Creative Oscars Party Ideas + Film Reel Cupcakes

I am a member of the World Market Trendsetter Tribe.  This Oscars Party is brought to you by World Market as part of their Movie Lovers Sweepstakes. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.  #MovieLoversSweeps

Don't you just love watching the Academy Awards?  Whether you watch it to critique the fashion and style on the red carpet, to catch a glimpse of your favorite actor or actress, or to see if your favorite movie wins, there is something for everyone!

I've been busy creating some great ways for you to enjoy the Oscars this year with family and/or friends by throwing an Oscars viewing party!  I'll be sharing tons of fun food, drink, invitation, ballot, and decorating ideas for you party to be amazing and worthy of the red carpet!

To get ready for my Oscar party, I went shopping where I always go to prep for a party- World Market!  World Market so many great dishes and party essentials that are perfect for entertaining, as well as lots of gourmet food and drinks from around the world.  

The first thing you need when prepping for an Oscars viewing party are invitations.  I created these free printable Oscar party invitations for you to download, print, and pass out to your party guests!  

I created them to look like tickets, and in this post I show you how to make a glittery gold envelope to put them in.

Once the invitations are passed out, it's time to go shopping for food and some party dishes!  I wanted this party to look great, but be easy to put together. 

One of my favorite finds at World Market was this retro popcorn maker, which looks amazing, and is just perfect for the Academy Awards since the movies and popcorn go hand in hand.  

World Market also sells some cute paper popcorn boxes that perfectly match the popcorn maker…. gotta' love that! 

I wanted to serve cupcakes to match the theme, so I decided to go with some gold film reel cupcakes made from licorice wheels.   

The wheels look like film reels, especially when you unroll the end just a bit.  I originally saw the idea here, but I swithced them up a bit.  Here's how I made them: 

Gold Film Reel Cupcakes:

Supplies:

• EDIBLE gold spray paint (from the craft store)
• Store bought or home-made cupcakes
• Licorice wheels (from World Market) 

To give the edible film reels some sparkle and shine, spray them with edible gold paint.  Spray the wheels and top of the cupcakes with the gold paint just like you would with regular spray paint.  You might need a couple coats of paint on the licorice wheels.

Place one "film reel" on the top of each cupcake.  I just love the way they turned out!!

Another fun treat to serve are these tuxedo chocolate covered almonds.  They are so impressive to serve, but I promise they aren't as hard as they look to make!  

Simply start with some World Market chocolate covered almonds, and follow the directions in my tutorial to make the cutest little almonds, all dressed up in a suit and tie.  You're basically just painting on a white triangle for the shirt, a tiny black bow tie, and a couple little dots for buttons with chocolate bark or melts and a toothpick.

I found these small tuxedo boxes that were perfect for holding treats for guests!

While watching the Oscars you have to have a little bubbly, so I picked up some of my favorite orange mango passion fruit Italian soda and mixed it with ginger ale for a delicious drink that looked amazing in the Madison champagne flutes.  These glasses look amazing, and would you believe that they only cost $1.99 each?  You can bet that I stocked up!

To decorate make my food table, I spray painted some regular tickets from the party store (originally green) a pretty gold color, and attached them to the front of my cake plate and serving platters with tape.  I also used some metallic gold shreds on a platter to hold the drinks.  Both of these decorations added a lot to the table without taking a lot of time and effort or costing a lot of money.

When your guests arrive for your Oscar party, you can have them fill out this free printable 2014 Oscar ballot and make their picks for the top categories of the Oscars.  

They can do it for fun, or you can always have a prize for the winner at the end of the Academy Awards!  A fun prize would be an assortment of some of World Market's delicious and unique chocolate bars.  Their strawberry and champagne and sea salt dark chocolate bars are soooo good!  The blood orange milk chocolate bar is next on my list to try.

Are you a movie lover too?  World Market is giving away FREE movies for a year ($1600 Fandango gift card), plus a $1,000 World Market gift card!  Be sure to enter World Market's Movie Lovers Sweepstakes for a chance to win the grand prize package.  There are also three awesome runner up prizes which include a $500 Fandango gift card and a $500 World Market gift card!  

You can earn bonus entries for liking World Market's Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr brand pages for more chances to win.  Good luck!

If you liked this project, please follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

xo, Laura

Sharing here:  Show and Tell

Tuxedo Chocolate Covered Almonds

Oscars week continues on the blog this week, and I am so excited to share these cute treats that I came up with that are perfect for the occasion!  They were pretty easy and fun to make, and I fooled my husband and kids that I had spent hours making them… tuxedo chocolate covered almonds!

My husband bought me a HUGE container of chocolate covered almonds for Valentine's Day, so I decided to get creative with them and make these tasty treats.

Chocolate covered almonds wearing little tuxedos would be great to serve at an Oscar's party, a Hollywood party, prom, a wedding, or any black tie affair.  I mean, who can resist chocolate in a tux?

I made a small handful of these, and then mixed them in with the rest of the regular chocolate covered almonds.  Unless you have a ton of free time on your hands, I think this is the best option for serving these little cuties.

Tuxedo Chocolate Covered Almonds:

• Chocolate covered almonds
• White chocolate melts or bark
• Dark chocolate melts or bark
• Toothpick

First, melt a few of the white chocolate melts or bark according to the directions.  

Use a toothpick to add the white chocolate to the almond and create a V shape coming down from the top.  Repeat with as many almonds as you'd like to use.  

Melt the dark chocolate, and then use another toothpick to make a tiny bow tie shape, along with two or three buttons.  I found that it was easiest to make the sides of the bow first, and then connect them in the middle with a small dot.

I think I'm in love.  These little guys are just so easy and adorable, don't you think?

Here's a quick recap in case you missed the rest of my Oscars posts this week.  So far I've shared free printable Oscars party invitations and printable Oscars ballots.  

Make sure to visit tomorrow to see an Oscars party I put together using amazing finds from one of my favorite stores on the planet- World Market!

xo, Laura

Sharing here:  Show and Tell

Amazing Orange Butternut Squash Soup

Even if you're not a big fan of squash, you have GOT to try this butternut squash soup.  It is absolutely delicious.  There is so much flavor and so many vitamins packed into this healthy soup!

My husband's foodie uncle was recently visiting from Boston, and he made three different kinds of soup for a dinner party for our family.  I don't like squash.  I'm not gonna' lie, I just tried his butternut squash soup to be polite... BUT I ended up loving it and eating two giant bowls because of the amazing flavor.  

The squash and an onion are roasted with a little olive oil drizzled on top, and a little salt and pepper.  Simple, and yet oh so delicious.  One of my favorite parts of the soup is the slight orange flavor of the soup that comes from the orange zest that is added, along with a little bit of nutmeg.  I promise you will not regret making this amazing soup.  Last week it rained (which it hardly ever does here in So Cal), so this hot soup was just perfect!  

To make prep time even easier and faster, I bought a package of the chopped up butternut squash chunks from Costco.

Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

• 2 Butternut squashes, slice in half lengthwise (or a package of b. squash chunks from Costco)
• 1 Onion, diced
• Olive oil
• Salt and white pepper (or regular pepper world too)
• 2 Cans chicken broth (14.5 oz. each)
• Zest of one orange (I didn't use the juice, but if you want a strong orange flavor, feel free to use)
• 1/4 Tsp. nutmeg
• 1 Cup heavy cream, half and half, or milk (I used 2% milk and it tasted great)

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  If you are using whole squash, then drizzle olive oil over the tops of the squash, add salt and pepper, and place on a foil-lined baking sheet flesh side down.  (If you are using the Costco cut squash, place the squash in a large Ziploc bag, drizzle a couple Tbsp. of oil over the top, add some salt and pepper, seal the bag, and shake until it is all coated evenly.  Place on a foil-lined baking sheet.)  Add the diced onion to the squash on the baking sheet, and bake for 20 minutes.

2.  After 20 minutes, remove the squash and onion from the oven and place in a large pot.  If you used whole squash, then scoop out the soft flesh from the squash with a spoon, and place it in a large pot with the onions.  Pour the two cans of chicken broth over the vegetables, along with the orange zest and nutmeg.  Let simmer for 5-10 minutes on medium-low heat, and then add the cream, half and half, or milk.  Remove from heat.  Let cool slightly.

3.  Carefully use an immersion blender, blender, or food processor to puree the soup in batches.  Be careful, because the soup is still very hot!  Only add a small amount of soup to the blender or food processor because it will expand because of the heat.

And that's it!  This soup has so much flavor and depth to it, you would never know it was this easy or quick to make.  Do yourself a favor and whip up a batch today!

How do you feel about squash?  Love it or hate it? 

xo, Laura

Edible Sea Glass Recipe

Are you planning an under the sea, ocean, or mermaid party?  Then I've got the perfect treat for you to serve!  One of my favorite parts of my daughters under the sea party was the edible sea glass that I made.

It is really easy and inexpensive to make, and makes a huge impression on guests because it looks SO realistic!  If you remember when I posted how to make homemade suckers, it is basically the same process, but without the molds.  If you want to wow your guests at your next party, here's the how to…

Edible Sea Glass Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1 tsp oil flavor (if using LorAnn's oil, it will be the whole small bottle, 1 dram)- I used mint.
• food color (regular food coloring or gel food coloring both work great)
• Powdered sugar 

Directions:

1.  Spray a light coat of Pam or other cooking spray onto a metal cookie sheet. 

2.  Combine sugar, water, and corn syrup over medium heat.  Stir until sugar is dissolved.  Continue stirring, and cook to hard crack (300 degrees F).  When my thermometer is almost to 300 degrees, I go on to the next step, because the mixture will continue heating...

3.  Remove from heat- add flavor and food color.  I used mint flavor and various blues and greens (one color per batch).  When you add the flavor, it's a good idea to turn your head.  These oils are very strong, and when they hit the hot candy mixture there is a little smoke that puffs up that is very strong- best not to sniff it!  Stir approximately 2 minutes, to ensure that the color and the flavor are evenly mixed.

4.  Carefully pour the mixture into the baking sheet, and let cool.  Once it has cooled and hardened, cover the pan with a dish cloth and use a hammer to break up the candy into pieces.  Try to get them the same size as real sea glass so they look realistic.  Don't go too crazy with the hammer, or your candy will get too crushed!

5.  At this point your sea glass candy will look very shiny and sharp.  To make the candy look more realistic, rub some powdered sugar onto each piece to give it that frosted, tumbled look of sea glass that has been battered around for years by the ocean waves and currents.  I also tried to sand down the edges with a dish cloth so that the pieces weren't so sharp.

The kids and parents all LOVED the edible sea glass at the party, and it was so fun to see their reactions when I told them they could eat it!  I told the parents and kids to be careful, because some of the pieces were a little sharp, and as with all hard candy, don't give it to small kids as it can be a choking hazard.  I served mine on a bed of brown sugar and graham crackers mixed together to look like sand, along with some white chocolate sea shells.

You can see more details of the Under the Sea party here and get more inspirations for your next bash!

If you liked this project, please follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

xo, Laura

Sharing here:  Show and Tell

Homemade Strawberry Milk Recipe

Remember drinking strawberry milk as a kid, that irresistibly pink sweet drink that had a great strawberry taste, but was full of artificial flavors and artificial colors and words that you can barely pronounce?  My daughter saw it in the grocery store with me the other day, and begged me to bring some home.  I told her we would try making our own instead!

After a little experimenting in the kitchen, I came up with this tasty recipe.  It contains only 4 easy ingredients (one being water), and makes your house smell simply amazing!  I was inspired by this recipe, but I have to admit, my finished recipe looks nothing like the original.  I cut way back on the sugar, because I think strawberries are pretty sweet and tasty themselves without adding too much sugar.  Next time I think I could get away with adding even less sugar!

Not only is this drink totally delicious, but it also is a great drink for Valentine's Day with its' pretty pink color.  Make yourself a nice glass of strawberry milk today!  You know you want to.  This recipe makes one glass full.

Homemade Strawberry Milk Recipe:

• 1 cup chopped strawberries 
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1.  Combine the strawberries, sugar, water, and vanilla in a small pot over medium heat.  Let the mixture boil, and then simmer on low for about 10 minutes.  

2.  Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve, and let cool completely.  You can also place mixture in the fridge or freezer to speed up the process.  Once the syrup is cool, add it to a cold glass of milk and stir.

Now wasn't that good?  So much tastier than the processed version, and a nice flashback to the few times I was actually allowed to drink it as a kid.

My little friend was begging for a sip, and he couldn't drink it fast enough!  Enjoy!

If you liked this project, please follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

xo, Laura

Free Super Bowl Printables + Cupcake Bar Ideas

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Rubbermaid and Sharpie but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #RubbermaidSharpie http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

So who is ready for the Super Bowl?  I have to admit that while I love football, I'm not sure which team  I want to win this year.  But of course I'll still watch the game and the fun commercials!  And we can't forget about the best part of the Super Bowl- the food!  I created an entire set of printables for the big game that I think you'll love, plus I'll show you how easy it is to serve up some yummy treats without a lot of time in the kitchen… you wouldn't want to miss those commercials now, would you? ;)

I thought it would be fun to serve up some cupcakes for my Super Bowl party, and to let everyone garnish their own cupcakes with their favorite toppings at a cupcake bar!

What I like about this party is that it is SO easy to prep ahead of time so that you won't be stuck in the kitchen and missing out on all the action during the game.

I headed to Target and picked up some small Rubbermaid containers to hold all my toppings, and bought some Sharpie markers for the decorations that I'll be sharing.  I also picked up some of my favorite candies and cookies for the cupcakes, as well as some tasty vanilla bean and chocolate cupcakes.

All I had to do to prep my cupcake bar ahead of time was to break up my chocolate chip cookies, Oreos, and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.  I poured these toppings, as well as some gummy bears, Reese's Pieces, and gourmet jelly beans all inside their own little Rubbermaid container with a lid.  Then I used some Darice chalkboard labels, wrote each topping name onto a label with chalk, and stuck it onto the front of each container.  Easy, right?

So when it's game time, all I have to do is pull out my Rubbermaid containers and my store-bought cupcakes (of course you could make your own, too), and we'll have instant treats that guests and family members can customize the way that they want!  To make my store-bought cupcakes look better, I put them inside these cute paper cupcake wrappers and on these cupcake stands from Wholeport.

To make my cupcake bar REALLY cool, I created some fun free Super Bowl printables, which include cupcake toppers (can be used as straw flags as well),

bottle wraps for soda or water,

mini bunting flags, and large bunting flags.  These printables are awesome because you can use them for the Super Bowl, a kids' sporting event or party, or any big game for any sport!  They're very versatile.

I wanted the printables to look like a referee shirt with black and white stripes, so I kept them all black and white (which also makes it a lot cheaper to have printed- you don't have to pay for color copies).

PLUS, I came up with a fun way for my guests to customize their cupcakes and drinks to show which team they're rooting for!

Friends and family can pick from Seahawks and Broncos Sharpie colors, and color in the letters and decorate their cupcake toppers and drink labels with their favorite team colors!  I love that it's a fun way to show your team spirit.

You can also hang a mini bunting up on a cake, or on the food table.  I also created a large bunting as well, that would look great greeting family and friends as they arrive for the game.  You can leave these  black and white like I created them, or you can let everyone know which team you are rooting for by coloring in your team colors with Sharpies!

To download my free printables, just click on the links below!  Keep in mind these are only for personal use, and may not be sold.

Free Printable Super Bowl Cupcake and Straw Flags

Free Printable Super Bowl Bottle Wraps

Free Printable Super Bowl Mini Bunting Flags

Free Printable Super Bowl Banner Flags

For a limited time, you can text COUPONS to TARGET (just type TARGET into the phone number section on your cell phone, and COUPONS into the message section) and grab a coupon for $1 off Rubbermaid Food Storage coupon and a $1 off Sharpie 4-pack or larger.  This deal runs from January 25th- February 8th, so be sure to take advantage of the deal before it's gone!

So which team do you want to win the Super Bowl?  What are you most excited about- the game, the commercials, or the food?

If you liked this project, please follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

xo, Laura