December 8, 2015

Gingerbread Christmas Decor

It's the most wonderful time of the year...I L-O-V-E Christmas, decorating for Christmas and I'm also obsessed about everything gingerbread!


I've been collecting gingerbread stuff for about 10+ years now.  This year, I created a new painted sign to hang next to my christmas tree.


Gingerbread Themed Mantle

Gingerbread Ribbon 
Gingerbread Stocking 
Gingerbread Garland
Gingerbread Themed Tree and Painted Sign
I Love Gingerbread Sign - by Artistic Anya Designs 
My cute little gingerbread boy

Gingerbread Recipe Ornament
Rudolph Gumdrop Ornament
Peppermint Tree Topper - Gingerbread Themed Tree
My CUTE Yorkie Chloe with her Christmas Bow
Giant Candy Pillows (bought from Hobby Lobby a few years ago)
Candy Cane Heart - I Love Gingerbread Sign


I also painted a new reversible sign for my front porch decor.  For my fall decor it says Harvest and I flipped it over and painted Peace for my Christmas decor. 


Reversible Reclaim Wood Sign - Peace - By Artistic Anya Designs


Want to see my latest creations? Follow me on Instagram and Facebook (click on the icons on right sidebar)

Hope you enjoyed my holiday home decor and hope you enjoy this holiday season! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from my family to yours!

Love~Anya

December 5, 2015

DIY Minecraft Party



For my son's 10th birthday we decided last minute to throw him a birthday party.  He was over the moon that it was a Minecraft theme party! I literally threw it altogether in one day (which was a day before the party). From the decor to the favors and a semi-homemade Minecraft brownie cake, I think it came together quite nicely for being last minute. 


DIY Creeper Favors

Supplies:
-Green Cellophane Favor Bags
-Black Electrical Tape
-Scissors
-Twist Ties
-Candy/Favors to fill bags

I already had some plain green cellophane favor bags in my supplies from a previous party. First, take the black electrical tape and cut 2 squares for the eyes with scissors. Next, cut 2 rectangles (each about 1" long). Take 1 of the rectangles and cut in half lengthwise. Place the large rectangle in the middle of the bag for the creeper nose. Then place the thin strips along each side halfway down the nose. Lastly, place the square eyes on each side above the nose.  Repeat the steps for each favor bag. 


Helpful Tip: I put a finished bag underneath as a guide for placement of the creeper face. This really helped keep the bags looking uniform.


Fill favor bags with small toys/favors and candy. Close the bags with twist ties.




Pixelated Woven Streamers
I wanted to create a unique backdrop. I already had brown, green and white streamers in my craft/party stash. At first I hung alternating colors vertically from a curtain rod in a striped fashion. I used scotch tape to hang the streamers on the rod and taped the bottoms against the wall. 


 I wasn't really happy with just the striped pattern, so I wove the streamers horizontally.






Minecraft Grass Block Brownie Cake

Supplies:
-3 square trays of pre-made brownies
-2 containers of Green Candy Shred by ChocoMaker
-1 tub of green frosting
-butter knife to spread frosting
-candles
-black platter

Since my oven is currently broken, I wasn't able to bake my own cupcakes or brownies. Normally I prefer to bake my own desserts.  In this case, it helped me save time by buying everything already made. I bought 3 square trays of pre-made brownies from Walmart in the bakery section. 


I found this grass-like sprinkles in the cake decorating aisle at Walmart. It's called Green Candy Shred by ChocoMaker.


The brownies were presliced, but I sliced them again into squares. I bought a tub of green frosting and spread it over all the brownies. 



Once I covered the entire top of the brownies, my daughter helped me sprinkle the Green Candy Shred all over the top of the brownies.





On the day of the party, I stacked the grass block brownies to form a Minecraft style cake on a black platter. 




This semi-homemade brownie cake was super easy to put together that anyone can do it! 


If I had more time, I would have made some Minecraft cupcake toppers to finish them off.



I used the kids' Halloween costumes that I had handmade for them for the party decorations. The Minecraft Steve head, Diamond Pickaxe and Minecraft Cow were part of the kids costumes this past Halloween. 


According to my son, this was the BEST birthday! Although I felt a little guilty for the last minute planning, he still loved the little details that I put into his party. As a mom, that smile on his face means the world to me. 


If your kid loves Minecraft, I hope some of these easy party ideas will help you throw a totally awesome Minecraft-themed party!  


Need more Minecraft party ideas? Check out and follow my Minecraft Party Pinterest board. (<--CLICK LINK)

Follow Artistic Anya Designs