letting each child know where to sit. How cute are the monogrammed milk bottle jars filled with blue-tinted juice! Wooden utensils were dressed up by adding brightly colored tape to the handles. Genius! And, to keep guests occupied, a maze activity card and pencil were attached to each place setting with a clip.

Images: Celebrations.com

Guest were also treated to a fun and colorful array of snacks inspired by some of their favorite Oogielove characters.

Image: Celebrations.com

Ruffy was the inspiration behind the Goldfish crackers, Lero and Lola's maracas inspired these adorable Colorful Crunchy Cereal Pops, and homemade Dotty Rounder Cupcakes were served for dessert.

Images: Celebrations.com

Image: Celebrations.com

Whether you are celebrating the release of The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure or creating a Oogieloves themed birthday party for your child, this party is full of great inspiration and ideas to get you started. Thank you, celebrations.com and Chris Nease for sharing your party with us. For more party ideas and tips, stop by Celebrations.com, here.

Thanksgiving Countdown Ideas: Easy Acorn Cookies

The Thanksgiving countdown is on. Only 9 more days until Turkey Day. Are you ready? Over the next couple of days I will be sharing some easy, last minute Thanksgiving decorating, crafting, and food ideas to help put the finishing touches on your Thanksgiving celebrations.

Today I am featuring these Easy Acorn Cookies that I made with the help of my master chefs, Charlotte, 2 and Wyatt, 5. They are super easy to put together, require no cooking, and the kiddos will love helping out.

Here is what you will need:

- Hershey's Kisses
- Mini Chocolate Morsels
- Nutter Butter Cookie Bites (Mini Nilla Wafers will also work)

Assembly is easy and fun:

1. If using the Nutter Butter Bites, take the sandwich cookies apart and remove the peanut butter filling. Place textured side down on a cookie sheet. If using Mini Nilla Wafers, place on cookie sheet with the flat side up.

2. Melt a small bowl of Mini Chocolate Morsels. Place a small amount of melted chocolate onto the bottom of a Hershey's Kiss and the stick the Hershey Kiss onto the flat side of a Nutter Butter Cookie. The melted chocolate is acting as your glue. You don't need a lot, just enough to make the kiss stick to the cookie. Let cookies set for a few minutes, allowing chocolate to harden.

3. Turn over the cookie and use the same chocolate "gluing" method to attach a Mini Chocolate Morsel to the top of the textured side of your Nutter Butter Cookie. Again, only a small amount of melted chocolate is needed to glue your mini morsel onto the cookie. Allow the chocolate to harden for a few minutes.

4. Place Acorn Cookies in a festive bowl, serve, and enjoy!

A Reptile and Amphibian Birthday Celebration

We recently celebrated my son's 5th birthday with a Reptile and Amphibian Themed Celebration. Ever since his preschool class adopted a turtle as a class pet, my son has been fascinated by reptiles. Since I was not willing to grant his request for a slimy pet of his own, I decided that a Reptile and Amphibian themed party was the next best thing!

I had the pleasure of working with Amanda of Lil' Sprout Greetings on all of the printable designs for the party, including the party invitation and welcoming sign.

Upon arrival, guests were welcomed, given a safari hat and binoculars, and sent on a reptile safari. It was amazing how many snakes and lizards they found crawling around!

I wanted to keep the snack table simple with healthy options (other than the cookies and cake), and in theme with the party. I created a safari-like backdrop of leaves and vines and used the coordinating printables that were created by Lil' Sprout Greetings. Snacks included Gecko Grapes, Python Pretzels, Alligator Apples, and Turtle Trail Mix. I also created frog-topped, chocolate dipped Oreo cookies and a reptile safari cake (don't judge me too harshly...this was my first attempt covering a cake with fondant).

The highlight of the party was a live, hands on reptile show which was led by a Wildlife Educator from a local company called Reptiles Alive. The children were able to view and touch live reptiles (turtles, lizards, frogs, and yes....snakes!) while the educator shared fun facts about each animal. The kids loved it!

Images: Reptiles Alive!

The birthday boy even got to help hold the reptiles and pass them around for his friends to touch. Better him than me! He was so happy, as you can see!

We had a great time celebrating my little man's big day!

{What's Cooking?} Pumpkin Spice Creme Brulee

I just couldn't hold out any longer. I started bringing out some of my fall decorations yesterday and I am now officially in "fall mode". Love it! There are so many wonderful things that I associate with the fall season: cooler weather, colorful leaves, watching football as a family (okay, I really have no interest in watching football, but I love cuddling with my family while they watch and making fun snacks for everyone to enjoy), and the smell and taste of anything pumpkin. Pumpkin just takes me to that comfy, cozy feeling that I associate with fall. The sight, the smell, the taste...even the thought of anything pumpkin. So, while on a quest today to find a new pumpkin recipe to help kick off this wonderful season, I came across this recipe from Better Homes and Gardens for Pumpkin Spice Creme Brulee. The recipe itself sounds great, but the presentation of the dessert is what got my attention. I love the idea of serving dessert in miniature pumpkins!

Image: Better Homes and Gardens

Wouldn't these dessert filled mini pumpkins be perfect on your Thanksgiving table. They are definitely going on my "possibilities list" for this year.

Pumpkin Spice Creme Brulee

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whipping cream (no substitutes)
• 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 10 baby pumpkins
• 1/4 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small saucepan, heat whipping cream over medium heat just until bubbly. Remove from heat; set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine egg yolks, eggs, the 1/2 cup sugar, pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and cloves. Beat with a whisk or rotary beater just until combined. Slowly whisk the hot whipping cream into the egg mixture.
3. Use a small serrated knife to cut off the top 1/2-inch of the baby pumpkins. Discard the tops. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds.
4. Place the pumpkins in a roasting pan. Divide custard mixture evenly among the pumpkins. Place roasting pan on oven rack. Pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to reach halfway up the sides of the pumpkins.
5. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until centers appear nearly set when gently shaken. Carefully remove pan from oven. Remove pumpkins from water; cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours.
6. Before serving, let custards stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. **Meanwhile, for caramelized sugar: in a heavy 8-inch skillet, heat the 1/4 cup sugar over medium-high heat until sugar begins to melt, shaking skillet occasionally to heat sugar evenly. Do not stir. Once sugar starts to melt, reduce heat to low; cook 3 to 5 minutes more or until all of the sugar is melted and golden brown, stirring as needed with a wooden spoon.
7. Quickly drizzle caramelized sugar over the custards. (If sugar starts to harden in the skillet, return to heat, stirring until melted.) Serve immediately. Makes 10 filled pumpkins or 6 custard cups.
* Instead of the pumpkins, you can use six 3/4-cup souffle dishes or 6-ounce custard cups. Place the souffle dishes or custard cups in a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.
**Culinary Torch Method: Instead of caramelizing the sugar in the skillet as directed in steps 6 and 7, sprinkle sugar evenly over custards. Use a culinary torch to caramelize the sugar.

{Party Inspiration} Celebrating a 2011 Graduate!

Looking for a fun, inexpensive way to celebrate your 2011 Graduate? Need a little graduation party inspiration? Well, Frog Prince Paperie is providing you with both! Not only did Frog Prince Paperie recently add a new Graduation Class of 2011 printable set to their shop (only $12.50 for the entire set!) but they also put together a fabulous photoshoot to inspire your graduation celebrations.


Frog Prince Paperie created a "Bright Future" theme for their photoshoot. So clever! In addition to their Graduation Class of 2011 printables, everyday lightbulbs and lightbulb containers (from Hobby Lobby) were used to decorate the inspirational dessert table and bring the "Bright Future" theme to life.





Pretty amazing, right! While I personally adore the light blue and gold color scheme, the Graduation Class of 2011 printables are also available in royal blue and yellow or red and black.


You can see photoshoot and vendor details at the Frog Prince Paperie blog, here, and you can purchase the Graduation Class of 2011 printable set here. Thank your for the amazing inspiration. L-o-v-e it!

{What's Cooking?} Peanut Butter Silk Pie

How about a little PB & C to sweeten your weekend? That's peanut butter and chocolate! I recently made mini Peanut Butter Silk Pies for a baby shower and have been getting requests from my husband and family ever since. It is easy to make, sure to satisfy a sweet tooth, and really isn't as heavy or rich as you might imagine. The original recipe comes from the Sea Cow Eatery in Edisto Beach, South Carolina. Instead of making a homemade pie crust, I use a prepared chocolate cookie crumb crust, which makes this an entirely no-bake treat. I just put one in the refrigerator for dessert tomorrow night with the in-laws. It literally took me less than 10 minutes from start to finish and it looks fabulous!



Peanut Butter Silk Pie

Filling:
- 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, beaten until stiff

- 1 (9-inch) prepared chocolate cookie-crumb crust

Topping:
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons brewed coffee
- chopped peanuts for garnish

Directions:

Make Filling: Beat cream cheese, sugar, peanut butter, butter, and vanilla in a large mixer bowl until creamy. Gently fold in half of the beaten cream. Fold in the remaining cream until blended. Spread filling in prepared crust and smooth top.

Make Topping: Combine chips and coffee in a microwaveproof bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high 1 1/2 to 2 minutes; stir until smooth. Cool chocolate slightly. Pour over top of filling. Refrigerate pie 1 hour until chocolate is firm. Cover loosely and refrigerate overnight. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts before serving.

I hope that you enjoy!

{Party Inspiration} Teacher Appreciation Week

With Teacher Appreciation Week coming up (yep, it's next week!) I thought that I would share this fabulous school-themed party by Leoni of Just Call Me Martha for a little inspiration. Whether you are helping plan a school celebration or just looking for some sweet ideas to send to your favorite teacher, this party is sure to inspire!









I love the use of chalkboard paint to create the backdrop, table "cover", and food labels. And how about using small blackboards in place of the traditional serving platters and cake stands. Genius! I bet that the buttercream math cupcakes would be a HUGE hit in a teachers' lounge. So many great ideas. This one definitely gets an A+ from me! Thank you for the inspiration, Leoni!

An Easy Easter Cake

Here is a great way to dress up an ordinary Cake for an extraordinary Easter celebration! I found this Raspberry-Lemon Easter Cake recipe over at Food Network. The cake itself sounds delicious but I really fell in love with the way that the cake was decorated. So simple. So easy. So cute!



Whether you make a cake from scratch or buy one from your local bakery, you can easily create an equally adorable Easter Cake. For the sugar cookie embellishments, either make your own bunny and Easter Egg sugar cookies at home OR purchase ready-made cookies at your local store (I have already seen these at Target sold as Easter Cookie Decorating kits). Simply arrange the cookies around your cake and add a little color with chocolate covered almonds, M&M's, or any other colorful candy that you can find. Place on a pretty little plate, stand back, and admire. It really was that easy!

National Capital Area Cake Show

Thanks to the hubby, I was able to have a girls morning out yesterday with a great friend at The National Capital Area Cake Show. This was my first time at the event and I really enjoyed seeing ALL of the amazing talent that is out there.

The event featured displays of cake and cupcake artwork, vendors, a bake sale, and ongoing demonstrations and classes by world-class sugar artist. There were also Live Cake and Cupcake Challenges that occurred later in the day. Maybe next year I will be able to catch those. I did participate in a hour-long cupcake decorating class with my friend, Mindy. We learned different icing techniques as well has how to work with fondant. Mindy already has mad cake/cupcake decorating skills. I, on the other hand, came away with a few great tips as well as a greater appreciation for the art of cake and cupcake decorating. I think that I will stick to event design! I came away from this event inspired by some pretty creative pieces (and feeling refreshed from a girls morning out!). Here are a few of my favorites: How cute are these Apple Basket CUPCAKES. Yep, they are cupcakes. I know...amazing. Scrabble, anyone? The detail was amazing on this cake. This masterpiece was created using Edible Image decorations. I was not familiar with this type of product prior to the event and was amazed at the endless possibilities that it offers decorators. L-O-V-E this silhouette cake! If I recall correctly, a Silhouette Machine was used to create the images on this cake. How cute would this be for a birthday party! *I wish that I was able to give credit to the artist that created the cakes/cupcakes above. Since they were on display for the challenges, they were numbered and not labeled with specific vendor/artist information.*

Celebrate Spring!

Spring is officially here. Hooray! Here are some fun ideas to help celebrate the new season and spread a little sunshine around.

Floral Cones: Paper cones can be great for popcorn and candy, but what about flowers! Make a stunning display at your next soiree by tucking assorted colors of your favorite springtime flowers (Cymbidium orchids are shown here by Martha Stewart) into handmade paper cones, then affix by ribbon to a board covered in pink linen to create a garden of floral favors. Each blossom is anchored in a tiny vial of water.



Daffodil Candy Cups: I love this idea from Martha Stewart. These would be great for an Easter celebration or spring-themed birthday party. And, they are really easy to make. Simply print the provided daffodil template, trace onto decorative paper, and cut out. next, fill baking cups with candy and place onto flowers. If desired, join cups to flowers with tape.


A Lavender & Lemon Cake: Bake and serve a slice of this Lavender & Lemon Cake by Rosie of Sweetapolita (one of my new favorite blogs to follow!) to your guests and warmer weather is sure to be on their minds.

A Surprising Fruit Centerpiece: Real Simple offers this fun and unexpected idea to turn fruit into a festive centerpiece! So spring-like, don't you think? Click here for the details.



A Garden To Go: A cluster of potted flowers can do double-duty at your next shindig. Grouped together, they make a gorgeous centerpiece for your table. When the party is over, let your guest pick one to take home as a favor and plant in their garden for the upcoming season.

{What's Cooking?} Banana Split Ice Cream Sandwiches

Y-U-M-M-Y! These Banana Split Ice Cream Sandwiches take a little planning-ahead prep work but are totally worth it. They look great and taste even better!

Banana Split Ice Cream Sandwiches

Ingredients:

Cookies:
7 tablespoons powdered sugar
6 tablespoons sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
Filling:
2 cups vanilla low-fat ice cream, softened
3/4 cup ripe mashed banana (about 1 1/2 medium bananas)
6 tablespoons coarsely chopped dry-roasted peanuts, divided
Remaining ingredients:
6 tablespoons frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed
6 tablespoons chocolate syrup
6 maraschino cherries, drained

Preparation:
To prepare cookies, combine sugar and flour, stirring with a whisk. Add vanilla and egg, and beat with a mixer at medium speed 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Draw 6 (3-inch) circles on paper. Turn paper over, and secure with masking tape. Spoon about 1 tablespoon batter into center of each drawn circle; spread batter to outside edge of each circle. Bake at 350° for 6 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Carefully remove cookies from paper, and cool completely on wire racks. Repeat procedure with the remaining batter, reusing the parchment paper.

To prepare the filling, combine the ice cream, banana, and 1/4 cup peanuts, stirring well.

Place 1 cookie on each of 6 plates. Carefully spread about 1/3 cup ice cream mixture over flat side of each cookie. Top with remaining cookies, flat sides down, pressing gently. Top each sandwich with 1 tablespoon whipped topping, 1 tablespoon chocolate syrup, 1 teaspoon peanuts, and 1 cherry. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information
Calories:310 (20% from fat)
Fat:7g (sat 1.6g,mono 2.3g,poly 1.6g)
Protein:6.9g
Carbohydrate:55.9g
Fiber:2.3g
Cholesterol:39mg
Iron:0.8mg
Sodium:54mg
Calcium:79mg

* Recipe and picture taken from Cooking Light

A Cupcake Shooters Container Giveaway!

A few weekends ago I had the privelege of getting together with a group of amazingly talented women that are local to the Northern VA, DC, MD area. It was a lunch date filled with inspiration, motivation, and information, not to mention GREAT company! One of these fabulous women was Kate of CupKate's Event Design. I liked Kate from the beginning, but I LOVED Kate after she introduced me to a fabulous new cupcake concept: Cupcake Shooters! I am not sure where I was when these popped up, but I am so glad that I know about them now. Thanks Kate!


Aren't these a brillant idea! What a fun twist on the traditional cupcake for your next Shindig. They could be the main dessert attraction or stand on the sidelines as a fabulous party favor. My own kids tried them out and gave rave reviews. They loved the "fun" factor and I loved the fact that they eliminated the usual crumbly, icing- covered mess that a "normal" cupcake leaves in our house. Major bonus! In addition to offering amazing full party design, custom dessert tables and online event consultation, CupKate's Event Design is now selling push-pop containers over at Etsy. Now you can make your own Cupcake Shooters for your next Shindig!


CupKate's Event Design is this week's Giveaway sponsor and will be awarding one lucky follower with 2 dozen push-pop containers! Here's how you can ENTER TO WIN:

Become a follower of Sheek Shindigs (if you aren't already) and ...

1. Become a follower of the CupKate's Event Design blog, here, and leave a comment that you did so.
2. "Like" Sheek Shindigs on Facebook and leave a comment that you did so.
3. "Like" CupKate's Event Design on Facebook and leave a comment that you did so.
4. Post a link to this Giveaway on your Facebook page and leave a comment that you did so.

This giveaway will be open to entries from now (March 16th ) until Wednesday, March 23rd at 11:59 pm. You must be a Sheek Shindigs follower (or become one) to be elegible to win. Each person may enter up to 4 seperate times. A random winner will be chosen and announced on Thursday, March 24th. So...go check out these fun push-pop containers at the CupKate's Event Design Etsy shop and enter to win!

Good Luck!

{Party Inspiration} An Ice Cream Party

Everyone loves an Ice Cream Party and with the help of One Charming Party, yours will be the talk of the town! Sara and Brittany of One Charming Party put together some delicious Ice Cream Party photos, ideas, and free downloadable printables to get you started. Check them out:

Invitations: Set the stage for a fabulous party with these yummy Ice Cream Party invitations. You can get the free download, here.



Set-up Suggestions: Ice cream is the star of this party. One Charming Party suggests that you set up an ice cream bar with cute cups, a variety of flavors and an assortment of toppings so guests can make their own sundaes. Then give them a spoon and let them dig in!



A Sweet Treat for the Birthday Girl: Everyone deserves to feel special on their brithday and how could you not with such a cool birthday hat! One Charming Party provides step-by-step directions on how to make this sweet Ice Cream Cone Party Hat, here.



Stay Cool: Even an ice cream party deserves a cool cake. Take a simple ice cream cake and top it with chocolate ganache. Add a chocolate ice cream cone to the top to make it look like melted ice cream. Don’t forget the sprinkles.



Party Favors: After the party is over, send your guests home with a party favor in an empty ice cream container. Print out One Charming Party's labels onto adhesive backed paper and cut out. Fill the container with anything you’d like and tie it up with a pretty ribbon and a pink spoon. You can download the labels, here.



Best ice cream party ideas ever! Thank you for the amazing ideas and inspiration, Sara and Brittany.