If you have a child who is in love with Harry Potter right now, this is a fun way to create that they can do themselves. There really is NO way to mess up Hagrid's Birthday Cake for Harry...unless you don't make one. Rebecca wanted to make a cake to celebrate Harry's birthday on July 31st, and I told her she could as long as she did it herself. (This post contains affiliate links. When you make a purchase through one of the links, a small percentage of your purchase goes to support by blog.)
At the beginning of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry receives his first ever birthday cake from Hagrid. As with many things Hagrid does, the cake is not elegant, but it is done with lots of heart.
We're told that it's pink with green frosting and that it got slightly squashed in Hagrid's coat during the journey. It's also a bit mispelled, "HAPPEE BIRTHDAE HARRY." All of these features make it the perfect project for a new cake artist to attempt on their own.
Showing posts with label birthday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label birthday. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Golden Snitch Birthday Cake - Harry Potter Birthday Cake
This has been the year that Rebecca has fallen in love with Harry Potter...so of course she wanted a Harry Potter themed birthday cake. Her favorite character goes back and forth between Ginny and Hermione...but Ginny started out as her firm favorite. (I talk about that more Rebecca's connection to Ginny here.) Note: This post contains affiliate links. When you make a purchase through an affiliate link, a small percentage of your purchase goes to support my blog.
So we decided to go with a cake that Ginny would love since she is such a super quidditch player, and sometimes plays the position of Seeker. We figure this must be similar to the cake the Mrs. Weasley made for Harry's 17th birthday in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. We also made matching golden snitch cupcakes to take to her class at school (although almost none of the kids knew what they were...first grade is a bit early for Harry Potter literacy apparently.)
Becca's always been about the heroines in any book or movie. It's been so fun to see her fall in love with books I love so much...and I think Ginny is a freaking awesome role model...as are most of the women in Harry Potter.
So we decided to go with a cake that Ginny would love since she is such a super quidditch player, and sometimes plays the position of Seeker. We figure this must be similar to the cake the Mrs. Weasley made for Harry's 17th birthday in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. We also made matching golden snitch cupcakes to take to her class at school (although almost none of the kids knew what they were...first grade is a bit early for Harry Potter literacy apparently.)
Becca's always been about the heroines in any book or movie. It's been so fun to see her fall in love with books I love so much...and I think Ginny is a freaking awesome role model...as are most of the women in Harry Potter.
Monday, April 27, 2015
Rainbow Dot-to-Dot Birthday Party Ideas
If you want to throw a Rainbow Dot-to-Dot Balloon Party, you've come to the right place. I've got lots of easy ideas to share with you today. (Disclaimer, I was given the Poly-Fil and Fabric Markers mentioned in this post, but this post is not compensated and all ideas and opinions are mine.)
I'm secretly kind of happy when my kids choose some unique and/or obscure birthday party theme. Especially when it's centered around something they really love.
We only do "real" birthday parties at our house on certain birthday, because it can be a lot of work. On the off years the kids still get to have a friend over for a play date, they get to choose the dinner, and after dinner the family has cake...so we still celebrate every year. They just only get a full blown party with theme and favors and everything once in a while.
Kindergarten is one of the birthday years. Becca had a hard time narrowing down a themes, and wanted a Rainbow-Dot-to-Dot-Balloon birthday party, which actually left me a lot of leeway. (It reminded me a bit of the Fancy-Costume-Swim Party that Elephant and Piggie get invited to in I am Invited to a Party by Mo Willems...affiliate link)
I'm secretly kind of happy when my kids choose some unique and/or obscure birthday party theme. Especially when it's centered around something they really love.
We only do "real" birthday parties at our house on certain birthday, because it can be a lot of work. On the off years the kids still get to have a friend over for a play date, they get to choose the dinner, and after dinner the family has cake...so we still celebrate every year. They just only get a full blown party with theme and favors and everything once in a while.
Kindergarten is one of the birthday years. Becca had a hard time narrowing down a themes, and wanted a Rainbow-Dot-to-Dot-Balloon birthday party, which actually left me a lot of leeway. (It reminded me a bit of the Fancy-Costume-Swim Party that Elephant and Piggie get invited to in I am Invited to a Party by Mo Willems...affiliate link)
Dot-to-Dot Birthday Cake
On the outside, we made a plain white cake. Then I piped her name out with colored frosting. Then I added mini M&M's (upside-down) and write numbers on them using a food-safe marker with edible ink (affiliate link).Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Hiking Cake: Tips and Tricks
It was Seth's birthday last week. This was such a fun cake to make. Seth loves being outdoors, and the outdoors love him. He especially likes being out in the woods and having a path to follow where he can imagine he's the first person to explore it.
And of course when you're camping in the woods, you have to have a campfire. The "real" campfire on the cake was everybody's favorite feature. And I have to say it was nice to have the candles really add to the charm of the cake, rather than being stuck in at the last minute because they don't really belong.
We decided a while ago that we will only "do birthday parties" at certain ages for the kids (kindergarten year, 8, 12, 16, etc). The other years, I still make them a cake though. I like to come up with some idea with them that represents something they're interested in...and is also in the do-able range.
We went through several ideas for Seth's birthday cake, before settling on this one. It turned out that Seth's birthmom Liz was able to come up for a visit just before Seth's birthday. She happened to arrive the night that Eric had already scheduled with his brothers to take the cousins on an overnight hike. (It's a year tradition that the school-aged kids go on an overnight hike sometime during the summer.) Liz was getting in too late to go on the campout, but we didn't want her to miss out on time with Seth. We decided that I'd drive her up first thing in the morning, so she could spend the day with Seth in the woods and hike back out with everyone. (It's a mark of how happy Seth was to see Liz that he smiled so well for the picture.)
I thought that Eric had said it was an easy 1/2 mile hike...so I figured that since Seth LOVES the woods, and since Liz and the cousins were going to be there, then why not bring his birthday cake up....and so the hiking cake was concieved.
It turned out that the hike was a 1 AND 1/2 miles, most of it uphill. (There are three separate legs that are each 1/2 mile, so that must be where the communication broke down.) Liz was a rock star, though, and carried Seth's cake all the way in.
Anyway, I didn't take step-by-step pictures for a tutorial, but I will give some tips, so you can make one yourself.
Supplies Needed: Frosting (I made a double batch to be safe, but single probably would be enough.), food coloring, Chocolate Rocks, Chocolate sandwich cookies (Oreas), Graham Crackers, Melting chocolate, ziploc baggies, parchment or wax paper, birthday candles
Optional Supplies: Piping bags and tips, leaf tip, bake even strips.
I baked the cake in an 8 by 3-inch pan {affiliate link} using bake even strips to keep the middle from doming too much. Then I cut it in half, and added some filling.
Directions:
Monday, March 10, 2014
Easy Brown Bear, Brown Bear Birthday Cake
Our little Anson turned 2 last week! Two is a really fun and easy birthday to celebrate because kids have no expectations, so they're happy and excited with whatever I come up with.
For some birthdays, we know months ahead of time what cake/theme we're going to use. I wasn't feeling particularly inspired this time around. I knew I wanted to do something book themed since Anson really didn't care what kind of cake he had, and that way it would go with our For the LOVE of BOOKS theme.
A few days before Anson's birthday I thought of doing a Brown Bear, Brown Bear Cake, and it was a big hit.
Anson loves animals, and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See by Eric Carle is always one of the first books our kids learn to "read" in the pre-reading stage because it's got so much repetition and great picture clues. Anson's not "reading" it yet, but I'm sure he will be soon.
For some birthdays, we know months ahead of time what cake/theme we're going to use. I wasn't feeling particularly inspired this time around. I knew I wanted to do something book themed since Anson really didn't care what kind of cake he had, and that way it would go with our For the LOVE of BOOKS theme.
A few days before Anson's birthday I thought of doing a Brown Bear, Brown Bear Cake, and it was a big hit.
Anson loves animals, and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See by Eric Carle is always one of the first books our kids learn to "read" in the pre-reading stage because it's got so much repetition and great picture clues. Anson's not "reading" it yet, but I'm sure he will be soon.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Free Harry Potter Themed Printable - Dementor's Kiss-Away - Valentine or Party Favors
We just couldn't help making another Harry Potter themed Valentine this year...and I've made a non-Valentine version too if you want to use these as party favors. The kids wanted something different from the Wingdardium LOVE-iosa Printable Valentine's from last year, and as much as we love the Printable Dementos and Dementor Relief Chocolate Bar wrappers, they just seemed like overkill for valentines for classmates.) I was brainstorming ideas for the Anti-Dementor themed Chocolate Bar Wrappers with my brother a couple weeks ago, when the idea came to me for Dementor's Kiss-Away.
And once we'd had the idea...they just HAD to be made. The double meaning in Kiss-Away is just too awesome, and hey...it involves chocolate. What more do I need to say.
Fortunately Katie was on board for giving these as Valentine's (because...you know...if she didn't want to give these as valentines then we'd have to eat them all ourselves.)
And as long as I was making them for us, I figured I'd go ahead and share the printable.
Supplies: You'll need...
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Easy Polka Dot Cake
I've been doing so many quilting posts lately, I thought it was time to switch things up a bit and show you this cake.
It was such a fun one to put together and really easy.
I volunteered at the last minute to make my niece a cake for her 7th birthday. She loves polka dots. I may or may not be a little proud of the fact that she loves polka dots because it all goes back to the burp cloths I made for her when she was a baby...but that's a story for another time. There she is in her polka dot dress.
It was such a fun one to put together and really easy.
I volunteered at the last minute to make my niece a cake for her 7th birthday. She loves polka dots. I may or may not be a little proud of the fact that she loves polka dots because it all goes back to the burp cloths I made for her when she was a baby...but that's a story for another time. There she is in her polka dot dress.
Friday, August 9, 2013
All-Boy Art Birthday Party
Note: If you're looking for the You Keep Me in Stitches Giveaway click here.
I can't believe my boy turned 6 this week!
Seth is in LOVE with art lately. He and Becca go in his room and "do art" for hours at a little table we have in there. I can't remember who suggested it, but when an art party came up as a theme for his party, he jumped at it.
And I was super happy to have a theme with so many creative possibilities and that it was something we want to encourage him in. We've told our kids they just get parties on certain birthdays (6, 8, 12, etc). They get a cake and little family celebration (as in dessert right after dinner) every year, but not a lot. So it's fun to put some extra effort into the parties we do have.
Overall the kids loved it. And despite the title of the post, we did have girls at the party and they enjoyed the projects too, we just especially found projects that would appeal to boys. It took a little planning ahead to make sure we had the art supplies on hand, but other than buying the supplies we really did pretty much everything for the party the day before. (And remember I have my husband home during the summers, so I had him to help out getting ready and helping during the party.)
I'm really not a fan of party favors...at least not the kind where you buy cheap toys so the guests go home with something. I am a big fan of party favors that serve as entertainment and/or props to the party itself, so the kids got to take home some fun art projects. I wanted to do some kinds of art projects that used materials and techniques they might not learn at school (where they pretty much stick to paper, crayons, and occasionally tempera paint).
Here's what we did:
Monday, April 22, 2013
Easy Monster Cake
Anson turned 1! (Well, he turned 1 a month and a half ago, but I'm just getting around to sharing his cake now.)
We try to keep birthday for infants and toddlers pretty simple around here.
We try to keep birthday for infants and toddlers pretty simple around here.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Super Easy I-Spy Birthday Cake
Becca comes up with some pretty creative cake ideas. So far she's asked for a cat cake, a Ms. Frizzle book cake, and this year she came up with her best yet. She asked for an I-Spy Cake.
Becca has loved all things I-Spy since she was tiny. Over two years ago I posted about Seek-and-Find books being some of her favorites...and they still are. (I love these board book versions for little ones.)
She came up with the idea a month or two before her birthday, so whenever I found little trinkets or toys the right size, I put them aside. (You know those little toys that always seem to be underfoot and never have a good place to be put away anyway...this kept them out of the way for a while too.) When the time came, I had enough for 4 or 5 I-Spy cakes, so I decided to stick to objects that had some connection to the #4, since Becca turned 4.
Becca has loved all things I-Spy since she was tiny. Over two years ago I posted about Seek-and-Find books being some of her favorites...and they still are. (I love these board book versions for little ones.)
She came up with the idea a month or two before her birthday, so whenever I found little trinkets or toys the right size, I put them aside. (You know those little toys that always seem to be underfoot and never have a good place to be put away anyway...this kept them out of the way for a while too.) When the time came, I had enough for 4 or 5 I-Spy cakes, so I decided to stick to objects that had some connection to the #4, since Becca turned 4.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
DIY Harry Potter Wands
One of the most commented on aspects of Katie's Harry Potter Party (full overview here) has been the wands, so I thought I'd share those next. I didn't really come up with much of my own for this one...mostly used some great tutorials.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Happy Birthday to Me
As I mentioned earlier, Eric agreed to give me the whole day on Saturday to sew while he took care of the kids. A slight wrench was thrown into our plans when half the family came down with the flew over the weekend. Anson was sick on Thursday. I was sick Friday. Becca was sick Friday night and Saturday and Seth was sick last night, so it's making it's way through the family. I still got most of the day to sew, though, and I made some good progress on a new quilt.
I collected quite a few fabrics from the Children at Play Rocket Boys line by Sarah Jane for Christmas. I'd had my eye on them for a while, and then realized that fabric shops were beginning to sell out of the line, so if I wanted it, I better get it soon. I just love the rocket boys and the physics equations since I'm married to a brainy chemistry/physics teacher.
It was nice to get some crafty time in without having to stop every few minutes to keep kids entertained or change a diaper.
I managed to get all the hexagons cut out. Two whole rows sewed together, and then the rest of the pieces sewn into single rows so I could clean it up without getting them out of order. A nice bi-product of it is that I also get to figure out something fun to do with those equilateral triangles that are left over.
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I collected quite a few fabrics from the Children at Play Rocket Boys line by Sarah Jane for Christmas. I'd had my eye on them for a while, and then realized that fabric shops were beginning to sell out of the line, so if I wanted it, I better get it soon. I just love the rocket boys and the physics equations since I'm married to a brainy chemistry/physics teacher.
It was nice to get some crafty time in without having to stop every few minutes to keep kids entertained or change a diaper.
I managed to get all the hexagons cut out. Two whole rows sewed together, and then the rest of the pieces sewn into single rows so I could clean it up without getting them out of order. A nice bi-product of it is that I also get to figure out something fun to do with those equilateral triangles that are left over.
Please show my sponsors some love...
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Thursday, January 24, 2013
Printable Hogwarts Acceptance Letters (or Harry Potter Party Invitiations)
Besides being a great party invitation, a Hogwarts Acceptance Letter could be a fun gift or stocking stuffer for any Harry Potter fan...and now you can easily print your own. My daughter's friends all thought they were really cool and it made them really excited to come to the party. (You can see an overview of the whole Harry Potter Party here...)
I looked around on the internet to find what was already out there and then tweaked it to my liking.
I got most of my inspiration from Larissa at Just Another Day in Paradise. I started by downloading some Harry Potter looking fonts. You can find quite a few here. My favorites were Harry P, Lumos, and Hogwarts Wizard.
Update: I'm finding out newer versions of Microsoft Word don't have Viner Hand ITC, which is what I used for the main font in the letter. Instead, I'm now using Golden Script available for download for free here.
I used this envelope template.
I included a Owl Post stamp that I got from here.
I was going to post a file with the editable version of the envelope. I haven't figured out a good way to do it, though, because Google Drive doesn't recognized the fonts I used...so if you'd like the editable version of the envelope, so you can just fill in the kids' names, email me and I'll send it to you. You'll need those fonts installed on your computer for the invite to work.
***(Jan 2014) Due to popular demand, I now carry these in my shop....Pieces by Polly on Etsy, along with quite a few other Harry Potter Gift Items in case you don't feel up to printing off the letter and putting all the special touches on it.
For the inside of the letter, I made my own Hogwarts letterhead by putting a Hogwarts crest at the top. I used Viner Hand ITC (a standard font you probably already have in Word) for the body font. It looks kind of old-style, but is easier to read in small type than the Harry Potter fonts are. I found an image of Professor McGonagall's signature and included that. Again, if you email me, I'm happy to send you the file for you edit with your own invitation information.
I printed the envelopes and the letter out on parchment paper...which is kinda spendy. If you're trying to do this cheaper, you could just use cream colored paper or cardstock.
I used a brown stamp pad to make the edges look distressed/aged.
Then I sealed them with a wad of red Fimo clay. I actually found the clay is not so great as a sealer itself, so I suggest a bit of glue stick or tape to hold the envelope shut and then put the clay on for decoration. I tried a couple of things to make a fun looking seal and ended up using an old frog shaped earring I had. To be more authentic, you'd want an H shape.
I found printable Hogwarts Express Tickets here. I ended up giving mine to the kids as soon as the party started, but I wish I'd thought to put them in their invitations.
There are two options there. I printed one off and then saw the other one and liked it better. Once printed, I couldn't decided which I liked better.
I've also seen several fun ideas to deliver the invites with a stuffed owl or an owl drawn on a balloon. We didn't have a stuffed owl though, and I figured the owl balloon would be too disruptive since my daughter delivered most of them at school.
We only sent one through the US Postal Service and we put that one inside another envelope to protect the seal.
The text of our letter read:
Dear
Miss ______________,
I have lots of Harry Potter inspired gifts and fun things in my shop. The selection is always changing.
See these links for more details about other Harry Potter themed crafts we've done...and be sure to check back because I'll be adding more as I get them written up.
I looked around on the internet to find what was already out there and then tweaked it to my liking.
I got most of my inspiration from Larissa at Just Another Day in Paradise. I started by downloading some Harry Potter looking fonts. You can find quite a few here. My favorites were Harry P, Lumos, and Hogwarts Wizard.
Update: I'm finding out newer versions of Microsoft Word don't have Viner Hand ITC, which is what I used for the main font in the letter. Instead, I'm now using Golden Script available for download for free here.
I used this envelope template.
I included a Owl Post stamp that I got from here.
I was going to post a file with the editable version of the envelope. I haven't figured out a good way to do it, though, because Google Drive doesn't recognized the fonts I used...so if you'd like the editable version of the envelope, so you can just fill in the kids' names, email me and I'll send it to you. You'll need those fonts installed on your computer for the invite to work.
***(Jan 2014) Due to popular demand, I now carry these in my shop....Pieces by Polly on Etsy, along with quite a few other Harry Potter Gift Items in case you don't feel up to printing off the letter and putting all the special touches on it.
For the inside of the letter, I made my own Hogwarts letterhead by putting a Hogwarts crest at the top. I used Viner Hand ITC (a standard font you probably already have in Word) for the body font. It looks kind of old-style, but is easier to read in small type than the Harry Potter fonts are. I found an image of Professor McGonagall's signature and included that. Again, if you email me, I'm happy to send you the file for you edit with your own invitation information.
I printed the envelopes and the letter out on parchment paper...which is kinda spendy. If you're trying to do this cheaper, you could just use cream colored paper or cardstock.
I used a brown stamp pad to make the edges look distressed/aged.
Then I sealed them with a wad of red Fimo clay. I actually found the clay is not so great as a sealer itself, so I suggest a bit of glue stick or tape to hold the envelope shut and then put the clay on for decoration. I tried a couple of things to make a fun looking seal and ended up using an old frog shaped earring I had. To be more authentic, you'd want an H shape.
I found printable Hogwarts Express Tickets here. I ended up giving mine to the kids as soon as the party started, but I wish I'd thought to put them in their invitations.
There are two options there. I printed one off and then saw the other one and liked it better. Once printed, I couldn't decided which I liked better.
I've also seen several fun ideas to deliver the invites with a stuffed owl or an owl drawn on a balloon. We didn't have a stuffed owl though, and I figured the owl balloon would be too disruptive since my daughter delivered most of them at school.
We only sent one through the US Postal Service and we put that one inside another envelope to protect the seal.
The text of our letter read:
We
are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry. You are invited
to attend an orientation meeting on Date at Time. To avoid
detection by Muggles, you should pretend you are attending a birthday party for
Katie. It has been arranged for
Katie Carlson's mother to meet you at _____________ and accompany you on
foot to Platform 9 & ¾ where you will meet the Hogwarts Express. Your parents may pick you up via the floo
network or muggle transport from ___________________.
To
make it further appear that this is a birthday party, please bring a wrapped
book (used is great) to exchange with the other students at the
orientation. No other gift is
required.
We
await your owl no later than January 18th, or if your family does not
have an owl, you may send word to _______ or use a muggle phone to call
Polly at ________. If your
parents need to reach you during the orientation, they can call __________.
Yours
Sincerely,
Minerva Mc Gonagall,
Deputy headmistress
Minerva Mc Gonagall,
Deputy headmistress
I have lots of Harry Potter inspired gifts and fun things in my shop. The selection is always changing.
See these links for more details about other Harry Potter themed crafts we've done...and be sure to check back because I'll be adding more as I get them written up.
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