Day 140: Ribbon Storage (success).

Pinterest pin and website link.

This was so easy to make using a swinging pant hanger.  I have a closest in my office, but no hanging clothing rack inside, so I just hang this over the closet doorknob and my ribbon is ready to go!  The only thing that is kind of annoying is that ribbon spools are oftentimes too big to stack the ribbon on top of each other (thus, the staggered ribbon placement).  As a bonus, I also included tape on here, so I always know where that is while wrapping presents.

Verdict:: SUCCESS!

Day 132: Baby Food Jars as Party Favors (fail).

Pinterest pin and website link.

I don't consider myself a hoarder, but then I find a box of random baby jar containers and lids that I have no idea why a) I saved and b) I moved from the house we were in when we had our babies to the house we are in now with toddlers / kids.  My youngest "baby" is almost three, so these jars have been taking up space for far too long!

I thought it would be symbolic to use my youngest child's baby jars as party favors for her upcoming "ballerina" birthday party.  It looked easy enough -- I had the jars, lids and candy, and just needed to buy the pink "ballet slipper" spray paint.

This project was a disaster!  The more I spray painted the lids, the more the lid writing was visible -- and smudged (see below -- the jar on the left was spray painted the least and the one on the right was painted the most)! Perhaps if I was gluing something on to the tops of these, they would have looked okay, but I didn't want to have an additional cost added to an item that people would just throw away when they get home from the party; I decided against doing that.

Verdict: FAIL.  I will eat the candy, the jars are going in the recycling and the lids are getting trashed tomorrow!

Day 91: Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes (success).

Pinterest pin and website link.

Happy April Fool's Day!  My husband had a company potluck today and asked me to make an April Fool's Day-themed dessert.  I've been wanting an excuse to try making cupcakes inside an ice cream cone, and this was the perfect opportunity -- and he told me they went over really well!

Ingredients / Materials Needed:
24 flat-bottom ice cream cones
Miniature muffin tin
Funfetti (or flavor of your choice) cake mix
Frosting & powdered sugar (explained below)
Piping bag / container and "star" tip
Large, sturdy box

Instructions:
Fill cones halfway (mine were a little full).

Bake in the oven as directed on the cake box for cupcakes (mine specified to bake at 350 degrees for 19-22 minutes).

Let cool, frost and enjoy!  My friend gave me a tip on frosting these like ice cream cones -- I put an entire jar of Betty Crocker's butter cream frosting into my KitchenAid mixer, and added 1/2 cup of powdered sugar.  I then mixed the two ingredients together, which stiffened the frosting enough to hold the ice cream shape.  Using a piping bag and a star tip, I started on the edge of the cupcake, and swirled around and in toward the center, using steady pressure.   

Finally, my husband needed a way to transport these to work, so we used an empty "Our Generation" doll box from Target and cut squares in the back to put the completed ice cream cone cupcakes in.  I hope he brings it home so that I can make / transport more of these!

Verdict: SUCCESS!

Day 90: DIY Cookie Basket Made from a Paper Plate (success).

Pinterest pin and website link.

This is so cool -- using just a paper plate, you can make a basket to hold cookies / desserts for gifting.  This solves a big problem for me, as I have an issue transporting dessert items I make specifically for this blog to my family / friends before I eat them all myself.  This pin is saving my waistline :)

I'll let the original blogger's picture showcase how to do it...

Inexpensive, easy to make, and a crowd pleaser -- my friend liked both the basket and these circus animal truffles I dropped on her doorstep!

Verdict: SUCCESS!

Day 89: Beer Cake (success).

Pinterest pin and website link (just a picture, not a tutorial).

Warning: this is not a cake made by pouring beer into the batter, as that sounds disgusting (to me!).  Instead, it's a cake made of (full) beer cans as a party decoration for a beer-loving person!  This was super easy and could be versatile to fit the needs of any party (exchange for any type of can to make the cake non-alcoholic, use rolled up diapers for baby showers, etc.).  

The original pinner used Coke cans (with rum as the cake topper), but I used cake plates, ribbon, beer, beer glasses and favorite candies for our favorite Dad.

Completed in 10 minutes!

Verdict: SUCCESS!

Day 81: Funfetti Cake Cookies (success).

Pinterest pin and website link.

I've had a love affair with Funfetti cake since college, so I'm surprising even myself when I say I liked these Funfetti cookies even more than the original cake!  They were simple to make, much easier to eat (and transport to one of my most favorite people, who just happened to introduce me to the Funfetti cake mixes years ago), took less time to bake, and didn't have tons of frosting covering it (like a cake does).  These Funfetti sandwich cookies may be my new go-to birthday treat!

Ingredients:
1 package of Pillsbury Funfetti Cake Mix
1/4 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 can of frosting

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Stir together dry cake mix, oil and eggs.  With hands, roll dough into 1-inch balls before placing them on a cookie sheet.  Flatten slightly with the palm of your hand (I found this more successful than the bottom of a drinking glass, as she suggested).

Bake for 6-7 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.  Cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet, remove to cooling racks, and frost (I chose to make sandwich cookies for easy transporting).  Let frosting and cookies cool completely before storing.

 Verdict: SUCCESS!

Day 62: Spice Cake Cupcakes (success).

Pinterest pin and website link.

I have wanted to try how other boxed cakes (besides white or vanilla) taste when using the trick for making boxed cupcakes taste like bakery cupcakes.  For my first attempt, I tried a spice cake made into cupcakes.  Although it tasted delicious, my official cupcake tester (and good friend!) noted that it didn't taste as much like a spice cake/cupcake as it should have -- and she was thinking that was because of the added vanilla.  I think I will omit the vanilla in future cupcake tests.  I also found that these were more difficult to frost than the white or vanilla boxed cupcakes had been, and if I make them again, I will freeze them after baking, and then frost them before they thaw.

Verdict: success (in terms of taste!).

Day 38: Pre-Scooped Ice Cream (success).

Pinterest pin and website link.

This is going to make the person who scoops ice cream at your parties / events so, so happy.  I seem to be the designated ice cream scooper in my house, and always feel rushed and panicky while trying to get the cake and ice cream on the table for our not-so-patient small guests (my kids -- and their friends -- are 2 and 4!). 

This pin worked like a charm -- simply scoop the ice cream into lined muffin tins and put back into the freezer until the party goers are ready for cake.  Then, you can either serve it in the muffin liners or drop it onto a plate.

We tested this out for dessert last night, and the pre-scooped ice cream had been in the freezer for 3 hours.  The scoops tasted great and didn't have any freezer burn, but I wouldn't leave them in there for much longer than that without covering them.

Verdict: success!

Day 34: Marbled Cupcakes (success).

Pinterest pin and website link.

I used the trick for making boxed cupcakes taste like bakery cupcakes -- and they were a hit again!

Divide the batter evenly and tint one half of it a different color of your choice.

The blog author has different amounts of each batter she puts in, but I did the following measurements: 1 tablespoon green, 1 tablespoon white on top, and 1 tablespoon green on top of that.  Then, use a toothpick to "swirl" the colors together to get a marbled look.

 Pre-frosting.

All ready for our Seahawks Superbowl party!  Obviously, these cupcakes are the reason they won!

Verdict: success!

Day 30: Ice Cream Shapes (fail).

Pinterest pin.  No website link.

I feel like I am typically the mom at my kids' birthday parties who is hot and bothered while trying frantically to scoop ice cream -- and I was hoping to change that pattern with this pin.  No such luck -- using cookie cutter shapes with ice cream worked about as well for me as using cookie cutter shapes with whipped cream.

I left the ice cream out of the freezer for about 5 minutes so that I could spread it easily in the pan.  So far, so good...

I then put it back in the freezer for about an hour before attempting the cookie cutter shapes...

Since this wasn't linked to a website, I'm not sure whether these ice cream shapes were put back into the freezer until the party or served right away.  Either way, this wouldn't be a time-saver for me.  I think it might get a few laughs, but that's not usually what I'm going for at my kids' birthday parties!

Verdict: fail.