DIY Archives - Queen Bee Latina

St. Patrick’s Day Party Recipes

Happy St. Patty’s Day friends! I feel like the luckiest girl in the world because I ave so many amazing readers like you!

My blogger friends and I love getting together for the holidays. It’s our excuse to catch up and spend some girl time. For St. Patty’s Day were shared some yummy food, good conversation, and celebrated friendship. This group of women inspire me to explore new recipes and get out of my comfort zone when cooking. I look forward to more foodie ventures with them!

Here are some quick recipes we shared at our St. Patrick’s Day Party! I have attached the links to some of their recipes.

Today I experimented a bit and made Guinness and Black Bean Chile for the first time. I have to say it was delish and it was easy to make. The girls enjoyed it. (or they are just being really nice)

Serves 8-12

2 ½ pounds boneless NY sirloin steak (or top sirloin steak), cubed
1 Package of uncooked Black Beans
Olive Oil 3 Tablespoons
Lawry’s Seasoning Salt (for meat seasoning)
Your choice of meat, cubed 2 ½ pounds ( I used boneless NY sirloin steak)
2 (10-oz) cans chili-style diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained (Rotel brand)
1 ½ cups chopped onion (from about 1 ½ medium onions)
2 red bell pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 (15 oz) can Guinness Irish stout
2 tablespoons cornstarch
shredded cheddar or cheese of choice for topping (optional)
sour cream for topping (optional)
chopped green onion for topping (optional)

First I followed the directions on the black bean package and boiled the beans. Cook in a large soup pot. Add salt to the beans. (It took over an hour).

Separately on my stove top, I added the olive oil on a skillet pan and the minced garlic. I cooked the diced meat and seasoned it with Lawry’s Seasoning Salt. (season as desired) I used approximately 1.5 Teaspoons. I cooked until fully ready.

Chop up the onion, red peppers, chopped green onion.

After the black beans were fully cooked (in the large soup pot), I added the can of Guinness Bear. I then added the veggies: Red Peppers, Onion, can of sliced chiles, and the 2 cans chili-style diced tomatoes with green chilies.

Last, I added the chile powder, cumin, and cornstarch to thicken the chile.

The girls and I served in a bowl and garnished the chile with cheddar cheese, sour cream, and sliced green onion. (shown above & optional)

Caryn Bailey’s Beer Cheese Fudue with pretzels was a hit. I could taste a slight hint of beer in it, but it did not overpower the cheese. We devoured it in 2.5 seconds!

Penny’s Oreo Truffles were delightful and she said they were super easy to make…. Check out the recipe on her blog!

This drink made by Mary Tran- Let’s Play OC was refreshing!

This is what you need to make it:

Lemon
Yellow & Green Sprinkles
Mason Jar
Rainbow Sherbert
Lemon Lime Soda

Mary rubbed a sliced lemon on the rim of the mason jar then flipped over and dipped the glass in sprinkles.

She then scooped in the Rainbow Sherbert into the mason jar.

Last, she poured the Lemon Lime soda over the sherbert. (pour it slowly or it will foam like the pic above)

Follow my friend’s adventures on their blogs! Let’s Play OC, Family Review Guide, Rockin Mama, Balancing The Chaos , and On The Go OC!

Happy St. Patricks Day all!

#SUNNYD Tropical Berry Grilled French Toast Recipe

We just got word that children will not be returning to school this fall. I have to say, my son and I were a little disappointed about the situation, and are trying our best to keep busy. To bring a little cheer this morning, we decided to cook together. We made the delicious #SUNNYD Tropical Berry Grilled French Toast!

Thank you #SUNNYD for sponsoring the post.

INGREDIENTS

French Toast

1 cup light coconut milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
12 diagonally cut French bread slices, 1-inch thick (8 oz. baguette)

Topping

1/4 cup SUNNYD Tangy Original
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
16 ounces fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
Whipped topping, toasted coconut flakes (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat grill to medium-low (300°F)In a large glass baking dish whisk together coconut milk, eggs, vanilla and sugarDip bread in egg mixture, turning to coat both sides; let soak 10 minutes
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whisk together SUNNYD and marmalade. Add strawberries; toss to coat
Cut 1 large rectangle of heavy-duty foil. Place strawberries in center of foil. Bring edges of foil together; fold to seal
Place foil packet on grill. Grill 10 minutes. Remove packet; set aside and keep closed
Lightly oil grill rack; place soaked bread slices on grill. Grill 5 to 7 minutes per side or until an instant-read thermometer registers 160°F.
Place 1 grilled bread slice on each of 6 plates; top with half of the berries and another bread slice
Top with remaining berries and (if desired) whipped topping and toasted coconut

Ta-da! This French Toast recipe was scrumptious! The marmalade and #SUNNYD syrup was our favorite part. We added edible flowers and topped it off with coconut flakes. Yum!

Visit sunnyd.com for more incredible recipes.

Quarantine: Stay Active, Organize and Set Goals

Helpful Quarantine Tips & Goals

Written by: Victoria Camacho

2020 All I can say (Well everyone for that matter) is WOW…

It’s frightening, and it is confusing because we do not know what to expect the next couple of months. Panicking is a common response to all this madness. This whole pandemic has got our world coming to a halt. We are glued to our phones and media devices, to have a continuous world update of COVID-19 when we shouldn’t be.

Trust me – I know. We all do it, but if there is something I have truly learned not only because of the sickness, but even before from my recent life experiences is that whatever is meant to be, will be. I can worry all about the future, but I need to be in the now. To be clear, though, I am not saying to go out and be careless running wild; I simply mean take a breathe and get ready to put in work since you have something we ALL say we don’t ever have – SPARE TIME.

I know that not everyone is all just free’d up with loads of time and it all varies depending on each situation but regardless, we have opportunities to get things done, accomplished, and completed!

It’s going to be a struggle, yes because we aren’t used to having to be confined more, but this is your time to HUSTLE.

Now, the first few days or even weeks for everyone are going to be getting used to the situation and adjusting to this shift.

Also everyone wants to binge watch shows and eat take-out, so if you’re still feeling the Netflix/ Disney/Hulu binge in your pj’s, that is just fine too, but it will eventually get old.

Here are some tips on what you can do during this quarantine that will keep you going:

**Clean your sh*t out.**

First thing I am proposing for everyone is that the best way to start through this quarantine is get up and clean. It truly, mentally makes you feel great being able to work in a clean space

Before quarantine, I was constantly letting my room become very messy. I’m sure we are all guilty of this, but this your chance to not only just clean, do the full spring cleaning. If you have a large household like mine, just get everyone to pitch in an hour or 2 a day to accomplish all the house projects you have had. Get rid of things. Sell/Trade it online. Depop and Offer Up are great online platforms to get rid of all those things you don’t need/want. Also, you can always look up your local Goodwill or other donation services to do a pickup of your things!

2. Set those goals-with deadlines.

Okay, now that you have a clear space, sit down and write down everything you have been wanting to accomplish that you know you can do, but make sure to set the deadline.

Another thing that I had an issue with (and many of you are too, I am sure of it) is setting a goal, but never actually getting to it. I mean, hey we are human and things happen. But like I will be saying over and over – we got time! Pull out the calendar, and just set the dates of when you will get certain things done by-even if it just the simple things. Planning is key. That is why I love planners. You can buy them anywhere or even make one with printable Pinterest daily schedules!

3. Workout and Stay Active

Hooray! We can all workout now! Yes, gyms are closed, but you can of course workout from home. Whether it’s yoga, cardio, or dancing, anyone has the option to go onto Youtube, download apps, and anything to do these at-home workouts. If you don’t have room indoors to do so, go outside somewhere away from people and just get that body moving. It will feel good to not just be the couch potato, we all know you have been the past couple days.

May I also add meditation – something I have been taking part in the past couple weeks. Nothing nicer than knowing how to breathe-easy and keep stress low in a time like this.

4. Use the internet for FUN, not panic attacks ; GET CREATIVE and DO GOOD.

I know everyone is dying to keep constantly checking for all the COVID News, but at this point, the more you constantly stay plugged to the news channels, the more you’re going to cause anxiety for yourself.

It’s ok to check, but how about use your devices to get the ideas running in your head, and get yourself out of your panic zone?

Cook that recipe.
Learn that make-up tutorial.
Watch and send funny videos to your loved ones for some laughter.

At the same time, you can even do some in-home charity work and see what you can to help your community. Many people, those with low-income or the elderly need help to get food needed for the social distancing! Go onto your local food bank’s website or call and see how you can help our fellow community members! See if your elderly neighbor needs groceries! Anything helps!

Most importantly: try and stay healthy BOTH physically and mentally loves!

I am and have been nervous too, but right now we cannot let the stress overtake us. Do what you can to get your hopes up.

Our Family Tamalada with El Gallo Giro

Every year, a week before Christmas my familia gets together to make one hundred pounds of tamales. My mom’s recipe is a staple dish at our Navidad celebration. El Gallo Giro has always been our go to for our masa and other authentic Mexican food.

Thank you El Gallo Giro for partnering for this post. All opinions are my own.

My son and his papi love tamales. It’s a special dish we look forward to during the holidays. We love El Gallo Giro, because we can also find other delicious dishes such as posole, tortas, tacos, atole, Mexican bread, fresh juices, and much more!

The kitchen has always the heart of our home, and our favorite meeting place.

It is a place we we enjoy traditional Mexican food, laughs, and even sorrows. At our annual “tamalada”(tamale-making party) we prepare a multigenerational assembly line with the tios (aunts and uncles), primos (cousins), and grandkids. It’s a very special occasion for us, and we look forward to it every year.

Every year we picked up our masa, hojas (corn husks), and champurrado (tasty drink made with masa) from El Gallo Giro in Santa Ana. The masa is prepared fresh everyday, and grandma Cuca approves the quality and taste for our annual tamales, so with no doubt we know they will be delicious.

It’s so convenient to know we can easily go pick it all up locally at El Gallo Giro.

My parents now passed down these special recipes to us, so that we can continue this tradition with our children.

Familia is very important to us, and we can’t wait to create more memories with our kids. Gracias El Gallo Giro!

Click here to find your closest location.

What’s your favorite holiday family tradition?

Happy Holidays from the Camacho Family!

Giveaway: The Kids’ Book of Paper Love & Michaels Gift Card #FlowBook

Do your kids like paper DIY projects? If so, I have the perfect book for your kiddos!

My son and I are creating a mini scrap book for our family travel adventures, and we will be using The Kid’s Book of Paper Love to create it. My youngest is grow so fast, and I feel this book is perfect to help us create and bond together. I enjoy his company because he always tells me about his day at school, and the friendships he is creating. This fun little book has glitter stickers, colorful paper, metallic paper, and cut outs, and hundreds of other paper goodies!

There are many wonderful reasons to create with your children. Above it all, it opens the lines of communication. (so important) For example, art activities create a sense of achievement inside kids, In addition, it helps them a boost to their self esteem. Helping your child to create something tells them that they are in control and this helps build immense confidence in them!

Celebrate your budding artist! Enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win The Kids’ Book of Paper Love and a $50 gift card to Michaels!

Disclosure: Thank you Workman Publishing for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.

A surprise on every page!

Brimming from cover to cover with projects and other paper surprises, The Kids’ Book of Paper Love, from the bestselling editors of Flow magazine and books, is a bounty of a book that begs to be folded, cut up, collaged, doodled on, and shared.

“Dare to Dream” How cute is this banner? There is just so much fun on every page!

Loop paper strips into a paper chain. Snip out bookmarks. Fold a paper house. Make photo booth props—a silly mustache, a crown—to pose with friends. Bind up a DIY storybook and use it to sketch out adventures and dreams. Construct a paper flower bouquet, a paper terrarium, a fortune-teller with prompts like Lend someone a book and tell them why you recommend it.

The Kids’ Book of Paper Love

From the editors of Flow magazine

Irene Smit & Astrid Van Der Hulst

Release October 15^th, 2019

Recommend ages 7-14

My girls just loved these photo booth props!

Pick up your copy of The Kids’ Book of Paper Love today!

Follow Workman Publishing on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook!

Follow Flow Magazine on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

Enter the Rafflecopter below by November 8, 2019, for a chance to win The Kids’ Book of Paper Love & $50 Michaels Gift Card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DIY: Make your own Percy Jackson & The Olympians Board Game

Disclosure: Thank you Disney Book Group for sponsoring this post.

My son is taking the Percy Jackson summer reading challenge and he just finished reading the first book, “The Lightning Thief.” He is hooked on this adventurous series, and can’t wait to go on to the next book!

I’m challenging my son to finish the Percy Jackson series before summer’s end, and I encourage you to do the same with your kids!

Andrew has only been on summer break for a week, and I am trying my best to keep him occupied. We decided it would be fun to make our very own Percy Jackson and the Olympians board game together. I also thought that it would be a great idea to incorporate trivia questions to help him with comprehension.

Summer reading is critical for students to retain the skills learned in the previous school year. Children who don’t read are at risk of falling behind their classmates. Parents can avoid this by making sure kids take time to read. One great way to get your kids excited about reading is to create a game based on the books they’re planning to tackle this summer!

I have attached some printables and trivia questions to this post to help you and your child create a Percy Jackson & the Olympians game like ours!

Here is a list of things you will need to get started:

Blank board game or large poster board
Colored construction paper & glitter
Markers, colored pencils, or crayons
Stickers or computer image printouts
Glue stick
Dice and/or spinner

Instructions for making your game board:

Create a Percy Jackson & the Olympians “world.” Use your images, stickers, paint and glitter to make the board colorful and unique. Cut 1.5 x 1.5 inch squares, and create a path with a game beginning and end. There is no right or wrong when creating your own game board. The point is to be creative and have fun!

We found this blank board game containing game pieces, blank cards, blank spinner & dice online!

We took out paint and glitter, and printed images relating to the Percy Jackson series like lightning bolts and ocean waves. Feel free to use any of the printables I have attached here when making your own game.

Percy-Jackson PrintablesDownload

Throughout our path of squares that lead from start to finish, we added directions like “Back 2 Spaces”, “Draw an adventure card,” or “Take a spin!”

Instructions for making your spinner:

If you land on “Take a spin!”, you spin the wheel to determine what to do. Divide your spinner into 4 – 6 sections, which you can differentiate by color.

Then we wrote in various game options like:

Go forward 1 space
Go back 2 spaces
Go to the “Underworld” and lose a turn
Take an adventure card!

Andrew also added a rock, paper, scissors option to our spinner!

If you don’t have a spinner, you can still play! Just fill in each of the white squares with directions similar to what would go on the spinner so that on every turn you land on something.

Instructions for making your “Adventure Cards”:

I used Quizlet Online to create my own flashcards of Percy Jackson & the Olympians trivia! Here are some trivia questions to get you started. Print them here. Click here for quiz cards on the characters from Percy Jackson & the Olympians.

When it’s your turn, and the square or spinner tells you to take an adventure card, you must answer a trivia question in order to move forward in the game. (If you get it right on the first try, move forward 3 squares! If you get it right on the second try, move forward 1 square. If you miss the question after 3 tries, go back two squares.)

Print Instructions: Use the print option shown above.

GAME RULES: Here are the instructions to the game we created. Feel free to use them or modify as you like!

Up to 4 players (participants must be familiar with the book series to play)
1st player throws the dice. If the dice lands on an odd number, move forward 1 space. If it lands on an even number, move forward 2 spaces. Player must follow the instruction of the square they land on (i.e. “Take a Spin!” or “Back 2 Spaces”. If they “Take a Spin!” they must also follow the instruction of what the arrow lands on.

A family that reads together, stays together!

We had so much fun as a family playing our Percy Jackson & the Olympians board game.

More About the Series

Percy Jackson & the Olympians by Rick Riordan

Read the 5-book series that has been on the New York Times bestseller list for over 500 weeks!

Learn about Greek Mythology as the Percy Jackson series offers readers a fresh and exciting way to learn about the Olympians, the Titans, the Minotaur, and more while enjoying a fast-paced, highly entertaining adventure!

Disney Pixar Incredibles 2: DIY Glow In The Dark Healthy Snack Buckets

My son LOVES junk food!

I of course, often have to hide it or throw it away…

In celebration of the new Incredibles 2 Movie, my son and I made some easy Snack Buckets.

These adorable buckets will help him “fuel up to stay incredible!” More importantly, they are healthy and Mom approved!

I have listed the instructions for you to make them with your kiddos at home. I have also included a printable Incredibles 2 Activity Kit to enjoy with your family! (see below)

#Incredibles2 Hits Theaters June 15!

Thank you Disney Pixar for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.

About Incredibles 2

In “Incredibles 2,” Helen (voice of Holly Hunter) is called on to lead a campaign to bring Supers back, while Bob (voice of Craig T. Nelson) navigates the day-to-day heroics of “normal” life at home with Violet (voice of Sarah Vowell), Dash (voice of Huck Milner) and baby Jack-Jack—whose super powers are about to be discovered. Their mission is derailed, however, when a new villain emerges with a brilliant and dangerous plot that threatens everything. But the Parrs don’t shy away from a challenge, especially with Frozone (voice of Samuel L. Jackson) by their side. That’s what makes this family so Incredible.

Written and directed by Brad Bird (“Iron Giant,” “The Incredibles,” “Ratatouille”) and produced by John Walker (“The Incredibles,” “Tomorrowland”) and Nicole Grindle (“Sanjay’s Super Team” short, “Toy Story 3” associate producer), Disney•Pixar’s “Incredibles 2” busts into theaters on June 15, 2018.

You Will Need:

Colored Transparent Buckets (found these at my local party store)
Glow Sticks
Hot Glue Gun
Printer
Scissors
Long Wood Craft Sticks or Wood Skewers (cut off sharp edges)
Ziplock Bags (sandwich size)
Healthy Snacks *see my list below

Print out desired Incredible 2 picture and cut it out ( I found this one on the web) Then, glue it to the bucket.

Instructions:

2. Crack glow sticks to illuminate them.

3. Place glow sticks in a Ziplock bags. *very important & for safety

4. Place protected glow sicks in bucket.

Snack Bucket:

Pretzels (low sodium)
Blueberry and Strawberry Yogurt Fruit Snacks
Sugar Free Fruit Snacks
Plain Popcorn

Feel free to create your own!

Other options could be:

Raisins
Dry fruit
Banana chips
And any other healthy snack your kiddo might enjoy!

5. Last, fill up your snack bucket… Nom Nom!

Now how cute and easy was that?

Oooh…Now see how the bucket glows in the dark!

Optional***

I printed out these adorable masks and glued them to the sticks!

My son loved his healthy Snack Bucket, and was excited to share his treats!

The were super fun to make, healthy, and a hit with his friends.

Go see Incredibles 2 in theaters June 15th!

Printable Family Activity Kit :

Incredibles 2 FPK Coloring Pages-Violet Incredibles 2 FPK Coloring Pages-Jack-Jack Incredibles 2 FPK Coloring Pages-Helen I2 FPK Cookie Recipe I2 FPK Memory Cards Incredibles 2 FPK Coloring Pages-Dash Incredibles 2 FPK Coloring Pages-Bob

INCREDIBLES 2

Website: http://disney.com/incredibles2

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PixarTheIncredibles/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheIncredibles

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theincredibles/

DIY: Santa Barbara Wreath Make and Take Class at Armstrong Garden Centers

Earlier this month, I was feeling crafty and I headed to Armstrong Garden Centers in Laguna Niguel with my girlfriends for a Santa Barbara Wreath Make and Take class.

Armstrong Garden Centers offers different gardening classes and events throughout the year…

Thank you Armstrong Garden Centers for inviting me to your Santa Barbara Wreath making class. All opinions are my own.

I love the smell of a fresh wreath during the holidays!

I learned from my instructor that Santa Barbara Wreaths can be made with different plants from in and around my garden.

Our fresh wreaths were picked out for us, laid out, and were ready for decorating.

I made my Santa Barbara Wreath with eucalyptus, pine cones, berries and succulent clippings…

Our friendly instructor walked us through the process…

I cut a 4″ floral wire from a spool and wrapped the bundle of my selected plants. I made about 7 bunches, then attached them to my wreath. The bunches were place in the direction of the grain.

Visit ArmstrongGarden.com for a list of upcoming classes…

About

Armstrong Garden Centers are local garden experts. Their company has over a 125 year tradition of horticultural excellence to take care all of your outdoor needs. They offer a variety of landscape services from landscape design, and full landscape installation to simple plantings and home garden consultations.

We all had different results, but our wreaths were all unique and beautiful…

Happy Holidays! xo

Queen Bee Latina

How To Throw A Fabulous End Of Summer Party

Summertime has come to an end, and my kids are back to school. To celebrate the end of summer, I hosted a “End of Summer Party” for my girlfriends. I truly enjoy entertaining and creating memories with family and friends, and I have recently decided to incorporate fresh new elements into my blog. I will now include: party planning, tablescapes, recipes, and DIYs.

My talented friend and party planner Sandra Mendoza, and I collaborated on this simple yet beautiful party theme to share with you!

Here are some helpful tips when hosting a soiree….

Choose A Theme

Find a theme that is unique and inspires you…

When life gives you lemons… Throw a party!

My party planner and I chose this bright and colorful citrus theme.

“See kid’s inspiration can come from anywhere. I tell clients and anyone I work with parties,
weddings, showers, etc should reflect you and who you are. What inspires you daily or what
reflects who the celebration is for, and there are NO rules. Sometimes, the smallest or most
unusual thing can inspire a bigger picture.” – Party Planner, Sandra Mendoza

Plan Ahead

Don’t leave any planing to the last minute, that way you can spend time and enjoy your guests at your party.

summer-party-tablescape — photo credit to Mary Tran

Set The Mood

Decorate with fresh flowers, candles, and or homemade center pieces. I have learned that you
don’t need to spend a lot of money to create a special ambiance.

The decor was simple and chic, and it all came together beautifully. As you can see, we incorporated lemons, limes, oranges, and grapefruit in our decor.

Warm Welcome

As your guests arrive, welcome them with a cocktail. This will help set the tone to your party.

We served this fresh Grapefruit Paloma Cocktail in mason jars, and garnished them with edible flowers.

Incorporate Small Details

Small party favors or little welcome gifts are always nice…

These mini limoncello bottles were available on ice for my guests.

The Menu

Keep the menu simple. You don’t want to fuss or make a mess in the kitchen! Who has time anyway?

My menu included:

Fresh Summer Salad with Mozzarella, Spinach, and Basil with 18 year aged balsamic vinegar
Rosemary Lemon Chicken (grilled on cedar plank outside)
Lemon Asparagus Orzo Salad

This colorful summer salad was crisp and fresh.

The weather was perfect for grilling, so I made this Cedar Plank Lemon Rosemary Chicken.

summer-party-orzo — Lemon and Asparagus Orzo Salad

summer-party-dessert — Photo Credit To Mary Tran

Dessert- Keep It Simple!

Go to the grocery store or bakery and purchase ice cream, cookies, pie or cake.

For dessert we served lemon, lime, orange citrus flavored sorbet. I added a lemon Meyer cookie and garnished it with some mint, and served it in a martini glass. It looked elegant and there was no baking involved. Score!

Set Up DIY Station

Set up a DIY station, beauty station, and or play games. You want your guests engage and have fun!

I set up a sugar body this DIY Body Scrub Station with instructions.

The girls whipped up their own sugar scrub by adding coconut oil, citrus shavings, lavender, and essential oils. I provided mason jars so that they can take them home.

The Inspiration- My Lemon Print Summer Dress

Let me introduce you to my talented party planner Sandra Mendoza…

“Hi, I’m Sandra. I am a full time returning student (eek), a part-time party planner (Fun!),
and an always friend of Angela’s (Woohoo). I have known Angela, for some time, but have only
recently worked with her in the fun filled, exhausting, but amazing party planning world. She
contacted me in May about helping with her daughter, Tori’s 21st birthday party. I was happy
and excited to help bring the Toga party extravaganza vision they had to light. While planning
the party, Angela and I discussed her blog and how she was ready to bring new fresh elements
and content to it. We discussed doing some parties and DIY’s together. You could feel how
excited we both were for the upcoming things we wanted to do together. The first thing would be
a lady’s end of summer dinner. Something, simple, fresh, relaxing, and nice to celebrate the end
of a season. As we sat there discussing, planning, and scheming away her youngest daughter
brought in a package that had arrived. (Who doesn’t love a little happy mail). Angela opened the
package and it was a dress she had ordered, an adorable, lemon printed, summer dress. I loved it,
and then it hit me; this was our end of the summer party theme. The lemon print was simple,
fresh, and relaxing. I told Angela, and she agreed this was a great idea. So, off we went to plan
the perfect end of summer dinner party.

See kid’s inspiration can come from anywhere. I tell clients and anyone I work with parties,
weddings, showers, etc should reflect you and who you are. What inspires you daily or what
reflects who the celebration is for, and there are NO rules. Sometimes, the smallest or most
unusual thing can inspire a bigger picture. Maybe it’s a dress print or drinking beer instead of
wine in your wedding ceremony, or not having any traditional shower games, because that is not
who you are. Celebrations should be fun, easy, and how you want them to feel. Find what gives
you that feeling and you can make it your own perfect party! So, cheers to perfect parties, with
no rules, and inspiration that finds us in a million possible ways.”

My girlfriends and I relaxed, indulged, and enjoyed our special time together. It was fabulous, fun, and memorable. I hope I have inspired you to host your own soiree…

Stay tuned for the recipes I served at my party…

Cheers!

~Queen Bee Latina

DIY: Despicable Me 3 Minion Theater

Thank you Bounty for sponsoring this post. All Opinions are my own.

My most treasured childhood memories include craft time with family and friends. Technology was very limited when I was growing up, and we relied on our imagination and creativity for fun. We often played outside until dusk, told stories, and made crafts. I want to create memorable moments like these with my son. He is a huge Despicable Me fan, so I decided to help him create a Minion puppet show!

Puppet shows are loads of fun, and inspire kids to use their imagination through storytelling. Here’s an easy DIY that you can make together at home and then use the new Bounty with Despicable Me 3 prints for clean up!

He was totally ecstatic about the activity, and we invited his primas (cousins) to come over and join in on the fun!

The Minions in Despicable Me 3 are just adorable!

Supplies:

Yellow and colored cardstock or construction paper
Large trifold poster board
Scissors
Markers and/or crayons
Glue
Jumbo craft sticks
Large craft googly eyes
Bounty with Despicable Me 3 print paper towels or napkins for clean up!

We searched online and looked at different Minions to help design each puppet.

Directions:

1. Use oval shaped stencil, plastic container, or shaped object and trace on yellow paper (recommended size 8 1/2″ tall 5″ wide)

2.Cut the oval shape for the Minion body

3.Cut out shapes to create and embellish the minion’s clothing and accessories

4.Add one or two googly eyes

5.Glue oval shape cut out to craft stick (handle for Minion puppet)

6.Cut out a large square in the trifold poster 17″ wide by 15 1/2″ high (this is tricky and should be done by adult)

7.Design and embellish your Minion Theater- cut out curtains, trees, sun, flowers, or whatever you want and paste to the poster board

The children had a blast making Minions and designing their outfits and accessories!

Here is an example of the stage the children made with the trifold poster board. They added curtains, trees, and sunshine to theirs.

Clean up can be fun!

The kiddos used the new Bounty with Despicable Me 3 print napkins to wipe the extra glue residue on their puppets and countertop…With these adorable new prints on Bounty paper towels and napkins, the kiddos were MORE than happy to help clean up the mess!

Just in time for Despicable Me 3 now in theaters (and rated PG), Bounty with new Despicable Me 3 prints are in stores nationwide featuring the ever-mischievous Minions! The limited-edition prints are available in Paper Towel and Quilted Napkins and pack a punch of color and fun that only the Minions can deliver.

Go see Despicable Me 3 in theaters today!