I know this color has been done, but as you can see I still love it. Tiffany blue is very calming and definately adds a classy, modern feel. Accent with contrasting colors like red, orange, lavender and green florals and let you fun side shine.
Apr 30, 2009
Apr 29, 2009
Etsy Favorites {jp style}
Apr 27, 2009
DIY favors {coasters}
Apr 24, 2009
Creative Custom Cardboxes {vendor sweet talk}
Apr 23, 2009
Olio Designs {etsy favorite}
Apr 22, 2009
Paloma's Nest {etsy favorite}
Apr 21, 2009
{a little inspiration} green and brown
I love this combo for spring and summer. The simple brown bags could be filled with anything from a cookies to nuts...love the simple monogrammed seal, which you can find at my wedding labels {link to the right}. The glass hurricanes would make such a cute candy buffet filled with chocolates and natural looking candies in shades of white, cream and green. We are planning my sisters baby shower next month and I am going to have to e-mail this to mom right now. She is having a boy and we are using natural tones with brown and blue. Too cute, I think I will put cute labels on the bags, but not seal them shut and use them for the candy buffet. Love it!
Cupcake Mix Favors
Apr 20, 2009
DIY favors {candy boxes}
- boxes {3 1/4 X 3 1/4 X 1 1/8} http://www.papermart.com/
- sugar
- brown sugar
- bulk salt water taffy {we bought ours at Henry's, but any salt water taffy will do}
- starfish cookie cutter {we used regular star cookie cutter and tweaked it. size - about 2"}
- sugar cookies {recipe attached}
- rolling pin
- marshmallow fondant {easy to make recipe attached}
- royal icing {recipe attached}
- small round decorating tip and bag {available at Michael's}
- mini cupcake liners {available at Michael's}
- bag of raffia or other natural looking material {non toxic}
- ribbon {available at Michael's}
First prepare cookies and marshmallow fondant as described below. They really aren't too difficult. As soon as you have finished baking your cookies and making your marshmallow fondant {recipes are below} you are ready to move on to step 1.
- On a board sprinkled with cornstarch roll out fondant to about 1/8 inch thick, turning and coating with fondant to avoid sticking. It works best to roll out a small amount at a time to avoid the fondant getting to stiff. Before cutting slide the rolled out fondant around on the board to make sure it is not sticking, cut the starfish with the same cutter you used for the cookies. Cut a few at a time, with your finger or small {clean} paint brush, brush a small amount of water on cookie and immediately place the fondant stafish over cookie and lightly smooth into place. Repeat for all cookies.
- Prepare frosting according to recipe. Place a small round tip into decorating bag and fill about half way with frosting. Cover the remaining frosting with a damp towel to avoid drying out. If you are not familiar with using a decorating bag practing making dots a few times on another surface before you begin decorating your cookies. Dot starfish with frosting. Let set for several hours to make sure fondant and frosting are set.
- To make the sugar sand, combine half sugar and half brown sugar to make enough sugar sand to cover the bottom of your box bottoms. Arrange the mini cupcake liners in one corner of box bottom and flatten slightly. Top with a small amount of raffia for a natural look. Place cookie over raffia and place the taffy around cookie to fill box. Place lid on box and tie with ribbon. Add a custom hang tag if desired. Impress your guests when you tell them you made them yourself. Please email me with any questions.
Cookie Recipe:
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 cup butter
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
In a large mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Slowly add flour and mix well. Chill dough for 3 to 4 hours. Before rolling out, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out on lightly floured surface and cut with cookie cutter. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until barely colored. Decorate as desired.
Marshmallow Fondant Recipe:
- 16 oz bag of white mini marshmallows
- 3 tablespoons of water
- 2 pounds powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup Crisco shortening
In microwave safe bowl combine marshmallows and water. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Remove bowl from microwave and stir, return to microwave for an additional 30 seconds. Repeat until mixture is melted and smooth. It usually takes about 2 minutes. Add 1/2 of powdered sugar to marshmallow and mix. Pour remaining powdered sugar onto board and pour marshmallow mixture over powdered sugar. Coat your hands in crisco shortening {I mean seriously}. Knead powdered sugar into marshmallow as you would bread dough until it is smooth and elastic. The mixture will be very sticky at first and if you have small children at home they will want to help. To store fondant, place in ziploc bag and squeeze out all the air and refridgerate. You can make fondant up to two weeks in advance.
Royal Icing Recipe:
- 3 tablespoons meringue powder {Wilton makes a great one available at Michael's}
- 1 lb powdered sugar
- 6-8 tablespoons water
Beat all ingredients until icing forms peaks {about 8-10 minutes on medium speed}. I would start with 6 tablespoons of water and add more if too stiff for piping, keeping in mind you have to push it through that tiny hole. You may want to add a little frosting to the bag and experiment with consistency before filling the entire bag. You want the frosting to be soft enough to pipe easily, but it must hold its shape.
Apr 17, 2009
a little inspiration {hello spring}
Spring is such a cheerful time. I can almost hear the birds chirping. Actually I can hear birds chirping, but the dogs barking kind of ruin it.
DIY Favors - cookies, Yum!
DIY favors - paper cups for cookies
DIY favors - favor boxes
Apr 16, 2009
a little inspiration {black & white, cream & ecru}
I love this color combo!
DIY favors - caramel filled boxes
- 1 cup butter
- 2 1/4 cups brown sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1 {14 oz} can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a heavy 4 quart saucepan melt butter over medium heat; add brown sugar, corn syrup and milk. Stirring constantly, heat to 242 to 248 degrees F, or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a firm but pliable ball. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Pour into prepared pan.
When caramel has cooled and set, cut into 1 inch squares. Chill in refrigerator until firm. Individually wrap caramels in wax paper.
Apr 14, 2009
DIY favors - s'mores kits
- graham cracker squares - 2 for each favor {homemade - see recipe to follow, or from a specialty store, something other than the usual grocery store variety}
- marshmallows - {see recipe to follow, or if you don't want to make them yourself find good ones, try your local bakery or specialty food store - Whole Foods, Henry's you get the idea}
- Ghiradelli Milk Chocolate Squares - or other chocolate of your choice. I prefer the individually wrapped bags of Ghiradelli chocolates at Target.
- gusseted cellophane bags - I use 3 1/2 X 2 1/4 X 7 3/4" any approximate size will do. You can buy at any local craft store.
- ribbon - you can buy at any local craft store or order custom printed ribbon from one of our favorites Print My Ribbon {see link to the right}
- custom hang tags - from My Wedding Labels {see link to the right}
Graham Cracker Recipe:
- 4 cups graham flour
- 1 cup butter
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 egg slightly beaten
- 1/2 cup hot water, approximately
- white flour for rolling out
Marshmallow Recipe:
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar for dusting
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- 1 1/4 cups water, divided
- 4 tablespoons unflavored gelatin
- 2 egg whites
- 1 teasponn vanilla extract
In small saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together white sugar, corn syrup and 3/4 cup water. Heat to 250 to 265 degrees F, or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a rigid ball.
While syrup is heating, place remaining water in a metal bowl and sprinkle gelatin over the surface. Place bowl over simmering water until gelatin has dissolved completely. Keep in a warm place until syrup has come to temperature. Remove syrup from heat and whisk gelatin mixture into hot syrup. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whip egg whites to soft peaks. Continue to beat, pouring syrup mixture into egg whites in a thin stream, until the egg whites are very stiff. Stir in vanilla. Spread evenly in prepared pan and let rest 8 hours or overnight before cutting into 3 inch squares.
Apr 13, 2009
DIY favors - gourmet caramel corn
- Caramel Corn (See recipe)
- 4 X 4 Clear View Boxes {http://www.papermart.com/}
- Large Muffin Cups {http://www.fancyflours.com/}
- Ribbon {http://www.papermart.com/}
- Personalized Labels {http://www.myownlabels.com//}
Order your custom labels at least two weeks in advance. Make or buy caramel corn {see recipe to follow}. Set up your boxes and place large muffin cup in the bottom. Fill with caramel corn, close up boxes and wrap with ribbon {beginning and ending on bottom of box}. Affix custom label to front of box.
Caramel Corn Recipe
- 1 1/2 cups unpopped pop corn
- 2 cubes butter
- 1 pound brown sugar {2 1/4 cups}
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
Pop 1 1/2 cups popping corn and pour into large mixing bowl. In medium sauce pan bring butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt to boil and boil to 260 degrees {hard ball stage}, remove from heat and stir in 1 tsp baking soda. Pour over popped pop corn and mix well. Spoon into shallow baking pans and bake at 200 degrees for 1 hour. Will fill approximately 12-15 boxes.