Unicorn Party

  After the fun cat party we had, and with the continued love of Beanie Boos, my daughter decided to have a Beanie Boo unicorn-themed birthday party. That was actually pretty helpful as far as the piñata was concerned, since it was very similar to the cat one I previously made:

  Papier mâché one balloon for the head, a balloon for the body, some toilet paper tubes for the legs, and use bunched up papier mâché for the ears and horn. After painting, use tissue paper for the mane and tail. Don't forget to leave a hole at the top!

  We had a few games lined up as well:

1. Unicorn Ring Toss - one person has 3 rings (we used glow sticks to make the rings) and has to try to toss them onto the "horns" (party hats). 

2.  Pin the Horn on the Unicorn - I'm sure everyone is familiar with this style of game. It can be adapted to any theme of birthday party. I drew a unicorn on a poster and made different coloured horns out of construction paper. Boom! Done.

3. Musical Balloons - There were a bunch of balloons on the ground of varying colours. When the music stopped they had to grab one.

4. Piñata time!!!

  When games were done it was time for lunch and cake (and cupcakes!). For lunch I had the kids make their own English muffin pizzas. This was great because they could choose their own toppings so everyone was happy! 

  I also had a little too much fun coming up with the dessert:

  Cupcakes!!! Some buttercream frosting took care of most of the decorating. Chocolate chips helped the eyes, and then I found a secret ingredient: Starbursts. Microwave a Starburst for 7 seconds (at least that's what was perfect in my microwave) and it will become soft enough to mold and smooth out. It will then harden in that shape. I used those for the ears and horn.

  The cake took a lot of icing, but it was worth it. I did use one cupcake for the muzzle, and those chocolate chips came into play again for the eyes. For the legs, ears and horn I used Rice Krispy treats. They took a little bit of extra icing, but they ended up looking great.

  I'm not a fan of the taste of fondant. When I go to kid birthday parties I rarely see kids eat it. I have been told that there are good homemade fondant recipes out there that taste really good, but I haven't encountered one yet. I'm sure it would make cakes like this a lot faster with decorating. For now, I shall stick with my tried and true buttercream. For me it just doesn't get any better.