STRIKIN’ Good Time

Happy Birthday Party Alison

A fun website for parties

As cute as the bowling pin cake is, we decided to go the easy route and make cupcakes.  Lee Anne thought cupcakes would be easier than cutting a cake and boy was she right!    Having a soft part for parties I love to decorate and plan everything- goodie bags, cake, decorations, etc.  (Maybe I should have just gone that route for my career- don’t worry I will not be dropping out of school to go that route it will stay a hobby and I am also super excited because of my blog reading I have found a fabulous website for party planning!!) Anyways, Lee Anne and I had a quick conversation early in the week that she didn’t have goodie bags planned yet (which is really not a big deal- first graders love candy.) But we share a common thing of not caring for the “cheap” toys that come in goodie bags.  So, in my free time or rather when I was bored, I searched the internet and found goodie bag ideas that other parents have used for bowling themed parties.  Sadly, all the party cities near me did not carry any of the bowling party supplies they showed on their website or that the other parents used- bummer!

Although, I was bummed about party city, I searched on the internet for candy molds that involved bowling thinking I could whip out a few candy treats and we could put a small something with them. Ever since beginning this journey of cake making and decorating I have wanted to go to a place called ABC Cake Decorating.  I finally went and can I say heaven on earth! There were aisles of candy molds as well as decorating supplies.  I hit the jackpot on my first aisle!! I found a sucker mold that read “Happy Birthday,” a sucker mold that had a bowling pin and ball, and molds for bowling pins and balls. I was really excited because for me something was coming together nicely.  I made a few samples to make sure I thought the suckers were worthy enough to put time into and they were!  The goodie bags had a pencil, eraser or finger cushion, pen, notepad, handful of candy, free game of bowling (this is included with the price you pay to have your party at the alley), and a homemade sucker in them!

So Wednesday, I talked to Lee Anne and told her about my amazing finds.  She thought it sounded fun and cute but didn’t want us spending our whole day getting these little candies ready.  Which I completely understood- so, I told her about the pack of 10 pins and ball that I also found at the store for $.79 cents! Which party city was selling for $2.99!! She asked if I could pick up a couple of bags just in case we wanted to take the easy route. Me being me and Alison being Alison, we wanted to take the harder route.  As Lee Anne got the cupcakes baked Alison helped me by filling in the bowling pin molds as well as some balloon sucker molds.  (I meant to take pictures of everything but forgot..opps)  Once the cupcakes were cooled and the bowling pins were hardened Lee Anne and I began thinking what color the frosting should be.  We went with a tan ish color to be the “wood” of the bowling lane.  Andrew assured us it looked nothing like the lane and we agreed we needed to add some yellow to give it the wood look but really the kids wouldn’t know any better, so we kept it our tan color.  The cupcakes still needed something once we put the bowling pin and ball (an m&m) on top- we sprinkled some sprinkles onto the cupcake, still not the look we wanted, Alison wanted us to put clear sprinkles on them “because her friends wouldn’t like the colorful sprinkles” but Lee Anne and I didn’t like the clear sprinkles either, then Lee Anne put the colorful sprinkles along the edge of the cupcakes and it was perfect! Now that we had the design ready we decorated 28 cupcakes with sprinkles along the edges, a bowling pin, and a ball (an m&m). Since, only a handful of people RSVP we made some extra cupcakes also and just decorated them by adding the colorful sprinkles to the top.   

Here are the "extra" cupcakes that we made

I believe, they were a hit since before, everyone even sang “Happy Birthday” the kids were already trying to get a cupcake with the candles still lit. 

Happy 7th Birthday

Miss Alison!!!
The party is over and the Birthday girl turned 7 on Friday! Hard to believe she is NOW 7!! I met her as a SHY 2.5 year old.  That first night she sat next to her Bubbah and didn't say a word to me for a good couple of hours. Then out of the blue she ran to her room and got her Polly Pockets and our friendship began.  Now, she is in first grade, plays soccer, played T ball, loves bowling, reads, emails, text messages, and of course talks ALL the time!


Alison(the day before her 3rd birthday) and I
@ the Miss Rodeo California pageant
October, 2006




Alison and I December, 2006

  


Me and Alison Glamis January, 2007



Alison (3 years old) riding Andrew's old quad when we went to Glamis
 January, 2007





Me and Alison (almost 4!) @ the MRC Pageant
 October, 2007

Alison (4 years old) at my birthday dinner

January, 2008





Alison (6 years old) July, 2010







Alison  enjoying a date night with Andrew and I

January, 2010









Alison showing off her 2010 Halloween costume a few days before her 7th Birthday!!



Side notes- 

 I wrote this last week just never posted it- Party was October 2nd and her Birthday was October 8th

 I suck at taking my camera with me as well as having a working camera or even getting pictures from everyone elses cameras :)

Although, I suck at bowling I could not get a hang of the lane we bowled on either could Andrew (he never got into the 200’s which is BAD for him seeing that he has multiple 300’s to his name)

All the kids had a great time and the parents are all thinking about having their kid’s parties there now.

At most bowling alleys they have a “party table” and I think I like that more than the small tables that this alley used for the party.  

I don't know how to get rid of the white boxes the pictures are in.. help please :)