Parties & Cupcakes

New Home. New Business Name. New Website. New Blog.

2011-12-20T20:09:00.000-08:00

Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!

The past couple months have been a WHIRLWIND!!

We moved from California to Georgia.
I changed my business name and focus.
Started a new website and facebook page and two new blogs (the blogs are set to launch in January).
And....to top it all off....started a bunch of DIY projects on our house we're living in.

YIKES!!

Anyhow....here's the new info.

New Business Name: THE PARTY AND DESSERT GAL

Website: http://www.thepartyanddessertgal.com/

Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/thepartyanddessertgal

One blog will be a continuation of this one, and the other one is a project my husband and I are working on, it'll have posts from me, him, and our family members....and it's all about Southern cooking!! LOL!!

Come follow me....I love hearing from folks!!

I'm BACK...

2011-03-28T23:18:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the delay in posting. I'm back. I've got tons of pictures to post to update you on what I've been working on AND have in the works. Lots of stuff going on. BIG changes coming down the line as well...

Sooooo.....

STAY TUNED!!

Keep checking back this week..............................

Pics of my Cupcake Camp LA Table & Cupcakes

2010-11-21T23:21:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics of my table display and cupcakes from Cupcake Camp LA.

Attention Campers: Join me on Facebook!!

2010-11-20T19:07:00.000-08:00

Here is the link to my facebook page: Parties and Cupcakes

Join me on facebook!!

Twitter coming soon!!

((hugs)), Brandy

Cupcake Camp Update 2

2010-11-20T19:03:00.000-08:00

Today was THE DAY!! CUPCAKE CAMP L.A.!!! Me and my crazy amount of cupcakes were at the Music Box Theatre in Hollywood, California for the first Cupcake Camp L.A.. I made Pumpkin and chocolate cupcakes and my beignet cupcakes!! They were YUMMY!!

Can you guess what theme my table and cupcakes were??

More pics to follow....

Cupcake Camp Update 1

2010-11-20T18:52:00.000-08:00

O-M-G! Cupcake Camp was AWESOME!! I met so many wonderful people - both bakers and bloggers, photogs, twitterers, and cupcake connoisseurs!! There were over 50 bakers there, and that translates into over 5000 cupcakes!!

Here are some pics from the event!!

Holy Moly Macaroni

2010-11-17T13:18:00.000-08:00

So I've been working on my cupcake flavors and design for my table at Cupcake Camp L.A.. Needless to say I have once again partnered with Aisha of Gifts for All NC to work on this project, and all I gotta say is...stay TUNED! We are working on some INSANE things for this. So insane we will be doing a giveaway on Saturday when we unveil everything. Trust me - you're gonna want to get in on this one. Enough said....I better get off the computer before I spill my beans and tell you everything.

Cupcake Camp LA update

2010-11-16T15:00:00.000-08:00

If you were to come to my house right now - you would see all sorts of cupcake and baking paraphenila scattered in my kitchen and drawings and props on my dining room table. I am gearing up for a super fun weekend devoted to cupcakes. I feel bad for my husband and friends because all I've been talking about since this past weekend is cupcakes!! LOL!!

You know what else is cool about Cupcake Camp LA? The City of Los Angeles did a proclamation about Cupcake Camp LA AND there was a feature about this Saturday in the LA Times Food Blog!! I am flipping out! This event is gonna be HUGE for cupcake lovers and bakers in the City of Los Angeles.

Wanna see the proclamation? Check it out here on bakespace.com.

What about the article on the L.A. Time Food Blog? You can read that here.

Or you can see the proclamation here....see I wasn't kidding! :)

Cupcake Camp L.A.

2010-11-15T00:20:00.000-08:00

Only 5 more days to go.....until Cupcake Camp L.A.. I am sooo excited! I will be doing a pair of mini cupcakes - my beignet cupcake and a chocolate pumpkin cupcake (the story behind this pair will be posted this week) Ohhh they are soo yummy! I'm so excited. I will be posting more and more info about Cupcake Camp L.A. as I hope you will come out and check it out.

What is Cupcake Camp L.A.?
Cupcake Camp L.A. is a HUGE get together of bakers - both amateur and professional - where they bake lots of cupcakes and hold a huge tasting for cupcake fans to come and taste the yummy cupcakes! Cupcake Camp L.A. is also a charity event - all the proceeds from Cupcake Camp L.A. will go to benefit the Angel Acres, a Horse Haven Rescue, Invisible People, and the American Tortoise Rescue. Soooo....if you come to Cupcake Camp - you're eating cupcakes for a good cause!!

When is Cupcake Camp L.A.?
Saturday, November 20th
There are 2 different times for tastings - the first one is from 12-2 and the second one is from 3-5.

How do you get tickets?
Go to cupcakecampla.bakespace.com or click HERE

Where is Cupcake Camp L.A.?
At the Musicbox Theatre in Hollywood!!
6126 Hollywood Blvd.

Baby Shower

2010-11-07T16:34:00.000-08:00

I was hired to do some desserts for a baby shower. I fell in love with the color scheme: pink, lavender, and chocolate. Making everything for this shower was so much fun. I made marshmallow pops, chocolate mousse cups, cookie pops, and of course cupcakes. This time I did 2 flavors - a chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream and vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream. They were YUMMY!! Something about good old fashioned hershey's chocolate - you just can't beat it!!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-07T16:17:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the absence...

2010-11-07T16:01:00.000-08:00

It's been ~crazy~ around here! It seems like every year once Halloween hits - the time from then on until New Years seems to just fly by. But, I'm back and here's some pictures of some of the things I've been working on.

Some pics...

2010-10-14T20:26:00.000-07:00

Today was an exciting day. I made the trek to Westlake Village to meet Bobby Flay. It was exciting. I got his newest book - Throwdown - signed by him. I'm excited to start reading it and try out some of the recipes. I love Bobby Flay - he's an awesome cook.

I'm also adding some of my pics from the Bakerella book signing I went to on Tuesday.

Guess who I met today?

2010-10-12T14:39:00.000-07:00

And the winner of the Bakerella book is....ERIN! Be on the look-out for my e-mail so I can get your book out to you!!
Thank you to everyone who participated!!
XOXOXO

I met Bakerella today at her book signing in Santa Monica!! She is sooooo awesome!! She signed books, took pictures with people, and even had a Q&A session where we all got to ask her questions!

Of course I got a book and picture with her!! My little princess also got a pumpkin cake pop - which she gobbled up!

And guess what? I got an extra signed book to giveaway to one of my readers!

How do you get the book?

1. Become a fan of my blog and leave a comment letting me know you are a follower

2. Become a fan of my facebook page and leave a comment letting me know you are a follower

3. Leave me a comment about how much you love Bakerella and/or how much she inspires you (because she's AWESOME)

4. Blog about this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your blog post

Leave a comment for each entry. The lucky duck will be chosen on Friday via Random.org's drawing system.

Okay, now I gotta upload pics from today. Good luck!

GRAND OPENING WEEK CELEBRATION

2010-10-11T20:26:00.000-07:00

It's finally here.

My GRAND OPENING WEEK CELEBRATION!!

I'm excited! Are you excited? I hope so - cause I have a lot in store for the next 7 days. Giveaways, announcements, special one time offers...I could go on and on and on....but I'm sure you'll be checking back throughout the week to see what I've got up my sleeve.

So what's going on at the Parties & Cupcakes HQ?

Well, for the rest of the month Marshmallow pops are $10 for the first dozen and $5 for each additional dozen!!

Wait...it gets better.

Order 2 of the following items* and you get one dozen Marshmallow pops FREE:
Cupcakes, Cookie Pops, Marshmallow Pops, Chocolate Pretzels, Caramel & Chocolate Apples (these are ridiculously yummy), or Brownie Pops!!
*goodies and treats are sold in increments of half dozens and dozens - individually sold items are not included in this deal.

Also, I'm offering 15% off full-service party packages - so call or e-mail today and get a quote for your upcoming event. Book this month and get the discount for a party in the next 6months.

Girl's Night Party

2010-10-11T20:13:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I did a Girl's Night Party. Yes, I mainly do Children's Events - but come on - Mama's need fun girly parties too!! I did my first ever two-tone swirl cupcakes - they came out fabulous! I am dying for a zebra themed party so I can do some more. The colors were pink, black, and white - it was girly and sophisticated. The favors....well.....they were risque!! I'm seriously considering a side business devoted to chocolates because I love, love, love chocolate and making all sorts of chocolate confections.

Without further ado...here are some pics.

NOTE: Some of the pics are blurry, sorry for that, but at the same time it obscures some of the more risque items on the dessert table. This is a family friendly site after all!!

Parties & Cupcakes

2010-10-02T18:39:00.000-07:00

Well, it's OFFICIAL - Parties & Cupcakes by Brandy is OPEN for business. To kick off my grand opening - I am currently showcasing Parties & Cupcakes at the Los Angeles Kids Consignment Sale in Burbank, California. I'm soo excited! Today was my first day and I got to meet some really awesome people - all of which I would love to design a specialty party or desserts for them!!

Here are some pictures from today:

Princess & the Frog Party

2010-10-02T17:55:00.000-07:00

Afternoon with the Ladies...

2010-10-02T17:53:00.001-07:00

Bridal Shower Pics

2010-10-02T17:51:00.000-07:00

What's going on with parties and cupcakes..

2010-09-27T23:27:00.001-07:00

A LOT is going on.

I'm excited, and I sooo want to tell you all....but....you'll have to wait a few more days.

It's gonna be good though!!

So keep checking back!!

Deal of All Deals...

2010-09-27T23:25:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been soooo quiet as of late....I got A LOT in the works right now. I'm sooo excited about them too. In the mean time, wanna see something that got me "over the moon" excited? I'm talking about a Deal of ALL Deals!!

So, I have a Cricut - the little one. I lucked out and bought it on craigslist about 6months ago for $75 - it was brand new, never been opened, and I felt that I really lucked out.

Until now....

Last week was my birthday week, and lady luck was shining down on me.

I found a *PINK* Cricut Expression (you know - the $300 machine) in the As-Is section of Michael's marked down to $50!! You read that right - $50. The manager was right there and I asked her wha was wrong with it and she said it had been returned without the cartridges (it was the pink breast cancer cricut). I figured it was well-worth the $50, even without the 3 cartridges it was supposed to come with. So in my cart it went. I immediately went to check out and when I handed the cashier my 40% off coupon for the full-priced bag of melting chocolates I was getting - the register took the 40% off the CRICUT!! So, I got a brand new cricut expression for $30!! When I got home I found it was still shrink wrapped from the factory and there was 1 cartridge in the box.

$30 got me a brand new Cricut Expression and 1 cartridge!!

Here's some pics:

All's quiet on the blog front...

2010-09-23T08:27:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry there hasn't been any blog posts as of late, but I'm still here....just working really hard to get my ducks in a row before October 1st. I'm excited. Really excited. And nervous. Really nervous.

It'll be here before I know it.

Eeek!

I do have some posts in the works though. I had 2 volunteer events this past weekend - one went smashingly well and the other, well, it went not so well. Pics and write-ups coming soon.

Stay tuned....

I dreamt of cake stands...

2010-09-14T16:02:00.000-07:00

Really........I did.

I think I've got cake stand fever.

This is what I woke up and just had to create.

Recognize my cake stand from an earlier post?

(hint: it's the top one)

Martha Stewart Melamine Plates x2 - $2

Pottery Barn Kids Melamine Bowls x2 - $2

This is a kid-friendly, totally food-safe cake/cupcake stand

Another Macy's find - I found these plates a couple months ago on sale for $1 - I got 3 plates in 3 different colors (9 plates total).

The stand is a candle stick holder from the Dollar Tree.

Another plate from Macy's.

Here's all three plates together - since I have more plates and I like the tiered look - I am currently on the hunt for 3 similar candle stick holders to make another set of cupcake stands.

This is a Dollar Tree cupcake stand - it consists of a candle stick holder and candle mirror. I love this look - very chic!! Total cost = $2!!

Another kid-friendly stand - 2 melamine plates and a plastic cup.

The melamine plates are the Martha Stewart ones I got from Macy's - I got 4 of the big ones and 3 of the small ones. I got the cup for under 30cents from Target after last Christmas - it was in my daughter's box of all the stuff I've been collecting for her to play with when she gets old enough to have a play kitchen. Yes, I feel bad that I took the cup from her - but I did buy her 2 whole sets of plastic cups from Ikea - so it's okay.

2 Events this week

2010-09-13T20:48:00.000-07:00

I have 2 BIG volunteer events this week....and I'm excited and nervous.

We have our big Battalion picnic day on Friday along with 3 simultaneous fundraisers going on at the event - one of which I have never, ever done before. We're doing a dunk tank, snow cones, and a silent auction. I have never, ever done a silent auction before - so tonight - once I get my little princess to bed - I will be googling "silent auctions" to figure out HOW to do it. Funny thing is - I've known we were going to do this fundraiser and figured it would be easy peasy, but once I had to sit down and work out the logistics of it all it didn't seem so easy anymore.

On Saturday we're doing an ice cream social for our spouses and kiddies - I am hoping that this will work as a "come volunteer with us" event and will help us recruit more volunteers. We'll see - if not - I will be drowning my sorrow into a 3gallon tub of ice cream. I did manage to get some of those super cute ice cream decorations from Michael's. I got the "ice cream" banner and matching balloons. I have some ice cream items from JoAnn's that will also probably be making an appearance, as will some marshmallows and possibly caramel apples.

Tomorrow I've got some ~shopping~ to do.

Marshmallows

2010-09-11T13:28:00.000-07:00

I am not a huge marshmallow fan - but that has since changed. With the new Cake Pops book by Bakerella coming out (well, it's out now just not in my house yet) - I decided I wanted to experiment with making cake pops - but I wasn't ready to commit to baking a cake and going from there. But, I had marsmallows - so I decided to play around with those first. After all, I've seen "gourmet" marshmallows - with lots of yummy goodies on them.

I spent my labor day weekend experimenting with chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows - and WOW - it was one tasty experiment!! Here are some pics of the first batch of "gourmet" marshmallows to come out of my kitchen. Of course, my next experiment will be actually making the marshmallows - but one step at a time.

My cake stand...

2010-09-11T13:20:00.000-07:00

I love cake stands and cupcake stands. The right dish can really help to *enhance* the presentation of your cake or cupcakes.

The problem: they can get EXPENSIVE and sometimes you just can't find one to match your theme.

Solution: Make your own!!

Over the labor day weekend I shopped, and lucked out and found some really neat finds. I found some melamine Martha Stewart plates at Macy's for $1, and some pink melamine bowls at the Pottery Barn outlet for (you guessed it) a $1. At the time I bought them, I really had no idea what I was going to do with them. I figured they would either join the hodge podge of dishes I have in my cupboard - the dishes I see one or two of and just can't pass up cause they're soo darn cute ~or~ they would end up in the box of stuff I'm collecting for my little ones play kitchen I'm planning on getting her for Christmas or her birthday.

Then...I saw the post on Lizard and Ladybug about her Dollar Store Craft and the chalkboard she made...and I was inspired. So I googled "Dollar Store Crafts" and found the Dollar Store Crafts website. Wow! Wow! Wow! They have TONS of cool stuff that you can make and all the supplies cost A BUCK!! I mean, I love the Dollar Tree - but this is taking that love to a whole new level.

So, after checking out the Dollar Store Crafts site - I found the tutorial on individual cupcake stands. I love cupcake stands!! Then I knew - I could transform my hodgepodge labor day finds into something that I could really use for entertaining. Sooo, without further ado.....

Melamine Martha Stewart plate from Macy's

Melamine bowl from Pottery Barn Outlet

Waiting for the super glue to dry...

The finished project

Waiting for my camera battery to charge...

2010-09-09T14:35:00.000-07:00

I have tons of stuff to post - mostly pictures. I'm just waiting....waiting for my camera battery to charge up so I can download the pics and post them.

Labor day weekend was so much fun! We celebrated "Nina Appreciation" - a holiday my aunt made up - but was fun anyways. I did some SHOPPING!! We got everything for our outdoor Halloween decorations. I found some cool ideas in blog land - the dollar store crafts from Lizard and Ladybug and Dollar Store Crafts blogs are calling my name. I did find some cool finds during shopping - and have since turned them into......you'll have to wait and see. I also baked a cake and played with marshmallows....fun, fun, and super yum!! I also found 2 cool baking challenges - The Daring Bakers and Sugar High Friday. Food is such an important component to a good party - and I sure do love food, especially desserts and sweets.

Not to mention, I do have a birthday coming up....and I am using that as an excuse to put together a splendiferious dessert bar....

Labor Day Weekend = Craft Store SHOPPING

2010-09-04T01:00:00.000-07:00

Ohh man! This weekend I plan on doing some SHOPPING!! Between Michael's and JoAnn's and Big Lots - I'm hoping to stock up on some cool craft stuff. If you haven't signed up for coupons from Michael's and JoAnn's, you really need to. I just got an e-mail from Michael's with their "September Coupon Bonanza". Lots of good coupons!! They have some Halloween stuff I've been looking at and am hoping to obtain at a ridiculous price this weekend. As for JoAnn's - they have coupons out too for this weekend - mainly the 10% off total purchase. It's not that great - but considering they accept Michael's coupons - you can make it work.

Also, if you've gotten a copy of Martha Stewart's Halloween magazine that's out now - there's a 50% off one item coupon for a Martha Stewart item at JoAnn's - and she's got some super cute stuff out for Halloween.

Well, it's late and I am off to go dream about the labor day sales...

Cake Decorating Class: Lace and Flowers

2010-08-30T15:17:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday's Cake Decorating class was great. I learned how to make lace and flowers. The lace kicked my butt - actually my hand - my hand was SORE after doing all the piping work on the cake. The flowers - ehhh - I'm not so crazy about them. But then again, I am a bit of a perfectionist so the fact that I was not able to render perfection on the first go is probably what's deterring me from liking the flowers. I guess I better get over it cause I'm learning how to make roses my next class. Anyhow, here's some pictures of my cake:

My ugly flowers...

DIY: Cookie Cake

2010-08-30T15:09:00.000-07:00

I was asked by a friend of mine if I could do a cookie cake for her husband's birthday this past Saturday - and since I'm always up for learning new things and taking on challenges - I said I'd do it. I figured I'd bake a big cookie, write "Happy Birthday" in icing on it and call it a day. Oh no - she wanted a guy on a motorcycle on it. Let me say this - I am not a very good drawer - but I can trace - the only problem was how to trace a picture on to a cookie? It took me a day of thinking, and panicking, about what I had gotten myself into - but then it hit me - make a stencil and put it on the cookie. The only problem was how would paper work with frosting on a cookie? It probably would've been a huge mess. Thankfully, my husband and I took a trip to JoAnn's where they had candy making items on sale (bags for $1.99, choc. pretzel kits $3.99) - and that's when I knew I'd make my stencil out of chocolate. So, here are some step-by-step pictures of how my first-ever cookie cake came into being.

I found a coloring page on the internet of a guy on a motorcycle, printed it out, and made another copy at 125%. I then put it in a gallon ziploc bag and then piped the chocolate over the lines, thus tracing the picture and creating my stencil. Once I was done and the chocolate had had a few minutes to set I put it in the freezer.

I took my stencil out of the freezer and put it on the cookie. I first piped over all the chocolate with white buttercream frosting and filled in the areas I wanted to stay white - you can see one half of the motorcycle is already done in this picture. When I was peeling my stencil from the zip loc bag a few pieces broke off, but it wasn't anything too big and I was able to improvise.

This is the finished product. I stuck with 3 colors to keep it simple - white, blue, and black. I waited until the white frosting dried and then touched it up with a little silver glaze to give it some shine.

Projects for this weekend

2010-08-27T21:51:00.000-07:00

Well, this weekend is going to be somewhat busy. I have another cake decorating class - which I'm very excited about since I'll be making a basket and flowers. As I type this the cake is cooling and some of the ingredients needed for my frosting are getting to room temperature. In my oven is a GIANT cookie - seriously - this cookie is like 12inches round. Earlier I made a chocolate stencil of a guy a street motorcycle and will be using that to help me put that on the giant cookie. I'm making the cookie for my friend's husband's birthday dinner tomorrow night. Making a giant cookie has been tougher than I thought - I have learned a very valuable lesson about the giant cookie - you have to watch them carefully and take them out before they look totally done because they continue to cook as they cool down. I found that out the hard way - as my first giant cookie is sitting on my table and could be used as a Frisbee it got so hard after I took it out. I'm not a big cookie maker, and obviously it's something I need to work on. Of course, with this cookie I also cheated - I am using pre-made cookie dough - which could be a contributing factor to the Frisbee effect.

None the less - I am determined to make a yummy giant cookie and decorate it.

Of course, my most pressing project for the weekend: to seek out Halloween decorations so we can put together our inspiration board for our very first family Halloween party. I've been to quite a few places as it is - and we are working hard to find things that will stand out but aren't so over-the-top-commercialized Halloween items. I will be making a lot of items and would like to stick to a hand crafted-vintage Halloween look.

If I should find time I also need to work on my expo table, clean the baby's room, organize my craft room, and cook something other than desserts. Ahhh....the life of a mommy-preneur.

I (heart) sewing

2010-08-26T14:28:00.000-07:00

I love sewing, so much so I have an entire section of my craft area dedicated to sewing. I have a sewing machine and a serger and all sorts of thread, trims, and various sewing things. Don't get me stated on the amount of fabric I have - cause it's A LOT! I have a fabric addiction - and the bad part is that I like the "good stuff" - the type of fabrics that usually cost $8 per yard and up. When I step into a fabric store - I instantly imagine all the things I can make, if I had 40hours in a day and a limitless bobbin in my sewing machine.

I woke up this morning and realized we have a picnic coming up for my husband's battalion - and as always - whenever we have these military functions where the families come along - I always make sure my little princess has a special outfit. Usually I stick with pink and ACU (all-purpose camo uniform) fabric. I love making her things - well, I love making things in general - but anytime I can make something for her I jump at the chance. So, I will be making some appliques and flowers and then start sewing a little shirt for her. I'm gonna keep her outfit type a secret - but it's gonna be super cute!!

In the mean time - I thought I'd share some of my favorite outfits I've made in the past.

The John Deere Outfit - I didn't make the overalls but I did everything else, the peasant shirt included.

I absolutely loved this RWB fabric from Wal-Mart, especially since it was $2/yard.

The Strawberry Shortcake outfit - I was going for kind of a Little Bo Peep look! :)

Pink, Silver, Rhinestones, Paris, and Christmas? In August?

2010-08-22T19:29:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe it is August and I am writing about the holidays and thinking about how I want to decorate my house. This evening we were at Michael's and I was drooling over all the Christmas stuff they had out - and it's still months away. I am already day dreaming how my house would look with some of the items I saw there. I'm already planning on amassing a huge collection of 40% off coupons to stock up on the goodies I saw - it's that bad. They have a PINK, SILVER, RHINESTONE, and PARISIAN line of Christmas stuff. O-M-G!!! I about fainted when I saw it all. My husband has no idea how close he was to coming home tomorrow to a pink, silver, and rhinestone master bedroom. I think he would faint!! LOL!!

Here are some TO DIE FOR items I saw, I'm going back tomorrow to drool and daydream about the pinky-ness of it all, and maybe take more pics to post.

A beautiful mirror with lots of rhinestones. A bit pricey though at over $100.

Pink glass Christmas trees...couldn't you just imagine these on a beautiful table scape or candy/dessert buffet?

Bottles with rhinestone crown/tiara stoppers...these would look lovely on a dessert or breakfast bar holding syrups.

Silver Eiffel Towers....so glittery and sparkly.

This is a rhinestone stand for a candle - BUT - I plan on using this for a cupcake. BTW - they aren't $7.99 - that was a price tag for something else.

Cake Decorating Class: The Car Cake

2010-08-22T19:05:00.000-07:00

I am really enjoying my cake decorating class...even though it literally took every ounce of energy in my to go on Saturday, after that mammoth of a fundraiser we did on Friday. But, I went, and I was not disappointed. I did kind of rush through because I had a workout class at noon, but my cake turned out.

We had to cut the 8inch round in half, stand it up, and then go from there.

Here's my cake:

Sorry the picture isn't so great, I took this with my iPhone. :) I put an "E" on the doors and the hood because this cake went to my friend who's scheduled to have her little baby boy on my Birthday next month.

Operation Fundraiser

2010-08-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

Army Husband + Volunteering Spouse = Spouse volunteers with the Family Readiness Group

I belong to our spouses group, and it is that time of year again - where we kick it into high gear and start fundraising. I actually enjoy fundraising....even though the Army has made it a lot more difficult this year with all the new restrictions (like not being allowed to ask for donations) and the cuts in funding. We have our first fundraiser coming up this Friday - a breakfast, lunch, and bake sale. Our "guys" have a full fledged training day scheduled and so we're getting together and breaking out everything we possibly can to make it easier on them, as far as meals and snacks, and make a little money to support our organization.

So, in the spirit of "making things pretty", and because I just can't work with camo all the time and the Army won't go to pink - I've already started on some "decorations". I'm going with RWB and a little yellow, and cafe signs. I figure it needs to be eye catching, pretty, efficient, and did I mention pretty? Of course, if I had had my way we would've done hot pink and animal print with lots of rhinestones - but my husband informed me that that's not very "macho".

I will be baking too. I'm planning on doing some red velvet cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting, some yellow cupcakes with a heirloom strawberry jam filling and buttercream frosting, and maybe some french toast pound cake. Of course that's just a thought.....we'll see though. Pics of everything coming soon.

Cake Decorating Class & Using New Frosting Techniques

2010-08-15T21:51:00.000-07:00

So, I decided to enroll in some cake decorating classes. Mostly so I could improve my cupcake swirls - I'm not particularly worried about learning how to frost cakes - since I prefer to put my cakes in cupcake tins. But, before they'll teach me how to swirl my frosting in different ways on my cupcakes I have to learn the fundamentals. Saturday was my first class - and it was pretty fun. I made a one layer butterfly cake (and subsequently forgot to take pictures of it). It came out very pretty, and I learned a few valuable things: how to apply a *proper* crumb coat, how to make my own piping gel, how to smooth out buttercream frosting, and how to make frosting bags out of parchment paper.

Lucky for me, I also had a request for a birthday cake from my friend's husband for Saturday evening when we all went out for her birthday dinner. So after my class I went home and baked, made frosting, and put my new found knowledge to WORK!!

Here's the cake I made for her birthday:

Everything was made from scratch.

Yellow cake, strawberry filling in the middle, and vanilla buttercream.

Run for the Fallen

2010-08-11T13:16:00.000-07:00

You may or may not have noticed the little marker in my upcoming events regarding the Run for the Fallen on 08/20. I just wanted to do a little write up and explain what exactly it is and why it's on my blog. I'm an Army wife, and a very patriotic one who supports our troops - I think being married to one, the daughter of one, and so on may have something to do with that. LOL! Sooo, every year my husband and I try to do something that commemorates the troops - sometimes it's donating money to the Fisher House or in this case, finding something we can actually "DO" to show our support.

So, back to the Run for the Fallen. The Run will be taking place the weekend of August 21-22, we're doing ours on the 20th because my husband's company will be doing it as a group that morning for PT (physical training). Yes, some of the spouses will be out there cheering them on and some will be getting the table of drinks for them for after ready. Either way, we are coming together to do this as a collective group effort.

Here is some more info on the Run if you'd like to participate in a run near you or organize one on your own:

On the weekend of August 21/22, 2010, we are encouraging anyone, wherever they are, to go out and run/walk one mile for a fallen service member killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Similar to our events in 2008 and 2009, we will post runs here, in order!, by state and country. Please email contact [at] runforthefallen [dot] org with information about your run.

Our goal is to again have all 50 states participate. Last year, there were over 5,000 participants in 35 states and four countries, running a combined total of over 31,000 miles. Help us to continue to honor and remember our service members, bringing people and communities together. Together, let us Run for the Fallen.

Princess and the Frog Party Pics - Part 3

2010-08-07T16:53:00.000-07:00

Here are pics of the adult table and other pics from the party room:

The Adult's Table

Place Setting at the Adult Table

Princess Tiana Autograph Wall

NOTE: This is a great idea - you can have party guests leave handwritten birthday wishes for the birthday child. I used craft paper printed with flowers and a Martha Stewart scrapbooking pen for them to write with.

Paper Flowers and Birthday Banner

A Visit from the Dragon - not exactly in the Princess and the Frog storyline - but, it's part of the venue's party package.

Princess and the Frog Party Pics ~ Part 2

2010-08-07T16:16:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of the kids table:

The Birthday Princess' Place Setting

The Yellow Hat

The Green Hat

The Pink Hat

The Royal Kiddie Table

These were the favor boxes that held the commemorative princess hairbows

Some *bling*

Princess and the Frog Party Pics ~ Part 1

2010-08-07T16:04:00.000-07:00

These are pics of the cupcake tower and table and present/favor table:

The *top* cupcake

The Cupcake Tree

~The Cupcake Table~

NOTE: there was a picture of Princess Tiana on one side and a picture of the birthday girl with Princess Tiana on the other - you can't really see them in this pic - but they were there.

There were balloons EVERYWHERE!! Pink, Yellow, and Princess Crowns!!

The Favor & Present Table

Double Duty: 5.5inch lollipop favors doubling as a "Happy Birthday" sign.

NOTE: We ran out of table so things got a little squished! :)

The Favor & Present Table

What's in the box?

2010-08-05T16:57:00.000-07:00

This is one of the favor boxes I made for the Princess & the Frog party I'm doing on Saturday. There is one for each little princess in attendance. I'm still working on the exact placement of the favor - but that will probably end up being a last minute decision when I dress the table for the event.

As everybody knows, most royal events are commemorated by special little trinkets - everything from a royal stamp to a plate to a coin. In the case of this royal event - a hairbow was the chosen commemorative item. So, I searched high and low for a hairbow designer/maker that could craft a special hairbow to commemorate the royal event.

Enter: Amber Silcott of One of Everything, the hairbow designer extraordinaire. She designs and makes hairbows that look like your favorite princesses ~or~ you can choose one and customize the colors. So Amber was commissioned to make hairbows to commemorate this royal affair.

A quick hairbow review: As for the construction of the hairbow - they're very well put together and made of good quality gross grain ribbon. Yes, these hairbows were submitted to the "destructive baby test" - my little princess acted as my personal Quality Control agent - and after letting her "play" with a bow for a few minutes she was unable to tear it apart. Amber is also one of the best priced hairbow makers in the market - don't let her prices fool you into thinking she must be sacrificing the quality - because she isn't. I am a hairbow connoisseur - my little princess has more hairbows than hair to hold them. I will be buying from Amber again, for my princess and as party favors.

So, without further ado....here's what's in the box:

Here's my little frog friend showing you the hairbow and favor box.

The ribbon without the rhinestones is the one I ordered from Amber, I added the rhinestones because everything always looks good with a little bling or glitter!!

Princess & the Frog Sneak Peek

2010-08-04T13:57:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick peek at some of the things I'm working on for the Princess & the Frog party this Saturday. I am super excited!!

Can't have a Princess & the Frog party without a frog!!

(Of course he'll be getting a little "bling" next!"

Favor boxes....I'll be revealing what's inside tomorrow.

My Vacation Haul

2010-08-04T06:00:00.001-07:00

While on vacation I shopped!! Man oh man did I shop! I left for my vacation with two duffel bags and came home with three and am (still) waiting for my mom to mail my box back. One of my favorite places to check, where ever I happened to be, was Big Lots!! Lately, Big Lots has had some pretty cool Martha Stewart craft items - and I stocked up! Here are some things I found at the Big Lot's I went to:

This is "some" of my Bog Lot's haul...the rest is currently "hidden" from my husband! LOL!!

I also did some shopping at Wal-mart, not as much as Big Lot's, but that's because they didn't have much on sale that I wanted. BUT, they were having a remodel sale and they had CRICUT cartridges on sale, and I managed to snag two at good prices. The one I am most happy about is the cupcake cartridge - there's more to come on that one - but that's for a future blog post.

Yes, that is a cupcake wrapper cricut cartridge - it also does little toppers too.

Of course, I had to make a stop at Party City - just to check it out. Low and behold I found sets of cutlery for 75cents! Of course I bought some (20). We will be using the Berry colored ones (not pictured) for a future event with my spouses group come the holidays.

Can you believe it? They were 75cents a box!!

And of course, the shoes...for my little princess. I love having a little girl because of all the cute little accessories I can buy her! I love, love, love little baby shoes!! She went on vacation with 3 pairs of shoes (sandals, walking shoes, and dress shoes) and came home with all these:

A girl can never have too many shoes!!

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree...

2010-08-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

My Dad is an awesome cook - you can ask anyone that knows my family and has eaten at my father's table. Of course, he's always had an interest in cooking. I remember being 5 years old and the highlight of my day was when my dad would come home and we would watch Pasquale the Chef on tv. When we moved to Germany, luck would have it that we would live downstairs from an executive chef, my Opi. My father had a five year "appreticeship" with an executive chef - and I had a front row seat to it all. So needless to say - my dad loves to cook, to entertain, and share his creations with anyone and everyone.

Dad is also a Knight of Columbus. Once a month his "team" does a charity dinner to raise money for the different things the Knights support - like mission work. Anyhow, the menu normally consists of a salad, choice of two entrees, and a dessert. One of the entrees is always spaghetti and meatballs, the other entree varies each time. This time my Dad put together a burrito, bean, and rice plate - sounds simple and easy right? Well, you don't know my Dad. He poured over his menu options and shopped all over the place to find "the right ingredients" at the "best price" for the dinner. His goal is normally to sell at least 40 plates of the special - so they plan for 40 and everyone else gets spaghetti - it usually works out - unless it's one of my Dad's really popular dishes (like the jagerschnitzel). So, I got to help out at the Knights charity dinner - sorting beans the night before and waiting tables the day of!! But it was all for a good cause and it was fun to help my dad out.

Here are some pictures of the dinner (and my Dad):

The Chef

Dos Especiales

A close-up of the dinner...

At the Knights Hall - getting ready to go wait tables!!

My first time being "featured"

2010-08-03T10:03:00.000-07:00

Imagine my surprise when I checked my e-mail and received an e-mail from Catch My Party informing me that my Goldfish party was being featured as the 'Party of the Day' today. I was pretty happy to know that someone liked my party enough to feature it - it kinda feels like I got to put "my party" on the fridge for everyone to see. LOL!!

So, if you're surfing the party world online - feel free to head on over to Catch My Party and check it out.

Some cool things from blog-land...

2010-07-30T13:40:00.000-07:00

I've been doing A LOT of surfing throughout blog-land the past couple of days - mostly looking at other blogs for inspiration and to distract me from all the unpacking I need to do. Here are a few things I found:

Silouhette Art Work

Secret Agent Josephine is a really neat blog/website - I found them through my facebook page (I'm a fan of Nickelodeon's Parent's Connect - and they featured the site. I love how simple this tutorial is - of course you do need a computer and photoshop to do it - but I imagine you could probably do it by tracing a picture you print out on regular paper onto black cardstock.
Either way - silhouettes are pretty and make ncie gifts and pieces of art in your house.

Cupcake Wishes and Birthday Dreams

WOW! WOW! WOW! Talk about a blog hostess that knows how to put together a visual feast that will make your eyes pop!! She knows where to go to get things that inspire. I've been following her posts mostly through facebook. I usually get the chance to read them around 11pm at night on my iphone in bed (I feel like Harry Potter when he was reading his spell books under the covers at night while still at the Dursleys) LOL!!
So, in addition to loving her blog, she also has a Princess Tiana party on there - that I totally fell in love with. You would not believe how hard it is to find inspiration for a Princess Tiana/Princess & the Frog party - especially since I have one coming up next weekend.
Also, her post featuring a woodland fairy party had me fall head over heels!!

It's Always a Party at the Parkers Blog

O-M-G!!

This blog makes me DROOL - it is that AWESOME!!

Back from vacation

2010-07-26T23:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back from vacation and after taking the weekend to recoopoerate from my vacation, I am slowly but surely getting back into the swing of things. As soon as I came back I had a package (with party stuff) I had to express mail out, a party to get started on, and a fundraiser to hop on and put together for our spouses group. (side note: our group was the only one that did a fundraiser last year, and we made $400, and this year we won't be the only ones fundraising at the annual event - so I am really having to step it up so we make money). I also am still unpacking and getting my little one back into a routine - which is a little difficult since she's "trying" to go on a nap strike!!

Anyhow, I will be posting some pics from my vacation here. While on vacation I spent loads of time with my family and my in-laws. I also helped out with a Knights of Columbus charity dinner (got some good pics of that), had a few parties, shopped until I dropped, experimented in the kitchen, and was pretty much on the go from the day I landed until the day I left.

So, my feet are back on the ground here in sunny California and am ready to hit the ground running and plan some parties and make some cupcakes.

Test Kitchen Chronicles: Beignet Cupcakes

2010-06-26T17:56:00.000-07:00

I have a sweet tooth - and lately have been craving a certain sweet, deep fried confectionary cloud of sweetness - especially since watching the Princess and the Frog so many times for inspiration as I'm getting things together for the Princess and the Frog party. I'm also home visiting my parents, and my Dad, well, he's a culinary magician/genius/madman. So, we are turning my parents kitchen into a test kitchen and are literally making this cupcake up out of thin air. Seriously, I searched the internet high and low and could not find a recipe for this cupcake I'm dying to create. I searched all of our cook books - even the ones in German and French and could not find a recipe.

So, we're going back to the fundamentals and basics of baking - of course, isn't that what artists do - you have to remember your basics in order to get to that masterpiece.

What's the culinary creation I'm hoping to create? A beignet flavored cupcake with vanilla buttercream and a chicory and chocolate covered coffee bean garnish.

Wish me luck!!

Bridal Shower Pictures

2010-06-21T21:02:00.000-07:00

Well, I made it through the weekend and the bridal shower! It was tough to pull it off knowing that everything I normall use for an event is across the country and that having an event like this at the beach - in Florida - had a lot of variable I couldn't control. My favorite element of the bridal shower were the favors - small jars of jam! My mom and I spent HOURS making all the jars of jam - we did 24 four ounce jars of Strawberry Rhubarb Jam. Anyhow - here are some pictures from the shower!

The main table - we did cold foods since it was a HOT day - even with the breeze.

My mom got this shell back in the early 80's in Hawaii (where we lived for 5yrs) shortly after my sister was born - and now it's making an appearance at her bridal shower!!

More mason jars....they are sooo versatile!!

The cake - Strawberry Shortcake flavored. My friend Becky made this cake - and it was DELISH!!

Even at the beach you need fresh flowers...

The favors - jars of jam! We called them Park's Preserves - my sister's soon-to-be *new* last name.

The Bride - my sister!!

The Bridal Shower...

2010-06-17T19:41:00.000-07:00

Wow! This has been stressful getting everything together for the bridal shower this weekend. First off - we're in the panhandle of Florida and we're doing the shower on the beach - and I am crossing my fingers that there will be no oil on the beach this weekend. The party spot is about an hour east of Pensacola - and already the oil slick has been sighted there. I'm also hoping for good weather - apparently we might be getting some rain that day - and not a *light shower*. Then there's the issue of my decorations. I couldn't fit them in my suitcase so I decided to priority mail them to me - the only problem was that I ran out of time to run to the post office before I left because the Los Angeles traffic was extra heavy the morning I left (I was planning on running to the post office before heading to the airport) and my friend wasn't able to mail my package of decorations out until this afternoon. So, I am dealing with the following possibilities: oil on the beach, rain, and no decorations.

The plus side - there's an A.C. Moore, Michael's, an awesome scrap booking store with lots of tools I can use, JoAnn's, Dollar Tree, and a Party City I can run to. I may have to change my theme at the last minute - so I can make sure everything looks great and meshes together. I will be so happy if I can pull this all together - I mean, I know I can - it just feels very daunting right now.

So, I will keep you updated on my gulf coast-on the beach-bridal shower with no decorations (for now).

Upcoming Projects...

2010-06-13T19:15:00.000-07:00

Well, as soon as I get through and survive my sister's bridal shower I have two very girly projects to start working on. I am very excited as these are my first two projects outside of our family! LOL!

Project 1: Princess and the Frog Birthday Party

I am doing this project for a friend - I will be designing and creating all the party decorations for a Princess and the Frog birthday party. I am super excited - I have literally watched this movie like 10x already. It's cute (and a little scary at times) and it reminds me of when we lived in Louisiana - which I loved living there. I loved the people, the food, the music....did I mention the food? LOL!! So now I am trying to recreate everything I love about New Orleans, Louisiana, and the movie all in one. A tall order - especially since my friend spent quite a bit of time in the Crescent City! I do know that I will be working with a color scheme of buttercup yellow, pastel green, leaf green, and gold. I still really wrestling with the idea of using purple - after all the movie takes place during mardi gras - and mardi gras colors are purple, goldenrod, and green (that color set is burned into my memory after a Mardi Gras pageant we did) - so purple may make an appearance. We'll see...

Project 2: Lime Green & Silver Quinceanera (15th Birthday)

I've already started working on this project. We have about 10months until the party - but with all the details I'm working on to make this a very unique party and taking great care to mix tradition with the birthday girl's modern day twists - and stay within a strict budget - it's a challenge, and I LOVE a good challenge.

The first thing I did was meet with the mom, aunt, and birthday girl - from there we were able to nail down a lot of the rough details, design a logo we'll be using, and cover the few items that needed to be done ASAP. I really do love the logo - and it's something unique that'll stand out. One thing we're doing that is pretty cool - and will be done by the end of this month - is the Save the Date cards. We decided to do Save the Date cards because it's a while until the event and people will be traveling to it. The cool thing about them - they're going to be on magnets - so they can put them on their fridge to remind them of the event. They're really cool.

My friend and I are also working onthe linens - we're looking to design (and possibly make) something very unique, cool, shiny, silvery, and that have a wow-factor to them. It's gonna be FUN!! :)

Bridal Shower

2010-06-08T17:06:00.000-07:00

Man oh man! I've been busy as a bee!! I'm working on getting everything together for the bridal shower - I literally have less than two weeks for this cross country soiree. I think the biggest issue I'm having is the traveling and getting everything there in one piece - and making sure I have a contingency plan in case I forget something. I think I may need to look into investing in a travel tote for my Cricut machine and craft items. There are some items I just cannot live without - of course with as much as the airlines charge for baggage it might work to my advantage to just save the baggage fee money and ues it as my "just in case I forget something" money. LOL!!

Once I arrive I only have four days to get ready - not to mention 3 bridesmaids to coordinate who have all helped with the planning and getting different aspects of the shower together. It's gonna be a whirlwind from the moment I touch down until the bridal shower!! Well, back to work.....

My party was a Ball!!

2010-06-06T15:55:00.000-07:00

My Banner - I used the Ball logo they made available for download and put it in the hearts on each side. Also, everything was green and yellow - the colors of the Ball brand labels.

Well, yesterday was the canning party with all the goodies I got from Houseparty.com and Ball. It went great!! I have never bought that much produce in one trip to the grocery store. Nor have I ever peeled 16lbs of tomatoes before either - a memory that won't soon be forgotten - especially since I am now in need of a new peeler. LOL!! As for the canning - it was sooo neat!! I had this notion that canning was a difficult, long, painstaking process - but it's not. The hardest part is the prep work - but once everything is cleaned, peeled, and chopped up - the actual process of canning something goes ~fast~, not to mention how easy it is. We made salsa - a mild one, but very flavorful. I think the coolest (and the part that made me most anxious) was hearing the *POP* of the jars sealing.

Well, without further ado, here are some pictures of the decor of my party....

I used some of the products Ball sent me and incorporated them into the decor.

The Table

More products...

There were labels with the Ball logo available for download - I opted intead to print & cut them out and put them through my sticker maker and use them as drink labels. I love the idea of putting a label on cups at a party to help remember who's drink is who's! These were the same glasses I used as fruit cups in a previous party!! :)

Happy Memorial Day

2010-05-31T10:35:00.001-07:00

Happy Memorial Day Everyone!

Pictures taken from MarthaStewart.com

Craft slide show featuring patriotic crafts and decorations.

My party pack has arrived!!

2010-05-28T15:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a hectic day...I took my little one on a birthday adventure - filled with Susie Cakes cupcakes and a playdate at Kali's Garden. In the midst of all our birthday celebrations I got a visit from the FedEx man - and he had my package from Houseparty.com with all the things I needed to throw my Ball ~ Fresh Taste of Summer party!! Ohhhh man - I sure did savor opening it - it was like my own little *surprise* package!! I was excited to be picked to host a party. I was stoked about learning about canning and getting all sorts of freebies to help me get started. Then, when I got the package and saw everything in it - I was OVER THE MOON!! This week I will be working on getting everything together for the party. Decorations, snackie snacks (that's what we call 'em in my house), and lots of fresh produce for making salsa and jellies. I will also be trying my hand at canning - I can't have a party about canning and have no idea how to do it. Wish me luck!! I think I will also be doing another giveaway on the 5th (the day of my party) with one of the goody bags they sent me. Hmmmmm......

Here's a pic of all the goodies I got from Houseparty.com and the Ball Company.

And the winner is....

2010-05-27T12:22:00.000-07:00

...CandCFamily

(please reply in the comments section with your e-mail)

My little birthday princess wanted to get in on the action - so she drew the winning name from, you guessed it, one of my favorite glass jars!! LOL!! Then she pulled more out and started eating the paper.....one of her favorite things to do! :)

Stay tuned for my June giveaway....it's a Twilight themed movie party pack...just in time for the release of Eclipse on June 30th.

Mason Jars

2010-05-26T13:16:00.000-07:00

Ever since I saw the mason jar hanging candle from Pottery Barn, I have been fascinated with glass jars. Big ones, little ones, medium sized ones.....oddly shaped jars. Then, I won the houseparty for Ball and it only seemed to add to my jar mania. Soooo, since I am doing a canning party that requires the use of jars - I decided to start looking into using jars as decorations. There are all sorts of things you can do with jars to use them as decorations. The one thing I've seen a lot of is using them in floral ceterpieces....for weddings and other types of events. I like the look - call me country, simplistic, whatever.....but something about the mason jars filled with water and a beautiful, yet simple, bouquet really takes me back to my childhood when I would save a washed out mayonaise jar to fill with water and flowers I picked for my mom. I also remember our summers in France when Helene would have a jar filled with flowers in the middle of the table when we ate outside overlooking the beach. On Brides.com I found a wonderful tutorial on how to create a Mason Jar floral centerpiece

Picture taken from www.bravobride.com

Picture taken from Brides.com

Mason jars can also be used for other things, not just floral centerpieces - they are that versitile! Here are some pictures of other ways people have found to incorporate mason jars into their themes.

Picture taken from Brides.com

Picture by Melissa Michaels from http://www.theinspiredroom.net/

You can also use mason jars to do terrariums or show off collections of items ( I would love to do a craft themed party and have jars of buttons and ribbon as decorations - so cute). You can buy kits to make mason jars into lamps. You could also use mason jars as favors - fill them with you favortie candle or bath salts - or with some homemade preserves.

Your mason jar ideas are only limited by your imagination.

BLOG GIVEAWAY- This Thursday!!

2010-05-24T18:38:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm finally done with the party set for my first blog giveaway! It's gorgeous! I love the color pallette I used and all the pinks!! Here are some pics of the set - the tablecloth and planter are not included in this giveaway. Also, I will be personalizing the banner according to your event - but figured I'd show you the colors it'll be.

I will be doing the drawing at noon pacific time on Thursday, May 27th!! The date and time my little princess made her grand entrance!!

Items included in the Blog Giveaway:

1 Guest of Honor Party Hat (will be personalized for you)

8 Party Hats

12 Cupcake Toppers

1 Jar of Confetti

1 Event Banner (will be personalized for you)

12 Labels

12 Stickers

(there's a few extras in there as far as cupcake toppers, labels, and stickers)

1 Custom Invitation Design

AND

1 Custom Bag Topper from Gifts for All NC

(these will be e-mailed to you in a jpeg format with all your event info on it)

To enter the giveaway, you need to do the following:

1. Become a follower to my blog (must be a public follower so I can count you for the giveaway)

2. Go to http://www.giftsforallnc.com/ and check out Aisha's gallery and products she has and let me know what you like the best HERE in the comments section.

(please leave comments on the previous posting for the Blog Giveaway)

I won a House Party via Houseparty.com

2010-05-20T12:30:00.000-07:00

I finally was chosen for a House Party from Houseparty.com. I was starting to get seriously discouraged - but low and behold I got chosen for a party!! I will be hosting the Ball - Fresh Taste of Summer party and am sooo incredibly stoked about it. It's a party where we will be canning Salsa and Pepper Jelly. The stuff that they are sending in the party pack is some serious higher end canning equipment, not to mention all the freebies to help with the party.

Canning is something I've always wanted to learn how to do. I especially wanted to learn so I could make my own baby food and preserve it. So I will be hosting my party on June 5th. Among everything else I'm working on - I'm going to start making decorations for this party too. I'm also going to "diversify" my decorations and go with a lot of "canning" themed things and recycled things. I've already started saving baby food jars and other jars - I figured I could use those to put flowers in. I'm also going to look for papers with various fruit and veggie prints. I'm not sure of a color scheme yet - though the printables houseparty.com provided us with are green and a wierd yellow - but I think I want to go with lots of *bright* colors that reflect a garden.

As for food for the party - other than chips and maybe some artisan breads - I'm not sure. I think I am going to check out our awesome farmers market the morning of and see what they have. I know I will probably do cupcakes - and maybe will do the garden themed ones out of the Hello Cupcake! book.

Stay tuned for more details about the house party - party!!! LOL!!

Sew*Fia Couture

2010-05-18T21:34:00.000-07:00

I have featured one of Brittany's parties on my site before (the hot pink and zebra party) and it gives me *great* pleasure to announce that she is BACK IN BUSINESS with her sewing and designing. I have bought a few items from Brittany - hairbows and clothing - and have never been disappointed by her creativity, her attention to detail, or the quality of the materials she uses. Sooo, after having her beautiful baby girl and taking some time off......she's BACK!! Brittany has a facebook page where you can check out her portfolio and order custom clothing items.

If you are looking for a custom outfit for your little cutie pie's special day - Sew*Fia Couture is the place to go.

Goldfish Party: The Table

2010-05-17T14:47:00.000-07:00

The Table

Cupcake Stand

Party Favors

Birthday Girl's Party Hat

Candy

More Candy....and cupcakes for decorations

Party Hats for our Guests

Monogramed Artwork

The Highchair

Goldfish Party: Decorations from around the house

2010-05-17T10:51:00.000-07:00

I ran into a few "issues" when decorating for the party: mostly they were space issues. I don't exactly have the biggest house and I don't have a yard (only a small patio) - and I had invited over 20 people (and everyone came except 2 families). Small house + Lots of people = Getting very creative with decorating while keeping it spacious. We also had a clown - so space was needed for that. Other issues I had to factor in were that there were mostly babies - so everything had to be baby proof - like no long tableclothes and babygates were part of the decor!!

Here are a few decorations from around the house:

White tissue paper flowers hung from the ceiling.

Wall Sconce decorated to match the color scheme. I wrapped a battery operated "candle" in matching paper and then tied tulle around the crackle glass.

This was our "timeline" showing Sarah's pictures from 2weeks to 11months. I think this was a beautiful decoration - why? Because my husband made it for our daughter. He wanted to get in on the decorating - so he did everything from taping the paper, to gluing on polkadots and the letters, and putting the pictures on. (I cut out the letters using my cricut - but had planned on using them for something else - then he decided he needed them for his project!!)

This is one of the many flag banners we had around the house.

Goldfish Party: The Cupcakes

2010-05-16T23:23:00.001-07:00

Well, I know you all probably want to see pictures of the party - I'm still in the process of getting my house back to normal and recovering from everything. I'm also waiting for my good friend to e-mail me the pics she took so I have LOTS and LOTS of pics to share with you. I am going to post everything Monday with a cool write up on everything! In the mean time - I thought I'd tease you.....and show you pics of the cupcakes from the party. I really surprised myself in decorating them - I'm glad my frosting technique has improved. We had strawberry cupcakes and vanilla cupcakes - my little princess LOVES strawberry!! I tried to tint the vanilla cupcakes blue with food coloring but they came out green - not sure how that happened as I only used blue food coloring - but I learned my lesson - buy the actual colors they sell versus relying on food coloring to be a sure thing.

4 dozen cupcakes ready to be frosted

White Frosting with Blue Sugar Crystals
(This is my ALL-TIME *Favorite* picture of anything I have EVER baked)
(P.S. It was YUMMY too)

Ornage Frosted Cupcake with Orange Rock Candy
(Okay - the frosting looks a little peachy - but I followed the directions on the back of the food coloring box and the orange just did not come out right)

Blue Frosted Cupcake with White Sugar Pearls

(The pearls were actually shiny - but it was hard to capture that with my camera)

Goldfish Party: You're Invited

2010-05-16T23:15:00.001-07:00

Saturday we had Sarah's Goldfish Party - it was a BLAST!! Good friends, good food, and a very happy little birthday girl!! I just wanted to show you the invitations and bag toppers we used, they were designed by Aisha of Gifts for All NC. She really understood my vision and did an ~awesome~ job translating the dress from Gymboree's Little Fish line on to paper. The invitation really helped give our guests that we invited a *peek* at what I had planned.

Also, if you read thru our invite you saw we weren't doing gifts, instead opted to ask for our friends to donate books so we could take them to the Ronald McDonald House in L.A. - our friends brought tons and Sarah and I will be taking them down this week. Thank you to all my friends who attended our party and brought books - we appreciate it. Of course, Sarah also loved the presents that you all spoiled her with too. LOL!! :)

The things we do for our babies....

2010-05-10T12:19:00.000-07:00

Please excuse the erratic postings that may occur this week....I am in the final countdown phase of planning for my little princess' birthday party on Saturday. I have 5 days left....5 days!! I am *freaking* out!! I literally spent an hour making a list of everything that needs to get done this week and organized the list by day and put the chores that needed to be done on those days. I am almost out of crafting mode for this party....almost....I keep seeing things that look neat and I want to make. I've made the tablecloths, party hats, banners, and I still have some of the other decorations and one of the games to make. And don't get me started on the cleaning.....I think we're going to live off of paper plates, plastic cups and silverware until Saturday.

Even though I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off.....it's so worth it! My little girl will only turn one once, and just like this year has flown by, so will the rest. Sooo, a little craziness is worth it the week before we celebrate her so I can relax that day (somewhat) and enjoy cupcakes and balloons with my baby. (tears)

More updates to follow.....

Sale Shopping Sunday

2010-05-09T12:28:00.000-07:00

There will not be a post for Sale Shopping Sunday this weekend, as it is Mother's Day, my husband is taking us all out to spend the day together - and his one rule was no internet. (But I still have my facebook on my phone - LOL!!)

Sooo, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the beautiful Mama's out there!!

Enjoy!!

Blog Giveaway

2010-05-08T00:39:00.000-07:00

After spending the better part of last weekend and my week immersed in party hats....and loving it...and because my little ones birthday is literally a week away - I decided to do my very first BLOG GIVEAWAY!! Guess what I'm giving away?? You guessed it - a party hat.....and some other items I've made to go along with that hat to help make one lucky reader's next event a smashing decorating success!! I found some beautiful papers and embellishments, and those combined with one of my newest Cricut cartridges - I'm ready to send one of my "on a whim" party packs out into the world!!

Here's what I'm giving away:

1 - Guest of Honor Party Hat
8 - Party Hats for Guests
1 - Event Banner (choice between: Happy Birthday, Bridal Shower, Baby Shower, Congratulations)
12 - Cupcake Toppers
12 - Labels (can be used to label jars for candy bar or other items on your table)
12 - Stickers (can be used to label plastic cups)

Ohhhhh......and guess what? That's not all!! From Gifts for All NC, Aisha is giving away a *MATCHING* custom invitation and bag topper set!!

How to enter the Blog Giveaway:

1. Become a follower to my blog http://www.partiesandcupcakes.blogspot.com/ (worth 1 entry)

2. Head on over to www.giftsforallnc.com and check out Aisha's galleries and then post back here what you like the most!! (worth 1 entry)

My Fav Graphic Designer

2010-05-07T16:26:00.000-07:00

I would like to introduce my *favorite* graphic designer......Aisha of Gifts for All NC. I met Aisha through Etsy and have done business with her ever since that first convo!! She does invitations (with and without pictures), party favors, wedding stationary packages, cards, and all sorts of custom paper goods - and the best part is she is super affordable making customized stationary a reality. She also has a flair for diaper cakes!! Aisha designed the *cutest* invites and bag toppers for my little princesses birthday parties (yes, we are doing 2 parties to celebrate my daughter's 1st birthday)!! Aisha is enthusiastic and is absolutely great about making sure you're happy with your custom invites!!

Aisha will also be working with me on a few projects and I am looking forward to it!! Stay tuned!!

A little cupcake topper LOVE

2010-05-06T20:42:00.000-07:00

What better way to decorate cupcakes than pretty paper wrappers and pretty paper cupcake toppers? I was in Williams & Sonoma this past week and fell in ~love~ with their cupake wrapper/topper sets they currently have. I am really digging the robot set - and am just itching to do a robot themed event. Currently, on their website they are only showing the pirate set and the princess set, but in stores you can find the robot set, the animal parade set, and the eat cake set. The great thing is that they are only $12 (+tax) - which is pretty affordable. Simply decorated cupcakes with a little topper are soo adorable!!

The Robot Set

Animal Parade & Eat More Cake Sets

Pirates & Princess Sets

Goldfish Party: A Little Peek A Boo

2010-05-05T14:52:00.000-07:00

Here's a little peek-a-boo at what I've been working on for my little ones first birthday party!

Custom Party Hats Part 2

2010-05-05T10:22:00.000-07:00

This is by far THE BEST online tutorial I found as to how to go about making PAPER party hats, which I found on the blog: My Paper Creations by Niki Estes. The main reason I really liked this tutorial is that it showed you how to make the hats out of 12x12 scrapbook paper using household items, craft items you probably already have, and a ruler. Every other tutorial I had pulled up had a printable pattern that would need to be blown up to a larger size in order to use as a template. Which is fine if you have the time...and patience.

The only issue I had when making these hats was with the adhesive. On the tutorial, Niki Estes used double sided tape - which works so long as you can find it in a thin strip, which I did not have on hand. I used a combination of adhesive dots and regular tape. I tried glue - but it was too messy and took too long to dry (I had to hold the paper in place until it dried). Another option is to use staples - but since these are party hats for kiddies - I figured we'd go with something kid safe like glue....and maybe a little tape. I also used a penny to cut the half-circle at the top because I didn't have a 3/8inch hole punch like Niki Estes used in her tutorial. Here is a picture of all the supplies I used to make my hat:

As for hat decorations, I used some scrapbooking flowers that I had on hand and rhinestones. I used the adhesive dots to secure everything. I would not recommend using rhinestones if these hats are for little ones unless you have a really secure adhesive....like super glue. Overall, I enjoyed the process of making the hat. Here's my final product:

Goldfish Party: 2 Weeks Till Party Time!

2010-05-03T22:39:00.000-07:00

Well, we're 2 weeks away from the party and I am getting super excited. I've still got sooo much to do before the party that it baffles me, especially when I realize that I started planning this party a couple of months ago. This week I am working on finishing the party hats and another banner for my little one. I am also going to finish up the cupcake toppers - luckily there isn't much I have to do to finish those. I hope to post some *sneak peeks* this weekend. It's amazing how fast time flies!!

I am also working on a blog surprise......more to come later this week.....so keep checking in.

Custom Party Hats Part 1

2010-05-03T09:08:00.000-07:00

I am "on the fence" when it comes to party hats - but at the same time - I feel like it's not a children's party without the little cone hats. Since, I am doing a theme for my daughter that is not found in stores - I had a decision to make: Go without the traditional cone shaped party hats, use something else (like tiaras), or make some party hats. I decided to make the party hats after reading a post on Maddycakes Muse's Blog. It seems pretty easy - and it gives me an excuse to break out my cricut and buy pretty scrapbooking papers.

Before I decided to make a trip to Michael's I wanted to do some "research" on custom party hats to get some ideas. I decided to check Etsy.com out - they have a lot of crafters on there that make hats - and I was bound to get some ideas to help guide me. Instead, I learned that making party hats is not for the faint of heart. It's serious business producing adorable party head gear!! I must admit - I think looking at other hats only intimidated me - but instead of giving up - I am going to *try* (keyword being "try") to make the paper party hats for our guests, and I am serisouly considering outsourcing the party hat for the birthday girl, as I am not that talented in the hat making department.

Here are some of the hats I found:

Here's a totally adorable style of party hat from and Jane.
It's sooo pretty with the marabou and ribbon. This hat also features a super cute cupcake fabric! I also love how by using a headband - your little one will have the party hat securely attached to their noggin during their party!! :) Absolutely ingenious!!

http://www.andjane.net/ ~or~ www.etsy.com/andjane

They have some super cute party accessories, like custom bows, hats, flip flops, hair flowers, and all sorts of *pretties" little girls love and mom's of little girls love to buy!!

Here is a really cute paper hat from Sweet Tea and Pickles!

I love the use of both paper and the ric rac - and the theme is totally cool too! It's simple and fun all at the same time!!

www.etsy.com/sweetteaandpickles

Full party packages (hats, banners, cupcake toppers, etc.) and lots of al la carte party items.

I found these very chic mermaid party hats from Mary Had A Little Party.
I love this style of hat because it's very simple and not over the top - and I love the colors too. I have been crushing on the color aqua as of late - not sure why - but I'm digging it!

http://www.maryhadalittleparty.com/
Lots and lots of party themes and everything needed to do the theme (hats, cupcake toppers, favors, labels, etc.). She even has the hook up to get custom SHIRTS to match the party theme!! Love, love, love it!!

(I'm torn between the cupcake theme and the mermaid theme)

Sale Shopping Sunday: My Favorite Find

2010-05-02T23:09:00.000-07:00

The Dollar Tree has A LOT of neat stuff, but by far, my favorite thing was the Water Glasses. The water glasses are plastic and are one complete piece, unlike the plastic champagne or wine glasses you see. They come in a pack of 5. The reason I like these water glasses so much is because they can be used to serve desserts (like trifles), are disposable (or can be re-used if washed out good), and look nice. I've used these to serve fruit salad in, breakfast yogurt parfaits, and I've bought some to use for the bridal shower I'm doing in June (we'll be serving trifles). But their uses are not limited to water and desserts alone! Other ideas include: serving veggies (a dollop of dressing in the bottom and veggie sticks sticking out), serving bloody mary's at a brunch, or maybe even using them to hold the royal crafting items at a princess party! The skies the limit!!

The best part about these water glasses - they cost a DOLLAR!!

Sale Shopping Sunday: Dollar Tree

2010-05-02T13:22:00.000-07:00

My intention of Sale Shopping Sunday was to showcase "sale" or "clearance" items you can find online that would add to the decor of any party. The Dollar Tree may not have a "sale" or "clearance" section, but it always has good prices - everything is a DOLLAR!! Putting on a shindig does not have to break the bank. That's where the Dollar Tree comes in - you can find lots of low cost items that with the right touch - they can look really snazzy and know one will ever guess you got the items at the Dollar Tree. The Dollar Tree also sells items in bulk enabling you to order large quantities of things you want. Here are a few items that you can find at your local dollar store:

These are some cute little frames that can be found at the Dollar Tree and used to indicate the table number or used as individual place card holders.

The Dollar Tree also has all sorts of party themed supplies. The Pink Princess one shown

above is just one of the themes they have. They also have the 4th of July,

Pirates, Hawaiian Luau, and a Sports theme right now.

These are some really cute wedding favors.

The Dollar Tree has a lot of different types of glass vases.
You can really do a lot with a glass vase - the only limit is your imagination.

My Dessert Pictures

2010-04-30T20:12:00.000-07:00

Here are some random pics of desserts I've made in the past couple months.

~Strawberries & Cream Layered Cake~

Strawberry cake with vanilla buttercream and fresh

strawberries in between the layers and on top.

This was our dessert for Good Friday - a bit decadent - but soo yummy!!

~Chocolate & Strawberry Cupcakes~
Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, topped with chopped nuts and strawberries.
These were made for a bake sale for the spouses group I volunteer with.

~Guinness Cupcakes~
Guinness cupcakes with cream cheese frosting
I made these just because and to test out a recipe we are considering for
my soon-to-be brother-in-laws grooms cake.
Recipe was from Nigella.
(note: if you bake as cupcakes instead of a cake cut down baking time to 30-35minutes)

Paper Towel Flower Wreath

2010-04-28T13:11:00.000-07:00

I checked my blogroll this morning - hoping and wishing for some inspiration for my sister's bridal shower - especially since we're on a tight budget and the other bridesmaids and I have been talking back and forth about the shower lately. I really lucked out today! Over on Maddycakes Muse's blog - she had a post featuring Paper Towel Flowers and Paper Towel Flowers on a Wreath - which she got from Made by Nicole (a really cool blog filled with some neat stuff). Over on Made by Nicole's blog - she has a full tutorial on making these absolutely beautiful (and budget friendly) flowers. So, I am going to get my little helper and we are going to raid my craft stash and make these today. I don't have any paint, so we'll be using food coloring. I also plan to break out this stash of buttons and other little fabric items that have been sitting in my craft stash (that I loved and had to have but had no real plans for) and use them. I'm going to try really, really hard and make this a no-cost project. I have tons of stuff - I'll just have to avoid the urge to go to Michaels or JoAnn's.

I { HEART } Cupcakes

2010-04-27T21:34:00.000-07:00

I have a serious addiction to cupcakes. I know where all the cupcakery's and boutique bakeries that specialize in irresistable, delectable cupcakes within a 10mile radius of my house are. I even have their menus and know when they put their "monthly features" out. Not only do I love to eat them, but I love, love making and decorating them. I am in no way, shape, or form a pro....but I'm working on improving my cupcake decorating techniques. One book that has me hooked on cupcakes AND upping my cupcake decorating game is Hello, Cupcake. I first got this book a couple months ago, and it really challenged me to learn more about decorating cupcakes (and cakes, candies, caramel apples, etc).

So, my first step I took after reading and drooling over Hello, Cupcake was to enroll in a cake decorating class. I start July 24th, and go every Saturday for 8 weeks. I'm excited and wish I could've started sooner - but the Saturday classes fill up fast and book far in advance.

I also waited anxiously for the book What's New, Cupcake? - which I finally was able to locate a copy at Target and bought it. Needless to say, it was hard for me to keep my hands off of it during dinner until I could get a free moment to look at (& drool over) it. WOW! Just when I thought you couldn't possibly get more creative using store bought candies and pipe frosting out of a ziploc bag - they proved me wrong.

I also spent some time on the Hello, Cupcake website - and can you believe it - they have challenges? Challenges that show you how to make more crazy cupcakes that aren't in the books!! This could be a serious problem for me - I might start making cupcakes every week just to do the fun challenges!! Yikes - instead of looking for cupcake accessories - I may have to start looking for a jogging stroller and a mommy and me exercise class!! Of course, I can always make the cupcakes and give them away. I am anxiously awaiting another bake sale for the organization I volunteer with so I can whip up some insane looking cupcakes.

Who knows - I just may surprise the guys at my husband's work with some cupcakes this week. :)

Spa Party

2010-04-26T12:24:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of pictures from my Spa Party! I invited a few ladies (and kiddos) over for a relaxing spa party. We had breakfast together and the kids all got time to play together.

I really wanted this party to be both budget-friendly and eco-friendly. I managed to stay under my $20 limit by using anything and everything I could find around my house. Luckily, I have a lot of "entertaining" items - bowls, cake stands, carafe, cloth napkins, etc.

Decorations - I spent no money here - I used my cricut machine, ribbon, and scrap book paper I had on hand to make the banner. I also had some tissue paper left over and used it to make the paper pom-pom's that Martha Stewart has on her site. I wanted to keep things simple - especially since i would be the one doing the set-up, cooking, hosting, and clean-up - all with a baby in tow.

Food & Drinks - I spent the full $20 on food and drinks - thank goodness for coupons and sales or I would've gone over my budget. I love the Italian Soda's from World Market - so I bought 3 of those ($7.50). I also bought strawberries, grapes, apples (all the fruit was on sale), and cool whip to make the fruit salad ($5), and croissants ($2.50), tea sampler pack ($2), loaf of bread for french toast (b1g1f - I needed bread for the house too - so it was free), yogurt ($1 - on sale and had a coupon), and strawberry preserves ($2 - had a coupon).

The Spa Party Banner

The "buffet" table - all eco-friendly and done for under $20.
Menu: french toast, croissants, yogurt, fruit salad, and fruit.
Drinks: tea and italian sodas

Sale Shopping Sunday: My Favorite Find Today

2010-04-26T00:51:00.001-07:00

I found a lot of cool stuff today while looking at the three Pottery Barn sites - but there was one thing that really stood out for me. It was the Hanging Mason Jars. I love these. These would look great in a wide variety of events. I could see them being very simple to very shabby chic. You could use them to hold small bouquets of flowers or tea light candles.

I also think that these could be very easy to make. You could get a case of mason jars in the canning section of the grocery store - there's usually at least 12 in a case - but it also depends on the size of mason jar you purchase. Then you would need to find a heavy duty wire - which you could take two and twist and then make the handles for each jar. These would make really pretty additions to any event.

I definitely see these at a future event I do.

Sale Shopping Sunday: Pottery Barn

2010-04-26T00:08:00.000-07:00

This Sunday I ended up looking and scouring the three Pottery Barn websites Sale sections. I am in no way endorsing Pottery Barn - but instead showing you items that would nicely complement an array of themes - and in some instances - could possibly be re-created by a very crafty and creative person. These are some of my finds that really stood out - and they're all in the Sale/Clearance section of the respective site. Enjoy!!

Pottery Barn - Sweets Water Bottle

This would be a very eco-friendly and eco-chic addition to a spa party. The water bottles are made of {glass}!!

PB Teen - Flower + Butterfly Garland
This would be very pretty {and easy to make} for a garden or fairy party.

PB Teen - Fabric Flower Ball

Again, something for a very pretty, girly party - this looks like it would be semi-easy to re-create.

PB Teen - Sweet Chandelier
This is very "sweet", colors still available are the green and the pink. This would be very ~dreamy~ at a princess themed event hanging in the middle of a canopy.

Pottery Barn Kids - Hailey Antique Flower Chandelier
I would love to have this in my house - but it would also look great at a garden themed event. I really do love the concept of having hanging flowers.

Pottery Barn Kids - Paper Flower Chandelier

I really think this would be fairly easy to re-create. I'm picturing two different sized hoops and then chains of paper flowers used for the draping bit.

Pottery Barn Kids - Hanging Birdcage Collection

Lately, I have been seeing A LOT of bird themed parties and showers, and they've all been very chic. These cages would look lovely with a floral arrangement in them. They can be incorporated into a tablescape, a candy bar or dessert buffet, or hung as decorations.

Sale Shopping Sunday

2010-04-25T13:58:00.000-07:00

There's one thing I look forward to doing every Sunday, and that's looking through the sales papers that come with my Sunday paper. I love looking at the different circulars and seeing what deals are out there for the coming week. Of course, looking at all the sales papers always seems to lead to looking online for items similar to ones that have caught my eye - to read reviews, to see if it's the best deal, and to go "shopping" without the hassle of sales people or the pressure of buying something.

So, I decided to dedicate my Sunday posts to deals I find online, especially clearance items. I will focus on national chain stores that have online stores with clearance/sale sections and mainly focus on items that are great for incorporating into your tablescapes and decor for events. Hopefully, this will be a success and inspire you AND help you find where to buy things that are affordable and unique. :)

The Spa Party Challenge

2010-04-21T13:12:00.000-07:00

I am hosting a ~Spa~ party at my house this coming Saturday morning. I hadn't really planned on it - it just kinda *happened*! LOL! My husband came home yesterday and wanted to know if I'd get the wives of the guys he works with together and put together a lunch for all the guys at the office since they had to work Saturday. I said, "sure, sounds like a good idea". I started thinking, "hey, it would be neat if we did lunch for the guys then all got together and spent the afternoon hanging out". As I was contemplating this, no joke, my phone rang and it was a lady telling me I had won a spa party for 5 people via a raffle I had entered at the Bridal Expo I went to on Sunday. So, the Spa party was on.

I only have three days to get everything together for the party - it's gonna be a challenge to get the house ready and figure out how to add my touch of fabulosity to this party. So I decided to add to the challenge - I figured it would keep me on track and help me to focus. The theme for the *spa* party is Earth Day. I hope to keep everything earth-friendly and use earth tones for inspiration in decorating.

Here are the parameters of my Spa Party Challenge:

1. 3 days to plan/prepare - everything must be done before midnight on Friday - except for light cooking/set-up on Saturday morning

2. $20 Budget - includes money for food and decorations

3. Must be Eco-friendly - the theme is a Earth-tone Spa Retreat = NO disposable plates, silverware, napkins, or cups allowed.

4. Must be kid-friendly (mostly baby friendly) - snacks and food for babies and a play area for entertainment.

Grover Party

2010-04-20T10:51:00.000-07:00

I love reading and looking through other blogs. It truly is inspiring to see what other creative people have done and how they turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Over on The Purple Pug there is a totally *awesome* party featuring...Super Grover!! It's sooo freaking cute. I love the primary colors, especially the blue, and how everything is so kid-friendly! She has three posts dedicated to her Super Grover party and even with all those pics I just can't seem to get enough. Every little detail was truly thought out and planned - even down to using scraps of paper to make a garland versus throwing it out. Very earth friendly! When I say every detail was thought out and planned out - even the bathroom the guests would be using was decorated.

I also love the idea of a kids buffet (I've done this before at events and it is always a well-received idea - by kids and parents). The milk bar, with chocolate, strawberry, and plain milk was very cute as well. There was also a ~twist~ on traditional party games too that matched the theme.

Overall this was such a cute party - I loved looking at the pictures and reading about it.

Zebra Print & Hot Pink

2010-04-19T12:41:00.000-07:00

One of my girlfriends, Brittany, did a super cute party for her little girl Isabella. It was all zebra print and hot pink. I sooooo love this color theme - so much so it's one of the themes I'm considering for my sister's bridal shower.

Brittany made quite a bit for this party - including her daughter's outfit (and the one of the little girl next to her daughter in the pic). She made polka dot bows - that could later be used as hairbows by the guests in attendance - and put them on the cups filled with candy. Some of the other things Brittany made, but not pictured, include: wrappers for bubble favors, zebra and hot pink sugar cookies, and zebra balloons.

Awesome job Brittany!!

DIY Dessert Table

2010-04-16T12:42:00.000-07:00

I love dessert tables and candy bars and buffets - but the downside - they can get super expensive as candy is not always cheap, especially when you're trying to stick with a theme and you need a lot of candy. So, when I found this article by way of Amy Atlas' blog on DIY Dessert Tables, I just had to check it out. I was then introduced to the Bride Scouts. OMG - I love their site and all the goodies on it. Not to mention the cute dessert table they did for $40! FORTY DOLLARS!! I feel so inspired - but will have to tuck the desire to create a dessert bar away for another day.

I love how she has the grocery list to help you get an idea as to items you can use and how she used items around the house. Of course, I don't have cake stands like that just lying around - but someday I will! LOL! I think my favorite thing though would have to be the jar favors. I think I am going to start looking for those - not sure when I would use them - but they sure are super cute!!

My Cricut Machine

2010-04-16T00:52:00.000-07:00

I finally got a Cricut machine, and I love it. I don't know how I was ever able to craft without one. LOL! I also got a really good deal on it too - which makes me smile even bigger each time I use it.

Side story about HOW I got my Cricut machine: I was searching Craigslist for a used one, low and behold, I found a lady advertising a garage sale and a *brand new & still in the package* Cricut machine for HALF the price of a brand new one. So, I e-mailed her, then when she e-mailed back (thank goodness for iPhones with e-mail on them) I called right away and arranged a time to go and pick up the machine. When I got it, it was literally in the box UPS brought it in from Provocraft - it was still sealed and everything. So, I got a brand, spanking new Cricut machine for $80.

Now, back to my blog post.

I like to blog surf and browse on Etsy - A LOT! Between blog surfing and browsing - I get to see a lot of cool things - especially party decorations. So, with a Cricut in my crafting arsenal I can attempt to make some pretty cool decorations for the upcoming parties I'm working on. The only drawback I see about owning a Cricut machine is the cost of the cartridges - but hopefully Ebay will help alleviate that and I will be able to get some of the cartridges I've seen and like.

So far I found 5 cartridges I just cannot live without for long. I love the Hello Kitty font cartridge, the Once Upon A Princess one, the Sweet Treats one, the Songbird one, and the Summer in Paris one. There are also a few others that are really growing on me - like the Pagoda one - that I will probably really want eventually.

Another **perk** about getting this machine is that I eventually plan on getting the Cricut Cake machine - the one that cuts designs out from gum paste and fondant. I start a cake decorating class in July, and am hoping I have a flair for it. I am good at baking - and hopefully I'll be just as good at making my delectable desserts pretty.

I broke my cricut machine out tonight and made something for the Gator Garden Party. But can you believe it? With all my crafting know-how and all of the supplies I have - I have NO glue in my house at all! LOL! First thing tomorrow morning I'm headed to Michaels for some glue and more scrapbook paper! I'll post pictures of my creation once I get back and get everything glued together! I'm so excited!!

Goldfish Party: The Invites

2010-04-09T16:53:00.000-07:00

The first impression of any event you are doing is in the invitations you send out.

I had my theme for the party - Goldfish. The problem? There aren't goldfish party items out there - trust me - I've looked high and low to no avail. I decided I would have to have either make the items I would need, get them custom made, or be stuck with solid colors for everything. I turned to Etsy to find the items I needed. The key was finding items that were "made to match", or "M2M", the Gymboree line, Little Goldfish. I really lucked out when I found Aisha, from Gifts for All NC. She took the clothing items I sent her pictures of and was able to use those pictures to design the invitations. After talking with her, she convinced me to also do bag toppers for my favor bags (I was leaning toward a different type of favor) - so she was able to modify the design and make bag toppers as well. I love how the invites embody the classic, simple, chic look that made me fall in love with the goldfish line from Gymboree.

Gator Garden Party: Story Behind the Gator Theme

2010-04-09T12:42:00.000-07:00

We chose a Gator Garden Party theme as the theme for the second party we're doing for my daughter's birthday. We're having this party at my aunt's house and most of the guests are family and close family friends. We decided to go with the Gator theme for two reasons. The first reason is pretty obvious for anyone and everyone who knows me and my husband - we're HUGE Florida Gator fans. The second reason is that my aunt did my entire baby shower in Florida Gator themed items - everything was pink, white, blue, and orange, and the Florida Gators logo was everywhere. We even had a pink and green Alberta (the female mascot) made completely out of balloons!

So, we decided to carry the baby shower theme on to the birthday theme for my little ones first birthday. We went with a Garden Party because it's spring and we wanted to include all sorts of bright colors - not just the pink, white, blue, and orange.

And wouldn't you know it - Gymboree came out with their Pop of Daisy line which featured - you guessed it - a little alligator!! I just look at it all as it was meant to be - it'll be a party where we show some Gator love and celebrate my little Gator Princess' first birthday. LOL!

Goldfish Party: The Inspiration

2010-04-08T17:21:00.001-07:00

Photos are from Gymboree's Little Goldfish line.

So, the search for the perfect theme for my little ones party began. I knew right off the bat that I wanted something different. I know that in a year or two my little princess will have an opinion of her own, and we will probably have quite a few princess parties - so I started looking for inspiration. Eventually I stumbled upon my inspiration, well, actually it crunched under my foot and into the carpet. None the less, I had a pretty good idea as to what I would start looking for.

Since having my daughter, I will also admit that I have developed quite the addiction to Gymboree. My little princess has a closet stocked with dresses and outfits from Gymboree along with all sorts of matching accessories - both from Gymboree and custom made items. It seemed like fate - I found an outfit that matched my little baby girl's favorite snack.

Theme: Goldfish
Colors: Blue, Orange & White

Goldfish Party: Prologue

2010-04-08T16:49:00.000-07:00

My daughter's first birthday is fast approaching, and planning for her first birthday began six months ago. While I absolutely relish everyday with her and am sad that her first birthday arrived so fast - I knew that her birthday was going to be quite the event for my husband and I, and that we would both want something special and unique. In planning her birthday, we quickly realized that we went from one party to TWO! We're having a party with my husband's co-workers and family and friends that live nearby and then another party a week later with all of our family here in California. So, with two parties comes two themes - a challenge I wholeheartedly welcomed.

Let the blog journey begin...

2010-04-06T21:37:00.000-07:00

And so it begins, my blogging journey into all the girly girliness, entertaining, cupcakery stuff I can imagine.

I love parties and entertaining. Yes, a party is food, entertainment, decorating, and yet it can also be so much more. It's a way to delight all five senses and relish in the surprised looks on your guests faces as they smell and taste delicacies you've prepared, look at stunning decorations you've made, hear music specifically chosen to go with your theme, and touch unique, little favors you've chosen for them to take as mementos of the special event.

There are so many event planning, party planning, and wedding planning blogs online - so why not create one and start carving out a niche for myself online.

So, here I am. Online. Let the party begin!

Parties & Cupcakes

New Home. New Business Name. New Website. New Blog.

I'm BACK...

Pics of my Cupcake Camp LA Table & Cupcakes

Attention Campers: Join me on Facebook!!

Cupcake Camp Update 2

Cupcake Camp Update 1

Holy Moly Macaroni

Cupcake Camp LA update

Cupcake Camp L.A.

Baby Shower

Halloween 2010

Sorry for the absence...

Some pics...

Guess who I met today?

GRAND OPENING WEEK CELEBRATION

Girl's Night Party

Parties & Cupcakes

Princess & the Frog Party

Afternoon with the Ladies...

Bridal Shower Pics

What's going on with parties and cupcakes..

Deal of All Deals...

All's quiet on the blog front...

I dreamt of cake stands...

2 Events this week

Marshmallows

My cake stand...

Waiting for my camera battery to charge...

Labor Day Weekend = Craft Store SHOPPING

Cake Decorating Class: Lace and Flowers

DIY: Cookie Cake

Projects for this weekend

I (heart) sewing

Pink, Silver, Rhinestones, Paris, and Christmas? In August?

Cake Decorating Class: The Car Cake

Operation Fundraiser

Cake Decorating Class & Using New Frosting Techniques

Run for the Fallen

Princess and the Frog Party Pics - Part 3

Princess and the Frog Party Pics ~ Part 2

Princess and the Frog Party Pics ~ Part 1

What's in the box?

Princess & the Frog Sneak Peek

My Vacation Haul

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree...

My first time being "featured"

Some cool things from blog-land...

Back from vacation

Test Kitchen Chronicles: Beignet Cupcakes

Bridal Shower Pictures

The Bridal Shower...

Upcoming Projects...

Bridal Shower

My party was a *Ball*!!

Happy Memorial Day

My *party pack* has arrived!!

And the winner is....

Mason Jars

BLOG GIVEAWAY- This Thursday!!

I won a House Party via Houseparty.com

Sew*Fia Couture

Goldfish Party: The Table

Goldfish Party: Decorations from around the house

Goldfish Party: The Cupcakes

Goldfish Party: You're Invited

The things we do for our babies....

Sale Shopping Sunday

Blog Giveaway

My *Fav* Graphic Designer

A *little* cupcake topper LOVE

Goldfish Party: A Little Peek A Boo

Custom Party Hats Part 2

Goldfish Party: 2 Weeks Till Party Time!

Custom Party Hats Part 1

Sale Shopping Sunday: My Favorite Find

Sale Shopping Sunday: Dollar Tree

My Dessert Pictures

Paper Towel Flower Wreath

I { HEART } Cupcakes

My party was a Ball!!

My party pack has arrived!!

My Fav Graphic Designer

A little cupcake topper LOVE