That Thing You Do! Fan Costume

Is there anyone else out there besides me who STILL loves the movie That Thing You Do!? Raise a hand or let out a scream! I first fell in love with this movie when it hit theaters in 1996. I was 11 years old, and was obsessed with it, along with all of my friends. I owned the soundtrack and listened to it on repeat so many times that I think I must have really annoyed my parents. I always tried to do my hair like Liv Tyler's, and knew every line of the movie by heart. There's something really wholesome and sweet about this film that I always loved, and the soundtrack is amazing. (I sing Mr Downtown to myself ALL the time).

I thought it would be fun to add another felt t-shirt DIY to the mix and make a fun little last minute Halloween costume for those of you who would want to pay homage to the best movie of the 90s (in my opinion). 

Just to refresh your memory, this costume idea is based on the scene in the film where the band finds out they're going straight to California to be in a movie and play the Hollywood Television Showcase. "C-c-california?" "Disneyland???" When they walk out of their dressing room to jump into the car that's waiting for them to take them to the airport, a bunch of crazy fans are there, and one is holding a sign that says SHADES with a big heart around it, 'cause we all know, Tom Everett Scott's character, Guy Patterson, was the reason they became famous. So there ya go! From inspiration to real life Halloween costume! 

::MATERIALS::

1) Plain White T-shirt (I found mine at Michael's)

2)Self-Adhesive Letter Stickers (also found at Michael's in the sticker section)

3) Sheets of felt in lime green, raspberry, taxi yellow, and grape (to match the colors of the title in the movie)

4) Hot glue gun + glue

5) Scissors

6) Your favorite accessories - cat eye sunnies, chiffon hair scarf, leggings or capri pants

::FOR THE POSTER::

1) White scrapbooking paper 

2) Pink scrapbooking paper

3) Tape or glue

4) Scissors

This is the simplest DIY in the world! All you have to do is cut out strips of the felt to act as a backing to each of your letters (except for the word THAT which I only used one single piece of felt for). Once you have each square/rectangle cut out, apply your letters directly on to the little squares of felt! Then, hot glue the pieces all down in place, and voila. So easy! I used the DVD cover of the movie as a reference for how I laid the letters out, as they're not totally uniform and straight across. As for the poster board, just cut out a nice big heart (I estimated the size of mine), use glue or tape to stick it down in the middle of your white paper, and add an arrow going through it with a sharpie, and you have your very own Shades fan sign!

 I absolutely loved how the costume turned out. It only cost me around $10-$15 because I already had most of the supplies and outfit accessories!  ** If you make this, be sure to tag circusofcakesxhalloween and tag me @circusofcakes in your posts so I can see your creations!**

Also, don't forget about my sweet DIY Ice Cream Sprinkles tee idea from a few posts back! 

Actual movie poster for reference:

 

Birthday Cake Caramel Pumpkins + a GIVEAWAY!

One of my favorite things to do when fall comes around is to decorate pumpkins, and ever since I came across this adorable box of birthday cake caramels while browsing at Sugarfina, I thought it would be really fun to paint cute little white pumpkins to look like the caramels, and I'm pretty happy with the results! It's super easy to do, too!

::Supplies::

 One medium sized paintbrush, preferably a large area flat brush

Acrylic Paint in your three favorite colors for the confetti, and one tube of white acrylic paint

Small white pumpkins (I purchased 8-10)

A package of small circular foam stamps (I found them in the section where the tie dye stuff is, and they come in all different sizes)

(I purchased all craft supplies from Michael's, and the pumpkins from Trader Joe's) 

::How-To:

1) Get out your white paint, put some of it into a disposable bowl or if you have a reusable empty paint palette, squirt it in there

2) Take your brush, dip it into the paint, and then cover the whole pumpkin in that white paint, leaving your stems bare. You'll want to do this to all of them, and make sure to get the white paint completely covering each one, getting as close to the bottom as possible.

3) Let the pumpkins dry overnight.

4) When they're all dry, start stamping on your confetti! There's no special order to it. You can make the colors as random as possible and they can be placed in any spot! I made some of mine overlap, just how real confetti would look if it was thrown around.

And that's it! Acrylic Paint dries really fast, and also washes off with water while still wet, so be wary of that. 

Now, for the fun part... I'm giving away a box of these yummy Sugarfina Birthday Cake Caramels to three lucky people! Just head on over to my Instagram page to enter (@circusofcakes). Yay! GOOD LUCK!

Frocktail Party! with Unique Vintage

For those who know me, it should come as no surprise that I love a good pink frilly dress, and I love a good girly drink! I recently attended a party where cake batter martini's were served, and I fell in L-O-V-E. I knew I would have to re-create them for my Frocktail party (like the name? I'm kind of obsessed) that you're about to see here, and it's pretty amazing, you guys.

Now ladies and gentleman, may I present to you the cutest cocktail dress in the entire world, the Iconic by UV Dandridge Dress! What I love most about it is that it's the perfect 1950s silhouette and makes me feel ultra feminine and girly, and it can be dressed up or down. I'm a sucker for flats, but you can also wear some pretty kitten heels with it, or even some converse lace-ups for a Lily Allen-inspired laid back look.

When Unique Vintage asked me to create a drink inspired by one of their UV Brand dresses, I jumped at the opportunity! Once I laid my eyes on the dress, instantly I thought about that cake batter martini, and off I went to pick out all of the ingredients at my local liquor store. It' SO easy to make and tastes like a slice of cake! The pink dress + sprinkled cake drink combo are a match made in heaven, don't you think? Read below for more goodness and a link for where you can buy a Dandridge dress for yourself!

::CAKE BATTER MARTINI:: 

(makes one drink)

1) Pinnacle Cake Vodka (1/4 oz)

2) Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur (1/2 oz)

3) Amaretto (1/2 oz)

4) Creme De Cocoa (1/4 oz)

5) Heavy Whipping Cream (1 oz)

6) Sprinkles (I used rainbow jimmies)

Wet the rim of your martini glass (I just used water, but you could use lemon juice as well). Dump a bunch of sprinkles on a plate, and roll the rim of the glass around the sprinkles until they all stick to it. Add a small amount of sprinkles to the bottom of your empty martini glass. Then add all ingredients into your favorite cocktail shaker with a couple handfuls of ice. Shake and pour into your martini glass. Top with more sprinkles!

::Outfit Details::

Iconic by UV 1950s Hot Pink Swiss Dot Dandridge Strapless Dress (can be found at Unique Vintage)

Cupcakes provided by Goodie Girls Cupcakery

Shoes (Gilda in Blue) by Bait Footwear

Photos taken by my amazing friend Amy of A Fashion Nerd
Art Direction & Styling by me

*Unique Vintage specializes in vintage dresses*

DIY Ice Cream Sundae Outfit

 Everyone who knows me, knows how much I love ice cream + sprinkles, and since Halloween is coming up, I thought it could be fun to create an ice cream cone costume! But then I got to thinking.. what if I created an OUTFIT that was wearable for the every day? And then I came up with this little number! Instead of creating a cherry stem for your head, I thought a simple red headband would work, and it's something you don't have to spend a lot of money on! I happened to already have one, which was helpful.

The shirt and other supplies:

I bought a simple white t-shirt at Michaels, and about five different colored felt sheets (baby blue, pink, yellow, red, and brown, 39 cents each, woop woop). I cut out three of each color into the shapes of jimmies. making sure I rounded all of the edges with my scissors. I guessed the length and width - you can make them as big or as small as you want! and hot glued them in different places all over the top half of the shirt. I would suggest laying them out in your preferred design and take a photo of it so you can remember what you did, before gluing them down. I am not the crafty type by any means, and this was honestly SO easy to make and took such little time. Once I had the shirt and the headband, I was on a hunt for a nude colored bottom that I could afford. I made a visit over to my local Forever21, and found this adorable faux leather mini skirt, and it's the perfect addition! I completed the look with a simple skinny red belt (which I already had in my closet), and put on my favorite pair of Bait Footwear flats and I feel like a walking ice cream cone and I am VERY excited about it. :) The whole DIY look cost me just under $30, and I love how it all turned out! I hope you love it, too!

 

and the final look! i'm obsessed!

What You'll Need:

White T-shirt (can be found at any big craft supply store)

Felt sheets in assorted colors (I bought five colors, but you can use as many/as little as you want!)

Hot glue gun + glue 

Scissors

Nude colored skirt/shorts or leggings (My skirt can be found HERE)

Optional Items: 

Red headband

Skinny belt in your color of choosing (I happen to love red - here's a cute one that's reversible! also this darling pink one here )

Pastel flats (Mine can be found HERE)  

 

Animal Cookie Poptarts

The other day, I came across a recipe for homemade poptarts, one of my favorite breakfast treats from childhood, and since focusing my blog on more of a cake-centric theme, I thought why not add cream cheese frosting to the mix? I took a basic dough recipe from this blog (here), and instead of the usual jam, I made cream cheese frosting (recipe here), and added ANIMAL COOKIES to it! *An easy way of doing so is by crushing up a couple generous handfuls of animal cookies and then adding them to the batter, stirring until incorporated.

Ahh, so fun, right? And as crazy as it all sounds - they are pretty delicious. If I make these again (which I'm sure I will), I'll be rolling the dough a lot thinner. The pop tarts are pretty thick, but I'm not complaining. Now excuse me while I sneak off another bite!

Cinnamon Roll Birthday Cake

When I was a kid, I was obsessed with Cinnabon. I loved going to the mall where I could find this delicious smelling shop and staring at the people behind the glass making the dough, rolling it out, sprinkling cinnamon all over it, spreading it with butter, and cutting it up and putting it in the oven. There was something so comforting to me about watching the process, and I also loved to snack on them when I was allowed, as well. I always got the mini version so I wouldn't feel as bad about how many calories were in one, cause there were were a lot.

Recently I thought about making my own, so I went out and bought all of the ingredients, and thought it might be cool to add birthday cake crumbles into the dough, much like this recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction (HERE) It's mostly the same recipe, though I prepared the dough differently by making the yeast mixture separately before adding it into the mixing bowl. I'll be honest, though. The thought of making dough had always terrified me. I never thought I'd be able to do it, and I have to admit, I almost gave up on my first try. I must have tried to activate the dry yeast at least five times, and I was getting really frustrated. But finally, after taking a few days off, I came back to it and I figured it out, and was quickly on my way to being a bread maker!

I think because of the temperature of the kitchen and my poor timing skills, I let the dough sit for too long before I started to top it with the filling, so by the time I was ready to roll it all up, it became one giant pillowy log. I cut each piece into about 1.5 inch sizes just like the recipe called for, and placed them in my baking dish (sans parchment paper, as I didn't have any on me - I used tin foil which I sprayed with baking spray instead), and hoped for the best. When they came out of the oven, they were a bit hard to distinguish as individual slices. They must have all puffed up in the oven enough to become one giant cinnamon roll, but hey, there's nothing wrong with that.. so I am donning this a cinnamon roll cake! And it tastes delicious! Next time I would go even crazier with brown sugar and cinnamon because it's a little light on that flavor, and I would try to make the icing with cream cheese (this one didn't have any in the recipe, still good though!), but other than that I'm pretty darn happy with it! Again, the original recipe that I used came from this blog: Sally's Baking Addiction. I cut a slice and put in pink glitter candle in it for effect, but you can see that it would make a really fun alternative for a birthday cake!

Fave spots: Goodie Girls Cupcakery

It's a well known fact that I love a good bakery. I've been known to frequent the same places once I discover them, and end up coming home with a box full of treats every time. This bakery, located in La Cañada Flintridge (near Pasadena, in Los Angeles) is pink and white DREAM. The walls have pink stripes adorning them all the way to the very back of the shop! There are white photo frames decorating the walls, along with a picture of the owner, Annette Starbuck, who took home the title on Cupcake Wars in 2011. Not only do they sell delicious cupcakes, they sell really cute little cakes, cake pops, brownies, cookies, and mini loaves. They also carry gluten free and vegan options, and always have one or two yummy treats that are seasonal! Annette was kind of enough to let me snap some photos of the shop, and I'm so excited to share them with you now!

:: the space ::

:: the goods :: 

:: and extra special thanks to LISA for modeling the delicious confetti cake!  ::

goodie girls cupcakery can be found here: 637 w. foothill blvd. la cañada flintridge, ca. 91011

 website: the goodie girls

for those of you in LA, they'll be changing the menu next week! (aug 31st) so i'd suggest hopping over there if you want to try what they have going on now. (check the website for their current offerings of flavors)

Outfit Planning with Fanatics.com

01. denim jacket / 02. lipstick / 03. sf giants hat /

04. striped ponte dress / 05. bunny sneaks

Now I know what you're thinking, "JENNA LIKES SPORTS?" I know, it might be shocking, but I have been known to enjoy watching a sport or two. I played tennis for a number of years, and loved it. I grew up in a household where baseball was ever present, as well. My brother started playing at a very young age, and continued to play through college. I have a lot of memories going to his practices and games, but also going to professional games as well at Dodger Stadium (my home stadium). I've always loved the "sporty chic" look, combining something as casual as a baseball cap, with other items that are a little more "luxe" like leather sneakers or a ultra feminine shift dress. When I discovered Fanatics, I couldn't help but think of putting together a sporty chic ensemble! I've always loved the city of San Francisco, and I have a lot of friends who live in SF/support the SF Giants, so I had to go with that team for my hat selection. I also love the color grey as I find it goes with SO many things. It's the perfect neutral to build any outfit from. The denim jacket is also a must; I wear one almost every day, and I had to top the whole outfit off with some bright red/orange lipstick to match the orange in the logo.

If you've been thinking about a great accessory for the summer, check out Fanatics' baseball hat selection. So many fun colors to choose from and if you don't like the SF Giants, they have all the other teams as well.

Shop Spotlight: Clearly Kombucha

Today's post is all about Clearly Kombucha, a bright and colorful Kombucha company based out of the most colorful city, San Francisco! Clearly Kombucha prides itself on making the most delicious Kombucha that also happens to come in really fun flavors, like Chai Cola and Strawberry Hibiscus. Also, the packaging is to die for. I decided to pair these two yummy flavors with some other things that I love - sour candies! There's nothing like staying in and watching your favorite movie (or tv show) with a cold drink and some sugary treats.

I can't get over these pairings! The Strawberry Hibiscus reminds me of strawberry lemonade, while the Chai Cola has the right amount of exotic spice mixed with that familiar Coca Cola flavor we all know. SO GOOD.

Oh, and if you've never had Kombucha, get on it. Seriously! Kombucha is sparkling fermented tea, which means it's like having a flavored sparkling beverage that gives you health benefits! Kombucha is known for being a great probiotic/digestive healer, is good for increasing your immune system, and has way less sugar than soda, so you can feel like you're drinking one, but without having all of that added sugar that's not good for you!

You can find out more about Clearly Kombucha and where they carry it HERE

Cola and Strawberry Gummies from Lolli and Pops

Mini Donut Pancakes

Back when we were still all crazy about National Donut Day, I had a strange idea. As I was browsing for dinner options in the supermarket, I noticed those sinful boxes of frozen eggo pancakes in the frozen breakfast aisle, and then I remembered they made them in MINI version! So I took the box home, let it defrost for a while, and took one out to see what I could do with it. I haven't really seen or eaten one of these guys in a long time but I used to loooove them as a kid. So I punched a hole out of the middle of one of them, covered it with frosting, poured on a handful of sprinkles, and voila! Mini donut pancakes! They also look like mini donut bagels, too! In fact, more so like the bagels. These were actually SO easy to make and aren't they just adorable? Not half bad tasting, either! Here are the ingredients:

 

Punching a hole out with my thumb. Or you could use something like a small cookie cutter instead. Just be aware that they fall apart preeeetty easily, so use a light hand on it!

 

Laying down the frosting

 

 

And finally, the final product. I'm drooling just looking at them now.

 

  

I also thought it could be fun to make these as a special treat for a friend who could be celebrating a birthday or other life achievement. Just stick a pretty candle in there and you're good to go!

 

Now hop to the store and try these at home! <3

 Pretty plates purchased at Urbanic

Plates designed by Meri Meri