Sand and Sea Turtle Party part 2 – The Activities and Cake!

Hey party peeps!
Today I’m sharing the Sand and Sea Turtle Party Part 2 – The Activities and Cake! The activities were super fun and ALL the guests got into it…all ages even the adults! My Look for Less tip:

Create Turtle Themed Activities That Double As Take Home Favors!
When you create activities for your guests to do during the party can also double as take home favors saving you money on having to do goodie bags or separate party favors! Great idea when you’re on a budget!

DECORATE TURTLE BANKS!
We used markers & rhinestone stickers to decorate mini ceramic turtle banks…PERFECT for little ones! I got these from Oriental Trading and they sold them in dozens so I had some extras that the adults were more than happy to decorate themselves!

GIRLFRIEND TIP: These are supposed to be painted, but I decided to roll with markers and stickers to decorate them instead to cut down on potential mess! We also used highlighter markers for this activity that actually worked much better AND I had to switch to thicker markers after these pics were taken as the thin markers just didn’t do a good job!

LET’S DOODLE TURTLE SHELL COOKIES!
I ordered large round cookies from my grocery store bakery and asked them to dip them in smooth icing which dries to a perfectly hard smooth surface to draw on with edible markers!

GIRLFRIEND TIP: The markers are edible and safe for kids. Note that I purchased 2 packs of these however so that there were 2 of each color so the kids could use multiple colors at the same time…cuts down on wait time by impatient little ones!

DECORATE A PLAIN STORE BOUGHT ICE CREAM CAKE YOURSELF!
I had so much fun doing this! I am NOT a baker, so I am always excited to come up with creative way to decorate and make store-bought cakes and cupcakes FABULOUS! I immediately called my girl Brittany from Edible Details to create a one-of-a-kind 3D fondant cake topper to match my printables. She nailed it! Riley is still in LOVE with her little turtle..she’s named her Sweetie!

HOW DID SHE DO THAT?
1. Buy an undecorated ice cream cake (you can use regular cake also)
2. Cover the entire top of the cake with blue sugar sprinkles to give the effect of sparkly water
3. Place the fondant topper turtle on top like she’s swimming on the top of the cake
4. Top it off with a custom Lolli-tag circle printable! AVAILABLE HERE
5. Place the cake on an elevated cake plate…or in this case…get creative! I used a white dinner plate on top of a wire fruit basket from my kitchen.
6. Place the stand on a large platter then cover the bottom of the platter with brown sugar to look like sand (don’t pack it down)
7. Nestle the store-bought cupcakes into the sugar and sprinkle a little of the brown sugar on top of the icing
8. Top each cupcake with a custom Lolli-tag cupcake topper!
The final look is super custom and high-end!

GIRLFRIEND TIP: I saved so much money on this party by using most of the items I already owned and making use of dollar store finds that I did SPLURGE on the custom 3D fondant topper. $65 may seem high to some, but I wanted a special item that my daughter could treasure. The great thing…it is still in her room nestled amongst all her turtle banks that her family made just for her! PRICELESS!

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$228 BUDGET BREAKDOWN:
Decor: $75
– “Sand & Sea Turtle” printables ($55 Soiree Event Design Shop)
– 2 packs blue plastic plates ($2 Dollar Tree)
– green cups with lids & straws ($8 Dollar Tree)
– bamboo & shell decor piece ($5 thrift shop)
– gold and green ceramic turtle ($5 thrift shop)
– tablecloths, white vase with green floral centerpiece, gold chargers, green plates, chairs, tables, turtle stuffed animals & large bling turtle bank ($0 already owned)

Activity #1 – Decorate Turtle Banks $22
– 12 turtle banks ($20 Oriental Trading)
– markers ($0 already owned)
– rhinestone stickers ($2 Walmart)

Activity #2 – Doodle Cookies $31
– 8 iced cookies ($16 Byerly’s grocery store)
– edible markers ($15 Amazon)

Cake & Cupcake Display $100
– ice cream cake ($21 Dairy Queen)
– sugar sprinkles ($3 Byerly’s grocery store)
– 3D custom turtle fondant topper ($65 Edible Details)
– cupcakes ($6 Super Target)
– brown sugar ($2 Super Target)
– silver wire fruit bowl & large white tray ($0 already owned)

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Cheers!
Tonya