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.

Hooray for Baby! A Baby Shower Brunch

Last month I put together a small baby shower to celebrate three dear friends who all happen to be pregnant at the same time.  The 'Hooray for Baby!' theme started oddly enough as the subject of an e-mail I sent wishing them congratulations.  The more I thought on it, the more it felt like the perfect concept for a shower.  Because two of the moms-to-be opted not to find out what they're having, I picked a gender neutral palette of mint green + yellow.  I've always loved these colors for spring, and they worked especially well for an outdoor brunch.  I wanted to keep things simple and budget friendly, so I put together my own menu and a few DiY projects to make the morning special... 

The little floral arrangements were created from baby food jars that I partially dipped in mint green paint.  I wasn't sure how it would work out, but the effect was charming and allowed me the opportunity to send one home with each guest.

My favorite project to make was actually the tassel poms, a new take on the popular tassel garlands.  I created the tassels from this tutorial, and fixed them to wooden dowels with a bit of hot glue.  They looked great as a centerpiece on the brunch table and held up well when waved around as pom-poms. (Okay sure, the shower was for grown ups, but these would be a great activity to make with your kids!).  I even used the extra tissue to make bits of confetti and tossed it along the table... hooray indeed. 

 

The brunch menu included the following: Zucchini Tart w/ Smoked Gouda + Tomato*, Chicken Apple Sausage, Mixed Berries with Greek Yogurt and Pecan Granola, 'Baby' Lemon Muffins with Cream Cheese* and Grapefruit Spritzers (2/3 grapefruit juice + 1/3 sparkling water with lime) to drink.  See below for recipes with an *.

For dessert, Michele of Cakewalk Baking served as my partner in crime once again and baked up the most moist & delicious yellow cake with chocolate frosting... and as a special treat she brought over some incredible homemade french macarons.  Just for fun, I designed a set of hooray bunting flags and strung them across the cake between paper straws.  I also ordered custom megaphone cookies from Auntie Bea's Bakery with a script hooray to coordinate with the invitation- they were a huge hit!

The favors were ribbon trimmed burp cloths that I made with Michele's help (because I can't sew to save my life), to which I attached custom 'Hooray for Mamas!' pennant flags.  The sticks are actually just wooden rock candy sticks, ordered from Confetti Sunshine. 
 

I have Sherry Heck to thank for all the beautiful photos of the shower details.  As special treat for the moms though, I offered up a little maternity photo shoot for each of them after brunch.  I never had maternity photos taken while I was pregnant with my daughter and I regret not having made it a priority... so I thought it would make a nice keepsake whether or not they were professionally done.  The last image is one I took of all three soon to be moms together.  You've gotta love that they unintentionally coordinated in ombre shades of blue. 

Credits
Graphic Design & Party Styling: CAKE.
Cake & Macarons: Cakewalk Baking
Cookies: Auntie Bea's Bakery
Rock Candy Sticks, Paper Straws, Cupcake Liners: Confetti Sunshine
Photography: Sherry Heck

 

Zucchini Breakfast Tart w/ Smoked Gouda

adapted from Food Network

Ingredients 

1 sheet (half of a 17-ounce package) frozen puff pastry

2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 onion, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced

1 (14-ounce) can ready-cut diced tomatoes, well drained

4 large eggs

1 cup grated smoked gouda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions 

Remove the puff pastry from the package and let thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or until no longer frozen but still cool. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook 5 minutes, or until the onion is slightly tender. Stir in the zucchini and saute just until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Mix in the drained tomatoes and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring often, until the zucchini is tender but not mushy and the juices have evaporated. Let cool.

Lightly butter a dark-colored 9-inch tart pan. On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry into an 11-inch square. Fit it into the tart pan. Trim off the overhanging pieces of pastry with scissors. Refrigerate the crust, uncovered, for 15 minutes, or up to 8 hours, covered.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Stir in the cheese, salt, pepper, and cooled vegetables. Spoon the mixture into the tart pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until the pastry is brown and a knife inserted in the center of the tart comes out clean.

Let the tart cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before slicing. It is best to serve this tart very warm rather than piping hot.

--

‘Baby’ Lemon Muffins with Cream Cheese

Ingredients

1 2/3 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons (packed) grated lemon peel

 1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup whole milk

Directions 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat 1 cup sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Add grated lemon peel and juice. Mix in dry ingredients alternately with milk.

Pour batter into lined mini muffin cups. Bake about 12-15 minutes, until toothpick inserted into muffin comes out clean.

When muffins have cooled, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until texture is light and whipped like frosting. Add to piping bag and pipe onto muffins.

Merry Happy by CAKE. | Hooray for Baby!

I've been excited to share this baby shower since I hosted it, and last week I finally had the time I needed to pull everything together (I've been amazed at what I've already been able to accomplish with just a few extra hours each night).  I thought I'd offer up a preview of the invitation I designed... it's one of my favorites to date and I've just added it to my Esty shop.  I love the way the stripes look with the iconic megaphone, don't you?  Tomorrow I'll be sharing the actual shower I put together, and it's also going to be featured on Bump Smitten... Elizabeth has a wonderful blog filled with inspiring baby shower details, so please be sure to head over and check it out!

photo © merry happy by cake. 

Simply Styled. | Sage + Lavender

via nib & zed

Vintage Bridal Shoot: China + Lace

We've got another beautiful bridal shoot for you this week.  This one comes to us from Phebe of Making ME Event Planning firm.  A classic setting of vintage china and antique lace sets the scene for an afternoon tea party... the perfect inspiration for a traditional bridal shower.

photos © henry photographers

From Phebe: Delicate hues of pinks, creams, cookies, and macaroons point to signs of a beautifully styled vintage wedding photoshoot! By giving the vintage place settings center stage we were able to bring in additional elements that add a subtle touch of loveliness, for example vintage hardware, vintage ribbon, doilies, tea cups and oh my that's a ton of pretty! To recreate this style on a larger scale we recommend a mish-mash of vintage plates, beautiful paper products, and florals that tie this simple yet chic design together.  We hope you enjoy! 

Venue: Making ME Event Planning Firm 
Photography: Henry Photographers
Dresses: Flair Bridesmaids
Flowers: Finally Flowers
Paper Products: Blush Printables
Plate Rentals: Making ME Event Planning Firm

Valentines That Glitter: On Display

We hope you've enjoyed this week of pink + gold glittered projects... to finish things off we couldn't resist putting our sweets on display in a fabulous vintage curio cabinet for all to admire.  Have a great Valentines Day!

Want to see more of this party?  Click here: valentine cards \\ pink grapefruit martinis \\ sweet treats \\ handmade favors

photos © sherry heck
styling and design collaboration: CAKE. + Cakewalk Baking

Valentines That Glitter: Heart Votives + Gumdrops

To finish off this glittery Valentines theme, create your own favors with a heart of pink or gold. Send guests home with a few appliquéd votives and tealights in a muslin bag, or make your own gumdrops wrapped in a glassine bag for little ones. Either way these favors are sure to warm their hearts...

Want to see more of this party?  Click here: valentine cards \\ pink grapefruit martinis \\ sweet treats \\ on display

 photos © sherry heck
styling and design collaboration: CAKE. + Cakewalk Baking

Vinyl Hearts Tutorial

Supplies
Silhouette machine
Silhouette vinyl
Muslin bags
Glass votives holders (we used ikea)
Glittering glue
Sponge applicator
Fine glitter

Directions
We used vinyl stencils created with a Silhouette machine to make the heart pattern on these simple votives and muslin bag (Note: if you don't have a Silhouette, you can use a heart punch and glittered sticker paper for a quick and easy substitute on the votives). When finding shapes to use with the Silhouette, try to look for dingbat fonts. For this heart we used this font. For detailed instructions on how to use your Silhouette to cut out vinyl, check out this great tutorial.

Cut out 3-1” hearts for the votives and 1- 4” heart for the muslin bag. Since you will be using the outside of the pattern, you can skip the transfer tape step. Attach the vinyl directly to the glass votives and muslin bag. For the muslin bag, insert a piece of aluminum foil so the glue will not soak through. Using a sponge applicator, liberally apply glittering glue to the entire heart. Sprinkle with glitter until completely covered. Let dry for approximately 1 hour and then carefully remove the vinyl stencil and discard. Gently tap off any loose glitter.  Let dry for 24 hours before packaging.

--

Gumdrops

Ingredients 
1 cup sugar
1 cup corn syrup
3/4 cup water
1 box powdered fruit pectin (1.75 oz)
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp citric acid
¼ tsp natural citrus oil
a few drops of gel food coloring

Supplies
Pan spray Candy molds
Sugar for coating
Disco dust (if desired)

Directions 
Prepare your molds (you can use chocolate or hard candy molds) by liberally coating them with pan spray. Mix the sugar & corn syrup together in a medium saucepan. Mix water, pectin & baking soda together in another saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Bring to a boil and cook for approximately 8 mintues, until the foam from the baking soda mixture has died down. Pour the baking soda mixture into the sugars and stir constantly for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the citric acid, citrus oil, and food coloring. Working quickly, fill your molds with the hot liquid. If you wait too long, the mixture will begin to gel and is difficult to pour. (Alternatively, you can pour the mixture into a 8” square cake pan and cut out shapes). Let your gum drop set up in the molds for several hours. When they are firm, coat them in sugar (with a pinch of Disco Dust for sparkle if desired). Enjoy!

recipe adapted by Cakewalk Baking from Sew Can Do.

Valentines That Glitter: Sweet Treats

Your sweethearts will swoon over these treats, each one more decedent than the next. We dressed up our cupcakes using metallic gold cupcake papers, handmade glittered flags and filigree lettering to create a lovely little message. The dark chocolate truffle pops are a twist on traditional cake pops and they’re dusted with just a touch of gold edible glitter (because everything’s better with sparkle). And please don't forget the gold dusted macarons… they're truly as good as they are pretty.

Want to see more of this party?  Click here: valentine cards \\ pink grapefruit martinis \\ handmade favors \\ on display

photos © sherry heck
styling and design collaboration: CAKE. + Cakewalk Baking

Vanilla Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Cupcake Ingredients 
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/4 cups whole milk

Directions 
Preheat oven to 350°F. Bring the eggs, milk & butter to room temperature (don’t skip this step, it’s very important!) In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and pale. Add in the eggs one at a time and mix until combined. Sift (yes, sift!) together flour, salt and baking powder together. Stir together vanilla and milk Alternately add dry ingredients and milk to mixing bowl, scraping down after each addition. Start and end with dry ingredients. Fill paper-lined muffin tins with batter 2/3 full. Bake at 350° for 18- 20 minutes.

Frosting Ingredients 
1 lb unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
8 egg whites
1 cup crème friache or sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Seeds from 2 vanilla beans

Directions 
Combine sugar & egg whites in mixer bowl and whisk together over simmering water until hot to the touch and all of the sugar has melted and no longer grainy Transfer bowl to mixer stand and whip on high until fluffy & cool – about 10 minutes With the mixer on low, add the softened butter 1 tablespoon at a time until incorporated. Add in vanilla, crème fraiche or sour cream, and vanilla beans. Beat until smooth (it may look curdled, but just continue to mix & it will be fine!).

--

Truffle Pops

Ingredients 
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
½ cup whipping cream
2 oz Brandy (if desired)
Candy Melts in your color of choice
Oil food coloring (if desired)
Disco dust (if desired)

Directions 
Place the chocolate in a heat proof mixing bowl. Bring the cream and brandy to a boil in a small sauce pan. Immediately pour the cream on the chocolate and let it stand for a few minutes. Sir the chocolate with a spatula until smooth. Leave the chocolate at room temperature, stirring occasionally until firm. This can take several hours. Once the chocolate is firm, roll into balls of your desired size. Insert lollipop stick and refrigerate until hard, preferably overnight. Melt the candy melts in a heat proof bowl over a double boiler. If desired, add a few drops of oil based food coloring. Holding your pops by the lollipop stick, dip them into the candy melts and swirl to coat completely. Remove from the chocolate and tap gently to remove excess. Insert into Styrofoam block to dry. When dry, sprinkle with disco dust.

--

Macarons

Ingredients 
125 grams almond powder (ground blanched almonds)
225 grams powdered sugar
100 grams egg whites
25 grams of sugar
pinch of cream of tartar
Gel food coloring if desired

Directions 
Separate the egg whites the day before you want to use them and leave them covered at room temperature. Put the almond powder & powdered sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade and pulse until well combined. Whip the egg whites, cream of tartar, sugar and 2 drops of food coloring (if desired) until glossy peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the almond mixture until combined – approximately 50 strokes. Pipe the batter into 1 1/2” diameter circles on a Silpat or parchment lined sheet pan. After piping out the macarons, give the baking sheet a whack on the counter and let them sit for about 30 minutes before baking (this helps develop their “feet”). Bake for approximately 15 minutes at 300°. After they are cooled, pipe center on 1 cookie with buttercream and carefully sandwich with another cookie. Refrigerate, covered for 24 hours for the best flavor and texture.

all recipes adapted by Cakewalk Baking

Valentines That Glitter: Pink Grapefruit Martinis

Continuing the glittery pink + gold Valentines theme, impress your party guests with a Pink Grapefruit Martini.  These swanky cocktails are the perfect shade of pale pink, and are completely delicious with or without alcohol. To make your martinis extra special...

- Modernize a basic martini glass by painting a gold trim around the base. Metallic gold craft paint works great and is generally non-toxic. 

- Make your glasses sparkle by adding a dash of gold luster dust to white sugar. Use your finger to swipe water around the rim, then dip in the sugar mixture. 

- To create glittery stir sticks, use a heart shaped punch or stencil on glitter sticker paper (found at your local craft or scrapbooking store). Sandwich hearts together over half of a wooden skewer.

Want to see more of this party?  Click here: valentine cards \\ sweet treats \\ handmade favors \\ on display 
  

photos © sherry heck
styling and design collaboration: CAKE. + Cakewalk Baking

Pink Grapefruit Martini

Ingredients
2 oz vodka or gin (optional)
½ oz fresh squeezed pink grapefruit juice
½  oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
¼ oz simple syrup
2 dashes orange bitters

Directions
In a tall mixing glass filled with ice add all ingredients. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled, sugar rimmed martini glass. 
 
recipe created by Levi & Remik, bartenders at Zut!