Are you getting a little tired of our Michigan weather? Maybe your kids need to burn off some extra energy… I know mine do! Have you ever checked out a Zap Zone in your area? If not you should. My kids LOVE this place and what better time to visit than during these dreary and cold winter days.

Zap Zone is Michigan’s premier spot for laser tag, glo-golf, mini-bowling, arcade action, go-karts, and much, much more! They are located all across Michigan in convenient locations. You can find them in your neck of the woods: Farmington, Canton, Utica, Lansing, Taylor, Brighton, Waterford, Ann arbor!

Whatever the occasion – whether it’s for the kids, families or adults – Zap Zone delivers unsurpassed excitement and the most exhilarating, action packed, heart-stopping unforgettable adventure you’ve ever imagined!

AND DON’T MISS THIS – My readers get to enjoy extra savings! $2 Off any regular priced attraction!!! Attractions vary by store (laser tag, bumper cars, jump zone, cannon blaster, glo-golf, mini-bowling, go-karts, time freak, spin zone, slime bucket). GET YOUR ZAP ZONE COUPON HERE

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It all starts with the invitation. My daughter begged for Yummy Yummy Scented Glitter Gel Pens to make her birthday party invitations. Did you know scented glitter gel pens are essential to the existence of an 8 or 9 year old girl? Well they are. Upon their arrival the colorful array of gel pens led to the idea of a rainbow party. I’d like to say we had the whole house decked out in rainbows (oh, the pressure!), but the reality is that we have had 14 snow days and a couple mornings with school delayed 2 hours and somehow that makes me a lot less efficient in my time management, i.e. decoration making skills. But really, did the whole group of 9 year olds complain, heck no. It was all fun and games (literally) for them. Free printable invitation link below.

How To | The Invitation:

You must, and I mean must, purchase these Yummy, Yummy Scented Glitter Pens by International Arrivals.

In full disclosure I called International Arrivals and begged for them to send me a pack so I could use the pens and pacify my daughter in trade for including a link to their product on my blog. So there you go, that’s how it works.

So back to making the invitations. I designed a gray lettered template for my daughter to trace with the pens and then she did all the little doodles on the front herself. You can download this Free birthday party invitation template. Print the template on an 8.5×11 sheet of paper and then cut in half and fold to create your invitation, then trace with your own pens or markers. Add the needed information like date, time, place on the inside of the card. On the inside of the card we asked the attendees to wear bright rainbow colors!

Click here: Free birthday party invitation template

How To | The Party Games:

1. Ah yes, the old classic, guess how many items are in a container. I must say it was quite funny some guessed 24 or 41. Then two girls guessed within one number of the answer, 139. All the girls were of course thrilled to have scented gel pens to use when writing their answers. They are really fun to write with, I’ve done some notebook style doodling with them myself!

2. The other party game was what I call the Memory Tray game. I played this game with my friends at my 8th birthday party back in the 80’s. Raise your hand if you played this game at your party? To play, place a variety of items on a tray. For example, a penny, a barrette, a rubber band, a birthday candy and so on. Have everyone sit in a circle. Bring in the tray and let everyone look at, but not touch, all the items on the tray for 20 secs or so. Then take the tray out of the room. Have everyone write down as many items as they can remember. Try it, it’s tricky and fun.

3. Sticker on the bottom of the plate. ‘Nuff said, right? You have a sticker on your plate bottom you are the winner.

How To | Food:

I kept the food simple. I picked the girls up from school and knew they would be hungry upon arrival. So I had all the food prepared.

1. Hotdogs in a crock pot so they would stay warmed.
2. This amazing looking rainbow fruit salad shown above. I mean yum! Easy and healthy.
3. Rainbow colors of finger Jell-O.
4. Rainbow Goldfish crackers.
5. Chips
6. For dessert, confetti cupcakes.

How To | Decorations:

I also kept the decorating simple and my daughter did almost all of it the day before (of course it was a snow day). We used a piece of twine, cut to desired length, and hung long pieces of alternating colors of crepe paper from the twine and taped them in place. We used the rainbow crepe paper decor as a backdrop and I took a picture of each of the girls with the birthday girl to place in a scrapbook later. My daughter also hung some coordinating balloons and made some white paper clouds with rainbow streamers hanging down. It was really pretty and simple and don’t forget cheap.

After the party I was thanked profusely by my sweetheart daughter. She didn’t want her party to end! I was just happy she loved it, because that is what really matters to me.

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

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OMG, right? Aren’t these the cutest edible bunny treats? At my house we were so glad that the Twinkie made “The sweetest comeback in the history of ever.” But to be fair, we only have Twinkies on really special occasions. When I saw the Wilton Bunny Ears Decorating Kit I kept it in the back of my mind in case it was a perfect fit for some upcoming birthday treat. When my daughter mentioned wanting to take Twinkies for her treat, as you all know she loves bunnies, mixing the bunny ears with the Twinkies was the perfect marriage of sweet goodness!

Ingredients:

• Twinkies
• Wilton Bunny Ears Decorating Kit (sold at Meijer and Jo-Anns)
• Edible Easter Grass (sold at Meijer)
• Mini Loaf Paper Wrappers (look like cupcake wrappers, only longer)
• Kitchen Shears
• Frosting

Recipe:

1. Use a kitchen scissors to cut edible grass and sprinkle it in the bottom of the wrapper.
2. Lay Twinkie on top of edible grass.
3. Add Wilton ears, eyes and noses to Twinkies by gently pushing them into the “face” of the Twinkie.
4. Add a dab of frosting the tail area of the Twinkie.
5. Smile, eat and enjoy!

The post Recipe | Twinkie Bunny Treat appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

St. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and we are still busy making Valentines at our house. My daughter and I came up with these cute mustache straw Valentines for her to give out to her classmates. This is a great craft for Second and Third graders to make on their own! Read on to get this FREE printable to use to make your own mustache straw Valentines!

Supplies:

• Stache Straws by GamaGo – link below
• Washi Tape by Darice
• Yummy, Yummy Scented Glitter Pens by International Arrivals – link below
• Paper Punch
• Decorative Edged Scissors

How To:

1. Print out the free printable Valentine Printable – I Mustache You.
2. Cut out Valentine Card pieces.
3. Add washi tape to the around edges on the front and back of the Valentine Card piece. (Tape will be stuck back to back with the edge of the paper in between.)
4. Cut edges of washi tape with decorative edge scissors.
5. Paper punch a hole in the top center and bottom center of the card.
6. Use Yummy, Yummy Scented Glitter Pen in silver (watermelon) to add names and sign your Valentine card.
7. Slide Valentine Card onto straw.

Free Download: Valentine Printable – I Mustache You

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

The post How To | Valentine Mustache Straws appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

My son is double-dipping on his birthday treats this year! His birthday fell on the first day of school this Fall, but at the end of last school year you might remember that I posted about making worm brownies for him to take to school for summer birthdays! He is still in love with space (and brownies) and we came up with these fun Solar System Brownies that are created easily by adding a few toppings.If you want to make your brownies from scratch, you can follow my recipe for this delicious homemade brownie at this post: Peep Bunny Brownies. These brownies are chewy and gooey and oh so good. You can double the batch or use a smaller pan to make them thicker.

How To Add the Solar System:

• Buy some star-shaped sprinkles for the stars. Sprinkle them on top of the brownies when the brownies are about 3/4 of the way finished baking. It will help them stay on the brownies if they are added when the batter is still a little gooey and they can melt a bit and stick onto the brownie.
• To create the sun, we bought yellow gumballs from Party City, you can buy bags of all one gumball color there. When the brownies are cooled and cut push the Sun gumball into the brownie.
• If sending to school you might want to make sure it is okay to have gum in the classroom!

The post Recipe | Solar System Brownie Treats appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

Remember the book How to Eat Fried Worms? I remember reading this book in grade school and it made a big impression on me. The thought of eating a worm was really icky, even if it was fried and covered in ketchup. This summer my kids and I are going to read that book (YOUR kids would love the book too!!) and since this is our first official week of summer we are kicking it off with this wormy treat.

This treat is a great birthday treat for boys to take to school also. It was really easy and cheap to make and every kid loves to have a piece of candy on top of their dessert!

You can read my recipe for this delicious homemade brownie at this post: Peep Bunny Brownies. These brownies are chewy and gooey and oh so good. You can double the batch to make them thicker or use a smaller pan.

How To Add the Worms:

• After the brownies are baked and cooled and cut, use a clean scissors and cut the gummy worms in half. Use the back round end of a wooden spoon to make two deep indents in the brownie (or wash your hands and use your pinky finger to poke the indents). Then stick a worm piece in each indent, now the worm looks like it is crawling through dirt.

If you want to check out the book you can use the link below to see it on Amazon.

This is my affiliate link and I may receive compensation from Amazon.

The post Recipe | How To Eat Fried Worms Brownie appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

Wow, it’s the end of the school year already! I always like to get the kids involved in making a small gift for their teacher at the end of the year. This paper-mache cupcake was a fun way for them to make a craft for their teacher that also doubled as a gift box.

The box is really simple to paint and after it was all painted and decorated we tucked a little gift inside accompanied by a handmade thank you card.

Supplies:

• Cupcake (by Darice)
• Acrylic Paints
• Glitter
• Red pom-pom ball (Darice)
• School or Craft Glue
• Paintbrush
• Paper Plate
• Cello Bag
• Tiny Tag
• Tissue Paper
• Piece of Ribbon

How To:

1. Squeeze a small amount of assorted paint colors onto a paper plate.
2. Use your paint brush to paint different colors onto your cupcake. Let dry between each color.
3. To add glitter, use glue to make dots or pattern and then sprinkle glitter over glue spots. Let dry.
4. Glue on pom-pom ball for a cherry.
5. When cupcake is finished write child’s name and year on the bottom.
6. Line the box with tissue paper and place a small gift or treat inside the cupcake box.
7. Wrap in cello bag and tie closed with ribbon. Add a small tag with a handwritten greeting or note!

The post How To | Cupcake Gift Box appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

Okay, I know I am getting carried away with this Angry Bird stuff. But these are actually from Valentine’s Day. Remember those warm fuzzy friend Valentines my daughter made? Well, my son wanted nothing to do with them and instead came up with these Angry Bird pom-pom ball friends himself. They are quite easy to make and boys get a kick out of tossing them around!

He literally had it all planned out in his head how he was going to use the pipe cleaners to make the beaks, eyebrows and tails. The only problem was he couldn’t actually cut the pipe cleaners without my help. So we worked together to create these pom-pom ball Angry Birds that sit on top of three Cadbury mini-eggs that are nestled instead mini-cupcake liners.

The finished treats were wrapped in a small cello bag and closed with a twist tie and a note was attached. The attached note read, “Love is for the birds.” They were a big hit.

I think these could be great for a birthday treat, Easter treat, spring party treat. It would also be a fun activity for kids to make at a birthday party!

Supplies:

• 1.5″ Pom-pom Balls
• Googly Eyes
• Black Pipe Cleaners
• Yellow Pipe Cleaners
• Craft Glue
• Wire Cutter
• Mini-Cupcake Liners
• Cadbury Mini-eggs
• Cello Bag and Twist Ties
• Cute note to attach

How To:

1. Use a wire cutter and cut the black pipe cleaner into 3/4″ to 1″ long pieces. Bend the cut piece in the center to form a V shape. These will be the eyebrows and can also be used as the tails.
2. Use a wire cutter and cut the yellow pipe cleaner into assorted lengths, these will be the beaks. As my son informed me, some birds, like the green bird have long beaks and some have short beaks. Most beaks can be cut to measure 1″ in length, then fold the cut length of pipe cleaner in half so the end is rounded.
3. Use craft glue to glue on the beaks first, then glue on the eyes and next the eyebrows. Let dry.
4. Next glue on the tails. Let dry.
5. Place 3 candy eggs inside the mini-cupcake liners. Sit the finished birds on top.
6. Wrap each bird in a cello bag and twist tie closed.
7. Add a cute note that can be attached with the twist tie.

The post How To | Angry Bird Craft and Treat appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

This is the treat my daughter took to school to hand out on her birthday. Homemade brownies layered on top of edible Easter grass and topped off with a bunny Peep on a toothpick. We put each one in a cello bag and tied them with a ribbon. A cute treat, don’t you think?

After photographing this I started to think how perfect this could be for an Easter dessert, a bunny themed birthday party, a baby shower (you could change the color of the bunny to be blue for a boy!), and any sort of spring celebration. And who doesn’t love a good chocolate brownie?

These homemade brownies are ooey gooey delicious. If you want a good from scratch recipe I am here to share. It is actually right off of the Nestle Toll House Cocoa powder label. My bestie from college made these once when we were visiting and it was love at first bite!

Nestle Toll House Chewy Cocoa Brownies –

Ingredients:

• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter melted
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (I actually substitute wheat flour and it works fine)
• 3/4 cup baking cocoa
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 13×9 baking pan. (I like to use a pan that is smaller to make the brownies thicker and more gooey!)

Combine sugar, butter, and water in large bowl. Stir in eggs and vanilla extract. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in medium bowl; stir into sugar mixture. Stir in nuts. Spread into prepared baking pan.

Bake for 18 to 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out slightly sticky. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

The post Recipe | Peep Bunny Brownies appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

I posted a picture of this cake to my personal Facebook page asking my friends what character this cake was. One person responded Mr. Magoo! Either this friend doesn’t have knowledge of Star Wars Angry Birds or my cake decorating skills are worse than I thought! I hope it is the former We recently got Star Wars IV, V and VI. While watching the movie my kids were making comments like, “That guy in black looks just like that bad black piggy.” Yup, that is Darth Vader and he doesn’t look like the piggy, the piggy looks like him. My husband and I have been having lots of laughs over all their movie comments.

My daughter loved the cake and so did my boys. Who doesn’t love a cake that combines donuts, candy and cake? Mmmmm, am I right?

This cake was really easy to make, follow along below to make your own Angry Birds Princess Leia cake.

Supplies:

• Cake Mix
• White Frosting
• Pink Frosting (I bought Whipped Strawberry)
• Chocolate Frosting
• 2 Blue Cadburry Mini Eggs (for eyes)
• 1 Yellow Cadburry Mini Egg (for beak)
• 2 Swirly Donuts
• Oven Safe Deep Small/Medium Size Glass Bowl
• Cupcake Tin and Liners
• Toothpicks

How To:

1. Mix the cake mix according to the directions on the box. Grease your bowl and pour in the cake batter. (I had extra batter leftover for a couple cupcakes.) Bake your cake at the temperature listed on the box. Baking times will vary because of the thickness of the cake. Use a toothpick to test the cake and see if it is baked all the way through.
2. When the cake has cooled, cut off the top of the cake (that part that is already more flat) to make it lay perfectly flat. Lay the cake on a plate with the rounded part up. This is Princess Leia’s body.
3. Frost the back of the cake with chocolate frosting.
4. Frost the front with pink frosting.
5. Add globs of white frosting for the eyes and patch under the nose.
6. Add the eyebrows and eyelashes using brown frosting. I used a toothpick to spread it carefully into place.
7. Add the blue Cadburry mini eggs for the eyes.
8. Add the yellow Dadburry mini egg for the beak. (I had to support the beak by hiding a toothpick underneath the egg.)
9. Add the donuts to each side of Princess Leia’s head.
10. You can see Angry Birds Princess Leia here.

The post How To | Princess Leia Star Wars Angry Bird Cake appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.