{Real Parties} A Day in the Country

Hello friends! I am still alive and well in case you were wondering! It's mind boggling to me how busy I have been with client parties and end of the year activities with my boys. I promise to be back blogging in full force VERY soon.

This past weekend, my family hosted a Day in the Country party at our farm in Bellville, Texas. We had such a wonderful time hanging out with new country friends and friends who traveled to the event from Houston. Of course I had to add special touches here and there and Kelly from The Party Dress and WH Hostess was there to help. Kelly designed the cutest sunflower invitation with a fresh twist!

Simple tables adorned with white tablecloths and sunflower arrangements with accents of green were placed on top of custom fabric by Spoonflower (via WH Hostess) that was made to match the invitation design!

For dessert, we served various pies. This fit perfectly with our theme! I asked Kelly to design pie flags to place in each pie to let guests know which was which. The pie buffet included pecan pie from Goode Co. BBQ, Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie and Buttermilk from Royer's and Apple Pie from the Houston Racquet Club. The table was definitely a crowd pleaser!

Whole Foods (Woodway location) in Houston created gorgeous centerpieces for the tables!

As our friends departed, we handed out custom sunflower cookies made by Michael's Cookie Jar complete with a favor tag designed by Kelly that said, "Thanks for Spending the Day at Bellwood Farm".

I hope you enjoyed these pictures from our casual get together in the country! Hopefully these pictures will inspire you to host an outdoor summer party and take a flower, in this case, a sunflower, and give it a fresh twist.

Sources

Invitations & coordinating paper goods - WH Hostess

Flowers - Whole Foods, Woodway location. Ask for Gail!

White vases - Ikea

Cookies - Michael's Cookie Jar

Tablecloths - Aztec Houston

{Tutorials} Ruffle Fondant Flowers

I first discovered Call Me Cupcake from Kelly of The Party Dress and have been smitten ever since. I am in awe of the sites photography and the blogs gorgeous styling and display of sweets.

Believe it or not, thees ruffle fondant flowers do not seem too hard to make. I am always looking for ways to dress up a store bought cake and this would be a perfect feminine touch! Here are the simple DIY instructions from Call Me Cupcake.

Step One:

Knead and color the fondant

Step Two:

Roll out with a rolling pin.

Step Three:

Use a round cutter of any size.

Step Four:

Frill the edges using the back of a brush. Gently roll it back and forth to create the frill effect.

Step Five:

Scrunch the piece of fondant together from the middle to form a flower.

See, not too difficult?! I can't wait to give these a try someday soon!

{Party Inspiration} A Chic Red, White & Blue Fete

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend with family and friends!

Although this red, white and blue weekend has come to an end, another patriotic holiday is right around the corner. Here is some GORGEOUS party inspiration from Style Me Pretty complete with a Float & Milkshake bar!

I hope you were inspired by this beautiful setting. I think my favorite style element might be the wine bottle wrapped in blue and white twine! Visit Style Me Pretty to see more photos from this breathtaking photo shoot.

{DIY) Bee Hive Pinata

This DIY bee hive pinata from Country Living will be all the buzz at your next summer get together! For those who love crafting, this is the perfect inexpensive project that will make a buzz worthy statement!

{DIY} Pie in a Jar

{image via Paiges of Style}

Lately, I have had an obsession with pies in a jar! I haven't made them yet, but I plan to and just placed an order for these tiny mason jars. The recipes seems easy, just maybe a little time consuming. But so worth it in the end! Take a look at the following DIY Pie in a Jar recipes from some fabulous blogs...

Our Best Bites provides a full tutorial complete with step by step instructions, pictures and a scrumptious basic recipe for any fruit filling.

Green Wedding Shoes shares beautiful photography and a styling idea for the cute pies. They also provide step by step instructions and an easier recipe using store bought pie filling.

Paiges of Style is a favorite blog of mine and I always enjoy her tutorials! Paige shows how easy it is to make pies in a jar and I love the way she packaged the favor!

I'm really looking forward to trying these little goodies out!