DIY Monster Cake Pops

I promised I would write about the DIY projects I did for Connor's 1st Birthday Party. After months of planning and many hours on Pinterest I had my ideas and last week I got to finally make them! 

I always knew I would make Connor his own smash cake but went back and forth with what I was going to make for everyone else at the party. First I was going to make monster cupcakes, but after I did a trial-run for my book club and they turned out horrible, I scratched that idea. After a lot of brainstorming and changing my mind 50 a bunch of times I finally decided to make Cake Pops! I was a little nervous because I had never made them and I'm a perfectionist, oh and because other than seeing pictures of Cake Pops, I've never actually had one. 

Cake Pops are REALLY easy to make and delicious! Thanks to Bakerella and YouTube for showing me exactly what to do and how to do it!

Here's what you'll need to make Monster Cake Pops:

Cake Mix - And all the ingredients it calls for. I made around 45, so I used 2 boxes of cake. Chocolate Fudge & White
Frosting - I used Chocolate and Cream Cheese frosting (not pictured)
Vegetable Oil 
Cookie Sticks - I found a package of 60 for $3.99 at Michael's Craft Store 
Icing Coloring - Do NOT use regular food coloring. It will mess up the consistency of your melted chocolate. Make sure to get the gel coloring. I found Wilton's Icing Coloring at Michael's.
Edible Color Markers - Also from Michael's.
Candy Melts - I wanted blue and green monsters. They actually had blue candy melts but I bought white and added coloring to get green.
Wax Paper
White M&M's - I found these at Party City. (not pictured)

Bake the cake per the instructions. Once it's cooled, cut it into 4 sections and put into a large mixing bowl. Then using your hands crush the cake into crumbs. Then add half the can of frosting and mix well. (Again using your hands is the easiest, messiest but easiest.) 

Once it's thoroughly mixed it will be a cookie dough consistency. Roll into approx. 1 inch balls. Place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. Put them in the freezer for 15 minutes, you do not want them to freeze so after after 15 minutes put them in the refrigerator until you are ready to dip them. 

Melt your chocolate according to the package instructions. I don't have a double boiler so I did mine in the microwave and it turned out fine. You want the consistency to be pretty runny so that it coats the Cake Pop smoothly without lumps. You may not need to, but I added some vegetable oil to help get the desired consistency. Add food coloring until you reach the desired color.

Then dip the tip of the stick into the melted chocolate and then push into the cake ball, approximately half way through. Then submerge the entire cake ball into the chocolate. (Note: Since writing this I have found that first inserting all the sticks into the cake pops before dipping them in the chocolate is better because it gives the sticks time to set up in the cake pop.)

Do not stir, it will cause the cake to fall off the stick. Instead, rock the cake back and forth until fully covered. Then tap the stick on the edge of the bowl while slowly turning the cake pop to get any extra chocolate off. Don't tap too hard or your cake pop will fall off the stick! (This happened a few times but luckily my husband was there to eat all the oops!) 

Once you have the excess chocolate off, immediately stick the eyeballs on. Make sure to put the M&M logo side down. I made some with 1, 2 and 3 eyes. Tip: Do not draw on the pupils until after. The pen never really dries so when you put the M&M on, the dot smears.

Stick the Cake Pops into styrofoam to dry. Once dry, draw on the pupils. I stored my Cake Pops in the refrigerator over night. 

Note: I've also learned that you are NOT supposed to store them in the fridge, they tend to sweat and the chocolate can crack, although this did not happen to me. I now know the best way to store them is in an air tight container once they have fully hardened. :)

If you need further instructions on how to dip your Cake Pops, check out this video that I found, she explains it SO well.

The hardest part of making Cake Pops is finding a cute way to display them. I ended up using a cardboard box top from a case of copy paper. I wrapped the lid with silver wrapping paper, hot glued a green ribbon around it and lined the inside with a piece of styrofoam. Once the Cake Pops were all in, I poured 3 large bags of Skittles in the bottom to hide the stryofoam. :)

I also made cake labels so guests could choose which kind of cake they wanted. I found a really fun font in Microsoft Word and printed it on regular paper and then glued it onto extra scrap booking paper from another DIY project I will be writing about soon. Then I taped a Cake Pop stick to the back and tied a bow with left over ribbon. Voila!

These Cake Pops were so much fun to make. I made approx. 45 of them for a party of about 27 people and there weren't any left over! Everyone loved them! And I have to admit...I was pretty impressed with how they turned out! I can't wait to make them again and experiment with different designs. 

Do NOT hesitate to make these for your next party, or just for fun for your kids!  

Wordless Wednesday #6

I WILL do this when I own a house. Hopefully my future neighbor has a sense of humor. :)

Connor's 1st Birthday Party!

Connor's party was perfect! Everything turned out wonderful and we were surrounded by people we love! We missed a few of you who were unable to make it but felt your love regardless. I can't believe it but I didn't shed any tears! Maybe that's because he isn't really turning 1 until the 14th. So for now, he's still my baby...no toddler in this house!

Connor, 

I know you're too young and won't remember your 1st birthday party, but I'll make sure to show you the 534 pictures we took when you're older. But I just wanted to tell you that you loved it. You even unwrapped your own gifts, with a tiny help from Momma you are the smartest 1 year old I know! There were no melt-downs, not 1 tear (from you or me), you weren't shy, in fact I think you played with everyone at some point. You loved all the attention!

We may have had 1 hiccup at the party when Grammie came to me worried, saying you were missing. Um WHAT!? Well we found you.... in the bathroom ....door closed....playing in the toilet. You're a sneaky one that's for sure, and FAST! We have no idea how you snuck away and no one noticed. It wasn't a proud moment and I had to take deep breaths and try not to panic, because after all, you were OK. Every kid needs a story of their parents "losing" them, right? I think mine was at a party on a big yacht, right Mom? Just another life lesson my sweet boy.

We all love you so much baby, but I must say...Momma loves you the MOST. I waited my whole life for you. I knew I would have a little boy, I had dreams about it for years and years. But my dreams were wrong, the little boy in my dreams was nothing compared to you. You are amazing. You are sweet. You are very funny. You are loving. You are so smart. You are handsome. You are my sweet sweet baby boy and that my son, you will always be. No matter what age we celebrate at your birthday party. I love you as much as the dirt and leaves. 

Love, Momma xoxo

Why I've Been MIA

It has been a crazy week and a half! 

First there was Thanksgiving; my poor Mom's oven broke a few days before so our traditional Thanksgiving dinner at my parents was moved to my house. Which I must say...I loved. I love having people over and it forced me to do some deep cleaning that I had been avoiding. 

It was an extra special day because it was Connor's 1st Thanksgiving! He loved the garlic mashed potatoes and turkey, he ate more than I thought would fit in his tummy. It was straight to the bath after dinner for him, what a mess! 

Tip of the day: Do NOT wash the mountain of dishes in hot hot water while baby is still finishing dinner. Why? Because when Grammie goes to give him a bath and wash all the mashed potatoes out of his ears and hair, she will have to do it in cold water. Poor baby! SORRY! 

Thanksgiving in pictures....

Then of course there was Black Friday. I am not one of those crazies dedicated people who are willing to stand in line for hours in the cold to save a couple bucks. Plus when you have an almost-one-year-old he is not going to care that you were out shopping all night, he is still going to want to get up and play at 7:30 am. Ouch. Connor, what happened to sleeping in until 9? Momma is missing it. 

I did however battle some crowds the next morning. My best friend Danielle and I went to Kohl's to check out the toys. SO WORTH IT. The learning toys were 50-65% off AND I had a coupon for 15% off your entire order. Can you say score!? I Santa found everything I had been planning on getting for Connor and I only spent $50! Which earned me $15 free Kohl's cash! YES! I got Connor a baby laptop that teaches numbers, letters, and shapes. Maybe now he'll leave my laptop alone so I can write this blog If only it were that easy. I also got him a baby cell phone, in the hopes it will keep him away from my IPhone, which he is obsessed with even though I have never let him play with it. I got him a couple other toys and a bunch of long sleeve t-shirts in 18 months because my big boy is outgrowing all his 12 month clothes. But the best thing I found? An inflatable ball pit for $20!! I am so excited! He is going to love love love it! And no, I won't mind picking up all the balls, he has other toys that are just as messy, and the few minutes it takes me every night to clean up the toys are worth every quiet moment I get during the day when Connor is playing by himself like a big boy.


That Sunday was also my husband's 29th birthday!!! Yikes, last year of his twenties. I told him next year I'm trading him in for a newer model! HAHA! It was his 1st birthday as a Daddy, so it was extra special. We have a tradition that we go over to my parents house on our birthdays (not to be confused with Sunday Dinners) and my Mom makes us our favorite dinner and we get a mint chocolate chip ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins. YUM. (I'm a horrible wife, I forgot to bring the camera.)

Monday morning I hit the ground running, literally. I had SO much to do before Connor's 1st Birthday Party, which was yesterday. Which I will tell you all about tomorrow. :) I also did a bunch of DIY projects that I will be writing about later, stay tuned! They are pretty awesome. 

Wordless Wednesday #5

DIY TV Cord Cover

We got our 50" Plasma hubby had to have a 50" on Black Friday 2008. Instead of buying an entertainment center, we hung our TV on the wall above the TV stand and put matching bookcases on either side, MUCH cheaper. Great idea except for one small problem, you see all the TV cords, which drives me crazy! 

Well it only took me 3 years but I finally took care of it. I'm hosting Thanksgiving at my house this year because my Mom's oven broke a week before Thanksgiving and I'm trying to make my house presentable. Since there is nothing I can do about the endless baby gear/toys in my house, I thought I would hide these dang cords once and for all. 

It took some serious brainstorming but I decided the best way to hide the cords was to cover a piece of cardboard with fabric and then attach it to the wall. It was super easy and only took about 30 minutes. The best part? It only cost $13.88!!

What you'll need: 

• Large piece of cardboard (I used a Tri-Fold Presentation Board)
• Appropriate size of fabric (I chose black with a small ribbed texture)
• Duct tape
• Tape measure
• Scissors
• 4-5 picture hanging nails

First I had to cut a little off the top of the cardboard and add it to the side in order to make it longer. (They didn't have a piece of cardboard long enough)

Then I laid the cardboard on top of the fabric and trimmed the fabric so only about an inch was left on either side.


Then I wrapped the fabric around and taped it to the back of the cardboard. Make sure to stretch the fabric tight but not too tight, you don't want ripples. 


Then just tape, tape, tape. I had a little rippling around the corners but once hung on the wall it didn't show because it was behind the bookcase.


Then I had my husband nail it to the wall. We nailed it in all four corners and once in the middle at the bottom. You can't see the nails because I made sure to make the cardboard slightly bigger than needed, so the nails are behind the bookcases. 

I am SO happy with how it turned out! It really gives the illusion of an entertainment center, instead of 3 seperate pieces of furniture. 

As you can see, we keep Connor's toys on the bottom two shelves. We have no choice now that he's mobile, he gets into everything. We can't have our DVD player or cable box in the designated spots in the TV stand anymore because Connor constantly changes the channel, so they too were moved up high on the bookcase. My whole house is slowly but surely being taken over by Connors baby crap stuff.

I haven't even thought about how the heck I'm going to have a Christmas tree this year. Yikes.
 

OMG It's starting!

Just had to share! ...
Connor took THREE steps tonight! 
We've been working on standing for awhile now. I stand him up and let go; he'll stand for as long as possible (up to 30ish seconds now) then laugh and fall forward into my arms, giggling the entire time. He thinks this is the worlds funniest game! Well tonight I stood him up and he laughed and WALKED to me! Three whole steps! I wasn't even coaxing him to walk to me. Andrew and I were shocked! 

"Did you see that!? Did he just walk!? Does this count!?" 

I decided it definitely counts, especially because he did it on his own! Crazy thing? I had a dream last night that he was walking. WOAH. 

Seems like just yesterday his little feet were itty bitty. 

Momma is obsessed with taking pictures of your cute feet!

Sweet Baby Boy...I can't wait to go on new adventures! So many new and exciting things await us, walking his a whole new world to explore. I will follow your cute little footsies anywhere you want to go. So proud of you! 

Love, Momma