Penguin Party Favors!

I've been getting ready for my little girls third birthday.  We are doing a penguin theme.  Yes, even though it is a summer birthday.  I got the idea after watching Happy Feet with her.  I decided to do the penguin theme after I saw two pans in my cupboard - - if I make the cakes in them, I think I could put it together for a good penguin shape (I think).  I probably should pull the pans out and really take a look at them, before I set to work at making the cake.  So, I opened my mouth and asked if she wanted Mommy to make her a penguin cake for her birthday.  The answer was yes.  This was several months ago already and she hasn't let me forget it.  Now I'm stuck.  I'm not a cake decorator and have never done anything more than just slapping regular frosting on a regular cake - so this shall be interesting.  I've had my good friend, who is also my daughter's baptismal sponsor make them in the past.  She is a professional cake decorator.   But being a Mom, I want to make one for her.  Wish me luck.

Ok, after going off on a tangent about how this whole idea started....here is a fun craft that we put together for the party favors for the kids at the party - toilet paper penguins for Penguin Party Favors!

First, put black construction paper around the TP roll.  Then cut out a white oval for the penguin belly.  Next, cut out wings out of black construction paper.  I folded them in half lengthwise and also folded the tip where I wanted to glue them to the body of the penguin.  This helps the wings jut out a bit from the body. 

I first planned to just decorate The TP roll as a penguin, and put a cardboard base as the feet and fill it with candy.  While I was shopping for candy for the favors, I found the containers of mini M & M's and decided they would make cute feet.  I put the top down and put a strip of double-stick
 tape along the candy container and put the TP roll over the candy and stuck it in place.  For extra security, I put some tape over the bottom of the container inside the toilet paper roll and taped it to the inside of the TP roll. 

I then found some big suckers and wrapped black tissue paper around them for the head.  I placed the stick into the TP roll. That part was a bit difficult with the big candy container inside.  I did end up cutting out round circles and putting the penguins eyes and nose on the circle and gluing/taping them to the TP roll and sucker.  I probably could have just glued them to the tissue paper, but was in a hurry to get them done so this allowed me to just curve the paper over the sphere shape and not deal with perfecting the head with the tissue paper the way I had planned.  I was hurrying before the baby woke from a nap.  My little girl had lots of fun helping with the craft!!!!!  It's a great way to help them be involved.

Love It!