Spa Party

This past weekend we had a Mother-Daughter Spa Party! We had some friends over, ate some yummy food, and did our nails. To put the party together, I gathered some inspiration and ideas from Pinterest and then added some of my own touches. Here are some pictures from the party!

This is a loofah and eye mask wreath I made. I'll share all the details of how to make one yourself in an upcoming post- it's super easy!

I had some little lounge chairs set up under a "Relax" banner I made with my Cricut.

All the girls had the chance to decorate their own flip flops. I had several pairs of girls' flip flops available and an assortment of ribbon, jewel stickers, and foam stickers for the girls to use.

I set up a table for the girls to do a little pampering. The moms had a table as well, just in a bigger size! The table and chairs are covered with plastic tablecloths and I tied a little tulle bow around the chairs. Each girl's station had a mirror (found at Dollar Tree), a little basin with water to wash her hands (also found at Dollar Tree), some hand scrub, a wash cloth tied with ribbon to dry her hands, and some hand cream.

The hand scrub is a sugar scrub I made. You can find the instructions here. We found that the sugar settles to the bottom over time, so you'll want to stir it right before you put it on. The hand cream is some Vanilla Bean Noel lotion from Bath & Body Works. I love that the scrub is pink and the cream is green to go with the color scheme of the party. I didn't even plan that! The little cups were found at Dollar Tree. I made the labels for the scrub and cream on my computer and cut them out with a 1" circle punch then glued them to the cups.

I decorated the refreshment table with some loofah "flowers".

Here is the refreshment table! Again, I made the banner with my Cricut. The little "eye masks" in the background are actually something called "bath time kneeling pads" that I found at Dollar Tree.

We had "Spa Water" to drink. I created the pink labels on my computer and cut them out with a 2" scallop punch then glued them to the green water bottle labels that I cut with my Cricut.

Here are some "Bubble Bath Treats" I made. You can find the recipe here. I altered the original recipe by using just a regular cake mix and the ingredients needed on the package and topping it with marshmallow frosting. Then I added some mini marshmallows and a Teddy Graham and you have a cute little bear in a bubble bath!

For each treat I made a label on my computer, cut it out with a 1 3/4" circle punch, glued it on some card stock cut with a 2" scallop punch, and added some fun make-up embellishments I cut out with my Cricut. The label holders are foam rollers.

Next are the "Nail Polish" treats. These are made with strawberry flavored marshmallows and Tootsie Rolls held together by a toothpick.

These "Nail File" treats are vanilla sugar wafer cookies.

Here are some "Flip Flop Cucumber Sandwiches"!

Here's a closer look. I found the inspiration for these here, but I altered the idea a little and they ended up looking more like these here (this link also includes step-by-step instructions). To make mine look like flip flops I used blueberries and sliced cucumber peel. You can find the recipe for the filling here. I altered the recipe by mixing chopped cucumber into the filling instead of adding a slice of cucumber to each sandwich.

Finally, we had "Pig Tails in a Blanket". It's the classic snack food with a fun little twist on the name.

My girls had a wonderful time at the spa party and it was fun to put it together too! I hope you enjoyed the little "tour" of our party!

Have you planned any themed parties recently? What did you do?

P.S. If you are planning a spa party soon, I found some cute printable invitations here!

Pot O' Gold Brownie Bites

I made these brownie bites a couple times last week and they were so easy and fun that I thought I would share!

For the pot I used a boxed brownie mix and baked up a bunch in a mini muffin tin. If you are feeling ambitious, you could also make the brownies from scratch! For the gold I used store-bought yellow frosting (again, you could also make your own). To add a little golden shimmer, I added some orange sugar sprinkles. Finally, to top it off, I added a candy rainbow. The rainbows are AirHeads Xtremes in Rainbow Berry flavor that I found in the candy aisle. I took one piece of the candy, cut it into thirds and it was the perfect size for the little brownie bite!

These are so easy and delicious, plus they're kid-approved!

Do you make any special treats for St. Patrick's Day?

Mickey and Minnie Treat Bag: Tutorial

I recently made some Mickey and Minnie Treat Bags for a Minnie Mouse themed birthday party. I got the inspiration for them by searching the Internet. Based on the ideas I found, I put together my own version. I used my Cricut, but this could definitely be done without one. Here are the details if you are interested in making your own Mickey and Minnie treat bags!

Here are the supplies I used:

Cricut with Mickey and Friends cartridge

Black, white, and red cardstock

Black treat bags found at Hobby Lobby

3/4" circle punch

1" circle punch

2" oval punch

Paper trimmer

I started both bags by cutting out a 5 x 6" rectangle from red cardstock.

Next, I cut ears for both bags at 7 3/4" using the "Mickey Icon Shift" key from the Mickey and Friends cartridge. I cut Minnie's bow at 4 1/2" using the "Minnie 4 Icon" key.

I saw lots of bags made with just circles for the ears which is a good option if you don't have a Cricut or similar cutting machine!

For Minnie's polka dots I used the 3/4" punch to make 9 circles for her bow and the 1" punch to make 8 circles for her skirt.

For Mickey's pants I used the 2" oval punch to make two buttons.

Finally, I glued everything together. I filled the bags with some fun little goodies like a coloring book, crayons, and stickers. 

There you have it! These bags were so easy to make and turned out so cute. The kids loved them!

Have you ever attempted to make your own treat bags? How did it go?

Minnie Mouse Wreath: Tutorial

I have been sharing some of the crafts I made for my 4-year-old's Minnie Mouse Themed Birthday Party. This is a wreath I made in the shape of Minnie Mouse. It was actually really simple. 

Here are the supplies I used:

1- 12" box wire wreath frame (found at JoAnn's)

2- 6" box wire wreath frames (also from JoAnn's)

3 rolls of black wired burlap ribbon. I originally bought two rolls, then had to go back to the store for a third. I found the ribbon at Michael's.

1.5" red and white polka dot ribbon (found at Hobby Lobby)

Packing tape

Pliers, needle and thread, and glue gun (not pictured)

The wreath frames were held together by pieces of wire that were bent up around the inner and outer circles. This is a little complicated to explain, but I will do my best: I pulled open the outer bends of two wreaths with pliers and then slid the outer circle of each wreath inside the opposites wreath's wire bend then pinched them back closed. In the picture you can see that both wreaths are secured by both wires.

I attached both 6" wreaths to the 12" wreath to form the Minnie head with the wires as described above and then secured it with some packing tape to make sure it all stayed in place.

Next, I took the end of the burlap ribbon, slid it up from the back of the wreath, and tied a knot around the outer wreath wire. (This picture was taken from the back of the wreath).

Next, I pulled the ribbon up between the two outer most wires and made a little loop. The size of the loop depends on how full you want the wreath to be. My loop was about the width of two fingers. Next, you twist the loop sideways to hold it in place. The next loop will be between the middle two wires and then the following loop will be between the two inner most wires. You will repeat the loops and twists, moving from one space in the wreath to the next, then down to the next row. You always want each new loop to be separated from the last one by a wire so that it will all stay together. This may mean jumping around a little bit as you work your way around the wreath. For example, as you move down to the next row, you will want to make your loop between the middle two wires instead of making a loop directly below the previous one. (I hope that all made sense!)

Here is the wreath taking shape. Continue working around the entire wreath until everything is covered.

For the bow I took my ribbon and made two big loops.

Then I added four more loops.

To keep it all together I hand stitched it down the middle.

Next, I pulled the thread to gather the loops and wrapped the thread around the center tightly.

I took another little piece of ribbon, folded it in thirds, and wrapped it around the center of the bow to cover the thread. I secured it in back with a little hot glue.

I took some thread through the back of the bow and tied the bow in place on the wreath.

This wreath was really simple and it looked great hanging on our front door!

Have you ever made a burlap ribbon wreath? What occasion did you make it for?

Minnie Mouse Birthday Banner

I recently made a Minnie Mouse Birthday Banner for my 4-year-old's birthday! She loves Minnie Mouse so that is the theme she chose for her party. The banner was pretty easy. I cut the banner with my Cricut. Here are the details if you have a Cricut and want to make your own:

I used the Accent Essentials cartridge, the Disney Mickey Font cartridge, and the Disney Mickey and Friends cartridge.

Accent Essentials:

"Accent 31 Shift" (scalloped circle), cut at 5", red cardstock

"Accent 1 Shift" (circle), cut at 4", white cardstock

Mickey Font Cartridge:

Capital letters, cut at 2.5", black cardstock

Mickey and Friends Cartridge:

"Mickey Icon", cut at 5", black cardstock

"Minnie 4 Icon" (bow), cut at 3", red and white polka dot cardstock (I found this at JoAnn's)

"Minnie 4 Icon Shadow" (bow shadow), cut at 3", black cardstock

After gluing everything together, I punched holes in each piece and added 5/32" silver eyelets. I tied each piece together with 3/8" red and white polka dot ribbon that I found at Hobby Lobby and 1/8" black ribbon that I had on hand.

I think it turned out pretty cute and my daughter loved it!

Do you have a Cricut or a similar machine? Have you ever created a banner with it?

Quick and Easy Minnie Mouse Party Invitation: Tutorial

I recently made some Minnie Mouse themed invitations for a birthday party. I only needed a few so I decided to make them myself. They ended up being really quick and easy so I thought I would share how I made them.

First, here are the supplies I used:

White and Black Cardstock

Paper Trimmer (scissors work fine too)

1/8" Red Ribbon

7/8" Red and White Polka Dot Ribbon

Mickey Mouse Hole Punch (I found this at Hobby Lobby)

Craft Glue (I used a few different kinds, but all you really need is one)

Scissors (not pictured, but I'm sure you know what they look like)

I started by typing up the invitations in Word. I made a text box that was just under 4" x 6" and added my text. I also added a border so I would have a guide for where to cut. You can download a "Minnie Mouse" font, but I just inserted the image of the font directly into my text box.

After I printed the text, I cut them out using my paper trimmer just inside of the black line so I had a clean, white edge.

Next, I cut some black cardstock for the background to just under 4.5" x 6.5".

I used the extra scraps of black cardstock to punch out some Mickey silhouettes.

Next, I cut the ribbon. The polka dot ribbon was about 5" and the red ribbon was about 4 3/4".

I used a tape runner to put a little double sided tape on the back of the polka dot ribbon.

Then I secured the ribbon to the front of the text sheet.

I wrapped the ends of the ribbon around the white cardstock and glued it in place with some tacky glue. Then I added some glue to the edges of the white cardstock and centered it onto the black cardstock.

I tied the red ribbon in a bow and glued it in place with some hot glue. I used hot glue because it would hold the bow in place better, especially because it isn't flat.

Then I glued the little Minnie Mouse on the invitation and ta-da! Done! I think they turned out pretty cute!

Have you made party invitations before? How did it go?