Fairy Gardens

May 20, 2011 · 29 Comments

Fairy Gardens: See how to make fairy houses and decorate with small plants, and accessories to create the perfect container fairy gardens.

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These Fairy Gardens are one of the sweetest projects I've ever made, and I was so excited about doing them. We made one for each of my little girls. I also made one just for me so I won't turn into the bossy mom who controls the craft project by making very strong suggestions to her kids about colour and placement choices...I'm sure you can't relate. 😉 They were so cute, that I even made one for my own mom and her garden!

Use A Container

I have heard of and even seen fairy gardens in the past and thought they were cute. I didn't like though that they were hard to see in a flower boarder garden, and often became grown over. Then I saw one made in a container. Perfect for the deck, where it can be easily played with and admired. (Just don't touch Mommy's, lol)

How To Make Fairy Houses

dollar store bird house
paint stick
saw
hammer
finishing nail
fine sandpaper
paint
glitter
lacquer
wood skewer
ribbon

I decided to use dollar store bird houses for the fairy houses themselves. We wanted them to look more like fairy houses, so the first thing we did was saw off the bird perch and replace it with a fairy door. The doors are made out of a small sawed off piece of a paint stir stick.

hot to make a fairy house from a bird house

After sawing and sanding them smooth, I nailed the little paint stick door on with a small finishing nail, and left the nail protruding slightly to look like a little door knob. We also removed the eye hook from the top, and I replaced them with small flags made out of a wooden skewer and a piece of ribbon sewn on.

how to make a fairy house out of a bird house

I was also inspired by my Christmas Glitter Houses to add a little glitter to the the fairy houses. After they were painted, next I glittered the roofs and doors, and then applied several coats of clear Lacquer to make them more weather proof. I love them in all their happy pastel colours.

The Gardens

I used vintage galvanized steel wash basins for the gardens, as well as some enamel ware. The one for my Mom is done in a large Terracotta pot, to fit in with her other pots.

Basically use any large garden pot that you love. Make sure there are holes in the bottom for drainage.

Choose some small plants that won't get too big for your fairy garden.

After planting several small plants around the pot, we covered the rest of the "yard" with moss, and created a small pathway to the front door with pebbles.

Fairy Garden Accessories

Next we made the fairy clothes line so the fairies could hang out their washing. The clotheslines are made from two wooden skewers, some kitchen string, and mini-clothes pins from the dollar store.

I got so excited about the fairy gardens that I wanted to include a few more little details. I thought that a miniatures doll house store would be a great source of mini-garden pieces. At the miniature store I found this pretty little watering can, in addition to some baskets, and shovels.

How cute are these little rubber boots!

miniature fairy garden in a galvanized bucket

This fairy must have left them outside of her door after a long, hard day of work out in the garden. 😉

Another fun detail was to use the stamped spoons I made here, as a welcome sign.

Ceramic Mushroom Makeover

This pot has a fun toadstool mushroom in it. I found these brown ones at the dollar store.

dollar store birdhouse and mushroom for a fairy garden

Next I spray painted it bright pink.

After the mushroom was painted pink, I added glitter dots. Then when I lacquered it, the finish crackled slightly, but I thought it added a little realistic mushroom texture.

I love how it looks like a shady spot for a garden fairy to rest on this cute little metal chair after her hard work. The chair is also from the miniature store. Isn't the mini shovel propped up against it the sweetest?

Groups Of Pots To Make A Fairy Village

My little girls each made one large garden in the galvanized wash tubs. I did mine in several other little pots. I love the way the pots look all clustered together, like there is a new fairy sub-division that just was built in town. Time to put up the "For Rent" sign and see if any fairies move in!

With our own Fairy Gardens, life really is a party!

40th Wedding Anniversary Party Ideas

May 15, 2011 · 12 Comments

40th Wedding Anniversary Party Ideas: celebrate the ruby anniversary with red and pink cherry blossom decor, and a tea party reception.

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Yesterday some friends celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary party, and I helped out with the decor and food for a tea party inspired get together to celebrate. I thought you might like some 40th wedding anniversary ideas too.

The anniversary couple wanted to celebrate with an open house style party, where guests could drop in over several hours. They wanted to offer some foods for their guests, and tables to sit at in their church hall. We decided that a tea party menu would be perfect for the afternoon with an assortment of finger sandwiches and nibbles along with some bite sized sweets. The married couple don't drink, so tea and punch were perfect for an afternoon of visiting with family and friends. They didn't want any dancing or speeches, just a chance to see long time friends and celebrate this special day having a good time together.

The Ruby Anniversary

A 40th wedding anniversary is traditionally the ruby anniversary, so we tried to incorporate some red into the party and went with a red and pink colour scheme, one of my very favourite colour combinations. You'll also notice lots of little red gem accents here and there. Since it was spring we went with a cherry blossom theme to the decor for this 40th anniversary party.

40th Wedding Anniversary Centerpieces

Cherry Blossoms

We used their church hall for the party area, and tried to give it some character with our decor for the anniversary celebration. Because a lot of their guests were elderly it was important to them to have tables that everyone could sit at to visit and enjoy the food. The round tables had simple white cloths, and beautiful organza pink table runners. We used silk cherry blossoms as the flowers, and put them in real water to weight the vases, and make them look more authentic. The silk flowers worked out really well. They were very good quality. After the party the family was able to take them home afterwards and have them as a keepsake of the party.

Roses and Candles

I wanted a grouping of three items on the table so we used a tea light in a simple glass tea light holder, and some roses. I originally thought of roses in silver julep cups, but they were a little over budget, so I had the great idea of using silver creams and sugars which we were able to rent. We were renting some other dishes and serving pieces so this worked out well. Another options was that we also could have looked at thrift stores for silver cream and sugar sets to use. It was eclectic, and vintage feeling and went great with our tea party theme.

We filled them with pink and red roses to go with our color scheme and they looked beautiful. It was a great way to add some red flowers to go with our ruby theme. We picked up all the fresh roses the day before the party from Costco for a great price. Because the cherry blossoms were faux, it was nice to have some fresh flowers on the table too. We also used lots of roses on the main food tables. We arranged them very simply in large glass vases, but they linked in very well with the roses on the tables.

Photographs

Another fun detail, to tie in the ruby anniversary was that we hung some black and white family pictures on the cherry blossoms. This was a really lovely way to mark this major milestone. And family and friends loved seeing all the old pictures of the couple through the years, including some old wedding pictures. After so many years of marriage together there were lots of wedding photos and happy memories to choose from, including their kids growing up up and grandkids, and this was a really fun way to display them, and include each family member in the celebration.

We photocopied the original photos all in black and white and printed them on cardstock, then we added some beautiful red gem stickers to tie in the ruby anniversary theme, and glued red ribbons on the back to hang them from. This was such a fantastic way to add to our ruby theme. We had three different photos at each centerpiece, and the guests tended to walk around and admire them all. It was a great talking point as well, and sparked many "remember when" stories of the couple and family and friends. Afterwards the family used these pictures, along with photos taken at the anniversary party to make a beautiful scrapbook to remember the day. This will become a family treasure.

40th Anniversary Banner

One little item we had to work around with the hall was the large bulletin boards in the hall. We didn't want them to distract from the big celebration. So, we covered the room's bulletin boards with some simple white table cloths held with push pins to create a neutral background. At the front of the room I wanted to create a focal point behind the food tables so we hung a beautiful banner to mark the occasion. We made the 40th anniversary banner with red and pink scrapbook papers, and letters, and beautiful red and pink ribbons so it tied in with our color scheme.

Above the banner we hung a gorgeous bouquet of paper lanterns. This was my favourite detail of the entire day - I love how the Japanese cherry blossom lanterns tied into our theme. I shopped for lanterns in a variety of sizes and colors, including pink and red and our cherry blossom ones which I found at an Asian mall. I tied them all together and added in some long pieces of red and pink ribbons. This was a really nice more elegant alternative to using balloons. They were a perfect festive touch for a joyous occasion. And after the party we were able to collapse them and re-use them later.

These were the background for the two food tables one was savoury and the other was full of sweets.

More Cherry Blossom Details

It's always fun to add more party details to go with your party theme, we came up with a few more fun cherry blossom touches. We added some red and pink roses to the washroom, along with Bath and Body Works cherry blossom foaming hand soap and hand cream. Love is in the details!

We used lots of red and pink roses on the food, and drink tables, and various red and pink candles in silver and mercury glass candle holders. The fresh flowers were gorgeous.

A fun detail on the coffee and tea table, which the couple added and I will definitely use again in the future was to add a tiny amount of coloured sugar to the regular sugar. Isn't it pretty?!

40th Anniversary Tea Party Menu

The food for the party turned out really well. For the savoury table we served a variety of tea sandwiches. We served:

veggies and dip
cheese and crackers
chicken salad toast cups
cream cheese pinwheels
ham and cheese sandwiches
egg salad on a mini croissant
salmon salad sandwiches
cucumber sandwiches

We served the veggies and dip in a small plastic cup, which the guests loved the ease of. There was no double dipping, and these were so easy to serve and for guests to enjoy.

There was also a large cheese tray. I lined up the cheese and crackers in rows, and thought it made for a really pretty presentation.

We made a variety of tea sandwiches. I made them the fillings the night before and then assembled the sandwiches the morning of the party, wrapping them well in plastic wrap. Just before the party I sliced them, and arranged them on the serving trays, replenishing as needed. They held up really well.

There were toast cups with chicken salad and onion sprouts -find my recipe here, cream cheese pinwheels, ham and Swiss cheese with honey mustard, egg salad on mini croissants, salmon, and cucumber fingers.

I made some cute picks and used them in some of the sandwiches.

The Desert Table

There was also a sweet table. We served

cupcakes
fruit tray
lemon tarts
shortbread cookies
chocolate spritz cookies
mini chocolate eclairs
pink meringue kisses

The highlight of the dessert table was the cupcakes, looking so beautiful on their pink and white stands.

I made the cupcake labels, and the pics for the sandwiches with a cherry blossom graphic I found on-line to tie back into our theme.

strawberry cupcakes on a pink cake stand

Along with the cupcakes, I made a large fruit tray. I placed the fruit in rows, like the cheese and crackers, for a pretty presentation. I was lucky enough to find toothpicks for the fruit with tiny hearts on theme. How fitting for a wedding anniversary.

The rest of the delicious sweets were made by the family and friends, and included lemon tarts, shortbread and chocolate spritz cookies. We also included mini chocolate eclairs, and some pink meringue kisses.

It was a beautiful day for a beautiful happy couple. They had a wonderful time remembering their wedding day, and celebrating with old and new friends. I loved all the cherry blossom and red and pink details for celebrating a 40 year anniversary. I think they'd be a beautiful themed party for a shower, birthday, wedding or any spring special occasion party.

Congratulations Ian and Lois, 40 years married and still very much in love, sometimes life is a party!

More Party Inspiration

You might also enjoy our 5 Inexpensive DIY Party Decor Ideas.

5 Inexpensive DIY Party Decor Ideas: Use wrapping paper, washi tape, scrapbook paper, and vintage bottles to create your own party decor.

Also check out 5 Tips To Create A Pinterest Worthy Party On A Budget.

Chocolate Spa Party

May 9, 2011 · 6 Comments

Chocolate Spa Party: ideas for chocolate themed decor, a chocolate dessert buffet, chocolate manicures and a homemade chocolate sugar scrub.

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This weekend our Women's ministry group at church hosted a Chocolate Spa party. It was a great night and I'd highly recommend this theme for a shower, girls night out, or birthday party idea. It was just a lot of fun.

Every chocolate party needs first of all chocolate and lots of it! We had chocolate decor, chocolate scented candles, and of course lots of actual chocolate too!

Chocolate Party Decorations

The decor was simple brown and white, and turned out really well. We used white table cloths and layered brown tulle on top. I also had lots of chocolate scented candles, which made the room smell wonderful when you walked in.

We always have to do these events on a very limited budget, but it's great what you can find at the dollar store these days! Neutral pieces, like these clear glass candle holders work great that we can dress for any theme with a little ribbon and different coloured candles, and our plain white table cloths dressed up with the inexpensive brown tulle.

I also used some pussy willows, I love their natural brown and white colour, in a milk glass vase.

Chocolate Buffet

I used my milk glass collection for the chocolate buffet also, along with lots of chocolate treats, to create a fun candy buffet.

To add a fun detail we created a simple banner and hung it over the food table that said "A day without chocolate is like a day without sunshine.

We also created some really fun pics to put in the food with some other funny chocolate says on them, and embellished them with a few brown sequins.

We served up lots of chocolate desserts. There was a delicious chocolate cake.

The highlight might have been the chocolate fountain, a must for any chocolate party. 😉

There were also chocolate chip cookies, brownies and home made fudge!

I made my chocolate trifle, get the recipe here, and there was also this amazing chocolate tart.

Chocolate Spa Activities

Along with lots of eating, there were some chocolate spa activities.

Chocolate Manicure

We started out with giving a partner a hand massage with chocolate scented hand lotion. Then we did each others nails with chocolate inspired nail polish.

Chocolate Sugar Scrub

The final chocolate activity was making a take-home chocolate sugar scrub. I set up all the ingredients, and everyone made their own.

Chocolate Sugar Scrub Recipe

Demerara Sugar ¼ cup
Cocoa Powder 1 tbsp
Oatmeal Powder 1 tablespoon (which is oatmeal ground into a powder in your food processor)
Honey 1 tbsp
Olive Oil 1 tbsp

Mix all the ingredients together and store in an airtight jar. To use, wet skin, use scrub to exfoliate, and rinse with warm water.

It was a wonderful, chocolate filled night. With a chocolate spa party, life really is a party!

You might also like our Chocolate Charcuterie Board here.

Chocolate Charcuterie Snack Board: perfect for the chocolate lover, tips on building your board, and ingredient suggestions.

Also check out our Chocolate Pavlova recipe here.

Individual Heart Shaped Chocolate Pavlova: Easy recipe, perfect light, sweet dessert.

Easy Individual Mini Trifle Cups Recipe

Apr 8, 2011 · 8 Comments

These easy mini trifle cups are easy to make with store bought ingredients and are always a hit with guests. You can make them ahead of time, and don't have to worry about serving as they're individual sized already. They only take about 10 minutes to put together.

Easy individual trifles with whipped cream and a fresh raspberry on top.

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I love these mini trifles. I have served them many, many times and they are always a huge hit with guests. These individual trifles are great for a tea party, dessert table, or as your main dessert. You might also like our mini chocolate brownie trifles, and our mini caramel apple trifles.

Why We Love This Recipe

Store bought ingredients mean they are very easy to make.
They only take 10 minutes to put together.
Invidual serving size means no messy dishing up, and everyone can help themselves.
What could be more delicious than cream, custard, fruit and cake?

Individual Serving Size

I like to make these mini trifles in a small glass, or mini parfait dessert bowl, half pint-sized mason jars, or mini trifle bowls, or even in a clear plastic disposable cup.

A clear cup works well, as you can see all the layers through the glass, and they're the perfect individual serving size. These individual desserts making serving so much easier. And there's also the cuteness factor, because these mini trifle cups make such a beautiful presentation.

Ingredients

These are super easy to put together because I used all store bought ingredients. You can put these together quickly and easily and they're so good.

This recipe is more of an assembly kind of a recipe, you could of course make the custard and pound cake from scratch, but this version is quick, easy and really, really yummy.

This no bake dessert is quick to make and so delicious.

Cake

I like to use pound cake as the cake layer in my mini trifles.

If you can't find pound cake you could also use a sponge cake, or small jelly rolls, or even angel food cake.

If you can find a raspberry pound cake it works perfectly for the raspberry trifles, but plain pound cake or lemon pound cake works really well for these mini berry trifles.

Custard

Trifle is traditionally made with custard. You can make it from scratch, or use a mix to make it. Or, like I did, you can look for the canned version.

Using canned custard makes this whole recipe so easy to put together. If you can not find custard you would also use vanilla pudding instead.

Jam

Traditional English trifle usually has a jelly layer. But making jello and allowing it to set takes quite a while, so I have substituted it with jam. It works really well to add some sweetness to the dish.

You can change the fruit in this dish, and if you do then change the jam flavor to match it. For individual strawberry trifles, you could use strawberry jam instead of raspberry.

Fruit

How to make easy individual trifles with raspberries.

Our raspberry trifles have a layer of fresh raspberries in them. The fresh berries add a tangy freshness to the dish. And be sure to keep a perfect fresh raspberry to garnish the top of the trifles.

Whipped Cream

We made homemade fresh whipped cream using heavy cream for this dish. Despite using some other shortcuts, I would not use a shortcut for this step. Spray whip cream from a can won't hold, and turns into a watery mess if it isn't served immediately. A dessert topping like Cool Whip just doesn't have the same great flavor of real whipped cream.

Whipped cream is easy to make, and worth the few minutes that it takes to make it from scratch, especially when you're saving time on the other steps by using a store bought pound cake and canned custard.

Substitutions and Variations

I love these in raspberry flavour, but you could really use any jam and fresh fruit in them. Strawberry would be great, and blueberry is a favourite too.

You can also use this mini trifle recipe to make one large one instead. Instead of using individual small bowls, layer the ingredients in a large trifle bowl instead.

Instructions

Making mini trifles with pound cake cut into cubes.

1. Assemble each mini trifle in a small juice glass, or mini parfait, or small mason jar. First, cut the pound cake into small cubes, and layer into the bottom of the glass.

2. Next take some raspberry jam, and warm it up in the microwave to make it more runny. You can also add a tsp. or so of water to the warm jam to make it more runny. Pour about a tablespoon of jam or 2 over the pound cake in each glass.

Step by step pictures of making mini trifles, adding the pound cake and adding the jam.

3. Add some fresh raspberries as the next layer, but remember to save a few for the top.

4. The next layer is the custard, just spoon some over the raspberries. If you do make it yourself, let it cool before you add it.

Step by step mini trifle recipe, adding raspberries and custard.

5. Then, whip the cream in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form. Next, add 1 teaspoon vanilla and 2 tbsps of sugar and whip to combine. Add a layer of whipped cream to the mini trifles as the final layer. Garnish with another raspberry and a little grated chocolate.

Individual mini trifles recipe in glass dessert cups.

Storage

These delicious treats are a great make ahead. Make them the night before and wrap the top of each one with plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator until it's time to serve them.

Store any leftovers in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic wrap.

Tip: Make these individual trifles ahead of time for a party. Assemble the day before and wrap each one in plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator until it's time to serve.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use different berries?

Yes, substitute your favorite berry, and change the jam flavor to match. Strawberry, blueberry, or mixed berries are all great options.

What if I can't find canned custard?

You can make your own custard, look for a custard mix like Bird's custard powder at the grocery store and follow the instructions on the package. Or, make it from scratch.

What if I can't find pound cake?

You can substitute jelly rolls for the pound cake if you can't find any.

Can I make these ahead of time?

Yes, make these the day before wrap each one in plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator until serving.

More Individual Dessesrt Ideas

If you tried this Easy Mini Trifle Cups Recipe or any other recipe on my blog please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting today!

With easy mini trifles, life really is a party!

Recipe

Group of individual trifles in glass dessert bowls.

Easy Mini Trifles

Individual trifle cups made with pound cake, raspberry jam, fresh raspberries, custard, and whipped cream.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: British

Prep Time: 15

Total Time: 15

Servings:

Calories: 283kcal

Author: Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist

Ingredients

Instructions

Assemble each mini trifle in a small juice glass, plastic cup, mini parfait, or small mason jar. First, cut the pound cake into small cubes, and layer into the bottom of the glass.
Next take some raspberry jam, and warm it up in the microwave to make it more runny. You can also add a teaspoon or so of water to the warm jam to make it more runny. Pour about a tablespoon or 2 over the pound cake in each glass.
Add some fresh raspberries as the next layer, but remember to save a few for the top.
The next layer is the custard, just spoon some over the raspberries. If you do make it yourself, let it cool before you add it
Then, whip the cream in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form. Next add 1 teaspoon vanilla and 2 tablespoons of sugar and whip to combine. Add a layer of whipped cream to the mini trifles as the final layer. Garnish with another raspberry and a little grated chocolate.

Video

Notes

You can change out the berries and jam for any kind you prefer, or make these from mixed berries.

This recipe uses lots of time saving store bought ingredients. Do not substitute the homemade whipped cream for spray can whipped cream, because it will not hold it's shape well. If you are using it, add it just before serving so that it doesn't go runny.

You can make these ahead of time and wrap each one in plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator until serving time.

Nutrition

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Easy Mushroom and Feta Mini Pita Pizza Recipe

Apr 6, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Portobello Mushroom and Feta Mini Pita Pizzas: an easy recipe great for a party or as an appetizer, perfect for a mushroom lover.

Pita pizza with mushrooms and feta cheese.

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These portobello mushroom and feta mini pita pizzas are an old favourite of mine. They're the perfect easy appetizer and I love serving them for a party. They're super easy to make using a pita as the pizza base, but they're elevated with our toppings of portobello mushrooms, feta and mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil.

Mini Pita Pizza Crust

These little pizzas are simple to make, and really delicious. We use a pita bread as the pizza crust for these mini pizzas. No fussing with pizza dough is necessary, which makes them very quick to make, and even quicker to bake. A regular pita bread is the perfect size for these little pizzas, and makes great personal pizzas. And if you want to make very small pizzas, you can use mini pita bread for even smaller pizzas. We've used greek pitas from the grocery store for our pita bread pizza. Look for them in the bread aisle. When the pita bread is in the oven, the edges crisp up nicely and add a slight crunch.

Mini Pita Pizza Toppings

You can really top your greek pita pizzas with any of your favorite toppings that you like. Any regular pizza toppings would be delicious. We love this special portobello mushroom and feta version with fresh basil leaves though. It's the perfect combination of meaty mushrooms, salty feta, and fresh basil taste, and we're sure you'll love it too.

Because pita pizzas don't take very long to bake, since the pizza bases are already baked, and all you're really doing is melting the cheese, we will pre-cook the mushrooms and onions for this pizza. Wash and slice the mushrooms and onions, and sautee them in oil with garlic. Then start by building your pizza by layering tomato sauce on your pizza base. And then on top of the pizza sauce lay down 5-6 whole fresh basil leaves. This simple step is so important because it adds so much to the dish. Portobello mushrooms work really well here because they're more meaty and have a great earthy taste. Add the sauteed mushroom mixture on top of the pizza sauce, Lastly add the cheese. We use a combination of mozzarella cheese, because it melts so well, and feta cheese for it's great taste. Lastly, place pita bread on baking sheet and grill until the cheese is melted.

These easy pita pizzas are so simple to make, but always a crowd favorite when I serve them as appetizers at a party.

Store any leftover pizzas in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and reheat in an oven or toaster oven.

These are the perfect recipe to serve with drinks at cocktail parties, or as an appetizer at a dinner party. You could even make them for a quick dinner with a salad that the whole family would love. They're faster to make than delivery pizza for your next pizza night. Try this easy pita pizza recipe next time you have a busy night and I'm sure you'll love them too.

Recipe

Portobello Mushroom and Feta Mini Pita Pizza

Easy pita pizza topped with portobello mushrooms and feta cheese.

No ratings yet

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizers

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 20

Servings:

Calories: 288kcal

Author: Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist