Birthday Party Favor Ideas You Should Steal
Looking for creative birthday party favors that totally rock? These goodie bag ideas will make you look like a creative super-mom, and won’t break the bank.
Tag: Candy Buttons
Free Valentine’s Day Printables
I just love Valentine’s Day! Such a fun day for kids to express friendship to one another. Dub loves tearing open the goodies, but EClaire really loves to see the creativity of the Valentines and read the messages from her friends.
Today I’m sharing printables and ideas for Valentine’s Day.
Candy Necklace Valentine
I designed these for EClaire’s princess party this summer, and adapted them again for Valentine’s to be more inclusive of boys in her class. Just print these out, cut two slits, add the candy bracelet (I get mine at Dollar Tree 10/$1) and sign the back. Find the original post and download here!
Be Minecraft Valentine
Dub is obsessed with Minecraft! So, I created this “Be Mine (craft)” printable to wrap a box of Conversation Hearts for an inexpensive Valentine. Just seal with some stick glue and sign the back. Find the orignal post and download here.
Straw Valentine
This Valentine by Paging Super Mom was a hit among the preschoolers Dub gave this to years ago – and their parents who loved the non-sweet Valentine. I used the heart shaped curly straws from Hobby Lobby (10/$1) and signed his name on the printable in PhotoShop. Super cheap and easy.
Kool-Aid Valentine
Last year EClaire had so much fun putting these Kool Valentines together! Simply download the printable here and affix to the back of Kool-Aid packets with a heart sticker. I digitally added her name, but you can sign yours for a more personalized touch.
Candy Buttons Valentine
I absolutely loved the candy button favors I made for EClaire’s princess party this summer, so I recreated them for some homemade and very inexpensive Valentines. The kids think this is such a novelty that it’s always a hit! Find the full instructions here.
There you have it, just a few of the Valentines we’ve given over the years. What do you think? Will you be using any of these this year? Please take a moment to tell me about it, below!
In addition to being featured in the fab blogs shown on the buttons to the right, this post was also featured on Huckleberry Love.
Sweet Treat: Easy Homemade Candy Buttons
There’s just something about Candy Buttons. These nostalgic candies are surprisingly easy to make, and are perfect for birthdays, party favors, or just a fun sweet treat.
To make Candy Buttons, all you need to do is prepare a simple royal icing recipe. You can use the recipe listed on the can of Meringue Powder, but I used the following recipe, inspired by Sweet Sugarbelle:
What you’ll need:
- 1 lb. confectioner’s sugar (4 3/4 cups)
- Meringue powder (about 1/4 cup)
- 1/3-1/2 cup water
- 1-2 tablespoons flavored extract (I used almond extract because it’s what I had on hand, but there are tons of fruity flavors at the craft store that would be fun to try!)
- Food coloring
- Electric mixer
- Freezer paper
- Icing bag and small round tip (or a resealable bag with a tiny corner cut off would work in a pinch)
To prepare:
- Whisk the dry ingredients together.
- In a separate measuring cup, mix the flavored extract into the water.
- Slowly begin pouring the liquid mixture into the powder mixture while it mixes.
- Mix the frosting on medium-high speed until the frosting forms stiff peaks (around 7 minutes)
- Add food coloring to achieve desired color. (I first made pink frosting, and later added a few drops of blue to make purple to get two colors out of one batch.)
Next, tear off a sheet of freezer paper – large enough that you can fit a large batch of buttons on (you won’t cut the paper until these are dry).
Fill your pastry bag (I used my Pampered Chef Decorator Bottle Set*) with frosting and twist the top, removing excess air. Now, simply pipe evenly sized dots across the paper. If possible, print a template in advance and place it below the freezer paper. Be sure that the design will fit into your final packaging. If you’re using pretzel bags for your packaging, your design will need to be approximately 2.15 x 5″ to fit the pretzel bags I would be placing them in.
Let the Buttons sit overnight to dry. Any excess frosting will keep in a resealable bag refrigerated for two weeks.
Now for the fun! Once the Buttons have set up overnight, you can begin cutting the freezer paper to your desired shapes.
Package your Candy Buttons for the occasion. I placed them in Wilton pretzel bags that I got at JoAnn’s for $1.37 using my 40% off coupon. Think of the possibilities! Birthday party favors, Valentines, and more!
In addition to being featured on the fab blogs listed on the right of this blog, this post was also featured on Huckleberry Love.