Time for the Olympics in London

just made basic chocolate cupcakes...had to make sure i had my special union jack spatula in honor of the summer olympics being held in london, england.

used vanilla buttercream frosting and some fun patriotic sprinkles for the top. i was given a cupcake kit of olympic cupcake papers and picks in honor of the events taking in place in london, home of my family. 

even bought some union jack napkins to serve these delicious treats to my family and friends.

London Party!

planning this london themed get together was tough only because i had never seen it before, at least no prime examples here in the united states. i researched a lot!!! i looked at the jubilee party pictures being posted in england, i looked at 4th of july parties, i looked at parisian parties. it was tough to figure how i could make this look classic and not over done! so i did what i usually do when i can't find what i want...i make it!

i found a light blue table cloth at a local home goods shop. i ended up making a table runner from fabric i ordered from london. it looked very cath kidson, who is one of my favourite designs from there. i went to the flea market to find non-traditional mason jar for vases. in a previous post i mentioned i would post what i used them for....here they are. i used some as vases...tealight holders and photo holders. i bough two dozen red roses and a bunch of tiny roses called 'vivenne' roses for the middle. 

i printed out an iconic picture of queen elizabeth on her coronation day in 1952, it is one of my favorite photographs of the queen. the original is in color, however i changed it to black and white to fit my table layout. closing with the original zinc lid, i added a bow to add some color to the jar. 

i took of picture of some the items i was setting up. i was able to get some union jack napkins and plates at a store in downtown geneva. i had some one visiting london and had them pick up some harrod's london tea for me. using one of the mason jars i had spray painted pearl with a silver glitter lid rim, i created a paper straw holder. i found these great red and white straws, which looked fun in everyone's drinks. and no party is complete with out some mcvities biscuits, used for dipping in a cuppa tea!

i ended up making my own paper bunting. i found all sorts of red, navy and light blue paper. i even created my own paper triangles by shaded the page light blue and placing a picture of a young queen elizabeth on them. to give them a little something extra, i added a jewel to her crown. i placed the bunting around the counter where the food was going to be served, which lucky enough was cream with navy trim so everything matched perfectly. 

to greet everyone, i had a 'solar queen'. it is a little figure of the queen, whose purse is a solar panel. when she is placed in the sun, she waves. 

London Treat Bags!

to go along with the london tote bags i made, i decided to fill them  with some english goodies. i found these jubilee take out boxes, which i filled with union jack english rock candy. i also found small take out boxes with a large union jack on them...i ended up putting tiny bracelet's in those. 

i went to my local hot spots for these brands of english chocolate candy. i usually prefer english candy to american brand candy. english chocolate is creamier and smoother. using a clear cello bag and some keep calm and carry on ribbon, i added these fun treats to the totes. 

i stopped by world market and found these cute glass tumblers, with black and white images of london on them with a bright red telephone box. i wrapped up the glasses in large sheets of blue and white gingham wax paper, added some red shreds and a bright royal blue ribbon to finish it off. 

London Calling!

time to break out the ol' sewing machine. for a girl's weekend, i decided to make my friends each a tote bag. with the theme of the party already decided as a celebration of london, i went on a search for london/england themed fabric. i ended up finding four different designs from a company just outside of london , one of which i used for a table runner which i will post soon. i found three designs that worked perfectly for making the bag. i didn't use a bought pattern. i looked at other tote bags i had and began to plan and design. 

i was able to make two tote bags per yard. the final cutting measurements were 22 inches across and 19 inches tall. the straps, depending on the length you prefer, were two yards long, each.  it took on average three days to complete each. since i am a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to creating and designing stuff, i was measuring all the time... making sure not to have a crooked seam, a slanted side, odd pattern placement. i also always had an iron on hand to make sure everything was nice and smooth and that the seams turned out nicely, especially when i did the straps, which were the most difficult part to accomplish.  i did add a liner for each bag, to add protection the patterned fabric itself and to add some stability to the bag. 

the final products came out perfectly. i still have yet to make myself one. the girls loved them. i added these craft tags to the bags, so when i handed them out, i knew who got what bag. they are 100% cotton so easily washed on the gently cycle. i was very happy with this project, considering it was the first time i had a used a sewing machine since middle school home econ class. 

Mason Jars 'n Lights

my next project was in the hopes to create a fun and inexpensive centerpiece for an upcoming event.  i had seen all these neat parties and wedding table settings using mason jars. i decided to jump on the band wagon and try it out myself. the first thing i did was head to our local flea market. it's only once a month but it's fantastic! i found these six jars. the light blues ones are the toughest to find, they were produced before 1937. it is even more difficult to find the zinc lids. i was able to bargain and get the two large one for $2.00 a piece. some vendors had them at around $20-$25.00. 

after washing each jar out, i had went down to my local craft store and bought some pearlizing spray paint and silver glitter spray paint. i also bough an inexpensive jar to test the paints. using the paints outside, i did three types of spray tests. i did one where i painted layer upon layer of pearl paint to create an opaque finish. i did another where i did around two layers and the last i did about 5 layers of glitter spray paint. the pearl paint was easier to use and dried a lot quicker....the glitter paint took a while to dry and liked to drip all over the place. i even decided to spray the metal rims of the lids, again the pearl was easier to work with over the glitter. 

i had originally planned to just use the jars as vases for flowers, but i found some flame less tea lights and decided to use a few of those. they turned out fabulously. i've decided to mix the jars as vases, tea light holders and photo holders. i'll post some pictures after the event to show you guys the final outcome of my centerpiece. i will not be painting the older jars, in particular the blue ones. they are too pretty without it and since they are so rare, i'm going to preserve them in their original condition. i did find one mason jar from canada from 1959, which was gorgeous. i will not be painting this one either. i'll post more pictures as my days of planning progress.

Fun in the Sun- Flip Flop Invitations

for this project, i was hired to create an invitation that would include mailing the invitation in /on a pair of flip flops. it was for a double birthday party for two little girls turning 8! i had three different size flip flops, in four different designs. instead of just attaching a square card to the flops...i ended up drawing the foot myself and the toenails. using my design program, i colored the nail polish and foot to match the colors of the flip flops. after cutting out each invitation, i punched a hole between the toes and wrapped it around the thong portion of the flip flop. i tied the flip flops together with two different colors of grosgrain ribbon. i bagged them up by size and sent them on their way to be packaged and shipped. the whole project took about 4 days. the flip flops were order in bulk, about 75 pairs. each guest ended up with a pair of flip flops to bring to the pool party and an extra little favor before they arrived. 

High Heels and Wine!

as a gift for my friend, who had a birthday...an acceptance into flight controller school and who always hosts wonderful little get togethers...I decided to get here a little something that would represent the fabulousness that she encompasses. i found this extra large high heel shoe which was a wine bottle holder. it was a sparkly, red stiletto peep toe...is there anything better?! i then found a fun summer wine, with bottle colors that matched the heel. i held it all together with a large white satin bow.