27 February 2014

St David’s Day Daffodil Pinwheel Tutorial

This coming Saturday is St David’s Day. The celebration of the patron saint of Wales. As a country which is full of passion and patriotism it is a day of celebration across the whole country. March 1st will see parades, concerts and food festivals held in city centres and small towns. As well as many people feasting on delicious Welsh cakes and wearing the traditional Welsh dress.

Daffodil Pinwheel Craft - nurturestore.co.uk
The daffodil is the national flower of Wales and is worn by Welsh people to celebrate St David’s Day. We love seeing daffodils pop up at this time of year, its bright colour helps to herald the fact that Spring is almost here.

Having discovered this adorable Daffodil Pinwheel Tutorial, we think this is a fab craft idea to make with youngsters to raise their awareness of the Welsh culture. We can image these being waved along parade routes across Wales or being used to brighten up a your home and help you look forward to Spring.

Get the simple tutorial at nurturestore.co.uk.

All you will need is some yellow paper, green card, an empty egg box, paint, and a paper fastener pin. Then, just find a gentle breeze and watch your Daffodil Pinwheel wizz around!

Remember to decorate accordingly this Saturday. At Flingers we have lots of Welsh party decorations to brighten up any home or party venue. Including bunting, flags, balloons and more.

For those who really wish to wear their patriotism on their sleeve (or rather face) we have red, green and white face paints for you to get creative with. All these decorations have also useful to show your support during the Six Nations!

Will you be celebrating St David’s Day?

26 February 2014

Throw an Oscars 2014 Party

This Sunday the 86th Academy Awards will be held in Los Angeles. The Oscars ceremony is once again to be hosted by the lovely Ellen DeGeneres. At Flingers we love any excuse for a party, and the most glamorous and star studded event of the year is a perfect opportunity! So we’re here to help you plan the perfect Oscars party.

Photo Decoration - Flingers
Inspired by the iconic golden award, your party needs to be decorated accordingly! Decorate the doorways with a Golden Shimmer Curtain for a glamorous entrance. And don’t forget the food! Serve up a buffet on a golden table top with Golden Tablecloths for just £1.63. With golden plates, napkins and serving platters to really get into the theme.

How about having your very own photographs on the red carpet? Pick up this Oscar perfect photo door hanging decoration for just £3.99 and become an award winning film star for the night!

Next, pick the spot with the best view of the TV and create your very own VIP section with the VIP Sign Cutout! Keeping the extravagant and oversized theme of the biggest film awards of the year in mind, our Life Size Cut Outs could not be more appropriate. Our huge cardboard cut outs are perfect for instantly transforming any venue in to an impressive and show stopping party. Team them with some Hollywood themed Scene Setters for maximum effect and a truly unforgettable Oscars party.


Pop Corn Cutout   |   Golden Award Cutout   |   Film Clapper Cutout   |   VIP Sign Cutout
But most importantly, get your friends over and join in with the event as the night unfolds. Get everyone at the party to fill in a printed ballot paper to see if you can guess who the biggest winners will be. Or play along online and compete against friends at the Oscars website.
Oscars 2014 Ballot Paper Print Out

Will you be staying up to watch the Oscars and play along?

19 February 2014

Rainbow Tie Dye Cake Recipe


We love parties and we love bright colours and we love cake! So we LOVE this Tie Dye Rainbow Cake!!

And the best bit is, it is super easy to make! 

Ingredients

For the cake:
300g Soft Butter
300g Self Raising Flour
1.5tsp Baking Powder
4 Eggs
3 tbsp Milk
Gel Food Colouring (in as many colours as you wish)

For the icing:
400g Marscapone/Cream Cheese
300g Icing Sugar
1tsp Vanilla Extract

Recipe
1.   Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Grease and base-line 2 x 15cm non-stick round sandwich tins with baking parchment, then lightly grease the parchment. 
2.   Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl, then tip in all the other sponge ingredients aside from the food colouring. Using an electric whisk, beat everything together until smooth. 
3.   Evenly split the mixture into separate bowls. Use as many bowls as you are using different coloured food colourings. Use the gel food colours to make each bowl of mixture a different colour.
4.   Take a cake tin and spoon in a dollop of cake batter from each bowl, one at a time. 


- TOP TIP - The best technique is to drop the spoonfuls on top of each other so they spread out and evenly fill the pan. This ensures you’ll have an awesome tie dye effect when the cake is cut at the end! 

5.   Repeat this layering effect in the second cake tin, feel free to reverse or change the order of the coloured layers. 
6.   Put your cake tins into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until done. 


- NEXT - Whilst you are waiting for them to cook you can get on with the icing!

7.   Very briefly beat the vanilla and cream cheese or mascarpone with an electric whisk until smooth. Sift in the icing sugar and gently fold in with a spatula. Be careful – the more you work it, the runnier it will get. 

- TOP TIP - Add colouring if you wish but we think this looks awesome with white icing to really enhance the bright colours once the cake is cut.

8.   Once you have removed the cakes from the oven and they have cooled, place one of the cake layers on a cake board and spread some icing on top. Then place the second cake layer on top to create a sandwich. 
9.   Then comes the fun bit! Evenly spread the remaining icing all over the cake. Covering the top and the sides so every bit of colourful cake is hidden away. This adds to the wow factor when it is cut open and surprises everyone! 

This recipe can be easily adapted to be used to cake colourful cupcakes instead. Or co-ordinate the colours to a party theme or the birthday boy or girl’s favourite colours! 

And the best bit is that at Flingers we have a BIG Bake Sale on so you can grab cupcake cases from as little as £0.29!! Or stock up on cake boards for a sturdy base for your Rainbow Tie Dye Cake from just £0.60! Many items are reduced by more than 75% so head over now before our limited stock runs out.
Flingers Party Shop BIG Bake Sale



Will you be trying our Rainbow Tie Dye Cake recipe?

17 February 2014

The Big Bake Sale

Welcome to Flingers Party Shop’s BIG bake sale!

You may think we’re crazy but we have slashed the prices of lots of our cake baking products online! Many items are reduced by more than 75%!

So, whether you have a birthday coming up or an event in the near future, stock up on your baking goodies now. From cute cupcake cases, to cake drums, to edible cake decorations, head over to view the whole range online whilst stocks last.

But be quick! Some items have already sold out and we have limited stock so make sure you head over to the Flingers Bake Sale now! Shop online and browse our whole range of bake wear and cooking goods. With delivery starting from as little as £1.40 you have no excuses!

What will you be buying in our BIG bake sale?

12 February 2014

Breakfast in Bed this Valentines


Valentines Day is almost upon us. Have you decided what you will be doing to treat your other half this year?

Without a doubt, breakfast in bed would be a surprise that would be a big hit with anyone. Valentines Day is the best excuse to put together a breakfast in bed surprise and spoil your loved one. It is also a very simple Valentines treat to organise and to impress your partner. Sure to be a winner!

There are just a few things to remember when planning a Valentines breakfast in bed:

  1. Plan in advance. Make sure you’ve stocked up on all the breakfast essentials such as tea/coffee, milk, bread. fresh juice and so on. 
  2. Make something different. Surprise your Valentine with something different to the usual cereal or toast they would have every day. Pick up some bagels or muffins, make fresh pancakes, or present a selection of healthy fruit for something different and tasty. 
  3. Don’t forget the little details. Present your breakfast try with a single red rose or a little gift to really spoil your parter. 
  4. Shhh. Keep it a surprise! 
At Flingers we love the idea of breakfast in bed, especially when decorated by a dozen romantic balloons for extra ‘WOW’ factor! Whatever your partners favourite colour, we’re sure we’ll have the perfect Love Heart Helium Balloons for you to pick up in time for Valentines Day this Friday. 
We’ve a wide range of Valentine balloons to suit one and all at Flingers Party Shop. So if you have other plans to decorate your home this Valentines Day, make sure to check out the whole range online or in store to pick out the perfect balloon to treat your special one this Friday. 
Love You Balloon  |  Heart Print Balloons  |  Red Rose Balloon  |  To My Husband Balloon  |  Floating Heart Balloon
Or if you are still struggling to come up with some ideas on how to treat your Valentine, check out our How to Celebrate Valentine Day blog post, full of great ideas. We also have a delicious Valentine Cupcake Recipe which you can view here, a cheap and simple way to surprise your partner. Extra points for effort! 

So, will you be making breakfast in bed this Valentines?


10 February 2014

Valentine Day Decoration Ideas

Are you are planning a Valentines surprise for your loved one this Friday? (Yes it is Valentines Day THIS Friday!)

Whether you are planning to cook a meal, stay at home and watch a film or want to treat your Valentine to breakfast in bed, you will be needing lots of decorations to add a sense of romance to your home! We wanted to deliver some fabulous Valentine inspiration to give you some ideas on how to decorate your home, your bedroom or anywhere else to make sure you surprise and impress your partner.

Of course, the colour of love is red! So this is a key colour when decorating for the most romantic day of the year.

There are many ways to decorate wherever you will be this Valentines. Including bunting, banners, paper lanterns, pom poms and more! At Flingers we love the simple idea of hanging some love hearts from the ceiling or in doorways to add a little colour and sweetness to any room. We have a wide range of cascading hearts which will be perfect for this and come in a range of colours and designs!
Fluffy Paper Pom Pom  |  Valentine Banner  |  Pink Hearts Decoration  |  Red Bunting  |  Swirling Candy Hearts

Or if you fancy fancy getting a little crafty with your decorations, check out our super easy Valentine Paper Heart Garland Tutorial. Using just some colourful strips of paper or pick up a paper chain making kits and create these adorable paper heart garlands!

These would look fab hanging anywhere in the home. We love this tutorial so much that we even think they could be used to brighten up your home or your bedroom all year round!

If you have planned to cook a home made meal for your partner, don’t forget to prepare the dining table! At Flingers we have lots of tableware perfect for Valentines Day. From rose red table covers, love heart centrepieces, heart patterned napkins and plates!

Remember you can order your Valentines treats online with delivery starting at just £1.40! Otherwise pop in store at 73-75 Gloucester Road, Bristol to browse the range in person.

How will you be decorating this Valentines Day?

7 February 2014

DIY Valentines Heart Paper Garland


Love is defiantly in the air! Valentines Day is just around the corner and we hope that if you are in a relationship you will have planned and prepared lovely treats to show your loved one how much you care.

At Flingers we love a crafty tutorial and when we spotted this love heart paper garland we had to find out how to make it! We think this will be a perfect decoration to hang up on Valentines Day to surprise your loved one and add a touch of romance to any room. But we also love this idea so much we think it could be hung up all year around regardless of relationship status!

So read below and find out how to create your very own DIY paper heart chain. It is so simple all you need is some colourful paper strips and a stapler! Easy!

Valentine Love Heart Paper Chain Tutorial


Image Source: DIY Heart Garland Tutorial

1. Prepare your strips of paper. If you are using a range of colours, pair up co-ordinating strips.

2. Staple four strips of coloured paper together at one end.

3. Pull down the two outer strips of paper and pinch them together. Carful not to pull too tight and cause a crease in the paper. You want a lovely sweeping arch to replicate the shape of a heart.

(Now for the fiddly bit!)

4. Select another two strips of paper, making sure to pair the right colours together!

5. Align the two new strips of paper to the edge of the strips you have pinched together and staple the four pieces to secure in place.

6. Again, pull down the two outer strips of paper and pinch together.

7. If you are using a range of coloured strips of paper, choose the next pair of coloured pieces to create an alternating pattern.

8. Repeat the process!


Using pink or red paper strips will create the perfect effect for a sweet and thoughtful Valentines decoration. These polka dot paper garlands in red or pink are available from Flingers for just £1.39! We think the alternating patterns would create an adorable effect for your paper heart chain. Perfect!

Flingers Party Shop - Polka Dot Paper Chains
Alternatively, by using different coloured paper, you could easily use this tutorial to create DIY decorations for a range of events including baby showers, engagement parties and weddings! Flingers has a range of colours available which you can shop online or in store.


Are you tempted to try out our tutorial?



4 February 2014

Valentine Cupcake Recipe


The countdown to Valentines day has begun! With just 10 days until the most romantic day of the year,  it is time to decide how you want to surprise your loved one this year.

A simple way to treat your Valentine, is to bake up some delicious treats. Sure to earn you extra brownie points for effort! We uncovered this mouthwatering recipe using raspberries and passion fruit to create fruity but light romantic cupcakes.


Valentine Cupcake Recipe

Ingredients

For the cakes
For the icing

Preparation method

  1. For the cakes, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Sit 12 paper cases in a muffin tray.
  2. Beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until well combined.
  3. Fold the flour, raspberries and passion fruit pulp into the mixture until almost smooth. If the mixture looks too stiff, add a little milk, as necessary.
  4. Divide the mixture among the paper cases then bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Turn the cakes out onto a wire rack and set aside until completely cooled.
  5. For the icing, using an electric whisk, cream the icing sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Whisk in the vanilla pod seeds and food colouring. Gradually whisk in enough milk to form a smooth paste.
  6. Spoon the icing into a piping bag with a large star-shaped nozzle and pipe the icing over the cake. Sprinkle over the hundreds and thousands.

We think these will be perfect to surprise a loved one with this Valentines Day! A delicious and cheap idea for Valentines, sure to make hearts flutter!  Pop them in a pretty cake box to deliver them to your Valentine in style, just like this Red Gingham Cupcake Box available online and in store.

If you are looking to add a bit more decoration to your special cupcakes, our Valentines Cupcake Decorations would be perfect! From Mini Heart Candles to 'I Love You' Cupcake Cases, we're sure you will impress your loved one with your romantic cupcakes.

Valentine Party Picks   |   Valentine Cupcake Cases & Picks   |   Heart Shaped Mini Candles
Remember you can pick up and browse our whole range of Valentine decorations, Valentine balloons and bakeware both online and in store. But, with less than a fortnight to go you better order quickly to avoid disappointing your Valentine!

Who will you be treating this Valentines Day?