My First Cookie Decorating Workshop!

 I recently taught my very first cookie decorating workshop, and lOvEd it!!!
Maybe it was the adorable group of ladies, or my awesome hostess, Jess, but we all had a blast!!

The class was held at The Craftery; local friends- crafty or not, if you like fun times...or even if you're super boring and need something to get you off the sofa at night, The Craftery is it!!!

 

My cookie-loving students learned 3 different techniques to decorate their one dozen heart-shaped cookies...

 

We used royal icing with sanding sugars (quick and easy peasy).

Some were made to look like chalkboards:

 

Others were stamped with sweet sentiments, then filled in with food coloring... this is by far my favorite look for customizing cookies!

 

               ...and just like that, a plain 'ol cookie is turned into a gift:

Keep your eyes peeled for more Frog prince cake &; cookie design workshops coming up this summer...follow me on Instagram at frprince for updates and my latest creations. xo

                (that's Jess's adorable daughter).

Jess is the owner of The Craftery...

Established in Fall of 2014, The Craftery is the first of it's kind in Bucks County, blending the party-like atmosphere of a Girl's Night with creative crafts and DIY projects that will impress even the toughest critics! The Craftery also offers workshops for creatives that will take basic crafting skills to the next level.  So whether you're looking to perfect your craft or rock a night out with your gal pals, The Craftery is the place to be!  

Jessica Jackson started her love affair of design and crafting when she bought her first house. Luckily, she had a best friend, Monica, who was just as into home decor as she was. On a whim, they started the blog, East Coast Creative which rapidly grew into a successful site with thousands of readers. That blog is still going strong under the direction of Monica- you should totally check it out! It has tons of amazing, attainable DIY ideas for your home.

Amanda's Sweet Sixteen~

calligraphy*Photography by: Expressions by Nicole Marie


Last month I shared a snippet of my daughter, Amanda's Sweet 16 party.  It was featured in the Spring/Summer issue of Bird's Party Magazine. I'm excited to share every little detail with you today!

 

 

 

What fun is a party without confetti?
We figured a party as special as a Sweet Sixteen needed it's own Confetti Bar!!

The idea was for Amanda's friends to neatly fill their adorable, gold polka-dotted bags with confetti and playfully toss a few pinches into the air, taking the rest home...what actually happened was more like a confetti war!! It was flying EVERYWHERE, nobody was spared...even the grandparents went home that night picking confetti from their hair, but it was certainly the most beautiful mess I've ever seen!!!

These trendy, glittered ponytail holders were one of the parting gifts for the girls, these actually made it into their bags...

By far, Amanda's little cousins' favorite part of the party, the candy/kettle corn station...

After dinner everyone helped themselves to some snacks, then headed out to the main room to watch Frozen {it had just come out on dvd, so not everybody had seen it yet... and nobody was tired of hearing the songs yet either!!}

There were so many sweets to choose from: vanilla cupcakes with Swiss meringue butter cream, decorated sugar cookies, French macaroons, pretty chocolate covered Oreos, custom lollipops, white chocolate-dipped marshmallows, and chocolate cake pops... and of course, cake!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The guests had fun signing and decorating these adorable pillows with Sharpies...

 

Thanks for stopping by, and for always being so SWEET!! xo

 

 

 Vendor Credits:

 

* Styling, Cakes and Cookies: Frog Prince Cake and Cookie Design

* Sweet 16 Chalkboard Party Printables: Bird's Party

* Custom and Personalized Lollipops: Vintage Confections

* Sequin tablecloths: Candy Crush Event/Shop 

* Confetti wands: Oh Goodie Designs

* Marshmallow Candy: Sweet Servings 

* Candy, gumball machine, vinyl tablecloths, decorations: Oriental Trading 

* Glitter hair ties: Turnip Creations

* Gold polka dot favor bags: Pretty My Party 

* Floral crowns, confetti bar sign: Peckled

* Hand lettered envelopes, chalkboard calligraphy signs: Deborah Nadel Design

* Pillows: Cupcake with Character

* Gold, vinyl hearts on pillows and wall fringe: Nikki in Stitches 

* Confetti/tassel balloons, sweet 16 banner: One Stylish Party

* Chalkboard decal on backdrop: Ten23 Designs

* Mini Oreos: Bella's Bakery and Bowtique

* Pink tulle poms: Fizzy Party

* Serving pieces: Sweetly Chic Events   * French Macaroons: Trudy Bandmann :)  

 

 

A few fun DIY's from this party:

• White, Brick Wall Backdrop- I bought a brick wall panel from Lowes (around $20), painted it white and propped it up against the pane of windows.  the guests thought it was a real wall.

• Chalkboard Backdrop- I used a picture frame, chalkboard paint, and custom vinyl decal. I mounted the picture frame to the wall using removable mounting tape.
• Fringe Wall Backdrop- I had a HUGE wall mural I needed to cover, so I called my crafty friend, Nikki, In Stitches and she went to work... she used tissue paper from the dollar store, and fringing scissors.  I hung the fringe in overlapping layers (with the help of my bff Linda Griffin xo) using painters tape. The tape came down easily at the end of the night, and the mural was perfectly fine.
• Creeping Vine (seen in a few of the photos above...look closely) I bought a potted plant from Ikea for around $2, cut the branches off and using my hot glue gun, stuck them together to form vines.
• Clear, Glitter-Filled Balloons- I bought clear balloons from Oriental Trading and filled them with confetti made from dollar store tissue paper.  Around $7 for 20 balloons.

 

• Pink Window Valance- I used pink, plastic tablecloths to cover a brightly colored window valance that did not match the party decor. I cut the tablecloth in half, lengthwise and used masking tape to secure it to the top of the existing valance.  I folded it as I went to give it a ruffled look.

• Pink Tulle Pom Centerpieces- I popped these cuties in white, milk glass vases and staggered them along the centers of the dining tables. I used pink, tulle poms, wooden dowels that I spray painted gold, and my hot glue gun to attach the pom to the dowel.

I hope you're inspired to try some of these at your next party!!

xo Linda

 

 

 

This review is based strictly on my opinion. Others may have a different opinion or experience with the products listed above. I was provided the samples free of charge by the company or PR agency and I provided my honest opinion. No other type of compensation was received for this review.

 

 

Amanda's Sweet 16 {FEATURED}

Happy day!! I'm excited to tell you all that the Spring/Summer 2014 issue of Bird's Party Magazine is out! Featuring my daughter, Amanda's Sweet 16 party (pgs. 20-24).
This issue is full of eye candy, lots of ideas for your next party & some fun tutorials too... you're going to love it!!

You can view the digital copy for free HERE.
or buy your own paper copy HERE.

Here's a little peek at what you'll see in the magazine:

(Photos by Expressions by Nicole Marie)

Happy Spring!!! xo


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40th Beer-thday Party~

 My husband turned 40 a little over a month ago...Happy Birthday, Matt!! (better late than never, right?!) 40 is a pretty big milestone, I'd know because I made the leap last year!!

 I thought I'd help him ease into his new decade with a little celebration. With Matt, there was no other theme more appropriate than a "beer~thday party".   I transformed our dining room into a bar and it was so easy, fun and inexpensive.
 

I covered the counter tops and tables with brown craft paper from the dollar store, which I use for almost every party because of it's versatility.
I found the beer-paddle with mini beer glasses at Target for $3.  I've seen it used in beer tasting parties but thought it would be a cute way to display my plethora of mustards~ yum!!

Beer cheese~ another YUM!!  It's made with beer and Wispride cheese. The recipe is an ancient Chinese secret so I can't share, but google it...SO good!!

Caprese salad and hot wings...

Jack Daniel's pulled pork, right from the supermarket...heat and eat!

Strangely enough, Matt doesn't like cake (I know, how could I marry him?!!) so we settled for chocolate dipped marshmallows, beer cap shaped sugar cookies, and ice cream.

Meet our (kids' drinks only!) bartender, Kati.  She should have put out a tip jar because she can mix a mean Shirley Temple!!

We put out paper stripey straws for the adults and Red Vine licorice straws for the kids but in all honesty, not one adult went for the paper straws, they all wanted licorice!! (sangria + licorice = soo good!!)

Little beer bottle shaped ice cubes made from trays I found in the dollar bins at Target.  Looks like everyone had fun. 

                The best is yet to come, CHEERS!!! xo

Ps. I uploaded these photos from my phone.  It's my first time doing this and I definitely notice a difference in quality, hope you like them anyway!! :))