the glittered nest

The Knot Austin Event

 
The Knot and Events by Decisions hosted a beautiful wedding vendor event at the Vista on Steward Hill Tuesday night.  I went and oogled over all of the desserts on this amazing dessert bar by Stardust pastry.  The three tiered rice crispie cake was a fun focal point for the whimsical bar studded with novels and trays of wine corks and fancy tea cups. 

 
I love this idea of using paper from novels to make flowers and cover the base of the cake.

 
This table had a very "Anthropologie" feel with the use of books and the wine cork displays.

Even  Summer Pruett of Stardust Pastry carried a wine cork tray with little shot glasses of white russian with a chocolate chip cookie sitting on top! Save up those wine corks for some whimsical ways of showing off your food for your next party at home!

 
 
I love the way they wrapped these peaches and added string.  They were sitting in a wood tray from Target(I only know that b/c I have that tray!!!!)

Here is another fun use of rice crispies with a little peach on top.

 
Here are little take away treats tied with red and white baker's twine.

 
Cookie pops with cute little hearts.

All of the beautiful china is from sistersvintageparty.com

 
These cute little silver mushrooms are available at Anthropologie. 

 
Every hour they served a fun cocktail.  This one was my favorite:

Cantaloupe & Basil or a Watermelon-Mojito Drinksicle.  This was a genius move considering it was 100 degrees at 7:00 here in Austin!!!! I almost grabbed three off of the waiter's tray as it flew by me. 

Everyone in this industry just amazes me with their creativity. Event designers are having fun adding furniture to venues for casual little spaces.  Bringing indoor furniture outside is so fun and creates an intimate area for conversation.

 
Provencal Home supplied most of the furnishings at this event. 

This was my favorite part of the party(except for the dessert table of course)..

look at this amazing table with chandeliers hanging from the tree above.

 
 
Can you picture having your wedding party sitting at this beautiful table under these chandelier lit up at night with a swanky band playing?  The swanky band playing here was: Courtney Sanchez and the SWAY.

 
Here is the stage where the band played lit up at night.  You can't see it here but there is a beautiful fountain in the middle of the stage.

 
The dessert bar had it's own little area that had little mason jars floating above with candles.  There was no detail missed at this event.

 
My wonderful friends: Shannon Gatlin(Stella & Dot Jewelry)

and

 Shannon Bourland(owner of Events by Decisions...amazingly creative woman who designed  this event!)

The fabulous Vendors at this event:

Vista on Steward Hill

CRAVE catering

Courtney Sanchez and SWAY

Events by DECISIONS

Geoff Duncan Photography

Liv by Design

Greenbelt DJ

ILD Lighting

Paper Place

Premiere Party Central

Provencal Home

Sisters Vintage Party Rental

Stardust Pastry

STEMS floral design

Uptown Valet

10th Birthday Party

Ten year old wishes for a birthday filled with friends and laughter.

I cannot believe my twin girls are 10 today.  We celebrated at the pool and had lots and lots of CANDY!

 

  
Purple and Pink lollies, sour fruit wedges, icecream cake lollies, bubblegum cake, ring pops, candy buttons, jelly bellys were the finale' of the party.
 
 
 
 
 

All of the cute candy tags were created by: Print Your Party on Etsy
Happy Beautiful Girls

 
 

This cake was so much fun to make:

You simply take your white cake batter and divide it up and use food coloring and bake seperately.

I use Betty Crocker's white cake and baked each portion on 350 for 15 minutes each.  The buttercream is homemade because there is nothing better on this planet than real buttercream icing.  Add sprinkles and gumballs for a candy buffet cake.

 
 
Happy kiddos! 

The boxes I used were from the container store.  All of the candy was purchased at Big Top Candy in Austin on South Congress.  Add a little ribbon and Wala!

I will be teaching the girls in Alabama next week at art camp how to make these cute ice cream cake lollies so stay tuned for a tutorial.

Fun with Paper

 
I love working with paper and creating something totally off the wall with simple materials.

This flower has many layers of handmade torn paper that I purchased at World Market.  I used three different patterned papers and I think that's what gives this flower it's funkiness!

I am working on a how to post for any one who has the desire to add these flowers to their own parties.

 
 
Tartlets from La Madeline are amazing!

 
You can dip your own strawberries by melting almond bark from the baking isle in your local grocery store.

 
As you can see the theme was funky and bright.

 We cut a square of the same paper as the flower and put it in the center of the tables for color.

We love our teachers at Laura Bush!

Peyton Wedding

What a beautiful weekend.

I had the honor of working with one of my dearest friends

and  creating a beautiful wedding for her daughter.

 
The reception was at Saengerrunde Hall which is next to Scholz on San Jacinto in Austin.

Remember the bride's ribbon post?  Here is one of the hangers above the bridal table.  Pictures of the bride and groom hang from the branches on matching cream ribbon.

 
Here's the ribbon hanging above the favor table.  Minature salsa jars were the favors!

 
 
 
The tables were very long and super skinny.  We decided to keep it simple yet rustic.

We covered the tables with cheesecloth.  Very Affordable compared to renting linens.  Italian Ruscus lines the center of the table.

 
 
We made chocolate cake balls for the groom(Jarod) instead of a cake!  Love it.

 
The bride(Meredith) wanted little tartlets instead of the traditional cake. She cut into a pecan pie with little love birds sitting on top.

 
The Aunts of the bride gave a fabulous luncheon at the Grove in Austin.

Aren't these little cups of flowers adorable

 

I made these little bridal dresses for the luncheon.

 
The bride, Meredith is on the left, Mother of the bride, Jill and Taylor, sister and Maid of Honor.

Thank you girls for letting me be a part of your big day.

 

 

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.

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!

 

 

Brock's Farm Party 2010

Here is Papa(Grandpa) and Brock...taking a little ride on the pony!

Our farm party was so much fun even with a few obstacles from nature while setting up.  We were dealing with terrible wind and the dessert table was a mess to set up.  Everything turned out great regardless and the children had so much fun.  I'm sure the animals were worn out by the end.  My son was a little rough on the baby chicks!

 
I made Brock this banner with the bandana paper from Martha Stewart. You can buy this paper already cut in this size from Walmart.  All I had to do was punch holes, add ribbon and use stencils for Brock's name.  My girls drew the picture of our family on the chalkboard underneath.

A few pictures of all of the cuties petting the animals...

 

Here are some fun details we added to the party!

You can have printyourparty on etsy design very affordable water bottle labels and print them out on water resistent label paper.  Just buy Archer Farms brand water and cut off their label and add your own. 

The dessert table was a hit..but like I said earlier, a bit of a mess on a very windy day.  I wasn't able to put out cupcakes, cake lollies or macarons.  They would have blown all over the park!

The candy: from left to right

Gummy Earth Worms in crushed oreos, farm fresh gummy eggs, cowboy licorice ropes, cowgirl candy necklaces, large red and orange lollies, chocolate fondant cake, rock candy sticks, red mnm chicken feed, fresh gummy produce and sugar cookies that were barns and horses. (check sweet nest for more details on the table).

You can buy these fun paper lanterns from Hobby Lobby! (we couldn't keep the tablecloth skirt down b/c it was blowing all over the place)...fun times!

I just love sunflowers and they remind me of a farm party!  They kept falling over from the wind so we packed the metal vases with tons of rocks!!! You do whatever it takes right!!!

Is this picture classic or what!  You should have seen them after they devoured the cupcake!

 

  
 

  
 Thank you everyone for coming and making Brock's day special!

 
 

 

Down on the Farm Invites

I cannot believe my son is turning 4 soon.  We are having a farm themed birthday party with a petting zoo and pony ride!!! Here are the invites.  I love these stickers...Martha Stewart of course.  You can get these at Michaels Craft store.

This little piggy is inspiring me to make some little piggy cookies to go on the chocolate(mud) cupcakes!!!

How cute are these cookies!  I found them on chiccookiekits.blogspot.com

I like that they are of their faces and not the whole body!

Bridal shower

  Please go to my sweet nest blog for more pictures of the dessert table: sweet nest desserts

The bride(my niece and the flower girls..my girlie girls).

 
We had a wonderful shower..thanks for stopping by. I put one of my favorite recipes on my sweet nest blog...go check it out.

 

  

Bridal Shower Coming Soon!

I couldn't wait to show you a piece of my decor for the bridal shower I am giving my niece on Sunday.  The theme is "Love Birds".  You know me...I already have nests all over the place so it was only fitting.

I made this three tier box set a couple of years ago, but added some moss and the little birdies on top.  You must go to Jenni Horne's website!  She makes these adorable birds out of felt and is an amazing artist.  She lives in Georgia and is so inspirational!  I purchased the boxes from Hobby Lobby and painted them.  Then decopauged some paper and added ribbon. 

I love this box set because it looks like a three tiered cake!  Yummy!

 The menu will be yummy too:  robin's egg blue macarons, coconut cupcakes, small two tiered fondant cake with flowers, cake bites on a stick, robin's egg blue jordan almonds, lavender lemon honey fruit tartlets...oh and there will be food too...Check back after this weekend.  Have a great and chirpy day.