Flowers in Waffle Cones | Friday Flowers

Thinking about Maria's fourth birthday that's coming up this month and possible decorations. She sure loves flowers and ice cream. I think if she saw these she would be delighted.

// DIY Paper Flower Cone Bouquets
// Flower Potlucks
// Flower in Cones

In the Clear | Party Packaging Etsy Shop

Today I did a little online shopping at In the Clear, an Etsy shop that gets an A+ for cute packaging and disposables at great prices. I'm not planning any parties any time soon but I do have to pack a lunch and a snack for Enzo 5 days a week and a lunch for Maria 2 days a weeks.

I thought that by now the novelty of packing a lunch for Enzo and Maria would have faded, but it hasn't. I like packing their lunch and leaving little notes and making it as cute as possible. Maria gets so excited when she gets to use her lunch box, she always says "today I get to eat a pretty lunch." She is definitely a fan of all things cute. Luckily I have a stash of very cute bento accessories and boxes, some I got as gifts and some I bought in Japan town in San Francisco. I'm excited to use some of the stuff I bought today to use for their school lunches.

I used to never use any of my cute things, my pretty stationary, even my stamps. Now I try to use it up as much as I can. When you have cute things, like washi tape, do you tend to use it or save it for something special?

+ Polka Dot Nut
+ Design Paper Straws
+ Vintage Style Foiled Paper Lined Hot Dog Bags
+ Vintage Style White French Fries Bags
+ Crafty Wooden Utensils
+ Multi and Neon Dots Paper Tape
+ Green Stripe Paper Bag
+ Washi Skyline Tape
+ Gumball Favor Tubes and Corks
+ Baker's Twine

Sugar Cookie Birthday Pops | Easy Party Favors

We were so excited to celebrate Maria's birthday today! Christian and I enjoy throwing parties. We like cooking for a crowd and we definitely enjoy our friends. Parties can be a lot of work, but honestly they don't have to be.

When planning a party there are things I don't prioritize, like piñatas (even though they are awesome) and paid entertainment (also awesome, most of the time). However, I am a huge fan of serving good food and making meaningful party favors. I try to get the kids involved in doing both. As far as food goes they can help plan a menu and even help us cook. As for party favors I try to make something with them that is meaningful to them.

When a guest leaves I like for them to leave with a little something. I have my kids stop what they're doing and hand the party favor to the guest as the guest is leaving and thank them for coming and for their gift. I remind my kids that  the only reason why it's so special to have a birthday party is because our friends took the time to come and help us celebrate. Having the kids thank them for coming and giving them a little treat is a small gesture but a good reminder that even though they are at the center of attention they still need to show gratitude.

For Maria's party she and I made sugar cookie birthday pops. Maria loves sugar cookies and she certainly loves lollipops, so I knew that sugar cookie birthday pops would be a meaningful treat she could give her special guests.

I too love sugar cookies and I am all about glorifying them. I've made them from scratch and turned them into lollipops for a graduation party and I've also made them into stained glass and put them in a snow globe for a Christmas party. As part of the DailyBuzz Food Tastemaker program with Nestlé® Toll House® I was given the opportunity to sample the new Nestlé® Toll House® Birthday Sugar Cookies. There are 24 cookies in a pack with 12 different designs. Maria was so excited about the designs. She carefully chose which cookie went on which lollipop stick and then which ribbon to tie each baggie with.

Sugar Cookies Birthday Pops

1 pack  Nestlé® Toll House® Birthday Sugar Cookies (makes 24)
4-Inch lollipop sticks 
3-Inch-by-4-3/4-Inch Clear Treat Bags
Ribbon for tying

Pre-heat oven to 350*F. Remove the sugar cookies one at a time. Carefully insert a lollipop stick in the middle and place on a cookie sheet. Repeat with each cookie. Separate them out so that there is enough room for the cookies to bake and expand. We baked 10 cookies at a time instead of 12 just to make sure the cookies didn't stick together. Bake for 9-10 minutes until golden brown around the edges. Cool on a wire rack. When the cookie pops are completely cooled you can place them in a treat bag and tie a ribbon around it to make individual cookie pops. Serve them at your next birthday party!

This post is brought to you by Nestle Toll House Birthday Sugar Cookies. Bake some birthday love.