Free Printable | Glow Stick Valentines Tags

It's been SO long since I've done one of these. My kids are not little anymore and opportunities for things like cute classroom Valentines are coming to a fast end. However, this project was the perfect use for all our leftover glow stick bracelets from Theo's 10th birthday, so he agreed to let me design them 'in house'. In the spirit of the season, I thought I'd pop in and share the love with anyone in need of a last minute classroom Valentine's Day idea. Enjoy!

Printables and images are © CAKE Creative Co. and are for personal use only. If sharing them on your site, please credit CAKE. and link directly to this post.

Mystical Unicorns | a 5th Birthday Party

Time sure flies when you're raising kids. My daughter is now almost 6.  But here at long last I'm back to share her 5th birthday party, because unicorns are always a good idea.  This was a small and simple backyard party, with bright cheerful color and some easy handmade touches.  You can find the invitation and most of the graphics in my shop, and the rest is detailed below.

The world's cutest plush unicorns came from the Land of Nod and were the party favors, along with bags for the unicorn pinata treats.  The other unicorns were all sprayed gold... and you may notice that I got a little liberal with the spray paint and sprayed the tops of the balloons gold too.  You can't see much of the effect in the photos but I highly recommend trying this- they looked awesome.

For party activities, the girls first beaded their own rainbow necklaces and had their faces painted.  Then after a (mystic) pizza lunch we had them design their own unicorn horns.  The 'horns' were chocolate cupcakes baked inside ice cream cones and they got to frost them and decorate with chocolate stars, sprinkles and twizzlers.  It was a super fun ridiculous mess!

We also had a game of pin the horn on the unicorn - on a poster I printed using the invitation design. And last but not least of course... the pinata, filled with sparkles, tiny rubber unicorns and an abundance of pink and purple candy.

As you can see, the girls had a blast. Though clearly having the streamers as a photo backdrop backfired on me... they doubled as a hiding place for those pretty faces.  Also, one final tip for you. I used a roll of recycled art paper to make the brush painted table covers, and not only did they add fun color, but they made for the easiest clean up ever.  See? Small and simple, as most of my favorite parties are these days.

Images are for personal use only. If sharing them on your site or social media, please link directly to this post. Sources: Invitation + party graphics // Plush Unicorns

Unicorn Piñata | 5 Minute Makeover

I've had this post drafted since Caitlin's birthday in June.  Along with the rest of her unicorn party that I have yet to share because I'm such a tease.  But this week I've seen some pretty amazing new unicorn piñatas and I figured it's time to get in on the action.

You've seen them right? I've always been a fan of Kelly's and now there's Jordan's and Brie's in the mix!  Credit where it's due, these piñatas are epic.  But if you're anything like me and tend to think...that's amazing, but I'll never have time to make it, take heart. 

I took this store bought unicorn piñata and gave it the world's easiest makeover.  All you need is a sharpie, a gluestick and glitter. True story. Here's how: 

1. Gently peel off the creepy sticker eyes 

2. Draw a simple half circle with a sharpie to make bashful eyes 

3. Brush glue all over the horn and shake on gold glitter 

 Finally, name your pinata. Preferably after someone you're annoyed with, because then you get free therapy each time your child takes a whack at it.

So much better, and SO simple. Stay tuned for party pics from this super fun unicorn 5th birthday! 

Images are for personal use only. If using them on your site or social media, please link directly to this post.

Free Printable | Teacher Appreciation Gift Tags

It's teacher appreciation week!  Here's a sweet and simple last minute project to show your favorite teachers some love...

1. Purchase clear containers
2. Fill them with gobs of gummy bears
3. Tie on a pretty ribbon
4. Download, trim and attach this free printable tag (don't forget to have your child sign it first)

And you're done! Now go out and make a teacher's day.

Printables and images are © CAKE. | events + design and are for personal use only. If sharing them on your site, please credit CAKE. and link directly to this post.

Pixie Party | a Fairy 4th Birthday

The first day of spring was on Friday, hooray! For those of you who have been pummeled by snow, the warmer weather is definitely something to celebrate. And what's more spring than a pixie party, am I right?  Truth is we actually hosted this party for Caitlin's 4th birthday last year, so this post is more than a bit overdue. Let's just say I've been sitting on it, waiting and hoping to inspire you with some fun spring color. Totally intentional, obviously.

When we planned this party, I asked Caitlin what kind of theme she wanted, and she was all about Tinkerbell and the Disney Fairies.  Fortunately for me, I got her to compromise and we made it more of a garden pixie party. I designed a playful invitation in a color palette of teal and peach w/ black + white polka dot accents. She was happy. I was happy.

We had 8 little ladies and their parents over for afternoon of fairy games and cake. At the beginning of the party each girl earned her wings, wand and a pixie dust necklace to wear and bring home as a favor. The wings were a steal from Target and I DiY'ed the ribbon wands and pixie dust (tutorials are at the end of this post). I felt like a fairy godmother passing them out... the girls were in awe.

We tagged each set with a name in order to prevent tears if someone didn't get their preferred color. There a few seconds of pouting, but overall it worked out really well... maybe because I blamed the color choice on the fairies.

images © cake. | events + design

To keep this post from getting too long, I'm breaking it up into a few parts - and you're going to want to come back for the cake... s.  Yes, plural.  If you want to know how I made the ribbon wands and pixie dust, see below for quick and easy instructions.

But wait, there's more... have you seen the rest of this party yet?  Cakes \\  Activities 

Ribbon Wands 

Supplies:
Wooden Dowels
Craft Paint
Washi Tape
Sponge Brush
3 widths/types of ribbon
Glue Dots

Instructions:
1. Cut each dowel to about 1 ft length.
2. Wrap washi around the lower third and dab on paint w/ a sponge brush. Remove washi when the paint is dry.
3. Cut each ribbon into 2 ft lengths. Group each type of ribbon together and tie in a knot around the top of the dowel.
4. Hold knot in place with a glue dot on the dowel.

Pixie Dust Necklaces 
This one is fairly self explanatory. I purchased the jars here and filled them with gold craft glitter. I measured a length of baking twine so it could be knotted around the jar twice and the cord would still be long enough to slip over each girl's head without having to add a clasp.


Images are for personal use only. If sharing them on your site, please link directly to this post.  // Invitations available via Etsy.

A Joyful No Sew Holiday Banner

Felt message banners are such a fun and easy way to add some joy (or love, or peace, or cheer…) to your home this holiday season. You can make them in endless festive color pairings and trace the letters in any font you like. I did my banner lettering freehand to save time and add a bit of extra character. Here’s how to make your own:

images © cake. | events + design

Supplies
- 2 sheets of contrasting colored felt
- thin wood dowel, at least 2 inches longer than your banner
- Baking twine or yarn
- No sew hem tape (w/ iron) or hot glue gun
- Ruler
- Pencil or chalk

Directions
1. Create your base felt.  Use a ruler and mark the center of your felt at the lowest point you want your angle. Then mark both sides of the felt about 3” up, forming a triangle at the base. Trim from center to the edges.
2. Line the top of your base felt with hem tape and fold over about 1 inch from the top, leaving a gap to slide a dowel through. Iron/Glue and press firmly into place for a strong hold. Slide your dowel in place, leaving an 1” extra on each side.
3. Measure your lettering felt on top of the base to ensure your letters will fit within the space. Either freehand sketch/trim your block letters, or use a paper cut program like Silhouette create templates in your favorite font. Trace them onto your lettering felt and trim out.
4. Line the back of your letters with hem tape or hot glue, and place on to the backing felt.
5. Cut a length of your twine or yarn and tie to each end of the dowel. Hang and you're done!

Season to Sparkle | The Party Hop - Day 5

As the week comes to a close, so does our Season to Sparkle.  So last, but totally not least I bring you our final 3 party hop projects.

Whatever Dee Dee Wants glitters up the partyware...

Squirrelly Minds DiYs the fun on the holiday napkins...

and KoJo Designs sparkly favor bags will definitely send guests off in style!

I hope you've enjoyed sharing in the holiday inspiration this week.  Do you have a favorite project?  Thanks so much to Sara for bringing this fun and stylish event to life!  We'd love for you to share + pin your favorites with the hashtag #thepartyhop.

For more from the Season to Sparkle party hop series, click here.

Season to Sparkle | The Party Hop - Day 4

Lucky you! Another day of fabulous holiday crafts!  Hop on over to these blogs and get all the deets:

Bump Smitten is rocking the giant balloon fringe...

Paisley Petal Events topping her cupcakes with the cutest glitter bows...

and Modge Podge Rocks is hanging the holiday garland...

For more from the Season to Sparkle party hop series, click here.

Season to Sparkle | The Party Hop - Day 3

Are you having fun yet?  Hope you enjoyed yesterday's projects! Today we're sharing even more holiday goodness, starting right here with a mouthwatering turtle recipe from lgrollins...

You-Make-Do is livening up the cocktails with these sweet drink stirrers...

and Me And My Insanity is prettying up her party hats...

For more from the Season to Sparkle party hop series, click here.