August 2012 Archives - A Pumpkin And A Princess

Wicker Basket Makeover

August 30, 2012 30 Comments

Spray painted wicker basket

A few weeks ago I came across a wicker basket for $1 at my local grocery store. It was rather plain and boring, which is probably why it was $1. I knew it would be perfect for holding craft supplies in but it definitely need a little tlc. I used my purple fall wreath from last year as inspiration for this wicker basket makeover. I just love the dark purple and burlap combo!

I began by covering it with primer. This was my first time painting a wicker basket so I’m not sure what the norm is but I used almost an entire can of Krylon primer. Maybe I’m just OCD and it didn’t need that much but I wanted to make sure it was fully covered. After priming it I used Rustoleum spray enamel in antique white. I’m pretty sure this is my new favorite spray paint! Am I late to the game? Have people been using this spray paint for awhile and I’m just now discovering it? Well, it’s awesome and I’m now looking for reasons to use it again.

Burlap Basket

Anyways, so I took a 4 inch wide piece of burlap, folded it in half and sewed one of the sides together. You could just cut a 2inch piece of burlap but I like it folded. To finish it off I hot glued the burlap and purple rosettes on top. I’m so happy with the way it turned out. It makes me wish I hadn’t gotten rid of my old wicker baskets, I could have pretty baskets all over the house!

Spray Painting Wicker

Now are you ready for some Halloween ideas? Or is it too early? I’m dying to start sharing a few ideas with you. Oh and stay tuned because next week is going to be AWESOME. More details on that coming up, but get ready for some fun things happening around here! ;)

Linking up to these parties, TCB, Tip Junkie, Home Stories A2Z

Filed Under: Decor, DIY, Home Decorating Tagged With: basket makeover, rosette flowers, spray paint

Mini Snickers Cheesecakes

August 28, 2012 49 Comments

I like having an excuse to make tasty desserts, my husband likes it even more if it involves having friends over. This weekend we had my best friend and her husband over while the kids stayed the night at grandma & grandpas house. I made mini SNICKERS cheesecakes for our little gathering and they were a big hit!

Snickers Cheesecake Recipe

While the guys had a little fantasy football party of their own my best friend and I had fun catching up. Mini Snickers Cheesecakes and hanging out with my best friend? Yes, please!

Mini Snickers Cheesecake

Since this was a small gathering I didn’t want to spend hours on the decor so I took on a simple, laid back approach to this party. Guys don’t really care about football decor anyways do they? I think as long as there’s food involved their happy, right?

I did make sure to buy the new SNICKERS ® Brand NFL Minis I found at Walmart. You can see more pictures on Google+.

I think they’re so cute! Each SNICKERS ® Brand NFL Minis has a team logo on it and the NFL logo on the back. They’re perfect for tailgating parties!

The food was simple too, all finger foods including chips and salsa.

The mini snickers cheesecakes were AMAZING. They’re very easy to make too!

Snickers Cheesecake Recipe

(2) 8oz packages cream cheese
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup chopped SNICKERS ® + extra for topping
1 cup crushed Oreos
3 tablespoons butter (melted)
2 tbsp sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
caramel topping (optional)
peanuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake pan with baking cups.
Crush Oreos and mix with melted butter.
 Press one heaping tablespoon of Oreo crumbs into each baking cup.
Mix together cream cheese, sugar, and sour cream. Add in eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy.
 Fold in chopped Snickers.
 Fill baking cups 2/3 way full; bake for 22-24 minutes.
Cool; add caramel, peanuts, and chopped Snickers on top (optional).

Snickers Cheesecake

So tell me, what is YOUR favorite NFL team?

Linking up to these parties, TCB, Tip Junkie

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and #SnickersMinis #CBias

Filed Under: Desserts, Parties, Recipes Tagged With: Cheesecake, Mini Snickers Cheesecakes, Snickers

DIY Candy Box

August 24, 2012 15 Comments

I have a huge crush on beautiful gift wrap. My pinterest gift wrap board is beaming with inspiring ideas that make me wish I had more occasions to give gifts for. In the last few gifts I’ve given I used washi tape to either add a tag or wrap the gift in. This DIY candy box is no exception. It’s simple but the bold colors make a big statement.

I made the flower using trim from Hobby Lobby by following the same flower tutorial I used on my yellow crate. The best part is the trim was already pleated and I didn’t have to do any sewing. Score!

To make the box I used the Matchbox Die from Lifestyle Crafts. This is a great die to use for small gifts and party favors.

Once I closed the box I wrapped the washi tape around and glued the flower on. Super easy, right? This pretty little box can be used as party favors, handmade gifts, a jewelry box, or candy box.

The tape I used is called Route 66 from Downtown tape. If you’re wanting to get a hold of some washi tape be sure to enter the Downtown Tape giveaway!

Thanks for stopping! p.s. get ready for some Fall/Halloween projects coming next week! I know it’s a little early but I can’t hold off any longer! :)

Disclosure: I received washi tape from Downtown Tape and a die from Lifestyle Crafts to review. I love both products and wouldn’t share them if I didn’t think you would too.

Filed Under: Gift Ideas, Gift Wrap, Paper Crafts Tagged With: Candy Box, paper crafts

Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

August 21, 2012 28 Comments

The weather finally cooled down from 108 to mid 90s this week. The slight change put me in the mood to bake and daydream about the upcoming Fall/baking season. Lately I’ve been trying out new recipes, some from Pinterest others from cookbooks in preparation for baking season. My favorite time of the year!

Today I’m sharing with you a triple chocolate chip cookie recipe made from a cake box. I found this recipe on the side of a Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge cake box and slightly changed it.

1 cake mix box
2 large eggs
1 stick of butter, melted
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Combine cake mix, eggs, melted butter, brown sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts until evenly mixed. Drop by tablespoon on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. If you prefer a crispier cookie bake for 14 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes then move cookies to a cooling rack.

These triple chocolate chip cookies are SO good! I had to store them away before I ate them all. :)

Thanks for stopping by! Don’t forget to enter the Washi Tape Giveaway and come back tomorrow for a new crafty tutorial!

Linking up to these parties, TCB, Tip Junkie

Filed Under: Desserts, Recipes, semi-homemade Tagged With: Baking, Cookies, Dessert, Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

Downtown Tape Giveaway

August 21, 2012 48 Comments

I didn’t hear back from the first winner so the new winner is

Entry #15 Eva M.

Congratulations, Eva!

We all know how much I looooovvee washi tape right? Well I hope all of you do too because I have an awesome washi tape giveaway for you today!

You may have heard of the new washi tape company Downtown Tape but if not then let me introduce you to them. Downtown Tape offers pretty washi tape patterns at an amazing price of only $1.99 a roll! They carry stripes, dots, flower patterns, and even cute little sayings like Made With Love and Merry Christmas.

My favorite is the black & white Chevron pattern below, it’s perfect for wrapping Halloween treats!

Whether you’re a washi tape novice or completely obsessed like myself then you’ll like today’s giveaway. Downtown Tape is offering one A Pumpkin & A Princess reader 10 rolls of washi tape plus 25 gift tags!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to sign up for their newsletter as well to be the first to hear about new designs, sales, and specials. Plus when you sign up you’ll receive a free sheet of gifting tags (a $10 value).

This giveaway is open to U.S. and International readers, yay! :)

This giveaway is not associated with Facebook in anyway. Winner will have 48hrs to claim prize before a new winner is selected.

Filed Under: Giveaways Tagged With: washi tape, Washi Tape Giveaway

{Back To School} Family Game Night

August 21, 2012 6 Comments

School officially started for us this week and we had a fun weekend enjoying the last bit of Summer vacation. Saturday was my daughter’s party and Sunday we had a fun family day. In the morning we had a huge breakfast at my in-laws with all of our out of town family that came for the party. Afterwards I let the kids choose what to do with the rest of the day.

After our much needed Sunday naps (aren’t those the best?) we had a fun-packed kids day, from the food to the activities. We decided a family game night was the perfect way to end Summer vacation. So after breakfast I went shopping for a new game for us to play.

My husband insisted we buy Hungry Hungry Hippos (yes, he’s a total kid at heart and I love it!). It’s been awhile since we have purchased a new game and it’s nice to see that so many games from my childhood are still available. I’ve always loved Candyland and really wanted to get this Disney Princess version for my daughter but I got veto out by the boys. You can see more of my favorites on Google +.

Dinner was their favorite kind of dinner, almost everything was a dipping food! Dinner consisted of Tyson chicken nuggets, Ore Ida crinkle fries, and steamed veggies. We served them Heinz ketchup in these little white cups I found in the baking section at the craft store.

Then for dessert we had apple slices with crunchy peanut butter, yum! It’s one of our favorite desserts.

This was my first time playing Hungry Hungry Hippos and we had a lot fun. My daughter is currently in love with this game, she wakes up asking to play!

After the younger two went to bed my oldest and I played Scrabble then went online to look up other games. We used to the upc codes from our Tyson chicken nugget package, Heinz ketchup bottle, and Ore Ida french fries to unlock online games on the Hasbro site. Every week they feature a game you can unlock and play online. This weeks game is Connect Four.

We kept score with our mini chalkboard and as you can see the girls didn’t fair so well. By the way everything in our house is divided between boys and girls, I think it’s always going to be this way and even though we’re outnumbered we still have hope that we’ll beat them in something someday. :)

To learn more about #DipDipHooray visit:

Heinz Twitter Facebook, Tyson Twitter Facebook, Ore Ida, Hasbro Games

Thanks for stopping by!

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ Tyson and Heinz #CBias #SocialFabric

Filed Under: Family Activities, Kids Tagged With: Family Activities, Family Fun, Family Game Night

School Supply Cake Tutorial

August 17, 2012 26 Comments

Has it really been a month since I posted my school supply cake? Eeek sorry about the tutorial delay! Summer has been busy but a whole lot of fun, I hope you’ll understand. ;)

Today I finally sat down to give a quick recap on how I made the school supply cake.

I’m sure there are several ways to make school supply cakes but this is what I had on hand thought worked best. Another suggestion would be to use a pvc pipe or one of those 3 packs of tissue boxes as your base.

Supplies:

Note: I didn’t use the notebooks

I started by taking a packaging roll and wrapping the folders around in to give it a finished look. The rubber bands held them in place.

I wrapped the pencil boxes around the tube then added the crayons. I believe I used 5 pencil boxes and 7 crayon boxes. This will depend on the size of your center item, you may need more or less supplies. In the pic below you’ll see colored pencils but I replaced them with the dixon box of pencils (I’ll tell you why in a sec). Before you arrange your items pull the folders up so they cover the top of the tube if yours is longer like mine was. I learned the hard way and did it AFTER I had everything in place, definitely not recommended. ;)

Next were the school glue bottles. By folding the pencil boxes down a little it provided the perfect base for the glue bottles to sit on. I removed the colored pencil boxes because they weren’t the same size and made them uneven. As you can see everything is held together with rubber bands. Make sure they are thick enough to hold your supplies steady. I finished it off by adding glue sticks on the top, for extra security I applied foam mounting tape under the glue sticks which has worked great!

Then add ribbon and you’re done!

But of course I always have to add something so to make it even cuter I used the Lifestyle Crafts pennants die and Canvas Corp chalkboard paper to make a banner. I hot glued it onto twine and tied it on the rulers. Super cute, right? It’s my favorite part of this whole cake! :)

So are you ready for the new school year? My son starts on Monday and I’m so not ready for him to go back! We’re celebrating my daughter’s birthday tomorrow so it’s going to be a fun last weekend of Summer!

Thanks for stopping by!

Linking up to these parties, TCB

Filed Under: DIY, Lifestyle Crafts, School Crafts, Uncategorized Tagged With: School Supply Cake, teacher gift

Safari Birthday Party

August 14, 2012 48 Comments

A few weeks ago we celebrated my son’s first birthday with a Safari Themed Party. It was filled with all of our closest friends, family, and great memories. Today I’m finally sharing with you the party decor details.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, my inspiration for this party mainly came from the Young Explorer’s party Kim from The TomKat Studio styled for Pottery Barn. She was kind enough to customize the invitations for us and I loved them! I’m adding one to his scrapbook along with a mini album I’m making of his party.

The favor boxes were my favorite! They had animal crackers inside which went perfectly with our safari birthday party theme. I used burlap, bakers twine, an EkSuccess flourish punch, and my Silhouette Cameo to cut out the 1.

I make chocolate covered pretzels and cake balls for every event we host. I think our family and friends expect them by now, which is great since they’re so easy to make. ;)

I was happy to find these unfinished wood crates, they were perfect for holding the cake and cupcakes.

The large rosettes were made out of kraft paper packaging from the Dollar Store. These cost me pennies to make and could probably work with gift wrap as well. I followed the same rosette tutorial I always use but cut each piece 12×12 inches. They looked a little bare so I added a circle in the center of each rosette.

I don’t think I can host a party without mason jars. I simply adore these daisy cut lids and the burlap ribbon I used.

The adults received a white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookie as a party favor. How cute are these bags and thank you tags?

Right before the guests arrived we realized that the 100+ degree weather was too hot to be outside so we moved the party inside. As soon as I started setting everything back up I realized I forgot to add the paper mache letters spelling out ONE on the table. I got the idea from my friend Vanessa, which by the way had an amazing goldfish party for her son! Luckily I was able to finish setting the table back up right as guest began to arrive.

I forgot to take pictures of all the awesome food my in laws prepared, which bums me out since my mother-in-law made the best cucumber & dill Salmon ever! She did a great job decorating it too. Of course my father-in-law, the grill master, did a great job cooking up a storm to feed 40+ people. Thanks Jan & Joe! I’d say we had a pretty successful Safari Birthday Party for Zach. I honestly can’t believe it’s been a year, time really does go by SO fast. I’m currently working on my daughter’s Fancy Nancy birthday party for this weekend so stay tuned for all the party details. It’s going to be her fanciest party yet!

{Vendor Credits & Resources}

Brown & white graphic bags-The TomKat Studio

Crates and unfinished tray-Hobby Lobby

Mason jar lids-The TomKat Studio

Brown paper straws-The TomKat Studio

Table cover-Hobby Lobby

Kraft paper gable boxes-Target dollar section (a few months ago)

Green baker’s twine-The TomKat Studio

Thank you gift tags-Pottery Barn/The TomKat Studio

Paper mache letters-Hobby Lobby

Thanks for stopping by!

Linking up to these parties, TCB, Home Stories A2Z, Tip Junkie, My Repurposed Life