Celebrations – Page 11

Camden’s First Birthday Luau

September 26, 2013October 3, 2013 chantelledoll

We were lucky enough to take a family vacation to Hawaii when Camden was 9 months old. While there, I learned that first birthday’s are a big event in the Hawaiian culture and that led me to my inspiration for Camden’s first Birthday – a birthday Luau.

The invitations were designed using a picture of Camden I had taken in Hawaii.

The birthday boy’s special outfit was a Carter’s onesie and a Hawaiian print short set I bought when we were in Hawaii. I didn’t buy the set planning to use it with the onesie, but it ended up matching perfectly. If you check out Keira’s first birthday party, you’ll also notice she had the same onesie in pink!

I found most of my decorations on orientaltrading.com. They had a line of luau party supplies with rubber duckies that worked perfect for a first birthday. I ordered plates, napkins, garland, centerpieces, a custom banner, hanging palm trees and small rubber duckies for both favors and the cake topper:

Besides the cake, other Hawaiian inspired desserts I made included sand dollar sugar cookies and macadamia coconut macaroons. These were displayed in “sand” I made from a mixture of brown sugar and graham cracker crumbs. I also brought back some macadamia nut Hershey Kisses from Hawaii that got put out with the desserts along with some Almond Joy Pieces.

Camden’s monthly photo’s were displayed over the fireplace using small picture holders I found at Michaels. A hanging palm tree, painted cardboard surfboards and a few beach toys also helped set the scene above the mantel.

The tiki inspired drink bar was a DIY project made from bamboo sticks, rope, and a dollar store hula skirt for the roof. I saw similar bars at party supply stores and online, but this ended up being a much cheaper option. Drinks were tropical soda’s and Corona – not quite Hawaiian, but still beachy!

Food was all Luau inspired and included barbequed huli huli chicken skewers, teriyaki beef skewers, Hawaiian potato salad, Hula Grill coleslaw, marinated shrimp, macadamia nut hummus with root vegetable chips, mini ham and pineapple pizzas, a fruit bouquet and luau pig bites. Items were labelled using small tent cards I designed and printed at home.

Most of our party guests were under the age of one or adults so I ended up having two different favors. The babies got stacking blocks, luau rubber duckies, a duckie printed beach ball and tiny sunglasses while the adults got these peep favors:

This was my first attempt at a party and what really helped spark my passion for party planning. It is fun to look back at all the details – I have gotten better at taking pictures, but the small attention to detail has been there since the beginning. I know my baby’s won’t remember their first birthdays, but I still feel it was well worth the time and effort to give them that special day and have these pictures to look back at!

Celebrations, Gift Ideas

Hawaiian Themed Personal Candy Buffet

September 25, 2013October 10, 2013 chantelledoll

I have been to very few Bridal showers, but I was lucky enough to be able to attend two this summer. I love attending, but always find it a struggle to come up with the perfect gift! I could easily buy off a registry, but I prefer to give something a little more personal and unique.

I posted about the personal candy buffet I did for my sister in law, and because it went over so well at her shower I decided to attempt another for my co-worker’s shower. We shared an office and she often had candy tucked away in her desk so I knew it would definitely be something she would enjoy.

Because she was getting married in Hawaii, the obvious choice was to do a tropical theme. I was able to find all kinds of Luau decorations at the dollar store including small palm trees, a coconut cup and dancing hula girl which I arranged on a platter with various glass containers also found at the dollar store.

Personal touches I added were the “Sweet Love” banner across the top and candy labels I designed and printed at home. The lollipops also got the Hawaiian treatment by inserting them through silk flowers from a lei that I cut apart.

The candy I selected also tried to keep with the tropical theme and included tropical skittles, gummy sharks, tropical jellies, pixie stiks, peanut butter M&M’s and tropical Mike & Ikes.

It turned out very cute and the bride told me it was the best gift she received. I am not sure whether this was just something she told all her guests, but I’ll take it!

Celebrations, Parties

Hangin’ With My Gnomies Bridal Shower

September 17, 2013October 3, 2013 chantelledoll

I had the pleasure of being my sister’s Maid of Honor last August – my first time being in a wedding party! I was thrilled to be part of my sister’s wedding day and excited because it meant I got to plan a Bridal shower.

When my sister first told me she wanted a gnome themed Bridal shower, I wasn’t quite sure if she was serious about it or just pulling my leg. After confirming that was indeed her choice of theme, I began designing and acquiring gnome related items. She was very specific about the style of gnome she wanted so while I found plenty of gnome statues, none of them quite fit with her vision. In the end, I designed my own gnomes to use on her invites and as cardboard cut-outs for table decorations.

The invite:

The main food table was decorated with mushrooms, fake grass and plants, and a white picket fence. A banner with the Bride and Groom’s name was strung across two topiary trees and cardboard cut-outs of gnomes were placed throughout.

I think that food is one of the most important aspects of a shower, so I spent a lot of time scouring the internet for finger food recipes. The final menu I made included bacon wrapped dates, baked brie pops, mini twice baked potatoes, veggies and dip in small flower pots, stuffed mushrooms, and chicken salad rollups.

Other guests were kind enough to bring the amazing fruit bouquet, mango salsa with tortilla chips, and a fruit salsa with cinnamon chips.

Desserts included s’mores bites and a beautiful cake with adorable toadstool cupcakes made by our friend Katy.

Drinks were a non-alcoholic watermelon punch and red wine sangria, as well as layered cherry jello shooters.

For favors and an activity, I had a flip flop decorating station. The guests were asked to RSVP with their shoe size and favorite color and I picked everyone out a pair of flip flops when Old Navy had their $1 flip flop sale. Glue guns, ribbons, beads and flowers were provided and guests went to working adding a little extra pizazz to their new sandals. It ended up being a lot of fun to see what everyone came up with and guests then had a pair of comfy shoes to bring to the casual camp themed wedding.

Another component of the shower (as seen in the invite above) was donating to the underpants gnome. Guests each brought a pair of fun new underwear for the bride-to-be and we strung them on a line in the living room. They were paired with an advice card and the bride had to guess who had given them based on the advice written and the style of underwear chosen. She had a lot tougher time guessing then I would have expected and there were many laughs shared with the crazy marriage advice and the gag underwear that were about 5 sizes too big.

Finally, I also made a few gnome themed props from foam core and posterboard to take some fun photos of the bride-to-be and her guests.

Even though we were stuffed from all the appetizers, we finished the evening off going for dinner and then out dancing. I had a ton of fun planning this shower and providing a special day for my sister and now can’t wait to one day be able to plan a baby shower for her!

Celebrations, Gift Ideas

A Welcome Basket for Doobie!

September 9, 2013October 10, 2013 chantelledoll

My sister and her husband spent Saturday travelling to their breeder to pick up their gorgeous new purebred white lab puppy. They have wanted one for a couple years now and decided to finally take the plunge when they found out two of their favourite dogs were going to be bred. I know it has been a long 8 weeks waiting for puppy to get big enough to pick up and I am so excited for them to finally have little Doobie home.

Isn’t he cute??

My sister has been great about giving my kids gifts and celebrating my growing family, so I wanted to do something special for her new little arrival. You can never have too many toys and treats with a puppy so I found a variety of things for her and packaged them in a small basket.

Other puppy necessities in the basket besides the toys, treats and bones included rug cleaner, dog shampoo, paw wipes, pee pads, a Litey Leash and the bone shaped poo bag dispenser hanging off the side.

Welcome to puppy ownership! Hopefully there aren’t too many restless nights, pee spots, or chewed items in your future.

Celebrations, Parties

A Farm Fresh Candy Stand

September 2, 2013July 29, 2014 chantelledoll

I can’t begin to tell you how excited I was when my brother in law agreed to let me take over the candy buffet for his wedding! I did a small candy buffet for my son’s 3rd birthday party, but it was small peanuts compared to having to plan something for 250 wedding guests. I was happy to have a creative project this summer, and judging by the happy faces at the wedding I think it was well worth all the effort and planning.

The bride and groom both grew up on farms so there was definite country vibe to their wedding. I originally toyed with doing a bright, colourful candy buffet, but decided on more of a farm stand inspiration because it seemed to suit the couple better. Sunflowers, bright red bandana’s, burlap and mason jars were easy décor choices and fit in with the red, black and white color scheme of the wedding.

The couple had some fantastic engagement photos that were taken on the farm and I really wanted to find a way to incorporate some of them into the décor. I had a photo frame sitting in my basement so I strung some twine across, printed the photos in Polaroid format and strung them up with mini clothespins. It was an inexpensive element and I love that it added a personal touch for the couple.

Signage for the buffet was designed and assembled by myself. Printed elements included candy bags, chalkboard inspired candy labels, vintage style farm signs with the bride and Groom’s favorites, and a large “Candy Stand” sign.

The same M&M and Skittles inspired logo was printed in black and white on small brown paper candy bags. These were a labour of love and involved a lot of cursing and paper jamming in my home printer.

The basket stand was my big showpiece and a bit of a DIY project. I found inexpensive wicker baskets at the dollar store and was originally going to have my husband build something out of wood to hold them. I ended up coming across a metal shoe rack for $10 and wouldn’t you know, the baskets fit perfect. To make it more rustic, I simply covered the metal rods in brown paper lunch bags and twine. It is not exactly what I envisioned, but I am still very happy with the result.

Another fun idea I came across in my pinterest searches was to use berry baskets to hold sweet treats. I was looking for alternative ways to display my candy besides the standard glass bowls and apothecary jars and these ended up being both cheap and unique. My “Berry Patch” was created by displaying various berry candy in the cardboard berry baskets.

The Groom’s favourite candy was gummi coke bottles so I decided the best way to display those would be an actual Coca-Cola bottle case. I trimmed out the bottle dividers and lined it in checkered paper to make it look a bit prettier and then used a coke bottle as decoration.

The bride really likes cows so I decided there needed to be a dairy section. I found old fashioned glass milk bottles and filled them with chocolate covered raisins and scotch mints to look like white and chocolate milk. The small glass containers that held the rest of the candies and the bride’s favourite, Chocolate Macaroons, were an IKEA find.

Fresh Eggs are a pretty common product at farm stands, so the natural choice was to include some Kinder Surprise eggs for the kids. I found this great egg basket at a thrift store and also set some out in egg cartons to finish the look.

A variety of old fashioned candy sticks were set out in mason jars and displayed in small stands I made out of small dollar store crates I glued together with wood glue. The most difficult part of this project was definitely narrowing down and deciding on only 8 candy stick flavors!

Once the party gets going at a wedding, I always find the reception venue to get so hot. I decided to add small freezies onto my candy buffet as a cool treat for the kids and adults. I provided scissors to cut them open and people were free to take the sealed ones home with them if they so chose.

As I’ve gathered the supplies and then slowly started buying the candy over the past couple months, my three year old has grown more and more excited. I am pretty sure he ate his weight in candy at the wedding and he has now been introduced to freezies.

All the elements came together better then I could have expected and I am so happy with the final result. It was a fun project for me to tackle and I am glad I could use my creativity and skills to play a part in the Bride and Groom’s special day.

Congratulations again to one of the sweetest couples I know!

Candy Buffet Sneak Preview (dolledupdesign.wordpress.com)
Love is Sweet (dolledupdesign.wordpress.com)

Celebrations

An Apple for the Teacher Cupcakes

August 27, 2013 chantelledoll

My mom just retired from teaching this past spring. I spoke to her recently and she told me that with September quick approaching she has had a few moments of anxiety over having to go back to school/work, and has had to remind herself that she is retired!

We celebrated her retirement with a small family party and I was put in charge of cupcakes. It only seemed appropriate to make apple cupcakes so I made these simple cupcakes using gummy leaves and pretzel sticks for the stems.

They turned out very cute and would be a quick treat to whip up for the first day of school or any other time you want to show your favourite teacher how much you appreciate their hard work. For mine, I did a cherry chip cake with cherry frosting, but you could do almost any cake flavor with red icing.

You might also notice they are in the dollar store cupcake carriers I have mentioned before which would make it easy for gift giving!

Celebrations, Everyday Life, Four Legged Fun, Parties

Happy Birthday Hound Dog! Plus a doggie cake recipe

August 20, 2013October 10, 2013 chantelledoll

I border on the edge of crazy when it comes to my dogs. They are dressed in themed costumes at Halloween, they each have their own stocking that gets filled at Christmas and birthdays are always celebrated with gifts and treats. Nova’s 5th birthday on August 19 was no exception. I baked her a homemade birthday cake using this recipe and made some vanilla raspberry cupcakes for the human members of our family to help celebrate.

Bassanova is a half basset hound and half English bulldog mix. She came into our lives as a total impulse purchase after I spotted her behind the glass at the pet store. I tried to walk away. I really did. She was just such an adorably unique mix that, before even consulting my husband, I found myself turning around and offering up my credit card to make her part of our family.

The kids absolutely adore her and she is one of the sweetest, most sensitive dogs I have ever met. At 70 lbs, she is way too big to be a lap dog but that doesn’t stop her from trying to find her way up for a snuggle.

Happy Birthday sweet girl! Thank you for bringing such joy to our lives.

Celebrations, Recipes

Peanut Butter Delight Doggie Birthday Cake

August 20, 2013September 2, 2014 chantelledoll

I try to make a homemade cake for the dogs birthday’s each year, but there have been a couple times life has gotten in the way and they have ended up with store bought. When it is homemade, my default recipe for the last 4 years has been this peanut butter delight cake. Many of the dog cake recipes I found were meat based and I like that this one uses regular baking ingredients and is closer to a cake I would enjoy myself. It smells great cooking and I don’t have to worry when the kids try to get in on the action!

Peanut Butter Delight Dog Birthday Cake

1 cup white or whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup shredded carrots

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup honey

1 egg

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C)

Mix together flour and baking soda. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into a small round pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Frosting

8 oz cream cheese

1 container of baby food bananas

1 tsp cinnamon

Mix ingredients together and use to frost cake.

Enjoy!

Our pups have enjoyed this recipe as both a full cake and cupcakes. I have baked it in a loaf pan and cut it out to look like a bone and I have done it as a small round and added several cupcakes to create a paw print shape.

It doesn’t matter how it is decorated, my dogs love it!

Celebrations, Parties

Cupcakes by the Dozen: Keira’s First Birthday

August 17, 2013October 3, 2013 chantelledoll

We celebrated my little girl’s first birthday at the end of May with a pink, blue and green extravaganza of cupcakes. When I was first pregnant with Keira, I told my sister I would prefer to have a second boy, but I am so happy we ended up with one of each. Girls parties are a lot of fun!

Invitation

I started by designing the invitation with a cute cupcake graphic and a pink, green and blue chevron print to match a pennant banner I had ordered several months earlier.

Décor

I carried the same cupcake image from the card onto the drink and cup labels. You can also see the chevron banner below that I dolled up with cupcakes I cut from scrapbook paper.

The fireplace was decorated with a banner of giant cupcakes I crafted from coffee liners, and small paper lanterns I glued a crepe paper icing swirl to. Her name was cut out of poster paper in my color scheme and strung along the same line as the cupcakes. Above the fireplace was a framed image of her monthly shots and some chalkboard art.

I also found cheap photo mobiles at the dollar store so I decided to use those to display photo’s of all her “firsts” – first solids, first car ride, first Halloween, etc. The flower bouquet was a last minute addition, but were in my party colors and too perfect not to pass up at Costco.

Cupcake Buffet

I considered the cupcakes part of the party décor and chose icing colors and cupcake liners that coordinated.

I wanted a cupcake buffet, so I made 4 different types of mini cupcakes to give a good variety. Flavors included mint chocolate, cotton candy, neapolitan and cherry lime. Small egg carton containers were also provided to allow guests to take mini cupcakes home with them.

Birthday Cake

I already had a giant cupcake pan from my son’s first birthday so making a giant cupcake cake was an obvious choice. Even though I hate working with chocolate, I decided to attempt a chocolate liner for this one and was surprised how simple it ended up being. White buttercream was swirled on the top of the cake and I finished it off with tropical flavoured Mike’N’Ikes for the sprinkles.

Food

My original thought was to serve nothing but cupcake shaped food and I had a whole board of savoury cupcake ideas planned. I finally realized that this was a little overly ambitious and went with more of a barbeque theme menu that included just a couple cupcake shaped items.

I think the favorite food item by far was the twice baked potato cupcakes with sour cream icing and bacon bit sprinkles. We also served pulled pork filled cornbread cupcakes and I made the tortilla chips for the mango salsa cupcake shaped.

Favors

I wanted to give something useful as a favor so I came up with the idea of doing bleach pen shirts with each of the kids initials. They didn’t turn out quite as I expected, but they were still cute. To finish them off, I wrapped them around a cherry sucker and put them in a bowl to look like cupcakes. I also had some leftover stickers from the drink cups so those went on bottles of bubbles for the kids to play with at the party.

It was so much fun planning this party and I am thrilled with the way my first girly party turned out. There are tons of cupcake theme ideas out there and it was hard narrowing my ideas down – especially when it came to choosing the cupcake flavors! To see some of my inspiration and other great cupcake ideas and recipes, please visit my pinterest board here.

Celebrations, Parties

Happy National S’mores Day!

August 10, 2013October 10, 2013 chantelledoll

August 10 is National S’mores Day. I know this because it was included as part of the info on the wedding invite I designed for my sister’s camping weekend wedding last summer. At this time last year I was up to my elbows in marshmallow, graham crumbs and chocolate buttercream working to create the perfect wedding cake to fit in with the S’mores bar at her wedding.

For my first attempt at a tiered wedding cake, I’d say it turned out pretty darn good!

The inside of the cake was made up of graham cake, chocolate cake and a layer of homemade marshmallow. The outside was coated with buttercream as per the bride’s request and gave a bit more of a rustic feel. I have still never worked with fondant so I was happy to fulfill the buttercream request – homemade marshmallows and stacking cakes was enough new stuff for me to figure out with this project.

The decoration was fairly simple. I used a mixture of plain and toasted marshmallow’s and had them cascade down the side of the cake. Some twigs of decorative pearls finished off the look and added that little bit of sparkle.

As much fun as a 3 layered wedding cake was, I think I will keep things simple this S’mores day and attempt these S’mores cookie bars from Chocolate, Chocolate and More. For these and other great S’mores recipes, check out my pinterest board.