Transformers Revenge of the Fallen hits theaters next Wednesday, and if your child has a summer birthday it’s a perfect excuse to take the birthday boy or girl and a group of friends to see the movie.

There is tons of stuff out there to help you plan a Transformers birthday party, including a Transformers Deluxe Party Pack with everything you need for a great party in one box, unique Transformers party invitations and VIP passes, and Transformers party favors.

You don’t need too many game ideas if you’re going to see the movie, but you could take the children to a nearby park before or after the movie and play Transformers tag, or take the party back to your house and set up a treasure hunt to find “the cube.” With clues left in strategic places for the teams to find.

If you don’t want to purchase invitations you can make your own invitations shaped like a Transformers mask.

Some ideas for sayings on your Transformers invitations:

Autobots fall out, for a Transformers party to help celebrate ________’s birthday on _______.

Megatron needs your help please report to ______ on _____ for the details of this birthday mission.

For a Transformers birthday craft save some medium size boxes and cut holes in the tops and sides for arms and heads to fit through. Let the kids decorate their box like their favorite Autobot or Decepticon.

More Transformers party ideas

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If you’re planning a farm animal party, or a pink pig party theme for your birthday party check out these adorable cupcakes from Down Home With the Neelys at the Food Network. They’re red velvet cupcakes decorated to look like little pink pigs.

These pig cupcakes look simple to make and totally adorable check them out!

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I want to focus on some ideas for a butterflies and caterpillars birthday party for the next week or so, first up I have a couple recipes for some fun Rice Krispy Treats that would be a hit at any child’s birthday party.

First up the Butterflies:

Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies Treats® Butterflies

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 12

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows – or – 4 cups miniature marshmallows

6 cups Rice Krispies® Canned frosting Assorted candies

Directions:

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.
2. Add KELLOGG’S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated.
3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 15 x 10 x 1-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool slightly.
4. Using cookie cutters coated with cooking spray cut into butterfly shapes.
5. Decorate with frosting and/or candies.

Best if served the same day.

Next up those adorable caterpillars:

Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies Treats® Caterpillars

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 12

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows – or – 4 cups miniature marshmallows

6 cups Rice Krispies®

Canned frosting or decorating gel

Assorted candies

Directions:
1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

2. Add KELLOGG’S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 15 x 10 x 1-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool slightly. Using small round cookie cutters coated with cooking spray cut into circles.
4. Place eight to nine circles next to each other, forming caterpillars. Decorate with frosting and/or candies. Best if served the same day.

MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS for Both:
In microwave-safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Follow steps 2 thru 4 above. Microwave cooking times may vary.
Notes For Both:
For best results, use fresh marshmallows.
1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow creme can be substituted for marshmallows.
Diet, reduced calorie or tub margarine is not recommended.
Store no more than two days at room temperature in airtight container. To freeze, place in single layer on wax paper in airtight container. Freeze for up to 6 weeks. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

Kellogg’s has reduced the sodium content of Rice Krispies to meet current consumer flavor- and nutrition-preferences. Rice Krispies Treats made with the lower sodium cereal taste great without any added salt, but, if you desire, add 1/4 teaspoon salt to the butter before melting. Continue with recipe as directed.

Butterflies, caterpillars, and bugs. Oh My! Over the next week or so I’ll have more outdoor garden caterpillar, butterfly, bug, creepy crawly party ideas. You can use any or all of them to make a really fun summer outdoor party for kids. Stay tuned!

Images and recipes courtesy of Rice Krispies

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My son’s birthday party was this last weekend, and he really wanted a Guitar Hero birthday cake. I thought it would be really difficult to make, but it wasn’t too hard so I thought I would share the instructions here.

Add this cake to some rock star/ Guitar Hero party supplies and you have a party!

Here are the steps to make a Guitar Hero cake so you can be the hero at your child’s next birthday party:

What You’ll Need to make the cake:

• 3 to 4 cake mixes, or the equivalent if you use your own recipe (about 15-20 cups of batter).
• Wilton 12 by 18 by 2-Inch Baking Sheet
• parchment paper
• A double batch of butter cream icing
• fondant in the following colors (you can buy the colors already colored, or buy white fondant and color it with food coloring) red, blue, green, orange, yellow, black or dark grey.

How to make the Guitar Hero Cake:

• I started the cake by actually tracing around his Guitar Hero guitar with a pencil and some parchment paper. Once I had the outline of the cake I put it aside for later.
• I baked the cake in a 12×18 cake pan. I made half  of the cake chocolate, the other half of the cake white. You will need 3 cake mixes to fill this size pan. You could also use a smaller pan and make two cakes, since you will have to piece the guitar together for any pan you use.
• Use parchment in the bottom of the pan, and spray the sides well with cooking spray before you pour the dough into the pan.
• Mix and bake the cake according to the recipe, or box directions. My baking time was between around 50 minutes for the larger pan. Set your timer for about 40 minutes then check the cake often after that until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Once you’ve baked your cakes turn them out of the pan onto a wire cooling rack to cool thoroughly.
• Once the cake is cool place the guitar pattern on top of the cake. Use a sharp serrated knife to cut out your guitar shape. You will not be able to cut the guitar all in one piece, you will probably need to make it two or three pieces, depending on the size of your original cake.
• Just mark on your pattern where you left off, and begin cutting the next piece at that point.
• Cover a large sheet of cardboard (large enough to hold your Guitar Hero cake) with silver or gold foil.
• Arrange your cake cutouts on the board to shape your guitar cake.
• Put a little icing under the cake to act as the “glue” to hold the cake in place on the board, then give the whole cake a base coat of white butter cream icing.
• Then give the top of the body of the guitar a second thicker coat of white icing. Don’t worry about putting a second coat of icing on the neck and sides of the guitar since you will be covering those with fondant.
• Set the cake aside, and start working on your knobs and buttons. Take a look at the actual guitar to determine the shapes of the buttons you need to make.
• Make your knobs with fondant. It’s kind of like working with clay. I made the different colored push buttons on the guitar neck by rolling out the fondant, making a pattern from the actual buttons with parchment paper then cutting the buttons around the pattern in fondant.
• I made a short whammy bar, you could probably make a longer one out of wire and fondant.
• All the other buttons were created by shaping the fondant by hand until it was the desired shape.
• I rolled black fondant out for the neck and sides of the guitar. I measured the depth and length of the sides, then rolled out a long strip of fondant and cut it to fit.
• I rolled another thicker strip of fondant for the neck of the guitar, then shaped it over the cake and cut off the excess. I had to work with the end a little bit to get it the right shape. I actually ended up putting an extra patch of fondant over the end to cover up some mistakes I made with the larger piece.
• Assemble the cake by placing your knobs in the proper location.
• I used 1/2 cup black butter cream icing, with about a teaspoon of piping gel in it to pipe the frets on the neck of the guitar when I was finished.

It was really a fun cake to watch come together at the end, because I had no idea how it would turn out. You could probably cover the main part of the guitar with fondant, but I love the flavor of butter cream and didn’t want the kids to taste the cake and say eeewwww!

The cake was a really big hit! I think this cake would work really well for a  Rock Band party too. Just change the knobs to match your child’s favorite Rock Band guitar.

I have more Rock Band and Guitar Hero party ideas and supplies here.

Still more rock star, guitar hero party ideas.

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You can now get Nickelodeon Invitations & Cards from Tiny Prints.

Tiny Prints will offer unique birthday party invitations and every day  stationery designs featuring characters from popular animated Nickelodeon series, including The Backyardigans; Dora the Explorer; SpongeBob SquarePants; Blue’s Clues; Go, Diego, Go!; Ni Hao, Kai-lan; and The Wonder Pets.

This is exciting news since it’s Tiny Print’s first major licensing deal.

From Tiny Prints:

The Nickelodeon Collection offers customers the chance to select stationery that features Nickelodeon’s beloved characters in a more modern appearance that adds a unique twist on the characters’ classic style. These unique stationery designs will be available exclusively through Tiny Prints.

I agree they do have a cute modern appearance to these new cards, they’d be perfect for summer birthday parties! I think the Backyardigan’s invites are my favorites. They’re just too cute!

Nickelodeon Invitations & Cards Images via Tiny Prints

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If you’re planning a summer birthday party in the back yard, or in the pool, here is a yummy (and nutritious) frozen treat you can serve up to your little guests. Shhh! Don’t tell them it’s healthy!

They’re easy to make and pop in the freezer until party time.

Frozen pops don’t have to be a just a sometimes treat when you have these healthful delights waiting in your freezer. They are low in added sugar and full of flavor and nutrition. If you don’t have Popsicle® molds, they also work great in small paper cups. Kids can peel away the paper and lick the pops right out of the container. Check out this recipe from Mealtime.org

Fruity Frozen Fudge Pops

Ingredients:

1 can (15 ounces) pear halves, in extra-light syrup, not drained
1 1/2 cups 2% reduced fat milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
1 (3 1/2 ounce) box instant chocolate pudding

Preparation Time: Approximately 3 minutes
Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on medium-high for 1 minute. Pour into 3 ounce Popsicle® molds or 3-ounce paper cups with Popsicle® sticks inserted. Cover and freeze until solid, at least 3 hours. Freeze for up to 1 week.

Serves: 10

Yum! Makes me ready for those summer parties!

Image via mealtime.org

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If you’re looking for a last minute Easter treat idea or recipe here are a few sweet treats you can choose from.

1. Easter Cake Pops from Bakerella (my faves so they get number 1)
2. Homemade Marshmallow Peeps
3. Cadbury Mini Egg Cookies
4. Birds Nest Spring Treats
5. How To Make An Easter Basket Cookie
6. Little Lamb Cupcakes
7. Marshmallow Bunnies
8. Easter Sugar Cookies
9. Easter Bunny Cupcakes
10. Chocolate Rabbits
11. Chick and Egg Cupcakes (with Peeps)
12. Chocolate Fudge Easter Eggs
13. Making Easter Chocolates
14. Sweet Tooth Bunny Cupcakes
15. Pastel Mints
16. Chocolate Dipped Almond Eggs
17. Mini Cheesecake Easter Baskets
18. Fluffer Bunnies
19. Peeps Chocolate Mousse Dessert
20. Chocolate Eggs

Have fun making your Easter treats, stop back and let me know how the recipes worked out for you!

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I’ve been working on some inspiration for a summer bug party. I stumbled on this really cute idea for wiggly worm and caterpillar treats. They would be fun to make for a summer party, a bug party or a special treat for the kids at a backyard barbecue.

Your kids will have a blast helping you make them, and eating them!

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Summer is just around the corner, I have to say I’m ready! If you’re planning a Summer ice cream party, pool party, or backyard gathering you’ve got to check out these ice cream cake pans.

First up the Nordic Ware Platinum Collection Ice Cream Cone Cupcake Pan:

They’re perfect for making a cone shaped cake to top with either icing or ice cream.

Next up Wilton Dimensions Multi Cavity Ice Cream Cone Pan

This one has the bottom and the top of the “ice cream cone.” You can cut the center out of the cake and put in an ice cream surprise.

Add a sundae bar, and let the kids top their own ice cream cone cakes or ice cream with sprinkles, candies, cherries, or crunched up cookies.

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If you’re planning an Easter party, a spring or garden party you can make these simple treats to share with your party guests.

I’ve also heard them called Robin’s nest treats or cookies. They’re simple to make, and you can put them out for party food, use them as a cupcake topper, or a party favor.

You can double or triple the recipe, depending on how many bird’s nest treats you need to make.

Bird’s Nest Recipe

1 cup white melting chocolate

3-4 cups chow mein noodles

Whoppers Robin’s Eggs, or any egg shaped candy or jelly beans

Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler, or by microwaving 30 seconds at a time until melted. Mix the chow mein noodles into the chocolate and coat completely.

Spoon the mixture out onto wax paper and shape into nests. Add two or three eggs to each nest.

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