Our Rustic Woodland Christmas Dessert Table
December 9, 2010
In case some of you missed seeing my Rustic Woodland Christmas dessert table feature early this week, I thought I would share it here with you all and give you some tips and design info. The inspiration behind this table came to me while perusing the fabrics at Jo-Ann’s. I saw the green fabric that I used for the table cloth and in the cloth banner and fell in love with the pattern and color. I knew I had to use it. After a few trips back to the store, I found fabrics that would compliment the color and patterns of the green cloth. I really wanted the table to have a rustic feel to it, so I incorporated elements that you would be sure to find outside like pine cones, wood platters, a birds nest and evergreen in the floral bouquets. The table came out so much better than I had imagined once it was all pulled together. Remember to go with your heart, trust your instincts, be confident in your design style and everything will work out 
The beautiful pictures were taken by my dear friend Jennifer of J. Fiereck Photography. She is so good at what she does!
I thought it would be cute to have the apple pie pops anchored in a bed of green moss. Again, details found in the woods.
With a Rustic Woodland theme going on, Harry & David’s Moose Munch was the perfect treat to fill the paper cones! The talented Bird from Bird Crafts Parties did a wonderful job collaborating with me on the graphics for the paperie on this table!
I requested my cupcake source put little chocolate twigs in each of the cupcakes. So cute!
Try getting friendly with your local bakery. There are many vendors that I work with around the country for my sweet treats, but cakes I can only source from CT as you can imagine they wouldn’t ship very well. This cake was originally lighter in color. I told the baker that I needed it to look more like a log and rustic and woodsy. I didn’t know what to expect when I picked it up, so I was happy with the final results. The baker darkened the frosting color, added sugared grapes and cranberries and little meringue mushroom. A funny story about the mushrooms: I kid you not, I didn’t eat one of the mushroom until 3 days later when I tasted it and found out it was sweet as candy…LOL. What a moment that was.
Your Shopping Guide:
Graphics & Paperie: Bird Crafts Parties
Apple Pie Pops: Some Yum
Cupcakes: Sugarbelle
Log Cake & Floral Design: Whole Foods Glastonbury
(0) Leave a comment »A Vintage Breakfast Engagement Shoot
December 8, 2010
Would you like a cup of tea? Well I suggest you go ahead and grab one and perhaps a tea biscuit or two and get ready to enjoy a styled engagement session in a meadow of dreams. This relaxed and romantic shoot comes to us courtesy of Simply Bloom Photography. What can I say, between the vintage lace adorned tent, the pretty vintage props and the so appropriate clothing the lovely couple is wearing, how could you not just want to go out and have your own dreamy day in a field somewhere. (when the weather gets warmer of course). The ladies of Simply Bloom scoured many antique stores to find the perfect props and didn’t even put up their beautiful tent until the last minute. With the sun shining and such a beautiful couple these pictures were bound to be a vision of pure sunshine.
CHIC ON A BUDGET TIP: Love what you see in these photos? World Market is a FABULOUS source for finding home furnishings and gifts that have an eclectic, antique and vintage feel to them. The best thing about this store is that they are not very expensive. Think Anthropologie, with a lesser price take. At this time of year, it’s a great place to find holiday gifts too.
I LOVE how the engagement ring is in the cup of tea and this is also a great way to pop the question don’t ya think?
Hoped this little bit of sunshine helped to brighten your day!
Dessert Table Spotlight: A Chic White Christmas & Gourmet Marshmallows
December 8, 2010
I’m dreaming of a white Christmas and this simple yet chic and elegant dessert table is wonderful inspiration for those of you that like a elegant and modern style when you entertain. Designed by the talents at Meryl Brown Events, this table is pure eye candy.
I love the simplicity of the way they placed their desserts and the pop of silver that adds elegance to the table. This table featured a wonderful array of appropriately designed sweet treats such as snowflake cookies and cupcakes, assorted white candy, and milk chocolate bars wrapped in recycled and reused papers. You also can’t deny how wonderfully adorable and whimsical the snowflake cookies hanging from the tree branches are.
DESIGN TIP: No matter the event you are styling for, you can never go wrong designing in a monochromatic color scheme. It’s timeless, elegant and chic all at the same time. mono·chro·mat·ic. adj \ˌmä-nə-krō-ˈma-tik\. Definition of MONOCHROMATIC. 1. a : having or consisting of one color or hue
You gotta love marshmallows for their gooey sweetness and I love the texture that the white nonpareil add to the marshmallow pops…. I now interrupt this regularly scheduled program for a brief message: I am a big fan of marshmallows and when I want a special treat or to give them as gifts when I make hot chocolate gift baskets, one of my go-to sources is Plush Puffs. They offer a wide variety of yummy marshmallow flavors like Simply S’mores, Luscious Lemony Meringue and Peppi-Mint. Don’t worry, if your’re not adventerous when it comes to flavors, they offer classics likeVanilla Bean and Chocolate Chipetta.
The cookies are sooo pretty.
Photography by: Matt Walla
Kid’s Gingerbread House Decorating Party
December 7, 2010
What would Christmas be without cute little gingerbread men and the houses they live in? I think they live there Gingerbread decorating parties are just one of those fun and very casual types of parties you can throw for kids and adults alike, and when I saw this kid’s DIY gingerbread decorating party on the Savvy Moms Guide, it was so cute that I had to share it with you. Bri & Amy decided to through their little ones a “savvy” play date that incorporated the kids decorating gingerbread men and houses. The whole party was inspired by the classic children’s book The Ginberbread Man by Jim Aylesworth. Such a wonderful and cute idea. With there theme in mind, the Frog Prince Paperie designed the cutest printables that really helped to bring the whole party together. This was a well done, fun and colorful party. The beautiful photography was done by Christine of Racz Photography. What a fun day this had to have been!
PARTY DESIGN TIP: If it’s not Christmas time and you want to throw some sort of decorating party, try having the kids decorate cookies, cupcakes or even mini cakes. How fun would that be!
What I really adore about this party is that the kids didn’t have to design one big house, but by offering each child their own kit to decorate individual houses, their unique personalities were better able to shine through. Lets face it, when it comes to kids, giving them each their own house most likely helped to keep the bickering down as well
I love how the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are wrapped in the paper rings
Target is a treasure chest. They found these cute chef hats in the $1 bin there. They simply embellished with coordinating ribbon and a gingerbread man or girl. Details like the ribbon and gingerbread characters are really what helps to bring everything together.
Again, Amy and Bri did a beautiful job!
Photography by: Christine of Racz Photography
Graphics on Paper Designs: Frog Prince Paperie
Candy Cane Canvas: Canvas by Kerry
Kids Aprons: Sweet Things Kids
Gingerbread Counting House and Gingerbread Pops: Kolby Kakes
Holiday Cocktail Help: Mixers from Stonewall Kitchen
December 6, 2010Drinks and more drinks. Cocktails are generally part of many holiday soirée & celebrations and what better way to celebrate than to have a chic coktail served at your party. I love Stonewall Kitchen for so many reasons, but for sure one of them is the wonderful variety of drink mixes that they offer. No matter what type of party you are having, nor the time of year you are having it, their drink mixes will help make your life as a hostess alot easier. I can’t say I have tried all of them, but the ones that I have tried, have all been well received at my parties. Their mixers are the perfect compliment to any wet bar. They have 8 different offerings, so their is sure to be one that fits your style, taste and party theme.
CHIC HOME ENTERTAINING TIP: Think about creating a signature cocktail, one that represents you as a hostess or your party theme. This can help to keep liquor costs down when throwing a party and you can supplement this with beer and wine. (garnish with cute drink flag for extra pizazz)
My tried and true top 3 picks:
#1 The Bellini Mixer: This really is my favorite of all the flavors they offer. You can offer a Bellini anytime of day, but they are the perfect drink choice when throwing a holiday brunch. Bellini’s are naught and nice. Nice because they are peachy in taste and sweet to the palate, but they can also be naughty by just adding a little Peach Schnapps or Vodka to the mix. I prefer the naught way
#2 Pomegranate Cosmo Mixer: We all know that cosmos really hit the scene when the ladies of Sex and the City made this drink trés chic. Can a drink be chic and healthy at the same time? Yes, this mixer is just that. I like the fact that the flavor of a classic cosmopolitan is there, but the added benefits of the pomegranate delivers beautiful color and lots of antioxidants.
#3 Kir Royal Mixer: Simple and Sweet. Kir is popular French cocktail based on the flavors of black currant. OMG, this is so good and I never heard of Kir until I tried this. By adding sparkling wine to this mixture, you are sure to be a rockstar at your holiday gathering.
Dessert Table Spotlight: A Whimsical Vintage Dessert Table
December 6, 2010
When I stumbled upon this little treat over at Urban Nest, I thought I would share it with you because it showcased how colors that you wouldn’t normally think of using together, could be combined and still look good. If you are loyal fans, you know just how much romance, vintage, rustic and shabby chic elements influences much, not all, of my signature design style and I thought this table is a great example of how combining vintage, rustic & romantic elements could be done to form a cohesive look.
This design was a collaboration between the talents of Heather of Sweet Heather Anne and Olivia of From the Kitchen of Olivia for a friend of theirs who got married on a beautiful old farm with rustic barns and a pretty landscape. The Bride’s ruched turquoise gown and peacock feather veil was the inspiration behind the design. The ladies were asked to create this dessert table for the reception and was given lots of freedom with the direction, but were to design something with an air of vintage playfulness. I would say they pulled it off rather nicely wouldn’t you.
These cakes by Heather are stunning and true works of art. There were 3 cakes in total and they were all a different flavor.
I just ADORE the simple yet elegant dessert table signs
These vintage inspired cookies are pure elegance
A pretty table indeed.
Friday’s FAB Find: Titi’s Tutus
December 3, 2010
Just Because I Love…Yummy Hot Chocolate
December 3, 2010When I woke up today to a cold and frosty morning, I thought what better topic to post about than good ol’ hot chocolate. There is no other time of year that I enjoy cup after cup of sweet, rich and delicious hot chocolate than during the winter months. Hot Chocolate is really one of those warm treats that when I offer it to guests that come over, it is always a resounding “YES”! I make it every Christmas morning and I usually have to make 2 pots because it goes so fast and is enjoyed throughout the day. I have made it from scratch several times, but life can get so hectic, I can’t always find the time to do that. I have been on a quest for the past few years to find the perfect hot chocolate and I have certainly found some good ones out there. If you’re going to serve hot chocolate, serve the good stuff, and I promise you will really taste the difference and your family and friends will be singing your praises!
TRY THIS: Want to kick it up a notch? Try adding Peppermint Schnapps. A little splash of this will really get everyone in a holly jolly spirit. This is a wonderful treat to serve at a holiday dinner party.
HOSTESS GIFT GIVING TIP: Going to a holiday party this season? Why not make a Hot Chocolate basket for your hostess? Simply get a nice wicker basket. Line it with a festive dish towel…add a can or two of various hot chocolates, some nice glass mugs, gourmet cookies, gourmet marshmallows and candy canes. It’s a sweet and simple gift that the hostess will be sure to love.
Here are my top 3 picks that you will usually find in my pantry at one time or another.
#1 My FAVORITE and top pick: Burnham & Mills Silly Cow Hot Chocolate
I discovered this favorite of mine on a trip to Vermont. Thank goodness I bought 2 jars. (if it’s from VT, it has to be good) Not only are these hot chocolates packaged in the cutest recyclable glass bottles, but their ingredients are all natural, no trans fats, cholesterol, dairy or GMOs. None of the junk and ALL the yummyness (is that a word) They have 4 flavors, but the Chocolate Truffle…heaven on earth. A truly rich and delicious treat.
Yes, I am in trouble anytime a package of Ghiradelli caramel squares are around, but their hot cocoa is just as addictive. There is a difference between hot cocoa vs. hot chocolate. Hot chocolates are a lot richer in taste. Did you know that? Made with the best cocoa beans and a smart blend of vanilla and sugar, this is for those of you who enjoy a hot cocoa on the sweeter side. They too have four delicious flavors, but the Double Chocolate is by far my favorite.
#3 Williams-Sonoma’s Peppermint Hot Chocolate
I first tried this when I was wondering in their store one day a few years back and they had a tasting of it going on. “I will have 2 cans please” I said. No people…I wasn’t being greedy, I just bought an extra one as gift for a girlfriend, but after I got home and made a pot for the family, I knew I should have bought another for our home as well. This peppermint hot chocolate is such a special treat. It’s different and rich and luxurious in how it tastes. (I kid you not…luxurious). It’s what I pull out when I feel like I have had a really hard day and that I deserve to have hot chocolate that cost almost $20. After one sip, you will know, it’s well worth every penny. They have a regular hot chocolate as well, but the peppermint, to me really is the real star of the two!
Enjoy a cup for me
Enter Our 1st Annual White Box Giveaway!
December 2, 2010The details on how to enter and the contents of the “White Box” are now up! Click on the White Box Giveaway graphic on the right to learn how to enter and to see what’s inside for Holiday 2010!
Lots of ways to win with up to 3 entries!
Good Luck!
Hearts for Hearts Doll GIVEAWAY WINNER!
December 2, 2010Congratulations to Evelyn!! You are the winner of the Hearts for Hearts Doll Giveaway!
Please contact me at sandra@thewhitelibary.com and I will get your address to ship your doll. I hope your little girl enjoys Tipi
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Meet Sandra
Editor. Event Designer. Lifestyle & Entertaining Expert: With a passion for celebrations and parties, crafting, food, interiors and living a beautiful life, I hope you stay a while to see all the pretty inspiration The White Library has in store for you. read more...
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