Celebrate Spring with a Butterfly Ball

Little girls metamorphose into butterflies, flutter their wings, and crawl into cocoons for a sensational slumber party that is easy on the budget.

Written and Photos by Nikki Bowman

At our house, birthdays are a big deal. My children begin planning their parties a year in advance. The only stipulation is that it must be inexpensive to execute. “Next year I want to have a Butterfly Ball,” Abby announced, days after her seventh birthday. “What’s that?” I asked. My daughter rolled her eyes, “It’s where we dress-up like butterflies and dance, silly.”

Right. Butterfly Ball. No problem.  

When hosting a birthday party at home, one of the challenges is keeping the kids entertained. But parents don’t have to spend a fortune or transform their homes into a petting zoo to create a memorable party. One of the highlights from Abby’s party was a simple maypole. Strips of inexpensive crepe paper in vibrant hues of hot pink, turquoise, and orange were stapled to the top of an eight-foot 2-by 2-inch board. The board was secured into the ground and topped with a multi-colored honeycomb ball. Each guest held one of the crepe strips and danced around the pole

Music was an integral part of the Butterfly Ball—it was after all a Ball. A version of freeze dance called “freeze fly” and “butterfly seek” kept the girls entertained. Another fun game was the “cocoon contest.” The girls were divided into two teams, and using rolls of leftover crepe paper, in between fits of giggles, they wrapped each other into cocoons.

The games were great, but the creative sweets took center stage.  A colorful arrangement of candy-coated marshmallows served as the centerpiece. Chocolate-covered pretzels were transformed into butterfly wands, and a heart cookie cutter was used to create butterfly cookies. Instead of a traditional birthday cake, cupcakes were topped with ice cream frosting and arranged on a tiered cake stand to mimic the look of a maypole. Finger sandwiches and strawberry ladybugs rounded out the spread. “My favorite food was the candy-covered butterfly pretzels,” said Abby. “I liked decorating them. Each one was different, and they looked like wands.”

Seven-year-old Lindsay Moriarity liked the marshmallows. She said, “My favorite is the marshmallows. I loved them! They are so pretty and really, really yummy!”

And I loved that the party was simple to pull together and easy on the checkbook.  Inexpensive hot pink plastic tablecloths with orange table skirts transformed ordinary folding tables. The food and entertainment took place outside so clean up was a breeze. Balloons added a vibrant punch of color, and crepe paper draped in the trees gave the patio a festive feel. Votive candles scattered around the yard twinkled like fireflies as the sun went down.

“Everyone said this was the best party ever,” Abby said, after all the girls had migrated home, proving that simple decorations and easy-to-make foods can set the stage for a magical party that children will remember for years to come.

Candy-coated Marshmallows

1 bag of large marshmallows
1 pound candy coating
24 long lollipop sticks
Assortment of sprinkles, non-pariels, and tiny candies
Florist foam

In a clear glass vase, insert florist foam.  Fill the vase with small candies, colorful Styrofoam balls, gumballs, or pastel mini-marshmallows, covering the florist foam.
Melt candy coating in microwave-safe bowls, according to package directions. Place assorted sprinkles in several small bowls. Place one marshmallow on the end of lollipop stick, and dip it in the candy coating, swirling it along the sides. Next, dip the coated marshmallow into the assorted sprinkles.  Insert stick into the florist foam.
Yield: 24 servings.

“Next year I want to have a Butterfly Ball,” Abby announced, days after her seventh birthday. “What’s that?” I asked. My daughter rolled her eyes, “It’s where we dress-up like butterflies and dance, silly.”

Butterfly Wands

Candy coating in various colors (we used blue, pink, orange, and yellow)
12 (8-inch) pretzel rods
24 large pretzel twists
Assortment of sprinkles, non-pariels, and tiny candies
Place 2 cups of candy coating in microwave-safe bowl. Melt candy coating in the microwave according to package directions. Stir until texture is smooth.
Place pretzel rods on a foil-lined cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon the melted candy coating over each pretzel rod, covering completely. Dip each pretzel twist in the candy coating and place one on each side on top of the pretzel rods. Decorate with sprinkles, non-pariels, and tiny candies. Alternate with different colors of candy coating and sprinkles.
Yield: 12 servings.

Butterfly Cookies

Nonstick cooking spray
¼ cup flour, plus 4 tablespoons for work area
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 roll refrigerated sugar cookie dough
24 (2-inch) pretzel sticks
1 container ready-made vanilla frosting
Assorted food coloring

Preheat oven to 350˚. Spray cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray. In a bowl, knead ¼ cup flour and powdered sugar into cookie dough.
Dust work area with remaining 4 tablespoons of flour, and roll out dough about ½ inch thick. Using a 2- or 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out 2 hearts per cookie. Lay hearts on cookie sheet, overlapping the pointed ends of the hearts. Press down lightly. Insert small pretzel sticks into the dough for butterfly antennas.
Bake cookies 12-14 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 15 minutes. Add food coloring to frosting. Frost cookies and decorate with sprinkles
Yield: 12 servings.

Maypole Ice Cream Cupcakes

1 yellow cake mix
12 colorful muffin papers
1 quart vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt
2 tablespoons powdered pink lemonade mix
18-inch wooden dowel or florist pick
Curling ribbon
Thumb tack
1 large bubble gum ball
Poster putty
Preheat oven to 350˚. Place muffin papers in muffin tin. Prepare cupcakes according to package directions. Bake and cool.

Place ice cream in large bowl and allow to soften for 20 minutes. Stir lemonade mix into the softened ice cream until blended. Frost each cupcake with 3 spoonfuls of the ice cream. Put cupcakes on a cookie sheet or muffin tin and place in freezer.

Cut five, 26-inch pieces of curling ribbon and secure at top of dowel with thumb tack.
Remove cupcakes from freezer 15 minutes before serving. Arrange cupcakes in a circle on tiered cake stand, elevating center cupcake with Styrofoam or florist foam. Place wooden dowel through center of elevated cupcake into the foam until secure. Using a small piece of poster putty, secure bubble gum ball to top of maypole.
Yield: 12 servings.

Ladybugs

12 seedless red grapes
12 whole strawberries with stems
1 package of mini-morsel chocolate chips
12 toothpicks

For the ladybug’s head, place a grape on the end of a toothpick. Next, slide a strawberry on the toothpick until it touches the grape. Then, push the pointed ends of mini-morsels into the strawberry to create the ladybug’s spots.
Yield: 12 servings.

A simple wooden dowel and curling ribbon transformed cupcakes frosted with ice cream into a colorful maypole.

A Ball wouldn’t be complete without candlelight. These buggy citronella candleholders (purchased from Homegoods in Charleston) hung from the trees.

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