It is with great pleasure that I introduce to you my Summer Boho New Year’s Eve party!! My absolute passion for bright colours found an unhindered outlet in this concept and design. As mentioned in my previous post, I wanted to break away from the traditional colour schemes usually associated with New Year’s Eve and bring a truer reflection of our lengthy Australian summer days to the table.
Wow! …is all I can say about the incredibly fabulous colour palette chosen by the stunning bride who ordered this cake. It has been almost 23 years since I had to make a colour choice for my wedding, and I hang my head in shame as I admit that I only got as far as …wait for it…….yes,
burgundy.
I know. There are no excuses for a colour like that. Ever.
My only concession , which my bridesmaid recently pointed out to me when I was lamenting the hideous colour scheme I chose for my wedding, was that we got married in the early 90’s, which is basically the tail end of the 80’s and burgundy was the hot colour of the Federation fad. Remember federation green….? SO I was actually right on trend. That made me feel better….sort of.
Anyway…oh if I could only do my wedding all over again! How many 80’s/90’s brides have made that wish?! My point being that this sexy shimmery hot pink would probably hit the top of my list. I adore everything about this colour scheme. Bohemian chic/ berrylicious/deep pinks/shimmers of gold….absolutely stunning. I have no photos of the bridal party, so the cake will have to suffice. But trust me when I say the whole wedding was brilliant. It was set to take place in a picturesque garden, but unfortunately rain forced us all inside. Let me say there was grief. I was going to set up the dessert tables under a sprawling tree, using suspended wooden slabs tied with crocheted ropes hanging from a branch to hold the cupcakes. I bought the most glamorous hot pink shimmery sequin tablecloth and the coolest deep pink 70’s brocade bedspread to use as another cloth over my tables. It was all set to look spectacular.
My heart went out to the bride. Actually, my heart broke for the mother of the bride. She had worked tirelessly preparing all the food, thinking through every detail and setting up every element of all of the food and drink stations. She is nothing short of a legend really.
And it rained. Far from the greatest disaster in the world, but right up near the top of the wedding disaster list. After a few tears, hugs and reassurance, we all set to work to whip up a sensational indoor wedding and reception at the same venue. All worked out well in the end, as it usually does. The bride, as I mentioned before, was like a shining angel. She was beaming and the whole occasion was a privilege to be a part of.
So without further ado, here is my Bohemian chic wedding cake, complete with gold paint and feathers. Thank you dearest Amy, for letting me be a part of such a wonderful day.
xx
This was such a special afternoon. I gathered together a group of ladies, many of them mothers with young children, with the aim of creating a relaxing and indulgent tea party where they would sit and enjoy being served. As women, we are so often the ones who tirelessly meet the needs of others, so I wanted to give these special ladies an afternoon off, where they could finish their conversations, have fresh tea poured for them, leave their diets at the door and indulge in decadent sweets and treats.
As most of you are aware, designing and styling baby showers is one of my all time favourite creative pursuits. New life just grabs me every time. There is such diverse styling potential for each shower, and opportunity to reflect the personality of each precious mama to be.
When I was asked to create a small cake table for a baby dedication service at church, I wanted to break away from the traditional baby blue or pink colour scheme, and move toward a more bohemian, offbeat theme, using lots of fringing, wood, leather, lace and feathers. I used my gorgeous fringed chenille throw which had a previous life as a tablecloth in the Ukraine ( gotta love Etsy), topped with a crisp white lace cloth. My wooden cake stands were used as risers to add height, with the feature cake taking centre stage of the display. I made dove fondant cupcake toppers to symbolise the purity of new life. I really enjoyed raiding my button stash and gathering bits and bobs to decorate the cake stands and the feature cake, which was wrapped in lace, ribbon, leather strips and feathers. Hand made fondant feathers were tipped with gold in keeping with the boho theme. A simple chocolate ganache cake complimented the feature cake. Mini cupcakes and ginger spice biscuits were also part of the treats.
Valentine’s day usually slips by me unnoticed each year. My time is so valuable and with 8 children at home, I have to choose my party styling endeavours very carefully.Valentine’s Day comes hot on the heels of our wedding anniversary and just before our first birthday of the year, so I have conceded that I simply must let this love fest go. This year however, I was in for a pleasant surprise when some ladies in our church wanted to have a Valentine’s day party. I couldn’t possibly let an opportunity like this pass me by, so it was with reluctance and hesitation (not!) that I asked if they would like me to put together a small dessert table. I had less than a week to throw a few things together and bake like crazy for our sweet little vintage Valentine’s Day celebration. I enjoyed it so much that I think I might just have to squeeze it into my yearly party planning schedule.
