DIY Peppa Pig Birthday Banner

Posted on April 14, 2014 by themercadoproject

Hello everybody!

I hope you guys are well.

My youngest daughter turned 4 years old this past Saturday. I wish I could have captured on camera how her morning, sleepy face transformed into sheer happiness upon hearing us say, “Happy Birthday Sophia!” It was magical and so sweet. I did take a ton of pictures after we got all dressed up, but I have to sort through them first. For this post, I wanted to share with you how I made her a Peppa Pig birthday banner.

Enjoy!

This banner was super easy to make and didn’t take long. I found the banner template online. I had foam flower cut outs saved from a great find at the dollar section in Target. I did the happy, birthday, and letter circles myself on Word, then glued everything together and strung it up with pink ribbon.

I absolutely loved how this banner came out and my daughter loved seeing it up on the wall. The theme was Peppa Pig and she loved seeing all the different pictures of Peppa Pig.

More pictures to come.

Take good care all.

Until next time…

DIY Super Mario and Friends Treat Bags

Posted on June 10, 2013 by themercadoproject

Hello everybody!

I hope you guys are well.

This year for my daughter’s birthday we decided to keep things simple. We found a bowling place and invited Olivia’s cousins who live out-of-state. Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating making driving dangerous for our out-of-state family (same thing happened last year) so we had to postponed our gathering. We did go bowling ourselves because we wanted to take her somewhere fun, plus we wanted to check out the place, which turned out to be great. I also went ahead and made treat bags for my daughters and their cousins.

Here’s what I did:

I purchased plain red treat bags at Target. Then I searched online for Mario and friends. Print, cut and glued the characters onto the bags.

I found Super Mario and friends mini notepads, erasers, pencils, and pencil sharpeners at partycity.com. I got all the candy and birdie whistle from orientaltrading.com. The fruit snack packs, which come in a great family size box (50) are from Market Pantry available at Target.

I labeled each bag and my daughter, Olivia loved her birthday treat bag.

Take good care all.

Until next time…

To my firstborn

Posted on June 7, 2013 by themercadoproject

To my firstborn,

Every day I walk by your baby picture and

I’m amazed at how much you have grown.

Today, you’re an official 6-year-old.

Time rushes by and before you get any older

please let me describe what I see in this moment.

You’re a magnificent little artist,

who uses her imagination beyond and then some.

You just started learning how to read and

you’re tapping out words left and right.

You’re also writing up a storm, asking us how

you spell this or that or once upon a time.

Your yuk yuk laugh is infectious and a lovely sound to hear.

You love to learn new songs and you sing them at full blast.

Your little sister can belt out “America the beautiful”

because you’re a wonderful big sister/teacher.

I will continue to watch you with amazement

because you are my world, my heart, my firstborn.

Angelica Mercado

___________________________________________________________________

Hello everybody!

I hope you guys are well.

My daughter celebrated her 6^th birthday today. She was very excited and the night before I decorated our living room with balloons and banners.

This number 6 balloon is huge and I also had a big butterfly (just because). I ordered the balloon banner when Olivia was about 3 years old so it is a good reusable banner. I made two Super Mario Banners (theme) and came upon the stars at the dollar section at Target. I just drew in the eyes with a sharpie marker. I also put up three tissue paper pom-pom balls (again, just because).

http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?vid=1&pid=484345002

I ordered and gave my daughter this T-shirt from Old Navy so she could wear it to school and she loved it. She jumped into my arms and gave me a big ol’ hug. You’re welcome my darling.

At school my daughter handed out little treat bags filled with a small coloring page with the number 6, gummy snacks, a raisin box, pretzels, and mini marshmallows to her classmates and teacher. She later informed me that she had a great day at school. Always great to hear!

While my daughter was at school, I was busy at home baking a cake for her and wrapping her gifts. I purchased the Super Mario and friends figures at Amazon and I found this cute wrapping paper at the dollar section at Target. The bows were made using this great bow tutorial http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/2013/04/how-to-make-paper-bow.html by Jessica Jones.

We had a wonderful dinner followed by singing Happy Birthday to Olivia and eating great cake. She got to open her gifts, which included books, a great Spider-Man T-shirt, and LeapFrog headphones. This little girl was beyond happy and I’m very happy to have given her a great day.

Happy 6th Birthday Olivia!

Take good care all.

Until next time…

Celebration Recap

Posted on April 15, 2013 by themercadoproject

Hello everybody! I hope you guys are well.

My youngest daughter is officially three and we had a birthday week-end celebration with friends and family. We broke things down by celebrating her actual birthday on Friday, just us in the house. I wanted to make a small (I like the Jiffy cake mix), funfetti cake

and it was the perfect time to try out these Bake-Even Cake Strips (Wilton) that I’ve seen online and found on sale at AC Moore craft store.

I didn’t realize I went overboard on the sprinkles until…

…the cake was done and I flipped it out of the baking pan.

As you can see the cake strip (around the pan) worked, but there were noticeable differences other than the cake dome that appears when you don’t use this strip. The cake sticks to the side of the pan more and the bottom was moist when I took it out. I like that it baked even, but I don’t know if I’m going to use the strip again. We’ll see.

I melted a little bit of the Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy Chocolate frosting (15 seconds in the microwave) in a glass bowl and this made things easy to spread on the cake. I really don’t like when the cake crumbs combine with the frosting. I threw a little bit more of sprinkles, yes more, on the frosting and then…

…the #3 candle. My daughter loved her funfetti cake.

I chose the theme of the cartoon Bubble Guppies featured on Nickelodeon. I decorated with free printables from nickjr.com and purchased a huge #3 balloon. Balloons are always a huge hit.

The banner, poster, and pin the tail game were cute, easy, and fun to put together. Just go to nickjr.com and click on birthdays and you’ll see all of the themes and projects available for each.

The following day was Saturday and we invited friends and family with kids to join us at an indoor playground/arcade (funtopiausa.com). We paid for the kids admission, tokens for them to play the arcade games, and food (pizza, popcorn, and drinks). We stayed for about two hours and when it was time to go I gave each invited guest a goody box filled with candy, toys and stickers.

My aunt had given me these boxes about a year ago and I was so happy to finally have a reason to use them. I glued the images of the Bubble Guppies, which I printed out at nickjr.com, and made the middle image with my daughter’s name. I then took the glitter glue in blue and green and made swirl lines like waves on the boxes. I then filled the boxes with candy (skittles, smarties, Tootsie rolls, lollipop, rose ring pop, candy bracelet, and sixlets) from orientaltrading.com along with little toys like a mushroom spinning top (not shown) and Easter Pop-Ups, which are a lot of fun for children and adults.

We ended the day with my husband’s homemade piñata, which he made with a balloon, scraps of paper, and modge podge.

My husband had fun making this and the kids had a lot more fun whacking the heck out of it.

On our last day of celebration (Sunday), my family came over and we sang happy birthday once again with another cake (Oreo No Bake Dessert), chocolate lollipops (vanilla, dark mint, & peanut butter), and great, homemade food. Thanks Mom and my aunt Aida!

I was pretty happy with this plan of action for celebrating my daughter’s birthday. Many people get really stressed out planning birthdays and end up spending a lot of money. I didn’t want the headaches or the empty wallet. No offense to anyone who goes big, because of course, if I had space and extra money, I would be singing a different tune, but at this moment minimal is the way to go. So one birthday down, one more to go.

Take good care all and thanks for visiting.

Until next time…

My dad is not computer savvy

Posted on March 26, 2013 by themercadoproject

Hello everybody! I hope you guys are well. My dad’s birthday is coming up and he’s the hardest person to shop for in my family and that’s only because if you ask him (I stopped asking him a long time ago) what he needs or wants for his special day, he’d tell you to save your money because he doesn’t need anything. Your presence is worth more to him and I love that, but I want to give him gifts. Many, many gifts. Yet, he gives me no hints, no clues, so I’m on my own.

My dad is the kind of person that you always want by your side if you’re ever in trouble. I haven’t been in any trouble yet, knock on wood, but if I ever needed support from someone other than my husband, he would be the first one I’d call. He was by my mother’s side EVERY SINGLE DAY after she fell ill two years ago (he only went home at night when visiting hours were over and as she progressed he went back to work and was quickly by her side after work at the hospital and then at the rehab facility until she came home). He loves being a grandfather and hearing my girls call him Pop Pop. He wears the t-shirts, that I make him with the girls pictures, with great pride. He does have his flaws. Who doesn’t? He can be impatient, a “sunday” driver, and he’s stubborn as heck, but he’s my dad. The man who still loves my mom after many years and always went to work because he had a family to support. I want to give him gifts. Many, many gifts and even though they’re not expensive, I know wholeheartedly that he’s going to appreciate every single thing that we give him because he’s a great man.

I went to my second home, Target, and walked around the Mens Department. I love this freaking place. I was able to pick up several items and then I went to Payless and got him some cool slip on shoes. I wanted to share a picture of what I got him and because my dad is not computer savvy at all, there’s no risk of him ever seeing this before his birthday. He totally balks at the notion of being online, but at the same time calls me to book him a flight to Puerto Rico and find him the best deals on something that he needs. 🙂 He’s funny that way.

Target: Mossimo Supply Co. short sleeve v-neck striped shirt, Merona 6 pack 100% cotton handkerchiefs (my dad carries a handkerchief with him every single day, he’s so wonderfully old school), 2 pair Auro Goldtoe socks, and a Merona Navy Canvas Dopp bag.

Payless: Airwalk Men’s Cale Slip-On shoes in Grey http://www.payless.com/store/product/detail.jsp?catId=cat10089&subCatId=cat10295&skuId=130421070&productId=72845&lotId=130421&category=&catdisplayName=Mens

I found a birthday card (Target’s $1.00 card section) with beer on the front. How great and perfect is that for any man who loves a pint of beer? Best card ever I say!

This post is intended to give you some gift ideas for men and it’s also for my dad, whom I love very, very much.

Take good care all.

Until next time…

Birthdays and balloons

Posted on January 7, 2013 by themercadoproject

Hello everybody! I hope you guys are well. Yesterday was “putting-all-the-Christmas-decorations-away” day! It made me kinda sad, but they’re be back soon enough! 🙂 Now it’s time to focus on the new year and prepare for all the birthdays that are coming. I like celebrating birthdays. When I’m not able to see the person, I love sending birthday cards and gifts in the mail because it makes people HAPPY! One should feel appreciated and remembered, especially on their special day.

My youngest, Sophia, turns 3 in April and I’m already planning it (I tend to leave things for the last minute and then go completely crazy), but I’m going to keep things very simple (don’t laugh, it can happen). I haven’t decided on a theme yet, but I know I want to decorate with balloons and I’ve seen a couple of ideas on Pinterest that I want to try. They also have a couple of games with balloons that would be fun:

Thread a needle and sew balloons in a row!

Decorate balloons with paper and glitter! So much fun!

Balloon Ping Pong: Sophia loves playing with balloons so this game would be a lot of fun for her.

Balloon Catch!

All pins courtesy of Pinterest.com.

Take good care all and HAPPY BIRTHDAY if it’s your birthday today!

Until next time…

The day after

Posted on December 12, 2012 by themercadoproject

Hello everybody! I hope you guys are well. I had a wonderful birthday. At first, it felt like any other day until I started receiving numerous text and phone calls wishing me a happy birthday. I was walking back home after dropping off my daughter at school when my mother called me to say that she loved me and that she wished me a very happy birthday. She then started crying. I said, “Ma, don’t make me cry. I’m outside. I will call you when I get home. Love you.” 🙂 I definitely didn’t want to be walking home with tears coming down my face. Once I got home, I called her back and we laughed about it. She’s the best!

Then, in the evening my darling husband brought home dinner from one of our favorite restaurants, Bamboo Garden, along with a lovely and delicious cake. My daughter desperately wanted to keep the cake a secret. She told me not to look in the refrigerator. Then she said, “Mami, sit down and close your eyes because Daddy is coming with the…” She stopped herself before she uttered the word “cake” and placed her hand over her mouth. Her eyes were wide and I couldn’t help but laugh, and my daughter said, “I almost told you the secret.” So sweet and innocent. She ran back to the kitchen to help her daddy bring in the surprise.

Surprise…my yummy butter cream marble cake. It was delicious!

I gave my youngest a small slice and she finished it off fast. So fast, that she asked for more, saying, “I want more cake. Cake, cake, cake.” That was definitely the sugar speaking there. We finished my special day with gifts and then like every other day, it was back to our normal routine, bath time and bedtime. Thank you my sweet family and friends for a great birthday.

One of my gifts from my husband. I’ve been eyeing this piece from Lisa Leonard Designs. If you want something bad, you have to drop some hints! I love it! Thanks hubby!

Stay alert, stay alive.

Until next time…

Happy Birthday Lil’ Sis!

Posted on November 28, 2012 by themercadoproject

Hello everybody! I hope you guys are well. Today is a special day, it’s my sister’s birthday! I’m very proud of my sister and how much she has accomplished with her life. She’s hard-working, dedicated, smart, beautiful, and a very brave woman.

May all your wishes come true sis! Have a great birthday and thanks for loving my blog.

This one’s for you.

Sisters for life!

Happy Birthday Sis!

Yes, that’s my sister above. I told you guys she was beautiful and brave!

She’s one of New York’s finest, NYPD!

Stay alert, stay alive.

Until next time…

themercadoproject

A fine WordPress.com site

Tag Archives: birthday

DIY Peppa Pig Birthday Banner

DIY Super Mario and Friends Treat Bags

To my firstborn

Celebration Recap

My dad is not computer savvy

Birthdays and balloons

The day after

Happy Birthday Lil’ Sis!