Host-It Notes

Bridal Shower Tea Luncheon

noreply@blogger.com (Host-It Notes) — Wed, 09 May 2012 00:01:00 +0000

Today we have a fun, creative guest post from my dear friend, Laura! She has a great eye for parties and this time she put it toward designing a tea-themed bridal shower luncheon. As maid-of-honor for her friend, Stacy, Laura hosted a sweet DIY party and shares the details with us.
From Laura:
I designed the personalized invitations then had them printed at a local print shop. Directions to the shower were separately printed on tea bag 'tags' then attached with ribbon to look as though they were coming from tea bags brewing in the pot of tea on the invitation. I bought simple white envelopes but DIY lined them using wrapping paper in theme colors. Her wedding colors were Black, Red, and Yellow.

I kept the budget in check by taking up the bride's grandmother's gracious offer to host it at her house. This made a comfortable, casual backdrop for close friends and family members to gather.

I bought nearly-new cream-colored cups and saucers from a second-hand shop so that everyone could enjoy hot tea in a real cup. Her grandmother's dining set and antiques played into the overall feel of a sophisticated tea party. Heavy-duty catering plates (though still disposable) and real silverware enhanced the dining experience. The bride used this as an opportunity to explore her favorite wedding flowers by creating the centerpieces herself. Favors were placed at each place setting.

Prizes for game winners (not pictured) were decorative tea cups and saucers individually packaged with either jam, assorted packaged tea, tea cookies, or honey.

The meal included:

Assorted Teas

Pineapple Punch

Salad with walnuts, cranberries, and balsamic vinaigrette

Pimento-Cheese Tea Sandwiches on White Bread

Cucumber and Herb Butter Tea Sandwiches on White Bread

Homemade Fruited Chicken Salad

Deviled Eggs

Banana Bread

Strawberry Scones

Lemon card Tartlets

Shortbread "Tea Bag" Cookies and "Tea Bag" Instructions

And Earl Grey Tea Cookies as favors

Below is the bride Stacy, Stacy and I, and the 'brides' from the toilet paper bridal gown design game.

Wonderful party, Laura! Thank you for sharing!!

Cake Pops by Babycakums

noreply@blogger.com (Host-It Notes) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 04:51:00 +0000

I had a fabulous experience ordering cake pops for a party this week! I'd been looking for pops to fit my budget for a small Nintendo-themed going away party for a co-worker. The plan was to don Mario mustaches and play games on an old school Super Nintendo (classic!). My dream was to have Mario and toadstool themed cake pops. When I called a popular local bakery for a quote I was a little bowled over by the $5.50+ per pop price tag. For $25 over my budget I could get a batch of plain, undecorated colored pops + 3 lonely Mario pops. I cried a little inside.

To the rescue came Babycakums! Recommended by a mutual friend, it turns out someone I know has been making adorable cake pops all along! And her prices beat out the competition by $2 a pop—plus every single one was a custom character! Now, I'm not bashing any other bakeries here. Undoubtedly these $5 and $6 pops are worth it, and the work is excellent I'm sure, but for my money I couldn't be happier with the taste and look of my affordable pops. They were red velvet inside and they were sooo good. I'll be buying from them again. Just had to pass it on!
Aren't they adorable? I wish my pictures were better. The toadstools were perfect. And Mario's hat is filled with cake too! Mmmm.
For a quote, contact Marie Green of Babycakums at: babycakumssf@gmail.com

What I'm Reading

noreply@blogger.com (Host-It Notes) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 06:06:00 +0000

I just started a new job, which is both exhausting and putting a major cramp in my blogging style—but I wanted to slip in a quick post today to tell you about my latest book buys. Today, thanks to some B&N gift cards I'd been hoarding, I picked up a copy of The Colette Sewing Handbook and one of Oliver + S: Little Things to Sew. Colette is one I've been aching to get because it teaches you the basics beautifully. There's something so classic about the style, and I can't wait to make each of the 5 patterns! Oliver + S is one I've had my eye on in order to start making baby gifts for my friends. The projects in here are absolutely gorgeous and a little more special than the run of the mill baby stuff you'll find all over these days. I can't wait to dive into both.

So that's what I'm up to—reading, but never really getting time to sit down and sew. Alas! What about you? Have you found any good crafty books lately?

Ps. Oliver + S has some fantastic free patterns online!

Cake Stand Love: Fresh Pastry Stand

noreply@blogger.com (Host-It Notes) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 04:13:00 +0000

Ahh, the three-tiered cake stand, how I love thee. And two-tiered…and four-tiered… If you're looking for some serveware eye candy, click through the online shop Fresh Pastry Stand. Thanks to retro style and vintage plates scoured from estate sales, FPS creator Deva has packed her shop full of sweet-serving pretties. Plus they break down for easy storage—in case, like me, you already have way too many shelves full of dessert stands. Then again, is there ever really such a thing as too many cake stands? Find all these retro lovelies online at Fresh Pastry Stand. Ps…check out the one at the bottom. Five tiers!

Lovely Little Details Launch Party

noreply@blogger.com (Host-It Notes) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 17:29:00 +0000

I started a new office job this week and I'm exhausted!! Unfortunately, between work and needing to lay prostrate with my eyes closed during any and all off hours, I haven't been up to much fun (aside from, notably, a delicious sushi dinner with a friend visiting from New York. I miss you, New York!).

Yesterday I sprung from work to pop in all-too-briefly at the launch party for my friend Jacin's new business website. It was a momentous occasion because Jacin also quit her corporate job this week, and is taking on her event/styling/floral business full time. A hearty congratulations to her! She's living the dream! I didn't have my good camera on me at the time, nor did I have the wherewithal to even pull up my Instagram app (guys, I'm really tired this week…). But I did take some doesn't-do-her-work-justice pics of the party. Enjoy!

These streamers are pretty sweet. They're a regular streamer twisted to give them the look of rose petals. At least that's what I think. Here's a closer look:

Check out Lovely Little Details if you want to see more of Jacin's work.

Ps. Jacin is the reason my blog is looking so good these days!

Cake Art by Martha Rich

noreply@blogger.com (Host-It Notes) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 07:05:00 +0000

I've posted in the past about my love of cake art. Fortunately for me I had a pre-paid deal for 20x200.com expiring soon, which prompted me online in time to snag one of these. It's a print by artist Martha Rich, titled Yes Please. Isn't it delicious? The colors are even more vibrant in person. I can't wait to hang it on my wall.

How to Wrap an Oversized Baby Shower Gift

noreply@blogger.com (Host-It Notes) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:05:00 +0000

Remember that baby shower I just had some crafty fun with? I wanted to share how I wrapped the oversized gift my husband I gave to the parents. We bought them a baby jumping gym—the kind with little toys for the baby to play with while it bounces in its standing seat. The box was fairly gigundo, so I grabbed my extra-long roll of art paper as it was the only roll long enough to get around it. To embellish the box I cut triangle flags from scrapbook paper, punched small holes in their centers, and strung them on bakers twine. Rather than just knot or bow the ends, I glued buttons down on top to adhere the twine to the package. Then I added a few more buttons and stickers for fun. Art paper (also called craft and bulletin board paper) is sometimes the best option because you can dress it up any way you please!

Crafting for a Baby Shower

noreply@blogger.com (Host-It Notes) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 07:05:00 +0000

This past weekend I enjoyed the beautiful, sunny weather and a delightful baby shower. The shower was thrown for my friend Cho by her best friend, who flew into San Francisco for Texas and needed a little help on the ground during the planning process. Being said help, I offered a bit of advice and a hand at some pretty crafting to help decorate the shower.
The party was a picnic party, which meant everyone started off at the house to pack up their meal. All the food was pre-prepared—the hostess made individually-wrapped Texas-style breakfast burritos with all the fixin's—and I had sewn large fabric squares for guests to wrap their food in. These fabric squares were a triple threat. Not only were they little "hobo bags" (minus the stick) to transport the food, but they also served as cloth napkins at the park and will make great burp cloths for when the baby arrives! I have seen so many mothers run out of every last cloth and dish towel when burping their babies, so I know these will come in handy.

Next we headed to the park, where all sorts of cute puppies were drawn to us by the smell of bacon. Isn't this one cute?! Speaking of cute—how adorable is the mother-to-be?:

The park was a muddy mess, so I was especially thankful I had taken the time to stencil some plastic-lined canvas drop cloths for us to sit on. The plastic on the bottom meant we could enjoy a gorgeous day in the park without getting muddy rears. I only snapped one pic at the park but I have photos of all three cloths below. I stenciled them using Ed Roth's, Stencil 101 Decor. I think the honeycomb design is my favorite…or maybe the polka dot.

And that was that! I can't seem to find pics of the whoopee pies served for dessert, but if I do I'll share them as well. They were gluten and dairy free and amaaazing! Congratulations, Cho! I can't wait to meet your little one.

Retro Headbands

noreply@blogger.com (Host-It Notes) — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 07:05:00 +0000

Today I did some fun sewing and wrapping for my friend Nissa's birthday. I made two reversible headbands that can be worn two ways—knotted at the top of the head or tied at the back. I love them so much I had a hard time parting with them. I can't wait to make myself one or two.

The pattern I used was from the book Sew Darn Cute, a book I was given for my own birthday last year. Once I mastered the art of enlarging the pattern, the actual cutting and sewing was a cinch. I can't decide which I like more—the aqua or the denim and polka dot. They're both so cute!

When done, I rolled up the headbands and got out a vintage-style handkerchief (I say vintage "style" because it's of indeterminate origin). A pretty handkerchief is much for fun than your standard wrapping paper.

The birthday girl wore the red polka dot side out at dinner. I neglected to snap a pic, but rest assured she looked retro-fabulous. Happy Birthday, Nissa!

Mad Men Pillowcases

noreply@blogger.com (Host-It Notes) — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 07:05:00 +0000

Boy, did I get a kick out of this! I was washing and drying some vintage pillowcases I'd picked up at my local Goodwill for $2. I had planned to cut them up for cloth napkins for a baby shower (long story—more to come!). That's them above...
While they dried I was sewing up some retro headbands for a birthday gift and watching Mad Men. When lo and behold...

BAM!!! Would ya look at that?! Don Draper's little girl is sleeping on my same $2 pillowcases! For now these little babies are saved from their chop shop makeover. I can't bear to cut up my sweet Mad Men pillowcases just yet! I don't really need them as pillowcases though. Do you have any project ideas that'd be a perfect second life for these beauties? Or should I sell them back into the universe to be found by some happy Mad Men-loving mom out there? Send me your thoughts!

Free Modern Cards

noreply@blogger.com (Host-It Notes) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 07:05:00 +0000

Per usual, Love Vs. Design is up to something fab. This time it's creating colorful, simple and awesome birthday and thank you cards for free download. I would skip over there now, if I were you, and download them for yourself!

A Lovely Lavender Tea Party

noreply@blogger.com (Host-It Notes) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 05:49:00 +0000

I just got back from a trip to Arizona to visit one of my oldest and dearest friends. The highlight of the trip? An awesome tea party with her adorable two-year-old daughter. We ladies got all dolled up for tea in the backyard. To eat we served up lavender infused goodies and more.

A history of our tea daydreaming: My best friend Poppy and I were college roommates. One summer during our college years we spent a few months in Newport, Oregon where we enjoyed the atmosphere and flavors of a quaint British-style tea shop called Tea and Tomes (does anyone know if T&T is still open?). They had the most amazing lavender scones. Fluffy, not too sweet, and laced with the perfect amount of lavender. I enjoyed mine with loads of preserves and washed it down with Earl Grey or tasty raspberry tea.
The memory of those scones has stuck with me for over eight years, so we decided to give our tea party a hit of lavender. We baked lavender scones and stirred up lavender lemonade. To round out the tea we cooked up fresh lemon curd and assembled open-faced tea sandwiches on homemade bread. You can't have a tea party without tea, so we brewed up a pot of fragrant chai tea which we splashed with almond milk.

The day before our tea party we stumbled across this adorable miniature teacup and saucer set. Though we set it out for her dolly, she fell for it immediately, sipping her lemonade with glee.

Nothing could be better on a lazy, sunny afternoon than a tea party treats, cool lavender lemonade, and good friends.

Cake Stand Love: Tea Party Cake Stand

noreply@blogger.com (Host-It Notes) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 07:05:00 +0000

I was doing a little browsing over at 100 Layer Cake's online marketplace. I'm not getting married (if you are, congrats!), but I do find that wedding sites offer great party inspiration and help you source some of the most darling materials. While there I spotted this sweet and stately cake stand pedestal. It's a homemade wonder made from a teapot, cup and plates. Wouldn't this be perfect for a tea party or an Alice in Wonderland theme? The stand pictured here is selling for $75, or just hit up the thrift store for some fun materials of your own and start glueing!

U.S. State Cutting Boards

noreply@blogger.com (Host-It Notes) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 07:05:00 +0000

I'm in a stately state of mind these days. In addition to marveling over the awesomeness of cast iron skillets shaped to form the United States, I am totally loving these state-shaped cutting boards. What do you think? A California bread board or a Wisconsin cheese board? Prices run from $20 to $40, and you can find them online at upwoodcrafts.com.

DIY Decorative Tray

noreply@blogger.com (Host-It Notes) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 07:05:00 +0000

I love this simple, fun idea from Martha Stewart's decorating editor, Rebecca Robertson. Take an ordinary jelly roll style cookie sheet, a little fabric and other supplies, and viola! You've got yourself a fabulous new decorative tray! Click here for the full tutorial at Martha Stewart online.

Stitch Swap Russian Nesting Doll

noreply@blogger.com (Host-It Notes) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 07:05:00 +0000

One of my many little personal projects this month includes participating in Mollie Johanson's super fun stitch swap over at Wild Olive. If you like to embroider, you're probably already following Wild Olive. If not—you're going to love it! Mollie makes the cutest designs and has such fun and fresh finished work. And she's very giving—freebies galore to enjoy in addition to checking out her cute shop.
What's a stitch swap, you ask? Well, readers had an opportunity to sign up to send another randomly assigned reader an embroidered piece. The only rules are it has to be a finished, ready to hang piece in a 4-inch hoop. I finished the embroidery days ago, but there's a weird hoop drought in SF. I can't find a 4" one to save my life! Once I do, I'll add a ribbon to hang it, finish up the back—I'm thinking a yo-yo finish, maybe with a cute button detail—then get this little lady in the mail. The recipient of my piece says she loves russian nesting dolls and bold color combos. I took a risk on the background fabric, but here's hoping she loves it! I know I do. I'll try to snap a pic that's better than this one I took on my iPhone.
Are you participating in any fun swaps or group projects this month?

Free Easter Printables

noreply@blogger.com (Host-It Notes) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 07:05:00 +0000

Check out these cutie Easter printables by Tanya of Australia's The Candy Tree. They's darling rabbits are available for free download over at Little Red Bus. What a nice little Easter treat! Perfect for a brunch or lunch, and something kids would love too. What are your Easter plans?

Party Decor from Dot and Army

noreply@blogger.com (Host-It Notes) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 07:05:00 +0000

My latest super cute Etsy shop find? Dot and Army! It's a wee little store full of a few sweet things done right—namely handmade cloth napkins and banners for weddings and parties. There's a little selection of fun housewares to check out while you're there too. I'm a sucker for pretty vintage fabrics. If you are too, head to Dot and Army to check these out for yourself.

Tea Set Cupcake Toppers

noreply@blogger.com (Host-It Notes) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 07:05:00 +0000

These tiny porcelain cupcake toppers are a tea table in miniature—perfect for topping cakes and cupcakes with at your next tea party. I'd love to get my hands on one. They look perfect for dollhouses too! You can find these and loads of other deliciously sweet party supplies, decor and dragees, at www.fancyflours.com.

Whimsical Easter Cards

noreply@blogger.com (Host-It Notes) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 07:05:00 +0000

Do you send Easter cards? It's never really been my bag, but I'm starting to wonder if maybe I should. I've been meaning to catch up with friends and family, and mail is the most fun way to do so in my opinion. Then again, maybe I've just fallen hard for these cards from Quill and Fox and want to justify the need for them…

Rock n' Roll Baby Announcements

noreply@blogger.com (Host-It Notes) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 08:05:00 +0000

I'm pretty sure being awesome is genetic. You're cool, which means your kid is born with a natural cool factor—right? All you true rockstars who want to announce your newborn drool-machine in style should check out Rattle-n-Roll. It's a groovy birth announcement site that immortalizes your future rock god in classic concert poster form. These are some of the most creative birth announcements I've seen in years. You can even use these as inspiration for a whole music themed party to show off your new acquisition! Visit www.rattle-n-roll.com for more.

Hamburger Cupcakes!

noreply@blogger.com (Host-It Notes) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 10:00:00 +0000

This post alone is enough to convince me I need to start following Oh My Creative. Head there now to scope out these sweet-not-savory hamburger cupcakes. Oh man they're so cute! Find out how they're made at www.ohmy-creative.com.

Perfect Hostess Gift for Gardeners

noreply@blogger.com (Host-It Notes) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 08:05:00 +0000

Spotted thanks to my latest issue of Sunset magazine, I'm loving these "Garden Bon Bons." Each box looks like a sweet selection of pretty chocolates. In reality they're nifty seed bombs the recipient can use to grow all sorts of things like basil and other herbs or tea leaves. At $14.95 per box, this is a price-friendly, creative gift to give a hostess with a garden as the perfect thank you for a wonderful dinner or a quick visit. These seed bombs from Moulton can be found online at www.moultonology.com.

Pans-Stravaganza

noreply@blogger.com (Host-It Notes) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 08:05:00 +0000

Sigh! I've been doing some wishful clicking online at Nordic Ware (www.nordicware.com). Their shaped bakeware has me wanting to cook up cakes galore, from petit fours to pineapples, to a pretty fabulous looking lemon loaf. I tell you though, cakelets are just the cutest any way you bake them. Which design do you like the best?

Apron From Jessie Steele

noreply@blogger.com (Host-It Notes) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 08:05:00 +0000

Holy cats! Just popped over to the online shop Jessie Steele. The apron selection for sale there is awesome! Here are a few of my faves—I could keep going, there are just oodles!! Prices clock in at a reasonable $20-$35. What's stopping you?! www.jessiesteele.com Ps. Don't you kind of just want these to be full-on dresses?