{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!

{Real Parties} A Singing Party to Celebrate a First Birthday

My good friend, Kristen White of Frills Consulting, styled an adorable Sing-a-Long Party for a little boy who recently turned one. Kristen was inspired by my son's sing-a-long party last year and Kovidh's mommy thought it was fitting for the birthday boy since he loves his music class and their last name is "Singh"!

Stacy Gray Music was hired to entertain the children in songs. She brought small handmade instruments made of white mailing tubes which were filled with dry beans and rice. For the first half of the party, the children decorated their instruments and then they gathered around and sand with Stacy using their new instruments.

Kristen is extremely talented and crafty and made the invitation, paper goods and party hat!

The menu was prepared by Pink Avocado and was perfect for both adults and kids. The group feasted on tomato bisque shooters with grilled cheese squares, french fries with parmesan truffle oil, spinach and feta spanokopita, veggie cups, chicken fingers, mini ham and cheese sandwiches and mini mac n' cheese balls. They chose to serve cake balls instead of the traditional cake to give guests a variety of flavor options. I love that idea!

The music note cookies were the perfect favor as well as the personalized chalkboards that Kristen created!

The birthday boy, Kovidh, looking as happy as ever!

Thank you Kristen for sharing this perfectly planned party with us!

Sources

Photography - Cat Hornberger of Peacock Photography

Children's Entertainment - Stacy Gray Music

Catering - Pink Avocado

Invitations, party hats & paper goods - Frills

Chalk Mats - Kathryn Saeger

Smash Cake - Hill Country Cakes

Cake Balls - Austin Cake Ball

How to Cut & Create an Arrangement Using Hydrangeas

{image via Nancy Lui Chin}

I think it is safe to say that hydrangeas are a favorite of many. This beautiful flower can often be found year round from a florist, but they typically bloom from late spring to summer...so right now! And I bet that many of you mommies will receive some of these beauties this weekend for Mother's Day!

In the current issue of Southern Living magazine, there is a small article on how to cut and create a stunning arrangement at home. Here is the step-by-step guide as told by Southern Living...

Choose

Look for flowers that have fully opened and feel slightly papery to the touch. They will last longer when cut. Use one bloom color or mix varying shades.

Clip

This pertains to the lucky ons who have hydrangea bushes at home! But if you buy the flowers from a florist, the same technique applies.

Snip stems early in the morning. Cut at an angle, above a leaf bud. Place your stems in a bucket of cool water immediately after cutting.

Condition

Heat a pot of water until almost boiling; remove from heat and wait five minutes. Dip stem emds in hot water for 30 seconds before arranging in cool water.

Create

Show off your display with a rounded container to echo the shape of the blooms. Use moist floral foam to keep the stems in place if needed.

Four Sweet and Unique Party Themes for Your Little Ones

I just love all of the parties that are popping up that are based on a favorite saying or song. Here are four of my favorites lately...

Cute as a Button

Lili of Swanky::Chic::Fete recently showed the most adorable Cute as a Button birthday party in a gray and pink color scheme. We all know I am a fan of gray, so I was smitten with this party from the beginning. This is a perfect theme for a first birthday or baby shower! Joy of Cobblestone Rue did a wonderful job with this sweet party.

Sweet as Pie

This is another favorite theme of mine and the versatile theme can be used for little boys or girls as well as a baby shower. Courtney of Pizzazerie delighted us all when she recently debuted this precious first birthday on her site.

You are My Sunshine

Who doesn't love the old song, "You are My Sunshine"?! I have sung this sweet song to my boys ever since they arrived. Using a song as your theme is a unique idea and this is one of the best songs for a child's birthday. This chic party was shown on Hostess with the Mostess and was styled by Aimee of Lulu Pink Parties.

Let's Have a Ball

Do you remember the Let's Have a Ball party in the Martha Stewart Kids Magazine years ago?? I have saved several copies of that treasured magazine and I have always loved the sports party the Martha Stewart team dreamed up.

Recently, two amazing party stylists have used similar themes and transformed party spaces into amazing settings which were shown on Hostess with the Mostess. Amy Nichols of Amy Nichols Special Events designed a colorful Bouncy Ball party for a friend's son and Jessica Kirkland of Pen n' Paper Flowers styled the most creative Classic Red Ball party for her daughter.

I have just shown you a snippet of these adorable parties. Be sure to click on each party link to see the full details!

{Trends} Succulents

{image via 100 Layer Cake}

I have always loved the look of succulents, but even more so now after seeing them used in numerous gorgeous ways. Have you noticed them popping up everywhere these days? They seem to be very popular in wedding decor at the moment, but you could easily use the trendy bulb for your parties at home. Set on on a napkin at each place setting or even nicely wrap one in a small pot. This can serve as a place card and favor. Many beautiful examples here...

{image via 100 Layer Cake}

{image via Style Me Pretty}

{image via Style Me Pretty}

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{image via Project Wedding}

{image via Project Wedding}

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* I misplaced my notes with a few of the above sources. Please let me know if you know where they are from so that I can properly credit *