Mint Chocolate Chip Brownie Trifle + Springtime Ice Cream Sundae Bar

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SoHoppinGood #CollectiveBias

We are so incredibly excited that spring has finally arrived, and since we are in a new area now, we decided to celebrate with a little get-together so the kids could get to know some of our new neighbors better. I pulled together a super quick and simple build-your-own ice cream sundae bar for an easy and fun party. We had a great time!

And for the grownups, I also made a crazy easy but crazy delicious trifle with brownie bites, Blue Bunny® Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, whipped cream, and hot fudge sauce. YUM.

It seriously took about 5 minutes to put together, but it tasted so good and looked pretty too. Win-win.

Let's start with the kids' adorable sundae bar, then I'll share the trifle instructions.

My kitchen hutch was really easy to deck out for spring with fresh white serveware and darling pink dishes, so it seemed like the perfect spot for a springtime ice cream party. I'm a firm believer that a simple party is the best kind there is. No need to stress out and make your life hectic and miserable to host a get-together. All it took was some yummy treats, simple dishes, and minimalistic decor to make this spot perfectly party ready.

I found the cutest little waffle bowls -- adorable, delicious, and they cut down on dishes I have to wash after everyone goes home. They are a triple threat. I set them out on a cute tray along with some spring decor.

And I put out an array of fun toppings for the kids to choose from. From left to right, we offered salted peanuts, brownie bites, rainbow sprinkles, banana slices, and chocolate sprinkles. We also had hot fudge and whipped cream, which I kept on the kitchen counter so kids wouldn't serve themselves and accidentally drip/spray it all over. The less hot fudge ends up on my kitchen floor, the happier Mama will be.

The 'Bunny Treats' sign felt very appropriate to put out on display with our Blue Bunny®  ice cream options. How cool is that new clear packaging? Love that you can see the flavor swirls through the packaging -- it makes choosing flavors in the store way more fun since you can see exactly what you're going to get!

Our tasty ice cream bar options were Blue Bunny® Super Chunky Cookie Dough (the crowd favorite!), Blue Bunny® Homemade Vanilla, and Blue Bunny® Mint Chocolate Chip. I picked them all up (along with all our party goodies and toppings) at Walmart during my regular weekly shopping trip, so it was quick and painless to prep for this party.

A few more white dishes and potted plants, and this made a cute little ice cream party station.

Now to serve the hungry little party animals! Certain little guests kept things simple with just a scoop of ice cream and no toppings (what?! why?!).

But others went all out and requested EVERY topping available. That's more like it.

But I'm pretty sure there are no wrong answers when it comes to a sundae bar. Except for maybe not partaking from the sundae bar at all.

I've never seen these adorable waffle bowls before, but I think they are going to be a must-have for future ice cream nights at our house. They were so tasty, so cute, and the perfect size for a little sundae!

My talented sister Rebekah (of Ritzy Reba designs) helped me out by designing this adorable coloring page for the kids to enjoy after they finished their sundaes. How cute is this?! Just right click on the image and hit 'save' to keep it and print at home for your own party! Please use and enjoy this design at home -- not for any commercial use :-)

For anyone unsatisfied by a build-your-own sundae bar (although I can't imagine WHO that person might be or WHAT their problem is), this amazing trifle should fit the bill very nicely. All the fun of a sundae, pre-stacked and ready to serve.

Mint Chocolate Chip Brownie Trifle

1/2 gallon Blue Bunny® Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream, softened
1 9x13 pan of brownies (I used a box mix), cut into bite size squares
1 (16 oz) tub frozen whipped topping, thawed
hot fudge sauce (enough to drizzle on top)

In a glass serving bowl or trifle dish, layer ingredients as follows:
1 - ice cream
2 - brownies
3 - whipped topping
4 - drizzle of hot fudge
5 - ice cream
6 - brownies
7 - whipped topping
8 - big drizzle of hot fudge
9 - brownies for garnish

Freeze until ready to serve, and let sit at room temperature 10 minutes before serving to soften slightly.

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Visit Blue Bunny® for more delicious #SoHoppinGood ice cream ideas!

Kids' Holiday Cookie Party

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GiftDeliciously #CollectiveBias

With Christmas coming up, I wanted to do a little something to get the kids excited about the holidays. And I thought a Christmas cookie party would be a great way to generate some holiday excitement.

We headed to my mom's house for our little gathering, since she has it decorated adorably. It basically looks like a gingerbread house right now, so it seemed like the perfect location for a Christmas cookie party. We kept it simple by focusing on red and white decorations. She already had her white tree set up with red ornaments, so we used a white tablecloth and red place settings to keep the theme going.

I set up one end of the table with sweet little gingerbread man cookie plates, and used the other end of the table as a cookie decorating station. I bought OREO, Chips Ahoy!, and Nutter Butter box packs at Walmart for our party, and set them out on a tray along with some decorations like frosting, chocolate candies, and pretzels. These snack-size boxes were perfect for our party (almost no prep to pull this party together!), and they'd also be perfect as stocking stuffers, neighbor gifts, or teacher gifts. I grabbed a few extra to give to Forrest's preschool teacher and our neighbors. Gotta love an easy, affordable gift that makes this season a little simpler.

 I set out a few examples of decorated cookies that the kids could copy if they liked, which, of course, the children totally ignored and let their artistic juices flow. Fine by me, as long as they have fun!

Don't laugh at my snowmens' faces. I did my best.

We dipped the Nutter Butter cookies in melted white chocolate to create a snowman body, then used black decorator icing for the eyes and smile and an orange mint for the nose. Broken pretzels make nice antlers for OREO reindeer, along with a red chocolate Rudolph nose. And the Chips Ahoy! cookies are so delicious sandwiched with frosting and rolled in colorful sprinkles.

Poor Darcy was feeling a little under the weather on our party day. She wasn't a very active participant, but perked up after sampling the cookies, and sure looked cute sitting at the head of the table.

After we finished decorating (and snacking), we let the kids bag up their cookies to take home and deliver to their friends, teachers, and neighbors. I love finding ways like this to get them thinking about how to make someone else's day special, even if it's as simple as delivering some cookies.

We're attaching these cute little tags to our cookie bags. Feel free to print them out and use them for your holiday gifting! Just right click on the image below to save it to your computer and print at home.

I'd definitely recommend stocking up on these cookie boxes to give during the Christmas season. They're easy to find in huge bins right by the checkout aisles at Walmart!

What's your favorite Christmas cookie?

DIY Marauder’s Map Shirt (and free Silhouette template)

You’ll never guess what audiobook I’ve been listening to this month.

Go on, guess.

The correct answer is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and no one saw that coming at all.

The words needed to open the Marauder’s Map seem extremely appropriate for a certain someone I know—and I don’t want to embarrass anyone, so I won’t name any names, but it starts with a 4 and ends with an ‘est.’ This child is never not up to no good.

I’m still learning all the ins and outs of my Silhouette Portrait, but even with my beginner-level knowledge, this was still a very quick project to put together. And I wasn’t sure how well it would turn out, so I didn’t take any progress pictures, but it’s a simple enough project that hopefully you don’t need them.

I just set up the text in Silhouette Studio how I wanted it, then grabbed a stock image of footprints online and added them to the design. After cutting the design onto vinyl, I peeled the letters out and tossed them, then used the rest as a stencil. I mixed craft paint with textile medium and sponged it onto the stencil to create the letters and footprints (with a layer of cardboard inside the shirt to make sure you don’t get paint soaking through to the back, of course). I’ve seen people do painted t-shirts without using the textile medium, so I’m assuming it holds up fine without any issues, but I’ve always used the textile medium. In my experience, it gives a very smooth finished product and holds up beautifully in the wash. After peeling up my stencil piece, I just let the shirt air dry overnight, then ironed it to set the paint (your textile medium will give instructions on how to set it).

I’m happy to share the Silhouette Studio file here for anyone to use to make their own shirts (personal use only, please!)—I hope I’ve done this right. Please tell me if something doesn’t work properly and I’ll work on figuring it out :-)

Get the file for the template as shown HERE.

And get the file for the REVERSED template HERE.

Handmade Gift Idea: Make a Coloring Book from Family Photos

(This was originally posted a few weeks ago on Eat. Sleep. Make. as part of their Stuff Your Stockings series—check it out for more great handmade gift ideas.)

 

You know how I love making handmade gifts for loved ones for Christmas, but there is a slight problem when it comes to a certain little cherub I know: he has hated just about everything I've ever made him.

I know. With a face like that, it’s hard to believe, but it's the sad truth. Over and over throughout the past 2 years, I've spent hours and days and weeks making something special for him--whether a crocheted baby blanket or handmade clothing or toys or crocheted sweaters--that he promptly tosses and shouts at and becomes infuriated with when I finally present them to him. It's depressing, and I must be a slow learner, because I keep trying and getting rejected.

 

So for this Christmas  I thought maybe I'd fool him into thinking I didn't make his homemade gift. I'm hoping that if he thinks I didn't make it myself, maybe he'll like it better. So I took a different route and stepped away from my typical crocheted and sewn creations, and tried my hand at something new, something he wouldn't recognize as a DIY project at all . . . a personalized coloring book made just for him using photos of himself and loved ones.

 

 

This project was as easy and quick as a DIY project can possibly be, required almost no skill or knowledge whatsoever (other than the ability to upload pictures to a website, print them out, and drive yourself to an office supply store), and looks absolutely adorable. And I think he'll even like it. (Fingers crossed.) Ever since he was born, I've wanted to make a little book of his family members, near and far, so he could learn their names and faces (especially for family members who live far away and don't see him often), so I went with a "Who Loves Forrest?" theme and included pictures of his grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins for him to color in this book.

 

Here's how I made Forrest's coloring book:

 

1. Head over to Coloring Page Creator and set up an account (it's all completely free!). I believe you can also make a coloring book without actually setting up a membership and joining the site, but it probably won't save your work if you have to step away from the computer.

 

2. Start uploading the pictures you'd like to include in your book, and the site will automatically transform them into black and white coloring pages. I learned that some photos work better than others--it's best to stick with close-up shots that don't have a lot of background action happening. For instance, take a look at this picture of Forrest with his Uncle Jake: it's a tight, close shot of faces without much happening in the background, and it turned into a really crisp, clean coloring page:

And compare that to this one, which is kind of busy with all the trees in the background and grass in the foreground--it still made a decent coloring page, but it's busier, distracting, and not as crisp-looking. I'm  glad it's part of the book since he is crazy about his "Elmo and Papa" (grandma + grandpa) and will be out of his mind with excitement to color them, but you can see that certain pictures transfer to black and white outlines a little more nicely than others.

3. Click the "Create a Coloring Book" tab and add your pictures to your book! When it's all set up how you'd like it, you can save and download the book as a PDF.

 

4. Print your pages. Here's what I liked so much about the site Coloring Page Creator--there are quite a few websites out there that will turn your photos into coloring pages, but I loved that I could print them out right at home without their logo on the pages. Many sites automatically include a watermark or a logo or their site name printed somewhere on the page. I loved that with this site, there was nothing added to the pictures at all. Just your photo, as a coloring page, period. (And they're not paying me to recommend them, by the way--they don't know who I am--I just was very happy with the site and with the end result!)

 

5. Bind your book. If you'd like, you can certainly staple the pages together or bind them however you'd like at home (I think it would be neat to slip them into those plastic sheet protectors so it becomes, more or less, a 'dry-erase' book--kids could color right on the plastic protector with markers, then wipe it off and start over later). I headed over to Office Depot and paid about $4.50 to have my pages spiral bound with a clear, hard plastic cover. Then I just packaged it up with new markers and it's ready to stick under the Christmas tree!

 

 

(To make the "Who Loves Forrest?" text and image for the front, I just uploaded a photo of Forrest and my husband to PicMonkey, added the text, saved it, and then uploaded that image to Coloring Page Creator. Easy as pie, and it makes a nice cover page!)  

Hopefully I’ll finally fool him into enjoying something I made for him. As long as he doesn’t read this post, I should be okay.

Make a Turkey Handprint Thanksgiving Shirt (Dare to DIY)

It’s Dare to DIY time! This first week’s theme is Dare to Be Thankful. Honestly, I struggled with this theme. I couldn’t think of anything. And the very few things that did finally come to mind, upon googlization, had been done a thousand times before. I don’t know if that’s a good sign (inspiration abounds at my fingertips!) or bad (I can’t even come up with one stinking original idea without Pinterest proving that someone else has already done it better than I ever could). Another possibility: I’m just an ungrateful person.

I finally ‘thought up’ this ‘idea’ ‘all by myself.’ Seriously, I really thought I came up with this. Google/Pinterest searches (after I had already finished my project, of course) proved otherwise, but I truly don’t think I had seen this before, and I think it’s cute. Originality be damned! We had fun making it, I think it’s adorable, and so what if it’s already been blogged elsewhere. This is my version.

Forrest and I worked together to make some turkey handprint Thanksgiving goodies. A shirt for wearing, a dishtowel for keeping, and another to give away. And get this—we sort of had fun together making them. Weird, huh? I’ll admit it right here, right now: I’m not a fun mom. I don’t really like to do crafts or lessons or activities with my child. Hopefully CPS won’t come and haul him away after admitting that I don’t particularly enjoy doing this kind of stuff with him. So doing a craft project together was a first for us, and you know, it went all right. Better than I expected. Minimal tears. Not no tears (this is Forrest we’re talking about, let’s be realistic), but minimal tears.

Here’s what you’ll need to make this:

- acrylic craft paints in fall-ish colors (I used brown, golden yellow, orange, and red)

- Textile Medium (this can be purchased at most craft stores—you mix it with the paint to help it stick permanently to the fabric, even through washes and wear)

- white shirt (I picked this up in the boys’ section at Walmart) and/or white kitchen towels (also from Walmart) or whatever else you want to put your turkey handprints on . . . maybe a canvas for Thanksgiving art? Or an apron to wear while you make your Thanksgiving dinner?

- foam brushes (I didn’t have any on hand, so I just cut a sponge into a few strips instead—worked just fine!)

1. Start by mixing your paint with the fabric medium—the bottle will let you know what the ratio should be. Mine says 2 parts fabric medium to 1 part paint (but make sure to read the instructions on your own bottle—it might be different). I’m never very exact with this. I just eyeball it, and it always works out fine.

Put some newspaper down to catch any drips, and place cardboard between the layers of the shirt you’ll be ‘stamping’ onto, and underneath any other fabric you’ll be adding a turkey to.

(I’d definitely recommend doing a practice run first before going full throttle at your shirt or dishtowels. This will give you a chance to see how much paint is necessary, how hard your little one needs to press their hand down, and they can see what this is all about if they’re very young and don’t understand why their hands are being painted [lookin’ at you, Forrest].)

2. Use your foam brushes (or, in my case, sponge strips) to paint their palm and thumb brown, and use your other, brighter colors to paint their fingers.

( ^ that’s why you should put newspaper down)

3. Press their hand down onto the shirt/dishtowel/apron/whatever—straight down, push, then lift straight up without letting them wriggle their fingers around or rock side to side.

4. Admire that nice turkey!

5. If you’re handprinting more than one item, you’ll need to repaint your child’s hand after each ‘stamp’. Forrest did not like getting his hand painted at first, but once he realized it left a cool print behind, he was very excited about our little project and held out his hand for more.

6. Let your items dry for 24 hours. If you can be that patient. Then iron over the paint to set it. (Once again, make sure to read the instructions on your fabric medium—it’ll tell you exactly what to do to set the paint.)

7. Add whatever embellishments you’d like to complete your turkeys—I hot glued a googly eye onto each one (hot glue on clothing sounds unstable to me, but I’ve used it before to put googly eyes on a shirt and it has held up just fine in the wash!), added a little beak with orange paint, and handstitched legs with embroidery floss.

I also think it would be cute to stamp or applique something like “gobble” or “give thanks” or “happy Thanksgiving” onto it, but I got bored and stopped here. And also accepted the fact that this is a white shirt on a 2-year old boy. It’s only a matter of time until it’s completely stained and ruined, so I should probably spend as little time/effort on it as possible. Simplicity!

Forrest seems kind of excited about the “BOHD!!!” (bird) on his shirt, and he loved seeing his handprints stamped onto the fabric, so I’m declaring this Thanksgiving project a success.

And in the interest of full disclosure (when have I ever lied to you?), I will not pretend this was all fun and games. I have a very contrary child. He loved the stamping. He did not love the modeling.

I really wonder what it would be like to have one of those ‘easy’ children I keep hearing about. Do they cooperate? Do they do what they are told? Even when the instructions are as cripplingly overwhelming as “sit on this chair and look at mommy?”

My only request is that you help me uphold the fragile façade of familial peace and tranquility in my household by refraining from pinning the above images. If word gets out that I, a creative blogger, am not pretending that my child is a perfect angel and our home is a proverbial heav’n on earth, I think I’ll be kicked out of the club.

Have you been working on your Dare to DIY project? I’m really excited to see all your links on Monday! Come back Monday to share your work. And make sure to swing by Two Twenty One, Décor and the Dog, and Newly Woodwards to see their Dare to DIY projects today!