Timpano Bridal Show-Midland

I was asked not very long ago by my friend Jen, from Simply Cakes and Sweets to join her at her booth for the Midland Timpano Bridal Show. I was SUPER excited, not only because I was getting to work with Cake Ace-Jen, but also because this would be my FIRST bridal show!  Jen and I had been talking for awhile about collaborating on Sweet Treat Buffets, and this seemed like the PERFECT opportunity to get the word out! I am not sure if you have been to an event that has had one of these or if you have been seeing them all over the Internet like I have. I LOVE them! They are FANTASTIC to look at, FUN for guest to enjoy, and make a GREAT favour!  I am excited to see where it takes us!
When Jen and I started talking about her vision for the booth, she told me a few ideas for cakes that she thought she would like to showcase, she emphasised how important it was to do something unique and different for the area AND my favourite; she wanted SPARKLE! So a brainstorming I went! Design after design came and went until I was happy. We had a fantastic colour scheme of Pink and Black picked.

 Jen had found some GORGEOUS pink fabric that she wanted to use. As time passed things were coming together! Her husband Terry was creating FANTASTIC cake stands; involving light tubes, and motors, Jen was having a great time creating beautiful cakes to show off, and I was have fun doing what I do, finding the SPARKLE that Jen had requested. Plus we were still developing on how the Sweet Treat Buffet was going to work.
I was nervous about how things were going to come together, Jen's cakes and sweets, and my decor design. I am always worried about having enough time to set everything up, often when people say "what can I do to help" I don't have an answer because I have it all planned in my brain step by step for me to do and to pick it apart to find tasks that don't require a direct link to my brain takes a bit for me! When all was said and done, I was  VERY happy with the results! Jens cakes looked spectacular! Terry's stands were going to be the talk of the show, and the Treat Buffet was definitely an eye catcher, although one of our showpiece's for the table was "Man-handled" by a neighbour and suffered a little as a result.

Our ADORABLE Fairy Godmother!

 I loved the whimsical and sophisticated feel the entire set up had.

Our SWEET square!

We brought in three, yes that's right THREE extra tables to use besides our given 8ft table. Behind we used a 7ft table and cake stands covered by pink, Pink and more PINK; to display some gorgeous work by Jen.

The back display was highlighted with Jen's outstanding Fall cascade Cake

 

 The main display table, an 8ft had white skirting and a black tablecloth; we draped with the shimmering pink fabric and Showcased the two stunning stands that Terry had worked so hard on.

This is the Stand that has light tubes! It was fun to watch Jen as she demo'd how it can be customised to wedding colours and the ultimate of the Disco effect!

 

This Fantastic design had a rotating top (where the larger cake is sitting)!

 

 The 8 foot table was flanked on either side with 4ft tables that were covered in black fabric and the shimmering pink fabric drape. On one side along with digital frames that showed some other work, we had some samples of Jen's Chocolate mousse, and her FANTASTIC Candy & Caramel apples.

Jen's mousse and Candy/Caramel Apples! Plus her gorgeous Pink & Black Cake

On the other side, it was totally dedicated to our Sweet Buffet display. From candy and chocolate, to donuts and whoopie pies, all looked and tasted AMAZING!

Our Sweet Treat Buffet

And then we were ready for the doors to open...

The first few minutes were quiet but as brides and their posse got around to us and word spread like wild fire that we had samples; we had more and more people at our little square. I think that it was true that one reason why we were so busy was because we were giving samples but I truly believe that it had A LOT to do with the fact that we had achieved what Jen had originally set out to do. Show them all something NEW, UNIQUE, and EXCITING! I loved talking with all the Brides I met, as well as some Grooms who's eyes lit up when they saw our gorgeous display of donuts! I am really looking forward to being able to work with Brides, Grooms and their families to create memories that will last lifetimes!
Thanks so much to the other vendors who were at the show, the other "veterans" who tried to help us when Jen was putting up her banner, and  to Paul Timpano and his team who put such an amazing show together!
And of course a BIG Thank You goes out to Jen and Terry; I can't say enough about you two! Looking forward to all that is to come!

Welcome October!

The air is getting Crisper, the leaves are turning, and I am getting ready to host our Families Turkey dinner! I am Canadian, so we have our Thanksgiving Holiday in October. I am hosting Turkey day at my house this year. I am both excited and afraid!

You might think this odd from someone who Plans parties/events as her career, but let me clarify something; it's not the planning or hosting that I am afraid of! It is the state of my house! Since the spring, my house has seemed to be in a whirl wind! We have all just blasted through and no one has really paid any attention to our home. It seems really angry with us now! Since becoming busier, I have really found it difficult to find that balance that all of us women seem to desperately strive for. And so my mission this week is to apologise to our family home! I know this sounds crazy! But if you saw my house, you would understand how and why I would say it is angry with us!

 

Bits and Bites (or things that will keep me busy this fall);
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I am planning my own little Shin-Dig to honour some special women in my life; more details to follow.
Birthday's are always FUN! We will be celebrating a family birthday on the 19th, and there are some Birthday Boxes on order for the month of October that I am working on too! Watch for some Angry Bird and Beyblade inspiration.
My husband and I are excited to attend the wedding of a good friend. And to celebrate the engagement of a Good friend's daughter (YIKES am I that old!).
I am very excited to be part of a special giveaway with Connie's Magical Cupboard, a local baker, check it out over on Facebook here.
I am always excited to work with Jen over at Simply Cakes and Sweets, she and I worked so well together in the past and we have much more up our sleeves for the fall!

Back to School means Back to Routine!

September is HERE! With that means sliding back in to FALL ROUTINE! I am hoping that means that I can increase my Blogging! I am setting up a schedule that I will be sharing in the next few weeks. For now I am sharing a few photo's of  past projects I have worked on over the last few months! Kind of my own version of "What I did on Summer Vacation"!

First up is a recap of the MIB:Shopping Showcase that I was a part of way back in the Spring! It was FANTASTIC! I made so many business connections and met so many great people! We managed to raise  money for a very good cause to boot!
 

My sister stopped by to show support and was SNAPped!

 


A view of my donut display!

This is part of a product for Office Celebrations, a FUN way for Co-Workers to share a Birthday!

I am loving all the Sweet Tables I have been able to design!

I was able to also "Spot Light" some of the GREAT vendors I have enjoyed working with, like cupCAKE
 

Delish Citrus Macrons!

And FUN Hot Air Balloon Cookies by Jen at Simply Cakes and Sweets

The corner of my spot held some products; like custom party hats, Birthday Wishes Candle kits, As well as some photos of my work and some info about me!

 Next up was a Fundraiser at cupCAKES as part of  their Donation Days; I was so honoured to be a part of this particular fundraiser. I have had loved ones who have had to fight Breast Cancer and I hold this cause very close to my heart!

This was a quick shot of the Quilt of Hope that was being created for the day, those buying cupcakes were encouraged to fill a memory card to honour some one special

I tried to decorate every corner and window!

 Over the summer I was pleased to get involved with a group; Cake for Kids who is trying to bring smiles to every birthday boy & girl. By providing them with a Birthday Cake when their family is in need. I have been able to help out by creating small Custom Party Boxes so that they can have mini celebrations. I try to include invites, thank yous, activities and Loot. First one I was privileged to take part in was for a special little girl, who loves music. the theme was Rock Star Divas and I absolutely loved putting it together!

Simple plastic drinking cups were "Diva-fied" with paper cupcake wrappers and ribbon

Loot bags were made from store bought take out containers, with a little streamer detail added

And for all the Divas; loot included Nail polish, lip gloss and candy in the perfect Diva colours of Pink and Purple!

For the centrepiece I used a Rock Star trophy and add some pizazz with a hand made tissue flower

My latest project was a collaboration with Jen from Simply Cakes and Sweets, we had a BLAST setting up the Sweets Table at the Rogers TV Midland Fall Programming Kick-off. Being able to submersed with the wonderful colours of fall, the past two weeks, has really got me thinking its time to find some Apple Cider or make a batch of my famous Roasted Squash soup (I've shared that recipe before!)

Reds, Oranges, and Burlap were a perfect match for the warmth of Fall.

Jen's FANTASTIC Rogers TV logo Cupcakes looked GORGEOUS with my rustic elements!

I guess that is all for my photo essay! Looking forward to a bit of a breather over this weekend, and some time with family!

Challenge and a Date Night!

PS. Make It Your Own and Fancy That hosted a Designer’s Challenge last week, the first in a series of 6  where the winner will go on to compete in a final Winner Take All Challenge! Participants were challenged to choose three items from a list of 5 (Lemon, Chocolate, Rice, Toilet Paper and Candles) and create a Date Night at Home tablescape. I have been thinking about taking one of these types of challenges and decided that now was the perfect time! My Husband and I just celebrated our Anniversary (Mid January) and with Valentines coming I loved the idea of planning a “Date Night”

Ever since we were married and had children we always knew that no matter what was going on we had to make time for us just to be with each other. Whether a splurge for a dinner and a movie out or a quiet night at home,  even a midnight snack after one of his hockey games, the important thing is always taking time for us to be US. So with that in mind I sat down with my notebook and started the way I normally do – listing the reasons for the party, the mood that I wanted to set and how I wanted the guests (in this case my husband and I) to feel before, during, and after. I knew I wanted to celebrate our anniversary and I knew very likely that at this time of the year it was going to be held late in the evening. I also knew I wanted it to be very relaxed, quiet and romantic. While Hubby doesn’t need a lot of “Fru-Fru” I wanted it to sparkle at least a little bit!

So once I had all of that figured out I started brainstorming idea’s for a theme; including Movie night, games night, hockey night -  and while we both enjoy all of that they didn’t seem to fit this particular Date. So on I went, “Because You’re Special”, You + Me = LOVE!”, “A Trip Down Memory Lane” – Then I was hit with a thought and BAM ideas for how I would use the mystery items, what I had in my stock of supplies, what would be great to find, and how much I LOVE THIS! So what was the idea, I hear you asking...

 Do You Remember When...

I wanted to create a fun way that we could share favorite moments in the History of Us. I wanted to make sure it was more of conversation starters rather then a test. So I came up with the idea of having little Heart tags for the table, dishes, etc and with paper and pen I  made a list of memories and with some carefully worded questions managed to get a few to add to the list from my sweetheart! Hearts made me think Red, Pink and Purple to work with as a colour scheme.

Then I looked at what items from the Mystery Components list I would definitely use. I was drawn to the T.P. – what an unusual, everyday item, and one that would definitely need some creative focus to make work! Rice and Chocolate rounded out my list of using at least 3 items.

So with elements chosen I began sketching out my table design. I knew we were going to sit at our coffee table which is low and round. I began by setting cushions on the floor and against the couch, as well as a BIG fluffy blanket. When I thought about incorporating the T.P., my mind went to a wedding my Mom helped with when I was a little girl – She, along with my sisters made thousands (it seemed) of tissue flowers for decorations; the kind where you accordion fold, tie, separate, and fluff a piece of tissue. I decided I would do something similar with the T.P. and use them to hang over the table along with some paper lanterns and ribbon. I love how this element turned out and that I was able to share that memory with Kevin, I think for the first time. I also used the toilet paper in a heart from cardstock and squares of tissue in my colour scheme, placed in a small bud vase to sit on the table.

While out and about one day I found some beautiful rolls of sheer fabric and immediately thought that they would look perfect on the table over top a simple white table cloth + another project I had in mind for my niece’s birthday -  I just wish I had noted the size, because I would have picked up a few extra rolls (next time!), when I started to lay the fabric I soon realized I did not have enough to do what I had thought of first, so I decided to try something I have been wanting to practice and pin a “skirt” around the table – LOVE the result! And am now on the hunt for the proper pins to do this again!

I knew that candles were going to be HUGE in providing the right ambiance and wanted to use a variety of tealights, votives and pillars, I had trouble finding good votives to use so went with as many tealights as I could safely scattered along with a “Centerpiece” that incorporated both the Rice and the candle items. Filling a vase with rice and red and clear “gems” before setting in the Pillar then placing on a square mirror tile, with tealights and more gems (which I found on another scouting mission to the Dollar store!) provided a quiet and romantic feel to the table. I loved how the candle light sparkled on the gems and in the room!

Next I wanted to set my menu so I would know what kind of dishes I was going to need to have on the table. Because I knew that more than likely we would be enjoy this date after Hubby would get home from his 2^nd “job” as a Referee I didn’t want to be rolling off the couch from being stuffed with a big meal.

To start the night off I was serving Whiskey Sour (My newest kick) which included a garnish of lemon and cherry.

For appetizers I decided to serve Roasted Squash soup in shot-type glasses, Bacon-wrapped Maraschino Cherries and Water Chestnuts and Tomato Cheese Ravioli Bites in Marinara sauce (last minute substitution due to the lack of good scallops for a Citrus Scallop dish that I had planned).

After appetizers we went with a Caesar salad. This was served in a beautifully shaped bowl, also found at the Dollar Store! The main was Roasted Veg, Risotto (gotta get more of that Rice element in!) and Whiskey Maple Lamb Chops – YUM!

To set the table I decided to stick with basic white dishes, simple crystal for water and regular silverware. I have a set of rose wine glasses, passed down from my Mom, and they fit the colour scheme so well they were on the table too!

I also went with white napkins to go under the silver chargers, I used to anchor each place setting - I found some adorable dish towels with pink, red and purple hearts embroidered that fit perfectly.

I scattered the oversized “Rubies” and “Diamonds” around the table and on some of the dishes. I also incorporated a GREAT printable from Eye Candy Events (Love Like Crazy), which I printed and coloured in my own colours and displayed in a white frame, which I had attached mini-clips to hold more of my “Do You Remember When” tags.

Dessert featured 2 of the Mystery Components

-Chocolate      -Lemon

Each displayed with the cute little tags. I had recently found a recipe using lemon angel cake and whipping cream and yogurt. I added a little Kick to the whip cream with a little more whiskey. The chocolate covered strawberries (what’s a romantic dinner for 2 without chocolate covered strawberries?!)

 I had planned to have one of my pretty “ruffled” candy dish with Lemon Heads candy and Valentine mix of Hershey Kisses – which just happen to incorporated my colours! However I could not get my hands on the Lemon Heads so I had to settle for Lemon Beans. I tucked more heart tags in the candy.

We enjoyed the evening so much and the only draw back is now the bar is set very high for our next Date night, maybe I’ll just let him plan it ;)

Don’t forget to check out the winning submission here, and the other submissions here. Good luck to Melinda! Good luck in the final round!