Festive Cocktails

Here are some festive cocktails

that would be fun to serve at your 

4th of July party or to sip on while

you're watching fireworks...

Click here for the recipes...

Cheers!

Paper Banners

Banners have always been popular

to use at parties...

I'm not really a fan of those plasticy ones...

I'm so glad we've graduated to paper and/or fabric...

aren't you?

You can customize your colors, the font, the shape...

everything...

Perfect for any type of party, recognition, welcomes,

good-byes, classrooms, you get the picture...

Here is an easy how-to from One Charming Party...

If you've never checked her out, you should...

She has wonderful ideas & beautiful eye candy...

directions:

1. Cut out circles and letters, about 3 or 4 inches.

2. Choose your ribbon color
3. Using adhesive, stick the letter to the circle
4. Hole punch two holes to the top of the circle to thread ribbon
5. Thread the ribbon through the top,leaving enough ribbon on each side to hang

A Lemonade Stand

Now this...is my kind of lemonade stand...

Makes me want to get out and set one up myself...

Lately, many of the children in my neighborhood

have been doing lemonade stands...

I love to stop because they get so excited...

None have looked quite like this though...

Perhaps, this will inspire you...

Happy Weekend!

I'd pay a premium price for these...
wouldn't you?

This paper chain...I'm dying...absolutely precious!

I'll take two please...

Thank you Swank Sweets for introducing me
to Paper and Cake who created this little heaven on earth...

Apple Pie Cupcake

With July 4th approaching,

I know many of you are starting to think

about your party menu...

Apple pie is usually always on the list for desserts...

Well...I found a recipe for apple pie cupcakes...

I haven't made them but it is on my list of things to do...

Wouldn't this be a unique, festive addition to enjoy?
(Add a precious topper and voila...American cuteness)

Here are directions per Alpinberry...
Apple Pie Cupcakes
(adapted from Donna Hay Magazine #27)
(makes 24 cupcakes)

Cupcakes
2 1/4 all purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
9 ounces (2 sticks plus 2 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened at room temp
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp finely grated lemon or orange zest
1 cup (8 fluid ounces) whole milk

Apple Topping
3 tbsp (40 g) unsalted butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

Cinnamon Frosting
12 ounces (3 sticks / 340g) unsalted butter, softened at room temp
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

To cook the apples
Place butter and sugar in a large fry pan over low-medium heat. 
Stir to dissolve sugar. 
Add apple slices and cook for 8-10 minutes 
or until apples are lightly caramelized. 
Remove apples from pan and let cool completely.

To make the cupcakes
Preheat oven to 325F. 
Line 24 4-fl-oz-capacity muffin wells with paper liners.

Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. 
Set aside dry ingredients.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar 
until light and fluffy. 
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
Scrape down the sides if the bowl occasionally. 
Beat in the vanilla and grated zest.

On low speed, add the flour mixture 
and mix until flour is barely incorporated. 
Add the milk and mix until just smooth.

Divide the batter among lined muffin wells, 
filling each well about 2/3 full. Top with the apples.

Bake at 325F until a cake tested comes out clean, 
about 15-20 minutes. 
Remove from pan and cool cupcakes on cooling racks. 
Make sure cupcakes are completely cooled before frosting.

To frost the cupcakes
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy, 
about 3 minutes. 
Add the confectioner's sugar and cinnamon 
and beat for another 5 minutes until light and fluffy. 
Frost the cupcakes with an icing spatula or piping bag. 
Optional: Lightly dust frosted cupcakes with 2-3 tsp ground cinnamon.

B Is For Baby

I'm just loving, LOVING I tell you, this baby shower invitation

done by the Lolliladies (from Lollipop Designs)...

(first off, how cute is their name??)

The details, wording & graphics are just too much...

I'm swooning...

You will be too...Take a peek...

Lemonade & Sunshine

Jess from Pen n' Paper Flowers

hit it right on the head

with this precious lemonade & sunshine

birthday party she did for her daughters...

Absolute sweetness...

A Sweet Shabby Chic Baby Shower

This past Saturday I did a dessert & food table

for a sweet client who was hosting a

baby shower for her sister...

It took place a tea house...

I was busy, busy, busy on Friday

preparing everything...

(I really need to find some good vendors

to help with this aspect)...

My little oven didn't get a break all day...

I was Martha, Betty Crocker 
& The Barefoot Contessa rolled into one...

People really do not realize how much time, energy

and cost it takes to do a party like we like to do a party...

I planned on having two tables...

one for food & one for desserts...

I did mock ups of both & knew exactly 

where everything was to be placed...

So on Saturday, I packed everything up...

(I'm getting better at this but there is always so much)

headed over to the tea shop, walked in...

and then my jaw dropped...the "little" tea house

really is "little" like no room for two tables...

they had a dining table that they put a leaf in...

This is what I had to use for BOTH food & dessert...

Now I was all flustered...I was in a hurry...

I had to make everything fit on one table...

and it was like 500 million degrees...

(love Florida in the summertime...NOT)

I got it all together...it looked great...

The guests had no idea that there was suppose

to be two tables...they loved it (which is all that matters, right?)...

I didn't get to do everything I had wanted...

but I had to go with the flow...

good lesson to self...everything...I mean EVERYTHING

should be done before leaving your house...

do not leave ANYTHING, no matter how small,

 to be done at the facility...

So here are the pics of the sweet, shabby chic baby shower...

The client wanted the colors to match 

her sister's nursery which was agave & brown...

The nursery's theme was arctic animals...

I couldn't find any arctic animals

that matched the colors so I kept it shabby sweet...

Yes...I made ALL the food & desserts...

I was crazy!

One thing I didn't get to do...

attach the food label tags to the vessels...

I just ended setting them on them instead...

oh well...

ranch popcorn in little white bags with fabric toppers...

chocolate mousse...yummy!

delicious little pinwheels...

love the color of the spinach tortillas...

strawberry sour cream cake muffins...

I posted this recipe from Ina Garten awhile ago...

to die for & easy...

chicken salad tartletts...

These cupcake toppers turned out adorable...

they were my fabric poms...

they took FOREVER to make...

I don't believe I'll be making those again...

No table is complete without cake pops...

strawberry bars...

peanut butter/chocolate chip bars &

oreo truffles...

baby's breath for a baby shower...

I covered the vases in fabric...

idea ala Amy Atlas...of course...

individual quiches...

this recipe always gets rave reviews...

sundried tomato basil scones...

more individual quiches...

candy...I wrapped the stem of this vessel in the fabric too...

assorted fruit as well...

Lemon cupcakes...

Again, I loved how the toppers looked...

they were so sweet & added such charm...

but not for the amount of time it took...

to give you an idea...I went through about 700 straight pins...

that's 700 little circles that had to be traced, cut & attached

to the foam balls...

what we do for cuteness...

And the guests all had a wonderful time

eating, drinking & celebrating...

The End...

Cool Cocktails Anyone?

I have seen this frozen ice bucket 

around for some time now...

in fact, I've had the directions for years...

I'm not sure why I never made one...

Well, thank you Attention 2 Detail

for sparking my interest again,

and refreshing my memory 

on how to go about making this GORGEOUS

ice bucket...

Tell me this would not be perfect for Father's Day...

(Dada might not appreciate it but you sure would)...

Relaxing...watching the U.S. Open...

Honey...can I make you a cocktail?

Any excuse to admire the beauty you created...

Here's the 411 complements of Martha...

Place a full bottle into a fully opened 
cardboard half-gallon milk carton. 
Insert flowers or thinly sliced fruit 
(we've used nasturtiums, lemons, and limes) 
around the bottle, filling one third of the carton. 
Pour water into the container, 
just covering the fruit and flowers. 
Place the carton upright in the freezer. 
When the liquid is completely frozen, 
add another layer of fruit 
and very cold water, and freeze. 
Repeat, filling and freezing a third 
of the carton at a time, 
which prevents all the fruit and flowers 
from floating to the top 
until the water reaches the bottle's neck. 
Remove from the freezer 
when it's time to serve the vodka: 
Cut away the milk carton 
with a utility knife; 
wrap a dinner napkin around the bottle's base, 
and serve the vodka 
with slices of lemon zest tied in knots.

Sweet Ties

With Father's Day being this weekend

here are some sweet ties for Dad...

These were sent to me

 by a college student named Matt...

He LOVES ties...

You must check out his site, Tiepedia, 

if you have a hub/significant other 

who wears them on a daily basis...

His site is filled with all kinds of tips & tidbits 

about, you guessed it,...ties...

These are definitely the kind of ties that Dad's like...

all edible...

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