the glittered nest

Wedding Macaron Table

 
 
What an amazing day...

I had so much fun putting together this french macaron table for a wedding.

As you can see I changed a few things from the original design.

 
Setting up a couple of hours before.

Macarons taste the best 15-30 minutes out of the refrigerator.

So I waited until just before the ceremony to set them out.

 
I used lots of spanish moss to create the bird nest setting.

I even hung it from the willow branches to tie it all together.

Can you see the little jenni horne birdies hanging?

 
I sewed their little bellies together so they looked like they were kissing.

 
 
 

 

Isn't this tag cute?  I used grace printables on etsy.com.

 

Thank you for taking this creative journey with me.

I am working on a french macaron video to share with you.

Bird's Nest How to Video

I am working on my wedding table and wanted to share how to make

a large Bird's Nest

You will need:

twig garland

raffia

spanish moss

tissue paper

birdies

   

I will post more about the wedding dessert table but here is a sneak peek into the nest:

 
This whole project cost me $7.00 without the little birdie.

I will use this nest over and over with

dessert tables and decor around my house for spring!

I would love your comments on how helpful the video was for you!

Art Camp

I'm so excited I can hardly contain it!!!

I have to share an amazing trip I will be making with my girls this summer.

Tricia Robinson is holding her annual art camp in Birmingham Alabama. 

But Wait!!!

She is adding a patisserie baking portion into the camp....

and guess who is going to be the chef......ME!

 
I will keep you updated with more information.

 

Love Table

It's not glamorous but

this is where my creativity runs wild...in the garage!

I wish I could show you a beautiful white studio with a chandelier

but it WORKS and I am thankful to have this time in my life to

be creative and inspirational to others.

 
Just a sneak peek into a table I am working on for a wedding this Saturday.

I am excited to tell you that you will be able to see a video of how I set it up

and how to make the bird's nest on the left.

This set up will change at least five more times this week

but just imagine beautiful green and orange french macarons

piled high on these pedestals and on the nests.

 
These little yummies will be filled with an dark chocolate orange ganache.

 
My daughter took this..she is becoming quite the little chef and photographer.

STAY TUNED........

Robin Eggs

I have several of these eggs in soap form or plastic

around my house because it is my favorite color.

But, I have never seen a real nest up close. 

Here is one in our hanging basket on our front porch!

 
 
Robins sit on their eggs for 12-14 days and only leave their nest for 5-10 minutes

at a time..so we took our picture and put the planter back where it belonged!

I love watching nature do it's thing...so beautiful.  We'll take pictures

of the babies if we see them around. 

LOVE Painting

 
 
Bright, Whimsical and fun.....

are words that describe the table I am making for a client's Wedding Favor Table on Saturday.

She will have 300 french macarons displayed on tiered stands and in little bird's nests.

Willow Branches will be home for Jenni Horne'sfabric birdies.

Check back on Sunday to see how it all comes together!

I will be making another one of these paintings for an auction and I will go through step by step how to make one for yourself. 

 
 Have a beautiful and artful week.

Pamper Time with Friends

You don't have to buy expensive bath salts from the store.

You can make your own with simple ingredients around the house.

So...why not throw a little party with your girlfriends and let them

pamper themselves and make their own!

 
Does this look heavenly or what!!!

I had a few friends over for some pamper time

and wanted to share some details

so you will be inspired to take

much needed girl time with your friends.

 
 
Here's the set up:

This is our table of make it yourself bath salts.

The girls were able to make three to four different bath salts with either a sea salt mixture or a brown sugar honey mixture.  These are so easy to make and much cheaper than buying in stores.  My girls and I love to make these for their teachers during the school year.  Recipes will be at the bottom of this post.

We also have little bowls of almonds and olive oil for soaking our hands.

Bowls of cucumbers to place on our eyes.

Relaxation music playing in the background.

Hand towels because this kind of party can get messy!

I also have brown boxes ready for my girls to put their bath salts in along with some little extras:

Aveda Tea, a little container with a Tablespoon of Lavender, little container of whipped honey scrub, small bag of almonds, and a Cd with relaxing music for them to enjoy.

I think guests really like putting their own goodie boxes together.

 

 
 

 
These little cups are from pier 1.  They come in a set of 24 and it is a tasting set.  You can find the bottle for the olive oil for a couple of dollars at Walmart.  I think it looks prettier than the real olive oil bottle.

Make sure you have lots of candles on your tables and around your house too.  It sets a nice relaxing mood for everyone.  You can find the relaxation Cd's at Michaels in the dollar section for 3 dollars each.

 
Here I am applying a home made facial to my friend Sharon:

It is a mixture of cantaloupe, cucumber and mint.

 
We also had a banana coconut milk facial that I loved the most.

 
I put the carrier oil which you need to make your bath salts

in these two bottles from Walmart.

Also have different options for scents: citrus,vanilla,eucalyptus, honey almond.

You can find all of the essential oils in the bath area in your grocery or at Whole Foods.

I also have two bowls with rose buds and lavender for my guests to add to their bath salts.

The pitcher here is full of honey with a little spoon for adding to the brown sugar bath mixture.

 
Now for the food!

I love placing fresh rosemary in my linens..it's just a nice little extra and fits in nicely with our natural theme. Just simply tuck it into your ribbon.  It adds beautiful scent to your table.

The girls brought stuffed mushrooms and apples with a toffee dip to die for!

Apple Toffee Dip(Stacey Collins)

8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup toffee chips
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup powered sugar
Sliced apples

Mix sugars and cream cheese, then stir in toffee chips.

You can dip the apple slices into pineapple juice to keep from browning

I made home made lavender honey icecream that you must try for yourself!

If you have a kitchen aid mixer all you need is the icecream attachment for 50 bucks!  It's so easy and makes ice cream in 20-30 minutes.

Stuffed Mushrooms(Jennifer Young)
Mix together the following:
2- 8 oz packages of cream cheese
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup parmesean cheese
2 Tbs. finely chopped onion
1 pkg. ranch dressing mix
2 tsp. dried parsley
1 cup of Pepperidge Farm's Crushed Herb Stuffing Mix (blue and white
package)
(Makes enough for double batch- I usually save it in my fridge and make 
again)

Clean 32 oz. of mushroom, remove stems and fill with above mixture.  Dip 
stuffed mushrooms in approximately 1 cup of Pepperidge Farm's Crushed Herb 
Stuffing Mix (blue and white package).  Place in 9X13 pan.  Melt 1 stick of 
butter and pour over top.  Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.
YUMMY!!!

Lavender Honey Ice cream

I found this recipe on epicurious.com

I added one more tablespoon of lavender than the recipe called for.

 
It is so creamy and has a wonderful honey flavor with an accent of lavender!

 

All of facial/bath salt recipes are from

Chin Deep in Bubbles by Melissa Placzek

Peppermint Pick Me UP

This bath recipe using mint fragrance that helps revive the scents and jack up your energy level. Peppermint is good for jet lag. If you have sinus problems and allergies you can replace peppermint in this recipes for eucalyptus. Morning is the best time for this blends.

Ingredient:

• 2 cups mineral water
• The juice from 1 lemon
• 2-3 drops peppermint essential oils

Method:

Combine in a bowl. Pour some into spray bottle and uses an all-over body spritz – hair included for a stimulating peppermint pick me up. Pour the remainder in to a warm bath and hop in. You should feel invigorated and energized after 15 minutes and ready for your day!

 

Oatmeal, Almond and Lemon Face Scrub

4 TBL oatmeal Flakes

4 TBL finely ground almonds

4 TBL lemon zest, about 2 small lemons worth

Mix all together and add 2 TBL water.  Massage into skin, taking 2-3 minutes to really scrub out the dirt.  Rinse with warm water.

 

Chocolate Facial Mask

1/3 cup cocoa

3 TBL. heavy cream

2 tsp. cottage cheese

¼ cup honey

3 tsp. oatmeal powder

Mix all together and smooth onto face.  Relax for 10 minutes, then wash off with warm water.

 

 Cantalope Cucumber scrub(as seen above)

3 TBL mashed cucumber

3 TBL. mashed cantaloupe

3 minced peppermint leaves(fresh)

Apply to clean face and leave on for 10 minutes.  Rinse

Banana Coconut facial( my favorite)

1/2 mashed banana

2 tsp. real coconut milk

2 TBL. cooked barley

Apply to clean face and remove after 10 minutes

Coffee Body Scrub

2 cups coarsely ground coffee

½ cup raw sugar or sea salt

2-3 TBL massage oil (almond oil)

Mix ingredients together.  Take a hot shower to moisten skin and open your pores.  Using wide circular motions, rub the coffee exfoliant onto your skin with strong even pressure.  Shower off, pat skin dry and apply a thin layer of your favorite body lotion.

 

Sea Salt Body Scrub

Add sea salt to a small bell jar.  Add almond oil until you see a line above the sea salt.  Add 8-10 drops of your favorite essential oil.

 

Brown Sugar Scrub

Add brown sugar to small bell jar. Add almond oil until line is above sugar.  Add ¼ cup of honey.  Add 8-10 drops of essential oil(cinnamon, vanilla and clove are great oils for this mixture).

Where to get your supplies:

 Essential Oils- grocery or Whole Foods(range from 6-9 dollars each)

Carrier Oil(Sweet Almond Oil)- Whole Foods (around 15 dollars)

Sea Salt- Hobby Lobby(large tub with 40% off coupon is 6.00)

Brown Sugar/honey- grocery

jars for salts- Grocery(bell jars for jams)

Aveda Tea-Aveda Salon(there should be one in your area)

Lavender and rose buds(the herb bar in austin or online) make sure they are food grade if making the ice cream

Little silver buckets- Michaels craft store

brown boxes- i buy in bulk through brpboxshop.com

relaxation cds- michaels dollar section

plastic scoops for salts- the container store( I also use these on my candy tables)

 Please email me if you have any questions!  Enjoy!