My "baby" just turned five, and he requested a Jake and the Neverland Pirates party. I love making special cakes for my boys on their birthdays, but because I have never taken a cake decorating course, I am always looking for easy ways to make adorable cakes. Here's what I came up with this year:
Fun, right? Can you believe this is a cake mix and pre-made frosting? I started with 2 Duncan Hines mixes (chocolate for the boat and white for the island... but I cut the oil in half and subtracted 2 tbsp of water to make the cake a little more dense and easy to work with.
I found a lot of pirate cake inspiration on Pinterest and in books from the library, but here is how you can make one like mine:
First, you'll need to construct the cakes:
1) Make one 9 X 13 chocolate cake and two 8" round white cakes. The rectangle cake is for the ship, and the round cakes are for the island.
2) Allow to cool completely, and then trim the chocolate cake to make a perfect rectangle.
3) Use a serrated knife to cut the top off the cake.
4) Cut the rectangle in half (lengthwise), and then cut 2-3 inches off the top.
5) Assemble the ship by placing the two long rectangles on top of each other and the smaller rectangles at either end. (Use icing in between the layers to secure.)
6) Cut a triangle shape out of the front of the boat.
7) Lay one of the round cakes on top of the other (with icing in between), and then cover both the "boat cake" and the "island cake" (gently) with "crumb coats" of icing. Refrigerate until the icing is solid and easy to decorate.
Then, you can decorate the cakes:
To make Jake's boat (Bucky):
1) Frost the cake with chocolate icing, and use a knife to carve "planks" into the cake.
2) Trim the boat with yellow icing, and add a red lifesaver steering wheel and yellow lifesaver windows.
3) Finished the boat by adding a paper sail on a dowel and some little plastic toys.
To make Captain Hook's Island:
1) Frost half the cake with blue icing and create little waves with the knife.
2) Cover the other half of the cake with graham cracker crumbs.
3) Finish the island by added some little plastic toys.
Finally, to finish off the masterpiece, cover the cake board with blue icing, and create tons of waves with your knife.
That's it! There are quite few steps, but nothing too complicated, and the result is totally worth the effort. My little guy could not have been more pleased with his cake!
If you make a version of this Jake and the Neverland Pirates cake, please let me know. I'd love to hear how it turned out.
♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)
Today, my "baby boy" turns five, and in keeping with family tradition, I wrote him a birthday letter as a way of remembering a few of the little details that make him so special. Here is my birthday letter to my youngest son on his 5th birthday.
To my darling baby boy,
Today you turn five, in less than two months, you will be starting "big" school. I am so happy that we have had so much time together before this big step in your life. I will always treasure our lunches, walks, crafting sessions, and snuggles on the couch reading stories. I am slightly sad to see you getting older and more independent, but I am so proud of the sweet little boy you have become. Here are a few of the things that make you so special:
- You love to snuggle on the couch (with "big blanket") and read stories.
- When you grow up, you want to be an "X-Men" hockey player, and you want to be #11 (like your older brother).
- You are super-funny, and you always like to make Daddy and I (and your brothers) laugh.
- Your favorite color is green, and you always want to eat your cereal out of a green bowl.
- Your favorite show is Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and you chose it as the theme of your birthday party this year.
- You love music, and I often catch you singing when you don't think anyone is listening.
- You had a great time in Florida this year, and you often talk about the fun we had at Disney. (You were a pro at Jedi Training Camp!)
- You love playing hockey, soccer and baseball... and you are so happy that it is finally "your turn" to have your own teams and jerseys... instead of being dragged around to all your brothers' practices.
- You stick your tongue out when you are concentrating.
- You are shy with people you don't know, but you really come out of your shell around family and friends... and when you get on a stage.
- You always ask me to sing you a "soft song" when you go to bed, and your favorite is "Mum-a-bye" (aka "Hush Little Baby"). I love that you still play with my hair as I sing.
I love you all the way to the moon and back... plus a little more each year.
Love,
Mommy xoxo
PS (I apologize in advance for the fact that I am going to cry like a baby on your first day of school. I hope I don't embarrass you too badly.)
If there ever comes a day when we can't be together, keep me in your heart, I'll stay there forever. -- Winnie the Pooh
One of the items on our summer checklist this year is... make a summer reading list. First, the boys and I came up with a list, and now we will get the books from the library and read them together. Today I am sharing our new summer reading list.
Fun, right? Don't you just love seeing your children reading during the summer months. I know I do!
To download a copy of our list, right click on the picture above, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular photo.
Or... why not try making your own list? I bet your little ones have tons of great ideas.
I think creating a summer reading list is a great way to encourage kids to read (and help prevent the "summer slide"). What are your best tips?
♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)
Loot bags are always a challenge for me when I am planning a party for my boys. I want to give the guests something that goes with the party theme, but I like to choose something that won't end up in the garbage as soon as they get home. Here is the loot bag idea that I came up with for my son's Jake and the Neverland Pirates party.
I found reusable cups at Walmart for $1 each. Then, I added a little bag of cookies, a beaded necklace, and a gold coin. I made custom tags on Picmonkey, but if you would rather something you can just print easily, you can use the generic "pirate booty" tag that I designed. Just right-click on the picture below, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 4 X 6 photo.
Cute, right?
I hope the party guests will really like this Jake and the Neverland Pirates loot bag. I know my little birthday boy is excited to share them with his friends.
♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)
I am planning a Jake and the Neverland Pirate party for my youngest son, and I thought it would be fun to make pirate hooks for all the party guests. After the party, the hooks (that don't go home with our guests) will be added to our "dress up bin". We love playing pirates!
Want to make your own pirate hooks from cups and tin foil?
1) Start with a square piece of tin foil.
2) Roll up the tin foil and "squish it".
3) Cut a little hole in the bottom of the cup. Make sure it isn't too big. The tin foil needs to fit tightly in order to stay in place.
4) Place the foil through the hole, pull through, and twist into the shape of a hook.
That's it! Do you have a little pirate that would love dressing up with this pirate hook?
♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)
I am currently planning a DIY Spy Party for my middle son's 7th birthday. Given that he and his friends will be training to be spies, I knew I needed some sort of target practice, but I didn't want to give all the kids guns, so... I thought it would be fun to make some pool noodle pom pom shooters. I got the idea for a pool noodle pom pom shooter from FSPDT. (You should totally check out her version if you get a chance.)
For our version, I used black balloons and "moustache/secret disguise" duck tape. Cute, right? I love how easy and inexpensive these were to make. Here's all you need to do:
1) Use a serrated bread knife to cut a pool noodle into short pieces. I made mine slightly taller than the width of the duck tape.
2) Cut the top off a balloon with a pair of scissors.
3) Place the balloon onto the pool noodle, and tie the top into a knot.
4) Secure the balloon to the pool noodle with duck tape.
These are perfect for my son's spy party, but they would be fun any time. My boys have been playing with them ever since I made them. Trust me... they will keep your little ones entertained for hours!
Do you have a little one that would like these pool noodle pom pom shooters?
♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)
Monday was the last day of school for my two oldest boys, and we had a lot of fun marking the special day. Here is how we celebrate the last day of school in our home.
First, I always pick my boys up from school, and we go for ice cream.
Then, the boys run through a "finish line".
I think it is a lot of fun to have end of the year traditions, don't you? I don't do grading gifts, but I did treat the boys to new books and a special treat.
How does your family celebrate the last day of school?
♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)
