{Girls Cocktail Night} Pimm's Night Shopping list

I would lie if I said I am not tempted to buy a million things and props for my Pimm's cocktail night. But truth is, for this one I am going to try and keep my budget under control. This is not a birthday or a big celebration, just a little girly gathering, so my personal challenge is going to be to try and stay resonable !

I have already got most of what I need from what I own, but I am going to add a few new items to get exactly the style I am after.

I noticed these adorable ceramic berry baskets ($14) from Anthropologie weeks ago and I finally have an excuse to buy one !!!

I found this little treasure for $1.50 in World Market last week !

And finally, these daisy mason jar lids are all the rage at the moment on party blogs and I could not resist adding some to my partyware collection !
I got them from Enchanted Frog Events on Etsy ($5).

And that's it !!! I am not buying anything else apart from a bottle of Pimm's !

{Girls Cocktail Night} Pimm's Night

Last week was really hot in the San Francisco bay and it got me longing for a Pimm's night ! Back in the UK, Pimm's is associated with summer, BBQs, Picnics and cricket matches !!! It's the laid back drink for lazy summer days. The cocktail is a mix of Pimm's and lemonade, with lots of berries, cucumber and mint leaves throw in.
I would always host a Pimm's night for my girlfriends in the UK (miss you girls) so I am keeping with this little tradition of mine and planning one for May.

I want the evening to have a bit of a British picnic feel, here is my inspiration board.

Photo Source:

Shabby Chic Flowers

Berry Trifles in a Jar

Pimm's Cocktail

Mason Jar Drinks

Buntings

Cath Kidston Basket

{Pin of the week} Artwork By Sweet Dimple

This week my favorite pin was this beautiful artwork from Sweet Dimple. I have already featured Sweet Dimple on the blog in this post last year, but I though this new design of theirs was worth a mention.
I totally adore their work, it is so creative. They often mix vintage papers and little buttons, so sweet !

I am in love with this personalised London name frame, so cute. Would definitely be perfect in my little boys room :)

{Fireman Party} Birthday Banner

Finally a picture of the birthday banner. I was very pleased with it !
I used the same paper than for the Fireman Party hats, a metallic grey scrapbook paper (from Michaels). I added a strip of Tissue Paper Fire at the bottom and used glitter for the letters. The glitter is from the Martha Stewart range and the colour was just perfect, it's called Fire Opal.

What do you think of my little hand cut trucks ? I think they turned out alright !


Link Parties

{Fireman Party} Printables from Mimi's Dollhouse

This is the first time I have used ready made printables, and let me tell you this: I loved it !!!
In the past, I always made my own printables and not only does it take a lot of time to create a whole range, it is usually the thing I leave for last and end up being very stressed about it !
So when Holly from Mimi's Dollhouse contacted me to offer her help, I could not refuse !!! Her Fireman range was just perfect for my party because her design revolves around a firetruck, which was exactly right for me since I designed the party around the firetruck cake.
The package is very complete with banners, signs, cupcake wrapper, labels and of course a lovely invitation.

After a short 2 day break to recover after the party, I am finally sorting all the pictures tonight and I am looking forward to sharing them with you !!

{Fireman Party} Birthday Banner Inspiration

Today I wanted to share with you where the inspiration for my Fireman Birthday Banner came from.

I pinned this cute little banner a while back (when I was still looking for airmail ideas...!) and I though it would be perfect for this fireman party if I was to use some tissue paper fire at the bottom instead of a plain color.
I would never have dared glitter for a boy party but I think it totally works !

Party from Crossing the Bugger-Dixon Line

Glittered Banner from the Purple Pug

While looking for inspiration on Etsy (my favourite place to look when I want some custom design ideas) I found this adorable banner from Celebration Paper and I immediately decided to have a truck at the end of my banner too.

I really liked the hand drawn look of this fire truck from Khoshtinat Designs but I could not find anything resembling it in the Silhouette library. So I ended up hand drawing a similar design myself and hand cutting it... 

{Fireman Party} About the fire engine cake...

So as you know, next week I will be attempting to make a fire truck cake (wish me luck !). The design (from Debbie Brown) is the same as the cake below which I made 3 years ago for a friend's son. At the time I was cake decorating on a regular basis and it still took me forever to complete the fire engine. Now that I have been out of practice for so long, I wonder how long it's going to take me !!!

So today I wanted to talk to you about cakes and dessert tables.
In my opinion, 3D cakes like the one above don't go well with dessert tables. Tables usually include loads of sweet treats, sometimes even lunch boxes or drinks, so I think such cakes get lost in the design... Shame since they take ages to make and are so beautiful.

This is the pirate table I did for my eldest daughter's 4th Birthday (my first ever dessert table!). Even though the display is pretty simple, I don't think my cake really stands out. Granted my picture isn't the best, but still, that cake is amazing on its own, it does not need other bits and pieces around it.
(Do you know it actually took me a whole day to decorate it ?)

However I think you'll agree more conventional decorated cakes (often round, tiered or not) look fantastic on dessert table. They usually tie the whole theme together and make the display fit for big celebrations such as weddings.

Love this styled shoot found here

So since I decided to make a 3D fire engine cake for the Fireman Birthday (or more accurately Romain decided, he loves that cake, bless him !) I figured I had to move away from the traditional set up of dessert tables.
This time the cake WILL be the centerpiece and the rest will have to create a decor to make it stand out, put it into context...
Let's hope I can achieve the vision I have. Clock is ticking so better get back to work ! ;-)

{Pin of the week} Tutti Frutti Shower

This week, my favourite picture was this beautiful shower styled by Kim of the Tomkat Studio for Vera Bradley. You can see all the pictures on Vera Bradley's blog Inside Stitch.
I love the colours and most of all I love the Paper Medallion with punched edges. Head over to the original post for the tutorial on how to make them ! They look so delicate and sophisticated.

{Fireman Party} Party Hats

I love how those little hats have turned out !
Two little birthday hats for two little friends born on the same day two years ago ! I am planning this celebration for both of them.

I was originally looking for a paper with pattern or some fireman related print but my local Michael's did not have any... So I went for this metal like paper and I am actually quite pleased with it ! It totally fits the theme and I have been able to use it for the banner too.

Making those hats was pretty straightforward.
I re-used the template from last year's birthday hat.
I hot glued a pom pom at the top and used glue strips to secure some tissue paper fire at the bottom (see yesterday's tutorial for the fire).
I then added a little paper rosette and a number two foam sticker at the front.

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{Craft} How to make tissue paper fire

I have decided to post this simple tutorial first since I am going to be using this "fire" on several items (banner, party hats).

This is really simple and of course can be adapted to any colour scheme.

You will need:

Red, orange and yellow tissue paper

Scissors

Stapler

How to:

Cut strips of tissue paper in all 3 colours. 

Fold strips in two lenght way.

Lay a red strip, then an orange strip and finally a yellow strip on top.

I like to put a couple of staples in the fold to hold them together. This is quicker than glue and does not stain.

Fold and cut all 3 layers to the same width so it looks neat.
Cut the fringes.

Ruffle so you get the "fire" effect and make sure the staples are hidden.

I'm on fire ! Party theme reveal

My little boy will be 2 on saturday and although I have been thinking about his birthday for a while (well, you know me !) I have just done something I have never done before: I changed theme at the last minute !!!!

I originally wanted to go for a vintage airplane/airmail theme and I had been collecting ideas for months. But I was never completely enthusiastic about this theme... I think I knew all along that if I was honest with myself, that theme was better suited for my taste, not his....
My little boy isn't that much into planes.
He is however into fire engines ! He loves that red truck !

I started this hobby of mine because I wanted to create memories for my children. I wanted them to grow up remembering that fabulous cake mummy did for them all those years ago. I wanted their eyes to sparkle when they discovered the house had been decorated for them...
But I suppose I was so hooked with creating beautiful, picture perfect parties that I forgot who I was really doing it for....

So I am back to basics for this party: it will be all about THE cake !!!

To test my theory, I opened one of Debbie Brown's cake decorating books and showed him the fire engine cake I was thinking of doing. His face lit up !!! I knew then that I was heading in the right direction.
He's since been looking at the book every single day, looking for the fire engine every time....

So a fire engine cake it is. And since I made this cake before, for a friend's son's birthday, I know decorating that cake is going to keep my busy the whole week before the birthday !!!

I'm now on fire because I have less than two weeks to pull this off !!! So get ready for loads of fireman party crafts because that's all you're gonna get for a while ! ;-)

{Craft} DIY Egg Cosy

I just think egg cosies are adorable and I have been wanting to make some for a very long time. My Easter table was the perfect occasion !
Because I like quick and easy projects, I made them out of felt. But of course, you can use any fabric you like.

Here is a quick how to:

Draw a paper template by hand (or find one on the internet and print).
Cut out 2 felt shapes.
Embellish the felt shapes. I used a cute floral bias tape to finish off the bottom and I hand stitched a little fabric heart to the front.
Place the two shapes front to front and stitch together.
Reverse to reveal your completed project.

{Pin of the week} Strawberry Birthday Party

I am completely in love with this Sweet Strawberry Party featured this week at the TomKat Studio.
For me this just screams cute ! Love the doily banner, the strawberry treats and the berry baskets !
Have a great week end.

{Party} Easter 2013 Treat Table

We had a gorgeous Easter week end here in California. After 10 years in England it certainly is quite a change for our family to set up the Easter table outside !!!

Here are the treats we enjoyed last sunday !

Egg Box Cupcake Holder

Lemon Posset

Egg Cosy

Easter Baner

Easter Animal Jars

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{Recipe} Lemon Posset

This has got to be the easiest and quickest recipe in the history of baking !!! Only 3 ingredients and 1 saucepan to wash... unbeatable !
I really enjoy the tangy taste of lemon posset at the end of a meal. And it is such a traditional British dessert, I thought it would be perfect for Easter.

Lemon Posset Recipe
from Delicious Magazine December 2010

Makes 4

300ml double cream
75g caster sugar
Juice of 1-2 lemons

Pour the cream into a small saucepan and add the sugar. Slowly bring to the boil, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar.
Once boiling, let the cream bubble for 3 minutes, stirring all the time.
Remove the pan from the heat and pour in the juice of 1 lemon, stirring the mixture thoroughly. It should start to thicken instantly.
Taste, then add a little more lemon juice if it's not tart enough. It should be sweet, tangy and creamy.
Cool for 5 minutes, then pour into glasses.
Cover with cling film and chill overnight.