Glenview Mansion Bridal Show

Yesterday, I was excited to participate in the Glenview Mansion Bridal Show.....what fun!!!  Not only did I meet a few potential clients but I also connected with some talented and super nice vendors.  I'll talk about them later in the week as there might be some collaboration on projects.

Glenview Mansion has an in-house event planning team so they do not typically invite event planners to  the show.  I was thrilled to be invited because of my dessert tables.

I styled a simple dessert table full of sparkly elegance.  Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Special Valentine's Day Treats!

Think how special your Valentine would feel if you gave them this, oh so sweet, cake!  If you feel so inclined the recipe is on the i am baker blog.

image courtesy of i am baker

You can definitely challenge yourself and really show your love by making this:

a personalized crossword puzzle on a cookie nesstled on a chocolate cake "box"

Go ahead and show your love, you can find the recipe here!

Valentine's Day Class Party: Part 2

I'm going to pass n the next two activities from One Charming Party.  They have two more activities today but you can go on their site to see them.  I think these two are easy and fun to do!

courtesy of One Charming Party

Find your hear-mate will get your students up and about and also reinforce their math skills.  The equations can match their level in math. Your teacher is sure to love this one!  Pass out half of an equation to one child and have them walk around and find their heart mate.  Once they've found the correct match, they can sit down.

One Charming Party has made this super easy to make!  If you go their site and click on the picture above, you can download the blank hearts!

Another simple activity is the guesstimation.  Can you "guess" what the activity is?.....sorry, couldn't help it.

courtesy of One Charming Party

Fill three jars with various candies,  pass them around the room and have each students guess the number
of candy in each jar.  The person who guesses correctly gets to keep the jar of candy.  You can also go to their site and download their guesstimation sheet that you see above, right.  Can't get any easier!

Valentine's Day Class Party

Yesterday, I was in Michaels, what else is new :), picking up some things for my daughters' valentine's day class parties.  Yes, in a moment of weakness, I said I would be class parent for both of their classes.  I won't be doing that next year!  Anyway, I found some really fun things.  My thoughts then turned to what the activities would be.  I really wanted activities that would be appropriate for both 1st graders and 4th graders.

There were candy hearts everywhere and I know the kids like them.  So I brought a ton, some for the candy boxes but not quite sure what else I was going to do with them.    My oldest wanted to make a tower out of them and give a prize for the tallest one. All I could think of was the hearts just tumbling all over the classroom floor.  We might have to think of something else!

To my total delight, I was jumping for joy when I came across One Charming Party's blog last night. Their post was about Valentine's Day class party activities.  How serendipitous!!!!  I plan on using the first two activities, as they will use up all those candy hearts I bought.  I nearly died of laughter when one of the activities was actually a candy hearts tower.  My daughter was so proud of herself when I showed it to her.  "See mommy, it WAS a GOOD idea!"  Indeed,  it was!

picture courtesy of One Charming Party

In fact, over the next few days One Charming Party will be posting 8 activities that you can do in the classroom.  Just don't forget to check with your child's teacher and make sure it's OK with them!  These activities are also great if you're planning a Valentine's Day party at home too.

SO...... knowing there are other Class Parents trying to figure out what to do for Valentine's Day...I am sharing their ideas!  This might win you Class Parent of the Year Award.  Just give a shout out to Madly Stylish Events in your acceptance speech :)!  I will post some of the activities here, but checkout their out their site to see them all!

Tower of love:  This is shown in the picture above.  Have the students build a tower with the candy hearts.  Tower must stand for three seconds and the person with the tallest tower is the winner.  

This one is called chopstick pick-up:  Give each table a bowl of candy hearts and a each student a pair of chopsticks.  Using the chopsticks have them fill a small cup with the hearts.  The one with the most wins.  I know funds are limited for these parties, so I recommend going to your local Chinese take-out and asking them to donate some.  Parents might have some laying around at home too.

picture courtesy of One Charming Party

Above, to the right is the list of activities to come; stay tuned tomorrow for find your heart mate and guesstimation!   I'll also share some of my Michaels finds that I'll be using for my class parties and you might find useful too!

Madly Stylish Vendor: Green Apple Paperie

Valentine's Day is around the corner!  If you're throwing a party, having a picnic a deux, need some Valentine's Day cards, or styling a dessert table then you need to take a look at Kate's creations on  Green Apple Paperie!  Kate has designed a few things for me and I absolutely love her work as she can take what I'm thinking and turn it into a beautiful design that captures the feel of the event.  I have been wanting to feature her for a while now and when I saw the pics to her Valentine's Day collection, I knew the day had come.

How sweet and fresh is this Valentine's Day collection!  You can order it and her other fabulous collections at her etsy shop.

Love the pinwheels on the cake (your sweetheart will too!)

Here's the dessert table......

and who would not love some sweet chocolate!

I had to add this pics because, right now I am crushing on mini pies!!!!!  Not to mention, I call my girls sweetie pie!

Ice Skating Party

I fell in love with this family ice skating party from Kate of Beautiful Days.  It was featured on The Sweetest Occasion a blog that I absolutely adore.   Kate's family party was held in her backyard pond, how cool is that!  They had a bonfire going, lots of steaming hot chocolate, sweet homemade marshmallows and popcorn in these super-cute snowflake stamped brown bags!

My daughter's birthday is next month and we're planing an ice skating party.  While we won't be skating outside on a pond :), there are a few elements to this party that will work just as well for an indoor party.  Check out the site for more pics.  Then come back tomorrow and check out the inspiration board for my daughter's ice skating birthday party!

Love, Sweet Love....

image via Sweet and Saucy Shop

Winter is definitely here and we are halfway through January; which means that Valentine's Day will soon be here.   Here's some LOVE-ly inspiration......

Top row:  Sweet and Saucy Shop; Martha Stewart
Bottom Row: The TomKat Studio; Martha Stewart

I love those chocolate cupcakes with chocolate glaze--easy to make, yummy and oh, so sweet!  Perfect for your sweethearts!  I've made them a few times and just changed the design based on the event.

I made them when my daughter turned 5!

 I also made them for a client this past Holiday season.

Get your bake on and share the sweets!

Desserts Galore!

Just in case I didn't mention it before I heart desserts!!!!  So when I was in Borders yesterday, I had to pick this up!  It's a must for anyone who likes to bake, entertain, or just likes to eat desserts.  The recipes vary in difficulty and the number of whisks by the recipes let you know just how difficult!

Trust me, there are lots of easy recipes but if you're up to challenge, there are a number of four whisks recipes that will test your baking skills.  It's well worth picking up.  You cookbook library will thank you, your family and friends will thank you; just don't blame if you're constantly making desserts!

Check out this video for a taste of what's inside....grab a tissue because your mouth will be watering!

Enjoy!

Madly Stylish Sites: Call Me Cupcakes

Talk about cupcakes!   Call me Cupcakes makes the most beautiful cupcakes and dessert tables!  They are based in Sweden and their blog is in Swedish.  I'm happy to say to report they have started posting some recipes in English.  But you do not need to speak Swedish to understand the beauty of their work.  The pictures speak for themselves!!

all images courtesy of Call me Cupcakes

Easy Cupcake Stands!

 I'm in the middle of planning two birthday parties, so of course, I've got cupcakes on the brain.  But when am I NOT thinking of cupcakes :)!!!

Anyway, I've been scouring my favorite stores and blogs as I try to think of innovative ways to present my lovely cupcakes.  Back in December, I spotted these made by Jessica of Modern Moments Designs and thought they were adorable, easy to make and  inexpensive to boot!  So I thought I'd share it with you too!

These will work nicely for my daughter's upcoming birthday party; maybe they'll work for your party too!

Here's what you'll need:

1. Mini 3″ Candle Sticks made by Lara Crafts $2.99 for a set of 4
2. 3.25″ Wooden Unfinished Circles $0.29 ea. at JoAnn’s Craft Store
3. Wood Glue (I’m sure any brand will do), My Hubby already had some in the garage
4. Spray Paint (pick a color, any color), Rust-Oleum from Home Depot $3.44 a can

I have seen the unfinished candle sticks are my local Michael's (Rockville, MD) store.  But Jessica had to order hers online at New Image Group.    Using the wood clue, place a little bit on the candle stick and adhere the wooden circle on top.  Let it dry for 24 hours.  Once dry, use the spray paint to coat the cupcake stand.  Jessica says these took 4 coats.  You might want more or less depending on the look you're going for.

Could these couldn't look any cuter!

Sweet First Birthday Inspiration

Happy January!  The bitter cold has settled arrived here in Maryland. I'm currently working on a first birthday party for a client in Miami and hoping they can send some heat our way.

Thought I'd share the inspiration board for this sweet little girl's first birthday celebration!  Girly, pink, and oh so fun!  What's not to love!

Working with the fabulous ladies of Icing Designs who created a gorgeous invite!  Can't wait to share it with you!  The cupcake photo flags and photo garlands in the bottom row of the board is their work.