Dads-to-be need to feel special too. All tucked in as snug as a bug in a rug. Uh-oh… Time for binky and bottle. “Burp!” Ahhh. Just for fun for the wine connoisseur dad-to-be. This gift for the dad-to-be will accompany baby shower cookie favors tied with the baby blue polka dot ribbon and a mini cupcake tree, which I’ll post next week. The tag and pennant were very easy to make. I printed out what I wanted to say and… [Read More]
I have a love affair with Valentine’s Day. It’s when I received my first kiss from a boy named Kenny Watkins. In second grade, while we were passing out Valentine’s among the decorated shoe boxes adorned with paper doilies and hearts, Kenny puckered up and planted one on my right cheek. Totally surprised but secretly pleased due to my reciprocal crush, I did what any self–respecting seven year-old girl would have done – I promptly walked up to my teacher,… [Read More]
Mini chocolate cupcakes decorated with over-sized dragees and fall themed fondant cut-outs literally reached new heights in my kitchen for a fall open house party this past weekend. We’ll get ‘up close and personal’ so I can show how you how I made this. It’s not as complicated as it looks. Trust me. They’re just a bunch of little ol’ chocolate cupcakes dressed up all fancy like. The number of cupcakes needed depends on the size styrofoam cone that is… [Read More]
I’ve been catching up this week on house and work and stocking up for my next project for an open house in Pasadena this weekend. I was asked to bring chocolate cupcakes. If you’ve been reading my blog this summer you know we got quite a bit of mileage out of our OC and LA County Fair wins with the chocolate cake recipe but for this special get together I have an idea in mind for something more spectacular and… [Read More]
To honor and celebrate a very special recent UCLA graduate I made UCLA cupcakes for his graduation party. I started out with a new oh-so-yummy vanilla cupcake recipe, made a variation using vanilla bean paste and voila! Next, I had to lock in my colors. I fell in love with the Decco Drops I found at Williams-Sonoma (in-store) so I had to commit to using a slightly more aqua color than the true Bruin baby blue. This also meant using… [Read More]
When I was asked to make cookies for an exhibitor at a landscape trade show I immediately thought flowers would be a natural tie in. The “Vegas” theme of the show would play a part too. I thought cookies would be a unique and fun give-away gift and I could also utilize them in containers for the table decoration. I learned that at a trade show such as this the objective is to get people to visit your booth… [Read More]
Originally this was going to be a post on a Valentine’s Day cookie with a familiar look but I decided to share my heart bokeh find with you. You know what bokeh is, right? ~the little glittery out of focus lights on your photo. Cookie Note~I created this decorated cookie design for my niece’s nautical themed wedding this past September but with pink hearts they’re perfect for Valentine’s Day too. Nautical Wedding Part 1Nautical Wedding Part 2Nautical Wedding Part 3… [Read More]
I love my winding staircase and I particularly love it all lit up and decorated for the holidays but it always seems to be a scramble to get it up right after Thanksgiving so we have more time to enjoy it. With both boys making a limited appearance for T-day before they return to school, I rather be enjoying our time together instead of fussing with decorations especially in the other room.Thanks to a friend I saw at the high… [Read More]
As a continuation of my Halloween decorations, making the napkin holder/place card is so easy. Take an extra cat cut-out from the ideas on the “Hissy Fit Halloween Garland Post” and use the punched out holes on the cat’s back to thread 6mm ribbon through. In the ribbon loop on the back of the cat place the napkin. Pull the ribbon taut and tie in a bow. You can write the name of your guest on the cat with a… [Read More]
I love Halloween decorations whether I’m hosting a big monster mash bash or a small intimate dinner party which I’ll be doing this year.When I was at Paper Source I saw these cute scaredy cat cut-outs. It’s actually a kit of 8 cut-outs and some silver cording but it would be very to easy to make your own. If I wasn’t pressed for time with my NYC trip coming up next week, I would use my large cat cookie cutter… [Read More]
Pretty Pink Petal Cake – A Wilton Cake Decorating Technique
Gentleman Jack (Jack Daniels) Cupcakes Recipe
Bridal Shower Gifts and Wrapping Ideas
Carlo’s Bakery Cannolis and Lobster Tail Pastries
USC Trojan Cupcakes! Fight On!
A Holiday Cocktail ~ Carrot Cake Martinis
The Espresso Martini
“Be Still My (Meringue) Heart” Cookies
