Gotta have s'more wedding info!

Give me a cold night, a warm fire and all the gooey goodness to make s'mores and you will have one happy girl. I love s'mores any way I can get them and this isn't the first time I have talked about them! I did share (this past May) about a company who made S'Muffins - and I still dream about those little muffins! 

I have been keeping an eye out to see if they were shipping nationally yet - no such luck (crossing fingers and toes it will be one day soon). So, what prompted this s'more kick tonight, you might ask? I read about a company who offers these desserts table side and luck be a lady...this chain had an Orange County location. The restaurant I am referring to is Cosi. The restaurant is a cross between Corner Bakery and Panera. The food was good - and you should check to see if they have a location near you for a light, romantic dinner. But, lets get back to the dessert! So, they have this cute s'more set for 2 - it comes with the wooden platter, miniature hibachi and bamboo skewers plus chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers.

I think any outdoor wedding would be the perfect setting for a s'more dessert station and, apparently, I am not alone! Here is an adorable s'more set up from Eat Drink Pretty

Digging a little deeper into this topic...you are not going to believe what I found. I hit the s'more jackpot! Are you ready...s'more cakelettes! Mini s'more cakes!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE mini cakes...and a s'more mini cake...it's true and I am in l-o-v-e. Desserts For Breakfast shared the recipe (which will yield 3 mini cakelettes). I would eat that for breakfast!

I almost need to take a little break after seeing that. I wanted to do mini cakes at my wedding and I love that these are actually coming into a little world of their own now. Weddings are about two individuals joining together as one so, there is something about single serving dishes joining the main dish, that seems symbolic to me. So, let's come full circle with what attracted me tonight: the s'more set for two. The key is how to cook the marshmallows when you don't have a roaring campfire. In the gift set from Cosi the focal point is the hibachi burner. So, imagine this...each table has it's own hibachi burner (1 - 3 per table) and then you have a s'mores spread table with all kinds of goodies: graham crackers, marshmallows, chocolate, oreo cookies, Peanut butter, Bananas, Strawberries, Peanut butter cups, Dark chocolate, White Chocolate, Nutella, Caramel topping - and really anything else you can think of! They grab their goodies and head back to their table to start roasting their marshmallows and making their own s'mores! I love this! So, where to find these hibachi burners you might ask? Done. 

Hibachi Set Aluminum Dragon Pattern with Grill and Fuel Holder - 16.99

Hibachi Set Cast Iron and Wooden Base with Grill and Fuel Holder - 9.99

I am an absolute FAN over this idea - what about you? I hope you are because guess what? I am going to give away a s'more gift set for 2 - maybe you and your sweetie can share a little dessert one night and discuss having a s'more dessert station for your wedding! What do you think? I will be announcing the giveaway a little later today! I hope you all love this as much as I do!

Tis the season...to BAKE!

Do you ever get that feeling that when the weather starts getting cooler you need to turn on your oven and get baking? Maybe it has something to do with all the holidays that come up between October and December. Baking just seems to be on my mind a lot lately. Seeing pictures like this does not help this baking bug I have:

Williams and Sonoma

Looks yummy huh? I think seeing all the goodies and gadgets in the stores, now that they all have Christmas displays up months in advance, has something to do with my current baking obsession. I keep seeing all these new baking gadgets too and I REALLY want to try them! Those little mini pies above were made using the Breville Pie Maker, available exclusively through Williams Sonoma for $99.95 (ouch). But, I also saw a mini pie maker from Sunbeam - I think it made 5 mini pies for $29.99 at Target. I can't seem to find that one online though! And there are some books filled with mini pie recipes:

Amazon

If mini pies aren't your thing, you can find a little gadget for every type of dessert! There are so many I would love to try but, finding storage space for all these gadgets could prove to be a problem...not to mention all the calories from these goodies...but they are mini right??

Sunbeam Mini Donut Maker

Tasty Treats - Donut Hole & Cake Pop Maker

Babycakes also makes all kinds of plug and bake dessert gadgets. They have the Cake Pop Maker - you can bake 12 cake pops in just minutes, then add sticks and get creative with the icing and decorations:

Cake Pops - 24.99

Another recent obsession: pie pops. Love them. And guess what? There's a gadget for that!

6 Pie Pops for 24.99 (or a red one is available for 29.99)

And this one has to be my favorite: Whoopie Pie maker. I do like these little guys! Babycakes also includes ALL the things you need to make these little heavenly cakes:

Whoopie Pie Maker $29.99 - includes all accessories! 

Are you in the mood to bake yet? Have you ever used any of these gadgets? I would really love some comments on this one! I have the mini cupcake maker and it's just ok. They are quick and fun to make and I am seriously considering purchasing these guys to add to the fun of my holiday baking!

DIY Push Cakes

My friend tried her hand at making those popular push cakes last night. Do you remember ever eating the Nestle Push-Up ice creams? Well, they are still around but, now they have gone a step up! So, instead of ice cream you use plastic tubes and fill them with cake, frosting, sprinkles, then more cake, more frosting and more sprinkles. By the time you are done you have a tube filled with goodness. Can't go wrong there! 

Where you can go wrong is trying to find the most important part: the tubes. My friend decided at the last minute to make these so she found the tubes at a local cake supply store. Mistake number 1. She paid $1.25 per tube and that just didn't seem like an economical treat for a party/shower or wedding - especially if you need to make like 50 of them! So, I did a little research and I found them priced pretty much the same on all sites (around $60 for 100 pops):

• http://www.lagunawholesale.com - $61.12
• http://pushpopcontainers.com  - $73.55
• http://www.bakedeco.com - $67.21

Now, the question is: what do I use to fill them? Well, pretty much anything! I have heard of people doing it the easy way: buying the premade mini brownies at the grocery store, baking a cake and then crumbling the cake inside or my friend ended up using a mini muffin pan and baking her cake in that. The result was a perfect looking push cake! 

You can also use this "Handmade with love!" sticker I created:

Click here to download this file! It was made for MS Publisher and prints nicely on Avery 8293

Did you know that a package of Avery 8293 labels is part of our October "Meant To Bee" Giveaway? You could win this prize package - enter here!

Cheery Cherry Wedding Inspiration

Cheery, cherry wedding inspiration! I am a fan of consumable wedding favors which is why I think having a candy bar or dessert station is a great additional to a wedding! Not only do these dessert tables help in setting the tone for your wedding, they also provide a great memory for your guests! While the vows and the meaning of the wedding are super important to you, having a great time at the wedding is important to your guests! So, on this super nice summer day my thoughts were of cherries! 

Cherry Sugar Cookies from JustCrumbs

 My hubby would go ga-ga for these mini cherry pies

 My favorite baker, Bakerella, made these - but she got the recipe from NotMartha

Cherry Pie In a Jar

 Uh oh! I see a serious sidetrack issue going on with these mini-jars! Again this post is from Not Martha (another side track issue). I have just found two new obsessions interests!

I found a great website that has different size jars to use here!

 

 

DIY Bride: Make your own bubble favors

I came across this tutorial on how to make your own bubble tin favors and wanted to share - how adorable are these? Originally, this was blog post showed up on Hostess with the Mostess for a 2nd birthday party - but I thought it would be great for a wedding too (and easy!). Have fun with this!

BUBBLE TIN PARTY FAVORS

Materials
• 6” Tin Cans, found at Specialty Bottle
• Pink Pipe Cleaners, found at Michaels
• Bubble Solution, found at iParty or you can make your own bubble solution
• Raffia, found at Michaels
• Full Sheet Label Paper, found at Office Depot
• Computer / Color Printer
• Paper Cutter

Instructions:
1. Download and print out the template for the bubble labels and trim just under and above the pink lines (so that the lines show) and horizontally at the end of the pink lines.

2. Adhere to the tins using as light of a touch as possible so you don’t leave fingerprints.

3. To create the pipe cleaner wands, shape the top of the wand into a circle, then twist the end around the handle.

4. Measure your raffia to about 18.” Holding the pipe cleaner in place, wrap the raffia around the wand and the tin, tying in a bow at the front.

5. Fill the tins about 1/2 full with the bubble solution 

Carnival Theme: Wedding or Party - Part 1

There is so much information I have to share with you about how to create a DIY carnival theme for your wedding or party so I am going to break it down in to two posts! My daughter's school was having an "end of the year" carnival to celebrate the last day of school so, I happily volunteered to do a dessert station for 50 kids! I have been wanting to do a post on a carnival theme because it is FUN! So, off on a search I went for the perfect carnival items! Now, I get to share my finds with you! First, I knew we needed the main staples for a carnival: cotton candy, peanuts and popcorn! 


I did some research to find the best prices on the bags to hold all the goodies and I ended up purchasing from Etsy seller HeyYoYo. I purchased:

50 Elephant Design Peanut Bags - $6.00

50 Retro Wagon Popcorn Bags - $7.00

Amanda, the owner of HeyYoYo shipped the items quick and they were exactly what I had hoped they would be! For the filler, I bought the large dry roasted peanut bags from Costco (I purchased 2 5lbs bags which filled my 50 bags with some leftovers!). We have a store similar to Costco here in Southern California called Smart and Final - it's similar to Costco but doesn't require a membership. From Smart and Final I bought the GIANT bags of premade popcorn. I purchased 2 3lbs bags - but, really one bag would have been enough!  

A must have for any carnival is cotton candy! I looked into renting a machine - but, honestly it's a lot of work! I have seen the Parade brand of cotton candy and figured I would make my own little bags using this cotton candy (with a personalized sticker on the outside). The only problem with it - it's MESSY! I bought 3 cases, figuring I could split it into the bags. Well, if you think about eating cotton candy and all that ooey gooey goodness gets all over your fingers - guess what? It happens when you are just touching it and NOT eating it - but, since it ended up all over my fingers I did taste it! Both flavors were really good! Sam's Club sells the 8 pack case of 2oz jars for $5.58! That is only .70 cents a tub! A total bargain! If I was going to do this again and planned ahead I would reconsider and probably order the prepacked 1oz bags which I found later at Standard Concession Supply. 100 - 1oz bags for 48.00 making them .48 cents a  bag (before shipping). Considering the mess, this is a much better way to go, in my opinion! 

Candy, candy, candy! Another must have for any dessert table! I was hoping to get the traditional whirly lollipops but, I just couldn't find a great price on them! So, I stuck with a revised plan of candy sticks and pixy stix's from Old Time Candy Company. I love this website - they have the best variety of different candies and the prices are really good! 

I bought the case of candy sticks - you get 80 sticks for $12.99 and then I added the pixy sticks (a case of 48 3-packs) for $7.99. I later found a large assortment of the same candy at Smart and Final! The prices were pretty much the same (when you factored in shipping) so, my advice is always check with your warehouse store to see what they might have! I also bought some of the orange colored circus peanuts! A 1.5 lb bag (about 90 pieces) was $5.99. The candy was my final purchase - and I almost broke down and added the whirly pops when I saw them at Smart and Final - the price still wasn't great but, the cute factor was over the top. The decision maker, though, was that they only had 1 pack - and I would have needed at least 3!

While, doing my research for this dessert table, I was surprised to find so many places that offered everything you need to make your own carnival! You really can use this theme and make it affordable! The total spent for all the goodies in this post: $98.32 - and that was for 50 people! So, the cost per person was about $1.97!

In the next blog post, I will talk more about how to make affordable DIY items, including tutorials and free printables for your carnival theme!

Get S'more Wedding Info Here!

Oh, yeah that title says it all, doesn't it? Get ready for ooey gooey goodness because it's coming your way! This all started because of a wedding event I attended! Sitting outside on a little side table were platters of these little round things, it was dark, but the girl behind the counter asked me, "Have you ever tried a S'muffin?" Ummm...me thinking did I hear her right?  I said, "No, I haven't heard of a S'muffin". Well, it was my lucky day....let me tell you. This is one of the most amazing desserts I have had -- in. my. life. So, the bad news first: they are only in Los Angeles, they will deliver to the Orange County area (for a fee) but they do not ship. I know. HUGE BUMMER. Even though I am in Orange County, I am feeling your pain! I think one of these days they will come up with a way to ship....and when they do, you MUST get one - immediately. 

So, the S'muffin is the main product being sold by Los Angeles based Gotta Have S'more. This woman was smart! The name sticks because it speaks the truth! Once you have one, you gotta have s'more!! They make them for so many different parties but, of course, I am partial to the wedding s'muffins! 

It's basically a s'more and a mini muffin. But, butter oh butter....is it amazing! I urge you all to sign up for the big day when they finally decide to ship these goodies!!

Sure you can make your own s'mores any day of the week - as long as you have chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers. But, could you make individual s'more wedding cakes every day? Maybe. Leave it up to our girl, Martha Stewart, to come up with this mini individual sweet treat! Let me count the ways I love Martha Stewart....(oh wait! There are too many!). You can find the recipe here. My only suggestion would be to get one of those little torches (used for like creme brulee) and fire up those marshmallows a little bit! I love toasted marshmallows! I am making a pledge, right here, that I will be making these (soon). 

I started to look around at different things for this post (I am on a serious s'mores kick!) and I came across this DIY post on how to make a s'more wedding favor. Depending on the type of wedding you are having, this could be a perfect favor fit. I would absolutely do something like this myself, if I was getting married again. So, you know the ingredients are not that costly so you can spend a little more on the packaging to make this just as cute as Cynthia and Dustin did. The thing I love about this post is that they explain every little detail of how to make this (even links to the vendors) so this is a really easy DIY project! Huge props to them for doing that! 

And finally, I would like to tell you about a special area located 23 miles southwest of the San Francisco International Airport - The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay. Situated on a scenic bluff that overlooks 50 miles of the Pacific coastline there are many gorgeous spots for you to say "I do!" There is also a private beach to enjoy and rooms with your own private fire pit! I love that! Well, you know this is post is about s'mores and the reason I wanted to share this gem of a place is because you can make your own s'mores right on your balcony (the hotel provides a s'more making kit)!

So, there you have it! If you have s'more wedding ideas to share on this theme...leave a comment! I would love to hear them!! 

Will you be my bridesmaid?

If you want to surprise those special girls in your life, by asking them to be your bridesmaid, you need to talk to Esther over at ChoosingYou. She has the most unique, beautiful items not only for your bridesmaids but also for your wedding! I think once you do choose her, you will come back again and again. 


These Vintage Spools contain your personalized, unique message! The average price is about $8.00 each and they are completely customizable! You just need to send Esther a private convo. She does have a message up on her site to let you know that she is a busy lady (can't you see why?) so, make sure you plan ahead and order with time to spare! 

A slice of (paper) cake

It's been awhile since I have checked in on one of my favorite Etsy sellers: ImeonDesigns. In fact, it was in November of last year! You can read the post here. She creates beautiful paper cake boxes that you can order by the slice or as entire cake. Each design is completely handmade - including all the paper roses. Since I last checked in, Noemi has created more stunning designs and I love them all:

You want something unique and breath-taking to hold little thank you gifts for your bridal party, for the bridal shower or for the wedding. And then you see it; a gorgeous chocolate cake with colorful flowers delicately decorating each slice. It’s perfect! Each slice is $4.75 or you can message her for the entire cake!

You mean cakes come in another "flavor"?? Oh yes, they do....this creamy cake slice is a favor box with delicate and lovely blue toned flowers! The price for one slice is $3.50

Each cake slice is cut, pasted and put together by hand. Each flower starts off as a flat piece of paper and is twisted and turned until it comes to full bloom....and they do bloom....beautifully! I just love these. Very different, very special and something your guests will treasure as a thank you! Contact Noemi (her Etsy shop name is her first name backward!) and have a chat! She is a super, duper nice woman! I know this because we had an opportunity last year to do a giveaway with her and it was such a huge success! I think we are going to have to do something similar soon...what do you think Noemi??