This weekend we celebrated by husband’s birthday. Since I’m always planning parties for other people, I wanted to make his celebration special too. It was a really small get together with mostly family, so we decided to do a beer tasting, and for the non-drinkers among us, a root beer tasting. It was so much fun!

I went root beer shopping early and was able to find 7 varieties at my local Loblaws, a few were from the health food section. I was really surprised at how many there were. I added one more to come with 8 in total.

For the beer we had 12 varieties, including some light lager, dark lager and ale. For both tasting we bought a couple of each type, and served the tastes in 3 oz disposable shot glasses. This was enough for everyone to try everything, and return to their favourites.

While we tasted, we gave each drink a score from 1 to 5, ranging from a number 1 being “I’d almost choose water over this, but at least it’s still beer” to number 5 being “I’d give up watching F1 (by guy’s fav.) or golfing, or riding my motorbike…(choose the appropriate answer), to have this beer again. My husband made up these great score cards, using the logo from each beer or root beer, so everyone could remember their favs.

I used simple white tubs for the beers, and added Martha’s chalkboard labels. I also embellished with “cheers” which became our party theme food!

I used this great old wash tub for the root beer.

I made a simple centre piece with some spring flowers, and a menu board.

The “cheers” sign was put together from various letters from different collections. I really love the different sizes and finishes together. Top Tip: I used a little blue tac to help hold them all up on the table.

We started off the party with some really easy munches. I made veggies and dip, and then had a great time at the bulk store and west Indian grocery finding all kinds of fun nuts, chips and snack mixes. These were a real hit with everyone, who seemed to enjoy all the different varieties.

For lunch my father-in-law made curry (thanks Bob!) we also had fried rice, chow mein with roasted chicken and roti -a favourite menu of my Guyanese family and super easy for me, since it was mostly take-out!

For the table I went with my new fav. brown kraft paper. I used white dishes, and bundled up cutlery and napkins in mini paper bags tied with twine. I stamped “Cheers” on to wooden veneer business cards, punched a hole and tied them on to the bags.

I love the rustic feel of all the brown paper, and twine, and felt like it went with the beer theme really well.

Since it was Easter weekend, I created a fun Easter table for the kids in the same rustic natural colour palette, see the details here.

Next it was dessert time!

For dessert I made cupcakes. Keeping with our beer theme, I made Guinness Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

I made these sweet “cheers” cupcake picks from brown paper, rubber stamps and twine. Love how rustic they turned out.

For the kids, I made some simple vanilla cupcakes. Some I left plain, but for some I cut out a small piece from the top and added a 1/2 teaspoon of raspberry jam.

They were really yummy. I made little bunny toppers to match the Easter table. Love their little cotton tails!

We also had nest cookies, see the recipe here, and a fruit tray.

It was such a lovely afternoon. We started the party at noon, and enjoyed eating and drinking the day way together.

Happy Birthday Roland, we love you even more than Beer!

This post is linked up at Between Naps on the Porch, and A Stroll Thru Life.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you, and what better way to celebrate than with a beautiful rainbow dessert table. I put these treats together for a youth group get-together last night, and couldn’t wait to share all the fun details.

The back drop was so simple but looked great, just one balloon in each colour of the rainbow!

I wanted to provide some drinks, so we followed our rainbow theme, and found some pop in each colour (well almost, water worked for blue ). I also found some really fun glow-stick type straws, and you guessed they came in rainbow colours.

For the dessert the star attraction was the rainbow cake.

I’ve seen so many of them on blogs, but I have to say it was fun to make and a huge hit when I cut the first piece and revealed the rainbow inside.

I just divided the batter evenly and coloured it with food colouring, and then baked each of the six layers separately, and stacked and iced when they were cool.

I love how the little rainbow bunting flag turned out too. Such a fun detail. I just made it with a little scrap book paper and double sided tape.

We also served some fruit-loop rice crispy treats. I used fruit-loops instead of the traditional rice crispies to make them rainbow-y.

There were also some simple rainbow chips-ahoy cookies, and some rainbow licorice, gum balls, and lollipops.

The other fun treat was the rainbow layered jello.

It was simple to make, and looked great -just a little time consuming! My little girls loved -definitely their favourite part of the rainbow extravaganza!

Life is a party, a rainbow party!

This post is linked up at Tatertots and Jello.

Last night we got together with “some random person off the street” -who doesn’t want everyone to know she’s 64 It seemed an obvious theme considering her age, to go with the Beatles fun song “When I’m 64!”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldIfhc1pJpk&feature=related

I decided to use a table runner of brown craft paper, and that set the tone for the rest of the table and food. I used cute little mini paper bags to hold everyone’s knife, fork and napkin, and made a little silver pompom, and tied them to the end of skewers with twine for fun.

The bags were stamped with the number 64.

I saw these fun number balloons at new years, and tucked them away in my mind for the future. I thought they’d be great for the party. Unfortunately when I went to pick them up, they told me they had to order them in so no number balloons for me, but if you were doing something similar they’d be great. They were also the inspiration for bringing silver into the table.

At each place setting, I printed the song lyrics out for everyone, with the menu on the back.

I liked how the kraft paper created a bistro feel, and it inspired my menu for the night.

Birthday Celebration Menu

-Dinner-
French Dip Roast Beef
Sandwiches
Fresh Cut Fries
Homemade Onion Rings
Grandma’s Coleslaw

-Dessert-
Coconut Cupcakes
Vanilla Cupcake

The French Dip Roast Beef sandwiches were a new recipe, and boy were they a hit. Like everyone oohing and aahing and over eating kind of a hit. I found the recipe over at Our Best Bites. They were really easy. Like roast, beef stock and a couple envelopes of onion soup mix in the slow cooker all day, kind of easy. You should try this recipe, it will improve the quality of your life. I sautéd some onions and mushrooms to go on the sandwiches, along with a little Swiss cheese. The dip is in the ramekins.

I also made home made onion rings -find my recipe and instructions here. These are also so, so good. And, while the deep fryer was out, I decided to make fresh cut fries. I used the double fry method, and they were crispy and delicious. The first frying is at 325 and is only about 3 min. They come out like this, not browned yet.

Then you turn the fryer up to 375 and finish them, frying until golden brown. They were delish. Along with all the yummy fried up food, I also did a sweetish coleslaw, my Grandma’s recipe. It was perfect to balance everything out.

After dinner we had dessert, made from scratch cupcakes. They were so yummy.

The birthday girls favourite is The Barefoot Countessa’s Coconut Cupcakes. If you like coconut, you will love this recipe.

I don’t really like coconut. One day, while making these for the coconut lovers, I had a lick of the batter before adding in the coconut. I was thinking this is the best cupcake batter I ever tasted. And then the light bulb, what if I leave out the coconut. The Barefoot Countessa’s Coconut Cupcakes are the best Vanilla cupcakes I ever had!

What I usually do is make half vanilla and half coconut. Just before adding the coconut, scoop out half the batter and fill about 15 cupcake tins. Half the original coconut and add to the rest of the batter to make the rest coconut. I use the cream cheese frosting on the recipe for the coconut cupcakes, but only make a quarter of the original recipe, and I find it’s the perfect amount. For the vanilla ones, I make a simple butter cream.

To co-ordinate the cupcakes with the rest of the party decor, I put the cupcakes in the same little paper bags that I used for the cutlery, just cut down a little. I made a fun little pic with a toothpick and some more twine and silver ribbon. I also used 64 sparkle candles.

We all had a great time, and the “random person of the street” seemed to enjoy herself as well! I guess it’s for sure then, we will still need you and we definitely will still feed you, when you’re 64!

This post is linked up at Between Naps on the Porch, Whipperberry, French Country Cottage, The Shabby Nest , Faded Charm, Tatertots and Jello, and Bloom Designs.

My sweet little God daughter Tara turned 4 today, and she had the most wonderful, most pink and purple, most princess-y party ever! From the moment we walked in the door it was magical. My friend Heather decorated the entrance with streamers, and the loot table, signs for any little girl of wonderful things to come! It also had the first activity, decorate your own tiara.

There were lots of princess activities to keep everyone busy at the party. There was a castle set up to play dolls at.

There was a playdough kitchen, with princess cookie cutters for some pretend baking.

There was also a game of pin the crown on the princess.

One of my favourite activities, and one of all the kids favourites too, based on the line up at one point, was the cookie decorating. Heather made princess cookies, and the kids decorated them with icing and candies.

Here’s the sweet birthday girl hard at work!

The main attraction was that the living room had been transformed into a princess beauty shop.

I love the garland of pink feather boas, mini lights, roses, and crystals, along with the pink mirrors so the little princesses could admire themselves! There were lots of beautiful princess gowns to wear.

There was also a princess vanity set up with heart sparkle nail polish, and glitter hairspray.

The little princesses were treated to having their make-up done by a great face-painter who did everything from princesses and fairies to royal tigers and kitty cats!

Here’s Maddie with the tiara she made, smiling with the birthday girl.

After all that fun, the kids enjoyed a snack fit for a princess!

Each chair was decorated with ribbon, tulle and a princess brooch -from the dollar store, oh how we love the dollar store especially when we need a little sparkle!

The clock was set to Cinderella time, and Heather decorated with these fun tulle pom-poms.

Each place setting was set with a silver paper doily place mat, cutlery decked out with jewel stickers, a princess wand, a rose, and lollipop ring.

On the menu were individual pink pudding with cookie spoons, pink popcorn, and beautiful cupcakes. There were also chocolate dipped marshmallows with pink and purple sugar sprinkles, and little castle and crown jam and cream cheese sandwiches.

Isn’t the fruit cute on these little pink skewers.

There was also a sweet princess cake, decorated with the a fun “4″ sparkler candle!

We had such a fun time being princesses for a day!

Happy Birthday Tara, the sweetest princess of all!

This post is linked up at Between Naps on the Porch, Whipperberry, and Tatertots and Jello.

Long, long ago, before I had a blog and still took pictures of people at parties, instead of decor, my baby girl Maddie turned one and we had a cupcake themed birthday party to celebrate. There aren’t a lot of pictures of all the fun cupcake details from this party, but there is one shot I would like to share with you, our cupcake buffet.

I made chocolate, vanilla, peanut butter and coconut cupcakes. There was chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, mocha and cream cheese frosting. For toppings there was chocolate sprinkles, rainbow sprinkles, sugar, coconut, smarties, peanut butter cups, chocolate covered espresso beans, crushed Oreos, gummy worms, cherries, and strawberries.

Along with all these options, the menu included some “House Recommendations” for how to combine them:

Everyone loved creating their own signature cupcakes, and I highly recommend a cupcake buffet for any party.

I can’t believe my little cupcake is already 4 going on 5!