First Communion Party

If you've been following along, I've been posting here and there about my daughter's first communion.  If you missed it, you can read about it here and here.  The day finally arrived at the end of April and today I'm sharing how the party turned out.  I wanted the style to be sweet and feminine, so I decided on a palette of pale pink and gray.  When my daughter chose a dress that had some lace in it, I also added some touches of lace to the decor.  

 

The trellis pattern was scattered throughout, starting with the invitations I designed.  I also made napkin rings with the same trellis pattern. 

This light fixture hangs above my kitchen table.  I like to add special touches to unexpected places.  I also like placing decor up high so that your eye moves up, like the greens I added above the dessert table or the flowering branches I hung on some pendant lights. 

 

The cake and macarons were made by the wonderful Heather of Gracie Moonpie & Co.  I really admire Heather's attention to detail.  She didn't just make the cake, she asked me the right questions to ensure that the cake fit well with the overall style of the party.  As you can see, the gray cross and trellis pattern also found its' way onto the design of the cake.  If you live in Southeast Michigan and need something sweet made check out Gracie Moonpie & Co.  Their cakes taste as good as they look and Heather is an absolute joy to work with.   

  
My mother-in-law made cross shapped cookies and my mother made various mini desserts including coconut cheesecakes topped with mango.  It's so nice to have family who are willing to lend a hand.

   

  

 

 





St. Patrick's Day Party Ideas

How are you celebrating St. Patrick's Day?  I'll be honest, I normally just celebrate by eating a little corned beef and cabbage and by wearing a hint of green.  I know, not very exciting at all.  If you're still looking for a few ways to add a little more fun to your St. Patty's Day, I put together this round up from around the blogging world.  A pretty DIY barrette, pot of gold pinata, an Irish peppermint shake, a styled tabletop and a clover shaped cookie are included.  Happy St. Patty's Day!  Stay green peeps!  xx

 

 

 

1. Lovely Indeed 2. Oh Happy Day! 3.Sugar & Cloth

4. Coordiantely Yours 5.The Proper Pinwheel

Winter Tabletop Part 2

Last week I posted part 1 of this winter tabletop post.  Today I'm including a dessert you could serve if you were to use this tabletop idea for a little winter dinner party.  Sticking with the theme, I'm serving up a scoop of classic vanilla ice cream and I placed a triangle shaped sugar cookie that I frosted with royal icing to make it look like a snow covered mountain.      

DIY Mini Cookie Gift Box

 

You know the old saying "bigger is better", I don't think that always the case.  I love mini everything - mini horses, mini bunting, mini candy bars, I could go on, but you get the point.  I was out grocery at the grocery store and came upon these heart shaped paper mache boxes.  I have a collection of mini cookie cutters and I thought what a great way to package some heart shaped cookies for Valentine's Day. 

Here's how I did it.  You can use your favorite sugar cookie dough recipe or take a short cut and buy some premade dough from the store.  No one will know the difference and it will be a little secret just between you and I.  First I baked the cookies, allowed them to cool, and then frosted them with pink royal icing.  I allowed the frosting to dry overnight before placing them into the box.  I decorated the box with a pink arrow I that cut out of felt, which I then glued onto the top of the box.  I was able to put four cookies in the box, which I lined with parchment paper.  For the finishing touch I wrapped the box in red and white stripped twine.  Adorable, don't you think?

Peppermint Meltaway Cookies

Sometimes you find good recipes in unexpected places, like when you're clipping coupons.  That's where I found this one a few years ago and you can find a copy of the recipe here.  I usually make these cookies for Christmas, but I always thought the colors would be perfect for Valentine's Day.  My family loves these light tasting, buttery cookies that have the perfect hint of peppermint to them.  I hope you make these for someone you love too.

Celebrating This Weekend - My Husband

I'm starting a sort of new series here on Cupcakes & Confetti titled "Celebrating This Weekend".  I've written weekend posts in the past, but now I'm giving it a little bit of a party twist.  My husband's birthday was yesterday and we really end up celebrating it the entire weekend.  This week I've made Star Wars cookies and cupcakes for him and my Mother-in-law will be making him a long time family recipe of angel food cake with pink frosting.  It has to have pink frosting or it just doesn't taste the same.  His birthday isn't complete without this particular cake.  Do you have to have a dessert or food or a tradition that you must have for your birthday every year?  Have a lovely weekend friends! xx

 

 

 

 

{Sweet of the Week} Winter Cardinal Cookie

I came across this cardinal cookie on Sweetopia and immediately thought about my husband's grandmother.  She loved cardinals and collected them, sadly she is no longer with us and only by oldest daughter was able to meet her.  Every time we see a cardinal fly by, I always tell my daughters that their great-grandmother is with them.  Maybe I'll attempt to make this cookie for my husband, he would love that.  To find out how to make your own gingerbread cardinal cookie hop over to Sweetopia for the step by step directions. 

Wizard of Oz Birthday Party

My oldest daughter Ellie wanted a Wizard of Oz themed party this year for her 7th birthday.  I think that sometimes you can go a little overboard with the Wizard of Oz theme because there are so many design elements that you could incorporate.  I wanted a simplified version of the Wizard of Oz, so I stuck with a palette of red, blue and yellow.  Here's how it turned out.

 

 

I happened to have a painting of poppies that my father-in-law painted, and I thought the art work would give that little touch of the field of poppies from the film.  I included on the dessert table a yellow runner, that Dara and I made to remind guests of the yellow brick road.  The mini hay bales of course are an ode to Dorothy's farm in Kansas.  Dara and I made ruby red slipper cookies and simple round cookies in the colors of Dorothy's dress.

 

We made another runner in some material that looked liked Dorothy's dress, then we added simple red ribbons to each end.  My daughter Ellie had a little Toto look alike in her toy collection and Dara found the perfect sized basket to put him in.

 

 

I asked my talented friend Bridgette to make a simple round white cake with just the yellow brick road running across it.  When I went to pick up the cake, much to my surprise she made this amazing confection.  She added to the top of the cake the Emerald City and the yellow brick road wrapped around the entire cake.  She completed that cake with the iconic images of the characters including; the Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion and of course dear Dorothy, who are all fast asleep in a field of poppies.  Bridgette also add elements of the Wicked Witch of the West including her hat, broom and the feet of the Wicked Witch of the East.  How could anyone not love this cake?    

 

 

 

 

 

{Party Decor} Geometric Details

If you are looking to add a modern feel to a party, add some geometric details. We are in love with them.  Be sure to check out the details on how to make your own geometric runner from Hank & Hunt.

1.Love vs. Design 2.Hank & Hunt
3.Melangerie Inc. 4. Little Sooti

{Party Palette} Lavender + Lace

Today's post is inspired by a little trip I took to a local lavender festival.  Lavender is such a magical little flower that touches all the senses.  The delicate little buds are not only beautiful to look at and have the most intoxicating fragrance, they also have the power to soothe and relax.  You can also cook with it.  It truly is a magical flower.  I have one lavender plant in my garden that has exploded this year and I would like to have an entire row of lavender in my garden one day, but until then I will dream about lavender. 

I adore the idea of a feminine theme like lavender and lace for a bridal shower, wedding or even a ladies luncheon.  We have pictured below some lavender white chocolate chip cookies from our blogger friend Chelsea over at Chelsea's Culinary Indulgence.  She also have a great summer recipe for strawberry lavender ice cream.  Please also be sure to check out the Michigan made Little Flower Soap Co. too.

Sources
Elizabeth Anne Designs
Fire & Lavender Dinnerware, The Picket Fence
Lace Invitation, Martha Stewart Weddings
Blossom Runner, Hayneedle
Lavender and Lemongrass Soap, Little Flower Soap Co.
Lace Wrapped Favors, Martha Stewart Weddings

Airplane Themed Birthday Party

A friend whose son was turning two wanted to have a vintage airplane theme birthday due to his love of airplanes. We wanted to make as much of it out of diy projects that we had discovered or created on our own.

For the tables we made airplanes out of clothespins and popsicle sticks that were painted. On the end of them we attached little flags that read "Teigan Airlines. Flight 2". Naree's husband had airplanes that he made when he was a child which were incorporated as well.

The dessert table consisted of cake push pops, cupcake building station, and airplane shaped cookies. The cupcake station allowed guests to decorate their cupcakes which ever way they wanted. We had holes drilled in top of the mason jar lids for the sprinkles, making it easier and mess free.  The cupcakes were also topped with airplane shaped cutouts made from old maps that the birthday boy's Mom purchased from Perfect Package. The airplane cookies were decorated in colors similar from the printables designed by Bee and Daisy.  The cookies were especially a big hit for the birthday boy.

The printable pinwheels were hung on a tree and created a nice touch when swaying in the summer breeze.  We also decided to do was create a menu at the beginning of the food table.

The entrance into the house was adorned with a string of clouds and had the clothespin and popsicle stick airplanes hanging off of them. In the end we created a memorable and personal second birthday for the birthday boy.

We wanted to extend a special thank you to Amanda for her use of these lovely photos.