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Archives for June 8, 2018

Character Cake Tutorial – Easy Thomas the Train Cake

This post may contain affiliate links or ads. Read my privacy policy and disclosure policy here.

March 29, 2019 by Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living Filed Under: DIY, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Recipe, Social Media

published date: June 08, 2018
modified datt: March 29,2019

The simplest Character Cake Tutorial. We made an easy Thomas the Train Cake for our train birthday party theme, but this cake can be done with your child’s favorite character including Elmo, Paw Patrol, Dora and more.

Character Cake Tutorial – Easy Thomas the Train Cake

Character Cake Tutorial - Easy Thomas the Train Cake

Have you ever seen a cake at a party and thought they must have spent a fortune, then to find out the hostess made the cake themselves. I am always impressed by people’s talents only to find out that some things just aren’t as impossible as I think. With the dawn of Pinterest, Instagram and more,  creative food crafts are much easier than one would think. We had fun with this Thomas the Train Character Cake*. Using a coloring sheet and some creativity, we made this cake look like a million bucks! Follow our steps with Thomas and make your own character cake to fit your party’s theme.

*In retrospect, I wish I would have done white on the outside instead of blue because it would have made Thomas stand out more!


Thomas the Train Cake Tutorial

Supplies:

  • Baked Cake (any size works, I did 2 9×9 round cakes stacked on each other)
  • Picture of character (the more simple the picture the better!)
  • Printer/copier/scanner – or you could go to an office supply store that has copiers that enlarge or shrink images
  • Frosting – I used the Wilton’s Buttercream Recipe and find that this works best
  • Food Coloring
  • Frosting Bags
  • Frosting Tips – I used either the plain Circle Tip or the Star Tip
  • Scissors
  • Toothpicks

Step by Step Character Cake Tutorial - Thomas the Train

Directions:

  1. First decide what size cake you want to make (see the cheat sheet below to help with sizing.)
  2. Find the image of the character you want (I just Googled ‘Thomas the Train coloring pages’), like I said, and go for simple and easy when choosing!
  3. Print out the image, then resize it according to the size cake you want to make.
  4. You can either do this with a home scanner, or you can go to your local office supply store where they have those capabilities (usually costs under $1.00)
  5. Be sure to have 2 images printed out. You will be cutting one up and using the other one as a reference guide.
  6. After you have baked your cake and its cooled and your frosting is prepared, divide up the frosting and add the food coloring according to your character’s colors.
  7. Place colored frosting in frosting bags with tips.
  8. Cut out your image around the border and place on the cake.
  9. Trace with a toothpick.
  10. Pick up image and cut along a different border in the image, working your way inwards, align to the traced edges you just did and trace a little more with the toothpick.
  11. Once you have all your lines traced, use your other image as a guide (because it can get a little confusing just looking at all the lines and trying to figure out what is what), and start filling in with colored frosting!
  12. I used the simple dot method to fill in and find this the easiest and most effective way.
  13. Slice and enjoy!
The simplest Character Cake Tutorial. We made an easy Thomas the Train Cake for our train birthday party theme, but this cake can be done with your child's favorite character. #frugalcouponliving #thomasthetrain Click to Tweet

Character Cake Tutorial - Easy Thomas the Train Cake


This Cake Sizing Chart from U Create is very helpful when deciding the size of your character cake!

cake-size-chart-u-create


Share-Post-on-Pinterest-Frugal-Coupon-Living

Also take a look at our Monster Snacks for Kids and Monster Party Ideas. Pin to Pinterest.

Monster-snacks-frugal-coupon-living

Also enjoy one of our favorites, Cookie Monster Ice Cream. Pin to Pinterest.

cookie-monster-ice-cream-frugal-coupon-living-Collage

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Character Cake Tutorial – Easy Thomas the Train Cake

  • Author: Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living
Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • Baked Cake (any size works, I did 2 9×9 round cakes stacked on each other)
  • Picture of character (the more simple the picture the better!)
  • Printer/copier/scanner – or you could go to an office supply store that has copiers that enlarge or shrink images
  • Frosting – I used the Wilton’s Buttercream Recipe and find that this works best
  • Food Coloring
  • Frosting Bags
  • Frosting Tips – I used either the plain Circle Tip or the Star Tip
  • Scissors
  • Toothpicks

Instructions

  1. First decide what size cake you want to make (see the cheat sheet below to help with sizing.)
  2. Find the image of the character you want (I just Googled ‘Thomas the Train coloring pages’), like I said, and go for simple and easy when choosing!
  3. Print out the image, then resize it according to the size cake you want to make.
  4. You can either do this with a home scanner, or you can go to your local office supply store where they have those capabilities (usually costs under $1.00)
  5. Be sure to have 2 images printed out. You will be cutting one up and using the other one as a reference guide.
  6. After you have baked your cake and its cooled and your frosting is prepared, divide up the frosting and add the food coloring according to your character’s colors.
  7. Place colored frosting in frosting bags with tips.
  8. Cut out your image around the border and place on the cake.
  9. Trace with a toothpick.
  10. Pick up image and cut along a different border in the image, working your way inwards, align to the traced edges you just did and trace a little more with the toothpick.
  11. Once you have all your lines traced, use your other image as a guide (because it can get a little confusing just looking at all the lines and trying to figure out what is what), and start filling in with colored frosting!
  12. I used the simple dot method to fill in and find this the easiest and most effective way.
  13. Slice and enjoy!

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @frugalcouponliving on Instagram and hashtag it #frugalcouponliving

Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes



WHAT’S TRENDING? Looking for a few engaging activities? Grab Minute to Win it Games – Traditional, Holiday, Group, and more! Use these fun activities in the office, classroom, or at your next birthday party.

Last Updated on March 29, 2019 by Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living

Homemade Easy Raspberry Tea

This post may contain affiliate links or ads. Read my privacy policy and disclosure policy here.

March 29, 2019 by Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living Filed Under: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Recipe, Social Media

published date: June 08, 2018
modified datt: March 29,2019

We love a tasty fruit iced tea recipe. This homemade easy raspberry tea has a few simple ingredients. Ice and serve as a summer drink!

Homemade Easy Raspberry Tea

Homemade Easy Raspberry Tea

Tea. We have transformed many teas into tasty summer drinks including our popular Peach Iced Tea and forever favorite Strawberry Sweet Tea. This week we have one more, our Easy Raspberry Tea. With a three simple ingredients, this raspberry iced tea is going to be a family favorite. Supervised by an adult, it’s so simple your kids can make it too!

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • 3 Black Tea Bags (like Lipton)
  • 8 cups Water divided
  • 1 cup Sugar
  • 12 oz Raspberries


boiling tea bags

Directions:

  1. Bring 4 cups water to a boil.
  2. Remove from heat.
  3. Add tea bags and allow to steep for 15 minutes.
  4. Add 4 cups water to medium pan.
  5. Add sugar and raspberries and bring to a boil over high.
  6. Reduce heat to medium and squish raspberries while continuing to cook for 10 minutes.
  7. Remove from heat and strain through cheesecloth or strainer, discarding berry pieces.
  8. Combine both in a large pitcher and serve over ice.

Raspberry Tea Ingredients

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Homemade Easy Raspberry Tea

  • Author: Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 Black Tea Bags (like Lipton)
  • 8 cups Water divided
  • 1 cup Sugar
  • 12 oz Raspberries

Instructions

  1. Bring 4 cups water to a boil.
  2. Remove from heat.
  3. Add tea bags and allow to steep for 15 minutes.
  4. Add 4 cups water to medium pan.
  5. Add sugar and raspberries and bring to a boil over high.
  6. Reduce heat to medium and squish raspberries while continuing to cook for 10 minutes.
  7. Remove from heat and strain through cheesecloth or strainer, discarding berry pieces.
  8. Combine both in a large pitcher and serve over ice.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @frugalcouponliving on Instagram and hashtag it #frugalcouponliving

Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes
We love a tasty fruit iced tea recipe. This homemade easy raspberry tea has a few simple ingredients. Ice and serve as a summer drink! Click to Tweet

Homemade Easy Raspberry Tea


One of our favorite recipes is this Simple & Southern Peach Iced Tea Recipe. Pin to Pinterest.

But the tea loving doesn’t have to stop there. Take a look at this Simple & Southern Strawberry Sweet Tea. Pin to Pinterest.

Also check out our Sweet and Southern Pink Lemonade. Pin to Pinterest.

Stay cool with this copycat Lemonade Recipe – Copycat Chick-fil-A Lemonade Recipe. Pin to Pinterest.

Lastly, we love copycat summer drinks. Take a stab at this easy to make Sonic Cherry Limeade Recipe. Pin to Pinterest.



WHAT’S TRENDING? Looking for a few engaging activities? Grab Minute to Win it Games – Traditional, Holiday, Group, and more! Use these fun activities in the office, classroom, or at your next birthday party.

Last Updated on March 29, 2019 by Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living

Fourth of July Tops for the Entire Family from $13.99 and Other Etsy Finds

This post may contain affiliate links or ads. Read my privacy policy and disclosure policy here.

June 8, 2018 by FCL Filed Under: Fashion, Online Shopping

published date: June 08, 2018
modified datt: June 08,2018

Looking for cute, patriotic outfits for the family to wear for the 4th of July? There’s still plenty of time to shop before the holiday, and we have Fourth of July Tops for the Entire Family from $13.99 and Other Etsy Finds for you.

I love this washed “Merica” tank with its faded look and white stars. This would look great with anything from jeans and shorts to denim skirts. This is priced at $27.

Everyone you see will get a kick out of this hilarious We the Party People t-shirt. My husband would love this and wear it all the time, and I love that it’s just $13.99.

If you prefer raglan-style shirts, you’ll love this “Merica” top with a cute eagle wearing sunglasses and stars on the sleeves. Get this for $28.

Oh my word – this stars and stripes Off the Shoulder Dress for girls is TOO cute for words. My daughter would LOVE this. Your daughter could also wear it as a tunic over jeans. This is priced as low as $32.50.

Love embroidered tees for the kids? Little boys will love this Fourth of July Truck Outfit that comes with a cute tee that can be personalized with your child’s name as well as cute blue seersucker shorts. Get this for as low as $22.

I’m obsessed wtih bubbles, and if you have a baby or toddler girl, she will look SO cute in this adorable Patriotic Bubble Romper. You can get this for just $45.

WHAT’S TRENDING? Looking for a few engaging activities? Grab Minute to Win it Games – Traditional, Holiday, Group, and more! Use these fun activities in the office, classroom, or at your next birthday party.

Today Only: Echo Dot + TP-Link Smart Plug $50.98 from $90

This post may contain affiliate links or ads. Read my privacy policy and disclosure policy here.

June 8, 2018 by FCL Filed Under: Amazon, Online Shopping

published date: June 08, 2018
modified datt: June 08,2018

My husband and I been wanting an Echo Dot for our bedroom and a smart plug so that we can control the lights without getting out of bed, so this bundle is just what we’ve been wanting at a price point that fits in our budget. Today only, you can get this bundle with an Echo Dot and TP-Link Smart Plug for just $50.98, down from $90.

My goal is to have one of each of these in every room in our house so that we can control our lights, thermostats and other things just by speaking. We already have one Echo Dot, and it gets used a lot. You can use it to play music, get answers to questions and so much more. It even tells jokes!

Details:

  • This bundle includes the Echo Dot (2nd Generation) and TP-Link Smart Plug
  • Echo Dot (2nd Generation) is a hands-free, voice-controlled device that uses Alexa to play music, control smart home devices, provide information, read the news, set alarms, and more
  • Connects to speakers or headphones through Bluetooth or 3.5 mm stereo cable to play music from Prime Music, Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn
  • Controls lights, fans, switches, thermostats, garage doors, sprinklers, and more with compatible connected devices from TP-Link, Philips Hue, Samsung SmartThings, Nest, ecobee, and others
  • Hears you from across the room with 7 far-field microphones for hands-free control, even in noisy environments or while playing music
  • Includes a built-in speaker so it can work on its own as a smart alarm clock in the bedroom, an assistant in the kitchen, or anywhere you might want a voice-controlled computer
  • Always getting smarter and adding new features, plus thousands of skills like Uber, Domino’s, and more

Remember you get FREE Shipping on Amazon when you spend $35 or FREE shipping with Prime.

Grab a Trial of Amazon Prime!

As a reminder, Amazon prices can change at any time. This price was current at publishing time. Be sure to confirm the price before purchasing to ensure this deal has not changed or expired.

Find more Amazon Deals on Frugal Coupon Living.

WHAT’S TRENDING? Looking for a few engaging activities? Grab Minute to Win it Games – Traditional, Holiday, Group, and more! Use these fun activities in the office, classroom, or at your next birthday party.

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I am a wife, mother, daughter, blogger, teacher, friend – a woman of many different hats. My delights are my husband, my five kids, reading, shopping, and spending time with friends and family. I am a Florida girl transferred to the heart of the DC-Metro area. I'm glad you're here! Learn more about Ashley.

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