Let them eat cake!

So Christmas is just a couple of days away and I couldn't be more excited! I love the holidays. All the beautiful decorations,the time spent with family,the baking and of course all the shopping! I'm glad to say that all my shopping is done and all the presents are wrapped. With a baby on the way,the shopping had to be kept to a minimum this year. But I still did not want to forget about my co-workers,neighbors,and extended family. So I  thought, why not Bake them a present? As much as I enjoy making everything from scratch  we all now how hectic the holidays can be. I decided to try some "doctored cake mix" recipes. There are so many yummy recipes out there!
So of course I posted my favorite ones to my Pinterest board. If you haven't checked out Pinterest, you don't know what you're missing out on. It is literally a virtual pinboard for all your ideas! WARNING: IT IS VERY ADDICTING! But so much fun! It is by invite only but if you wish to join leave me your email address and I will be more than happy to send you an invitation. And don't forget to follow me here once you're there!
So back to the subject at hand. I found this delicious looking recipe from Cake Mix Doctor for Chocolate Pound Cake with Peppermint Drizzle using yellow cake mix. It can also be made to be Gluten-Free!So perfect for the holidays!

Another one of my favorites is this Fresh Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting using yellow cake mix and fresh strawberries also from Cake Mix Doctor. So pretty! 

Doesn't this Red Velvet Cake make you want to lick the screen? Ok,maybe just me. It's made using white cake mix. Im not a huge fan of Red Velvet but the Hubby is so I will definitely have to try this one. That glaze looks delicious!
I didn't forget about my fellow chocaholics!! This recipe for "Too much chocolate cake" is super simple. Not that there's such a thing as too much chocolate cake right?

ENJOY!!

P.S I tried out the peppermint chocolate cake and it was delicious!! It definitely was a hit at our Christmas Party. I baked it in the cutest mini bundt pans! I Will definitely make this again!

Hi! Remember me?

Oh, how I've missed you all! It's been way too long since my last post. Please forgive me. I love blogging and being able to share with you crafts and ideas but sometimes life gets in the way. My father passed away this summer and well that was not easy to recover from. I now understand that as hard as it may be life has to continue for the ones still here. But it hasnt all been bad news around here.
I am happy to announce that I am expecting my second child. A beautiful baby girl due in May. I couldnt be happier. As happy and excited as I am it has not been easy. The first months were filled with morning sickness,and extreme fatigue!!! I was not prepared for that.
But,Im back! My energy is back. The morning sickness is long gone and I can't wait to get back to doing what I love most. Creating.

Gotta Catch 'Em All!!

In only 2 days my little boy will be celebrating his 9th bday! Yikes,time sure does fly. As much as it makes me just a little sad that he's growing up so fast, his birthdays are something we look forward to every year. Planning his birthday party is always so much fun.
This year he settled on a Pokemon:Black and White inspired theme. Boy,did I have my work cut out for me. Blog Land is filled with so much inspiration and fun ideas to make a bday party extra special. Unfortunately I wasn't able to find very many ideas for a pokemon inspired bday party. Luckily for you that means Tutorial Time!!!!
I will be sharing some of the cool details of Prince Charmings bday party next week after the party,so stay tuned.
 I definitely did not want store bought invitations. I was looking for something that would set the tone for the party. So (with my sonshines help) we set out to create these super cool (and super easy) Pokeball invites.

 Minimal Supplies required. Awesome right?
Ok,you will need card stock paper in 3 different colors. Red,black and white. You can make about 3 invitation out of these 3 papers. A large circle to trace. Like a lid or the top of a large slurpee cup. We don't get to fancy around here. Whatever you have on hand will work. Small brads. Those can be found at Michael's and will run you about $3. Glue stick. On sale Everywhere right now. Scissor,duh.
Ok so trace your circle on to each of the papers and cut each of them out. The size can vary depending on how big you want the invitation to be.

Now take the red circle and fold it in half like so.

Cut the circle down the middle. You will end up with two half circles.

So now you take the white circle and place it on top of the black circle. Take one of the brads and pin it in the center on the left side. Like this.

Now take the glue stick to the red paper and glue it on the bottom half of the white circle. (I realize in my picture it looks like it's on the left hand side but blogger is not cooperating with me right now and won't post my picture correctly. So just tilt you head to the right and just pretend ok)

Now take the black paper and make a long black strip as long as the pokeball and about 1/2" wide. Glue the strip onto the pokeball so that it's on the red and white paper.

Now you need to cut a black circle and a smaller white circle.

I used the bottom of an aspirin bottle for the white circle and the bottom of a large vitamin bottle for the black circle. Again guys,no need to get fancy. Party's are expensive enough. Just use your best judgement as far as size and you can use whatever you have laying around the house.

Now glue the black circle to the center of the pokeball and after that glue the white circle on top of the black circle.

Ta-Da!! Looks good right! You can write the party info on the inside of the pokeball by either typing the info and cutting a smaller circle to fit inside the black circle,or you can use a gel pen since the inside of the invite is black.

I chose not to use white paper for the back of the invite because I figured it would waste paper that way but again that is up to you.

Prince Charming and his friends were totally impressed to receive such a cool invite and it made them that much more excited for the party.

Stay tuned for more pokemon party ideas and inspiration!

Wow! What  a busy time it's been for Princess Plays-Alot! These past few weeks I have been working on some new designs like the new Rockabilly Inspired tutus and some cute M2MG tutus.

I've had the wonderful opportunity to work with some very talented women! Amanda O'Neill from Rock N Royalty Photography is an amazing and artistic photographer. Her photography is quite unique and couldn't be happier with how she showcased my products in her photos. If you are in Iowa you definitely have to check her out!

Tania Do from OC Baby Photos has been another photographer that  I've had the pleasure to work with. She specializes in children's photography. And it definitely shows! She shot my M2MG (made to match gymboree) inspired tutus and a beautiful tutu dress inspired by the sea. Perfect for the never ending summer weather here in Cali! What i loved the most about Tania's photography was how she was able to capture each individual child's personality. The beautiful models ranged in age AND personality. Their individuality definitely shines through in each photo she shot.

Thank you ladies for such an amazing experience. It brings me such joy to see my products come to life thru your work!                        

Ready for some more GrEaT news?? Both OC Baby Photos and Rock N Royalty are hosting giveaways!!

 OC Baby photos is giving away a photography package valued at over $400.00! Princess Plays-Alot is also participating in this giveaway. The winner will receive a customized Princess Plays-Alot tutu set (for the girls)  and a set of 3 onesies with applique ties (for the boys)      To enter visit OC Baby Photos for more info.

Rock N Royalty is giving away a smash cake session for your baby's 1st birthday.There are several other vendors participating in this giveaway as well. Make sure to check out her page for more info!

And I Quote.....

So this weekend I decided I wanted to redecorate my bedroom,yet again. I love the look of photo collage walls but wanted to incorporate some framed quotes amongst all my pictures.

I was amazed at all the wonderful stuff I found that I wanted to share with you some of my favorites. All of these are printable. And the best part,they're Free!!!
I Am Momma shares some great advice with this printable.
                                                    BEGIN IT!!!

This one makes me smile :D

                                                     True Story.

Never stop dreaming.

Note to self.

I'm excited to get started on my wall. Check back tomorrow to see what you can do with all these lovelies!

Lets get ready to party!!

So Prince Charmin's birthday is right around the corner. My boy is going to be turning 9yrs old. Yikes!! Where does the time go? I love love love birthdays. Especially my sons birthday because aside from it being a celebration of his life, it also gives me an opportunity to plan a party! Party planning is such a fun creative outlet for me. Even tho Prince Charming has already picked the theme for his party (Pokemon:Black & White) I love to look around in search of great party themes and ideas to use as inspiration. So today I will be sharing some fun party ideas and resources to help plan your next party.
Catch My Party is a great place to find inspiration. It has great parties shared by their readers. Like this Old School Hip Hop Party. Very unique!

Check out that boom box cake. Almost as cute as the birthday boy!

They also have some useful diy ideas along with tutorials. It's a great way to keep the cost down when throwing a party.
Check out this great idea on how to make Lightsaber napkin wraps and R2D2 cups for your Star Wars themed birthday.

Hostess With The Mostess showcases some beautiful and elegant birthday parties,baby showers,weddings and anything in between.
                                      {Old fashion ice cream bday party}

  {Cupcakes & Tea for the Momma to be}

I cant wait to start with all the party planning!! And of course stay tuned. I'll be sharing my own ideas and details for a fun filled party!

Reading Roundup

Any one that knows me, knows just how much I love summer. Beach days,cool lemonade,ice cream, and those long warm nights. Not to mention,Freedom!!! Ok,not so much anymore now that my school days are over. I think part of the reason I still love summer so much is the nostalgia that comes with it. Remembering the long gone days of summer vacation. Sleeping in,morning cartoons,pool parties,camping trips and playing until the sun went down. Summer time and the livings easy.
So here's the dilemma I have been having. I have an 8 (soon to be 9) year old boy who LIVES for video games. During the school year Dad and I limit the amount of time he spends playing on a school day. But since it's summer I haven't been to strict on the amount of time he spends playing. Or watching t.v. I figure this is the only time of year he gets to do that. But regardless of that fact i can't help but feel a little guilty. I have considered having him read on a daily basis even if its just for a couple of minutes. Especially since back to school is just around the corner. When I shared this with him he exclaimed "Its summer. I'm supposed to do nothing!" Let's face it. Isn't that what we loved about summer?
So in an effort to make my plan a little more appealing to Prince Charming I am going to incorporate some fun into it,maybe a bribe reward or two.
Any of you having this dilemma as well? Well, let me share some great printables I found to get your kids back in to the swing of things before the new school year begins.
              Help your child go far with this inspiring Dr.Seuss wall art courtesy of The Scrap Shoppe Blog.

        How about starting a book exchange between your child and his friends?Beth Proudfoot shares some totally cute book labels.

Keep track of your child's reading progress with this great reading log. Thanks Rebecca Cooper!

Here's another cute set of book labels from Creative Mamma!

Do you have any ideas to encourage your child to read? Feel free to leave a comment and stay posted for an update!                                       

Loving It Monday: Back to School Edition

Happy Monday Everyone!! I am happy to announce that my arch nemesis  Monday and I have finally come to a truce (for today anyways) and today aint have half bad. I want to share with you some awesome ideas I'm loving (because lets face it,it's hard to find stuff you love on Mondays) for some more back to school projects to get those kids back to school and out of your hair and back to learning.  
 Craft Chi has a great tutorial on how to make this pretty pencil case out of a mailing tube.

Help your child stay focused during study time with this Study Station idea from good ol Martha Stewart.               

                                                                

 Make mornings less hectic with this subway art

 Morning To Do List.

And how about this super cute sticky note holder to match your decoupaged clip board.

                                                                                                                      

{Tutorial Time} Back to School Cool!!

So with back to school just around the corner i thought it would be great to show you a wonderful little back to school project to get your princess ready.

This project is easy and quick to make and requires only minimal supplies.

You will need:
Mod Podge (found at either Michael's or Walmart at around $5)
Craft Paint or Spray paint in color of your choice
 (also found at either Michael's or Walmart. Craft paint $1,Spray paint around $3)
Pretty paper in design of your choice (Michael's has a great selection ranging from .25 to $3)
Foam brushes (Found at Michael's or Dollar tree)
Clipboard (Found at jsut about any store near you)
Anything Shiny,pretty or sparkly that you can decorate with. Ex: Rhinestones,flowers,stickers.  (Yup.you guessed it,Michael's)
Hot Glue gun and glue sticks (not pictured)
Old credit card or rewards card (not pictured)
Emery board (also not pictured but please give me a break. I'm new at this.)
Also heres a little tip.Most sunday newspapers will carry a Michael's Ad with a 40% off coupon. Or you can go to the Michael's website too see their weekly ad and print coupons from there.

Ok,lets get started!

Start by applying a couple of coats of your craft paint on your clip board. Any color will do. I chose to make this extra pink & girlie. You can also choose to use spray paint. In this case i chose to use craft paint because well it was on sale for .49 and if there's one thing you"ll learn about me is i love me a sale. I applied it on the silver handle what-do-you call it  as well. ( Look at me getting technical with my terms ) but you may choose not to do so. Also make sure to paint all the sides. Now that you're done with all the painting,the next step is to pull up your favorite chair,a yummy snack,kick up you're feet and wach the paint dry. This step is very important.Feel free to tell youre husband I said that.
Once the paint is dry take your board and pretty paper and trace the board onto the paper and cut it out.

Once that's all finished it's time to apply the Mod Podge. Let me tell you a little something about me.
I heart Mod Podge! Me+Mod Podge=Forever! Oh ya,it's like that. This stuff rocks. You can use it on just about anything. The technical term for this method is Decoupage. And it is loads of fun. So grab your Mod Podge and apply a thin coat  with your foam brush.Cover the whole  (unpainted) side of your board with it. Take your paper and lay it on the board. Now take your old credit card/rewards card or even a  ruler will work and lightly scrape it on the paper. This helps to keep air bubbles from forming on your paper so it looks nice and smooth. Next, apply another THIN coat of Mod Podge directly to your paper. Like This:

Make sure to use nice even strokes because it will show. It'll be light but it will show. And if you're a perfectionist like me it will bug you and you'll have to start over again. Just saying. This is another important step! Take your favorite lawn chair,a nice cold glass of lemonade and set your board in the sun to dry. Why in the sun you ask? Because i'm  impatient and it'll dry quicker this way. So what if it's cold where i live? Move to California. We have two types of weather here. Sunny and not so sunny. That's why I live here. Feel free to feel jealous. Now that you're board is dry take your nail file and file down all the edges so they're even.
Now  it's time to take out your pretties. And your glue gun. Now glue your pretties to your silver handle however you like. Please be careful! Especially if you are having the kiddos help. Glue guns get really hot. The glue gets really hot. Just remember when you burn yourself it is not your husbands fault. Please don't take it out on him. Not that I do or anything. And really,feel free to go crazy here. Flatback buttons,cabochons,rhinestones,beads. I chose pretty purple rhinestones I scored at The Dollar Tree a while back and a paper flower from Michael's. If you haven't guessed it by now; I practically live at Michael's. And Dollar Tree is my next door neighbor.

{Oooh Pretty}

{The backside}

I chose to put a strip of ribbon on the top so i can add a name with glittery sticker letter. And there you have it my friends. Send your Princess back to school in style.