There is such an art to making beautiful cakes, and it makes it truly a treat to run across those artists that are able to dream up and craft these wonderful works. I was absolutely delighted to run across Manni at I Bake Cakes a few weeks ago…

She has a very unique, elegant style to her cakes (and cupcakes!) and to further set herself apart, she is vegetarian and bakes everything without eggs or other animal products!

Manni is also a budding party stylist–she recently helped with her neice’s first birthday party.

Of course, the cake was fabulous

And Manni used little touches to personalize the party, like the beautiful banner and candy bar wrappers. I look forward to lots more eye candy from Manni in the future! You can see her work for yourself at her website or on facebook!

The much anticipated “Cakepops: Tips, Tricks and Recipes for More Than 40 Irresistible Mini Treats” by Bakerella is now available! I can’t wait to see the how-tos from the woman who made these little treats so popular. I’ve already cleared a little spot for it on (one of) my cookbook shelves!

Photos by Pier 1

I adore Amy Atlas and her gorgeous dessert tables. I love the artfully arranged sweets and beautifully labeled and jarred confections. But sometimes you want something a little different–savory and filling, maybe? This whole post started because I stopped into Pier 1 the other day and immediately felt a large hole in my wallet appear when I saw they have started to carry a line of tiny dishes made for single servings for entertaining. Yes, I will find room in my burgeoning cupboards for more serve ware, because not only are these pieces cute, I believe we are going to see a lot more appetizer tables fall under Ms. Atlas’ influence.

I am in no way compensated by Pier 1 for this post (although I would mind!)…but I can hardly contain my excitement here because sourcing these kind of serving dishes is always difficult. In addition to carrying all these great dishes, Pier 1 has been nice enough to include a page on their site here with suggestions and recipes on how to throw what they call a “tasting party.” Which is a great idea, and a will be something neat to watch in emerging parties!  To throw your own “tasting party,” you could mix up a pitcher of different flavored beverages you don’t ordinarily have and serve in small glasses. Different preparations of a singular ingredient. Or make an artful arrangement of a variety of single bite foods in single bite dishes. Think fancy tapas!

When designing the appetizer table for my Midsummer’s Night party, I wanted to use shot glasses for single servings of fruit, and wonton soup spoons for an elegant/artfully arranged presentation. This concept is popping up other places, two parties in particular come to mind…

The “Lumberjack & Jill” bridal shower by Frilly Milly – corn on the cob instead of cake pops, french fry cones instead of candy corn, and little individual jars of baked beans with spoons attached…and all brilliantly pulled together.

A birthday cocktail pre-party by Enchanted Expectations. Soup in the shooters and mexican gumbo in the spoons. The little glasses make it so much better than serving out of one big bowl!

I really and truly look forward to watching appetizer tables evolve this direction. It will be a nice change of pace, and interesting to see who emerges as the Amy Atlas of the savory side of the party!

Some days I just want to go and be a little girl again just so I can play with all the really neat things my daughter has. Not to say that I don’t as an adult, there would just be less pointing and laughing if it was all age appropriate.

Today when I saw these “Pouf Wands” by The Sugared Ribbon on Esty.com, I had one of those daydream moments. How CUTE are these?? I know we’ve all seen a zillion tutus, but this use of tutu is truly creative! These perfect little poufs are ideal for party favors, or with Halloween coming up, for a unique fairy or princess wand to complement a costume. The candy corn flavored one would even be great for a witch! There’s even potential for these beauties as table decor for a party…  You can see The Sugared Ribbon and all her many poof wands at her store, or on facebook.

As one of those people who never win anything, I was surprised and delighted to have a set of stationery show up in my mailbox from dodeline design after winning the giveaway at Pluff Mudd Studio.

Her stark modern graphics and bold colors are eye catching, and I’m always a complete sucker for witty pieces. Any southerner can appreciate the “Bless Your Heart” cards, and the beach silhouettes are simply beautiful. You can catch dodeline design at her website or her etsy store!

Love love love at first sight! These beautiful felt party hats made by the shop Stell and Livi are custom made in so many patterns,  perfect for little birthday princes and princesses. My favorites are the elephant and the mermaid, but sneaking a peak at her blog, her felt-flowered crowns and “The Hungry Caterpillar”  hats are also spectacular. Definitely worth a look!

In my hunt for items to make an evening magic fairy land for the Midsummer’s Night party, I found these wonderful lighted flower stems. They can be obtained from many sources, but the little shop Off Main out of Martha’s Vineyard had the nicest ones I saw and the most variety. Perfect for a little bit of sparkle and warmth at a night-time party! Most are battery operated, so they can easily be arranged in vases. See Off Main at their website for more information.

I’ve started working on planning my mother’s birthday party, and I was hunting around for options to adorn my cupcakes and sugar cookies with that were a little more elegant than the lollipop style toppers and had more of a professional polish than my unsteady hands at piping cookies provide.  I was thinking sugared flowers for the cupcakes until I saw these edible butterflies from Sugar Robot. Can’t you just see a tower of cupcakes with pretty little butterflies flitting all over?

 

Used to be that every good southern hostess had a hostess apron that was reserved specifically for serving her guests at parties. While that wonderful tradition has by and by gone the way of the buggy whip, there are those that are enthusiastically keeping it alive. See Gretchen at the Pretty Little Pearl. She mixes up fabulous prints and bold colors to make beautiful and flattering aprons you’ll want to wear every day! To add an extra touch of special, she will even monogram your apron for free. I’m ordering mine soon!

Cute birthday outfits for the birthday boy and girl, IMHO, are as much an accessory and decoration at a birthday party as the banners and balloons. All the pictures of that special day are going to be all that better in festive attire!

There are many sources for cute appliqued onesies online, but I was quite taken with this outfit. The crafty momma from Posies and Planes that made the cute little birthday hat using the DIY tutorial from here, and the applique pattern from here (both from another funny Mom at Crap I’ve Made). And don’t you just love her choice of fabric? Reminds me of a nice summer day!