{One week to... design a dessert table} Day 3: Gather partyware and china

Now that your theme and colour scheme have been defined, you probably have a clear idea in your head of how you would like the table to look.

So the next thing to do (before you go buy anything at all !) is to search your house for items that would fit in well.


Tablecloth
For this particular table, I decided to have a linen tablecloth. I own a fine, crispy white, linen tablecloth but this really isn’t the look I want. I need some natural looking linen to carry on the rustic feel of the wooden backdrop.
So instead of a tablecloth I settled for this vintage bed sheet.

I inherited it from a relative and because it is still new after all those year (it was never used), it has kept its original colour (old linen sheets became whiter after many washes). Perfect !


Tableware
Now you need to decide on the table or sideboard you will be using to display your desserts. If you plan to have your dessert table outside, then find a table of a similar size inside.
Gather all the china and glassware you plan on using and dress the table for a rehearsal !

For me this is an essential part of the design process. I never have a clear enough vision of the table to skip this step. This helps me to find the exact display I want and makes it easier to decide on treats and desserts. It will also highlight if I need to buy anything (new pedestal, plate, decoration...)
I actually usually leave the display on for several days, and every day I rearrange the dishes. In most cases it takes me a few days to get it right.

I also take pictures of the different display options. Somehow seeing it in a picture on my computer screen makes it easier for me to realise how the overall feel/look can be improved.

Now time to fill those containers! Come back tomorrow to discover which treats I will be serving.

Did you miss some posts from this series?

Day 1: Start of the design process - Choosing a theme and a colour scheme

Day 2: Tutorial - How to make a wood log pile backdrop

Day 3: Partyware and china

Day 4: Baking and recipes

Day 5: I was still Baking!

Day 6: Finishing touches and DIY labels

Day 7: Table reveal

{One week to... design a dessert table} Day 2: Create a log pile backdrop

This really is the inspiration for this dessert table. I have wanted to create such a backdrop for quite some time and I am so pleased I did it because the result is simply stunning.

I wanted it to look like a log pile, but to have a modern stylish look at the same time. It turned out just as I wanted (which believe me is not often the case when I try something out!).

TUTORIAL

You need:
Logs
Hand Saw
Wood board
Paint
Glue gun

1 -Cut the logs into slices. This is the VERY time consuming part of this craft since it has to be done by hand.
I did try and get a somebody at our local wood yard to slice them with a machine for me but they said they risked damaging the blade if there was a knot in the log so they refused... If anybody has a quicker way to slice logs then please share !!!
I used logs in a variety of sizes and I cut slices of a different thickness, I wanted it to look as natural as possible.

2- Cut a wooden board to size. In my case it is the width of the table I will be using and about half a metre high.
Paint in a colour of your choice (I went for a dark brown), it will show in between the wood slices.

3- Place the slices on the board and move them around until you are pleased with the arrangement. Then simply lift them one at a time, place a little bit of hot glue at the back and return them to the same location.

Did you miss the other posts from this series?

Day 1: Start of the design process - Choosing a theme and a colour scheme

Day 2: Tutorial - How to make a wood log pile backdrop

Day 3: Partyware and china

Day 4: Baking and recipes

Day 5: I was still Baking!

Day 6: Finishing touches and DIY labels

Day 7: Table reveal

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One week to... design a dessert table

This year I decided it was high time I designed a table for my husband’s Birthday.
I have been decorating cakes for three years now (and of course he gets to taste all my trials and errors) but I never really made HIM a cake. So to make up for all the birthday cakes he didn’t get ;-) I will design a dessert table just for him!!! 


What with April being a busy month (with Easter and our son’s birthday) and our friends not being available on selected dates, we decided to move the party to May or June.
Well this is the end of May already and the weather is finally getting better so we have plans for an outdoor party.


For the next few days, I will share with you how I design his table, a step by step guide to how I do things and what works for me.
Whether my inspiration is the theme itself (like a sport/hobby for grown-ups or a character for children), a colour scheme or the location of the party, the process I go through is always the same. 


I intend on having the party this coming week end (which conveniently is a 4 day Bank Holiday week end here in the UK) so we’d better get started !!! 


Day 1: Choose a Theme and a Colour scheme


Of course the first thing to do when designing a table is to think about your “customer”. The design will have to reflect their personality and the dessert selection should include treats that are special to them. I suppose the occasion will also dictate some of the design elements, in my case it does not have to be too formal but I still want it to be elegant. 


I have decided that the starting point for this design was going to be a wooden backdrop (I will post pictures and a tutorial tomorrow). It should give the table a natural, nearly rustic, look.
For the table cloth, I will be using linen because I love the texture and I think it will complement the wood well. 


Now for colours. The natural palette I have chosen is white, beige and brown. I need the white for the china and the brown so we can have some chocolate treats !! (my husband is nearly as much a chocoholic as I am).
And there will be soft green accents so I can bring in some of his favourite pistachio treats. 


Once your theme and colour scheme is set up, remember to stick with it ! I get so easily distracted that I have to come back to the basics all the time!
A mood board really helps and I usually use pinterest for gathering my inspiration.   



See you tomorrow for the next task and a tutorial: how to create a log pile backdrop.

Did you miss some posts from this series?

Day 1: Start of the design process - Choosing a theme and a colour scheme

Day 2: Tutorial - How to make a wood log pile backdrop

Day 3: Partyware and china

Day 4: Baking and recipes

Day 5: I was still Baking!

Day 6: Finishing touches and DIY labels

Day 7: Table reveal

{Recipe} Caramel Mud cupcakes

I made these for the first time last week and they did not disappoint!
This recipe is from one of my favourite cupcake recipe book: The Australian Women's Weekly Cupcake and Fairycakes (read the review here).

Ingredients
125g butter, chopped coarsely
100g white eating chocolate, chopped coarsely
2/3 cup (150g) firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup (90g) golden syrup
2/3 cup (160ml) milk
1 cup (150g) plain four
1/3 cup (50g) self-raising flour
1 egg

Directions
1- Preheat oven to 170 degree C (150 degree C for fan-forced). Line a standard 12 hole cupcake pan with paper cases.
2- Combine butter, chocolate, sugar, syrup and milk in small saucepan; stir over low heat, until smooth. Transfer mixture to medium bowl and let cool for 15 minutes.
3- Whisk sifted flours into chocolate mixture, then egg. Divide mixture among cases.
4- Bake for about 30 minutes. Turn cakes onto wire rack to cool.

Learn how to make the Union Jack fondant topper here.
Click here for more pictures of my Jubilee Cupcakes

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{Cupcakes} Jubilee Cupcakes

This is my take on the Jubilee. Red and Blue are not colours I usually work with so I enjoyed experimenting and I am quite pleased with the results.
I wanted to inspire you and demonstrate that you can achieve stunning results by adding a few simple decorations to your cupcakes.

They are caramel mud cupcakes (very yummy I should say!) with vanilla cream cheese frosting.

So here we go, 4 ways to decorate your cupcakes for the Jubilee celebrations or a street party:

- Pipe a little icing on top of a cupcake and gently press a Union Jack fondant cupcake topper on.

- Add red and blue cutout flowers (I used small blossom cutters).  Wet the centre with water using a small brush and "glue" red/blue/white hundreds and thousand on the flowers.

- Create multi-coloured icing by painting blue and red lines of paste food colouring in your piping bag before filling with frosting. Pipe icing and add a little fondant heart dipped in red sprinkle.

- Simply pipe a swirl of frosting, sprinkle red/white/blue hundreds and thousands and add a mini paper bunting held by two wooden skewers.
To hold bunting, carefully split one end of the skewer using a knife and insert twine:

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{Cupcakes} Union Jack fondant cupcake topper TUTORIAL

Whether you are planning a street party or getting ready to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee, these Union Jack fondant cupcake toppers will be sure to bring sparkle to your event !

Make sure to come back on friday as I will be revealing a complete set of Jubilee cupcakes and ideas on how to decorate them.


TUTORIAL

You will need:
White sugarpaste/fondant
Red and Navy paste food colouring
Red glitter
A rolling pin
Some icing sugar to dust your worktop and prevent sticking
A knife
A small brush

Click here to learn how to make the bi-colour fondant for the stripes
I did tell you that the tutorial for bi-colour fondant I posted last week was going to come in handy !

How-to:

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{Craft} How to make pinwheels

Pinwheels seem to be the perfect party decoration. They are easy to make yourself and the children enjoy playing with them, so they can double up as party favors.
Plus they look stunning on dessert tables as they spin in the wind.
All in all, the perfect street party decoration !

Here is how to make your own paper Pinwheels:

Take a square of paper. You will get the best visual effect with papers that have a different patterns on each side.
Trace diagonals and cut along the 4 lines leaving about 1/4 uncut near the centre.
Bring every other end to the centre making sure they overlap each other. Pin.
Add a bead at the back of the pinwheel. This is essential if you want the pinwheel to be able to spin.
Pin to a dowel (you can use a wooden dowel or a long cookie pop stick).
Secure with few drops of super glue to hold the pin at the back of the dowel. Leave to dry.
Carefully clip excess pin (hold the part you are clipping off).

I have never been able to easily pin on a dowel. Even the paper cookie pop sticks are really hard. So I first put a fine nail in with a hammer in order to create a hole.
If using a wooden dowel, soak the end in a glass of water first to soften the wood and prevent it from splitting when putting the nail in.


I have been meaning to post this tutorial for 2 years now! Ever since I first used pinwheels for Noemie's Pirate Birthday party:

How much she has grown....

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{Craft} How to make mini paper Bunting

What you need:
Carstock or paper in different colours and patterns
Pencil
Ruler
Scissors
Glue Stick

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{Party ideas} Partyware for a British Street Party

Are you getting ready for a Street Party or a Jubilee Celebration ??? Well then, today I am sharing some of my favourite "Best of British" party supplies.

Jubilee Partyware

1. Street Party Flags, 2. Street Party Jam kit, 3. Jubilee Baking cups, 4. Street Party cases and toppers, 5. Jubilee Cupcake kit, 6. Jubilee Doilies, 7. Jubilee Cupcake toppers, 8. Red and white Bakers twine, 9. Street Party paper cases

Union Jack Partyware

1. Ice cream cups and wooden spoons, 2. Union Jack kraft bags, 3. Union Jack cupcake kit, 

4. Union Jack ribbon, 5. Union Jack wooden heart bunting 

Pipii is a fantastic shop for partyware in the UK, I use them a lot for paper straws and wooden dinnerware. They also stock gorgeous party decorations.
And Lakeland is my one stop shop for everything cooking/baking related. One of their branches is conveniently located 10 minutes down the road from us...! I go there a lot!

This is my own selection and not an advertisement. I am not receiving any compensation of any sort for featuring these shops. 

{Cake decorating} How to make patterned fondant

It is very easy to add a pattern to a piece of rolled fondant and here is how:

If you wanted to make a red and white stripe of fondant (do come back next week for an exciting project using these...), this is how you would do it:

This is the method I used to add a pattern on the blanket of the Pram Cake.
I started by adding the yellow stripes on white sugarpaste. I then added small pink blossoms.

{Ballerina Party} Ballerina yarn wreath

This week, I finally received the pink tulle I had ordered and so I was able to finish the welcoming wreath for the Ballerina party.
This is my first yarn wreath and I love it! The "covering the ring in yarn" part was a bit time consuming but I like the soft look that yarn provides so it was well worth it. The great thing about this wreath is the fact that it has a polystyrene core so I can simply pin any decoration I want on it!

You can find out how I made the felt flowers here.
The sparkling ballerina is a Christmas decoration I bought last december (it helps to decide on Birthday themes early !!!)

So how do you find it ? Do you think a yarn wreath is a good idea as a welcoming sign for a party ?
I can't wait to make more, I think I might try one for Halloween this year.

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