allorahandmade.com | printables

how to host a simplified pirate party – part one

April 26, 2012

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henry’s 3rd birthday was over a month ago, but i have to share how we hosted a simple pirate party that was inexpensive and super fun. i bought a few cheap decorations and party favors, but everything else was made out of what we already had lying around.

i love a good party, but i get too overwhelmed when things get complicated, so i want to share my simplified version of a pirate party!

we started with simple basic decorations and supplies that we found at target and party city:

a pirate-y banner that said happy birthday with plates, napkins and cups to match

red, blue and black coordinating balloons

loot bags for all the kids

and then of course, the cake.

i knew if it was too crazy, i would go crazy, so i took a few ideas that i’d seen around and combined them to create the vision i’d seen in my head of a cute, but boyish and simple pirate cake. all of these items i had at home in my pantry and craft supplies!

basic instructions

1. start with any basic cake mix. henry wanted vanilla, but it could easily be any other flavor.

2. frost the entire cake (two 9 inch rounds stacked on a cake plate) with white frosting

3. leave a couple of Tbsps of frosting leftover to make the X. mix in red food coloring to the leftover. i love using wilton’s food coloring because it is much more intense, but any food coloring will do.

4. scoop the now red frosting into a piping bag or just use a ziploc like i did and cut off one of the corners.

5. make a big X marks the spot anywhere you’d like (i think it looks better off to the side a bit – not right in the center, but whatever you want is just fine.)

6.take chocolate jimmies and carefully place them one by one, starting at the X to make a trail. this is a little bit tedious, but in my opinion it looks way cooler than icing. you may need to use tweezers or just your fingernails and have some patience. be sure to make the trail go down the side of the cake and up and over the top as well.

to make the name banner/pirate flags:

1. you’ll need 2 bamboo skewers, popsicle sticks, or paper straws to use as your flag pole bases. i used these striped blue straws because that is what i had on hand. you’ll also need as rectangular or diamond shape scrapbook paper for the banner- as many pieces as letters in the birthday boy’s name, sticker letters, double stick tape, and twine, string or yarn.

2. spell out the birthday boy’s name on the scrapbook banner pieces putting the letters all the way at the bottom of the rectangle. place a piece of double stick tape where the paper will fold over itself and lay them in the correct order with the sticker side down and evenly spaced. (peek at them to make sure the name won’t be spelled backwards when you lift it up.)

3. lay down a piece of twine across the double stick tape (make sure the twine is plenty long to tie onto the flag poles) and then fold the paper over the twine and press the double stick tape onto itself to secure the banner flags to the twine.

4. print out 2 pirate flags (one with the skull on the right and one with the skull on the left) and using tape or hot glue, attach one to the top of each flag pole (skewer, straw, etc.)

pirate flags – printable by allora handmade

5. tie the twine of the banner to each flagpole making sure the pirate flags fly toward the outside of the cake and the name banner is facing the same way as the flags. secure the knot with a dab of hot glue if necessary.

once your banner/flag is done

1. carefully push each flagpole into the cake letting the name banner droop slightly.

and there you have it! a simple pirate cake that is a definite crowd pleaser!

still to come: make a simple pirate craft and plan a simple treasure hunt! tune in next week! ***SEE PART 2 HERE!

4 Comments | Filed Under: birthdays, family life, henry, holidays, home, motherhood, printables, the boys

handmade business q&a part 2: commit.

February 8, 2012

“until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, the providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. I learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets: ‘Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!’” W. H. Murray

one of the questions i hear most often goes a little something like this:

“how can i take my shop/business…

…to the next level?”

…from a hobby to a business?”

…from part time to full time?”

there are a lot of potential answers to these questions. lots of ideas to share, strategies etc. and we will get to some of those later.

however.

there is something much more important that you MUST do first.

decide.

now it’s time for more hard questions. ( i apologize in advance for going all drill sergeant on you.)

ok, hold up.

i feel a reason to explain myself before you start feeling like i’m yelling at you.

we (as humans) are really good at making excuses for why we are not living up to our potential and why we are not achieving our dreams. i really hope that you can answer these questions honestly so that you can get out of your own way! we are looking for change, for success, for dreams to take flight! so, take a deep breath, and get ready to inspect your intentions closely and unabashedly.

are you ready? (breathe in, breathe out.)

what DO you want out of this? is it a hobby? is it a way to get your creative juices out? is it an experiment? is it a way to drive your husband nuts? is it “me time” ? is it a justification for your fabric/craft supply hoarding tendencies?

WHAT IS THIS?

is it a business?

have you actually decided? if you are calling it a business, but treating it like a hobby, it will pay you like a hobby.

promise.

however, if you decide it is a business, you might actually get somewhere.

now, i know– not everyone is ready to treat their shop like an actual business. but, i am guessing that if you are still reading, you want to have a real thriving business. so, continue…

be honest with yourself about your time commitments. i know working from home sounds so convenient, and certainly there are things about it that are wonderful. i can stay at home with my kids. i can work in my pjs. but i assure you that i spend more time working for myself than i ever did at a 9 to 5. you MUST have the time to put into it. have you considered whether or not you have the time to invest in your business as it is to make it into a thriving, growing, profitable business? if you have the time, and now is the right time, awesome. check, check. if you don’t, right now may not be the right moment for you. it might be the WRONG time for you. and that is 100% ok. you can come back to it when you do. but, own that fact. trying to commit to something halfway now will just frustrate you and everyone around you.

do you have the resources? that could mean $$, but not necessarily!! do you have access to the supplies you need to be successful? to a helpful babysitter if need be? to mentors, support systems, web designers, etc? if yes, congratulations. fantastic! you are well on your way. if not, that’s ok — all of those things can be found. but if you want to take it up a notch and get serious about being a business, gather your resources and remove the excuses. step out of your own way.

do you have the support of your loved ones? does your husband/boyfriend/mom/sister/roommate/friend think you are a genius? or just crazy? are they willing to encourage you when sales are down or help you package and ship when sales are up?

image from one of my favorite sites of all time.

having a supportive husband through the last 3 years has made all the difference. honest. he makes up for my weaknesses in so many ways. and a supportive extended family and friends have been the cherry on top. even if you have great relationships in your life, you may want to consider the timing for your loved ones as well. for instance, if i were to start a new business at the same time that my husband was just up for a promotion and was working super long hours, the timing might make it harder for him to be as supportive while he is already stretched thin. i would not encourage anyone to take this hard journey without that support. talk to your loved ones and include them in your decisions on where you want to go with this. make sure you can be on the same page and can count on their support. you will need it.

so, if you have decided that now is the time, you have the resources and support you need,

this is why a lot of people get stuck in hobby land. they’re just making stuff and listing stuff with high hopes, but not a lot of commitment to actually make it work. can you stick to a budget, put in long hours, be confident in your product and your role as a business owner, not be too emotionally attached to products that aren’t selling, be decisive, and really go for it? can you keep moving forward, try again, and stand back up every time you fall? can you let go of the safety net of “if i don’t sell anything, oh well! it’s just something i love to do!” ? you must be willing to approach it as a business if you want to get paid.

i know that safe place. that if you don’t risk anything, no one will ever know that you failed. that you can spare yourself the shame of really going for it and putting everything into it and falling flat on your face. i know it feels soft and cuddly and warm and safe to stay in that place. but success from that place? rare. possibly non-existent.

to be honest, my circumstances were a little different here. i had greater things to fear than putting myself out there and failing. i had to fear how we were going to pay our rent and what would happen if this DIDN’T succeed. my story started in desperation, and really, looking back, i am glad it did. i never got stuck in hobby land. i never got paralyzed by fear. i couldn’t. i didn’t have that option. and if you ask me, i’m not sure i would have ever reached this point if i hadn’t been operating on such a “do or die” mentality.

now, to the majority of you who are not relying on your shop income to pay the rent: there is no reason you can not adjust your mentality to be just as effective in powering you through to success. let go of the fear, and embrace the opportunity. the only way your business will change, your sales will change, your success will change is if YOU change your mind about it.

i know that this post has been a little bit of tough love. i hope you don’t think that i’m being harsh, but that you take these questions seriously and use them to change your mind about how you are working. are you really ready for this? you say you want it, but do you really? and if so, what is stopping you then? if your shop is not making you money, it is taking your time away from another area in your life. and to me, that sounds pretty silly. we don’t have enough time on this earth to dilly dally around, so do yourself a favor: make your decision, and make it quick. the success lies first in the choice.

need some day to day motivation? i made a handful of printables for you that will (hopefully) kick you in the pants when you need it most!

click here to download pdf printables (8×10) for your own personal use

love you, mean it.

are you new around here? don’t miss out on part one here!

6 Comments | Filed Under: handmade business tips, printables, what i've learned

create.

January 19, 2012

tonight i will be teaching a little workshop on creativity, what it means in my life, and how to turn creative talents into a business. i am excited about the opportunity, but more excited about the pep all the prep has put into my step! (honestly, i did NOT mean to rhyme that many times. and there i go again. HELP!) when i really stop and think about what i get to do day in and day out in addition to my dream job (wife and mom), i feel so blessed. it certainly is a crazy life, but i am lucky it is mine.

i have to set up a table for the presentation, and here is what i’ve been working on this afternoon. i figure if the colors are happy enough, it won’t really matter what i say, right?;)