Star Wars Pinata

Don't all kids love Pinatas?  What's not to love about something you break open to create a downpour of candy?  So... for my son's 7th birthday I made an easy and inexpensive DIY "Death Star" piñata.

Didn't it turn out great?  It wasn't hard to make, but I will warn you, it is time consuming.

Here's how I did it:

1)  I started with a large balloon.  {I chose a "punching balloon" from the dollar store.}

2)  Then, I created a mixture of 1/2 water and 1/2 white glue.  I painted it onto strips of newpaper and applied each strip to the balloon.  I covered the balloon in 3 or 4 layers of strips {letting it dry in between layers}.

3)  After the pinata was totally dry, I popped the balloon, cut a round hole, and inserted a wire hanger {which I reinforced with duct tape}.

4)  Next, I filled the pinata with candy, covered the hole with tape, and applied a layer of white paper using the method described above.  {The white paper made painting much easier.}

5)  To finish, I painted the pinata with grey acrylic paint, painted a black circle, and applied black electrical tape around the middle.

I am absolutely thrilled with how it turned out... I might not let the guests destroy it at the party.  lol

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Star Wars Invitation

Last Friday, my son passed out the invitations to his 7th birthday.  I thought they turned out really cute, so I decided to share them with you here.

First, I took a picture of the birthday boy dressed up as a Jedi.  Then, I cut a slit above and below his hand, and I inserted a glow stick with some black tape wrapped around the base. 

The inside of the invitation said:

CALLING ALL PADAWAN!

Cameron is turning seven, and we would like to have you join us for a celebration at the Jedi Training Academy.

Isn't it cute?  My son was sooooo proud handing it out to his friends.  :-)

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

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Elf on the Shelf - Letter from Santa announcing his arrival

My boys are {already} getting excited about Christmas, so I thought it would be fun to build some anticipation around the return of our Elf on the Shelf -- "Elfie". What could be more fun than getting a letter in the mail from Santa announcing that our Elf on the Shelf will be arriving soon?!?

So.... I wrote this letter from Santa {to the boys}, and I mailed it today {with a North Pole return address}.

The stationary I used is no longer available, but you can download a .pdf version of Santa stationary that I designed here.

Or you can download this .jpg by clicking on the photo below, saving it to your computer, right-clicking, saving it to your computer, and printing it like a regular 8x10 photo. (Print the stationary, and then run the paper through a second time to print the letter.)

Here is what our letter said,

Dear Boys,

I just wanted to send you a short letter to let you know that Elfie is getting very excited to see you again.  All the scout elves are trying to get lots of rest because they will soon be making nightly flights back to the North Pole.

Are you starting to think about what you might like for Christmas?  My elves have built a lot of great toys this year.  I bet we have something you would really like.  Be good… and keep sharing with each other and listening to your Mommy and Daddy.

Elfie will be visiting you very soon!

Love,

Santa

PS (Elfie has a surprise for you this year.  Can you guess what it is?)

Fun, right?  I can't wait for our mail carrier to deliver it.  My boys are going to be super-excited to hear that our Elf on the Shelf will be coming soon!

Don't you just love Christmas? 

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

PS (Check out more awesome Elf on the Shelf ideas here.)

Check out a fun idea for an Elf on the Shelf arrival breakfast here.

Cooking with Kids {Chef Hats}

My boys love to bake with me, so recently we decided to make some simple chef hats for them to wear.  Cute, right? 

The best part is, they are super-easy!  All you need is: a piece of bristol board, a sheet of white tissue paper, and some tape.

To put it together, follow these three simple steps:
1)  Cut a strip of bristol board 4 inches wide.
2)  Fit the strip around the child's head and secure with tape.
3)  Tape the edges of the tissue paper to the inside of the bristol board headband, and "fluff up" the tissue paper.  {See below.}

I hope you make these chef hats with your little ones, and that they love them as much as my boys did.

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

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Halloween Fun

It is the night before Halloween, and we are in final prep for the big day.

Our pumpkins are carved.

I just finished frosting 60 cupcakes for the boys' Halloween parties at school.

Special{surprise} Halloween lunches have been packed.

And supper is ready to stick in the oven prior to trick-or-treating.

Are you ready for the Halloween fun to begin?  Happy Halloween, everybody!  Stay safe.

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

5 Easy Halloween Treats

Special treats are an important part of Halloween celebrations, but moms are busy -- especially this time of year.  So, I have put together a list of 5 {Easy} things you can bake for Halloween.

These Halloween treats are easy to make, but definitely cute enough for Halloween parties and classroom treats.

1)  Candy Corn Ginger Crinkles - What is easier than baking a recipe you already know and love, and then adding a "Halloween twist"?  I baked my favorite ginger cookie recipe, and after the cookies came out of the oven (and they were still hot), I added a piece of candy corn to the top of each cookie.  So simple! 

2)  Mini Cupcakes...with a tiny surprise - This little cupcake is guaranteed to delight little ones, and they so simple to make.  I used a chocolate cake mix to make mini cupcakes, and I frosted them with ready-made chocolate frosting.  Then, I topped each cupcake with a Halloween ring I got at the dollar store.  {Don't worry, I washed all the rings well before inserting them into the cupcakes.}

3)  Wormy Cupcakes - These cupcakes are so much fun for little ones.  My boys think the idea of eating dirt and worms is hilarious!    I used a chocolate cake mix to make the cupcakes, and my boys used ready-made icing to frost them.  Then, they dipped the cupcakes in "dirt" aka cookie crumbs, and added some gummy worms.  What kid wouldn't get a kick out of this creepy treat?

4)  Cookie Pops - Isn't food just more fun when it comes on a stick?  Well, these cookie pops are no exception... and they are super-simple to make.  All I did was insert sucker sticks into Ready to Bake Cookies, and baked them according to the directions on the back of the package.  Don't you just love a good shortcut?

5)  Pumpkin Cut Out Cookies - Sometimes an old-fashioned cookie is the most fun.  Kids love to roll out dough and cut it into shapes.  We used a pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter, and ready-made icing tinted with green and orange food coloring.  My boys thought it was as much fun making these treats as it was to eat them.

Doesn't this great list inspire you to head to the kitchen and start baking?  Which treat are you going to make?  

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Pumpkin Headband

This Halloween craft is fun for anyone, but it is especially great for toddlers and preschoolers.  I just finished crafting it with 7 little ones, and it was a big hit.  :-)

Want to make one with your child?  Just follow these four easy steps:

1) Cut out a pumpkin shape from orange construction paper and a pumpkin stem from green construction paper.  Glue the stem and googly eyes onto the pumpkin.  Draw a nose and mouth with a crayon or marker.

2) Cut two 1 1/2 inch strips of paper, and decorate them with stickers.

3)  Staple the ends of the strips to the pumpkin.

4)  Size the headband to the child's head, and staple the ends together.

Isn't this pumpkin headband a great/simple craft for Halloween?

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)
 
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