Cake Pops Excitement!

Oooohhh, I am bubbling over with excitement! 

I just got word that my very own copy of the newly released Cake Pops book by the famous Bakerella is on it's way to me!

Woohoo!  I can't wait! 

For those of you that don't know, Bakerella is a truly creative baking genious.

Cake on a stick???  Who'd have ever thought?!! 

The ideas that she comes up with and executes are just beyond words. 

You may remember these brownie pops that I made for Easter.  Totally inspired by Bakerella (only I used brownies instead of cake).  Adorable, right?!!

But cake pops are just one of the many things that this gal does so well. 

Her recipes are scrumptious, and the photos of her creations will often leave you licking your computer screen.  Okay, maybe that's just me.  :)

Back to the book.  It's a big deal.  You want it.  I promise! 

Get your copy at Amazon.com: 

Now head on over to Bakerella and see what all of the excitement is about.  You won't be disappointed!  :)

Luau Dessert Buffet

I am soooo excited to share this post with you today!

Glory from the amazing blog, Glorious Treats, was nice enough to allow me to show off her FABULOUS Luau Dessert Buffet! 

Dessert buffets are certainly the rage right now, but Glory has taken this trend to an entirely new level. 

The bright colors, tropical flower arrangements (that she made herself, by the way) and fun party lanterns just scream luau.  And I love how she used wrapped gift boxes to add height and color to the table.  Such a fun touch! 

But my absolute favorite element of this gorgeous table?  THE COOKIES!!! 

They are simply phenomenal! 

I am a cake-decorating kind of girl, but after seeing these cookies (and the cookies made by Cookie Mama that I featured in an earlier post), I have been convinced that I've got to try my hand at cookie decorating. 

And with Glory's fabulous cookie decorating tutorial, how can anyone go wrong, right?  ;)

Thanks, Glory, for sharing your post with us.  It's truly spectacular.

Make sure you pay Glorious Treats a visit and send Glory a little bit of blog love! 

Save Up to 40% on Character Party Supplies!

Birthday in a Box is having an awesome sale! 

From now until September 2 you can save up to 40% on character party supplies!

This is a deal that you do not want to miss, so shop early!  I would imagine with an offer like this one that the supplies will go fast.

From Twilight to Elmo and everything in between, here's a sampling of what you can get while the gettin' is good:

Abby Cadabby
Avatar
Backyardigans
Barbie
Batman
Cinderella
Curious George
Diego
Disney Princess
Disney's Cars
Dora the Explorer
Elmo
Finding Nemo
Handy Manny
Hannah Montana Movie
Harry Potter
Hello Kitty
How to Train Your Dragon
Kung Fu Panda
Little Mermaid
Littlest Pet Shop
Mickey's 1st Birthday
Mickey's Clubhouse
Minnie Mouse
Minnie's 1st Birthday
My Little Pony
Ni Hao Kai-Lan
Pokemon
Pooh Party
Pooh's 1st Birthday
Princess and the Frog
Scooby Doo
Sesame 1st Birthday
Sesame Street
Shrek Forever After
Spiderman
Spongebob Square Pants
Star Wars
Star Wars Clone Wars
Strawberry Shortcake
Superman
Thomas and Friends
Tinkerbell
Toy Story 3
Transformers
Twilight
Twilight - Eclipse
Wonder Pets

Happy Shopping!  :)

Sweet 16 Zebra Print Cake and Cupcakes

Don't you just love it when things come together perfectly?

That's what happened with this super cute zebra print cake and cupcakes.

The birthday girl, a 16-year-old teenager, and her fabulous aunt, baked and decorated 200 cupcakes for this stylish soiree.  They each baked 100 cupcakes...separately...and asked me to make the top tier zebra cake...separately.

Now, I'm a bit of a control freak so I was a little nervous about how it would all come together.

Obviously, there was nothing at all to be concerned about! 

Doesn't this look great?!!

The birthday girl's mom bought this cupcake tree (which was just plain white cardboard),  then the birthday girl spray painted the middle column black, and adorned the sides of each tier with hot pink ribbon and little black ribbon bows. 

Pretty creative for a teenager, right? 

And how cute are all of those little animal print cupcake liners?!! 

I just love how this turned out!  What do you think???

Polka Dot Party

Turn her love for polka dots into a fun party theme!

We threw this polka dot party for my daughter when she turned 12 and it was a huge success!

We had polka dots and circles EVERYWHERE!  Even the food was polka dots!

We served melon balls, cheese balls, Skittles, and of course,  Dippin' Dots ice cream! 

We used solid color paper plates to create a polka-dot-paradise...

We framed the doorways with dots and taped them all over the walls and windows.  It looked great and added so much to the party atmosphere! 

The cake was covered in polka dots, too!  :)

The girls had a blast playing polka dot games and were sent home with cute little favors that they loved. 

Click on over to the website to check out all of the polka dot party details! 

Fabulous Fruit Dip

On hot summer days, a light, refreshing snack is always a perfect way to beat the heat! 

This cream cheese fruit dip is one of my very favorite go-to recipes!

It's thick, creamy, delicious, and sooo easy to throw together in a jiffy...the perfect recipe for that last-minute get-together!

Serve it with your favorite fruits and enjoy!  :)

Pink and Orange Summer Party, Part Two

Yesterday I shared with you the vibrant orange and white monogram cake from this pretty summer party.

That cake was pretty much the statement piece of the entire party, but there were lots of other fun decorations, too!

The theme was pink and orange, but I added a splash of turquiose here and there just for the fun of it.  It really looked great! 

See for yourself:

The first impression of a party is always the invitations, so the mood was set with these fabulous pink and orange invitations from TinyPrints.com. 

I love being able to add a photo to the invites...I think it's such a nice, personal touch! 

I found this adorable pink and orange ribbon and secured it around glass bowls from the Dollar Store. 

It was a great way to make a big impact with a little price tag!

Pink and orange rock candy looked terrific in there.  :)

I also used ribbons on the flower vases and as a backdrop for the cake table, just to add a punch of color.

Pink and orange wrapping paper served as a backdrop for a photo collage of the birthday girl...another inexpensive idea with big impact!

We also just sat some photos around on the side tables so the guests could take a stroll down memory lane.

Scrapbook paper in fun summer colors was used to make this birthday banner.

Having everyone come dressed for the occasion made for a fabulous photo!  I just love the colors! 

(That's me in the front left) :) 

The party was a big hit and the birthday girl loved it all!