Baby shower gift / DIY onesies decoration

by Karolina, 27th May 2012

This will be my last post about this baby shower - I promise :)
I have a little problem with classification of this one because it is decoration and baby shower gift at the same time.

I was inspired by this amazing baby clothes bouquet by Hello Bee

But as I wanted the gift to be part of the decoration as well,so  I came up with this idea:

This is my self-standing onesies bouquet :)

So what do you need to make it?
- onesies - you can colour coordinate, keep all in one colour or just mix and match (as I did)
- wooden skewers
- rubbers
- polystyrene
- gift wrap
- leaves

How to do it?
- roll each onesie into rose shape
- keep the shape by tying with the rubber
- insert the wooden skewer into your "rose" for a stem
- wrap your polystyrene with gift wrap
- insert your onesie flowers into the polystyrene
- add leaves for additional touch (add them in the last minute to ensure they don't wilt)

It made a lovely decoration of the table at after the party "mum to be" took it with her :)

I'm really happy how they've come out.
How do you like it?

And little update....my lovely mum-to-be....is MUM now :)
Lovely Nina was born 2 days ago and both her and her mummy are feeling good.

So now, this bouquet is for new mum - Happy Mother's Day! (in Poland it was yday, 26th May)

Little Miss Pea party/part 3...

by Karolina, 22nd May 2012

...or dessert table :)
Yay! Probably my favourite part of any party ;)
Desserts tables have become extremely popular lately (thank you Amy Atlas for being such an amazing inspiration!) and now we can't really imagine a party without one.
Of course this party being baby shower just HAD to have a dessert table

This is the table I made for Little Miss Pea baby shower. Of course I kept the green theme here.
Check some details below:

These are simple butter cookies covered in white chocolate coloured green. They look messy, but that's how I like it. It's keeping green theme of the party at the same time I think they're very "baby" style :)


Btw, I love that polka-dot washi tape :)

 This is my other favourite - chocolate lollipops with pistachios. They were fun and quite easy to make with good quality melted chocolate.
And that's how they looked at the end...

I used piece of Styrofoam covered in green polka dot paper to hold them. I think they will be great for any kids party - although on our party shower they were quite a hit as well :)

Centerpiece of dessert table was this sponge cake with pistachio cream and marzipan "peas". how do you like it?
The biggest hit though were these:

Lime baby cakes with whipped cream and strawberries. I didn't expect them to be that popular but they were definitely a bit hit. If you'd like to make them, check this link.

I really like this hint of red on the green cakes :) How about you?

Let me know how you enjoyed by green dessert table

Miss Pea Party/ part 2

by Karolina, 14th May, 2012

Today I'd like to show you the savoury table from Miss Little Pea Part.
Yes, we had 2 tables - appetizer table and dessert table. I appreciate that not everyone has a sweet tooth (like me :)), or maybe is on a diet or just fancy something which doesn't include chocolate, cream & sugar.
So today, some chosen appetizers, made especially for Miss Pea baby shower, but actually they would be great for any kind of party:

This is the general look and feel - centerpiece was a bouquet of white flowers with loads of green leaves around. Above the table was big garland of white baloons, undortunately you can't really see it properly on any of the pictures :( For the rest I kept it simple not to disturb too much from food which on its own was table decoration.
So, a few things that made it to this table:

This is my favourite - cold pea soup with bacon crackers. A little sweet, a little spicy and salty. Yummy! Perfect for summer party. Recipe (slightly changed) from Taste of Beirut .

Next on my plate - super healthy crudites with dip. To make it a bit special the dip is in a cabbage - real one (very appropriate for baby shower, if you ask me ;))

To continue "good for you" feeling before "naughty desserts"...

 ...cucumber cups with ricotta with dried tomato. Yes it's as easy as it sounds but looks lovely.

One of my party favourites - puff pastry pinwheels. Here with pesto, to keep with green theme of the party. But you can experiment with any filling you can think of.

Something fishy for a change - little crostini with ricotta and salmon. And of course chives and rucola - they always make dishes look nicer :)
And for the end...not so healthy....

....herb&spices popcorn. Assortment of homemade popcorn with different herbs and spices - oregano and basil, curry powder and chili powder. Popcorn for any taste and always a crowd-pleaser.

There were some more dishes including couple of salads and baked pasta with cheese. But above ones were definitely my favourites.

And how do you like my appetizer table for Miss Pea party?
I hope I inspired you a little :)

Coming next...desserts!

Baby shower...or Miss Pea party / part 1

by Karolina, 12th May 2012

Finally I'm able to share with you the details of baby shower I organized for my lovely lovely friend who very soon will have a baby.
This was surprise party and unlike "surprise parties" this was actually 100% surprise for mom-to-be :) My partner in crime was my friend's husband who helped me gather all best friends and women close to my friend's heart. It was quite difficult operation taking the fact the I live not only in different city but actually in different country than my friends. To make is funnier, we had to move the party to earlier date, because there was a big chance that in originally planned she might be already a mum or in labour ;)
However, we managed at the end. My parents were very kind to "borrow" their lovely house for the party and my mum and sister helped with last minute preparations (big kiss for that :*).

The main theme I chose was....peas :) Why? Because future parents were calling their future child from the beginning of pregnancy "a pea" and when the gender was known- Miss Pea :)
Yay! That definitely made it easier for me to choose the theme, colours and all the rest :)
So "Miss Pea" party it was.
You can expect a lot of green...

...with a bit of white for good measure :)

Stay tuned for more...more food, more decorations...DIY and more baby shower :)

Baby shower - inspiration

by Karolina, 12th May 2012

Below you'll find moodboard & inspirations for baby shower I organized for my friend...
Details on it will follow shortly :)

1.Yummy baby-cakes
2.Baby shower gift
3.Onesies decorating
4.Adorable green baby shower
5.Lovely "pea in the pod" party

Baby shower extravaganza to be continued...

Speedy Hostess...

by Karolina, 9th May 2012

...or "how to be Entertaining Goddess in 5 minutes" :)

I decided to start new series of posts about entertaining.
Mainly because a lot of people say that they don't have time to cook, have guests, organize party...
I want to show:
 - that even with minimum effort and tiny bit of time you can create something nice, stylish & little special
- that to entertain you don't need hours of preparation and you can invite people anytime
- that you don't have to limit yourself to opening bag of crisps even if on a busy schedule

So today, I'd like to propose you this:

Pears with blue cheese and balsamico creme.
Sounds posh, looks good...do you agree?
Well, took me less than 5 minutes to prepare it. Seriously!
I actually made this today as improvised starter. And it will definitely stay in my last-minute entertaining ideas.

What do you need:
- pear (1 for 2 people - but you can vary it depending on amount of guests, portion size etc.)
- blue cheese (gorgonzola would be great as well, goat cheese would work as well)
- creme balsamico (I used ready made emulsion, but you can use normal balsamic vinegar or reduce it yourself)
- pepper

How?
Core the pear, cut it into bite size pieces, or slice it
Crumble cheese on top
Pour balsamico
Grind fresh pepper on top

(This would work really nice on bed of rucola as well - I didn't have any around though)

Tada! Ready!

This makes a nice change from typical tomato mozarella or melon and Parma ham (although I love it and could eat it every day :))

How do you like it?
How do you like my idea of Speedy Hostess posts?
I'd love to hear from you...

Hola Amigos!

by Karolina, 5th May 2012

Time for fiesta amigos :)
It's Cinco de Mayo tomorrow...ok, some of you are just asking - so what? 5th May, nothing special...

But it is a special day for Mexicans and Mexican-Americans. The 5th May is commemorating the battle of Puebla where highely outnumbered Mexican army defeated a much better-equipped French army. This is as well a day in USA when Mexican heritage is celebrated. And of course it's a perfect excuse for a few margaritas! :)  So put on sombrero and get ready for fiesta mexicana!

Of course the most popular Cinco de Mayo parties include tortilla, buritto, nachos and guacamole.
However, I wanted to propose you a few sweet things to accompany your margarita:


1.Fruit Tacos with Chocolate Tortillas via Munchin with Munchkin

2.Churros Cupcakes with Salted Dulce De Leche Sauce via Bakingdom

3.Coconut stuffed limes from MySweetMexico cookbook via houseandhome.com

4.Pinata cookies by Sandra Denneler at She Knows



Enjoy your fiesta!

Feliz Cinco De Mayo!

Orange inspiration

by Karolina, 02 May 2012

This post is inspired by my new nail polish :) No, it's not a post sponsored by cosmetic company :)
Apart of being a foodie and craft lover, there's a bit of fashionista in me as well.
Flicking through the magazines this Spring and browsing websites, it's quite obvious that neon colours are definitely in. Actually not only in fashion - all designer world seems to be in love especially with ORANGE.
So I decided to give it a try.

This is my new Spring manicure.
But that's not all - inspired by this colour I searched for some kitchen inspiration as well...
And here it is - if you don't fancy orange dress, shoes or manicure...maybe try some neon in the kitchen?

 

1.Gazpacho with roasted peppers via Beetroot & Halloumi
2.Orange Sweet Potato Baked Chips with Thyme by Melangery
3.A Sicilian Orange Salad by The Tasteful Life
4.Mandarin orange prosecco preserves by Salted&Styled

I find it very sunny and optimistic - a sign that Spring came for good and will stay with us :)

And how do you like this orange trend?