Ruffle up your event design!

Ruffles have been sitting quietly on the fashion scene for the last couple of years, but in spring 2010 the "ruffles look" really stormed the catwalks! I love this fashion trend because  the ruffles exude smoldering romance and unapologetic femininity.  This trend actually inspired me to explore how the dress design could be incorporated into the overall event vision. From linens, to flowers and cakes, styling is all about complementing well and reaching a visual balance.

Victorian Style Dinner with a Modern Twist

I love Victorian-inspired events. Christi Bennett from P is for Party planned and organized this simply elegant affair for her birthday. Event planners look for inspiration in everything - fashion, fabrics, buildings even china...The colour palette for this party came from her china, which has an exquisite pattern of intricate flowers and butterflies. Here is what she says about the table scape design:
"I wanted to combine modern and traditional touches which I did by using my china, silver and crystal along with modern white vases." One of her favourite parts of the decor are the pink napkins, which she monogrammed with her initials.
The inclusion of pink roses and peonies really add a pop of colour to the overall design concept. For giveaways, Christi chose sweet temptations - individually wrapped mini pies with tucked bamboo forks. The forks were hand monogrammed with the word "Indulge". Every little detail is lovely. For more images, click here









Local sweet designs - proudly made in Alberta.

When I wrote the Sweet Heaven blog post, I promised to find and showcase some local dessert tables. The first dessert masterpiece is the baby of Evelyn from Sweet Stylings in Calgary. I stumbled upon her website last night and I have to admit... my mouth started watering when the page loaded. The photo below is a dessert table that she created for a baby shower. How cute is this? I love the colour choice - the orange and blue really pop on the neutral tone background. The table is bright, cheerful and deliciously looking. The second design has a contemporary feel. I love the idea of using tall glass vases to elevate the dessert trays. The candied apples look so tempting and these macarons are bits of divine goodness.

Make your own diaper cake!

Diaper cakes are becoming very popular because they are creative, original and practical gifts. A diaper cake could also function as a fabulous centerpiece for a baby shower and be decorated to match any theme. The pictures below are my first attempts to do diaper cakes for friends. It was surprisingly easy to make and I want to share this tutorial.





Things you need:
• A little bit of creative flair and time
• One pack of white diapers (Approximately 68 for a 3 tier cake)
• Rubber bands
• Receiving blankets (3 for a 3 tier cake) or scrapbook paper
• Cardboard large enough for the base
• Baby bottle
• Fabric glue
• Adhesive tape or double sided sticky tape or glue dots
• Colourful ribbons and bows
• Tissue paper
• Cake decorations: wooden characters, letters, flowers, feathers,etc.
• Netting or cellophane
Step 1: Select a colour scheme or a theme for your diaper cake
Before you start assembling the cake, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to do- is there a particular party theme that you want to follow, is there a specific colour scheme that you want to work with? Still not sure - click
here to view this wonderful gallery of diaper cakes that hopefully will inspire you.
Step 2: Building the cake - one tier at a time
Take the cardboard base (or the cake platter) and place a large bottle of baby lotion in the centre. I personally used three different sizes of pans to shape the layers.Then place about 30 diapers around the bottle and put a large rubber band around the entire ring of diapers. There are two ways of rolling up the diapers:
1. To form the top of the diaper cake, roll up a diaper, starting at the 'open' top end. Wrap a rubber band around the rolled diaper to stop it from unrolling.
2. An alternative to rolling up each diaper is to place the diapers side-by-side and form a rolling circle.

Repeat this with the second and top layers. The top layer will only be 1 circle of diapers. If you don’t want your diapers to be visible, you can wrap each layer with tissue paper.
Step 3: Decorate
This is the fun part. Wrap each layer with a receiving blanket and secure with adhesive tape. Wrap each layer with a ribbon. I used two different sizes of ribbon that I glued together.

The top is the centerpiece. There are many items that you could choose for the top. I personally chose feathers and butterflies. You can place a toy, flowers, or a baby bottle. You can also hide gifts and place them in the centre of each layer to keep the cake steady (i.e.: pacifiers, washcloths, onesies, mittens, socks and other baby supplies)

If a budget is an issue, you can do one layer of cake and use a cake stand or a box or do washcloth cupcakes.

For those who wish to see the video tutorial, click here.

Here are some fabulous diaper cakes for your inspiration.








Sourcing: Cake 1, Cake 2, Cake 3


Sweetie Pie Party

I recently came across a really cute blog and I fall in love with this party. Charisse created this party to celebrate her daughter’s first birthday. I have to admit, I was very impressed with the level of details and creativity that went into pulling this together. It is elegant, whimsical, girly and sweet. Everything is so inspiring from the crafted banners and wall décor to the perfectly designed dessert table and crafted scrapbook. Here is what Charisse says about the party:
"I wanted to create a little party for her that was pretty and sweet like she is. Most of the frames are from the thrift store; spray painted to match her room. The banner is made from doilies purchased at the dollar store."
Thanks for sharing, Charisse. Your party and your little sweetie pie – Marielle- are absolutely adorable. For more pictures and details, click here.