And the rainbow madness continues...

Whoa. Check out these pancakes Laura just sent me the recipe to:

Saturday Craftiness

I have mentioned it before and I will mention it again- I love the Twilight books/movies. I also like excuses to throw parties. Therefore, my friend Amanda and I are hosting a Twilight New Moon DVD release party next Saturday. Researching ideas for the party I have come across a whole new level of Twilight obsessiveness I never really knew existed. Who knew there were entire blogs out there dedicated to the throwing of Twilight themed parties? Our party will be small and pretty tame but still appropriately cheesy and fun. I found instructions on how to create the tulips from the New Moon book cover using store bought white tulips (fake) and a red sharpie. Behold my centerpiece creation:We have purchased Edward and Jacob paper plates, silver cups and black napkins for the occasion and will be making the Vampire cookie recipe I posted a while back as well as a few other themed treats for people to munch on during the movie. We will also have a surprise special guest appearance at the party :)

Alice In Wonderland=PURE SWEETNESS!

I just got back from seeing the new "Alice in Wonderland" in 3D. It was so worth the $13 ticket! One of my favorite things about the movie was the costume design. The were all so thoughtfully done and honestly blew my mind. Apparently they were inspired by some of the original illustrations accompanying early editions of the Lewis Carroll 1865 classic. Here are some costume sketches for a couple of Alice's looks in the movie this WWD Lifestyle article.

The sketch above was my favorite Alice dress.

Being that one of my favorite memories of the Disney animated "Alice In Wonderland" was the Mad Hatter's Tea Party, when Elissa sent me the link to these wonderful Wonderland inspired treats from The Bakelab I was overwhelmed with the desire to nibble on every single thing. I wish I could have had the whole box on my lap as I watched the movie. I still may order them just to quench my curiosity of what a "Cheshire Cat Macaroon with Earl Grey Tea Filling" tastes like! Perhaps I could have people over and host my own little Mad Hatter's Tea Party. Gee, I wonder who I could get to be the Mad Hatter himself...Thanks for sharing Elissa!

Rainbow Cake Recipe!

After seeing my earlier post about the rainbow cake, a good friend (thanks Rachel!) sent me a link to this lovely cake complete with recipe! I am so going to attempt making one of these. Perhaps for Donavan's b-day? He is a St. Pat's baby and leprechauns love rainbows so it seems quite appropriate if you ask me:)

The most wonderful birthday cake ever!

I have always had 2 favorites parts when it comes to birthday parties- the unwrapping of the gifts and the cake. I was always the kid who wanted to stand right next to the birthday girl (or boy) while they opened all of their gifts so I could get the first glimpse. I loved getting to hold them, carefully inspect them, and read the packaging to learn all about how it worked, etc. Odd? Maybe but it's just what I like to do. Perhaps this is why my life path led me to party and gift presentation at Hallmark? Hmmm.

Moving on. My other favorite part of a birthday party has always been the cake. Oh my yes. As you get older, some birthday parties don't always involve gifts but, I'm sorry, it is just NOT a party without a cake or cupcakes. My good pal Elissa sent me a link to this cake today and it just took me right back to being 5 and the start of my love of birthday parties. I am in awe of the care and detail that went into creating this. The subtle change in color from one layer to the next is fantastic! I hope whoever this cake was made for felt EXTRA special.

The 8 layer citrus cake at Succotash (below) is one of my faves. Next time I should just buy 3 slices and stack them on top of each other. Mmmmm.