Seashell Birthday Party

This seaside birthday party would be fun for any little girl. One Charming Party featured simple treats like cake, cupcakes, and cookies are in a sand bucket favor container along with fruits and veggies.

This is such a cute party idea, because you don't really even have to decorate. The beach's beautiful setting will do all the work.

DIY Chalkboard Cake Toy

I recently redid my little one's bedroom, and one of the projects I tackled was making a chalkboard table for her to color on. Well, since she's my kid, she's always surrounded by desserts and likes to build cakes from the styrofoam dummies in my office. When I saw this Craft tutorial for a chalkboard cake toy, I just knew this would be a great next project. It's inexpensive, easy, and my girl would just love decorating it.

Simply glue together some nested boxes, prime, and paint with chalkboard paint. Wait for it to dry, and then your little one can decorate again and again. Ready to tackle the task? Check out the tutorial here.

Recipe: Italian Soda

Italian soda is a great, refreshing Summery thirst quencher that's easier to make than you might think. Sugar and Charm shared a recipe for her homemade version. With only three ingredients (cream, club soda, and syrup), it's impossible to get it wrong.

Want to tackle this sip-able treat? Check out the recipe card.

If you don't want to fool around with making the syrup, you can buy pre-made varieties. Yum!

Tutorial: From Cupcake to Mini Cake

This mini cake is just too adorable. Simply stack two cupcakes end-to-end and frost. It doesn't get much simpler than that.

Need a little more guidance? Check out video tutorial on The Happy Mom Blog.

Dessert Table: Pucker Up!

This lemony dessert table was for a tea-themed bridal shower shoot from Design 2 Decor and Verve Photography looks absolutely refreshing on a hot summer day. Candies run the length of the yellow and white table, so guests can grab a sweet without leaving the conversation. Style Me Pretty featured this lovely affair.

When creating dessert tables, it's great to stick with one primary color like yellow (or red or blue) contrasted with white to create a striking look.

Colorful Cake Stands

Whew! Yesterday was a busy one. I worked on a collaboration for my first national magazine shoot. We were fortunate enough to find a kind family that was willing to let us use their horse farm to shoot in a gorgeous setting. Since the shoot was outside, and Minnesota has been experiencing 100+ degree temps, there were some special challenges that we faced. It turned out great though, so I can't to share the pics once they're published.

Anyway, my friend Maddy turned me on to this rainbow of cake stands by Sarah's Stands so I thought I'd share them with you, too. You pick your cake stand size (12" to 32") and color to create exactly the stand you want. You can even send in a swatch to get a custom color!

I was also featured in this HGTV blog post about ways to incorporate silhouettes into parties. Be sure to check out the post if you're looking for clever ways to customize your next event.

Unconventional Cookie Jars

These cookie jars aren't cutesy, no cows wearing aprons here. Instead, they are worthy of being decor items in any room of the house. Who wouldn't love to reach into an Indian-inspired elephant sitting on the bookcase in your living room?

The gnome is probably my favorite. I love the gold hat. Do you like the idea of cookies going incognito throughout the house, or should they be in traditional jars in the kitchen?

elephant jar, owl jar, covered jar, gnome jar, 

Dessert Table: Birch Bark Beauty

Ok, so lots of you loved this quirky, creative forest cake idea and told me so here, on Twitter, and on Facebook. I'm back today with another woodsy cake (and dessert table) with a birch bark theme by Sweet Sweets Cake Art.

Isn't this just the coolest forest dessert table? It's cute, but not too cutesy. What do you think? 

In the mood for a little more feathery, birch bark goodness? Check out this dessert table I designed last year.

images by A Simple Photograph via Style Me Pretty

Golden Snitch Cake Pops

In honor of today's midnight premiere of the final Harry Potter movie, Amy of Amy Bakes created these Golden Snitch cake pops. Aren't they adorable?

So clever, and perfectly timed.

A Forest of Cakes

I've never seen a display quite like this. I've seen cakes displayed on tree stumps, but these are meant to look like cake trees. There's dirt, flowers, and additional twigs to fill out the "forest".

What do you think of this idea? Is it cute and clever or cooky and cluttered?

Sweet Brands: Thomas Haas Sparkle Cookies

Designed by Cameron Snelgar at Sorachief Design Ltd set out to redesign the box for Thomas Haas' ready-to-eat and bake-at-home Chocolate Sparkles cookies. The designer explains, "Despite the differences between the tray and the home bake box, it was important that the two packages interrelated. That provided good reason for including the angled sides on the tray. It was very important the tray fold flat for shipping; efficiently open and assemble for the delicate process of hand filling and anchor the cookies even when lifted by the cellophane. The folding tabs ensure a finished top edge and the anchoring of the cookies…they also prevent one from eating all of the cookies at once."

It's amazing the amount of thought that goes into a cookie box. I wouldn't have ever guessed. What do you think of the Chocolate Sparkle Cookies box?


images via The Dieline

Guest Desserts: Lavender Cupcake Recipe

I LOVE lavender foods! I tried these lavender macarons and designed this dessert table that had lavender lemon marshmallows and white chocolate lavender cupcakes, so I was thrilled when Natalie of Half Dozen Designs submitted this recipe for lavender cupcakes.

Want to get the recipe and try Lavender Cupcakes for yourself? 

Week In Review & Simple Set-up

You might remember this dessert display that used a simple chair and side table to feature a cake, well, I recently came across another chair/table design. This one by Lemon Sprinkle Events is even simpler and more attainable.

This week on Sweet tooth:

We kicked off this short week with this reader's Guest Desserts submission.
National Ice Cream Month is the perfect excuse to create this dessert table.
Cakes and cake balls become one in this pastel spectrum confection.
You guys flipped for this cake/cake ball hybrid here and on Twitter.

image via Green Wedding Shoes

When Cake Marries Cake Balls

It seems that every client I work with lately wants either cake or cake balls. This pastel spectrum cake by Brew Ha Ha offers both in every bite.

What do you think of this hybrid dessert? Is it too much of a good thing or do you wish every cake was enveloped in a layer of cake balls?

images by Ashleigh Jayne via Wedding Shoe Box

Happy Ice Cream Month!

July is national Ice Cream Month, and what better way to celebrate with an easy, cool ice cream dessert table? This one from 100 Layer Cake is very do-able for a small party. So, line up a few of your favorite flavors, get the cones handy, and invite over the neighbors.

images by Scott Clark via 100 Layer Cake

Guest Desserts: Princess Party

Mariana of Yum Eventos submitted this dessert table that she designed for a little girl's birthday. Mariana, a graphic designer from Argentina, infused lots of princess and fairy details to make the birthday girl squeal. You'll love the paper patterns she created to customize this design. Crown cookies, chocolate bars, and mini cheesecakes make wonderful treats for young party guests.

Here are just a couple of the paper patterns.

Did you like those papers that Mariana designed? You can visit her Etsy shop, Las Feliz Celebrations, to buy them for your own table. Thank you so much for submitting your design, Mariana!