Candy Corn Themed Sweets Table

 

Do you love candy corn?  I have one child who does and another who hates it.  In either case I think a little candy corn goes a long way.  We were asked to put together a candy corn themed sweets table.  We decided to go with a candy corn look rather than using copious amounts of candy corn.

This table was designed for kids, so the sweets were all kid friendly and meant to be eaten on the go.  We made this custom candy corn wreath out of real candy corn!

The centerpiece was a cupcake tower, filled with chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting.

We also did a 3 layer vanilla custard parfait served in individual cups.

Marshmallow pops seem to always be a winner with kids.  These were dipped in 2 layers of white chocolate.

We also made a 3 layer meringue in candy corn colors.

We found these adorable candy corn lollipops and used them to make candy kabobs.  These were served by sticking the ends in a mini hay bale to hold them upright.

 This jar was filled with candy corn colored M&Ms, which were lovingly sorted into a candy corn pattern!

Another kid favorite?  Rice Krispie treats!  These were layered and cut into triangles then placed on a stick.  These were also served on a mini hay bale.

The table backdrop was done in candy corn colors with a striking wreath as the main focal point.  The table itself was set with an orange satin table cloth and candy corn topiaries on either side of the table.

These popcorn container were so cute that we needed to find a way to incorporate popcorn into the table to use them. 

Bella Festa offers a la carte candy buffets and sweets tables in addition to full service event planning.  If you are interested in hosting your own beautiful celebration, please contact Bella Festa.

Red, white and yum!

Are you looking for something fun for the 4th of July?  We recently came across these Campfire Giants Roasters marshmallows.  They were purchased at a local grocery store, they carry them during the summer.  You can also find them on Amazon.

These marshmallows are huge!  This is one compared to a regular sized marshmallow, it's about 4 times the size.

One of our favorite items for a kids sweets table is chocolate dipped marshmallows.  There are so many fun things you can do with chocolate, colored candy coatings and sprinkles to match just about any theme.  We whipped up a batch for the 4th of July with these gigantic marshmallows.  These were dipped in milk chocolate with 2 different kinds of sprinkles, a Wilton 4th of July mix and a mini red, white and blue stars mix.

These are relatively easy to make at home.  If you haven't worked with chocolate a lot you may want to try using candy melts as they are a bit less temperamental.  Simply melt your candy melts (I like the double boiler method), dip the end of the sticks in the melted candy melts and insert about two thirds of the way through the marshmallow.  Harden for a minute in the fridge.  You can then dip the entire marshmallow in the candy melts, or use an off set spatula to "frost" the marshmallow.  I find the offset spatula method to be easier.  Cover with sprinkles and set in the fridge to harden for a few minutes before serving.

Our testers thought they were pretty cool!  Tied up in cellophane with a bow, these would make a great party favor.

Bella Festa offers a la carte candy buffets and sweets tables in addition to full service event planning.  If you are interested in hosting your own beautiful celebration, please contact Bella Festa.

Woodland Themed Sweets Table

This past weekend we were hired to do a sweets table for a 5 year old's birthday party.  The client had seen photos of Molly's birthday party and asked us to replicate it.  We provided a set table and fondant covered sugar cookies, meringue mushrooms, chocolate dipped hedgehogs, toadstool fairy wands, and chocolate acorn cookies.  This is such a fun theme to work with, there are so many cute things you can do with woodland creatures and fairies.

Thanks for looking at our event!  Bella Festa is pleased to offer a la carte candy buffets and sweets tables.  If you are interested in hosting your own beautiful celebration, please contact Bella Festa.

Forest Animals Baby Shower for Andrea

 
This past weekend we put together a beautiful baby shower for a very special first time mommy.  The theme was forest animals, and the primary colors were pink, coral and pale yellow.  The shower included a brunch, for which Bella Festa did the catering.  

Invitations were done by Tiny Prints, in addition to the invitation we also did a card with "Wishes for Baby", which each guest was asked to fill out for the new mom.

  

The shower was held in a backyard, for decor we had linens custom made in colors that matched.  The rose fabric was used as an accent piece on each table center.  I adore this fabric, it comes in a large variety of colors and can create a big impact for a relatively low price.  The flowers all came from the grocery store, and we put the arrangements together.  The arrangements included peonies, spray roses, roses, godetia, and Bells of Ireland (a nod to the mommy-to-be's heritage).

Other decor included a ribbon wreath on the front door, and a welcome baby banner (this was hung inside, I brought it out to take a better photo).  We also made a tulle pom pom garland.  These can be created in any color scheme and can be hung vertically or horizontally (they hang, spaced apart, on fishing line).   

For brunch we had a colorful spread that included assorted scones and bagels, coffee cake, fresh fruit, mini yogurt parfaits, 2 types of egg stratas, mini stacks of buttermilk pancakes and hash browns.

For drinks we created a "bubbly bar", which seemed to be loved by the guests.  The bar included champagne, sparking cider, sparkling water, passion fruit puree, orange juice, strawberry puree and fresh fruit.  A sign encouraged guests to create their own flavor fusion.  

The amazing cake was made by the folks at Sugar Butter Flour in Sunnyvale.  I had brought in a copy of the invitation, along with some color samples and asked them to create something to match.  They did a wonderful job, it turned out really well.  In addition to the cake we also served lemon whoopie pies with mascarpone filling, passion fruit macarons, meringue kisses, and lemon bars.  

 For the final touch we did a favor that included custom sugar cubes (in matching colors!), a silk Tea Forte infuser, and 2 Biscoff cookies.  These were bagged together and labeled with a matching Tiny Prints sticker.  

Thanks for looking at our party!  If you are interested in hosting your own beautiful celebration, please contact Bella Festa.

Woodland Fairy Themed 5th Birthday Party

We recently had the opportunity to host a woodland fairy themed birthday party for a very special 5 year old (my daughter!).  Molly had asked for a fairy party and I wanted to do something a little bit different than the fairy princess theme.  I decided on a woodland fairy, with the red and white polka dot toadstool being the primary inspiration.  Pink butterflies and crystals were used as accents, as well as moss and wood.  The party was held in a smallish backyard which we transformed into an enchanted forest.  It happened to be the hottest day of the year so far at about 90 degrees!

The invitation, from Paper & Pigtails, was accented with Swarovski hotfix crystals.

Guests were welcomed at the front door with a custom wreath with the birthday girl's first initial.

 

The theme continued with a custom birthday bunting banner.

Tulle pom poms in red and pink were hung from the backyard tree, which created a focal point in the "forest".  The pink pom poms were accented with chandelier crystals.  The red pom poms were scattered with small Swarovski crystals.  

 

On the trunk of the tree we placed a "fairy door" and set a scene for the fairies who moved in just for the party.

Small moss animals and mushrooms were used throughout the party as decor.

As each girl arrived they were transformed into a woodland fairy.  There were wings, a tutu, and a fairy halo for each girl.

Three activity stations were set up and three games were planned.  The activity stations included a glitter fairy tattoo artist, a make your own bottle cap necklace table, and a flower fairy table.  The games included pin the wings on the fairy, pass the fairy wand (like hot potato), and musical toadstools.

 

The tablecloths were custom made red satin with a red and white polka dot tulle overlay.  The toadstools were also custom make, using a plain white Ikea stool.

 

  

We served strawberry lemonade and mini water bottles with custom labels and straw flags.

The party was held in the afternoon so snacks were served, rather than a meal.  The foods served also followed the woodland theme.  We used river rocks with decoupaged labels as food markers, and each food was given a kid-friendly, themed name.  The food table was set with a burlap tablecloth and a moss runner on top.  We made the wooden cake stands.

 

The food table was then transformed into a themed sweets table.  This was such a fun theme to work with, the centerpiece was an amazing custom sculpted cake.  Additional items on the table included Chocorooms, hedgehog donut holes, meringue mushrooms, acorn cookies, sugar cookies, marshmallow pops and M&Ms.

 

 

 

The girls all took home their fairy costumes, plus a magic fairy wand and a small bottle of fairy dust.

 

Thanks for looking at our party!  If you are interested in hosting your own beautiful celebration, please contact Bella Festa.