Pretty Party Presentation: June 2012

CUSTOM WOODLANDS WEDDING INVITATIONS

Easter Peep Cakes

Vanilla and chocolate cupcakes layered with white fluffy frosting...

Next came the baskets by Wilton and the edible Easter grass, the Peep was placed in the center of the basket and accented by brightly colored jelly beans!

Once the Peep was nested in the basket, each Peep Cake was wrapped with cellophane and tied with a spring green ribbon. A perfect favor for guests to take home!

Sweet Caramel Presentation

The generous recipe makes about 60 decadent pieces perfect for gift giving and sharing! (see recipe below) Here is a fun and easy DIY idea to try at home. Check it out…

Recycle your tomato paste cans! Rinse the cans and peel off the label. Cut a piece of scrapbook paper and wrap the paper around the can. Use a piece of double-stick tape to secure the paper in place. Don't forget to trace the can size when cutting the scrapbook paper.

Place four caramels in a cellophane bag and tie the bag with bright color ribbon.

ET TIP: If the cellophane bag is large simply cut the top of the bag.

Here is the caramel "how to" - seriously sinful and super soft! They melt in your mouth!

The BEST EVER!

Start out with five simple ingredients!

Mix dark Karo syrup, sugar and butter over medium heat

Stir until mixture comes to a "ploppy" boil

Add sweetened condensed milk - keep stirring!

Take off heat and add pure vanilla
Smooth, buttery and creamy!

Cool overnight in buttered glass pan

Twist time!

I purchased this paper at my local candy making store

Stay tuned tommorow for a creative caramel presentation idea!

Here is the InnKeepers family recipe...

1 c. granulated sugar

1 c. dark Karo syrup

1 c. real butter

14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp. vanilla

In medium pan saucepan mix sugar, Karo syrup and butter over medium heat. Continue until mixture comes to a “ploppy” boil. Time for seven minutes, NOT stirring. Then add condensed milk. Mix well, and continue stirring over medium heat. When mixture comes to a “ploppy” boil again, time for 13 minutes, stirring constantly. Take off heat, add vanilla. Mix well, and pour into well-buttered 8x8 glass pan. Cool overnight at room temperature. Cut into bite-sized squares and wrap. Makes approximately 6o caramels.

Whoopie Pie Station

Leaf Cookie Tree

Creating chocolate maple leave favors are very easy and the perfect take-away favor for the Thanksgiving holiday season. Hanging the maple leaves on a branch using mini clothes pins enhances the presentation and adds elevation to your Autunm tabletop or dessert table.

Start by making the tree to hold the maple leaves. Pick a large branch from outdoors and a planter pot (without a hole at the bottom). Purchase art plaster at your local craft store. Pour plaster (follow directions on the box) and place the branch in the middle of the planter. You will need to hold the branch until the plaster starts to harden. Add chocolate river rocks to the pot for a more real look.

ET TIP: After the plaster is hard add river ro

Now it's time to make the maple leaves...

When melting the chocolate discs use milk (brown), orange and yellow discs. Melt small portions of chocolate at a time and use less brown than yellow and orange discs. After melting, mix very lightly making sure the colors do not blend. Make a few smaller batches instead of one large batch so the colors do not blend together.

Example: One small handful of yellow, one small handful of orange and one half handful of brown.

Spoon the melted chocolate in the maple leaf candy molds (purchased at a local candy making store). Tap the mold lightly to spread chocolate evenly.

Let chill...

ET TIP: add a couple drops of maple candy flavoring after the chocolate is melted and mix lightly.

Once the maple leaves are chilled completley place each chocolate leaf in a cellophane bag and wrap with a rich brown ribbon.

Place maple leaf bags on the tree branch securing with a small clothes pin (purchased at your local craft store). Add the fall-glam birdhouse. Your guests will love picking the maple leaves off the tree and savoring the maple & chocolate flavors!

New Years Eve Tablescape

Create your own New Year's Eve elevated buffet by using mirrors! These curvy mirrors came from Ikea and come in a two pack for $14.99. Check out this cost effective fab find here. Place your mirrors on something sturdy and heavy to elevate them, we used lighted Ikea vases in the back and shorter silver vases for the front elevated buffet.

Accent your buffet with a beautiful linen like this one in bright white with iridescent silver sequins from Affordable Elegance Chair Covers & Linens! The sequins compliment our mirror buffet and add sparkle to all of the accents!
ET Tip: Renting linen is cost effective and you can change colors, textures and styles every time you entertain. Don't be caught using the same linen over and over again E-Trenders! Affordable Elegance Chair Covers & Linens offers a wide selection of linen and chair coverings - this sequin linen is available in several glam colors! Love it Crystal & Colleen!

Embellish!
Angela hand stamped and embossed these decorative cards and layered them on metallic silver card stock with a sparkly silver and gold snowflake scrapbook embellishment to carry the "MORE" message throughout the NYE buffet!

Make sure your champagne is ready for toasting with embellished stirs like these with silver metallic fringe, or make your own like we did with the snowflake scrapbook stickers on skewer sticks! Sue & Angela filled martini glasses with dried fruit and nuts and placed a sparkly skewer in them!