My lovely friend celebrated her birthday a few days ago with an elegant navy stripe and hot pink themed afternoon tea.
It was a charming afternoon with her friends at a local venue with a
traditional 3 tier afternoon tea service and I made a cake to work in
with the theme.
Although I would love to say my cake was
the highlight of the event, it was overshadowed completely by my friend
who during her thank you speech graciously took the time to thank every guest and
tell them why they were special in her life.
Fresh flowers on a simple white base trimmed with navy grosgrain ribbon and a pearl brooch. The cake was a traditional chocolate mud with chocolate ganache (a mix of 70/30 dark/milk lindt chocolate).
And I must tell you ganaching in Queensland in the middle of summer is less than awesome :)
Anyhoo I popped some baking paper in between the flowers and the cake to protect it just in case there was any type of residue on the flowers. You can see it in the close up below if you squint and look carefully.
The tables were decorated with fresh roses and co-ordinating navy grosgrain ribbon.
Guests received a lovely gift of earrings and a decorated cookie (by me) in a bag hand decorated by the hostess to co-ordinate with the theme.
It was a delightful afternoon.
Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook '
Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes,
candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is
available at most online book stores.
Original Ideas, photography and recipes by Linda Vandermeer do not reuse without permission.
Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook '
Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes,
candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is
available at most online book stores.
Original Ideas, photography and recipes by Linda Vandermeer do not reuse without permission.
Lilli's pretty pink and mint green ruffle rosette party table.
Sometimes I see awesome catchy titles like 'best budgeting tips ever, see how this person paid off their house in 3 years' and I have to click over. I'm always disappointed. One of the top tips is inevitably to stop buying coffee. I'm not sure they fully understand my goal is to magically save money so I can constantly do the types of frivolous things the post is advising against.
Which brings me to today's post, this year instead of trying to top all the previous year's party and be even more over the top I went the other way and did the party on a budget (disclaimer I acknowledge in advance sometimes my understanding of budget may not be the same as yours, or more relevantly Mr Sweet's, but there are some real and sensible cost saving tips scattered in the post).
And it still looked good. I pretty much decorated this party with 5 pieces of scrapbook paper, a few pieces of ribbon and twine and a piece of material I had left over from something else.
Ok I admit - there is lots of other stuff on the table but I already had those things and this is my magical budgeting fantasy. It's the story I told Mr Sweet and I'm sticking to it.
Of course I made all the cakes and treats myself as well, plus I was also the entertainment as the party was a cupcake decorating party. Oh my goodness it sounds like I'm a super mum, but we all know that is far from true, y'all have seen my most embarrassing ever messy creative space before shots.
Anyhoo as well as doing all the stuff for the party I managed to whip up a couple of you tube video's to show how I made the decorations. Most of it is pretty easy stuff, but feel free to click through and check me out crafting to save money because it's too much fun not to ;) umm craft that is not watch me on youtube....
See me make DIY Easy cheap Paper Bunting you tube video:
Super cute rag ribbon bunting cake topper tutorial:
Make your own Paper rosette's:
Decorating the party table on a Budget
My brief to myself for this party was to use what I already had, thus the pink and green colour scheme, as I seems to already have a lot of stuff in those colours sitting around.
Drinking Jars - I used recycled jars that my friend gave me after one of her parties, which makes them re-recycled. Cute huh! They are decorated with some washi tape I had sitting around and the paper rosette's (see the you tube tutorial link) that I pretty much stuck on everything.
Straw flags - I already had these pink and white polkadot straws left over from a previous party, I added a little bit of green and pink shabby chic floral washi tape from Greengate to the tops and popped them in another tall re-recycled jar decorated the same as the drinking jars.
Bunting - I had been thinking of doing a pretty rag ribbon bunting behind the table but then I would have had to buy fabric - and I was budgeting remember. So I made this paper bunting myself from Tilda and Martha Stewart scrapbook paper I already had sitting around, it was easy, it was cheap, it was really fast to make and it gave the effect I was looking for. It used 3 pieces of scrapbook paper and I saved the offcuts for mini bunting and rosette's. I stuck it to the wall over a piece of ribbon using double sided tape.I did a quick video tutorial on how I made it/
Risers - (these are to give height to the table mostly for visual purposes) this is a bathroom storage box from the dollar store, it was about $9. I painted it pink (with paint I already had sitting around), and then added Tilda scrapbooking paper offcuts saved from the wall bunting above. I used double sided tape to stick on some pink and white twine, added the mini bunting using more double sided tape and finished off with a couple of those paper rosette's. Then in a complete turn around from the famous style tip to finish something and take one thing away - I added a paper doily, adhering it with a little double sided tape. When your decorating with me - 'More is more'.
Tablecloth - this was a piece of Tilda fabric off cut left over from other decorating in my house, it has big chunks cut out the back - but you can't see behind the table so I didn't care - remember I'm on a budget. I cut another strip off (behind the table) to use on the cake bunting. If your fancy you could no doubt finish off the edges with some pretty trim, I'm not that fancy and I always try to avoid sewing. Seriously there was a drink dispenser and candy/ lollies, like the kids were checking out if my tablecloth was finished.
Rag fabric bunting cake topper - Using more of the pink and white twine I tied strips of the tablecloth fabric and a little bit of excess lace trimmed from the bottom of the lace I used on the cake. Note - ok you guys are thinking at this stage I am going overboard using little scraps of left over lace, but there is a method to this madness. By using the little offcuts I am ensuring consistency, it simply matches better. (Link to you tube tutorial)
Hanging lamp frames - Hmmm what can I say, I saw a picture of a naked lamp HERE that I loved and PINNED it inspired these lamps. But remember I was on a budget, I tried checking out some of the second hand stores to find lamps to use but when I had no luck I took my old bedside lamp that I hadn't used for years and made what you see in the picture above. I loved the look but needed another......and I stole Mr Sweet's which unfortunately he still uses. I've been wanting to get overhead wall lamps for a while now so I guess it will be happening soon, and he wasn't upset at all, well not too upset ;)
Pink floral 2 tiered stands - I already had one of these that I had picked up a while back at the dollar store for around $14. When I went back there was only 1 left and it was wonky, they sold it to me for $11 and I bent it back into shape. I was using the other one to hand sugar flowers off each layer to dry so it is totally multi functional and worth it - *double bargin *.
Drink dispenser - I already had the drink dispenser, although it did take me many hours to find it, you may wonder how something that large can get lost, and I would agree with you. Anyhoo I decorated it with paper rosette's to continue my theme. See reverse styling note above, when in doubt add an extra paper doily - it works for me.
Cake Plates and Jars - I already had all of these sitting around. Beg, borrow or failing that hire some. Discount stores also have these types of things available for quite reasonable prices at the moment, but remember you will have to store them afterwards.
Party Food
Pink Lemonade - The kids made up the pink lemonade the day before the party, they thought it was awesome fun of course, were super proud of themselves and I only had to help out a little. It was win win. Plus there is no artificial colour in this baby - it's hand strained (frozen) raspberry :) Note according to the kids - drink dispensers rock. It was the biggest hit of the party after the cupcake decorating.
Ruffle Rosette Cake - The cake was pink and green layers with piped buttercream. Raspberry layer cake and a new pineapple flavour I was trying out - verdict. We won't be trying out that pineapple cake again, but the raspberry layer was delicious. The buttercream was Italian Meringue Buttercream flavoured with real raspberry so once again no food colour. I'm hoping to share how I made this one on the blog soon. Continuing on with my rosette theme I popped a few fondant rosette's all over the cake. The bottom layer was fake styrofoam covered in fondant - we really didn't need that much cake but I liked the extra height.
Macarons - green french almond macaron shells with raspberry white chocolate ganache to tie in with the colour theme.
Cake Pops - White candy chocolate dipped decorated with fondant rosettes in pink and green.
Decorated Cookies - Ruffled buttercream with fondant rosette, still carrying through that rosette theme. And fondant and royal icing decorated sugar cookies.
Candy / Lolly Green apple bon bons, white milk bottle and 'teeth' mix and pink/white swirl marshmallow.
We also had pass the parcel as that is the party girl's favorite party game. The prizes were mostly baking related ie. fondant plungers and cookie cutter sets.
Party favor's consisted of a pink and white bag from the discount store ($2 pack of 10) filled with some cupcake decorating treats like pretty cupcake cases, sugar pearls and a fondant flower or butterfly plunger plus a box of Betty Crocker vanilla cupcake mix.
Where to get stuff or make your own
How to make a paper bunting How to make rag ribbon cake topper How to make paper rosette's
Apple Bon Bon's - The Professor'
Other candy - Big W discount department store
Photography by Terri Vandermeer any especially blurry shot's might be by me :)
Fabric for Tablecloth and rag ribbon bunting - Tilda Rosalie Pink
Scrap paper - Tilda I picked mine up at Sewco in Brisbane
All cakes, cookies and macarons - Bubble and Sweet How to Host a Cupcake Party Blog
Cupcakes at cupcake party and packet mix used for party favours - Betty Crocker
Cake stand's, plates and drink dispenser's bought minimum of one year ago so stockist details are probably out of date sorry. The Cake Stand is Clara French, the Drink dispenser was from Sharnel Dollar Designs (no longer sells to public now party styling services and commercial styling), the white flat plates from Freedom Furniture, the
Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores:
This post is not sponsored. Affiliate links may result in earnings, however will not cost you any more :)
Did you know Petit four translates in English to Little Oven.....well I didn't until I started typing this post. I always think of Petit fours as the tiny pretty little cakes, but it really means any tiny little treat including a macaron, biscuit or meringue.
So is it kinda weird calling these shabby chic looking treats - little oven? Plus perhaps these sweet little berry flavored cakes are a tad too big too be considered a petit four. But I'm hoping you won't hold that against me. I'm just gonna go with calling them petit four cause it makes me happy.
These are a very simple mini cake covered in a raspberry flavored ganache, filled with a raspberry and white chocolate butter cream and then decorated with butter cream and a mini raspberry macaron.
I didn't make a big fuss about covering them in marzipan and weighting them down to make perfectly even shapes. The sides look a little bit rough - I'm ok with that.
I wanted them to taste like cake.
I love these cakes just the way they are, deliciously simple and effortlessly pretty.
Alright although they are simple there are a lot of different components to them which could make them a little time consuming, so maybe effortlessly is a bit of a stretch. I think the correct word would be achievably pretty.
If you like a little less effort you could omit the butter cream filling and instead use a store bought raspberry preserve. Use a piece of fresh fruit such as a raspberry or strawberry in place of the macaron, and pop a swirl of cream onto the top to secure your fruit instead of piping the flowers. They would taste almost just as good and they would really be effortlessly pretty.
I served these cakes at the Enjo party I had, (you know the party plan for
cleaning products) with cheese, fruit and chocolate macarons.
Mmmm simply delicious.
Pink rose and macaron shabby chic petit fours
Strawberry cake ( recipe from Sweets on a Stick - although you can use a packet mix if you like)
300g (10 1/2 oz)white chocolate
100g (3 1/2 oz) cream
pink food color
raspberry flavor
raspberry butter cream (variation raspberry preserves)
1 cup piping consistency butter cream (colored pink, white, green and lavender) (CLICK HERE for recipe)
pink mini macarons (CLICK HERE for macaron recipe and make them 2cm)
silver cashous
102, 103, 66 and 32 tips, couplers and piping bags
Piping nail and flower lifter
round cutter 5cm (2")
sharp knife
Remove brown crusts from top and sides of cake. Cut out as many round shapes as you can using the round cutter. Spread a couple of teaspoons of raspberry butter cream or raspberry preserves on one round and press another on the top back and place on a wire rack.
*if your cake is high you may just need 1 round cut in half and filled with butter cream.
This recipe for this strawberry cake in the above picture is from Sweets on a Stick
Make the ganache. Place the chocolate and cream in a microwave safe dish and heat at medium low heat for 2 minutes, leave for 1 minute and then use a whisk to mix until combined. If necessary heat again at medium low for 1 minute bursts until all the chocolate is melted. Add 1/2 tsp raspberry flavor and then a few drops of pink food color and carefully mix in until combined (do not over mix).
Place a plate or tray underneath the wire rack where the filled round cakes are sitting and then pour a couple of teaspoons of mixture over the top of each cake.
Then go back and spoon around the edges until the tops and sides are completely covered with the raspberry ganache. You can reuse the excess ganache that drips onto the plate underneath to cover the cakes.
Allow the ganache to set.
Fill four piping bags with each of the different colors of piping butter cream. Pop the 103 tip on the pink butter cream, the 102 on the white, the 66 on the green and the 32 on the lavender.
Pipe a butter cream rose using the pink butter cream onto the flower nail. Holding the piping bag in one hand and the flower nail in your other hand touch the larger side of the opening to the top of the flower nail holding the tip upright make a small tight cone shape swirl in the center by holding the tip still, applying light pressure to the piping bag and turning the nail around. Once you have turned around once release the pressure and remove the tip. Make the petals by touching the larger side of the opening to the base of the center swirl you have just made and tipping the smaller end of the tip away at around a 45% angle. Apply light pressure to the piping bag, turn the nail a very short distance and the release the pressure to the bag and lift the tip away. Repeat the process to make 5 petals around the center swirl. Then continue on and pipe another layer of 5 petals around the outside. Use the flower lifter to pick the rose up and move it to the top of the ganache covered cake.
OK this picture is not perfect but do you get the idea?
If not do a you tube search on piping butter cream roses
Make white roses using the same technique explained above and using the flower nail lift onto the cake next to the larger pink flower.
They're not right....must keep on practicing :)
Use the green butter cream to pipe leaves, practice on a piece of parchment paper first by touching the tip to the paper and the slowly lifting away and moving slightly up and down to make the little ruffles, keep applying a little bit of pressure as you pull the tip away to make a pointed tip to the leaf. Note - If your tip is new you may need to use a thin knife to open up the four pronges in the tip otherwise they might cut through the butter cream too much.(You'll be able to see when you do your practice if you need to do this). Once you are happy with your leaf piping effect pipe 3 leaves onto the cake.
Take the lavender butter cream and pipe 2 ruffled dots onto the top of the cake next to each other by holding the piping bag straight up from the cake and applying a little pressure, releasing the pressure and lifting the tip away from the cake. Place a silver cashous onto one of the dots and a macaron on the other.
Cakes covered with ganache and butter cream can be kept in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge, remove from fridge before serving and allow to come to room temperature and then add the macarons.
The strawberry cake shown in the pictures is from Sweets on a Stick. but instead of crumbling it into cake pops I have baked it in a rectangle tray and used it for these petit fours, of course I did use the left overs to make cake pops.
Sweets on a Stick is available from most online book stores including:
Remember way back when I posted my beautiful Lollipop Cookie pops made from sugar cookie and marshmallow fondant.
No off course you don't........it was my second post and no one but my mum was reading my blog. Well my mum and then amazingly Lorraine from Not Quite Nigella who posted a comment, and then kindly afterwards linked to my post. Thanks Mum and Lorraine - your the best.
Well I made those original cookies almost a year ago and boy have I come a long way since then.
These here are some pics of my latest lot of lollipop cookies for a photoshoot I was involved with for new business A Party Pack.
I'm sooo looking for a party stylist to team up with in a few months when I start getting serious with my business because look at this.....
and this.....
and this....
and finally this...... If you love the accessories go check out A Party Pack they send all the essentails for a party to you, as easy as opening up a gift box. The pack above is the Babushka Pack which was one of my favourites.
I first read Ava Rosemeyer's story about a year ago, I was searching and came across some beautiful images and noticed a tab with the simple heading Ava and a link to her memorial site.
To say Ava's story is touching is a complete understatement, Ava was not yet 4 when she was unexpectedly taken from her family. One of the things that Ava had been looking forward to was a tea party she had been planning with her family.
A group of talented people have had the vision to create Ava's Tea Party in August each year, to inspire people to spend time together with their loved ones. Links to these groups are included at the end of this post.
So inspired, on Monday the 23rd of August some friends and I had a tea party in memory of Ava Rosemeyer.
Naomi from Naomi V Photography took beautiful images of this wonderful day and Daneve from Ah Tissue came and decorated with her gorgeous pom poms.
We remembered a little princess, we laughed, had fun and spent time with some people we love and some new friends.
We had rosewater cupcakes, chocolate macarons, oreo cookie pops, flower sugar cookies and Wizz Fizz sherbet icecream cones.
In memory of Ava I didn't stop the kids from wading in the mud and squishing it between their toes. Lilli told me this was the best part of the party......
Big bubble blowers.......always lots of fun.
Proving that not only princesses love a tea party Kye was the ultimate party boy.
Later while driving home Lilli asked me if I thought that Ava got the balloons up in Heaven that we had released.
I'd like to think she did.
Ava's Tea Party is held in August of every year. This year Details Details has a range of printable invites for $10 each designed by a group of super talented Australian Stationery designers. The whole $10 you pay is donated to Paradise Kids a community funded organisation which helps families through grief and loss.
Big thank you to Naomi V Photography and Ah Tissue for helping to make this such a wonderful day for the kids.
by Linda Vandermeer 
