Lollipop Invites

I'm always looking for fun invites for clients who are having one of my candy buffets at their event. While browsing on twitter last night, I saw that Kim of the TomKat Studio sells these adorable DIY lollipop invitations. These are perfect for birthday parties and quite cost efficient since you can do your own printing. Visit TomKat's Etsy shop to see Kim's other great products like her new adorable cupcake toppers.

Behind the Scenes - Town and Country Magazine Shoot

If you follow my tweets, you may know that I was working with Town & Country Magazine this week on a story for their Spring 2010 issue. I wanted to give you all a couple of behind the scenes shots of the shoot. Without giving away too much detail, the shoot included gorgeous jewels and lots of candy! A wide selection of jewelry was on set from Harry Winston, Graff to Tiffany. It was amazing to see the process behind a jewelry shoot. There were security guards from each jewelry designer protecting their precious jewels. Not that I'm surprised, as it was some of the most gorgeous jewelry I have ever seen! I was the prop stylist for the shoot, providing all of the candy and desserts. Below is a sneak peek of the variety of candy that was on set.



Not only was it great to see what goes on behind a jewelry shoot, but it was also a pleasure to work with the editors over at Town and Country Magazine. I also had the opportunity to work with some pretty talented people, including still life photographer Karl Juengel and jewelry and cosmetics stylist Julie Flynn, who both regularly work with Town and Country Magazine. Below is a picture of Karl and Julie in action.



The issue will hit the newsstands in January so be sure to pick up your copy then! I'll blog about this more and share the wonderful shots that were captured once the magazine hits the stands!

Pinwheels!

As we get ready for our last summer parties, I am trying to incorporate pinwheels. Pinwheels bring a festive feeling to a party and are great for both kids and adults. Kate's Paperie is currently displaying these giant pinwheels in their window display. Aren't they great?!



I recently found a great company that makes custom pinwheels that are terrific for parties. Pinwhirls , a division of Crossroads Cottage Biz whirls custom papers into personalized party pinwheels. They can even turn your custom pinwheels into mini cupcake topper pinwhirls, clothespin pinwheels, and pinwheel placecards!



Feeling like you’re in the diy mode? Pinwhirls even sells diy kits so you can have your own diy pinwheel party! Have fun whirling during these last summer days!

Custom Cake Stands by Clara French

I'm always looking for great vessels for my dessert tables. So when I discovered Clara French's custom made cake stands on her gorgeous site, I was filled with inspiration. You can choose a cake stand from her boutique, or you can order a custom designed cake stand to complement the design of your wedding. Not only can your cake stand be perfectly designed for your event, but it can also be a wonderful family heirloom to pass on. I'm working on a dessert table for one of my brides and this will be perfect for her! What special detail did you incorporate into your special day that has now become a family keepsake?

Sugared Magnolia, Cupcakes Blooming

I have to apologize for neglecting to blog the last couple of days. I've been so busy with lots of projects, including stories for People Magazine and Town & Country Magazine, as well as lots of party requests! This morning, I received a sweet tweet from Gina of Sugared Magnolia. No, this Salt Lake City-based patisserie has nothing to do with the band the Grateful Dead, although they have discovered the "wonders of nature" with their desserts which are only made with organic ingredients. Sugared Magnolia even uses fresh fruit from their own organic garden, how good does that sound?! Check out their site here for loads of organic goodies. Warning - you may want to take a bite out of the screen!

Will You Be My Bridesmaid?

One of my favorite cookie vendors, The Flour Pot , recently came out with an adorable cookie line to help brides ask their favorite friends to partake in their wedding party. Margie and Abbey Greenberg, the mother-daughter team and cookie masterminds behind Flour Pot, can create bridal cookies in a range of custom colors and themes. What a sweet way to ask your friend to be a part of your wedding! Check out their site here to view their wonderful confections.

Via Darcy Miller of Martha Stewart Weddings and the The Brides Guide Blog

Ribbon, Ribbons!

I love using ribbon for well...everything! I use ribbon for simple accents such as trimming vessels, cake boards, apothecary jars, and custom display boxes. Sometimes I use ribbon to jazz up a tablecloth by creating a beautiful, custom border. I've even used ribbon to decorate the cake itself. So I'm always on the hunt for gorgeous and unique ribbon. A fave ribbon vendor of mine is Carta Inc. by Angela Ligouri. Her ribbon is made of 100% cotton and the texture is so lovely to look at and touch. Her italian-imported ribbon comes in tight weave and loose weave and 20 vibrant colors, and are a perfect product to accentuate your tablescape!

Poolside Dessert Table in the Hamptons

I provided a sneak peek last week about the party that I helped create for my client in the Hamptons. Here are some more pictures of the event, which are also featured on Style Me Pretty today.

It was my client's sister's (Ellen) 50th birthday and her client's son's (Scott) 25th birthday. The party was an intimate family gathering in their home in Southampton. The apple green and taupe color scheme was inspired by the linens and placemats that the client was using for her dinner table. For all of Scott's details on the dessert table, the main color was taupe. For all of Ellen's details, the main color was apple green.












The client loved the pattern of her placemats that she was using for her dinner and we incorporated that design into the dessert table. For example, the loop detail on Ellen's candy bags (above) had that pattern. Ellen's popcorn cups (below) also had the loopy pattern that mimicked the placemats. We also had cookies and mini cupcakes created using that same loop detail.







For the client's son's 25th birthday, the client had bought her son an A Lange & Sohne watch. We had a cake replicated to look like the A Lange & Sohne watch and giftbox. The watch and giftbox were made completely out of sugar and cake! We also brought in his watch details in Scott's personalized popcorn cups (below) and Scott's candy bags that are hanging on the tree (third picture from the top)






The client's sister loves hydrangeas so we had a cake created to look like a flower pot filled with hydrangeas (also completely made out of sugar and cake). There were hydrangea details on the petit fours as well.

Other sweet details:
In Scott and Ellen's respective candy bags (on the tree) were their favorite candies. We filled Scott's bags with reeses peanut butter cups and butterfingers, and Ellen's bags were filled with her favorite cookies from a cookie shop in the Southampton.
We created custom straws so that the guests could drink their sparkling water with personalized Happy Birthday Scott/Ellen flags.
Best of all, I had the pleasure of working with the sweetest clients imaginable! It was wonderful creating something special for such a warm and lovely family.

Photography by Dawn Giarrizzo

Aran Goyoaga's "Cannelle et Vanille" Portfolio Site

I recently had the wonderful opportunity to collaborate with Aran Goyoaga, the very talented food stylist and photographer of Cannelle et Vanille blog. Not only does Aran have an incredible eye for detail in her styling and photography, but her desserts actually taste delicious! To my delight, Aran was as sweet in person as her desserts look on screen. What's sweeter is that we have developed a friendship from our collaboration, one of many friendships I've formed through the wonderful world of blogging! Aran emailed me last week to tell me of her new portfolio site. Check it out to see more of her gorgeous work! Her desserts are so fresh and inspiring that you will leave her site wanting more!

Thirteen Mini Cakes - Modern Twist on Tradition

I am working on a Bat Mitzvah for a client and we have been thinking of some fun things to do in lieu of the traditional candle lighting ceremony. Traditionally, the Bat Mitzvah girl asks 13 special people to light a candle on the Bat Mitzvah cake. For this event, we will instead have 13 small cakes made and each person can light a candle from a different cake. I saw these mini cakes from my friend and famed cake designer Elisa Strauss of Confetti Cakes and thought is was lovely inspiration for the idea. We'll take the design from the dessert bar that we are creating and incorporate it into different patterns for each cake. Not only will it modernize the traditional candle lighting ceremony, but it will also be a way for the Bat Mitzvah girl to honor each special candle lighter with their very own signature cake and candle.

Photography by Ben Fink.

Sneak Peek: Poolside Dessert Table in the Hamptons

Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of working with an absolutely lovely family at their home in Southampton. The event was intimate, with just 15 friends and family members, but the party was filled with love and energy. The occasion was the client's sister's 50th birthday and son's 25th birthday, and she wanted to do something special for both of her loved ones. There were so many wonderful, meaningful details, but here is a sneak peek of the dessert table. I'll provide more pictures next week!
Photography by Dawn Giarrizzo.

Floral Umbrellas from Renny and Reed

I live in New York City and every time I pass by Renny and Reed, I am blown away by the floral umbrella masterpieces that they showcase in front of their floral boutique. Their floral umbrellas are a sidewalk signature on Park Avenue, and every season the floral experts at Renny and Reed create something whimsical and eye-catching for New Yorkers to appreciate. This season, Renny and Reed have created gorgeous pink floral umbrellas made out of silk rose petals. They attached the rose petals to fabric and trimmed it with beautiful pink satin ribbon fringe.

Their work is so inspiring. This makes me want to create a beautiful bridal shower dessert bar with hanging floral parasols. What does it inspire you to create?

Outdoor Brunch Tablescape

I know this picture has been out on the web, but I am so in love with this tablescape posted by Green Wedding Shoes. I love all of the milkglass vessels that were used for the flowers and desserts. It makes me want to throw an outdoor brunch for friends this weekend!