Leap Year Lily Pad Cupcake Holders

Beyond Prizes and Pony Rides...

I love to create favors that involve children in the making of them.  It's all about the process - plainly, you don't need lots of money, entertainment and hoopla to genuinely thrill a child (contrary to modern marketing...). Kids love TIME with us and making favors is a great way to spend time and build birthday excitement, too.

To the right is a favor idea that is fun to make and practical, as well..  In the case of the pottery painting party (above), the girls helped cut out muslin squares and lace trim for the "artist's handkerchiefs" I stitched up.  We finished these off with quotes from famous artists, hand written around the border of each.  The girls filled each one with a wrapped sandwich, treat and juice box and tied the corners together.   At the party, we set one in front of each child's work area  As for the aprons - they have provided extended use for the children that received them and that, too, pleases me.  It's nice, in such a throw away society, to have such lovely keepsakes.  When people 'flip a house' they put all their money into the kitchen and bath - when you throw a party, I say, do the same with your cake and favors!  

Tristan's "BOMB WENT OFF" Cake Recipe

Okay - I love to bake from scratch and have fabulous cake recipes - but, this recipe happened "in a pinch" and has a humor factor - it's very much a not-so-pretty (but very tasty) recipe for anyone who prefers Betty Crocker and has the strength of character to handle negative comments about the appearance of this not-so-fancy-looking cake...  

If you don't have a lot of time but love the idea of making the cake, buy a boxed chocolate cake and the best frosting you can find - and some raspberries (fresh is best but frozen will do!).  Bake two layers.  Hollow out the bottom layer (I used a spatula and cut a square of cake out, leaving enough at the bottom to create a square 'bowl' effect).  Fill the hollow with a mixture of frosting and fresh raspberries (whip that up by hand or mixer - it all tastes the same!).  Put the top layer on and then frost the cake in the rest of the mixture.  It will look like a bomb went off, no joke.  BUT, if you can keep people from 'seconds', put it in the fridge and have some for breakfast the next day - it's even better cold!

Cupcake holders are versatile (work for any theme), easy to make (kids can help) and practical.

How To Make Holders:

You will need :

plastic cups

pipe cleaners

hole punch

glue gun

felt / cardboard / paper, etc.

Cut out whatever shapes you like for the base (hearts for Valentines, clovers for St. Patricks, stars for Fourth of July, etc.).  Felt is nice if you're taking these to a classroom - it flops so that you can fit a bunch closer together, in a box or plastic bin.

Use your hot melt glue gun to stick the plastic cup down to the base shape (be careful not to be too heavy handed with the glue as the cup can melt...and use all safety precautions with this activity, especially if you've got kids in the room - btw, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND a product called Burn Free - I always keep it in the cupboard - it's painful at first but, the next day, you'll see an utterly amazing recovery - a seriously effective product!). 

Punch holes in either side of the cup, near the rim.  Thread the pipe cleaner through each hole, at either end - twist to close and be sure no sharp end is sticking out. 

Decorate the outside of the cup as you please (in this example, we put fun frog facts on a strip of paper and applied it to the outside of the cup).

Pop in a cupcake and top it with whatever fits your theme