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Dino Party: Dino Egg Chandelier

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Dino Party: Dino Egg Chandelier

This post is part of a series for a Dino themed birthday party.  To view the rest of the series head on over to the Dino Birthday Party post.

I know this post isn”t about food but it does contain a recipe so I hope that counts! ;) I couldn”t help but share this Dino Egg Chandelier with you because it”s so much fun to make and the results are so adorable, yet chic. They were a big hit at the party and I love that you can customize the colours to suit the colour theme of your party.

All you need to make these dino eggs is some yarn, petroleum jelly (vaseline), cornstarch, school glue and balloons. Let”s get started!

Blow up the balloons until they form an egg shape. I tried to make mine differing sizes to add some dimension. Hang the balloons in a dry area using a piece of yarn (we started outside on our deck and moved them to the curtain rod on our shower for night). Coat the balloons in petroleum jelly, making sure to cover every inch.

Mix together glue ingredients (recipe below). Cut a long piece of yarn and coat it thoroughly in the glue mixture. Squeeze out the excess, while still keeping them nicely coated. Tie one end of the coated yarn to the yarn that the balloon is hanging from; wrap it around the balloon in all directions until you get look you want. Tie the loose end of the yarn to another piece at the top of the balloon. Let dry for 24 hours.

Once dry, pop the balloons. This was the part where I thought for sure they weren”t going to turn out. I was expecting the yarn to go all floppy once the balloon popped, but to my excitement they held their shape! Remove the balloons; and the dino eggs are ready to hang. Group them together to form a chandelier or spread them out, as I did, along the edge of a patio or porch. And, enjoy!

Dino Egg Glue

  • 1 cup cornstarch

  • 1/2 cup cool water

  • 1 bottle of school glue

Mix together ingredients until smooth.

Makes enough for approximately 6 balloons (depending on size and how much yarn is used to cover).

Inspired by Hostess with the Mostess and Turtle Crafty Girl.

Dino Party: Fossil Cookies

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Dino Party: Fossil Cookies

This post is part of a series for a Dino themed birthday party.  To view the rest of the series head on over to the Dino Birthday Party post.

To kick-start the party once all the kids had arrived we gave them each a kite to play with and let them loose on the yard. This was one of the best ideas ever (thanks to my mom, for her brilliance), it kept the kids busy for a very long time and it doubled as a fun favour for them to bring home with them.

I still wanted to make something dinosaur-themed, for them to take home, so on their way out the door they each got a small stretchy dinosaur and a little parcel containing these fossil cookies (a.k.a. whipped shortbread with dinosaur footprints).

They were so easy to make and since I already had a dinosaur, that just happened to be laying around waiting to be gifted to the birthday boy, I had everything on hand to whip them up. And, I loved the way they turned out.

I think cookies are always a hit when given as favours and when they”re this easy (and cute to boot) it makes for a delicious, fun and stress-free way to work the theme into the favours. Plus for any savings savvy mom”s, it is definitely one of the cheaper options! ;)

Fossil Cookies

The dinosaur foot I used to make the impressions was approximately one inch across.

  • 1 cup butter, room temperature (no substitutes)

  • 1/2 cup icing (confectioners) sugar

  • 1.5 cups all-purpose flour

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add flour and beat on medium speed for 10 minutes. Using a tablespoon, scoop out dough and drop onto parchment paper line baking sheets. Chill in the fridge until firm (about 30 minutes).

Roll each scoop into a ball, flatten into a disk with the palm of your hand. Dip the foot of a clean dinosaur toy into some flour before pressing it into the flattened dough. We”re not going for perfection here, these are fossils after all, so embrace any cracks and imperfections that form. Make sure you make a good impression because the cookies will puff up a bit as they bake.

Bake at 350 for approximately 10 minutes, or until the bottoms are a light golden brown. Let cool for a couple minutes on the baking sheet before moving to wire wracks to cool completely.

Makes approximately: 28 cookies

A Dino Birthday Party

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A Dino Birthday Party

Ever since his sister”s first birthday, Max has been talking about his birthday party. He decided right away that he wanted a dinosaur party because dinosaur”s are his favourite thing ever! For months we”ve been talking about and planning his birthday – I love that he”s old enough to truly get excited about it. And, he doesn”t just get excited about his birthday, but every birthday that comes up. Birthdays are so exciting when you”re a little kid!

When I throw parties for my kids I like to concentrate on a few things that I want to make, that will make them feel special, and I don”t stress the rest. The most important thing, to me, is to make the birthday boy (or girl) feel special. If I”m stressed, I know they”ll be feeling it and I”ll feel like I missed out on their special day. I like to keep it simple and casual, so the kids can have fun, but since I”m not a great organizer (and I know this about myself) I get things ready ahead of time and once the party comes I take it easy and enjoy it along with everyone else.

Through the rest of this week I”ll be sharing a couple of the dino themed things I did for this party just in case you”re interested in throwing a dino themed party yourself.

In the meantime, here are a few pictures from the party. The birthday boy had SO much fun and I loved watching him feeling so special.

More Dino Party Posts