Cheers! - A Beer Tasting

I adore a good wine tasting, a "bottle and brush" session with good friends, or an after-work wine and cheese "wine down" party with co-workers.  These parties are a clever twist on the traditional wine tasting - a Beer Tasting party!  Ever since I first came accross these, I have been talking it up to everyone I can think of...we need to do this party!  It's a great idea for any adult birthday, an engagement party, stock-the-bar shower, or after-work party.  My awesome brother-in-law Justin, Allison's husband, has a birthday coming up in October, so maybe we can throw him a beer bash!

How cool is this setup?!  I love all of the beers on display with the framed "brew" picture and the glass jars filled with bottlecaps...

Table centerpieces...love the peanuts!  It has such a pub-like feel!

Bottlecap topiaries - genius!

Hang framed bar or beer themed pictures to create the ultimate beer bash atmosphere!

Use galvanized tin pails with ice to serve different brews.

 

So many beers...

Love the barley! Tie with a ribbon and place in planters with moss.

Beer bottles used as decor and a bottle-opening tray

Use these cute beer cards for reviews!

Guinness-themed description cards.

Use ribbon and bottlecaps to tie together your serving pieces and decor.

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes and Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

Love the little beer can picks!

An upgrade from the standard pretzels and nuts...including Tabasco Popcorn.  Yum!  Really, the possibilities for bar-inspired food are endless, but here are just a few more ideas...

Loaded Potato Soup "Shots"...

Shrimp Cocktail "Shots"...

Cheeseburger Sliders...

Chipotle Mac & Cheese Shooters...

and, of course, Cake Shots!

Happy tasting!

Photos courtesy of www.hostessblog.com, www.pizzazzerie.com, and www.shabbyblogs.com.

Through the Looking Glass...A Mad Hatter Tea Party

"If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary-wise; what it is it wouldn't be, and what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?" - Alice, Alice in Wonderland

We love the idea of an Alice in Wonderland themed Mad Hatter Tea Party.  It can be adapted to just about any occasion - baby showers, engagement parties and, of course, children's birthday parties!  Everything about this party theme says, no screams, crazy, quirky and oh so fun!  So, let's step through the looking glass...

The herald of the party, the White Rabbit...he's late, he's late, for a very important date!

What an entrance!!

What a perfect setting for an "Un-Birthday Party," or any other kind of party for that matter!

I love this tablescape...look at the cheshire cat cups and the "eat me" tags...too cute!

These multicolored candelabras and chandeliers are on our "must, must have" list.

What a cute way to create a special place for each of your tea party guests...

and don't forget the guest of honor!

Love, love, LOVE this - especially the cookies!!

These cupcakes are so sweet, and I love the cake!

This cake is absolutely adorable, too...

But this one is a showstopper!! Definite winner!

Nevermind, it's a tie. :)

Royal Croquet Court with Wonderland character cut-outs...party genius!!

Don't forget your mallets!!

A fun way to get everyone dressed for the occasion?  Set up a Mad Hat Station, where guests create their own crazy couture!

The poms, lanterns, butterflies and colored chandeliers combine for an absolutely gorgeous setting! And how cute are those signs?!

"Who's been painting my roses red? WHO'S BEEN PAINTING MY ROSES RED?  Who dares to taint wiith vulgar paint the royal flower bed?  For painting my roses red, someone will lose his head!" - Queen of Hearts, Alice in Wonderland

Photos courtesy of www.jessicaclaire.net, www.hostessblog.com, www.cakecentral.com, and www.cakelava.blogspot.com

Greenlee Kate's First Birthday Plans!!

Ok, so I jump the gun a lot! I'm a HUGE planner! But in this case I have to be - my hubby's birthday is October 3rd, Greenlee Kate turns one October 11th, I am designing a wedding for October 14th and then Carter turns 5 October 24th! Busy month! I always plan way ahead anyway, but especially this time.

I have decided to do a Saturday morning brunch so not to interfere with Saturday football. In the South, we plan our lives around Saturday college football (Go Vols!). Here are my plans so far - we'll see later how it all comes together :)

My darling Greenlee Kate is just too darn cute to not include her on the invitation! Can you tell? I'm head over heels in love with this little girl! She has stolen my heart!

Who doesn't love an old-fashioned powdered donut? I know I do! It's a bond I share with my dad that can never be broken - haha!

This is just too precious! I think it will look fabulous on her dark pink high-chair!

Mudpie - adorable!!

I LOVE ruffle cakes! Have I mentioned that before? Probably only a few times ;) I've already got a quote e-mail into my cake lady and my eye on a personalized bunting from Etsy!

I think poms are great no matter where or how you use them! We have some in Greenlee's room that will be taken down and used with my favorite vases for the tablescape (I know I'm not Sandra Lee, but I love  her word "tablescape").

These will be adorable in our milk jars (or mason jars) with orange juice and milk.

This is the overall look we are going for! There will be donuts, muffins, quiches, bacon wrapped hotdogs and of course a fruit pizza - get excited!!

Waffles! If "Donkey" were coming, he'd be in heaven :)

Stay tuned for more ideas as I come up with them, and then for the real party photos in October!

Let Them Eat Cake!

Wedding cakes are some of the most beautiful works of art in my opinion ~ such intricate detail! A wedding cake is also one of the hardest decisions for a bride to make. She will most likely have a date, venue, dress, table centerpieces and menu chosen before she finally decides on a cake! It has to be perfect ~ after all she has dreamt about this day her whole life!

Over the years I have spent countless hours looking at wedding cakes - it's a fetish of mine! I've also spent hours upon hours watching cake shows on The Food Network! So I decided to share with you a few of my favorites...

If you know me, you know that I am NOT a fan of pink - at all! But I love, love, love this cake! The details of the ruffles and the rough edges on the flowers just get me! It is beautiful!

Simple, white elegance with this one! 

This cake and the display of it are right up my alley! Vintage painted furniture and a breathtaking cake! You could use this display for a wedding, birthday party or a baby shower. Honestly, you could use it pretty much anywhere and I'm sure it would be the talk of the event!

Simple ruffles for a small, family wedding.

Love the details of this cake! The layers of the icing are just beautiful!

Lace and brooches ~ need I say more?!?

This cake would be perfect for an outdoor Fall wedding. The leaves and the branches are gorgeous!

The detail of the piping and roses is beautiful on this one! Also love the chocolate ribbon on each layer.

Whoever said "Diamonds are a girl's best friend!" may have been wrong. I LOVE these pearls! This would be perfect for an outdoor summer Vintage Garden wedding.

If you know me, you also know that I am not a fan of lavender ~ pretty much anything pastel I run from! But I might could learn to like lavender with this cake. After all, it has ruffles! I love ruffled cakes!!

This one is a little outside the box for me,  but I do love it! I found this one while planning our next wedding which is gray and yellow. I love the topsy, turvy angles of this cake. Also using a different design on each layer is a great touch!