She's About To "POP" Baby Shower

This baby shower theme is so fun and whimsical, with all it's circle details and pretty colors, you'll be looking for an excuse to throw one your self!  Sent in by Katie of Katie Cassidy Photography, this "Pop" theme incorporates brownie POPS, POPcorn, soda POP, tootsie POPS, and ring POPS. Even the cake, cookies, and cupcakes had fondant circles to represent bubbles!

One of my favorite details in this shower is the embelished brownie pop sticks - SO unique!  There was also pretty charm-adorned paper cones to hold the popcorn, and adorable straw flags with a "bubble" attached, for the sodas.

As a parting favor Katie's sister made soap POPsicles with a pretty scent.  These were displayed along with a photo collage of a recent photo session that Katie had with the guest of honor.   

Thanks to Katie for sharing her beautiful and creative celebration with us.  These ideas are so inspiring!

Photography - Katie Cassidy Photography

Desserts - Layered Bake Shop

DIY Chocolate Easter Bowl

I was beside my self when Debbie of Wants and Wishes submitted this Easter Chocolate Bowl tutorial!  I knew right away that you fabulous readers would enjoy this.  Not only does it make for an adorable display, but the fact that it's also edible makes me giddy!  Here are directions from Debbie:

You will need:

•  mini balloons
• dipping chocolate
• shortening
• wax or parchment paper
• peeps! chicks or bunnies (I love these)
• candy eggs (I used speckled jelly beans & chocolate filled egg

1. Melt your chocolate using the microwave, or double boiler, according to package directions.
2. While your chocolate is melting blow up mini balloons and coat the bottom half of the balloons with shortening. (this will help the chocolate not stick to the balloon).  Use a cookie sheet or plate with parchment/wax paper placed on top.
3. Roll the bottom half of the balloon in the chocolate, while holding on at the top half of the balloon. I wanted the chocolate bowl to have a little rough feel to it, since it is suppose to be a basket. No two will be alike and this makes it easier as it not suppose to be perfect. You might have to apply more than one coat. If a small area is a little transparent or you need to smooth a spot out, take the back of a spoon with a little chocolate on it and swirl in the direction of the chocolate
4. With the balloon in your left hand. Place a small circle of chocolate on the plate/cookie sheet with your right hand. Place the balloon on top of the chocolate disk. Place in the freezer to set faster.

When the chocolate is set, pop the balloon with a pin and take out the balloon remains.  Fill with jelly beans, chocolate eggs and other candy. Top with a bunny or chick peep.  You can package them in boxes, cellophane bags or on top of individual platters at each place setting.

Thanks again to Debbie for sharing this great project.  You can find some cute Easter printables to go along with this in her Etsy shop.

  If you have a DIY tutorial you'd like to share, please send me an email with your idea.  Good photos are essential.  Cheers!

"Splish Splash" First Birthday Party

Who says you can't have a pool party in the dead of winter??  Not Tabitha of Fresh Mommy Blog, who wanted to celebrate her 1 year old's birthday in a way he would love - splishing & splashing in the water!  Tabitha was able to rent out a local aquatic center for the party, and proceeded to incorporate mini beach balls, sun glasses, bubbles, and beach pails, in a blue and orange color scheme.   In her own words, Tabitha describes the party... 

Decor:  Behind the Guest of Honor's highchair was a photo wall of prints clothesline-pinned onto strips of ribbon to showcase the birthday boy's first year (100 photos). To incorporate the color theme as well as keep the look a bit modern, we used the classic, beachy blue and white stripe throughout the party as well as an orange and white polka dot pattern to keep it sweet.

Menu:  When planning the party menu, we did a fusion of what we like to order from a poolside cabana (burgers and fries), and easy, kid-friendly food! We were able to cook burgers on site, so we offered Poolside Sliders (mini-burgers), and since we couldn't cook fries there, we instead had veggie fries... perfect finger food for one-year olds, which were served in individual portions in snow cone cups, and held into a "pool" of foam with wooden skewer sticks. We also had Gnarly Noodle Mac-n-Cheese, Blue Lagoon Jello Shots (each with their own gummy fish swimming in it and alcohol free, of course!), Goldfish crackers, blue gummy sharks, and orange slices.

To add a little more sweetness to the already sweet occasion, we served orange crush, topped with mini doughnuts and held onto the bottle with a fish straw (to give the illusion of a fish floating on a blue inner tube), and the kids (and adults) loved it! We also served snow cones with blue or orange topping to add to the "Summer" affair.

Coordinating signs to show off the menu were printed and held in slim white Ikea frames and matching labels were attached to Crush bottles and water bottles to keep it all consistent.

Favors: Each child took home their fish straw and beach ball, along with their own customized sand pail filled with a squirt gun, "Fish" ring sucker, sunglasses, "Shark Tank" bubbles and a little shark that squirts water, which they found on the gift table with a custom sign that read, "Thanks for making a splash at Brayden's first birthday bash!" and smaller tags attached to the pails that said the same... and they were able to take their favors to the pool area for even more fun.

Of course, we couldn't have it all without something cute for the birthday boy to wear, so we had a shirt made to match the theme. I just picked up the shirt and polka dot fabric from Hobby Lobby, and an embroiderer did the rest!

Everything went by so quickly because the main gist of the party was pool time. Once we finished up the cake and presents it was time for the hit of the party... announcing, "It's time to swim!" and watching all the kids run around in circles until we directed them to the pools and water slide!

Thank you Tabitha for sharing your party with us, and giving us some great inspiration for a Summer pool party too!

Resources & Credits:

Photography - Relish Studio

Mini Donuts - Dough a Deer

Bottle labels (water & soda) - Online Labels

Fish Straws - Birthday in a Box

Stress-Free Entertaining With Andrea Correale

I recently had the pleasure of conducting a phone interview with event planner extraordinaire, Andrea Correale.  Andrea is the owner of Elegant Affairs, a catering and event planning company based in NYC.  Not only are her events beautifully executed, her food styling is inspired, as you can see below. 

We talked about ways a busy, working woman can put together a cocktail party without being stressed.  Read on for all of Andrea's fabulous tips...

In order to keep it managable, Andrea suggests keeping your party to 12 - 20 people, and setting up food areas ahead of time on the coffee table, kitchen island, or dining table.  Serving foods that can sit out for long periods without being compromised is also a great idea. 

You don't have to cook everything from scratch your self.  Andrea recommends purchasing interesting foods from favorite restaurants and serving them on your own dishes.  You may be able to get mini pizzettes made instead of one large pizza, or have an assortment of sushi to sample with wasabi, pickled ginger, and soy sauce accompaniments.  These are great finger foods that everyone loves.

Three more favorite food choices can include:

•  French bread slices, brushed with a little olive oil, sprinkled with a bit of salt, and baked for a few minutes until toasted.  Serve with hummus, artichoke pate, olive tapenade, and bruschetta for topping. 
• Create mini sandwiches with croissants, lean roast beef, horseradish cream, and cheddar cheese.
• Lay out a Mediterranean theme with spanikopita, stuffed grape leaves, and mini pitas with lamb & yogurt dill sauce (aka gyros).

Some of Andrea's final tips for creating a stress-free cocktail party are:

• Set up the bar away from the food, in a place you want people to gather and mingle.  Assign one glass per guest and use glass charms to keep them separate.
• Have a friend bring dessert so you have one less thing to think about.
• Keep lighting low, or on a dimmer, and set up a play list ahead of time for background music.
• Make a check list including groceries/menu items to purchase, bar items needed, and last minute to-do actions.

I hope you've enjoyed these fabulous tips from such an esteemed guest.  I couldn't agree more with all of Andrea's advice.  Now there are no more excuses for not entertaining a few friends!  Cheers!

All photos from Elegant Affairs

Spring Parties E-zine

You won't want to miss Bird's Party's latest online magazine (just click on the picture above) with so much inspiration for Spring entertaining.  Contributors include Bird, Celebrate Today, Branco Prata, The Party Wall, Haniela's, and my self!

Inside you'll find some amazing vendors, a Mexican Fiesta (in non-traditional colors), a "little outdoorsman" birthday party for a little boy (by yours truly), an Alice in Wonderland theme, a cupcake party, and so much more.  There's also a chance to win over $100 worth of prizes, and a special promo code for Bird's Party printables.

So, go ahead and get comfortable, and simply click on the photo to open the magazine.  Cheers!

Decorating Easter Eggs

I wanted to share this quick Easter Egg Decorating idea before I head out for the day to work on a special project for next week.  This is a great way to decorate your hard boiled Easter eggs for a centerpiece, for hiding, or as a special project for the kids to do during the party.  What's different about these eggs is that they have been painted instead of dyed which gives them a more uniform coverage.  Use ribbon, trims, and adhesive gems to embelish the painted eggs and add some pretty style.

 

Photo from Delish

Mini Almond Joy Candies

by contributor Lisa Thiele

Sometimes you feel like a nut...that's when it's time to make your own Mini Almond Joys!

 I don’t believe you can go wrong with the combination of chocolate and coconut, and then throw in an almond - sold! If you can avoid eating the entire batch, trust me, it’s not as easy as you might think, then might I suggest you surprise someone special with a box of these mini almond joys? Who doesn’t love a box of chocolates, especially homemade?

Homemade Almond Joy {Recipe adapted from Joy the Baker}

• 7 ounces sweetened condensed milk

• 1 cup powdered sugar

• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla extract

• pinch of salt

• 2 1/2 cups unsweetened flaked coconut

• 30 (or so) almonds

• about 20 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

To toast the almonds, spread them onto a separate {unlined} baking sheet and toast for about 10 minutes. Don’t go too far, it doesn’t take long to go from toasted to burnt. Remove from oven and let cool.

In a medium bowl, mix together sweetened condensed milk, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Stir in the unsweetened coconut, until combined. Yes, the mixture will be thick. Place mixture in the freezer for 30 minutes - it’s easier to work with when it’s cold.

Remove the coconut mixture from the freezer. With clean hands shape one tablespoon of coconut into a little ball about 2 Tbsp.

Pressing firmly, make sure the balls are compact that way they don’t crack when dipped. Place the balls on the lined baking sheet and continue until you’ve gone through the remaining coconut mixture.

Warning, your hands will get sticky and may need to wash on occasion. Press an almond on top of each coconut ball. It’s okay if they don’t completely stick. Place the baking sheet in the fridge to chill while you melt the chocolate.

Place a medium size saucepan; add about two inches of water over a medium heat. Bring the water to a simmer. Place chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl and place the bowl over the simmering water.

Make sure the bowl is about 1 inch from the boiling water. Stir the chocolate as it melts. Turn the heat off once the chocolate has melted but recommend keeping the bowl of melted chocolate over the hot water.

Remove the coconut candies from the fridge. Place one coconut almond ball on a fork. Use a spoon to scoop a bit of chocolate over the almond. That way the almond will stick to the candy and not fall off as you dip. Lower the fork into chocolate and spoon chocolate over candy to coat. Lift fork and let the chocolate. Place on the lined baking sheet. Repeat until all candy is coated in chocolate. If chocolate gets thick, just turn on the flame and heat slightly.

Let dipped candy harden in the fridge for 45 minutes. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

For the box – take an average sized {retail} jewelry box and wrap both parts in fun {gift-wrap or scrapbook} paper. Place each chocolate in a mini cupcake liner and set alongside one another in the box. Fill the box (single layer) and cover with the wrapped lid.

all styling & photography by With Style & Grace

Ideas For A Ladies Luncheon {With Weddingish}

I definitely have Spring fever after putting together this Ladies Luncheon design featuring "fashionista" sugar cookies from Weddingish.  This would be perfect for a Bridal Shower, Birthday, or just-for-fun for the girls who love shopping and fashion. 

I decided to put together boxed lunches using pretty storage boxes that can also double as favors along with the cookies.  I love to combine form with function when I can. 

Each place is set with a ribbon tied box, bottled water, and napkins inserted into a bangle bracelet - another favor option!  Inside the box guests will find a wrapped sandwich, chips, and fruit displayed in a pretty way.  We also have the bagged cookies here which can be taken home for later, because we have an array available on our dessert table below.

You don't need an extravagant dessert display at every event.  This table features our themed cookies, available in shoes, purses, and dresses, and a couple of other treats round out the look.  We used hat boxes for a creative display in keeping with our theme, some flowers, and a fun art print.

You can be inspired by any item.  These cookies from Weddingish proved to be a great starting point for our design, and a delicious menu item as well!  Visit their site for more party items!

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