My little one turned one this past summer.. on the same day his bigger sister turned 7. Yes, two of my kiddos were born on the same day six years apart! Thankfully, my daughter usually has her birthday party at the beginning of the summer so she can invite her friends from school. 
I am not usually "that mom" but I had my son's first birthday planned the day after he was born. Ha! I'm kidding, it was not that early but it was at-least six months in advance. 
A few years ago I had a client that ordered circus birthday treats and I thought they were just the cutest so I was absolutely delighted when I came across the idea of a circus themed first birthday party. 

Every great party starts with a fun invitation and I thought these were adorable. You can find them from Everyjolly on Etsy. Besides being super cute, these were super easy to download and edit. Then I just sent them to my local FedEx Kinkos to be printed on cardstock paper. 

These centerpieces were easy peasy to put together. I purchased popcorn boxes online and stuffed them with yellow shredded paper from the dollar store. Since the party was in July, the store was stocked with patriotic party supplies so I really lucked out with the pinwheels and paper straws. The giant lollipops also came from the dollar store. I purchased glittery red and blue cardstock from my local hobby store and traced the number one on the back. Then,  I was able to cut the number out and glue it to the paper straw. I had also purchased balloons to put in each one but real life happened and I did not get around to it. 

The clown noses were super fun! Everyone had a great time clowning around. I wanted my little one to have a keepsake from his party so I had everyone write a little note in the book "If I Ran the Circus" by Dr. Seuss. I hope when he gets older he can read the notes and know how much he is loved! I made the signs in Google Drawings. Click here to edit your own copy. 
I also decorated that table with Cracker Jacks and confetti from the dollar store. Do you see the paper clown in the background? My daughter made that for her baby brother - how sweet! 

I am not a fan of party favors that just sit on a shelf. I remembered the Barnum's Animals animal cracker boxes from  my childhood with the circus train and rope handle. Unfortunately, Nabisco did away with that design and now uses a Jungle theme instead. Well then! I had to roll with it. I purchased these favor tags from Haley Madison Design on Etsy and had them printed on cardstock at my local FedEx Kinkos. I used a hole punch to create a hole to tie a ribbon and attach them to the boxes. 

I used a simple plastic blue table cover from the dollar store and then wrapped it in this circus stripe table skirt. For the backdrop I used two red velvet curtains and blue striped fabric from my local hobby store and attached them to my photo backdrop stand. 
The colorful ONE was fun to make! I purchased wood chip letter from my local hobby shop and used acrylic paint to paint them. The hobby shop also had those cute wooden characters so it was very simple to just glue them on using my hot glue gun. I cut out stars using my star paper cutter and yellow card stock then glued them to each letter. 
I purchased this fun circus tent cupcake stand online. I was a bit skeptical but it looked great in person and held up well. I was able to put it away for another party. 
The cake was vanilla with vanilla bean buttercream and the topper for the cupcake stand and the cake came from Bells N' Berries on Etsy. 
​For the cupcakes I just made simple chocolate and vanilla cupcakes and topped them with either buttercream and a frosted animal cookie, Cracker Jacks and caramel sauce, or mini marshmallows with a dusting of yellow pearl dust to look like popcorn. 
The cake pops were strawberry and topped with a chocolate elephant made from a candy mold I found at my local cake supply store. The little stand for the elephant was an upside down cup that I glued card stock mini pendants and red paper dots to. 

It was a simple and fun party and I think my little guy enjoyed it! 

Here are more inspiration pictures from circus themed treats I have made. 

Hi friends! 

As you may know, Pops by Jenn officially closed in 2016. It was such a delight to be a part of so many special occasions and I am so thankful that I was able to help make many memories a little bit sweeter. 

BUT! I am so excited to announce that I will be making a comeback. Now, I won't be taking orders but I will be updating this blog regularly with recipes, fun party ideas and other things I think are sweet. 

So I hope you will stick around and join me! 

Although any day is a good day to celebrate the Brownie, this delicious treat has an official celebratory day - and today is it! 

I love brownies! What is not to love? Nothing! 
BUT there are some party poopers in my house. My family does not like brownies! Heresy, I know. As much as I would love to whip up a huge batch of chocolatey-deliciousness to share with my family, my hard work would go very much unappreciated. 

What about Blondies? Well, my friend, today is not National Blondie Day. So there. 

In an effort to keep all that is sacred, sacred (the Brownie),  I decided that today I would be hosting a party for one. I whipped up this super-simple recipe so you can celebrate too! 

And in the spirit of the Holidays I decided to use an ingredient that I am sure we all have around our homes - hot chocolate! 

Step 1: Mix all of the dry ingredients into a coffee mug - I used one on the smaller side. 
Step 2: Carefully mix in the wet ingredients. Or don't be careful and get it everywhere like I did. The batter will be thick. If it is too thick for you, add a bit more milk. 
Step 3. Add the marshmallows on top and microwave for 1 minute at a time* for 2 minutes. 
Step 4: Top with hot fudge and enjoy :) 

*NOTES: Microwave ovens vary. I was using a 700 watt microwave. 
WATCH YOUR MARSHMALLOWS! They get HUGE in the microwave and if you don't microwave in intervals, THEY WILL EXPLODE!! Fun for a minute, until you realize you have to clean it up. 

This needs to be eaten right away or it will get really crunchy. 
Try adding in different ingredients like peanut butter for your own twist. Or even add a scoop of ice cream! 

If it tastes like strawberry jam, then why not? This super simple recipe will awaken your inner vampire just in time for Halloween! 

I don't even think you could call this a recipe because it is so simple - just two ingredients, and chances are that you have both items right in your pantry. 

INGREDIENTS: 
Strawberry Jam
Red Food Coloring 

You might want to write that down. Ha! 

Well, not really - But it does feel like it. I have been delighted to have baby elephant baby shower requests a few weeks in a row. This seems to be a popular theme and I hope it is here to stay. They are so darn cute! 

Trunks of fun! (Good thing I am not a comedian by trade!). 

Today is National Ice Cream Day! 
Who doesn't love a delicious scoop of cold ice cream on a hot summer day? 
Well, I definitely do. But if you are in the minority and ice cream is not your thing, I've got you covered. 
I had a blast creating these fun treats based on one of my favorite desserts. 

The ice cream cone sugar cookies were a fun hit for a school party, and super portable. I absolutely fell in love with my mini Sundae Scoop cake balls. It was fun to be able to use waffle cones and mini cones in the ice cream cone cake pops for two different looks.  

From the time I was a little girl, I have absolutely adored The Little Mermaid. When I got the opportunity to put together this Little Mermaid themed party I was over-the-moon to go under-the-sea! 

The cake was simple yet stunning. The birthday girl loved it! The topper was also a fun toy for her to keep. 

The favors were a big hit and served a dual purpose to hold treats from the pinata. Each child also made a "hand crab" which they couldn't wait to take home and show their parents! 

I had such a blast putting this party together and I hope you are inspired to create beautiful memories of your own! 

As a child, I was so thrilled when the circus came to town! The entire experience was exhilarating.  Holding the shiny ticket in my little hand made me feel so special ("Admit One" - that's ME!). I was mesmerized by the sounds, smells,  and sights. 
I relive that excitement every time a client orders circus or carnival themed treats. 
The Circus is such a fun theme because there are so many possibilities - not only for food, but for entertainment as well. From buttery popcorn to fun games like ring toss, the fun is truly endless. 
I gathered some of my most recent designs from this theme and I can not wait to make more!
Click on each picture to enlarge.  

I hope you were able to be inspired by some of my creations. If you are planning your own circus or carnival themed parties I would love to see your ideas! Please post them in the comments or send me a picture to popsbyjenn@yahoo.com to be featured on the blog.

Circus clip art from Prettygrafik Design.

It is no secret that I love cake! It is no secret that I love making cake....BUT sometimes I just don't feel like it! (I guess that is a secret!)  
It just so happened that I was in the mood for chocolate (Ok, that applies to me about 99% percent of the time) and I was also in a non-baking mood. I have seen these cute little "mug cakes" floating around on Pinterest so I finally decided to try to whip one up for myself. (Yes, myself, as in I am not sharing). 
Guys and Gals, you are going to want to keep this recipe. I am not kidding. This cake was delicious, chocolatey and EASY! 

Try it yourself and let me know what you think! 

MICROWAVE FOR 3 MINUTES. 
PLEASE NOTE: ALL MICROWAVES VARY so please stand by and watch your cake. You should see your cake rise above the rim of your cup and then fall back down. You might want to put a paper towel underneath your mug to catch any spills. If your cake looks gooey after microwaving, pop it back in for 30 more seconds. Unless you like gooey. Since there are no eggs in this batter, you can leave it on the gooey side if you please. 

Viola! 3 Minutes to Heaven! 
Feel free to experiment with this recipe by adding your favorite ingredients. I have tried it with a dallop of peanut butter (YUM) and even caramel syrup! You can start with any other flavor of cake mix (just omit the cocoa powder) and add dry pudding mixes for extra flavoring (1TBS). 

TIP: Don't throw the extra cake mix away! Keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for when you get another chocolate craving. You can even mix all of the dry ingredients together and keep them in ziploc baggies ready to go!