Cute As A Button and Ruffled, Two!

Today I am excited to share a dessert table that I designed for a baby shower this past January. The guest of honor was already a mother of two girls and was expecting her third AND fourth (yes, twins!). One boy and one girl. So exciting! I wanted to keep the theme gender neutral, casual, and bright and cheery. I came up with the theme Cute As A Button and Ruffled, Two!

After choosing a theme, I decide on two main gender neutral colors: a bright yellow and an aqua blue. I also used white as my neutral base. I added ruffles that I made from white crepe paper streamers to the cake stand and serving pieces (see my post about this, here) and then finished them off with mini paper fans that I made and/or a little ribbon.

Cute As A Button printables were created for the dessert table (will be available in the Sheek Shindigs Etsy Shop, here, soon!) and embellished with mini paper buttons.

I also made paper fans and embellished them with Cute As A Button stickers to hang above the table for a little extra fun. You can find instructions on how to make these, here.

The main attraction of the table was the button cake. To create, I simply purchased a double-layered 8" cake from my local bakery and decorated it with edible sugar buttons myself (buttons are available in the Sheek Shindigs etsy shop, here). This was an easy and inexpensive way to dress up a standard, store-bought cake. I created a coordinating cake topper by accordion folding a 7" x 1 1/4" piece of paper, embellishing it with two mini paper buttons, and attaching each end to a white candy stick.

In addition to the button cake, there were cupcakes, cake balls, and mini meringue cookies for the guests to enjoy.

What a fun day it turned out to be for a special woman and her growing family!

Credits:

Sheek Shindigs: design, set-up, decorations, desserts

With Love Photography and Design: Photos

An Event to Honor and Remember

Over the past two weeks I have had the honor of working on a very special project with an extraordinary group of people called Autumn's Army.This past December a family in our community suffered the most devastating loss that a parent can imagine. The Hoeft family lost their precious 5 year-old daughter, Autumn, to brain cancer.  Autumn's Army is "a group of concerned parents, family, teachers and school administrators, neighbors, classmates, friends and sometimes complete strangers that decided to band together" to help Autumn's family as they struggle to rebuild their lives without their daughter. This amazing group planned and organized a Tribute Dance and Silent Auction to benefit the Hoeft family and I was asked to help out. Sheek Shindigs designed and donated a dessert table for the event. The event's theme was based around two of Autumn's favorite things: pink and butterflies. I decided to use both of those elements to design a table that would honor Autumn and her memory. This is the table before the desserts were added:

I wanted the table to be simple and reflective of a little girl. I found the most adorable butterfly lamps at Home Goods and knew that they were meant for the table. I trimmed several of the serving plates and part of the center cake stand with white ruffles that I made from crepe paper. As a focal point for the table, I created an inexpensive butterfly "picture" by painting a blank canvas (bought at a local craft store) and embellishing it with paper butterflies that were donated by Megan of  Embellished Paper. Megan also donated the cupcake wrappers for the event. Thanks, Megan!

The dessert table featured pink and white cupcakes by a local vendor (Hopelessly Delicious Cakes and Candies), cake balls (Sheek Shindigs), and AMAZING cookies by my talented friend, Nicole. Yummy!

It turned out to be an amazing night for a more than worthy cause. Much thanks to Autumn's Army for all of their hard work and for bringing our community together. Thank you to the vendors and friends that donated items for the dessert table and/or the event as well as everyone that came out to support the family. I know that Autumn was smiling down on you all last night. While I never personally knew Autumn or her family, her story and the impression that she has left on myself and our community is one that I will never forget. Autumn's story has reminded me to slow down and cherish the time that I have with my children. They are truly a gift from God. She has reminded me to be thankful for my family, our health, and life in general. And, Autumn's story has renewed my faith in our community. Thank you, Autumn.

You can read about Autumn's story, here.

Vendor Information:

Dessert Table Design, set-up: Sheek Shinidgs

Cupcake Wrappers & Butterflies: Embellished Paper

Butterfly Canvas: Sheek Shindigs

Butterfly Lamps: Home Goods

Cupcakes: Hopelessly Delicious Cakes and Candies

Cookies: Nicole Soderberg

Cake Balls: Sheek Shindigs

Printables (food/donor labels): The Homespun Hostess





Thanksgiving Countdown Ideas: Host A Giving Thanks Party

If you are looking for a last minute Thanksgiving celebration idea for a group of children, this Giving Thanks Party may be a good fit. I designed this party with preschool and younger school aged children in mind. I wanted to create a Thanksgiving shindig that would allow guests to celebrate the holiday as well as give thanks and support to others in the community.

I also wanted to create a design that was affordable and could easily be duplicated by YOU. This past week I offered some Thanksgiving Countdown Ideas (also here and here). I incorporated many of the suggestions from those post into the design and decoration of this Giving Thanks Party. Natural objects, such as pumpkins, pine cones, acorns, and leaves, were used throughout the decor. I transformed what is normally the kids' craft center into a dessert/party "buffet" so that everything was in one place and easily accessible. You can do the same by using a buffet table, bookcase, or a regular folding table that you already have in your home. Get creative!

When planning your party, you can save time by purchasing some pre-made dessert items (I bought these ready made leaf cookies and pumpkin cookie sandwiches from the Target bakery). You can inexpensively dress up brown favor bags by using mini wooden clothes pins and freshly fallen leaves from your yard. There are also many, many cute and FREE printable out there that you can use to add color and style to your party. I used a free printable mini banner from Paper & Pigtails and Kara's Party Ideas, here, to dress up my pumpkin and baskets. 

To help recognize the importance of giving thanks and supporting others less fortunate than ourselves during the holiday season (and any time, for that matter), ask guests to bring canned goods to donate to a local food pantry. Provide craft paper, food labels, and string/ribbon for children to "wrap" their donations and write a message of hope or thanks to be sent with the items. Share a favorite Thanksgiving story, play games, and of course, include lots of yummy treats!

** I apologize for the fuzziness of these photos. I am hoping that Santa brings me a new camera this year ;) **

A Reptile and Amphibian Birthday Celebration

We recently celebrated my son's 5th birthday with a Reptile and Amphibian Themed Celebration. Ever since his preschool class adopted a turtle as a class pet, my son has been fascinated by reptiles. Since I was not willing to grant his request for a slimy pet of his own, I decided that a Reptile and Amphibian themed party was the next best thing!

I had the pleasure of working with Amanda of Lil' Sprout Greetings on all of the printable designs for the party, including the party invitation and welcoming sign.

Upon arrival, guests were welcomed, given a safari hat and binoculars, and sent on a reptile safari. It was amazing how many snakes and lizards they found crawling around!

I wanted to keep the snack table simple with healthy options (other than the cookies and cake), and in theme with the party. I created a safari-like backdrop of leaves and vines and used the coordinating printables that were created by Lil' Sprout Greetings. Snacks included Gecko Grapes, Python Pretzels, Alligator Apples, and Turtle Trail Mix. I also created frog-topped, chocolate dipped Oreo cookies and a reptile safari cake (don't judge me too harshly...this was my first attempt covering a cake with fondant).

The highlight of the party was a live, hands on reptile show which was led by a Wildlife Educator from a local company called Reptiles Alive. The children were able to view and touch live reptiles (turtles, lizards, frogs, and yes....snakes!) while the educator shared fun facts about each animal. The kids loved it!

Images: Reptiles Alive!

The birthday boy even got to help hold the reptiles and pass them around for his friends to touch. Better him than me! He was so happy, as you can see!

We had a great time celebrating my little man's big day!

A Halloween BOOfast Celebration

Halloween is just around the corner! Are you ready to celebrate with your little ghosts and goblins? If you are a regular follower, you know that breakfast is BIG at our house. It is my husband's and kids' favorite meal of the day, which has led me to the tendency of styling breakfast themed tables in place of the popular dessert tables on occasion. I liked the idea of a Halloween BOOfast Celebration because it allows guests to celebrate Halloween and the autumn season without the focus being on candy. Don't get me wrong, I know how important candy is to young and old alike on Halloween. I'm not trying to veto the candy! This just allows for a festive celebration  before the main event (Trick-or-Treating!) without the sugar overload.

I wanted to make the Halloween BOOfast table simple and easy to re-create, healthy enough to satisfy my fellow moms, and appealing to even the littlest party guest. This breakfast themed table would be perfect for a Halloween party, playdate/playgroup celebration, or even to surprise your little ones on Halloween morning.

The BOOfast menu included pumpkin muffins, a variety of cereals, yogurt parfaits with various topping choices, and milk. Everything was "dressed-up" so that the kids wouldn't even notice that the candy and sweets were missing.

It's amazing how a little wrapper and cupcake topper can transform a muffin! The kids won't even notice that the extra sugar or icing is missing from these pumpkin muffins.

I found these adorable mini tins a few years ago in the Target Dollar Spot and I have gotten so much use out of them. I decided that they would be perfect for getting the kids excited about having a bowl of cereal. Don't be fooled...these cereal choices are healthy and light on sugar content as well (Fiber One, Whole Wheat Chex, and Gorilla Munch). Just don't tell the kids!

Milk in a plain glass just won't do for this celebration. Instead, I transformed empty jars into a Ghostly Glass of Milk! My kids LOVED these and they are so incredibly easy to make.

I used small, paper-wrapped canning jars to serve yogurt & fruit cups while the ceramic pumpkin containers held granola, dried fruit, slivered almonds, and other topping choices for the guests to choose from.

To dress up the serving table, I covered two lamp shades with black card stock and added some buntings for fun. This is an inexpensive way to temporarily transform an item that you already have at home (in this case, a lamp) to add to your table's decor and the overall presentation. I also made some paper rosettes and used a few Halloween decorations that I had at home (the cute witch and the spiders on each end) to finish things off.

I hope that this BOOfast Table has inspired you to start your day off with a little Halloween Celebration!

Operation Shower: Sea to Shining Sea

Two weeks ago I had the privilege of helping out with my second Operation Shower event, this time in Norfolk, VA. This event was organized to "shower" expecting women whose husbands were deployed and serving on the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN77) and was given a coordinating nautical "Sea to Shining Sea" theme.

Operation Shower's Chief Event Organizer, Amy Belle Isle, did another fabulous job designing the event. Nautical elements were incorporated throughout, including the graphic designs, table centerpieces, and food and dessert tables. One of my absolute favorites designed all of the graphics for the shower, Lindi of Love the Day. She rocks! Other amazing talents that were helping out with the event included Chris of Celebrations At Home, Ebony of Sparkling Events and Designs, and Deanna of 5 to 9 Events. These women made an already worth-while event a complete joy to be a part of. It is so nice to be able to come together and work with such a talented group of women for an amazing organization AND have so much FUN at the same time. Love them all!

Any guesses what Amy used to create the dessert table's backdrop? Place mats! It was such a creative idea and it looked great at the event. Not so much fun hanging it, though :)  Sugarland Bakery came all the way from Chapel Hill the morning of the shower to deliver the adorable nautical themed cake that they created for the event. These girls are seriously talented and equally as sweet themselves! Just Pop In donated the mini popcorn bags and Firefly Confections sent the cutest little cookies for the event.

Many generous vendors came together and donated so many wonderful items for this event. In addition to the "showers in a box" that each mother received, everyone was gifted a stroller, bath tub, clothing, diaper bags, boppy's, handmade booties and hats, diapers, and much, much more. It was an amazing day full of celebrating, honoring, and truly "showering" these women. They are part of a much larger group of men, women, and families that sacrifice so much for our country every day and I hope that they felt the love, appreciation, and support that everyone involved with Operation Shower strives to bestow upon them on their special day . I truly feel blessed and am grateful to have been able to participate in another Operation Shower event.

Also, a big thank you to Stephanie of Lifeography for all of the wonderful photographs. You can learn more about Operation Shower, what they do, and how you can help, here.

The girls: Chris (Celebrations At Home), Amy (Operation Shower), me  (Sheek Shindigs), Ebony (Sparkling Events and Designs), and Lindi (Love the Day).

Featured: A Patriotic 4th of July Breakfast

I am so excited to have the 4th of July Breakfast celebration that I recently designed featured over at The Tomkat Studio today! Thrilled!! Stop by, here,  and check it out when you get a chance. And, stay tuned for more pictures and details in the coming days.

Photo taken by With Love Photography and Design

{Sheek Events} A Purple and Key Lime Dessert Table

The other weekend I had the pleasure of helping out with a bridal shower for one of my dearest friends. I was honored to be able to design a dessert table for the shower and had so much fun throughout the entire planning process. The bride-to-be holds Key Lime Pie pretty high on her "favorites" list, so I decided to make it the main attraction on the dessert table. Purple and gray were the main colors that I chose for the dessert table and I added a touch of Key Lime green for fun! The end result was a Purple and Key Lime Dessert Table.

The dessert table was set in front of a row of windows with a beautiful view, so I wanted to keep the look pretty clean and simple. Key Lime Cuplets were the featured dessert, accompanied by Double Chocolate Cake Balls, Grape Candy Sticks, personalized {E + D} Chocolate Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies, and Mini -Mint Gum Balls. Champagne was also included on the table for a pre-dessert toast to the bride-to-be.

The table was a small part of a wonderful celebration for the bride-to-be. I am so happy that I was able to be a part of her special day!

Vendor Information:

Event design, set-up: Sheek Shindigs

Floral arrangement: Sheek Shindigs

Desserts (Key Lime Cuplets, Cake Balls, Chocolate Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies): Sheek Shindigs

Personalized Shortbread toppers {E + D}: Parker's Flour Patch

Grape Candy Sticks: Candy Warehouse