Birthday Bash… Birthday Balloon Wreath

Birthday Bash -  Part One 



My Grandson recently celebrated his 2nd Birthday and I had the pleasure of making the party decorations. Our little man loves anything and everything tractors so you guessed it… Johnny Tractor was the honorary tractor theme for the party. 

I really had a blast creating the party decorations and I’m excited to share with you the collection of goodies I made. I'm breaking it down into a three (3) part series so it will be easier to share all the fun details. Plus, I'm long winded and tend to write novels when I post a project.

Here’s a peek at a few of the other projects…



The decorations included an awesome Party Banner, Table Centerpieces, Goodie Bags and a fun Welcome Wreath. I love graphics/designing, playing with paper/glue, working with my Cricut and creating crafty items. Since I never know from one day to the next if I will feel up to crafting, I started working on these decorations weeks in advance. I'm glad I did because I wasn't rushed and had lots of time to rest and to play. 

Now for the best part, we were working with a tight budget so I managed to make everything for under $50 bucks!! More details on the bargains we (yours truly and my Daughter-in-Law) found will follow in Part 2 of this series. Lets just say that with a little bit of frugal planning you can find the best deals and can stretch your budget without compromising your ideas and party plans.

Before I get started, I want to add a special shout out of “Thanks” to my silent partner in crime. As many of you know, I struggle with a debilitating disability and sometimes, I need extra help just to do simple tasks. Many of the projects you see here at QomN are made possible because of my precious Daughter-in-Law’s help. She’s my right hand and works quietly behind the scenes making sure I can create and play without too much of a struggle. My sweet D-I-L drives me wherever I need to go to search for my bargains and lugs my wheelchair in/out without a single complaint, all while chasing around my all boy active 2 yrs. old Grandson. So, when I talk about “We”, now you will know (it’s not my imaginary friend – LOL!) it’s my awesome Daughter-in-Law. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful supportive family! Okay, Okay... enough mushy babbling. Let's Play!


First up… Balloon Wreath 

This is what greeted our guest as they arrived… 

How crazy cute is this wreath!!

The wreath was a big hit and admired by everyone. Several guests wanted to know where we got it. Oh yeah, it was a good ego boost to see/hear their reactions when we told them... we made it! 

It was super simple to make and came together fairly fast; (this could vary depending on the size of your wreath, balloon sizes and the pattern/design you choose). I will warn you, these wreaths use a lot of balloons… like hundreds of balloons. Yes, you heard me right! This one used a little over 225 balloons (we lost count)! Sorry for the crappy pictures but the lighting and colors were hard to work with.

Okay, here’s the How-To for making a Balloon Wreath.

Supplies

Instructions:

1. Starting on the front side (top) of the wreath take a floral pin and one/two balloons, place them in-between the prongs of the pin and using the pin, secure the balloons onto foam wreath.

2. Continue adding balloons until the front is completely covered.

3.Next, add balloons to the inside rim of wreath and finally, completely cover outside rim.

4. Add your embellishments such as a sign or ribbons.

For my sign, I just printed off my picture, added text and mounted on heavy colored card stock. Then, glued a craft stick to back and add to wreath.  

Make sure the wreath is really full and if needed, gently fluff the balloons to make sure none of the foam is showing.


That’s it… your done!

There are so many different versions of the Balloon Wreath on Pinterest and all across the web; in every color, shape and pattern. The possibilities are endless and these Wreaths really do add a fun element to your party decorations.

Visual Inspiration came from HERE: (Site is in Spanish but I only needed to see the picture of this perfect Wreath for an idea to spring to life!)

Source

I used the tutorial from: How Does She / Birthday Wreath

Part 2 of the Birthday Bash Series... Happy Birthday Banner.


This banner turned out better than I could have ever imagined. It was a true labor of love and worth every minute!!

Can’t wait to show you… (insert happy dance)! 

Until Next time…

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Individual Oreo Turtle Cheesecake

Hello friends! I hope everyone had a great Mother’s Day and were treated like a Queen for the day. My family sure made me feel loved!! 

Today, I am going to tempt you with a super simple, yummy dessert that’s sure to please any sweet tooth (it sure made me very happy)!

First, I must confess… I have an insane obsession with Cheesecake!

Seriously, I love all things Cheesecake. Whether it’s New York style, Fruit filled or topped with Fruit, White Chocolate, Dark Chocolate or Milk Chocolate, with or without Nuts, Peanut butter and even smothered in sweet sticky caramel… I love it all!

See what I mean,  I honestly think my family is planning a secret “Cheesecake Intervention” to save me from my overindulgent self! 

Doesn't this look lip-smacking delicious!!

A few weeks ago, while wasting  spending time on Pinterest (another obsession of mine – Jeez, I might need therapy!), I came across a pin for Individual Oreo Turtle Cheesecake.

Now honestly, what’s a girl to do when she spots Oreos - Chocolate Chips - Nuts – Caramel and Cheesecake all rolled into this scrumptious looking little dessert?

Well, after I wiped off the drool running down my chin, I headed over to check it out!

Jackpot!! I found another awesome food blog called … Lauren's Latest. 

Not only did I find the recipe for her Individual Oreo Turtle Cheesecakes, I also found several other amazing Cheesecake recipes too (Score!). I was so jazzed as I surfed around her site to find so many yummy recipes that use what my family would call “normal” ingredients. The recipes are easy to follow and have beautiful pictures.  (FYI… all of the so-so pictures shown in this post are of the little Cheesecakes I made.) 

I've never met Lauren and this post is totally my opinion, but I recommend checking out her site (here)… Good Stuff People!!

Now, lets talk Cheesecake!

This is where I need to put a disclaimer… You CAN’T eat just one!

This delightful Mini Cheesecakes recipe uses basic ingredients, only takes a few minutes to bake and cools in no time at all. Seriously, you can have them ready for tonight's dessert in no time flat and your gang  will think you slaved all day (Shhh… it will be our little secret)!

           

Since the original recipe at Lauren's Latest is laid out so perfectly and includes pictures with each step there really is no need for me to reinvent the recipe but I would like to share a few of my thoughts.

Talk about simple, look at what the crust is made from… Oreo Cookies! You simple drop an Oreo into each paper lined tin and your done. No mixing or pre-baking required. How easy is that!

A couple of other quick thoughts…

I found that the filling will easily make a dozen Individual Cheesecakes but the layer of Cheesecake filling is a little too thin for my liking. Next time, I think I will try either doubling the filling recipe (will probably make about 20) or only make maybe eight (8) Individual Cheesecakes so the filling is thicker.

The only Caramel I had on-hand was the squeeze type used for Ice Cream toppings which is not as thick as melting Caramel squares. It worked out fine but again, for my taste, I will use melted caramel squares next time.  I did use (Nestle) Toll House Mini Chocolate Chips (a staple around this house) and I always have Pecans handy. 

This recipe has a perfect Cheesecake base that can be used with so many types of cookie crust / topping combination.  My wheels are already turning with ideas for my next batch of Individual Cheesecakes.  Stay tuned - more goodness to come…

Just click on the link to go to Lauren's Latest - Individual Oreo Turtle Cheesecakes for the complete recipe and tutorial.

(I don’t post pictures or content from other blogs unless I get prior approval – In this case I wasn’t able to get the okay before the post was ready to go so I didn't feel comfortable copy/posting recipe.)

Enjoy!! 


Until next time…

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