Meringue Love

I love the current Living cover image. The heart-shaped chocolate delight is topped by heart-shaped meringue hearts. I wouldn't want the task of making and coloring the hearts, but I would be first in line to crunch through their sugary goodness in each bite of cake.

Dessert Table: Vintage Vibe

 

 

This fabulous dessert table featured on Birthday Girl truly feels like an event from decades ago. The dishes, lace, and teal and pink palette send guests through a time wrap. The photography style helps to cement the vintage vibe. 

Inspiration: Valentine's Day for the Chocoholic

This inspiration board by The Party Dress is perfect for a couples-only Valentine's party. Serving chocolate in all its forms is sure to please the women in the crowd, and nothing is more romantic than glasses of bubbly with floating cherries.

DIY Favors: Candy Cartons

 

These DIY candy cartons from Eat, Drink, Chic are perfect favor containers for all kinds of candy. The light-hearted graphics add a fun, not-so-serious element to your event.

Grab the template here and start crafting!

Crazy Cakes

While searching for inspiration for an upcoming project, I came across this great Brides.com tool. You can create your own cake by customizing the color, decoration, and topper. It's great for trying out wacky combos before meeting with a baker.

I would never have a teal cake with two live birds in a cage as a topper, but it's fun to pretend. Check out Brides Create-A-Cake.

What weird combos did you come up with?

Dessert Table: Pomegranate and Pink

This dessert table featured on Style Me Pretty is so gorgeous that few words are needed. Enjoy!

Couture Candy

Mel B (yes, Scary spice) introduced a line of couture lollipops. The bedazzled sticks come in a variety of colors and are practically keepsakes at $22 each. You keep the sticks and reorder lollipop "heads" in different flavors and colors to refill the crystal stick.

Just when you think you've heard it all, couture lollies come along. I might buy one of these as a gag gift for a particularly vain friend, but I have a feeling a $20 MAC gift card would be more appreciated.

Images (Sugar Factory)

Extreme Makeover: Home (Office) Edition

What a relief! I converted a previously unused, junky room into a home office. I tried to keep it simple and bright so that I wouldn't get distracted by lots of patterns and colors while designing new dessert tables.

First we moved all of my craft and dessert stuff in so we could start laying out the arrangement. I bought a desk, bookcase, and inspiration boards. This took trips to three different stores, but it was worth it. Once in place, my typically unobservant hub realized they all had a crisscross pattern. I hadn't noticed that at all. What a fortunate accident!

Next we constructed the bookshelf. I used Post-its to configure the best layout. I put frequently-used items, like weddings magazines and fabric swatches, at eye level.

 My little one "helped" by repeatedly cleaning out my work bag.

And now...the after pics!

Springy green curtains add subtle color to the room, while crisp, fresh white brightens up my work space.

I'm obsessed with this dress right now. It's the inspiration centerpiece for my upcoming pink and navy "Love" dessert table.

I love my new space. It's so functional and organized. I even have space on the other side of the room to do a full-sized dessert table mock-up to help bring my sketches to life.

What does your home office look like? If it's as non-existent as mine used to be, take the time to invest in a space that works for you.

DIY Valentine's Hearts II

Kathleen at Twig & Thistle must have read my mind before I posted this! She was already planning to update her super cute DIY Valentine's brownie bags for this year. So, for those of you, like me, who are too busy to redesign and print their own bag, check out Kathleen's updated template and tutorial here.

 

Thanks so much Kathleen!

Wheely Fun!

Reader, and fellow blogger, Sharnel sent me these fun photos from her son's fourth birthday party. The blue and green dessert buffet had a pinwheel theme and lots of DIY touches.

For more of Sharnel's photos and the tutorials she used, check out her blog My Life My Loves.

Sunday Suppers Cheese Dessert Table

This light, bright cheese dessert table created by Sunday Suppers is a unique twist on the dessert buffet trend. Pairing cheeses and fruits for a dessert course is a great idea for a bride looking for a homespun, earthy vibe.

Extreme Makeover: Office Edition

I'm in the process of designing and setting up my home office. The room was a blank canvas (if you ignore the random boxes of ribbon, craft punches, and dishes lying everywhere). Stay tuned for the before and afters on Wednesday.

Inspiration Board: Bridal Accents Couture "Love" Trunkshow

I've just started designing a dessert table for Bridal Accents Couture's "Love" Trunkshow, which will feature Enzoani's 2010 bridesmaids "Love" collection. Rather than relying on traditional red and white for this Valentine's-themed event, I opted for pink and navy.

I'll keep you posted as the design for this table progresses. I hope you enjoy it!

Groom, Flower girl, shoes, & flowers (Brides.com), Bride, ring bearer & crafts (Martha Stewart Weddings), Invite (Minted), Flutter headband (Nelle Handbags), Bridesmaid (Love by Enzoani)

Behind the Scenes: Mpls/St. Paul Weddings Magazine Bridal Party

Here are some behind the scenes shots from the 2010 Mpls/St. Paul Magazine Bridal Party at The Depot.

The macaron towers held up really well in transit. I think I held my breath the entire time.

 

Don't leave home with out it, literally. I brought every crafting item that I used during the project in case there was a mishap. Thank goodness I did, because we needed the liquid glue for 3 or 4 items. 

Dessert Table: Yellow & Pale Blue

This wedding featured on Style Me Pretty is so cheery and sunny. The yellows and pale blues are an unusual, but gorgeous color palette. The scheme is further developed with small accents of red and white. Check out the charming candy table set up by the bride.

DIY Valentine's Hearts

Valentine's Day is about a month away, and with a little planning you can give your loved ones more than another 99 cent card that you grabbed from Target on the way home. Twig & Thistle's DIY Valentine's brownie favors are a sweet gift.

If you really want to put your own spin on the gift, try making Blondies, cheesecake, or another untraditional brownie.

 

 

Not a fan of brownies? These other heart-shaped sweets are easy and would look adorable inside this little baggie. Although the bag design is for last Valentine's (and the text can't be changed) you can still use it for inspiration in designing and printing your own bags from home.

Check out Twig & Thistle's design tutorial and printing tips to get all the details.

Brownies (Martha Stewart)

Inspiration Board: Rustic Elegance

One of the wonderful brides-to-be that I met at the Mpls/St. Paul Magazine Bridal Party contacted me last night about her upcoming event. She wants an October event with rustic elements that is comfortable and still elegant. Her main accent color is burnt orange with other fall hues sprinkled in.

I started to work on an inspiration board for the dessert table's design with the intention to have it ready by Thursday. Well, I was so inspired by the thought of a comfortable, yet elegant wedding that I had the board ready to go an hour and a half later.  So, I thought I'd share my interpretation of rustic elegance with you.

I love the olive green, satin peep toe pumps for walking down the aisle, but a change into some equally gorgeous green flats would be a requirement for the hours-long reception and dancing into the night.

Recap: Mpls/St. Paul Magazine Weddings Bridal Party

There's only one word to describe yesterday's event at The Depot in Minneapolis. "Wow!" Mpls/St. Paul Weddings Magazine produced the event and The Knot hosted it. There were so many great vendors that I hadn't had the opportunity to meet before.

One lucky bride-to-be, Michelle, won a giftbox with a sample of every dessert on the table.

This is just a sneak peek at some of the samples I offered. I took some other shots of the table, but only the fabulous Tricia Little can really capture all the yummy details. Be sure to check out the inspiration board that inspired the table's design. Stay Tuned!

Images (Shauna Younge)

Follow That Bird!

Come along with me as I put the finishing touches on my dessert table for the Minneapolis/St. Paul Bridal Party and navigate the Twin Cities wedding industry.

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Inspiration Board: Grey, Lilac, & Plum

I mentioned earlier this week that I'd be displaying a table at the Mpls/St. Paul Bridal Party this Sunday. I thought I'd share the inspiration board I created a few months ago to help focus the design for the table. Hope you enjoy a peek into my designing process.

I love the idea of the rebellious bride bucking tradition and choosing a grey dress (even if it makes  granny faint from the very thought of it).