It’s free birthday printable designed to make your life a little easier.  The free printable includes 4 craft baggie toppers so you can print an infinite number grab-and-go birthday gifts.  All you need is a pack of 3″ x 4″ craft baggies (I found mine in the beading section of WalMart’s craft area).  Simply print the free printable on heavy, white card stock and use a straight-edge cutter to trim the toppers.  To make a gift, just stuff the baggie with a gift card, small prize or your treat of choice and staple the topper on top.  Viola!  Instant little birthday gift.

Don’t you just love how versatile these are?  You could put a gift card and some fancy chocolates in for your favorite teacher, or cheap dollar store prizes for your kid’s friends.  They’d be perfect for Primary kids, or YW birthdays.  You could make a ton all at once and then keep a stockpile in the cupboard to use throughout the year.  You gotta love that!

Of course, if you want to really impress someone, you could hop on over to my Etsy shop and purchase the full 3-page printable.  It includes hershey kiss tags, cupcake toppers and sweet, coordinated happy birthday cards – all for the bargain price of only $4.95.  Isn’t that a steal?

Regardless of which printable you choose, this birthday set is guaranteed to make your gift-giving life a whole lot easier.  Just thought I’d pass it on.  Have a great weekend, everyone.

Here’s the file for you.

Download: Happy Birthday Baggie Toppers

That’s when I came across a great idea called a Nightmare Snatcher from a company called Spiderbite on Etsy. Essentially, it’s a journal designed to catch and trap my kids’ biggest nighttime worries. They simply draw a picture of their particular fear inside and the furry monster on the cover will snatch up the fear and trap it for good.  Spiderbite’s Nightmare Snatcher Journal worked so well for my son that we ended up making our own (less fancy) version for my other kids. My kids call them Monster Catchers.

My kids love having their monster catchers, but they loved making them even more.  I let each of them pick their favorite color of fur and they designed their own monster faces.  It only took about an hour to create all three of them.  They have kept them tucked under their pillows ever since.  We’ve made several for friends too.  They make really fun and inexpensive birthday party gifts.

Since these little journals have been so successful in my house, I thought I’d pass the instructions on to you as well.

Please understand that this is an inexpensive, homemade version of Spiderbite‘s really great idea.  If you’re in the market for an authentic and artfully-crafted Nightmare Snatcher Journal I strongly encourage you to visit their Etsy store and check out their fantastic selection.  They average around $25 each and are well worth the price considering the quality of the materials and the level of craftsmanship.

Here’s what you’ll need to create your own…

• 1 standard size composition notebook
• 1 section of furry fabric cut to around 17″x11.5″
• 1 sheet of white foam paper
• 1 package of assorted googly eyes (I like the great big ones for this project)
• Tools: a hot glue gun, a pair of sharp scissors, and a fine point marker or pen

Step 1:  Lay your composition book flat on the wrong side of the fabric and trim all edges so you have about an inch of excess on all sides

Step 2:  Fold your fabric over your book figure out where you’d like the mouth to go.  Hold that spot with your finger and mark the underside of the fabric to mark the mouth opening.  Cut on the mark to create a narrow slit with your scissors.

Step 3:  Fold the fabric back over the book and use your pen to mark the mouth line on your notebook.  This will give you a guide for your teeth placement in the next step.

Step 4:  Take a small section of your white foam paper and cut out some jagged teeth.  Use a hot glue gun and glue the bottom edges of your teeth to the mouth line mark on your notebook.  Fold the fabric back over the notebook and pull the tips of the teeth through the slit.

Step 5:  Use your hot glue gun to adhere the fabric to the spine of the notebook.  Make small notches in the corners and small slits at the top and base of the book spine to allow for easier covering then continue gluing the rest of the fabric.

Step 6:  Trim the excess fur off the inside overlapping fabric (this will help the book close a little more completely)

Step 7:  Figure out where you’d like to place your eyes and trim the excess fur in that area.  Use your glue gun to adhere the googly eyes to the fabric.

Step 8:  Use your remaining white foam paper to cover the ugly inside covers of the notebook (colored cardstock works too).

That’s it.  A simple, inexpensive way to beat back the monsters in just 8 easy steps.  One word of caution, this type of fabric sheds like crazy at first.  When you get home from the craft store I highly recommend taking it outside and shaking it very vigorously.  In fact, if the weather’s nice, I recommend saving yourself a lot of clean up by doing the entire project out on your deck or patio.  Good luck, everyone and happy monster catching.  Just thought I’d pass it on.

I found several sites offering elaborate recipes for creating this type of cake but I wasn’t up for that kind of time commitment.  I wanted something I could whip out quickly so I cheated and bought all the components at the grocery store.  Here’s what I used…

1.5 boxes of Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate cake mix
1 jar of Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate frosting (to create the fudgy chocolate topping)
1 jar of Betty Crocker Fluffy White whipped frosting (to create the fluffy filling)
1 tube of Betty Crocker white cookie icing (to create the white spiral decoration)

To make the cake, I used the cake mix and bottom portion of my very favorite cake pan.  It’s called The Great Cupcake Pan from Williams Sonoma.  You could also use two 5-inch cake rounds stacked on top of each other.  I prepared the cake mix as directed and let the cake cool completely.  Then, I sliced about half an inch of cake from the top and set it aside – this creates a lid for the filling later.

To create the fluffy white center, I pressed a large biscuit cutter down into the remaining cake (you’ll want to stop about and inch above the cake base).   I used the spoon to dig out the excess cake and create a nice deep well for the filling.  I whipped the white frosting in the container with a fork before adding it to the well with a spatula.  After that, I replaced the circular top section of cake I had removed earlier.

I wanted the dark chocolate frosting to be glossy and smooth (like the original) so I put the frosting container in the microwave for about 45 seconds.  I poured the frosting directly onto the cake from the center and let it spread out on it’s own until it completely covered the top.  Once the chocolate frosting had cooled a bit, I used the white cookie icing tube to create the signature white spiral on the top.

As you can probably tell from the pictures, I was not going for perfection here.  I knew my little guy was just going do maul this cake with his bare hands, so I didn’t go to a lot of effort to make it look picture-perfect.  I’m sure if you’re willing to put in the time, you could make it look much better.  However, if you’re simply looking for an easy and inexpensive way to make a little kid’s day, this giant Hostess cupcake might be just the ticket.  Just thought I’d pass it on.

Breakfast Doughnut Tower

This simple little idea stemmed from my Mom’s breakfast-in-bed birthday tradition.  When I was growing up, my birthdays always began with a hot plate of french toast in bed and a birthday serenade from my family.  In order to create that same warm and cozy feel for my kids without exerting tons of effort, I created our breakfast doughnut tower tradition.  As you can see from the picture, the idea is pretty simple.  When my kids wake up on their birthday, they find a balloon & crepe paper covered kitchen and a big tower of doughnuts waiting for them on the table.  We add one doughnut for each year and then top the tower with a number candle.  The family sings, we take some pictures and then we all dig in.  We rarely have sweets for breakfast so my kids are thrilled about this tradition even if it’s not their birthday.

Birthday Present Scavenger Hunt

I love drawing out the present-opening process.  For some reason, it seems like my kids appreciate each present more when they get to hunt for it.  Here’s how our little tradition works.  When the kids wake up in the morning all their presents are wrapped and on display.  This way they get a chance to count up their stash and make their predictions about what’s inside.  While they’re away at school or during their nap, I hide their presents in various tricky locations around the house and yard (the locations get a little tougher as they get older).  After their birthday dinner the scavenger hunt begins.

My clue method changes with each birthday.  One year I hid the clues inside balloons and had the kids stomp them to find the present locations.  Another year I snapped zoomed-in pictures of the present locations and sealed them in individual envelopes.  One of my favorites was the year we hid the paper clues in the birthday cake before frosting it.  It was messy, but the kids loved digging through the goopy cake to find the clues.

This year, I came up with a simple target shooting game to kick off my son’s hunt.  First, I printed and laminated seven numbered targets (these targets could have tons of uses, so I included the free file for you below).  Next, I used a dry-erase marker to jot down the present locations on each (ie ‘in the Capn Crunch box’ or ‘in the washing machine’).  Next, I used masking tape to stick them to the wall.  When it was time to hunt, I gave my son an inexpensive Nerf dart gun ($7 at WalMart) and had him shoot at the targets.  When he managed to nail a target with his suction cup dart, he pulled the target off the wall and read the clue aloud.  Once he and his sisters located the present, they brought it back to the living room and tore it open.  The game continued until he’d located and opened all seven presents.

Regardless of the method, the end result of the scavenger hunt is always the same.  My kids come away from their birthday appreciating each gift a little more, their siblings have fun helping in the hunt, and my digital camera is full of fabulous family memories.  Just thought I’d pass it on.

If your family has fun birthday traditions that you’d like to share, please do so in the comments area.  I’m always looking for new ways to spice up our family fun!  Thanks.

Since there are so many of you with little High School Musical groupies in your house, I thought I’d post the file for the VIP lanyards I created for my daughter’s invitations. Whether you’re hosting your own movie watching party or simply want have something fun for your girls to wear tomorrow night, these simple lanyards should add the perfect VIP touch.

To create them, simply print out the PDF file on heavy white cardstock. Cut out the designs and then use a glue stick to hold the two sides of the tag together. I deleted the birthday party text on the file so your girls could unleash their creativity and add their own designs within the yellow polka-dot border. Once the glue has set, either laminate the tag or simply punch a hole right through the card stock with any standard hold punch. To create the lanyard, simply add your favorite ribbon. I found this darling, polka-dot ribbon at Wal Mart for under $2. While you’re in in the craft aisle you may also want to pick up a small bag of adhesive-backed rhinestones (the kind girls use to decorate their cell phones and mp3 players).  My girls loved using them to embellish their tags. Simple, cheap, and sure to please any High School Musical fan. Just thought I’d pass it on.

Download: www.meckmom.com/mmdl/HSM2_INVITE_final_blank.pdf');" href="http://www.meckmom.com/http//www.meckmom.com/mmdl/HSM2_INVITE_final_blank.pdf">HSM2_INVITE_final_blank.pdf

One Saturday last year, I forgot about a birthday party my daughter was invited to and had neglected to buy a present. In a rush, I looked through my pantry and pulled out a simple stash of cupcake supplies. I curled some ribbon around each item, threw them in a gift bag and tied a few balloons to the handles. Much to my surprise, the mother of the birthday girl pulled me aside after the party and thanked me for not buying a toy. She loved the idea of the baking set and said her daughter was thrilled to get it.  Having hosted several birthday parties myself, I totally understood what she was talking about.  From that point on, the baking set has become our standard birthday present.

For the girls, we do a birthday cupcake kit like the one pictured. Generally it includes a box of cake mix, frosting, cupcake liners, sprinkles, and candles. I also include a small child-size apron (found at craft stores for around $2). If I have time, I use printable t-shirt transfer paper to add their names to the apron (see download below).

For the boys, we do ‘Totally Gross Chocolate Dirt Cups’ . The gift bag includes the recipe (see download below), a wooden spoon (we add the boy’s name on the handle in goopy letters with brown and green permanent markers), 2 boxes of chocolate pudding mix, gummy worms, Oreos, and clear cups.

The gifts have been a huge hit at every party.  For some reason, the kids seem to love them…and so do the parents.  Of course, the greatest part about these gifts is that it’s easy to stock up. When I see one of these particular items on sale or available at the dollar store, I grab a bunch and add them to my birthday stockpile. When the invitations come in, I simply print out a recipe or an apron decal, make an apron or a spoon, and toss the rest in the gift bag. In less than 10 minutes and for less than $10 I’ve got a customized birthday gift that’s sure to please. Just thought I’d pass it on.

The invitations were designed to look like little pillows. I printed the invite on white cardstock (you can find the file in the downloads section) and cropped them to look like small pillows. I used a cute polka-dot printed scrapbook paper to create the “pillowcase”. I cut the edge of the scrapbook paper with scalloped scissors to give it a cute edging. I cut the pillowcase paper about 1/3″ shorter than the length of the pillow paper to allow the pillow to stick out. The invitations requested that the attendees wear their pjs and bring a pillow.

While the girls were arriving at our house, I had them play with princess dolls in Emily’s room. When everyone arrived, we played a few very simple games. First we played musical pillows with a princess music box. Next I made a path of pillows all along the floor between Emily’s bed and the living room couch. The girls had a ball jumping from one pillow to the next and piling onto the bed and couch. After that, I put on a princess movie and let them all pile onto the couch with their pillows.

We bought a princess ice cream cake (sorry, I’m not much of a cake maker), opened presents and played dress-up until the Mom’s came. For a party favor, I made the girls matching princess pillowcases with their names on them. I bought inexpensive white pillowcases and used iron-on printer paper to make the decal. We also let the girls take home several pieces of dress-up jewlery that had been decorating the tables.

The girls had loads of fun and it was really simple and inexpensive. Just thought I’d pass it on.  You can find the free file download below.

Download: www.meckmom.com/mmdl/Princess_Pajama_Party_Invite.doc');" href="http://www.meckmom.com/http//www.meckmom.com/mmdl/Princess_Pajama_Party_Invite.doc">Princess_Pajama_Party_Invite.doc

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