Sweet Idea: DIY Fringe Firework Cake Topper

The 4th of July is right around the corner, and for me (and a lot of my family members) it's also time to slice up birthday cake. As a kid, I got pretty accustomed to sharing a cake with all of the late-June and July birthday folks, so when Confetti Pop needed a patriotic DIY this one seemed like a no-brainer.

A great twist on this fringe firework topper? Well, we opted for red, white, and aqua to make it feel a little fresher. Check out this super-simple tutorial here.

Dessert Table: Gold, Green, and Vintage Glam

After a day on set for Confetti Pop, I was happy to scroll through my Pinterest feed and find this framed dessert display. Ruffled blog featured this Wizard of Oz inspired shoot, and photog Sandy Tam capture The Sweetere's treats wonderfully. If you've seen my LOVE dessert table, then you know I like a good frame backdrop. Here, the frames also make a debut on the gold and green glitter cake.

Cupcakes and cake pops accompany the vintage-inspired cake. Yum! Simple glitter hearts make great cupcake toppers. 

Can't get enough? Swing by Ruffled for more green, glittery goodness.

pics by Sandy Tam via Ruffled, desserts by The Sweetere

Dessert Table: Friend Fete

This simple cake is like a flower explosion! Rhiannon of Hey, Gorgeous Events and photog Kelly Braman teamed up to create this girls-only bash. Bursts of pink and red make this layered chocolate cake a girl's dream. Sugar crystals rim champagne wines and XO macarons greet each lady at their seat with even more stuff into favor boxes to-go.

Want to see even more dessert displays on bookcases, bureaus, and dressers? Feast your eyes on these.

images by Kelly Braman via Hey Gorgeous Events

Dessert Table: Peppermint Party

Jessie of Shop Sweet Lulu created this sweet little gingerbread house party for her little ones and included a cocoa bar in the festivities! Pops of red and subdued grey look great in the mostly white room. Whoopie pies, meringues, and marshmallows round out the sweet selection.

pics via Shop Sweet Lulu

Sweet Idea: Cardinal Cookies

By now, most of you have seen how I decorated my Christmas tree this year. It might be a little hard to tell, but there are some festive little cardinals nestled in among the branches. I just love their vibrant color, especially against a dark background. These Sweetopia gingerbread cookies are just the perfect shade of red, don't you think?

images via Sweetopia

Dessert Table: Merry & Bright

images by Caroline Tran via 100 Layer Cake

A Handmade Holiday with the Younges

It doesn't feel like it outside, but it's the holiday season. I baked up some pretty bundt cakes and added some great DIY touches to our decor this Christmas with easy projects that kiddo helped me make to create a Handmade Holiday. We photographed it all for Confetti Pop, so go on over and check it out. We'll be sharing tutorials and DIYs throughout the week to help you recreate the look.

But here on Sweet Tooth, we're all about the yummy stuff, so I figured I'd focus on seasonal bundts. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. A fabulous bundt pan turns your boxed cake mix into something really spectacular. We shot this a couple of weeks ago, but don't worry, those little bundts didn't go to waste. My family and I chowed down on those pretty cakes for Thanksgiving.

Who doesn't love a pile of sweets? She Cooks, She Gardens featured these chocolate banana bundts.

Use a pretty pan as a serving dish. Dine and Dash featured this great PB&J bunt.

Have you started decorating, yet? What's your theme or color palette this year?

Dessert Table: Christmas Cookie Swap

I'm already giving some serious consideration to this year's Christmas decor, and this Liebersbotschaft cookie swap dessert table is even more motivation for me to get the ball rolling. An edible cookie garland, cocoa stir spoons, and gingerbread men are welcome additions to this seasonal sweets setup.

images via Liebesbotschaft

Sweet Idea: Red, White, and Mmmm!

I love these patriotic favor ideas just in time for the 4th of July. You can fill these rocket shaped DIY containers with any candy, or even mini toys. And, it couldn't be easier to create a sweet treat than these licorice and gum ball falls.

rocket favors, flag favors

Guest Desserts: Parisian Chic

Hopefully, you liked today's first Chanel ice cream post. I'm back with a Guest Desserts feature from Shandra Ward of Signature Design Studio. She created this red, black, and white dessert table for a bridal showcase and submitted the design along with some insight into her creation.

From Shandra: When you think of Paris, you may think of intrigue, romance, and styl[e]. Our latest sweet buffet creation is inspired by Paris. We love Paris, it’s one of our favorite places in the world – the city, the food, the fashion, their language, everything! So it felt very fitting to create a stylish buffet that screams intrigue, romance and style.

More from Shandra: We chose a dramatic color scheme of black and white accented with red. This unsung color scheme is modern and sophisticated and anything but boring. With classic sweet treats and modern style, our Parisian Chic sweet buffet is truly an affair to remember.

Thank you for sharing your design, Shandra! I love seeing the displays you all come up with for your events.

Do you have a recipe, dessert table, or DIY project to share? Visit the Submissions page for all the details you need to see your works here.

Dessert Table: Love is Sweet

Remember when I shared this Kate Spade holiday and this metallic New Years Eve dessert table with you? I noticed that both shoots featured a pooch at the party, and I wondered if that would be a new trend in inspirational shoots and even in home entertaining. As in, "Please attend our housewarming party, and bring your pooch along!"

Well, we're nearing Valentine's Day and I've got another pooch at a party dessert table for you. This graphic table, which was featured on Green Wedding Shoes, is all-white with splashes of vibrant red. Gourmet marshmallows, macarons, cakes, and cupcakes make a small, cozy sweets fest for two.

Don't have time for an entire dessert table? Simply add some wall decor and a small cake and cupcake at each place setting.

And the event wouldn't be complete without a little puppy love.

What do you think of the Pooch at a Party trend? Is it silly or sublime?


Be sure to come back for today's second Valentine's dessert table.


Photography – Gabriel Ryan
Desserts – Cupcakes Couture of Manhattan Beach
Styling – Carolyn Chen of The Special Day
Floral Design – Dolce Design Studio
Ice Cream – Sweet Lucie’s
Stationery – Mintwich Designs
Accessories – Ban.do
Dress – Alisa Benay
Shoes – Vivienne Westwood
Linens – Wildflower Linens
Chairs – Chameleon
Producer – Be Inspired PR

Dessert Table: Vintage Snow White

If you saw my Alice in Wonderland inspired dessert table for Nonpareil Magazine, then you know that I love the idea of turning children's stories into unusual, maybe even eerie, desserts. This Snow White themed dessert table by Belle Amour has everything. There are sugary sweet apples, little woodland creatures, and of course a dark and twisted looking mirror. A mini mountain of nougat is topped with cranberries and macadamia nuts. The black, white, and red palette is haunting and the wooded wallpaper makes a dynamic backdrop.

Mirror mirror on the wall, which dessert is best of all?

Dessert Table: Valentine's Day DIYs & Downloads

This Anders Ruff Custom Design pink and red dessert table, which was featured on Hostess with the Mostess, is a cute overload. Becca Bond Photography had the enviable task of photographing each adorable shot. But even better than the Valentine's Day theme is the brilliant decor DIY idea that could translate to a lot of different themes. Paper plate poms.

That's right. Those gigantic, pink polyhedrons are made from standard paper plates! But, hold on, because the DIY goodness doesn't end there. Fabric flowers top candy dishes, paper heart toppers finish off cupcakes, and a heart garland adds a festive finish to the pink table cloth.

Want to make some of those paper plate poms yourself? Check out Anders Ruff's tutorial here. You can even download the labels and other paper goods at the Anders Ruff Etsy shop here.

Guest Desserts: Pink & Red Perfection

Today's fun pink and red Guest Desserts feature comes to us from Australia. Chelsea Arnold, a former journalist and editor, decided to change career tracks and pursue her creative passions. Eye Candy Events is a bespoke event planning service that specializes in couture candy and cake displays. I loved Chelsea's design immediately, but when she told me this was her very first dessert table I was amazed.

Chelsea made Tahitian lime cupcakes, cookies, and strawberry milk. She also included champagne, strawberry, and rose macarons, along with a couple of Australian favorites, white chocolate Tim Tam cookie pops and coconut ice.

Thank you for sharing your design, Chelsea. By choosing such a classic polka dot pattern, you've managed to create a stylish, yet timeless table.

Fellow Sweet Tooth readers, be sure to congratulate Chelsea on her very first dessert table.

Do you have a dessert table, recipe, DIY or giveaway to submit? Check out the Submissions page for all of the details.