Graduation is right around the corner so I wanted to compile and share some of the best Graduation Treat Ideas out there. So if you are looking to serve up some fun food for your graduate you have come to the right place.

You are probably still in shock you have a child who is graduating – whether it be from Preschool, Kindergarten, Middle school, High School or College. I know personally how shocking each of those can be – even though I am only up to the Middle School with my son this year. To think he is going into High School next year floors me and makes me happy and sad all at the same time.

Where does the time go? I will be a mess when he leaves for college I know that for sure, I may have to be committed – lol. Maybe I should book my room now…Hmmm

Graduating is a BIG accomplishment no matter what age so treat them to something special to show how much it means. I have found 10 Graduation Treat Ideas I love that are perfect to do just that and are also a great addition to any Graduation Party.

Here we go….

Graduation Cap Peanut Butter Cups - This is by far the most popular and it has been done many ways. You can even use a Marshmallow cut in 1/2 and dipped in chocolate for the bottom with a Chocolate Square for the top and of course the tassel can be done to match school colors.

Cheesy Diploma – Ha Ha a “Cheesy” Diploma. What an adorable way to serve up lunch to your graduate. Love this one.

Graduation Cookie Pops – I love these Chocolate Covered Oreos on a stick with the graduation year on them topped with a handmade paper grad cap. You can even rolls them in a combo of sprinkles to match the school colors.

Fortune Cookie Diploma Cookies – How cool are these? I love how you can insert a message inside, now that can be lots of fun at a Graduation Party.

Swiss Roll Diplomas – Does it get any easier than this? Just take a Swiss Roll and tie some ribbon around it. Boy do I love myself a Swiss Roll – yum yum yum.

Graduation Pudding Snack - Love this one where they layered the pudding in the school colors and topped it off with a chocolate grad cap – Genius !!

Diploma Sandwich – Create these simply by using thin white bread crust removed and filled and rolled with Tuna, Chicken or Turkey Salad and tie it with a chive. This one is making me very hungry.

Ham & Cheese Diploma Roll Ups – Similar to the Cheese Roll Up, but with some Ham tied with a Chive.

Graduation Cap Cupcakes – Love this variation of the grad cap using mini cupcakes as the bottom instead of a peanut butter cup.

Smartie Diplomas – I love these diplomas made with smarties, so EASY to make and fun to have out at your graduation party. I have seen them used other ways as well such as attached to a pair of cut out paper pants with the sayin “Smarty Pants” on it – that is super cute too.

So there you have 10 great Graduation Treat Ideas to serve your graduate or to have at your Graduation Party.

Happy Graduation to all the Graduates this year !!

Looking for some cupcake ideas to go along with your Disney Brave Party? If so you can stop looking because you just found a great one right here. Best part is I am going to show you how to create these Disney Brave Cupcakes step by step and it is not hard at all.

Last week when I was posting about the Disney Brave Party Supplies I started thinking about some cupcake ideas to go along with this party theme. Being Merida the main character in the movie is an archer I knew it had to include some arrows and a bullseye target.

Once I had the idea in my head I had to think how to make it easy to do so that anyone can pull it off and I think I did that. These turned out to not be hard to create at all and trust me when I say anyone can do it. Maybe my idea will even give you some inspiration and you can change it up.

Either way I think they came out pretty cool and I am excited to share with you how it is done. Oh and the cupcake wrappers I made are FREE for printing – BONUS !!

Here is what I used to create these Disney Brave Cupcakes:

For the Cupcakes:

• I used Devil’s Food Cupcakes – any flavor would work
• Vanilla Frosting
• Green Food Coloring Gel
• Wilton’s Multi Opening Tip #233 to create Grass
• Wilton Decorating Bag
• FREE Printable Disney Brave Cupcake Wrappers (best if printed on Photo Paper)
• Tape

For the Bullseye Cookies:

• 3/4 Cup Butter (Softened)
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 1 1/2 Cups Flour
• 1 Tsp. Vanilla
• 2 1/2″ Round Cookie Cutter

Blend together Butter and Sugar. Then add in Vanilla. Slowly mix in Flour until mixture forms a crumbly ball that holds together when you knead it.

• 1/2 Cup Confectioners Sugar
• 2 Tbsp Milk
• 1 tsp Clear Vanilla Extract
• Food Coloring Gel in Black, Blue & Red
• Paint Brush

For the Arrows:

• Round Toothpicks
• White Paper
• Glue Stick
• X-Acto Knife
• Black Gum Drops

To create your cupcakes simply bake them of course and let them cool.

Next color your frosting green for the grass., then fill your Decorating bag with your frosting and have your grass tip on. Then frost your cupcakes creating the look of grass on top – easy right?

Once that is done you can let it set up a bit and then take your FREE Printable Disney Brave Cupcake Wrapper and wrap it around your cupcake securing it with tape.

So far so easy – now set them aside and lets work on the Bullseye Cookies…

First let me say there are many ways you can create Bullseye Cookies, but I chose a way that was simple and easy to do to make it easy for anyone.

Roll out your Cookie Dough and cut your cookies using the 2 1/2″ Cookie Cutter. Bake your cookies at 350 for about 10 minutes or until lightly brown and let cool.

For the white icing I mixed together Confectioners Sugar, Milk and Clear Vanilla. I iced the tops of my cookies and let them set until that hardened.

Once the icing was set I painted on my Bullseye using a paint brush and Food Coloring Gels in Black, Blue and Red mixed with a tiny bit of water. Then I let them sit and dry awhile.

Now lets create the Arrows….

For the Arrows I used plain copy paper and cut with my X-Acto Knife, as shown in the photos above, the feathers for the end.

Then I just rolled the end of my toothpick on a Glue Stick and stuck my feathers to it, easy enough right?

Next I cut up a Black Gumdrop to create a triangle for the tip of the arrow and just stuck the toothpick end into it and an Arrow was born.

I made 2 Arrows for each of my cupcakes.

Now it was time for the Assembly…

Assembly is my favorite part !!

For the Bullseye Cookie I stuck a toothpick in it so it would stand up when I placed it in the cupcake.

Then I pushed the toothpick throw the arrow tip a tiny bit and stuck one on the cupcake and one in the Bullseye Cookie, not to suggest Merida would miss her target, but it looked cool.

That is it !!! Told ya it was EASY.

and there you have it – Disney Brave Cupcakes !! Perfect for your Disney Brave Party and the kids will think so too.

I want to thank my step sister Elissa for helping me with the frosting of the cupcakes. She was here visiting me when I made these and was a great help when it came to that.

If you create these cupcakes send me a picture – I would love to see them !!

Check out the Disney Brave Party Supplies

I love Spring and seeing all the flowers growing, so in honor of that I created these adorable Flower Pot Cupcakes.  Not only are they EASY to make, they are also entirely edible and I am going to show you how you can make them too.

I made these on Mother’s Day just playing around and having some fun getting creative in the kitchen with my step sister who was here visiting me. I had seen this idea in a magazine years ago and always wanted to give it a try. So I guess you can say I gave myself some flowers – lol.

What I loved about this idea the best is that the flower pot is created using Fruit Rolls – there is no wrapper on the cupcake – so between the cupcake, candy flowers and pretzel stems everything is completely edible. Is that cool or what? I think it is very cool.

Now let me show you step by step how EASY these are to create

This is what I used to make these Flower Pot Cupcakes:

• Cupcakes of course – I used Devils Food Cupcakes, but Chocolate will work too
• Pretzel Sticks
• Fruit Gems
• Fruit Roll Ups (Fruit by the Foot)

This is all that is needed to create these delicious treats !!

First bake your cupcakes and let them cool.

Next unroll a Fruit Roll Up. I used Cherry Fruit Roll Ups. Mine happen to have designs cut into them which I would have preferred them not too, but in the end it added a cool effect so it was all good.

Next I simply measured how long to cut it by wrapping it around my cupcake. Them I cut 2 strips for each cupcake – easy enough right?

Then I wrapped the bottom part of my cupcake and I put some water on the roll up on the back so they would stick together.

Then I took the other fruit roll up and wet it down with some water and folded it in half. Then using the same method as above I wrapped it around the edge of the cupcake to form the flower part rim. Pretty cool right?

Now that we have a Flower Pot it is time to create the flowers.

Take some Fruit Gems and cut 2 triangles out of the top – this will create pretty Tulips. To create some leaves – just slice up a green Fruit Gem.

Then to assemble just stick your Tulip onto to the top of a pretzel stick, be sure to not get the super thin ones – I do not think they will hold the weight of the Fruit Gems. Then just attach your leaves to the sides of the stick. They will stick themselves because the Fruit Gems are sticky when cut.

Once your flowers are assembled stick them into your cupcakes and you are done !!!

Aren’t they pretty?

Now I did not frost my cupcakes, but you can if you like. You can frost them with chocolate frosting and even crumble cookie crumbs on top to look like dirt. Mine were super easy and not too messy as is.

and there’s my beautiful daughter getting ready to enjoy some SWEET edible flowers – yum yum yum.

These cupcakes would be great for your next springtime party don’t ya think?

Disney’s Brave Movie is coming to theaters June 22nd 2012 and you know what that means? Disney Brave Birthday Party themes will be requested by your little ones.

Best part is Disney is ahead of the game and there is a line of adorable Disney Brave Party Supplies on the market to help with your planning.

I think little girls of all ages will fall in love with Merida the star of the movie and a very skilled archer who has to prove herself in her kingdom. Another fairy tale story from Disney that will have us all in awe. Personally I am looking forward to this one as well. I think this makes a fun party theme for the kids.

Of course this party theme would not be complete without letting the kids practice their Archery Skills. Have them do that by purchasing Merida’s Archery Set and let each guest test their skills and aim. Award them by handing out prizes or ribbons.

Stay Tuned as I will updating this post with more Disney Brave Party Ideas coming soon !!

Stop by my post to see how you can make these Disney Brave Cupcakes with FREE Printable Cupcake Wrappers

Here is a sweet recipe for those Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Brownie lovers out there. Combining the two makes for one delicious treat and a new favorite for the kids – ok and the adults too.

I made these Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies for our family Easter. I always love to try out new recipes and this one just screamed to be made. My family all seem to have that sweet tooth issue and this recipe when I saw it looked like one that may just do the trick to help. Combining Raw Cookie Dough (no eggs – no worries) and a Sweet Chocolate Brownie – who would have thought?

It turns out that these brownies are a new family favorite, especially for my hubby who went crazy for them. Everyone loved them and said they were delicious. I myself could not try them because I have to stay away from sugar, but I will take everyone’s word for it. They certainly looked yummy to me !! So I am going to show you how to make them step by step – it is pretty darn easy. If you follow me you know I am all about easy.

Here is what you will need to make these Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies:

• 4 ounces Unsweetened Chocolate – Finely Chopped
• 1 Cup of Butter – Melted
• 2 Cups of Light Brown Sugar – Packed
• 4 Large Eggs
• 2 tsp Vanilla
• 1 Cup All Purpose Flour

Cookie Dough Ingredients:

• 3/4 Cup Butter – Room Temperature
• 3/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar – Packed
• 3/4 Cup Sugar
• 3 Tbsp Milk
• 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla
• 1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 1/2 Chocolate Chips

First preheat your oven to 325 degrees

Spray a 9×13 Pan with Cooking Spray – I used a foil pan that was a bit bigger, because my 9×13 pan was MIA.

Next chop up your Unsweetened Chocolate and put it into a microwavable bowl.  Microwave it in short bursts of 30 seconds mixing in between until melted (set aside).

Next in a mixing bowl whisk together Brown Sugar and Butter, then add in Eggs and Vanilla.

Next mix in your melted chocolate. And last add in your Flour mixing just until combined and not over mixing.

Pour all of that into your pan and bake for approx 25-30 minutes or until your toothpick comes out clean.

While your brownies are baking you can prepare your Cookie Dough.

Using your Electric Mixer mix together Butter, Brown Sugar, regular Sugar, Milk and Vanilla.

Then add in your Flour just until combined and then you can mix in your Chocolate Chips.

Once your Brownies are nice and cool, spread your Cookie Dough over the top. Once that is done stick them into the fridge for a bit to set up so your dough hardens to make them easier to cut.

After I cut mine up I put them into Cupcake Liners because these are a little bit messier than your regular Brownies.The adults even ate them with forks – kids well not so much – lol.

So give these Brownies a tray and serve them up at your next event or party and you will thanked !!

Enjoy !!

Exciting news for Disney Shake it Up Fans – You can now find Shake it Up Party Supplies on the market. So if you are planning a Shake it Up Party you are in luck.

The new Disney Shake it Up Party Supplies have a nice selection of goodies from your invitations, plates, stickers, favor bags etc.. One of my favorites is the Disney Shake it up Cardboard Standup featuring Cece and Rocky. It stands 63″ High and it is the perfect photo op at the party. Take a picture of the kids standing next to it and you can even use those pictures as your Thanks Yous.

After the party your Shake it Up fan gets to put it in their room – I love double purpose party supplies!!!

One thing that is a must have for this dancing party is music – so be sure to have the Shake it Up Soundtracks on hand along with some Inflatable Instruments and let the kids dance it up !!

The party guests will also get a kick out of these Microphone Cupcakes that are super easy to make.

So what are you waiting for start planning your Shake it Up Party and get ready to watch the kids sing and dance !!!

I am going to share with you a fun way to kick up your Veggie Tray for your next party by simply creating a fun shaped bread in the middle to hold your dip. This past Easter I created my very first Bunny Bread and it was so EASY and came out adorable.

I wish I can take credit for this idea, but I cannot. I had seen it on the Taste of Home website and the moment I did I knew I had to give it a try. So that is what I did and it was a BIG hit at our family Easter.

BUT the best part about this idea is that you can do it anytime of year and your bread does not need to be in the shape of a Bunny – you can shape it into anything you want. Having the bread in the middle of your veggies is a unique way to hold your dip, it adds a fun element to the veggies and the bread is an additional yummy treat as well.

I am tellin’ ya – this is beyond EASY to do, trust me !! You do not even have to make the bread from scratch, unless of course you want to (I like the easy way, just sayin’).

Here is what I used to create My Bunny Bread:

• Rhodes Frozen Bread Dough – Mine had 3 loaves, I used 2 1/2 of them
• 1 Egg & Milk for Egg Wash
• 2 Raisins for eyes
• 2 Mini Marshmallows for teeth
• 1 Pink Jelly Bean for nose
• 3 White Coffee Stirrers for Whiskers
• Pink Food Coloring
• Romaine Lettuce
• Variety of Veggies
• Dip for belly – I made a Dill Dip

So the first thing I did was defrost my Bread Dough in the fridge.

Next I sprayed a cookie sheet with some cooking spray.

Then I took my dough and shaped my Bunny as seen in the photo to the left. I used some warm water on the ends of the arms, feet, ears, and bunny cheeks to adhere them to the body. Make sure to have enough room on your cookie sheet to allow for the bread to rise. Using a knife I made indents into the bunny ears.

Next it was time to let the Bunny Bread rise. I covered it lightly with saran wrap and let it sit out for about 2 hours to rise. Oh did he rise – it made me laugh because he got huge and I was worried he might get up and walk at some point – lol.

Next I mixed 1 Egg Yolk & a drop of Milk to create my Egg Wash and I brushed my Bunny Bread with it and into the oven he went to bake until he was golden brown.

My daughter laughed when he came out because she thought he looked like a Teddy Graham. Ok so his ears where not as long as they could have been, but that is because he grew so much and they changed shape a bit, but once I jacked him up with the raisin eyes, pink jelly bean nose, mini marshmallow teeth and whiskers he looked more like a bunny I think. Tip: I used toothpicks to hold in the nose and teeth and I cut the 3 coffee stirrers in half to make 6 whiskers.

I then laid my Bunny Bread on a bed of Romaine Lettuce and I also too some Pink Food Coloring and colored in the middle of his ears for an extra touch. Then I surrounded him with some fresh cut veggies. Just before serving I cut his belly and formed a bowl and added in my Dill Dip and he was ready to serve.

How cute is he?

Everyone enjoyed eating all those veggies for a healthy appetizer before Easter Dinner. That is my niece and daughter finishing up the last of the veggies. Then when it was time for dinner I broke up the remaining Bunny Bread and served it with our dinner and it was soooo good.

So next time you are creating a Veggie Tray for your party – kick it up a notch with a fun shaped bread in the center to hold your dip. You just saw how Easy it is to do – so no excuses !!

Enjoy !!

If you have a child who loves to be your helper in the kitchen then you are not going to want to miss out on this Personalized Chef Apron Giveaway from Tiny Crafts.

I received one of these Aprons from Tiny Crafts for my daughter and she loves it. Best part is I do not have to worry about her getting food all over herself when helping me in the kitchen. I could not tell you how excited she was when it arrived and then she saw the; “Chef Amber”. She has had many aprons over the years, but none of them had her name.

I think when things are personalized they just have that extra cool factor – don’t ya think?  We broke it out for the first time on St. Patrick’s Day as she helped me bake up some delicious “Green” cupcakes.

Tiny Crafts offers a large variety of personalized gifts in addition to the Aprons, they also have things like Chef Hats, Bibs, Tote Bags, Towels, Blankets, Burp Cloths, Baseball Hats, Teddy Bears and much more. All of which can be personalized with colored embroidered lettering of your choice and fun designs you can add on as well.

Now onto the Giveaway Details:

One Lucky Winner will receive a Personalized Apron from Tiny Crafts

It is always FREE and EASY to Enter !!

The Aprons are available in 3 sizes and many colors:

Toddler (age 2-6) 13”x19”
Apron Colors: White, Black, Red, Blue, Hot Pink and Green (limited quantity—check first)

(ages 6-9) 15”x20” and (ages 9 to teen) 16”x24”
Apron Colors:Black, Brown, Hot Pink, Hunter Green, Khaki, Kelly Green, Maroon, Navy (dark close to Black), Orange, Pink, Purple, Red, Royal Blue, Teal (dark dark scrub green), White and Yellow.

Once you chose the Size and Color, Tiny Crafts will work with you on the personalization.

My daughter absolutely loves her Personalized Chef Apron as I am sure any child would. These make great gifts and would be perfect for a Cooking/Baking Party for the kids and sent home as party favors.

Feeling Lucky? If so enter the giveaway and maybe you can win one for someone special.

Good Luck !!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Want a fun way to get the kids to smile in the morning? Serve them up an adorable Bunny Pancake Breakfast. It is so EASY to do and you probably already have ingredients in your house to do it.

I cannot take the credit for this cuteness because my friend Kim was the one who made this breakfast for her little boys. She was kind enough to let me share it with all of you – Thanks Kim !!

All she did was cook up some pancakes, used one for the Bunny Face and cut another one in half for the Bunny’s ears. Then taking items she had on hand she used Strawberry Go-Gurt to create some rosy cheeks and pink ears on the bunny, cut a fresh strawberry in half for the nose, gave it raspberry eyes and used white chocolate chips to make teeth. Is that clever or what?

Not only did her two little boys have a healthy start to the day – they also had a great BIG Smile after seeing these Bunny Pancakes on their plates. It is the little things like this that can brighten a day and get it started off in the right direction. I love it !!

Oh and if you need a little help creating your pancake shapes try using a Pancake Pen – I have one and it is great.

Come on – How cute are they? I bet you are smiling too !!

Take a look at some of these other Bunny Pancakes others have made that I love too:

Bunny Pancakes from Muffin Tin Mom

Bunny Cupcakes from Ziggity Zoom

Bunny Pancakes from Aunt Jemima

Simple Bunny Pancakes from MyLot

So have some fun and create some Bunny Pancakes for your family. The limit is your imagination and who says you can only have Bunny Pancakes for Easter?

And I will leave you with this – A Pancake Bunny !!

You will be truly blown away by this Handmade Angry Birds Birthday Party, I know I was. Everything for this party was handmade and not a single detail was missed.

Even though there are commercial Angry Birds Party Supplies on the market, only a few were used for this party and lots of money was saved in the process.  I cannot take credit for this amazing party, because this one is being shared by one of my creative friends Elieen from Behar Party Designs. She put a lot of time and work into this party for her son and it definitely shows.

There were so many pictures of this party that I did not want to leave any of them out, so I put them into a video for you to see. So sit back and take in all the creativeness – this is beyond cool:

Eileen was kind enough to also share some details of the party with you and here they are in her words:

My son, Brandon, wanted his 7th birthday to be an Angry Birds theme, so it became affectionately known as his “Angry Birdsday Party”!!!  Yes, we got some Angry birds plates and napkins for the party, but I am a party planner and crafter and wanted this to be over the top.

So, here goes:

The Banner – the idea just came to me as I was looking at poster board at The Dollar Tree.  I hand drew the faces for the black, red, yellow and blue angry birds as well as the green pig and created a template for future use.  I also cut out the adornments for each.  The lettering was just done by uploading the Feasts of Flesh font from the internet and using Microsoft Word.  The banner is tied together with black tulle.  A very interesting and unique banner that is one of a kind.

I also wanted Brandon’s name to be special and really wanted to use Nicole’s Angry Birds Face Templates here on the Party Animal Blog site.  So, I got the idea to display them individually on black buckets I found at The Dollar Tree.  Same idea with the font print outs from Word, cut out and glued with a regular craft gluestick (worked perfectly and removal will be easy to use the buckets for another project).  I purchased the large punch ball balloons from Oriental Trading, blew them up and used packing tape to tape the face on.  The surrounding “nest-like” area you see is Spanish moss, also bought at The Dollar Tree.

I created a sort of photo op area with crowns that I jeweled up from Oriental Trading and masks hand-made by me.  I, again, hand drew the faces, using a ready made mask to understand where the eye holes would lie, and cut them out, using a small scalloped punch to cut out the eyes for ease.  They were then hot glued to a craft stick!!!!  The kids went crazy over them!!

The favor bags were easy – face print outs of the red and yellow bird from the internet, cut to size and glued to Dollar Tree bags.  Inside were sling shots, boomerangs, golden eggs with little crazy bird pop up figures  - all gotten from Oriental Trading.  The Angry Birds fruit snacks were from a local Wal-Mart as were the bandaids.

The other special favor I did were the bird houses – another great hit with the kids.  They were bought from Oriental Trading.  I assembled them (hot glued loose parts) and spray painted them red and blue.  Used my 3 inch scalloped circle punch and printed some images from the net and VOILA – Angry Bird Houses!!!

I made another tulle wreath – this time a very colorful wreath with Brandon’s party information in the center.  This was placed next to the “guess the amount of angry bird eggs” game, which were, in fact, colored gumballs.

The punch beverage dispensers as well as the “Angry Bird Food” bowls were adorned with Nicole’s Angry Birds Face Templates, too!!!  I made special tent cards for the food and beverages out of old, small vegetable aluminum cans, wrapped in card stock.  A great idea and eco-friendly!!!

The past time at the party was a big bouncer/slide we rented and named “Blue Bird”s Bounce House Nest”.  The kids LOVED IT!!!

What party is not complete without desserts.  I made King Pig Cake Pops – used my 3 tier stand and made it look like each tier was a crown in it’s own right!!!!  A good friend of out family, Janice Rozycki, made the magnificent cake.  It was the highlight of the party and VERY tasty!!

I hope I have inspired you to have your own, Handmade Angry Birdsday Party!!!

I personally love homemade party supplies and make my own for my kids parties every year. Yes I also combine in some commercial stuff when needed, but making your own if you are able just adds a special touch. I think Eileen did an incredible job and she definitely put in a lot of work, but that is one party that will be a great memory for her son. Hmmm wonder what she will do next year to top that?

If you are interested in any of the items from Eileen’s Angry Birdsday Party you can contact her via her Facebook page – Behar Party Designs.