Thursday, June 29, 2017

{Sugar Bee} All American 4th of July Cupcakes

Are you prepping for the 4th?! I definitely am! To get started I wanted to create a cupcake that screamed All-American and 4th of July. I thought to myself what is an all-American dessert....apple pie of course! So my apple cupcake with cinnamon buttercream frosting was born! To give it an added patriotic touch, I added some sprinkles and adorned the top with red and blue chocolate stars. These give another meaning to Sweet Land of Liberty!

Sunday, June 25, 2017

{Sugar Bee} Boho Chic Cupcakes

 
Last but not least for the Boho Chic Baby Shower treats are boho cupcakes! I made two different flavors and to differentiate the two flavors, I used slightly different colors within the color palette of the party and maintained the same decor. The almond cupcakes with cherry almond frosting I made a pretty peach and topped it with white feathers that I subtly brushed with a pearl dust and added pink flowers. The margarita cupcakes I kept white and added gold sparkly feathers with the same pink flowers. I hope the mama-to-be and baby enjoy their sweet treats and their special day!

Saturday, June 24, 2017

{Sugar Bee} Boho Chic Chocolate Covered Oreos

This weekend I am working on some goodies for a boho chic baby shower. First up on the list, chocolate covered Oreos! Using the color palette of the party, I created mini rose chocolate covered Oreos and then added a little sparkle and shine with standard round chocolate covered Oreos topped with a gold feather. I just love how it turned out!

Monday, June 19, 2017

{Sugar Bee} Father's Day Hole in One Treats!

This Father's Day I wanted to honor the two amazing fathers (my husband and my dad) in my life with making special treats that revolve around their favorite pastime....Golf! So let's just say I had a ball and went a little crazy creating goodies to let them know they are the "best dads by PAR"...in fact, they are a "HOLE in ONE"!
I always have to make chocolate covered Oreos....these have golf balls decorating the top that can hold a mini Oreo or just straight up white chocolate (just depends on how much you love white chocolate)!
 
I have been dying to make these sugar cookies inspired by Sweet Sugarbelle and when my husband sent me a photo of golf cookies out of the blue a couple weeks ago, I knew this would be the time to do it!
My husband LOVES cake pops, so I knew I had to incorporate this into my treat bucket....golf ball cake pops inspired by My Cupcake Addiction!
A while back I made these cupcakes to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday. I loved them so much and thought they needed to be part of my sweet treats, but instead the flag would focus on Father's Day. So one side the flag has a number ONE and on the other it says "Dad, you are a hole in one!"
It was a sweet way to wish my husband and dad a Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all you amazing dads, grandpas, godfathers, and father figures!


Monday, June 5, 2017

{Party Bee} Morphin into Jake's 7th Birthday Party!

At the beginning of this year, my son, Jake, came across some old Power Ranger toys that my mom had stored at her house that belonged to my younger brother in the mid-nineties. At that moment, Jake was hooked....he became completely obsessed with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers toys, the movie, and the television series. It was at that time that he decided the theme of his 7th birthday party. So of course, I went into party planning action! It was MORPHIN TIME!
Decorations for the classic Mighty Morphin Power Rangers aren't easy to find, so I knew I would have to design most of the party printables. I came up with a neutral color scheme of black and white, but wanted one particular color to pop....that color was green; for the green ranger of course, and Jake's favorite ranger! At the front door, a sign welcomed all of the guests to "Ranger Jake's 7th Birthday!"
Not only did I use the toys that my brother used to play with, but a friend and coworker of mine was also a huge Power Ranger fanatic, and he gave my son all of his toys from his childhood....let me tell you that Jake was in ranger heaven! So I put out many of the toys to help decorate....they really brought the dessert table to life by adding color and more ranger elements.
I ordered Jake's cake from the ridiculously talented Natalie (who also made his cake last year). She created a Green Ranger cake because that is Jake's favorite, and boy did she outdo herself....it is stunning! The cupcake toppers were created from my bestie and equally talented, Gabby! These were the most amazing sugar creations!
I knew I wanted to create Power Ranger cookie helmets, but choosing which ones was the challenge. I didn't have room for all 6, so I chose two rangers to flank the cake....yellow and blue!
I always have chocolate covered Oreos on my dessert table....they are a favorite of many of my friends and family. This year, the shape reminded me of the rangers' power coins. So I created the green ranger's power coin, and a black and white #7 to represent the white ranger (who was formerly known as the green ranger, in case you aren't up to speed on your ranger trivia).
Beverages are always a festive and easy element that I like to include on every table. This year, I used apple juice boxes since they happened to already be green, and I created a wrapper to look like the front of the green ranger's uniform. The water bottle labels coordinated with the rest of the paper printables I designed to continue with the ranger theme.
My kids LOVE Pez and I happened to find Power Ranger Pez on Amazon. They only had the three characters; Red Ranger, Black Ranger, and Pink Ranger....but I thought they would work out well and they were an easy way to represent those rangers on the table, and the kids would eat them up!
Piñatas at birthday parties are a tradition in my family. This year was no different, and Jake was so excited for one to bust open and grab all his favorite candies! The only problem was finding one that worked with his theme. I didn't want to get a ranger, because who wants to destroy a good guy....and I couldn't find any of the bad guys to purchase. So I bought a brightly colored #7 that I just gave a little makeover and covered with green, white, and black streamer paper. Voila, instant transformation!

Gabby is the person I always turn to when I need cake pops made of specific characters! She does them so well and is always willing to try any character, especially for my kiddos who she treats like her own. They are so lucky to have her. This year she wowed us again with her awesome Power Ranger helmet cake pops!
The kids tables were so fun to decorate! Chevron was the main pattern I used for this party....it is a modern pattern to put on a retro theme. Plus, I already had a bunch of these table runners that I had purchased a couple years ago. For the centerieces, I found inexpensive metal buckets in Target's dollar section as well as toy dinosaurs from Dollar Tree that I spray painted green. I dressed the bucket to look like the green ranger's uniform to continue highlighting Jake's favorite ranger.
I always love to add photos of Jake to show is growth and his beautiful and contagious smile! So on one side of the frame I place a picture of him and the other I place a printable that coordinates with the party theme.
The party favor bag was filled with fun things for the kids! I included Power Ranger gummy snacks, a Power Ranger ring, dinosaur skeleton, a vintage sticker from 1994, a party blower that I added power coins to, and green dinosaur bubbles with a thank you tag! The kids had a blast with these!
When the guests arrived, I had a table calling all junior rangers to join the team. The kids had a chance to sign their names to the certificate and become a Junior Power Ranger!
 It was fun placing the printables and toys around the house for some added power ranger pizazz!
The drink station is so much fun for me to try and come up with colors and flavors that stick to the theme. So this year we served Yellow Ranger Lemonade and Green Ranger Punch. For the adults that wanted a little stronger beverage, we offered "Rita Repulsaritas", which were basically margaritas but named after the main villain in the Power Ranger series. 
Every year since my kids turned one, I have created a birthday shirt for them to wear at their party. This year I made Jake a chevron #7 and found an awesome Power Ranger patch to adorn the shirt. He was smiling ear to ear!
His sister wanted in on the action! We got lucky that the new Power Ranger movie recently came out so Target offered some cute little girl's clothing that allowed her to participate in dressing with the theme.

Family photos are a must, especially a photo with Grandma and Grandpa! And we definitely need a picture with our Gabby!
Because it is ridiculously hot here in the desert, we needed something to cool off with.....so we arranged for a big water slide! The kids had so much fun!
With the help from a friend, I created a piñata bat to look like a sword, so they could bust open the piñata! My little girl surprised me with the strength of her swing and busted the thing open!
Finally the birthday boy got to blow out his candle surrounded by his best friends and wonderful family!
Happy 7th birthday my sweet boy! Mommy, daddy, and Ava love you so much!