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Dino Egg shaped rice krispe TreatsA few years ago I attempted to make Easter Egg shaped Rice Krispies Treats. Let's just say they were delicious, but they didn't exactly look like Easter Eggs. They reminded me of dinosaur eggs. Thus, this recipe was added to my list of, "when I have a dinosaur party...I will make..." ideas.
Ingredients:
1. Melt butter in a sauce pan over low heat. 2. Once butter is melted, add marshmallows. Stir while marshmallows melt. 3. Remove heat and add cereal. 4. Stir until cereal is completely coated with marshmallow mixture. 5. Spray hands, bowls, Easter Egg and all utensils you may use with cooking spray before handling Rice Krispies. 6. Divide mixture into bowls to add food coloring. You may use the same bowl, rinsing between colors. 7. Add food coloring to bowls and mix with hands. 8. Place mixture into sprayed Easter eggs. Close eggs to compress your Treats. It is important to ensure the mixture is packed tightly, otherwise, it will fall apart. Add more mixture to eggs than you think you need to assist in this process. WHAT TO DO WITH LEFTOVER SPRINKLES AND CANDY MELTSIf you like to do DIY party desserts, there is a good chance you end up with leftover sprinkles, candies and almond bark. I've learned, instead of buying a variety of candy melts in different colors, buy almond bark. You will be able to use food coloring to dye it a variety of colors. Almond bark also seems to coat better. Lastly, a package of almond bark goes further than a package of candy melts. The last few pieces of a candy melt color are perfect to use for drizzling. Remember, your desserts have to coordinate, not match. Drizzle colors can vary on pretzels, from Oreos, from Rice Krispe treats. You can use leftover sprinkles as toppers for your treats as well. Candied Popcorn Random candy melt colors are also good for candied popcorn. A bag of candied popcorn is nice in different colors. Bags of candied popcorn are also a good place to toss in leftover sprinkles or candy pieces. Curls Candy melts and almond back can also be melted and spread over pieces of parchment paper. Allow melted candy to harden, then break it into pieces, These candy pieces can be used in your candied popcorn, over your cake or as decoration for another dessert you have. Popcorn with Almond BarkMERMAID CANDIED POPCORN (NO KARO SYRUP)
Salty and sweet is a popular combination. My son loves this as a party snack. This is an easy way to make candied popcorn that does not require boiling anything. If you're having a party, it is easy to piggyback this recipe with my other party desserts to save some money, have a variety of desserts and coordinate a theme. This popcorn will not be hard like some other candied popcorns. You can purchase candy melts from Amazon, Walmart, or any craft store like Michaels. They have various colors and flavors. Almond bark is also on Amazon, FIY: White chocolate, candy melts and almond bark are not the same. If you want to have a variety of colors, but don't want to spend a lot of money, buy almond bark. Instead of paying for 3-4 bags of candy melt colors, you can get one package of almond bark. Divide almond bark cubes into different bowls and use food coloring to dye melted bark. Candied popcorn is also a great way to use leftover melted cany melts from other treats. It is also a great way to get rid of leftover sprinkles from Christmas cookies :) Ingredients:
Steps:
There are plenty of balloon garland kits on Amazon. These kits come with varying size balloons, garland strip, glue dots and string at the least. Sometimes a tying tool or other items. If you are unable to find a balloon kit with the colors you need, purchase balloons from 5 inch to 18 inch. You can get larger balloons if you like. It is also important to get mostly 5 inch balloons. They are what make your garland look "fancy". In case you are wondering, you can not just blow up larger balloons less to create small balloons. There will be a dark circle on the balloon if you don't inflate it properly.
Colors should stay within a basic theme. They do not have to have all of the colors you are using at your event. I stick to one dark, one light, one metallic or glitter and a neutral. Example: Minnie Mouse- dark pink, light pink, glitter and white. Safari- dark blue, light blue, dark green, light green and gold. Use an electric balloon pump like this, Amazon pump. It comes with the tying tool and the garland tape. or a smaller one like this. Use a tying tool to help tie balloons. You may be tying over 100 balloons; your fingers are going to hurt if you attempt to do this without one. Watch my balloon tying tool video to learn how to tie balloons with the tool. After all balloons are inflated, put them in the holes in the garland strip. If you are daring, you can tie two balloons to each other, then add them to the garland strip. Some people knot the balloons together with fishing line or string, however, the balloons are not able to have movement. If you are hanging them on a staircase, or over windows, use the strip. You can use more than one strip to make it look fuller.
When I got married, I learned it was cheaper to buy some items than renting them. Even though I only needed them for one day, it was going to save me money. If you haven't realized, I'm all for saving my pennies because then I can use them on something else. Planning my kids' birthday parties showed me the same thing, sometimes I should just buy.
For my son's 2nd birthday we rented a cute little snow cone truck. It was perfect for our pandemic drive-by party. Guests could stop, drop off their gift and get a snow cone to enjoy in their car before heading home. My son, who rarely eats sweets, LOVED snow cones. The thought of renting a truck for all of his birthdays was daunting. That Christmas, I decided to make a new family tradition. I call it the Family Gift. It is something larger that we can all enjoy. One member may love it more, but everyone will get something out of it. It is also something we can enjoy with our guests at parties.
The first Family Christmas gift was an ice shaver aka snow cone machine. How much was it? $500? $300? Nope. It was around $50. Of course I had to pick up a sampler pack of snow cone syrup *yum*. It may have been a cool Christmas day, but we had snow cones that night. Even though the ice shaver isn't as fancy as the cute snow cone truck, it gets the job done. I am also able to reward my kids with snow cones throughout the year for good behavior. For the money minded mom, buying some items instead of renting them allows you to give your child the party you want, without going over your budget.
A friend wanted to do a Minnie Mouse theme for her little girl. It was a small gathering of just a few kids. Her budget was $40. With a few leftover party supplies from previous parties, plus items from Walmart and Amazon, we made it happen.
It isn't about what you spend, it's how you spend it. The dramatic effect for her party were balloons. Amazon carries balloon garland kits. They come with garland tape (which hold the balloons), string, and most importantly, different size balloons. Small balloons make a huge impact on a garland. *See previous posts to learn how to make the items in the pictures*
Mermaid party:
My daughter recently started swim lessons. A mermaid themed party seemed fitting for the occasions. The pandemic ruined her first birthday party. I wasn't able to give her the gathering I wanted. This year we were able to do a small gathering with her little friends. Just about every aspect of the party was DIY-- Marquee lights, balloon garland, toddler height backdrop, desserts, large cupcake cake, and more.
DIY Marquee Letter Supplies:
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*Tips:
Target has white patio lights for CHEAP How to:
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DIY Balloon Garland:
When my son was a baby, I saw this cute balloon thingy. I researched balloons for party and learned it was called an organic balloon garland. At the time, these were made with string. There are various was of making them. The lady I saw used a needle and fishing line. She basically sewed her balloons together. This seemed easy enough. But how was I suppose to blow up all of those balloons? And exactly how was I supposed to tie them? By hand?? It would take forever ![]()
Research continued. I was a determined mother. NOTHING stops a mom on a mission. Amazon had an electric balloon pump. It came with a balloon tying tool. Then, I found something called garland tape! It was a wide 20 foot long piece of plastic. It had holes to hold the balloons. I purchased it all. Without having a clue how to use any of it, I prayed for the best.
It took a little getting use to, but after a few balloons, I understood how to inflate and tie balloons. The air pump is NOT helium; simply air. It saves your breath. The tying tool, it saves your fingers. The tape allows the balloons to be flexible. If you make quads, then add those to each other using poles, everything is stiff. When you sew the balloons or use garland tape, you can hang them anywhere. They have movement. Nowadays, you can find garland tape at Dollar Tree. There are even balloon kids that come with them as well as glue dots and string.
![]() My favorite way to hang balloons is off my staircase. It adds an inexpensive whimsical touch. Tips, just make sure you get a garland pack that comes with lots of small balloons. Make sure to vary sizes. Some people have boxes where they measure the balloons as the go. My measuring tip, use your eyes. Ensure the balloons are round like a basketball, not oval like a football. That means, do not over inflate. They will be smaller, but it will look nicer. Ironically, blowing them up smaller will not mean you need more balloons. *shrugs* Please visit Pinterest @MyMommyMade for in-depth how to videos. In daycares, kids overlap teachers. Our former age group teachers are still special to us. So, when I gift to one teacher for a holiday, I gift to all. I've found some inexpensive ways to show all of them our love. This year for Mother's Day and Teacher's Appreciation Day, we gifted flowers. I was able to make 11 arrangements from 4 bouquets for the kids' current and former teachers. Dollar store for candle holders that I used as vases.
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