Printable Invitations {Celebration Supplies}

The past few months have been an exciting blur here in my design studio. After careful consideration and some much needed vacation time, I have decided to discontinue my line of cupcake toppers. While they are gone for now, I am considering adding printable topper designs in the future (no promises though). All toppers will be slowly removed from my inventory over the next month or so to make room for exciting new projects.

Speaking of exciting new projects, I'm sure many of you have already seen the beautiful new printable invitations that recently launched. These premade invitation designs are currently available in 9 gorgeous background patterns and 2 frame variations so that you can choose the design that best fits your party theme. As always, you can customize your design by adding the requested personalized text and choosing your own color scheme.

As I mentioned, there are 9 different background patterns and 2 frames to choose from on the new invitation designs. Currently, I offer: bamboo, chevron, diagonal stripes, floral, greek keys, pixie, polka dots, quatrefoil, and stripes as pattern options. The new frame choices are: bracket and circle. New patterns and frames are expected to release throughout the year, so keep an eye out for those new designs to start launching soon.

These invitations allow for 2 or 3 colors per design to make the final product truly your own. The new color chart was just released so I am excited to offer such a wide array of color choices in my collections. I have expanded the color chart to include 77 total choices. The additional colors are available to create the perfect color combination to compliment your upcoming celebration.

The featured invitations are all available by custom order at Heather Renee Celebrations or via my Etsy Shop while the website remains under construction.

-What is your favorite new invitation pattern?
-What two colors would you like to see paired together?

Heather

Sophisticated Bridal Shower {Celebration Inspiration}

Wedding Season is right around the corner! That means bridal showers and bachelorette parties are in full swing as many brides prepare for their big day. To start the season off right, I've decided to highlight the shower of my dreams for everyone to enjoy.

A shade of pink was the obvious color choice for this shower and I was instantly drawn to light pink as I looked for shower inspiration.  However, showers that incorporate light pink can often take on a baby shower feel which we wanted to avoid. To achieve a more adult look, we paired shades of light pink with mint and a touch of gold for a truly sophisticated affair. We also set the tone for our guests with the new printable invitation collection.

Of course, no shower is complete without a gorgeous dessert table so that guests can take home their choice of treats as a shower favor.  This arrangement featured: saltwater taffy, jelly beans, marshmallows, jordan almonds, cake balls, and rock candy to satisfy every sweet tooth.  I must note that the homemade cake balls were my favorite dessert of the day. The shower also featured two banners.  A "Miss to Mrs" banner and a "Gifts" banner were used to add a touch of pizzazz to the gift table and above the dessert bar.

When planning this event, I knew that a signature drink was a must-have for this event. From the start I had my heart set on a pink lemonade champagne and a non-alcoholic pink lemonade spritzer. However, after scouring the Internet for drink inspiration, I found myself making my own recipes on the day of the shower. The end result was delicious.  I wanted to share the secrets to my success so that you can enjoy these refreshing drinks at your next celebration.

Pink Lemonade Champagne

To make pink lemonade champagne for your next gathering, you will need the following ingredients:

• 2 Bottles of chilled champagne
• For non-alcoholic spritzer, Fresca or Sprite may be substituted in place of the champagne
• 4 cups of pink lemonade mix
• 1/4 cup of Granulated sugar
• Ice (optional)

This specific recipe will make roughly two quarts so make sure you plan ahead to purchase enough ingredients.  I can tell you from experience, that this drink went fast so be prepared.

To begin, I followed the instructions on my lemonade mix to scoop the mix into the pitcher.  I specifically used the Target brand Market Pantry Pink Lemonade 19 oz Drink Mix.  The instructions called for 2 measured caps full which equalled 4 cups total.

Once your mix has been added to the pitcher, continue to follow the mix instructions by adding champagne instead of water.  I used Verde brand champagne so I needed 2 full bottles to make the two quarts called for on the drink mix instructions.  If you've never tasted Verde champagne, you are missing out.  It's inexpensive, can be found at your local grocery store, and is absolutely amazing.  I purchased my champagne at my local Wal-Mart for $5.99 per bottle.

Finally, add 1/4 a cup of granulated sugar to the mix and stir your ingredients together. Ice and garnishments are optional. If the drink is still a little bitter, add more sugar until you are happy with the result. Serve in a pretty glass and enjoy!

After mingling and enjoying a few glasses of pink lemonade champagne, guests took their seats and enjoyed several bridal shower games.  As the game answers were revealed, there was lots of laughter and conversation between the guests before the gift unwrapping began and the event came to a close.

The featured invitations, party banners, and bridal shower games are all available by custom order at Heather Renee Celebrations or via my Etsy Shop while the website remains under construction.

Once the shower was over, the hostesses received a fabulous thank you gift which included fashionable chevron wristlets and acrylic tumblers in their favorite colors.

The wristlets were custom created by MichelleandKatt, which offers a wide variety of designs and fabric choices.  Each bag was further personalized with a fabric flower from TheCarpentersWife, adding a pop of color to reflect their individual style.

-Is this the shower of your dreams too?

-What hot color trend are you obsessed with this wedding season?

Heather

Blog Maintenance Complete...Almost

Thanks for your patience as I have been working on redesigning the blog.  Some additional changes are coming soon but I am back to blogging.  I will be bringing you amazing celebration inspiration, my newest line of celebration supplies, vendor recommendations, tutorials, and more.  I can't wait to share some awesome new projects in the months ahead.

The website is still under construction but I hope to have everything launched in May.

Heather

Blog and Website Maintenance

I hope everyone had a wonderful January! As you may have noticed, the website and blog are currently down to bare-bones. I am thrilled to announce that over the month of February, we will be redesigning and rebranding. Past blog posts and products on my website will be hidden for the time-being but will slowly be added back as the month progresses. I apologize for any inconvenience. You can still view all of my products in my Etsy shop and my services on my website during the construction.

If you are looking for a certain product or blog post, please contact me and I can pull it from the archives.

Heather

Onesie Cupcakes {Winner}

Congratulations to Kayleigh Lockwood. Your post was chosen at random so you are the winner of the onesie cupcakes. I have sent you a message with all the details. Thanks to everyone who entered!

Heather

Onesie Cupcakes {Giveaway}

I have been so overwhelmed by the positive feedback from the new Onesie Cupcakes Tutorial that I have decided to host a blog giveaway. One lucky reader will receive a onesie cupcake gift box in their choice of theme: boy, girl, or gender neutral.

There are several ways to enter. After completing your entry, please leave a comment below so that your entry will be counted. Each entry method counts as a separate contest entry so please leave a new comment below for each entry method you complete.

1. Pin the Onesie Cupcake Tutorial link to Pinterest.
2. Like my Facebook fan page.
3. Follow this blog.
4. Blog about this contest.
5. Share this link on Facebook.

Contest closes at 11:59pm on October 31, 2012. A winner will be selected at random on November 1, 2012. Winner must claim their prize within 48 hours of being contacted or their prize will be forfeited and another winner will be selected. Winner is responsible for shipping fees. Local pick-up arrival for the Columbus area.

Heather

Onesie Cupcakes {Tutorial}

Now that wedding season is coming to a close, I've had some time to focus on celebrating the pregnancy of a dear friend. With her due date only 6 weeks away, I'm thrilled that her baby shower week has finally arrived. In addition to buying several items off of her registry, I wanted to add a personal touch to her gift by incorporating some practical gifts in her nursery colors of pink and gray. I decided that onesie cupcakes would be the perfect gift.

After several rounds of trial and error, I finally found a technique that worked. Since the final product turned out even better than I had imagined, I wanted to share my method so that others can make this adorable gift.

To create your own onesie cupcakes you will need the following supplies:

• 4 Cupcake wrappers
• Cupcake box
• Spool of ribbon
• Scissors
• 4 Onesies (size 6 months)
• 2 Pairs of baby socks (size 3-6 months)

I started by laying out the onesies and socks to match up colors that I wanted together.  I paired the pink onesies with the gray socks and so on, to create contrast between the two design elements. Next, I assembled the cupcake wrappers and cupcake box so that they would be ready to use when I needed them further into the process.

I purchased the onesies and baby socks at my local Target, the cupcake box and spool of ribbon at Michael's, and the cupcake wrappers are a Heather Renee Celebrations original creation (available by special order only).

Once, you've paired up your socks and onesies, you are ready to start assembling your cupcakes. Start by folding each side of the onesie in towards the middle so that it is approximately one-third of it's original size. Next, make one more fold by folding the newly resized onesie in half. You should be left with a long, thin strip of fabric which will serve as the outside piece of your cupcake. Leave the fabric strip nearby as you will need it to be readily available. Now, take the baby sock and start rolling it from the bottom up. The toe end of the sock should roll up into a flower-like swirl by time you reach the ankle of the sock. Once you are satisfied with the swirl, continue rolling the sock tightly then place it at the collar end of your folded onesie strip. The flower-like swirl should be placed right over the crease in the onesie fold, as this will be the top end of your finished cupcake. Now you are ready to roll the onesie from the collar down to the snaps with the sock inside. Make sure you roll the onesie as tightly as possible.

Once you have finished rolling the onesie with the sock inside, you should be able to delicately place the finished product into the assembled cupcake wrapper. Your final product should look similar to the photo with the sock as the center and the onesie wrapped around it to complete the cupcake feel.  

After admiring your work, all you have left to do is carefully place the finished product into the cupcake box.

If you want to decorate the box, I recommend closing it with ribbon, baker's twine, or placing a bow on top. I decided to tie a ribbon around the box to add some flair and am thrilled with it's 'fresh from the bakery' look.

These onesie cupcakes are sure to be a hit at the next baby shower you attend. If you prefer to purchase an assembled onesie cupcake set rather than make it on your own, please email me to place an order.

Heather