Setting a Natural Spring Table

A few weeks ago we hosted a small dinner party in our backyard. I didn't have a lot of time or money to spend, but sometimes that turns out for the best doesn't it? I wound up clipping a few branches from each of the different trees in our yard and laid them out as a table runner on top of some plain butcher paper. The blue patterned napkins.... yeah, those are actually dish towels from Ikea. Pretty right? And that was basically all it took. We had a grand old time and ate ourselves silly on southern bbq, red beans + rice, cole slaw and king cake.

Of course, I haven't mentioned the cornbread. It's not a party if I don't go a little overboard on something... but more on that tomorrow.

 

photos + styling © cake. 2013

These images are for personal use only. If sharing them on your site, please credit CAKE. events blog and link directly to this post.

He Loves Me | A Daisy Bridal Shower

Spring is clearly in full swing over here today.  I had such fun collaborating on this daisy bridal shower with my favorite partners in crime: Cakewalk Baking and Sherry Heck Photography.  Maybe you saw it featured last week over on The Sweetest Occasion?  Cyd is a doll and her blog is truly my favorite daily dose of pretty, so I can't thank her enough for such a beautiful feature.

Remember those carefree days of picking petals in the grass and dreaming of your true love?  You know, 'he loves me... he loves me not... he loves me!'. We were inspired by that innocent childhood memory to create a fresh take on a classic bridal shower with pops of bright colors in spring green, bold yellow and crisp white. All of the details to help create this shower are below. We hope you love it as much as we do.

Daisy Petals Invitation: I designed this invitation (available here) as a fun way to kick off the daisy theme and make guests smile with nostalgia. For an added pop of color, line the envelopes by tracing the envelope pattern onto a favorite piece of scrapbook paper, then trim down and insert.

He Loves Me Banner: We used a Silhouette machine to cut out the letters for the banner (which could also be accomplished by hand cutting). Strung with baker’s twine across the table, it added the perfect sweet and romantic touch.

Daisy Fans: Simple tissue fans doubled as giant daisies when placed in a scattered pattern above the serving table. They are lightweight enough to be affixed to the wall with just a bit of double stick tape or glue dots.

Daisy Cake & Cookies: Created by Michele of Cakewalk Baking, treats included a show stopping two tiered fondant covered daisy cake, sparkling sugar cookies and lemon tartlets topped with fresh whipped cream and candied lemon slices.

Spiked Lemonade: Traditional lemonade is always a refreshing beverage option, but for a more sophisticated twist, try this recipe for a sparkly spiked version: Simply combine 4c lemonade with 1c seltzer water, 1c vodka and a tbsp of lemon zest and stir. Garnish with a lemon wedge and either a sprig of fresh herbs or a single daisy.

DiY Tea Towels: Instead of traditional shower games, surprise the bride to be by having guests create unique a keepsake for her home- hand painted tea towels. This project is easily competed during the shower by providing a station with white flour sack towels, craft paints, stencils, brushes and washi tape. Guests can exercise their own creativity or use the tape and stencils to create a simple pattern.

Potted Daisy Favors: Thanks a bunch! These pretty potted daisies can double as centerpieces during the shower, but make a wonderful favor to send home with guests. Once home they can be transported into the ground, to grow and bloom with the marriage to come.

Credits
Styling: Cakewalk Baking + CAKE.
Photography: Sherry Heck Photography
Printable Invite + Graphics: Merry Happy by CAKE.
Cake & Baked Goods: Cakewalk Baking
Paper Fans: The Tomkat Studio
Daisy Gift Wrap: Paper Source


All images are ©Merry Happy by CAKE. and are for personal use only. If sharing them on your site, please credit CAKE. events blog and link directly to this post.

St Patricks Day | Green + Grey Printable Flags

I love the combination of green & grey this time of year.  It reflects the mood outside... dreary and rainy with the dream of spring around the corner.  I've never been to Ireland, but somehow it feels just about right for an inspired Irish celebration.  So I made some flag toppers... obviously.  Now we can get our party on together. Happy St. Patricks Day!

photos + styling © cake. 2013

These printables and images are ©Merry Happy by CAKE. and are for personal use only. If sharing them on your site, please credit CAKE. events blog and link directly to this post.

Go Green: Up-cycled Bottle Arrangements

Hello again from Kim + Natalie of Geranium Lake Flowers! One of our favorite things to do is to create by re-creating. Not only is it eco-friendly, but it’s also budget friendly and helps us think outside of the “box”! Reusing glass bottles is an adorable and festive way to up-cycle and create a beautiful arrangement.

 
First you will need to collect empty bottles. Some of our favorite bottles are Perrier and Orangina, because of their shape, but we’ve been known to use Coke bottles and even a few beer bottles! Like most things we do, we like to cluster things in odd numbers so try for 3, 5, or even 7 bottles at a time.
 
Once you’ve got your bottles, you are going to want to remove any labels and make sure that the bottles are clean {this is important for looks AND for the life of the flowers that you are going to insert}. For stubborn, sticky labels, we soak our bottles in very hot, soapy water for 10-20 minutes and then scrub the residue off with a wash cloth or other abrasive cloth.
 
More than likely, you will want to arrange your collection of bottles on a platform of sorts. We like to use gold chargers {$5 at Target!} and sometimes miscellaneous water dishes/saucers from old terracotta planters that we have lying around. Use your imagination and scavenging skills… you could use vintage plates, etc.

Next you will want to fill each bottle with water {approximately 2/3 full} and then wipe them dry. We do this before we arrange the bottles on the platform because you’ll want to keep your platform as dry as possible for looks and it’s really hard to wipe drips once they’re all assembled!
Start with the largest or oddest bottle in your collection and find its perfect place on the platform. Use your other bottles to fill in around it.
 
We love to use wire or ribbon around the collection of bottles to keep them sturdy and on the platform.
 
The last step is adding fresh flowers – and it happens to be the easiest part! We love the look of one fresh stem per bottle to create a simple, minimalist look. We also like to go with a monochromatic color palette but use your imagination and do what you love!

PS. If you’re feeling extra creative and are giving this as a gift, insert a vintage post card to complete the look!

photos © erica ann photography

Lucky You... Free Printables for St. Patricks Day

It's your lucky day... I got inspired to design a new little freebie for you.  This gift tag comes in two versions, with or without the St Patty's day mention... because you never know when you might want to share your luck with the ones you love, right?  I had some fun styling it on a green + gold ribbon trimmed balloon.  Unfortunately the wind didn't cooperate with my plans, so the photos are a bit dark due to shooting indoors.  C'est la vie... hope you enjoy!

photos + styling © cake. 2012