Yummy Punch Recipe

Yum! I made a party punch at a family gathering recently and really... I couldn't make enough of this punch! It was a big hit and my recipe was ever changing as I had to improvise and added various juices to it as needed.

I started with these basic ingredients:
1 container Cranberry-Raspberry juice
1 frozen concentrate lemonade
1 liter of plain seltzer
1 liter of ginger ale
sliced fruit as a garnish

As the day went on I added even more of the above ingredients, along with a splash of orange juice, then I switched to adding Cran-Pomegranate, frozen fruit juice and more lemonade! I used sliced strawberries, but any berries or lemon slices would be nice too. And ice. Since I used a concentrate, and controlled the amount of seltzer, it never tasted watered down. Enjoy!

Mini Tissue Poms

Tissue pom-poms are easy & colorful party decor! These mini size poms are made the same way as the regular size, just use half the width. Follow step by step instructions for the regular size tissue pom-poms. These are fun to suspend from the ceiling or place around your house for a pop of your party colors.      

Italian Soda Bar

Make your own Italian style sodas! Have your party guests start with a cup of plain seltzer and add a few drops of your favorite syrups, stir and serve with ice! Less sugar than traditional soda, and you can mix and match flavors. I made some fruity flavored syrups: strawberry, grape, lemonade by simply using the same recipe I use for snow cone syrups. Combinations include:  Stawberry-Lemonade, Grape-ade, Grape-berry, or a Grape-ade-berry punch! Enjoy!

Mini Cakes

Cakes, cakes and more cakes! I baked "mini" cakes for each of our guests to frost at our cooking party. 6" rounds were the perfect size for individuals! One boxed cake mix makes three 6" cakes and the cook time was about 30 minutes. Teams of two would have been a good idea too.

After frosting & decorating, we lined up all the cakes for a contest. The birthday girl made up categories and the cakes were judged on "Best Creativity" "Most Colorful" and "Best Design". Candles went in the birthday girl's cake and each guest had a slice of their own cake and brought the rest home!

Kids Cooking Party idea

My daughter wants to have a "tween" cooking party this year! We love watching Top Chef together, so this is the perfect theme for her. I am excited to sew some simple aprons from these cute & colorful fabrics. There were so many fabrics to choose from, and we narrowed it down to these. With the fabrics as my inspiration, I am choosing the color scheme with plates and decorations to match.

Holiday Party Banner

Holiday inspired party banner! So simple and sweet. Supplies needed:  Holiday scrapbook papers, glue stick, ribbon & a hole punch. I started by gluing two scrapbook papers together, (this banner is reversible). Then, I cut each paper into triangles, any size will do! Mine measure approximately 4.5 inches x 6.5 inches. Place two hole punches near the top edge and thread your ribbon through. Voila!  

Fun With Frosting

Decorate your own cupcake! Kids LOVE this fun party activity. Start with a selection of cupcakes, either homemade or from a mix. I like homemade frosting the best. You can easily add a little food coloring and extract to make mint frosting, and many other flavors besides traditional vanilla. Find fun toppings such as mini chocolate chips, raspberries, candies, and colored sugar... there are so many options for cupcakes right now! You can have your guests simply spread their frosting or try piping with a cake decorating set of frosting bags and tips. Great for a baking party and more!