A Peach Filled Weekend

This weekend is Labor Day weekend here in the states.  It's summer's last hooray for many of us.  It's one last camping trip or barbecue before the crisp cool air of autumn touches us and the school year begins. For me, I'll be celebrating my weekend at the Peach Festival.  I grew up in a little town, where my parents still live and like many small American towns, there's an annual festival filled with carnival rides and parades.  My family spends the weekend at my parents' house and we take my daughters to the daily activities in town and we all have our fill of peach everything.  I'm planning on buying some fresh peaches from one of the many local orchards to make a peach blueberry cobbler for dessert.  So, that's how I'll be spending my weekend.  How will you be spending yours?   

 

 

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.

   

  

 

 





{Sweet of the Week} Lady Fingers Cake

This Sweet of the Week was discovered on Save the Date Magazine's blog.  The lady fingers covered cake was made by Yummy Little Cakes for a styled winter shoot, which is why the roses on top of the cake look like they've been touched by frost.  It's genius, don't you think?  I also adore the lace ribbon wrapped around each layer.  I'm having a thing for lace lately.  You know it's that girly thing in me.  What you do think?  Are you loving this not so typical cake?

Balloon Party Decor

 

 

When I think of balloons, I think of a child's party with cartoon character shaped balloons from the big box party supply store - cheesy, but the kids love it.  I also know that the ordinary balloon can transform the atmoshpere of an event too.  Balloons always seem to say, "Hey, look up here!", which is a good thing because sometimes we forget to take notice of the sky and what's above us.  Check out these not so ordinary ideas to decorate your next party with the classic and affordable balloon. 


1. Martha Stewart Weddings 2.Pretty My Party 3.My Big Balloon
4.Love and Lavender 5.Green Wedding Shoes

 

{Sweet of the Week} Unfrosted Cakes

 

 

I've been noticing these "unfinished" cakes around lately and I adore them.  You can see the construction of the cake and the "glue" that holds it together because it's free of frosting.  I found this cake on 100 Layer Cake, made by The Cake Collection.  You know how I love the unexpected and yes, we always expect to see a finished cake that's perfectly frosted.  Can I tell you a little secret?  One of my pet peeves is too much sugary frosting and I end up scraping off most of the frosting off cakes and cupcakes before I eat them.  I think this might be the perfect cake for me.      

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.      

Fat Tuesday

Happy Fat Tuesday or as we say in southeast Michigan - Paczki Day!  As I was researching Paczki Day a little more, which I thought was a southeast Michigan tradition, I learned that there are some other places in the midwest that also indulge in this Polish treat.  For those of you who are not familiar with the paczki, it's a heavy doughnut that's usually filled with a fruit filling.  The calorie laden sweet is only available during this time of year, right before Lent.  I love a good doughnut, so I love this day.  Do you celebrate Fat Tuesday?  How do you do it in your neck of the woods?

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.

Reality Bites Cupcakes

 

  

I'm super excited today to introduce you to Ashley, who is the owner and baker at Reality Bites Cupcakes. She offers unique and amazing creations that appear to be everyday food, but are actually cupcakes. Ashley has a degree in art from the University of Richmond and has transferred her talent to creating cupcakes for her business Reality Bites Cupcakes. Ashley loves to see her customers smile when they take a bite of her cupcakes. If you would like to have a taste of Reality Bites Cupcakes for yourself and you're in the New York City or Long Island area get in touch with Ashley over at her blog, where you will also find some more great pics of her work.   I'm sure she will make you smile too with her sweet treats.

 

 

  



Spotted: The Shoppe by Madeline Trait

As I search the web for items to include in some of my posts like Party Palette and other mood boards, I stumble upon some super cool items that may not necessarily fit with what I'm working on at the moment, but I file it away to save for next time.  As I was going through some of these items, the thought of creating a series of posts with these finds popped into my head.  There are so many talented people out there creating amazing items for parties and events that are so much more than what you can find in any box store.  I want to highlight these people and share them with you. 

So, I begin my Spotted series with The Shoppe by Madeline Trait.   Madeline describes her shop as "a unique place to find modern and unique items for celebrations and weddings."  And that's exactly what she gives you.  She offers delightfully crafted cake toppers among other items.  Below are just some of the items she offers, but please visit her shop to see more loveliness.

The Make A Wish Cake Topper is made of wood veneer.

 

 

This is definitely not your average party crown.

 

 

The Shooting Star Cake Topper would add a nice little sparkle to any cake.

 

{Sweet of the Week} Dala Horse Cake

One of my favorite weddings sites is Green Wedding Shoes.  There's so much lovely goodness there.  While browsing I came across a bright, beautifully detailed Swedish inspired wedding shoot.  Included in the details that you can't miss are the bright pops of red and the dala horses.  I have to admit I'm a bit obsessed right now with dala horses.  This amazing cake was created by Hey there, Cupcake.  I think I want one.  No, I know I want one.

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. 

Baptism + First Communion Party Decor Ideas

Here are some ideas to style religious celebrations and to make the occasion even more special than it already is.  Isn't the little saying with the date and the name of the child a nice personal touch to the day.  Don't forget to add a beautiful cake like this one.  We are loving the dove garland.  A great way to commemorate the day and to get guests involved is to have guests write down a prayer for the guest of honor.  Whatever way you decide to celebrate, we are sure the day will be well remembered by all who attend.

Autumn Dinner

Taste the warm and rich flavors of fall with these delicious finds.  Start your meal with a harvest salad with a warm maple bacon vinaigrette.  This harvest pasta e fagiole soup with parmesan crisps will ward off any cold chill.  Of course a lovely cocktail like this pear cinnamon spiced martini makes any evening better.  Finish off your autumnal meal with a spiced apple pie seen here from Chelsea's Culinary Indulgence.  Happy eating friends!

1. Simply Scratch/2.Yummy Mummy Kitchen
3. Inside the Lovely/ 4.Chelsea's Culinary Indulgence

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

Sew in Love Bridal Shower Inspiration Board

These crafty party elements would work well for so many different parties including; a "sew in love" bridal shower, a "cute as a button" baby shower, first birthday or for a girls craft party.  Having guests sign a quilt square would be a great idea for either a bridal shower or a baby shower.  The embroidery hoop below is made by Lily Laughs.  We love the yarn pom pom flowers by Mason Rabbit Home, which would make lovely centerpieces.  The spools by Tuck & Bonte are a creative way to hold place cards and table number.  And no party is complete without a sweet dessert.