Cupcakes Coming Up and Great Things Small

What an incredible week!  Thank you to Cupcakes Take The Cake for featuring my chocolate cupcakes with the pink fondant daisies.  If you’ve clicked over here from CTTC wondering, “Hey, where are they”,  they’ll be over on Danielle’s Framed Frosting next week as I guest post and share a DIY tutorial on making the fondant daisies.  They’ll be a piece of cake for you to make!

Fondant Daisies Chocolate Cupcakes800

I’ve also been busy on Instagram where I posted our recipe for the Best BBQ Burgers Ever.  They’re my family’s favorite every summer.  I first posted the recipe on the blog a few years ago.  This time I’ve posted the recipe on my Instagram page and Facebook to change things up.  You’ll find the recipe via the links.

the best hamburger recipe

I’ve also been preparing for the 4th of July, can you tell?

4th of July Party Decorations logo

I’m crazy over the Crate & Barrel Patriotic Party Lights and even bought the string on display!  I had to have them!  Can’t wait to add my white paper lanterns over them for a pretty glow.  I also found goodies at Sur la Table, Michaels, and Pottery Barn.

Flamingo Candles at Paper Source.  Truly.  Fabulous.  One set for me and one for a friend.

Flamingo Candles paper Source

But the best is yet to come! 

Not only did I put another candle on my birthday cake last week and celebrated from morning to night with lunch and pink martinis inbetween…

Pink Martini Birthday Lunch

… but we also welcomed Anna Grace into our family, my great-niece, the day before my birthday!

New girl in town

It’s never a dull moment come June!

See you this weekend!

A Bridal Shower Styling for Shutterfly and so much more

I love the celebrations of weddings and the anticipation of the big day.  I’ve had the delight and honor to be involved with numerous nieces’ and nephews’ wedding preparations from making hundreds of rosettes to hang to baking and decorating hundreds of cookies favors for every guest to enjoy so when Shutterfly asked me to style and photograph a bridal shower theme party using their products of my choice, I couldn’t wait to get started on a bright and fun… [Read More]

Hello! Bridal Shower Styling Sneak Peek!

I hope everyone had a nice Mother’s Day.  I did!  Just a quick check-in today as I’m styling and shooting for a project for Shutterfly that will post on Friday. I’ve had a bit of an injury to my right hand which I believe has been from swiping constantly “to the left, to the left” on my iPad and phone and swirling all around on my track pad on my laptop which I use for everything, even photo editing and… [Read More]

Graduation Party Styling and DIY For Shutterfly

What do music themed cake pops with DIY washi taped covered sticks, DIY pennant cupcake toppers, DIY saxophone floral arrangements, Shutterfly graduation party announcements, thank you notes and “To Do” list party favors all have in common?  They’ve all come together today on the blog to throw one swell party and you’re invited! Can you believe it’s time to start planning for graduation celebrations? Last week I was very busy baking, styling and photographing a project in collaboration with Shutterfly… [Read More]

Balloon Cookies For A Sweet One-year-old’s Birthday–Part Une

white balloon baby birthday cookies-162

I know.  That’s a big headline for simple and elegant white balloon cookies with a French twist but a first birthday is a very special occasion to celebrate. When my niece, Lauren, showed me the invitation she was going to use for her little boy’s birthday with a white balloon pictured on it, I immediately thought of white balloon cookies to give to guests as party favors.  They would compliment the invitation but also the theme of all-white decorations at… [Read More]

DIY Decorated Statue of Liberty Cookies/Sparkler Holders

I love the look of fireworks shooting in the sky overhead of the lady in the harbor so I designed a cookie that could hold a sparkler to double as a place setting decoration adding to the anticipation of the night.  It could also serve as a party favor if it’s not eaten first during the fireworks display! Let me show you how to make the cookies. What you’ll need: My Sugar Cookie Recipe My Royal Icing Recipe Icing Decorating… [Read More]

A College Graduation, Father’s Day and My Birthday

Off to celebrate all three this weekend! Back next week after coming down from cloud 9 to show you how to make these milkshake decorated cookies/party favors/place setting name “cards” I designed and made specially for Tiny Prints using their party invitation, Stately Straws, for inspiration.   Have a sweet and fun weekend!

The Jeanapalooza Birthday Extravaganza Recap– A Pink and Orange Party

If you’ve been following the progression of birthday planning posts I’ve written, you’d know this past weekend was the big “Jeanapalooza Birthday Extravaganza” for my mother-in-law’s ninetieth birthday hosted at our home. Balloons and birthday pennants greeted the birthday girl and forty-three guests as they walked through the front door. The buffet held the birthday cake and party favors of custom m&m’s, foil wrapped peppermint patties and cookies. There is a cake store that only makes Bundt cakes, if you… [Read More]

Pink and Orange Foil Wrapped Peppermint Patties

What is a party without mints?   I believe my emotional need for colorful party mints goes back to my days in Job’s Daughters.  There was not one reception or installation that did not have a plate of swirled  fondant mints and every reception and installation had its own unique color scheme, usually two colors.  When I was installed as Honored Queen, my colors were grass green and buttercup yellow.  I kept one color of each mint for years as… [Read More]

Pink and Orange Holiday Banister Decorations

In continuing to decorate using hot pink and orange for our upcoming party, I’m happy to say I have finished decorating the banister.  This is a huge relief for me.  One thing I was reminded of, yet again, when creating a new display using all new materials, plan on it taking three times longer than you originally thought it would take.  Even though I had a vision of what I wanted to create when I purchased everything, I still didn’t… [Read More]