Thursday, June 5, 2014

Happy Birthday Monster Cookie

Here's a birthday cookie in the shape of a cake. This cookie is large - 4" high. 


If you would like to make a cookie like this one, here's what you do.  You will need a cookie cutter, a small round decorating tip, a coupler, a decorating bag, a good icing recipe and a good sugar cookie recipe.  You can get decorating tips and bags at Michaels, Hobby Lobby and on-line.  For the best look, you need four color icings (three colors plus yellow or orange for the candle flame).

Decorator Bag
 
Decorator Tip #2
 
Coupler
 
Icing Colors
 
 
Here are my recipes for  the icing and sugar cookie. Both work well with this type of cookie.  The cookie is delicious and holds up under the decoration. The icing will harden but is quite edible and delicious as well.
 
Sugar Cookie:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Beat sugar and butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla and beat until thoroughly combined.
In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.  Mix well.
Stir flour mixture into butter, sugar & vanilla mixture and mix.  Use mixer on slow.
Form dough balls, put in plastic container and cool in the refrigerator. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Roll out dough, cut into shapes.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes.
Cool thoroughly and frost.

Sugar Cookie Icing:
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
food color

Stir ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth and glossy.  If icing is thick, add more corn syrup.  Divide into four bowls and add color to each bowl.

Decorate Cookie: Once cookies are cooled off, you can begin to decorate them.  Assemble 4 icing bags, 4 couplers and at least one small round decorator tip size #2 (one tip for each color is best).  See photo above.

Start by outlining cookie with basic color - leave candle section blank - spread icing around evenly inside lines. Next: second color bag, attach clean tip and outline outside and layers of cookie so it looks like a layered cake.  Add scallops. Draw straight lines for candles with this color, leaving room for flames.  Next: third color bag, add dots.  Lastly, fourth color bag: take yellow or orange color and add candle flames (make a dot and then drag out). Let decorated cookie dry overnight or at least for several hours.
 
Put cookie in appropriate-sized cellophane bag (from Michaels); add a ribbon; add a gift tag.  By itself, this cookie is a nice little b-day gift which will be enjoyed, appreciated and remembered!




Happy Birthday Candles

Found these birthday candles in the birthday section at CVS yesterday.  Thought they were worth sharing.  You can find the cutest, most unique birthday-related items in the most ordinary places if you just keep your eyes open!
 
 
 
These birthday candles are magic, they don't extinguish. Clearance shelf at Walgreens for 25 cents.
 
 
These are from the Dollar Store - chandelles!
 
 
Sparkler candles from Target.  These candles would add pizazz to a b-day cake or cupcake!
 
 
These HB candles are available in stores everywhere now. 
 

 
Five Below has a rack of candles on tooth picks with the alphabet, letters A - Z, numbers 0 - 9 and other cute little items for a birthday cake.
 

 
 
These candles came from the grocery store.  What's unique about them is that the flame has the same color as the candle.  I can't wait to try them on my next Happy Birthday cake!
 
 
Glow-in-the-dark candles (found at Walmart). 
 

Happy Birthday Gifts from the Grocery Store

I found the cutest Hot Wheel car series collection today at Tom Thumb.
 


 
For a quick gift, pair a hot wheel car with the matching bag of candy.
 

 
Add a bow or put into a gift bag and you're good to give (for under $10)!
 

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Happy Birthday Treasures in Clearance

Check out the budget birthday items I found today in the clearance section at Michaels. The football helmets are actually tape dispensers -- which would make a unique and practical birthday gift for the football fan -- now under $5.00.
 
 
Below is a birthday balloon bouquet consisting of all the balloons you see in the picture -- now under $5.00.

 
It just might be worth the time to poke through clearance sections for birthday paraphernalia and birthday related items passed over by previous shoppers and now offered at markdown.

 
Happy Birthday treasure hunting!

Monday, June 2, 2014

Birthday Crowns and Badges - Not just for Little Girls Anymore


 
A grouping of birthday accessories: cupcake with a candle, a birthday balloon, a plastic crown and birthday girl I.D is an inexpensive way to honor your birthday girl and is guaranteed to bring a smile to her face whether she is 5 or 105. 
 
Perhaps for a co-worker as a b-day surprise on her desk; or put it all in a gift bag with tissue and bring it to the bar for an after-work birthday drink.  She might initially express embarrassment over the fuss and silliness, but trust me, she will soon be wearing the crown and the I.D. and enjoying the attention focused on her.
 
These items can be used stand alone for a simple gift -- with a birthday card -- or can be added to a table laden with birthday gifts. 
 
All of the above can be obtained at the grocery store or at Target.  Look in the toys, floral and bakery sections of the store.

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Happy Birthday Reinvent Retro Photo



This is a photo of my husband, Greg, when he was 10.  I scanned the photo into my computer, saved the scan as a .jpeg picture and pasted it into a MS Word document.  Then I created a text box over the photo and wrote in red: "Look Who's Turning Fifty-Three!"

I found this Happy Birthday frame at Ross, but if you look around you will probably be able to find a similar one at the usual places: Target, Walmart, Walgreens; online: Personalization Mall has some nice HB picture frames and so does E-bay

Another example:



I love this one from E-bay (I added the photo and verbiage): 


 
Anyway, I printed the photo, put it in this frame, wrapped it up and gave it to him as a birthday gift.  It now enjoys a place of honor on our hall table.

Happy Birthday Personalized T-Shirt

A wonderful Happy Birthday gift idea is the personalized t-shirt.  There are two methods to create a personalized Happy Birthday t-shirt: make it yourself or buy it on line. 
To make it yourself, you need to buy a t-shirt and go to a craft store -- like Michaels -- and buy some iron-on letters, images and voila, you have a personalized t-shirt. 

Better Choice: I recently discovered this a great website where for $16.95 you can design your own HB t-shirt.  It's so simple and the result is professional.  Your design can be anything, but for the purposes of my Everything Happy Birthday Blog, I designed this t-shirt:
Check out this website.  I think you'll love it:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY T-SHIRT PERSONALIZATION MALL


Have fun!