Valentine's Day Party

What can be more fun than an intimate gathering of 4-5 kids getting together to make their unique Valentine's Day hearts for that special someone. I put together all the supplies (pink and red hearts) crayons and markers and let their imagination be their guide. I also included an assortment of candy for kids to choose from, in a mainly pink color palette, both to enjoy and to include with thier Valentine's Day cards. Gum balls, chocolate mints, taffy, jelly beans, and hot pink chocolate lips will delight them and pink iced tea to be sweetened to
taste with pink rock candy will quench their thirst. Cute!  

Pink Candy Bar

Saturday was a pretty fun day for us - I was hired to put together the favors and create a candy bar for a beautiful wedding that took place at the Stone House at Stirling Ridge in Warren, New Jersey. The Stone House is a magnificent venue for a wedding featuring a decor that is patterned with raw wood, stone and metal and provides a modern backdrop to its secluded natural setting.

We arrived early in the morning to set up our display and I think it came out gorgeous. The wedding was less traditional; there were no place cards, so the candy display was the first things that guests saw as they entered into the lobby. For those who came early or came directly to the venue, the candy bar broke the ice and gave everyone something to sample and discuss while they waited for the event to begin.    

The couple's color scheme for the wedding consisted of black, gold, and different shades of pink and purple. I decided to keep the candy bar in pink and black. There was an array of different pink candies to sample (taffy, grapefruit gummies, jelly beans, chocolate hearts, and watermelon sours) in apothecary jars. There were also pink rock candy, black and pink striped candy sticks, and black licorice (a personal favorite of the mother of the bride). A big hit on the table were the lovely dark chocolate covered pretzels, drizzled with white chocolate and sprinkled with hot pink nonpareils. 

Candy favor boxes were made so people could fill them with their favorite candies to take home. The boxes had black tissue paper and cute pink tags that had the initials of the couple and the date of the wedding. The kids thoroughly enjoyed the candy buffet, but the way the adults participated helped to create a truly memorable event. I was thrilled to be part of this wedding and I can't wait for the next event! 

Christmas Dessert Table

I created this lovely table for a good friend of mine. She thought that a dessert table would not only be a perfect addition to her holiday party but that it would create an area for people to gather and mingle. I stayed within a mainly red and white color palette. The bright white exuded a feeling of wintry, frosty snow. Decorative aspects of the table focused on everything cranberry. The backdrop had a wintry cranberry feel; a tree made of fresh cranberries along with cranberry balls placed atop of glass candle holders were a showstopper. While my blogs are meant to give you all ideas, I myself got the idea to decorate with cranberries from my previous blog entry, Decorating with Cranberries.

Cranberry iced tea was presented in glass bottles for guests to serve themselves. The table was not short on candy, there were: white chocolate covered pretzels, peppermint mints, chocolate mints, gum balls, jordan almonds, sixlets, large swirly lollipops, chocolate dipped candy canes, twizzlers, red chocolate stars, and white chocolate snowflakes. A feast for the eyes! Christmas is pretty much synonymous with baking cookies, so I made sure to include a good variety of cookies as well, such as: candy cane thumbprint cookies, Christmas tree almond sugar cookies, lemon-coconut snowball cookies, and vanilla meringues. Guests also had candy favors to take home with them. The “Christmas treats to go” were a hit as guests tried to narrow down their choices of treats to bring home. A great time was had by all! 

Blue Dessert Table

I want to share some photos of a dessert table I created a little while ago. This table has a fun sporty/ocean theme. It incorporates different shades of blue, white, and a touch of light/lime green.

The tall cone centerpiece emulates the ocean while sea creature chocolate lollipops swim against the waves. 

The three plates towards the front feature chocolate stars (star fish) and gems (like those found in a buried treasure chest). Marshmallow cones are suggestive of the much craved ice cream cones sold on the beach. 

Baseballs, soccer balls, and footballs are created out of chocolate covered Oreos, just in case anyone wants to have a game of catch on the beach. 

 A pool of blue gummy sharks patiently waits for the kill. 

Finally, an assortment of blue-hued candies and chocolate-covered graham crackers with blue swirls top off the ocean theme. The table is sure to evoke carefree days spent at the beach.   

Halloween Dessert Table

I hope everyone had a spooky/fun Halloween this past weekend. This year I decided to dress up as a pirate and I can assure you that I was in good company. It was exciting to walk the city streets of New York, checking out all the creative costumes. In order to take in the true spirit of Halloween (i.e. candy), I created a fun dessert table so my friends and I could get our sweet fix. To all you kids out there… this is what adults need to do when they are too old to go trick-or-treating!

I decided to go with a non-traditional color palette: black, white, and yellow. I included different types of candy, marshmallow pops, brownie pops, gourmet popcorn, chocolate covered pretzels, cupcakes and ghost nutter-butter cookies. I also had customized chocolate bars and candy treat bags for guests to take home. Here are some of the photos taken by my new photographer, Jessica Sprung!