It's Time to Dare to Share!

It's Friday night, and you know what that means.. 

It's  time to Dare to Share! 

Happy Friday! 

Do you do anything for April Fool's Day?  We normally don't do anything. I do think some of the tricks are funny though, especially when they are nice tricks like making regular food out of sweet treats. It's always fun to have a surprise like that. 

Speaking of sweet treats, the preschool/day care where I work had a Candyland themed party for the kids this week. While I was not able to take pictures during the party, because I was too busy helping the kids, I did take some pictures of some if the decorations.  

Earlier this week I wrote a post on how I made a large party cupcake using Dollar Tree items.  I personally did not make the giant suckers, but they are made from pool noodles and duct tape which you can also buy at the Dollar Tree.  

While the preschool had a lot of decorations already from past parties, I added a few characters.  We had many lollipop decorations, so I thought the perfect character to add was Princess Lolly. I drew her on poster board and colored her with markers.  

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Dollar Tree has presentation boards that are white on one side, and cardboard on the other. It was the perfect size and price to make Jib the gingerbread.  They kids at the center had already made many gingerbread cut outs, so we added them to the wall, along with large chocolates.  (styrofoam plates covered with silver wrapping paper) 

I also added some signs using fonts from Creative Fabrica.  On the site they have thousands of clip art and fonts available.  You can either buy them separately, or buy an annual subscription.  For me the subscription is definitely worth it, because it's where I find so many great files for my Etsy Shop  where I sell seasonal printables and party games.  If you have ever thought about making digital printables of your own, I highly recommend the course I took from Gold City Ventures. I have learned so much from them, and my shop has become a great side gig.  If you are interested their course is open now through Monday, April 3rd. 

If you would like to know more about making passive income with printables,  you can also see more with their free workshop.

Well now that I shared what is new with me,  I want to see what you want to share.  It is getting to be time to get the party started, so link up and HAVE FUN! 

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How to make a large Dollar Tree Cupcake

 

I recently started a new job at a preschool.  This week we are having a Candyland themed party for the kids.   As you know I am all about planning childrens' parties, so I was asked to help with the decorations.

One thing I have been thinking about making for some time is large cupcake decor.  

I am happy that my idea actually turned out well, and all you need is a few Dollar Tree items.  

                    

**this post contains affiliate links 

 All you need to make your giant cupcake, is a plastic tablecloth, crepe paper, striped party bags, a red ball, poster board and a Dollar Tree laundry basket. 

The first step is to  weave crepe paper through the basket.  I makes the basket look like a cupcake liner. 

The next step is the make the base of the cupcake.   I traced the top of the laundry basket on a poster board and then cut it out. 

Attach the cupcake base to the top of the basket with clear tape. 

The frosting is also pretty easy to create.  Open the plastic tablecloth most of the way, but sure to leave the centerfold still folded.   Wrap that fold around the top of your cupcake and secure it with tape.  

Once the fold is wrapped around and attached to the basket, fluff the tablecloth to look like a pile of frosting.  

You can usually find some red balls in the Dollar Tree toy aisle.  This ball is the perfect size for a cherry on top of the cupcake.  

I attached the ball to the fluffed up tablecloth with a little bit of shipping tape. 

While you can use any paper to make sprinkles, I like that these party bags make uniform strips in sprinkle colors.  

Well it seems I do not have a good picture where you can see the sprinkles, but it is there.  You can add as many or as few sprinkles as you would like. 

Dollar Tree also sells trifold boards that are often used for presentations, or science fairs. One side is white, the other side is covered with cardboard.  It was the perfect color to draw and cut out a gingerbread boy (Jib) from the Candyland game. 

I used the chocolate alphabet font from Creative Fabrica to make the Chocolate Swamp sign. I love using Creative Fabrica for all clip art and fonts for my party items and Etsy Shop. 

 If you have ever thought about creating your own digital printables to sell, now is the time! My favorite making digital printables for Etsy course goes live tomorrow! (Wed March 29). It is one of the more affordable courses out there, and it has helped me earn hundreds of dollars on Etsy.  If you are interested you can find it here at E-Printables Side Hustle course. It truly is my favorite course I have ever taken.  

   

Dare to Share Saturday

It is Friday night, and you know what that means.. 

It is time to Dare to Share! 

I had intentions to post a new post this week, but I worked different hours this week, and had to do some after work training.  I have been working on something fun that I will be posting about very soon through.  We are having a themed party for the kids next week, and they put in my charge of the decorating for the party.  I LOVE the theme they are doing. We are giving the kids a Candyland party.  They do already have decorations from past parties, and I am in the middle of making a few more.  One of the teachers made a Mr. Mint and Frostina for a previous party.  I enjoy making characters from poster board and cardboard like the dinosaurs at my son's dinosaur party, so for this year's party  I am also making a Princess Lolly, and a Jib Gingerbread boy. In addition to the characters, I am making some signs with different fonts of the different lands, and a large cupcake for our Cupcake Commons party. I will be posting more about our party this upcoming week. 

**this post contains affiliate links 

I am using fonts from Creative Fabrica  to make my party signs. Creative Fabrica is a great sight to get all kind of fun clip art, graphics and fonts.  I also plan on using some ideas from this party for new listings in my Etsy Shop.  If you have ever considered making printables and opening an Etsy shop, now is the perfect time to check out my favorite course from Gold City Ventures.  They are opening the course next week on the 29th.  I will be posting more about the course as we get closer to launch day, but if you would like to see more about it now check out their free ebook or free workshop.

It is looking to be about time to get this party started. I would love to see to what you have to share this week.  Link up and HAVE FUN!!  

 

 

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It's Party Time! It is time to Dare to Share!

It is Friday night, and you know what that means.. 

It is time to Dare to Share! 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!   How has your week been?  I had a really good week. After my background check for childcare went through, I started my new job on Tuesday. This week I started doing my training. I forgot how busy preschoolers can be, since it has been awhile since I have had one. I have already learned most of their names, and learning their personalities.  It has been fun so far, but I felt like I needed a nap after I got home like I do every year when school starts.  

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This week has also been pretty productive creatively. My St. Patrick's Day items in my Etsy Shop, sold really well this week. I had my best week ever, and I am hoping the same happens for Easter.  :)  I love making printables, and I am so glad that I opened my shop.  If you have ever thought about making printable as a side hustle, I highly recommend the printable course I took by Gold City Ventures.  It was one of the best courses I have ever taken. Julie and Cody have been super supportive, and really want to see their students succeed. Their printables course will be open starting March 23rd next week. I will share more about it and the bonuses shortly.  If you would like to learn more before the course opens, you can try their free workshop or free Ebook.

This weekend our Dollar Tree craft group is meeting again, and we are going to make wreaths.  I plan on making an Easter wreath, and I hope to share it on the blog. 

 

I did have time for one post this week. I shared my Leprechaun Treat Boxes that I made a few years ago. I also have some Easter ones that I will be posting in the next week.  

Well  it is getting to be time to get this party started. I would love to see what you have to share. 

Link up and HAVE FUN! 
 

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Leprechaun Treat Boxes and Games

 Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

Here were already in the middle of March.  While the year feels like it is flying, it does mean that spring is right around the corner.   Winter was a weird one for us this year, we did not get the snow that we normally do in both Ohio and Michigan.  Michigan was slammed with storms the last three  weekends, but thankfully I was still able to go visit this month. 

St. Patrick's Day is a fun holiday to celebrate. How could it not be with tricky elves, lots of green, colorful rainbows, sometimes adult beverages, and shiny things. LOL! As I am typing this post, I am wearing my leggings covered in rainbows, shamrocks and pots of gold.  

St. Patrick's Day is a good time to make some crafts.  One of my favorite crafts to make is  my Leprechaun Treat Boxes.  They are made with cardboard tubes, paint, paper, and a little bit of glue. They can be filled with colorful gold candy.  If you would like to see the full tutorial on how to make them you can find that post  here.

One of our favorite things to do with our kids on St. Patrick's Day was to set leprechaun traps in hopes of catching a one, and receiving their pot of gold. While I was not able to get a leprechaun trap kit put together in time, I have several new St. Patrick's Day items over in my Etsy Shop.  If you would like a scavenger hunt where you can look for leprechauns, you might like my leprechaun hunt.   In this printable game you get three leprechauns that you can hide together or separately.  The second game which has been really popular in my shop this year is my Find the Pot of Gold game.  In this game you use the clues to find a hidden pot of gold.   Both games are a lot of fun, and good for kids of all ages.  

Do you have fun plans for St. Patrick's Day?  I would love hear about them if you do. 

It is time to Party! Welcome to Dare to Share Saturday!

It's Friday night, and you know what you that means.. 

It is time to Dare to Share!  

It has been a crazy the last several days,  so I was not able to post this week.  I have been doing all the things for my new job.  I had to have a physical, a background check, and update shots. There has been lots of appointments and running around, and paperwork.  Hopefully once everything is complete, I will be starting my new job next week.   I also have an update on my dog.  While  she is doing better, her platelets are still lower than where they should be. We are going to continue her current treatment, and do another test in a few weeks.  

This weekend I am spending time with my friends and my kids so the party is going up a little later than normal.  

Since it late I am going to get this party started.  Link up and HAVE FUN! 

 

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It's Dare to Share Saturday

It's Friday night, and you know what that means..

It is time to Dare to Share! 

This week I have much happier news to share.  Last week I shared a health crisis we were going through with our dog.  (if you missed it, you can read what happened here.)  Thank you for all your good thoughts and prayers.  Our sweet pup is still with us.  She has cooperated with taking her meds, and while she doesn't like being isolated to one room in the house, she is starting to do much better.  We took her for her blood recheck on Monday evening.  While the platelet numbers were lower than the vet wanted, she was happy they were moving in the right direction. She is encouraged that she may be able to recover.  We will go back for another recheck on Thursday.  Her bleeding stopped a few days ago, and she is acting like she is back to normal.  

This week I posted a few new posts on my blog.  Did your know that Feb 27 is Pokemon Day?  I didn't until this year, but in honor of Pokemon Day I shared two posts about my son's favorite birthday party he had growing up.   You can read part 1 here, and part 2 here.

Yesterday was Dr. Seuss's birthday and Read Across America Day.  In honor of that I shared Make a Truffula Tree for Dr. Seuss's Birthday.  The Lorax is one of my favorite Dr. Seuss's books, and I have always wished the Truffula trees were real.  

I am in the process of adding a few new items in my Etsy Shop this week. Now that March is here, I am starting to see sales on my Leprechaun Treasure Hunt and my Find the Pot of Gold Game. They were a lot of fun to make, and from what I am hearing a lot of fun to play.   If you are interested in a St. Patrick's Day activity for kids, you might want to check them out.  

Well it looks like it is getting to be that time, its's time to get this party started. I would love to see what you have been up to this week.. 

So link up and HAVE FUN! 

 

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Click here to enter

Make a Truffula Tree for Dr. Seuss Day or Party

If you have been following my blog for awhile, you know that I was teaching in an upper elementary school for several years.  At our school we always celebrated Dr. Seuss's birthday and Read Across America Day on March 2nd, and then reading month for the rest of March.  

One year our school library was decorated with Truffula Trees for reading month. I was so excited.  While I like many of Dr. Seuss's books, The Lorax is my favorite. When I was younger, I wished that they were real.  They were so pretty, colorful, and fun, and I wanted a real one. Truffula Trees are actually a lot easier to make than you might realize, so it is now possible to have one.

**this post contains affiliate links 

The trunks of the Truffula Trees are long, and thin. There are several ways you can make them depending on how and where you are placing them.  The trunks of these trees were cardboard tubes painted white with black stripes. They stood up straight, on their own, so they were attached to a base to hold them in place.   You could use various sizes of wrapping paper tubes to get the variation in the tree sizes. 

Another popular item you could use for the trunk is a pool noodle.  Dollar Tree now sells pool noodles year round for crafting purposes.  Instead of painting the stripes you could wrap black or color duct tape around the noodle.  While pool noodles would not stand on their own you can make them sturdier, by inserting a Dollar Tree broom handle through the tube. The handles are sold without the broom attached, and you can see what they look like here.  If you would like the trees to be a little bendy, leave the stick out and you can place them in a corner, or attach them to a wall. 

There are also a few ways you can make the tops of the Truffula trees. The sturdiest way to make a top is to use a lightweight children's ball, and then cover it with feathered boas like what is pictured here. I have seen boas at the craft store, and occasionally small ones at the Dollar Tree.  A balloon is also a possible choice to use as a topper, instead of a ball. It might not be as sturdy as a ball, but it could be easily  topped with feathers or tissue paper. 

A final touch you can do to make your display look like a scene right out of the book, is to use Dollar Tree plastic tablecloths. If you wrap them around the bottom of the tree it gives them a more whimsical look. This is good for a few reasons, not only does it look nice,  but you can also hide anything you may use to weigh the trees down. 

Now that you know how to make the Truffula Trees, you can use them as decor for a party. 

I found some more party supplies that you could use to have a Dr. Seuss or Lorax party.  I am really liking this party bundle. It has a cake topper, 24 cake toppers, balloons, and a large backdrop, and is under $20.

I am also loving this 5ft x 3ft Lorax backdrop.

This Dr Seuss direction sign from Oriental Trading would be great for greeting your party guests, or as a display in a reading area in a classroom or library.  

One thing that I always liked to do at my children's parties was to give or make the guests something to wear. It could have been  dog ears for our Blues Clues and Scooby Parties, cowboy hats at our horse/western party, or hula skirts at our childrens' luau. These Dr Seuss Character Masks look like a fun and affordable option for a wearable party item.  

How cool are these truffula tree pens?!  They would make a great goody bag item.  If I had one of these pens, it would definitely be one of my favorite pens to use. 

Happy Reading Month!