2011 Cookie Swap

For the past three years I have hosted a Christmas Cookie Swap. I always enjoy celebrating the season with my friends and family. This event is great because we make a few dozen cookies and then leave with a variety of yummy cookies. A winter wonderland was the theme this year and my color palette was blue, white and silver. I got most of the decorations at the dollar store which is great for fun touches on the cheap. I served light appetizers as this party was in the afternoon and we also had punch and a hot cocoa bar.  Everyone had a great time hanging out and tasting the delicious treats.

                                                                  Arctic Frost Punch

                                                             Snowflake Centerpiece

                                                              Christmas Cookies

                                                                    Hot Cocoa Bar

                                                                     Appetizer Setup

Bubblegum cupcakes

I have been thinking about bubblegum flavored cupcakes for a few months now. I was in Hobby Lobby last week and found Lorann brand concentrated bubblegum flavoring. So I figured now was a good time to test them out. I used a basic vanilla cupcake recipe and added sprinkles for a "funfetti" cake. I then made a cream cheese buttercream frosting and added a little bit (maybe a teaspoon) of the flavoring...a little goes a long way! I also dyed the frosting pink because in my mind that is the classic bubblegum color. The cupcakes turned out so cute and I added rainbow sprinkles and a gumball as garnish. If you are planning a kids party I am sure these would be a fun hit.

Trick or Treat

I made another treat table to celebrate Halloween. I focused on pumpkins as my main theme and the colors orange and green allowed for a nice pop! I featured an assortment of candy like gummy skeleton's, eyeball gum balls and pumpkin lollipops. For desserts I purchased some pre made whoopie pies and pumpkin sugar cookies that I decorated with frosting. I kept this table at a reasonable price point by using items I already owned and purchasing some of the decorative elements from the dollar store.  To add a festive touch to the glasses I applied stickers with spooky words and fun pumpkin straws. Here's to a Happy Halloween!

                                                               Green Potion Punch

                                                             Chocolate Whoopie Pies

                                                               Pumpkin Sugar Cookies


* Pictures by my talented photographer husband

Halloween Snack Table

To celebrate the start of October I put together a fun and easy Halloween sweet and salty snack table. I used a fuzzy faux fur blanket as my tablecloth. It added a bit of texture to the overall tablescape. I placed orange wrapped chocolate candies in some glass containers and also used goldfish crackers and cheese balls to balance out all the sweet. Since I decided to put this together last minute, I purchased some premade snack cakes and brownies. I used one of my paper punches to make cute Halloween toppers for the desserts. I also lined the plates with scrapbooking paper to add some additional color. The foam pumpkins had stickers on them which said "Haunted Halloween".  I am so glad the Fall is upon us!

Halloween Brownies

Treats

Halloween Snack Cakes

Halloween Treat Table

Peeps Pumpkins

                                                                   Goldfish & Ghost's

Ethan's 3'rd Birthday: Disney Cars Sweets Table

My little man turned three last Thursday...we hosted his birthday party on Saturday and had such a blast! Ethan loves anything with wheels and his favorite movie is Cars, so it seemed like the perfect theme. Today I will focus on the sweets table I made. I chose red and blue as the primary color scheme with black and white (checkered flags) as the accents. The dessert table featured chocolate and vanilla cupcakes that I made along with various candies and treats. I love how a sweets table creates such wonder and smiles with the kids. You always expect cake and ice cream at a party, which is fine, but I like to add a little extra. All baked goods were made by me except the sugar cookies which were supplied by my sister. I will be back to share other parts of the party!

                                                                   Cars cupcake tower

                                                                     Dessert table

Sugar cookies & Gummi bears

Traffic light rice krispy treats

Cupcake close up

                                                     Whoopie pie wheels and candy jars

Chocolate covered pretzel "dip sticks"

Tea Party

This past April I hosted a tea party for my birthday. This idea had been in the back of my mind for 4 years and I am so happy I was able to put it together. I served a light lunch which included finger sandwich's, fresh fruit and veggies and potato salad and an assortment of desserts. I offered both hot and iced teas for the guest's. I used a mix of homemade and store bought food items so i wouldn't be so overwhelmed. I pulled all the platers and china from my collection and borrowed a few items from my mom. I really enjoyed creating this party and was happy with the end result.

                                             Cucumber tea sandwich's with decorative picks

                                                                           Sweets

                                                                    Iced Tea Station

                                                                     Dessert table

                                                                       Savory lunch

                                                                      Place settings

                                                   This party turned out to be so much fun!

Hello party people!

Thanks for dropping by my blog. I have been inspired by many people showcasing their talents in the party world and wanted a venue to present my work too. I will be posting parties I have hosted recently and as I start to plan upcoming celebrations I will share those too. I hope to provide ideas and inspiration for others wanting to plan simple and fun parties.