bridal shower

April 10, 2012 5 Comments

dark chocolate coconut banana bites

I whipped these dark chocolate coconut banana pudding bites up for my latest post with Kellogg’s Snackpicks.com. And let me tell you, it all sounded yummy in my head and then I made it. Oh my!

This might be the best “sophisticated” dessert I’ve ever created. You did know that putting any dessert in a small tasting glass makes it sophisticated, right? Just wanted to make sure. {wink}

This super simple recipe highlights the new Keebler Chips Deluxe Dark Chocolate Chunk cookie. {YUM!}

And it would be perfect for a bumble bee baby shower or bridal shower (see my full printable party collection), or any kind of tasting party for that matter.

I promise… you won’t be disappointed! It is so delish! You can hop over to Kellogg’s Snackpicks.com for the recipe and how tos. As always, I hope you’re inspired to craft, bake and create!

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yellow baby shower inspiration

I’m a lover of yellow in combinations of white, gray and/or black as you can likely tell from my buzz baby shower invitation and printable party decor collection. {Sidebar: Growing up my mom’s kitchen was tastefully decorated in yellow (my dad always said it was like the morning sun) and now my kitchen is yellow (from mid-February to October).}

It’s crisp, bright and since there are so many natural yellow elements (lemons, simple flowers), it can be very economical if you get a little creative. These ideas are lovely: table setting and placecard from Three Apple Events via Style Me Pretty; Centerpiece beverage bucket and lemon vase from Martha Stewart

Yellow is also a very easy color to incorporate into desserts, like these lovely lemon burst cookies from Tidy Mom, mini lemon souffles in “real” lemon peels from Martha Stewart, and candies and dessert pops featured on Style Me Pretty, photographed by Verve Photography. (Follow me on Pinterest and visit my ”yellow” for even more ideas!)

And if you don’t have a shower in your future, these ideas would also be lovely for a Mother’s Day brunch or tea this year! As always, I hope you’re inspired to craft, bake and create!

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black & yellow engagement party

Hi everyone, it’s Bridget again. In the midst of all The Shoppe has going on, we still love to see what amazing parties you’ve been throwing. So keep sending them in! We recently received a submission from Little Miss Party and I fell in love with this fabulous engagement soiree.

Using the classic palette of black and white, and adding gorgeous pops of yellow to make it fun and festive, gave the party the perfect balance of Hamptons beachy and bridal shower sophistication. LMP started with the damask tablecloth and worked the party design around it. I asbolutely love the food table — so inviting!

Here are some of my other favorite touches of yellow from throughout the party. I love the simplicity of the bright yellow flowers as contrast to the striking damask pattern. And what engagement party would be complete without the adorable affianced couple to celebrate?! {wink}

And if you’re not in the Hamptons for LMP to plan a beautiful black and yellow soiree for you, have a peek at our Buzz collection. You’ll find tons of touches to pull one of these beautiful events together on your own!

As always, we hope you are inspired!

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sparkle this New Year’s Eve

I’m still reeling from a fabulous Christmas with my family so when I sat down this morning and realized that Monday was here I of course immediately thought of next weekend. Just like every other Monday, right?! Well this coming weekend is a little bigger than most, because this Friday will be New Year’s Eve. I’m honestly astonished that the year is almost over, but over the top excited about what is coming in 2011.

But I digress… so although I’m not personally throwing a New Year’s Eve party, I thought this Pistachio Cake with White Chocolate Frosting from Better Homes and Gardens was just beautiful! Then when I went in search of other sparkling star table ideas I ran across this 3-D Star Streamer Centerpiece from Martha Stewart Weddings, which led me to the rest of these images. They are all so lovely and they’re just the beginning. I love how simple several of them are. Hop over to see all the details.

As always, I hope you’re inspired and I hope you have a warm and happy Monday (snowing… again… here)!

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real parties: bridal shower

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Mandy at Everyday Obsession sent me these beautiful pictures of a green and white bridal she hosted for a girlfriend back in May. And as many of us are, she was inspired by the talented Amy Atlas.

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Aren’t these vanilla pudding shot glasses adorable,

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And these cake balls yummy?! Make sure you hop over to Mandy’s blog to see all the details!

beverage services to wow

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Born and raised in the South, transplanted to Ohio in my mid 20s, I need a few things to keep me grounded in my Southern roots. And laugh if you wish, but one of those things is my Southern Living magazine. {wink} The articles, the recipes, the images of the region… ahhhh!

So this weekend when I curled up with a cup of coffee and the latest issue, I saw this perfect shower idea for a beverage bar (right image). The half carafes are simple, inexpensive and a very cute way to offer multiple choices.

After going to the web, I found a few more things, like this chalk board beverage tag idea. The only thing I would do differently is use a whimsy template for a more ornate look.

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And what about these very clever berry ice cubes (inside the drink) and decorative bottle coolers (around the drink). Love it! And for those of you that know anything about the South, creative ways to keep your beverages cold in the summer is a necessity!

Happy Monday!

something blue inspiration

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Early last week I launched our newest collection, the “something blue” bridal shower. I always start with an inspiration board, so I thought I would share a few of the items that made my bling and blue list:

Cocktail, paper lanterns, cake & flowers via Martha Stewart Weddings
Austrian crystal heels via Shoella.com
Pearl brownie pops via LittleThingsFavors.com
Swarovski crystal snowflake brooches via Brides.com
Snowflake pillows via Country Living magazine

Make sure you buzz over to the shoppe and see all the details of our new “something blue” bridal shower from silver plates and moire blue napkins to diamond ring favors (that double as beautiful napkin rings) and printable cupcake wrappers. Enjoy!

introducing something blue

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On Friday I posted a sneak peek of our new bridal shower: “Something Blue.” I’m proud to say that the new custom invitation, thank you and decor are now available in the shoppe.

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Silver plates and moire blue crepe paper placemats.

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Diamond ring and “I do” cupcake picks with beautiful silver and blue damask cupcake wrappers and white sparkling sugars. (Picks shown with 2 1/2″ circle punch, 2″ scallop punch and foam adhesive square for 3-D effect.)

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Phrase “I do” and diamond ring, wine marker from our printables collection.

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I put a little glitter on the diamond ring for sparkle. {wink}

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Diamond ring keychain favor, that doubles as a beautiful napkin ring against the silver plates and blue moire napkins.

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Or, if you prefer, printable napkin rings embellished with “I do” and diamond rings.

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Bake your guests some treats with wedding ring, wedding cake (see how it can double as a dress) and wedding gift cookie cutters.

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And maybe a martini glass cookie cutter could be fun too!

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Throw in a little candy,

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beautiful flowers, some fabulous food and you’re all set to shower your bride-to-be with an elegant party in her honor.

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This table is also perfect for a snowflake themed shower. As always, I hope we’ve inspired you for your next celebration!

pink & brown tablescape

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We often get calls from customers asking about items in photos that we used for staging, but don’t sell in the shoppe, so I’m going to start doing a better job of giving you all the details. We staged our new baby bump shower a few weeks ago. Most of the items we offer in our decor, but here are the few things we don’t:

Placemats – these are just 12×12 sheets of DCWV (Die Cuts With A View) Glitter Pink-Brown Flower Dots cardstock from the craft store.

Candy vase – I was browsing the candy store (as I do too often) and ran across these strawberry flavored malted milk balls. Well after I thought “yummy!” I thought how adorable they could be in the new baby bump tablescape. So long story short, I melted down some pink chocolate, covered a few pretzel rods, sprinkled them with pink crystals (available in the shoppe) and settled them into a ribbon embellished short vase of strawberry flavored malted milk balls.

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Tulle napkin ring – I was browsing for inspiration for our new black & yellow buzz theme and ran across a table setting that used a black chrysanthemum as a napkin ring. It was really beautiful so I thought about trying to find one at the craft store. I wasn’t in luck so I decided to make my own version for baby bump using pink tulle. To make these yourself you’ll need pink glitter tulle and florist wire. And here are the easy step-by-steps:

Cut 12 4×4″ squares of tulle and stack them.
Fold the group like an accordian.
Pinch them in the center and wrap them with a small piece of florist wire.
Trim the ends as shown.
Cut a straight line between each fold to the florist wire separating the folds into individual petals.
Carefully separate the individual petals and pull upward to give the flower fullness.

It takes a little patience, but it’s worth it… don’t you think. {wink}

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Hope you’re inspired!

your guests will be buzzing

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We have been feverishly working on a new design that I lovingly call “Buzz.” It will be beautiful for all the “B” occasions: baby shower, bridal shower, birthday, bachelorette and even brunch! {I think I have a new favorite girlfriend gathering collection!} As you can see, the invitation will be a combination of black and white damask and yellow polka dots, with a fun little bumble bee near the bottom. It will have your guests buzzing with anticipation! {wink}

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