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.

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.

Season to Sparkle | DiY Sequin Holiday Wreath

Welcome back to the Season to Sparkle party hop.  Today I'm sharing my DiY tutorial for a sparkling sequin wreath... So shiny! So colorful!  This thing gives off some serious holiday bling.

Now in theory it's super easy to make. So easy a four year old can do it.  But I'm going to tell it to you guys straight... this is a time consuming project.  It took about 4-5 evenings of sequin pinning to get it finished. I even enlisted my daughter Caitlin's help because her nimble little hands made her the perfect assistant.  Yes, for a while there I was afraid I was running a sequin sweat shop, but she promised she was having fun. The whole time she just kept saying with awe "it is SO beautiful mommy!".  Sequins will do that to a four year old (and some of us grownups too I guess).

Supplies:

- standard sequins in a variety of colors and sizes

- sequin pins (plan for 2-3 packages of 500)

- foam wreath

- satin ribbon for hanging

Directions:
1. Pick a spot on the foam wreath and begin pinning your sequins. There's no rhyme or reason to it, but I recommend working out from a single spot and covering the front area first, then working your way around to the back.

2. When you're satisfied with the amount you've covered, loop your satin ribbon around the top of the wreath and tie a simple bow. That's it!

Tip: The larger the sequins the faster the process will go, but make sure your pins are large enough for the hole in the larger sequins. Otherwise they'll just keep falling off. I learned this the hard way and ended up using sewing straight pins for some of the larger ones.

Okay, so you ready for more?  You bet!

The Frog Prince Paperie is sharing these fun fringe cupcake toppers...

And Confetti Sunshine is crafting up some sequin filled envelopes...

Come back tomorrow for more... there's may be something sweet in it for you.

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

Season to Sparkle | The Party Hop

I know it's been a while since I've posted, so let me make it up to you with something really special this week... my friends, get ready to party hop!

To help inspire your holiday party planning, I've joined Sara of Confetti Sunshine and a team of talented creative bloggers to bring you the 'Season to Sparkle'. Cheerful color meets modern design in this glitzy party setting and I love everything about it.

There are loads of shiny happy DiYs planned throughout the week, but first a shout out to Tiny Prints who joined us to sponsor this event and provided some great ideas of their own.  Just look at this clear acrylic serving tray... I want one on my coffee table stat.

Be sure to stop by throughout the week to find out how to bring this party theme to life.  Tomorrow I'll be sharing my tutorial for that super sparkly sequin wreath, and more!  

#thepartyhop holiday bloggers:  Confetti Sunshine  // Frog Prince Paperie // LGRollins // You-Make-Do // Me and My Insanity // Bump Smitten // Paisley Petal Events // Mod Podge Rocks // Whatever Dee Dee Wants // Squirrelly Minds // Kojo-Designs //  
 
The following Tiny Prints items were featured in the Season to Sparkle:

pillow // invitations // custom gift wrap // tray // easel art

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