Scratch-off Gender Reveals!!

One of our specialties over here at Juneberry Lane is definitely the 'Gender Reveal' Party; the perfect solution for parents who don't have the patience to wait until baby's birthday to see if they will be joined by a little boy or girl but still want to make the 'big moment' special.

But sometimes you don't have the time, energy, or $$ to throw a party and you still want a unique way to announce the news...and that is why these sweet little scratch-off reveals are the perfect solution for everyone!

Prompted by several recent custom orders I have done (variations of our Gender Reveal Invitations that can be found in the Juneberry Lane Etsy shop), I thought it would be a wonderful time to show you just how you can get crafty and turn one of our fabulous PDF files into a fun & unique gender announcement!

First off though, take a look at the 'Elephant Reveal' version (coming soon to the shop!) and then check below for an awesome little tutorial from Later Gator Crafts on how to make scratchers of your own . . .

Baby Elephant Gender Reveal Scratch-off:

(available HERE in the Juneberry Lane Etsy Shop)

Baby Owl Gender Reveal Cards:

(available HERE in the Juneberry Etsy Shop)

DIY Scratch-off Gender Reveal Cards:

Supplies You Will Need:

* Silver Paint (The cheap stuff from Michaels works just fine)
* Liquid Dish Soap
* Laminate Paper

Directions:

1.)  You can cut the circles out with a circle cutter (we like Fiskars!) or use a Cricut, but if you don't want to spend the time cutting or you don't have a Cricut, you can forego the circles and cut rectangles out of the laminate paper and place a rectangle and place them over the portion of the card that you want scratch paint on.
* If you are using our Juneberry Lane PDF print out, the circles are 1 1/2".

2.) Mix 2 parts paint to 1 part dish liquid.

3.) Once you have a good consistency with your paint, paint the laminate circles. Don't worry the first coat looks thin (like it's not going to work). Let the first coat dry completely and then paint a second coat, it should cover great (If your still a little worried it's not dark enough, keep adding coats).

* If you prefer a darker scratch off, add a few drops of dark blue paint to your mixture (so you won't have to paint as many coats).

4.) When the paint has dried completely, peel off the backing of the laminate paper on each of your cut circles and place them over your 'result' circles on the PDF printout.

5.) Get scratching!!

Tutorial Courtesy of Later Gator Crafts

Be sure to check out the shop when you are ready to order a scratch-off file of your own and expect a version to match each of our Gender Reveal invitations!  Happy Wednesday everyone!!

Clever Cupcake Cakes!

(image from Coco Cake Cupcakes)

If you are throwing a baby shower or birthday party, everyone knows you can't skimp on cake; pretty much a necessity and most definitely the #1 tried & true dessert!  But just in case cake decorating isn't your thing and you want something cheap and budget-friendly to take its place on your sweets table, why not go the cupcake route instead?

Not only can you make a few different flavors to keep all of your guests happy, but you don't have to worry about slicing or serving, extra plates or silverware either!  It's a win-win, don't you think?

Take a look at a few fantastic designs and then sit right down and come up with your own special something!  You just can't get much simpler than this!

 (via Betty Crocker)

(courtesy of  Coco Cake)

The prettiest (and easiest!) bunch of flowers . . .

(via Pictures of Birthday Cakes) 

(courtesy of the Cupcake Blog)

Beautiful butterfly . . .

(courtesy of That Sweet Ang)

A few cakes after my two-year-old son's transportation-obsessed heart:)

(via Crazy Cupcakes) 

 (courtesy of Cake Central)

Race cars!

(courtesy of Decadent Designs) 

(courtesy of Rhapsody of Cacophony)

Loving this gorgeous Owl cupcake cake!  Would be absolutely stunning at an Owl Baby gender reveal party too...with pink or blue filling waiting inside the cupcakes to announce the big news!!  And we have just the invitations for you, found RIGHT HERE:)

(image courtesy of Family Fun) 

Divine birds in their nest cupcakes . . .

Aren't those just adorable?  And quite a bit less daunting than making an entire cake look amazing too!  Hope you are enjoying your week so far...pop back tomorrow for a fun new debut from our Juneberry Lane shop:)

DIY Ruffled Ice Cream Cones!!!

Remember that 'Ice Cream Social' Gender Reveal inspiration post we shared with you a few weeks back?  Well I am just all a-gog for these beautiful DIY ruffled Ice Cream cones and wanted to share with you a simple little tutorial from one of our favorite master party stylists, Icing Designs:)

First and foremost, get your pretty party invitations in our Juneberry Lane Etsy shop (they can be customized for whatever type of event you are throwing!) then check out the loveliness below to see how to whip up a few of these lovely sweet treats!

RUFFLED ICE CREAM CONES


Supplies you will Need:
~ 2 1/2" styrofoam balls
~ 1 1/2 yards of lightweight cotton fabric
~ Sewing machine or needle and thread
~ Hot glue gun/glue
~ Glue
~ Scrapbook paper
~ Cone template (found HERE)
~ Polyester stuffing
~ Ribbon
~ Pins

Directions:


1.) Cut fabric into strips about 44" long x 1.5 " wide using pinking shears. Sew down the middle of the strip, ruffling fabric as you go with sewing machine. You can also ruffle the fabric by hand if you do not have a sewing machine. Your finished ruffle should be 8" long. You could also use pre-ruffled fabric or ruffle trim if you do not want to make your own!

2.) Trace cone template onto your paper and cut out. Glue edges to make cone shape. I recommend not using hot glue for this step since you need a bit of extra time to get the edges together just right. Fill your cone with stuffing to help hold the shape.

3.) Cut a circle roughly 8" in diameter out of your fabric. Wrap the fabric around the ball and hot glue to bottom, gathering as you go. Do not worry about how the bottom looks, it will be hidden inside your cone.

4.) Place hot glue around inside edge of your cone and stick the covered styrofoam inside. Hot glue your ruffle around the top of the cone, twisting as you go around. Be sure to glue it to both the paper and the styrofoam ball. If you would like to hang the cones, cut ribbon to desired length and use a pin or hot glue to secure it to your ice cream!

That's it!  Ever-so-simple and a real party stunner!  And what's even better?  You can send each of your  little party guests home with one to hang in their rooms and enjoy the rest of the year through!!  

Ice Cream Social: A Gender Reveal Surprise!!!

(image via Sleek Shindigs)

Okay, I know I promised to have the 'Charlotte's Web' line in the shop before I did anything else, but I was so excited about our new line of invitations that I simply couldn't wait!  Gender Reveal parties are in full swing; taking the place of baby sprinkles everywhere and turning one of life's greatest surprises into a truly magical day surrounded by family & friends!

And as we have swiftly jumped into summer and all of its glory, what better theme for YOUR next Gender Reveal than an 'Ice Cream Social'?!

But first, a bit of inspiration to accompany the goods . . .

(photo courtesy of Eat, Drink, Chic) 

(above 3 images via On to Baby) 

(image courtesy of Mini Piccolini)

(photos via Posh Baby Blog) 

The perfect pairing for the traditional 'cut the cake' gender reveal, or you could even switch things up a bit and do something a bit out of the box!  You could make Ice Cream Cone Cake pops with blue or pink inside . . .

(via Bakerella)

(courtesy of Indulgy)

(photo via Your Blissful Day)

How about sharing a sundae with your significant other and at the bottom of the dish finding a pink or blue candy inside?  This would be such a great time as your guests urge you to hurry up and eat so you can get to the surprise at the bottom, no?

Or what about giving all of your guests a cone with a scoop of pink or blue ice cream inside, and covering it with a coating of 'magic shell' so when they take a bite off the top, the answer lies inside!!

You could even pass out Ben & Jerry's style pints of Ice cream and have strawberry or blueberry waiting within... of course, Juneberry Lane would just LOVE to make the custom labels for you:)

(Image via http://www.ecreamery.com/genderrevealboy.html)

Our new line of Invitations; available NOW in the Juneberry Etsy Shop . . . 

How much fun is that?  I just can't think of a better way to discover if a little boy or girl will be joining your family than to be surrounded by loved ones and indulging in a scoop or two!!  I just love a good gender reveal . . .

Tutorial Tuesday: DIY Mini-Piñatas for a Cinco de Mayo Good Time . . .

Oh my goodness, can you believe it is nearly May?!  Summer is almost here and it is time to start having some fun!! And what better way to open the gates to the warmest season of the year than to kick things off with a Cinco de Mayo Celebration?!

Need a bit of inspiration to get your party wheels a-turning?  Well don't worry, we'll be sure to send a few things your way in the days ahead.  But first, let's get the ball rolling with a fun little project from the Ruffled Blog to get you in the spirit of things...DIY mini-Piñatas!!  Take a peek . . .

Supplies You Will Need:
~ Small balloons (I used 7″ balloons, but water balloons may work too)
~ Flour & water for papier mâché
~ Newspaper or any thin paper
~ Candy to go inside the pinata (we used saltwater taffy)
~ Scissors
~ Elmer’s glue
~ Tissue paper
~ Glasses or a base to hold the piñatas while they dry

Directions:
1.) Blow up balloon to desired size and tie with a knot. Ours were about 5-6 inches long. Rip paper into small pieces – strip or square shapes are great, but really any shape will do. Mix equal parts of water and flour for papier mâché glue paste.

2.) Start gluing pieces of paper onto balloon, allowing an opening around the balloon tie for candy once it’s dry. We didn’t bother with a brush to glue the pieces and went straight to using my hands – another tip to speed up the process. Once your balloon is covered with its first layer of paper, let it dry for a few hours. Repeat the process until is thick enough to hold candy without the shell breaking. Three layers were sufficient for me and sturdy enough that they wouldn’t break if they fell on the floor, but you can add more to make them stiffer if you’d like.

3.) While your papier mâché dries, you can get your tissue paper ready. Again, we batch fringed tissue paper by folding a long strip of paper (about 4 inches wide) in half lengthwise so it’s 2 inches wide. Then fold the paper the other direction a few times and cut 2/3 of it’s width, so my paper was 2 inches wide, I cut slits of about 1.50 – 1.75 inches wide. To save us a little more time, we didn’t bother measuring measuring how wide each strip should be.

4.)  Once your papier mâché is dry, you can start layering your fringed tissue paper. I went against my own advice on this particular pinata and started from the top down. Don’t do that. By the time I was finishing gluing the last layer, the fringes on the top were wrinkled and some ripped. Always start layering the fringe from the bottom up. Here I used school glue, but I think flour paste could work too (but I’d use a brush since tissue paper is much more delicate than newspaper). I used three layers for each color tier.

5.) With a needle, gently poke a hole on the balloon to deflate it. Pull balloon out and we’re ready to add the candy!

6.) To create a handle for the mini piñata, thread a tag in a ribbon and make a knot halfway. Tie the ends of the ribbon onto a candy.

7.) Now you’re ready to add candy and seal the pinata. Add the handle last and seal the pinata with a matching piece of tissue paper.

*** You will  use a little less than 20″x8″ worth of tissue paper per colored tier for each piñata favor. You can reuse the scraps of paper to create confetti to add in each pinata along with the candy.  The specific type and colors of tissue paper above are are Emerald, Peridot, and Aquamarine. The glittery paper is called gemstone tissue paper, and it can be found online at places like this. Total cost for each piñata favor is under a dollar including the candy:)  SCORE!!

Pretty in Pink . . .

And how much fun would one of these be for a Gender Reveal Party?  You could fill the inside of the balloon with pink or blue confetti or whatever little pink or blue treat you can think of...when you pull the string on the Piñata "SURPRISE!!  It's a  . . . !"

Wouldn't a beautiful blooming piñata be amazing, decorated with pink & blue flowers and full of pink or blue confetti?

The main points of the tutorial are the same, except for the flowers and a bigger balloon of course!  For directions on how to make that lovely number above, visit Kate Landers HERE . . .

We'll leave you with a real-life Gender Reveal caught on camera . . .

Okay, so whether you are planning on having a rousing good time this Cinco de Mayo or are planning on revealing the gender of your baby to your family & friends in a way full of fun, this little project is sure to add some life to the party!!  Have a wonderful Tuesday!!