Birthday cake for dummies? & Toys for a 3 yr old girl

I need that site. I have booked Chuck e Cheese for next weekend for Jamies birthday and it isn't cheap let me tell ya. It will be $100 just for the kids to have 2 pcs of pizza and some tokens. (they do get double the tokens for coming so early in the day though!) I will be bringing the cake, ice cream and party favors. I don't know if we will be feeding the adults. The party is at 10am, so I am thinking cake and ice cream should suffice for the bigger folks.

Anyway back to the cakes...I got some books on cake decorating and made a batch of icing. I am going to try to make some flowers and decorate Jamies cake. I was looking at the Little Mermaid pan which wasn't a lot of money, but after getting the pan you would also need the special dyes to get her hair, skin color and mermaid gear, then the special cake topper and Ariel candle, and you are talking at least $35 and that isn't counting the labor for the cake! Kind of defeats the purpose of making it myself, although I know she would be wowed.

I found some info on the wilton site, Gosh you can spend alot of time and money on this hobby! I spent at least an hour the last time I went to Michaels looking at all the stuff. Then I came home, read the library books on decorating and went back to get the egg white powder for the icing and the flower nail to make the flowers with as well as a few tips. I also could spend tons more on special dyes and tips and dyes, but I am trying to keep it simple. Ha! Easier said then done. Michaels sucks you in - "Its so easy and fun to do!" and upon further investigation it is anything but. Making the icing really wasn't as complicated as I was let to believe, even without a mixer with a 'paddle holder' or whatever.

Gifts for the little girl should be princess heavy..she is so into Ariel, Cinderella, Auroura and Belle its not funny. She also could use a Skipper doll as we have the clothes but not a doll. (Skipper is the smaller Barbie doll). She has a Snap and style doll she really likes named Giselle she could use more clothes for her. I was going to put some things on a wish list on Amazon and just never got around to it...

She has an easel, but colored inside chalk would be nice for her to use on it (not the thick sidewalk stuff) and also some way to clip paper to the easel. It has a chalkboard on one side and white board on the other.

I love the idea of that Smart Cycle but that is too expensive, maybe next year. I also like that VTech motion Active learning system, but that may wait until next year too. I need to hear more about both of them to see if they pass the mommy test.

The honeybee hop looks like a riot, its a toy that spins around and the kids hop over it...to some sort of music...supposed to be fun for kids age 3-10 and there are rave reviews on the web about it.

And she loves Anders Fridge phonics whenever we go over there but I was hoping to get that on Craigs list.

I think she would love that Baby Alive, and the Fisher Price Puppy who grows and knows your name...and I hear the Pet whatchamacallits are all the rage.

So that is an idea of what to get Jamie for her birthday for the one that asked, all others, what was your 3 yr olds favorite toy?