Birthday Preparations

My Sani is going to be 3 years old on July 2nd. We are planning a birthday party for her and we're really excited to begin our preparations. 

I was thinking more along the lines of princess theme, but since she has a mind of her own she decided that she wanted her birthday party to be of Daisy Duck.The whole theme colors will be pink, white, and purple.

While looking around Etsy and Pinterest I found a few inspirational ideas for her party.

We're thinking of having some cupcakes to avoid the mess of actually cutting a cake with some pretty little bows to match the Daisy Bowtique theme.

We also liked this cake (the 2nd tier) but something a little smaller and personal just for taking pictures of her blowing out her candles.

I went to Wal-Mart and found some pink and purple ribbon to match the theme ... and now I am so excited because I want to see if I can sew her a little outfit for her special day.

Then it hit me...I came across this website, Sew Like My Mom, and found an outfit I want to make her. Not sure if I ever expressed my LOVE for rompers. Well if I haven't, then let me tell you that during the summer I am in LOVE with rompers. I think they are so cute, comfortable and help you stay very cool. Since Sani's birthday is in the summer and we're going with the whole bowtique theme, I was thinking of some type of bedazzled romper with long stranded pearls like the one on Sew Like My Mom's blog.

Isn't she just adorable? Not to mention her little outfit and pearls. 

What would go better with this romper than a pair of matching sandals like these?

Marshmallow Fondant Recipe

Fondant can be hard to work with since it tends to be a very hard block. Usually the trick to it is to heat it up a little bit in the microwave to use it. I love the presentation of it, however, I am not a big fan of the taste, so I often end up throwing it way while eating the cake.

What could solve this issue you ask? Well, for me the answer is easy, marshmallow fondant. It's a little messy when making it, but the quality of it and the taste alone make it perfect. It stays soft and easy to work with.

I had not made this recipe in years when I had to let go of my microwave. It's really easy to make. I got the recipe from What's Cooking America? Peg Weaver makes it easy for us to learn to how to make this recipe.

These are the supplies you will need:

I can vouch for her when she says to use good quality marshmallows. In the past to save some $$ I have actually used a cheaper brand and it really did not do the fondant any justice. 

Prep time: 60 Minutes

Yields: 1 batch of fondant

Directions:

Note: Please be careful, this 1st stage can get hot!


Melt marshmallows and 2 tablespoons of water in a microwave. Place the bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds, open microwave and stir, back in microwave for 30 seconds more, open microwave and stir again, and continue doing this until fully melted. It usually will take about 2.5 minutes total.

Place 3/4 of the powdered sugar on top of the melted marshmallow mix.

Now grease your hands GENEROUSLY (palms, backs, and in between fingers), then heavily grease the counter you will be using and dump the bowl of marshmallow/sugar mixture in the middle.

Start kneading like you would bread dough. You will immediately see why you have greased your hands. If you have children in the room they will either laugh at you or look at you with a questioning expression. You might even hear a muttered, "What are you doing?"

Keep kneading this stuff is super sticky at this stage! Add the rest of the powdered sugar and knead some more. Re-grease your hands and counter when the fondant starts sticking.

If the mix is tearing easily, it is too dry, so add water (about 1/2 tablespoon at a time and then knead it in.) It usually takes me about 8 minutes to get a firm smooth elastic ball so that it will stretch without tearing when you apply it to the cake.

It is best if you can let it sit, double wrapped, overnight (but you can use it right away if there are no tiny bits of dry powdered sugar).

Prepare the fondant icing for storing by coating it with a good layer of Crisco shortening, wrap in a plastic type wrap product and then put it in a re-sealable or Ziploc bag. Squeeze as much air out as you possibly can.

MM Fondant icing will hold very well in the refrigerator for weeks. If I know that I have a cake to decorate, I usually make two (2) batches on a free night during the week so it is ready when I need it. Take advantage of the fact that this fondant icing can be prepared well in advance.