Hello Pink Hydrangea Cupcakes

for a ladies get together, i made pink hydrangea buttercream and chocolate cupcakes. there are many shades of pink when it comes to hydrangeas, so i did a few different shades. i also added hints of green for buds.  the cupcakes matched the green and pink hydrangea plates and napkins that were being used for this event. they were arranged on a tiered cupcake holder. 

Victoria Secret Pink Cake

to go with the victoria secret pink theme of the party, i made a cake to match. i made three layers of chocolate english sponge cake with vanilla buttercream frosting. i then made the neon fondant polka dots to cover the cake, added the zebra pattern ribbon around the bottom to finish it off. not covering the cake in fondant made it a bit easier for those, who don't like it, to remove it and just have the cake and frosting. 

Victoria Secret Pink Party

this party was for a 14 year old girl who loves victoria secret PINK collection, particularly the colours. so after a very productive trip to the shop, i took some notes and began to plan. this was the final product. i had a wide range of colors to work with particularly bright pink, orange, teal, bright yellow and lime green with hints of zebra print. i had some treats available. the birthday girl had braces, so i made sure not to get any candy she couldn't eat.  and instead of hanging a happy birthday sign, i made a cute panty line instead. 

Hello Hydrangea Cupcake Bouquet!

for this gift, i decided to make a cupcake bouquet. the bouquet holds 8-9 cupcakes per flower pot.  for this project, i decided to make chocolate cupcakes in aluminum cupcake holder. 

i chose vanilla buttercream frosting and chose blue and violet hydrangeas. there are other colors for hydrangeas such as apple green and bright bubble gum pink. 

....and volia! my hands ended up a bit blue and purple and i had frosting in my hair...but this was the final product. for this project, i filled in the open spaces with fakes leaves, i can also use colored tissue or paper shreds. i topped it off with a dark blue and light purple bow, safely tucked around the pot. the birthday girl loved it and at first, thought they were real flowers! i would definitely do this again, it got such a great reaction and they tasted delicious! 

Perfectly Plum

as part of birthday gifts, i like to make my own cards. in this case, i came across some pretty floral and shimmer plum/aubergine coloured paper. when i make my own cards, i use a lot of double-sided permanent tape! with this particular card, i used two sheets of 12 x 12 paper and two sheets of 8.5x11 paper. i found some pretty glitter ribbon , that wasn't too messy to work with and the double-sided tape stuck well to it. i always like to line my envelopes. i invested in a envelope liner kit from paper source and it has been the best 13 dollars i have ever spent. i use the templates all the time for card making and designing my own invitations. i try to make my cards fit the personality of the person receiving it. in this case, the birthday girl loves periwinkles and purples...so i picked a very modern floral print, remembering last year i stayed very classic and clean with my design...so this year, i decided to be BOLD!

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.