This post may contain affiliate links. When you click on a link, you are supporting DIY Party Mom, my family, and our blog fun. Thank you for your love and support!

Rapunzel's Braid


Wow!  I really didn't mean to be gone so long...well, actually, I hadn't meant to be gone at all...but being a mom and a business owner, sometimes things come up.  I got busy trying to finish up the projects I needed to show off 3 of the tables for the Princess Fundraiser.  The young women wanted to see a preview, so I did nothing but craft and create for a few days.

They turned out SUPER cute and both the girls and I are excited about the direction of the table decorations.  I previewed Snow White, Rapunzel, and Beauty and the Beast tables for them, so of course I had to make Rapunzel's braid.

Now in theory, it wasn't that hard to make...in theory, but I can see now why they charge so much for them on Etsy.  They are ALOT of work to make!

I started by tying one end of a skein of yarn to my vacuum handle.

Then I walked all the way across the room (it was about 20 feet) to the banister and wrapped the yarn around and back to to the vacuum.  I did this 10 times and then I cut both ends so I had 20 strands of yarn.  Then I did it again, so I ended up with 40 strands.

Here's where it got tricky...

I used a rubber band to secure the strands together and divided up the yarn into 3 sections of 15 strands each.

I tried to braid it myself thinking it wouldn't be too difficult...DON'T DO THAT!
It IS too difficult.  I ended up getting the string all tangled and in a knot.

So I had to wait until the hubby and kids got home.  Then he held the end of the yarn and made sure it was tight as we weaved and braided.

Then Drama Queen, Daredevil, and I each grabbed a section of yarn.  Daredevil wrapped the yarn around his body by spinning in a circle so it wasn't too long and getting tangled as he worked.  Drama Queen and I wrapped ours around books and just unraveled as needed.

I wish I had a video of the next part as it was rather interesting to watch...or at least Mini Me thought so!  He sat and laughed at us as we bobbed and weaved. 

It did take us a bit to figure out our pattern but eventually we got it down so we were doing a May Pole dance around the room braiding the yarn.

We ended up with a LONG ribbon of yellow "hair" which I am wrapping around the table and weaving between the other directions. 

I do LOVE how it turned out and I wouldn't be afraid to make another one, so if you're thinking about it...go for it.  It takes a little bit of coordination and ALOT of help, but it's kind of fun and makes a great decoration for a Rapunzel Birthday party!

Beauty and the Beast Table Centerpiece

Our fundraiser is still a month away, but I wanted to start setting up the tables as I completed them to try and get a heads up on how they are going to look.  I'm glad I did.  I found a few holes in my Beauty and the Beast table and will now have time to add a little more to it before the big night.

I started with a  round yellow tablecloth that I purchased online from Factory Direct Party.  (I highly recommend them for table cloths.  They had a HUGE selection and I got mine VERY quickly and at a GREAT price!)  I envisioned the table cloth looking like Belle's dress.  So I purchased a round yellow cloth and a long cloth.  I cut up the long tablecloth into strips and used it to make the loops around the table.  Then I fastened each loop with a yellow tissue paper rose.

In the center of the table I placed 3 young adult books from our collection to celebrate Belle's love of reading.  On top of the books I placed the Beast's Rose as the main centerpiece.  I scattered rose petals inside the jar and then down the books.

The characters Chip, Cogsworth, and Babette went around the outside of the books.  I am hoping to get enough toilet paper rolls this week to finish Lumiere.  I also decided I HAD to find Mrs. Potts so I spent today looking at all the Goodwill stores in a 100 mile radius for a tea pot that would work.  I think I found one, but she's going to take a lot of paint and some facial features like Chip's.

I'm working on a few other additions for a Beauty and the Beast party such as princess seeds, cupcake toppers and these table cards with each of the characters on them.  They should be available soon.

Babette the Feather Duster


If all goes well, I should be able to show you a preview of the Beauty and the Beast table for our fundraiser tomorrow.  It's been a crazy week, so I'm hoping things will work out enough that I can get the last finishing touches on my table done in time.

I'm continuing with the Characters for the table and had to make Babette the Feather duster today.  I knew from the moment I started thinking about making characters, exactly how I was going to make her, and I think she turned out pretty cool in the end.


I started with 24 sheets of 10x10 inch tissue paper.  12 sheets where white and 12 were black.

Then I folded it into an accordion pattern.

When it was done, I wrapped a rubber band around the center.  (You can use a piece of wire if you want, but I was using what I had on hand.)

Starting on the white side, since Babette has white on the bottom of her duster, I folded the paper up one side at a time. 

 Then I would switch in a clockwise pattern and do the other side.


I did all the colors and ended up with a HUGE puff of tissue paper.

When I flipped it over, I had the perfect base for Babette's duster.

(Again, I used what I had on hand.) I took a paper clip and straightened it out into a "U" shape.  Then I strung it through the rubber band so it was standing up straight.

I printed out the Babette printable (at the bottom of this page) and cut it out.

I glued the printable at the top of her head and then the rest of her body around the paperclip so she was standing up straight.

And now Babette has joined the gang.


Princess Seeds Candy Topper


So I suppose I'm still obsessed over the candy toppers.  I think they are such a fun and unique party favor or "thinking of you" gift that I see them as part of every party that I create now.  Since I'm working on Beauty and the Beast, Belle had to share her Princess Seeds with all the little girls trying to save the Beast.

To make this fun party favor, you need some candy, a stapler, a bag, and the Belle Princess Seeds printable.  I used yellow Skittles to make my seeds, but you can use Sizzlets, Jelly Belly's, M&Ms, or any candy you want really.

Belle's poem reads:

You're a beauty but a funny girl
As you enjoy the books you read;
You're kind, friendly and sweet
While you help those in need,
You're risking all to save the Beast
So believe and enjoy these Princess Seeds.

As usual, these candy toppers are available in sizes to fit a 3x5 inch bag (found in craft stores), a sandwich sized bag, and a tag to fit any sized bag.

I hope to be able to come up with poems for all the Princesses.  So keep checking back for new versions available in the shop.

Right now you can get


Beauty and the Beast Lumiere


I'm still working on my Beauty and the Beast characters and hope to have the table preview to show the girls ready by this weekend.  It's going to be a BUSY week here in Candyland, so I hope I can get it all done on schedule as I still have 17 other Disney tables to get moving on for the Young Women's camp fundraiser next month.
I plan to make this Lumiere toilet paper roll Candelabrum for the table, but I haven't collected all the Toilet Paper rolls that I need yet.  I asked the girls to start saving me some since I have a few projects for the tables that I will need them for, but we haven't gotten there yet.


So I am sharing the directions from Disney Family.com.  If you're interested they also have other ideas to help with a Beauty and the Beast birthday party there including another version of how to make Chip the Teacup (using Modeling Magic) if you didn't like my Chip free printable version

Beauty and the Beast Rose

I'm not sure you can have a Beauty and the Beast party without including the iconic Rose.  So I have been looking for a way to add this as the centerpiece to the table.


I was lucky and found a big, beautiful vase at Goodwill last week that I think works great.  I added a crystal cabinet knob from Home Depot, some string, and a Dollar Tree rose.

I trimmed the rose off the bunch and bent it to look like it does in the movie.  Then I tied a piece of string around the top of the rose stem.

It was a little difficult to get the glue gun into the glass, so it would be good to find one with a wide base, but I dabbed a bit of hot glue in the center of the bottom of the vase and stuck the string to it.  It took me a couple of tries to get the string to be just the right length (I ended up using only about an inch in length.)  But it wasn't a problem, because the glue peeled right off the glass and allowed me to start again.

When I finally got the spot right, I used a cabinet knob to hide the glue spot.  I found this crystal and gold one that worked perfectly.

To finish off the rose, I dismantled another of the roses and cut the petals into separate pieces.  Then I added them to the bottom of the vase to complete the look.