Monogrammed Cake Balls

My friend recently hosted a bridal shower for a young woman who has been very special to her family.  She wanted every detail of the shower to be special, too!

The cake balls were monogrammed with their married initials...the bride's initial on the left, the groom's initial on the right with their last name in the middle.

Congratulations to Sandy & Cody!

Smiles!

May link these monogrammed cake balls to some of the sweet parties in the side bar =>

Tuesday To Do #51 and #50 List Makers

Helloooo!

What a week!!!

You guys are A-mazing!!

Check out last week's list makers below AND on The Blackberry Vine's Facebook Page:

Love Sweet Love's Painted Rug Tutorial

Pretty Cakestand Tutorial by Uncommon Events

Awesome Label Tutorial From Emmaline

and last but not least, Ms. Not So Perfect's Almond Joy Ice Cream Recipe.

If you were on this week's To Do List, then please feel free to grab a  LIST MAKER button:

TUESDAY TO DO
FEATURED BUTTON  

<center><a href="http://www.blackberryvine.blogspot.com"><img border="0" src=" <a href="<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/51243403@N02/5510091012/" title="Tuesday To Do FEatured by jamianntexas, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5253/5510091012_ebe78ff067_m.jpg" width="125" height="125" alt="Tuesday To Do FEatured" /></a></a></center>

Now on the the party...

Link up your creations!  Sewing, crafting, cooking, tips, photography, tablescapes, parties, scrapbooking, collectibles...it all works.  Please save your items for sell, your giveaways and your own parties for those specific blog parties.  You're the best!

(Borrowed these little rules from the Shabby Nest...she's got it going on!)

1.  Become a follower of The Blackberry Vine and "LIKE" The Blackberry Vine on Facebook.

2. Link directly to your post and not just to your blog.

3. Grab the TUESDAY TO DO BUTTON from the sidebar, and link back to the Blackberry Vine.  (Yes, it can be a little time-consuming, but it's the sweet blogger thing to do!)

4.  Please visit other participants and leave them some comment love.  Comment, comment, comment!!!

I reserve the right to remove posts that are not in keeping with the spirit of Tuesday To-Do including but not limited to those that link to your shop, your giveaway or your linky party, and those that do not link back to the Blackberry Vine. Thanks for playing fair!!

Farm Party Cookies

Here are the sweet cookies from Ella's Farm Birthday Party.

Cow print "E" for Ella, of course, and bandana print "3" because....

yep, she's 3!

Just a close up of the bandana print "3".

Happy Birthday sweet Ella girl!!

Smiles!

May share these farm party cookies with some of the parties in the side-bar =>

Tuesday To Do Party #50 and #49 List Makers

Happy Tuesday To Do!!!

I think last week was our best week ever!

So many great posts!

You gals AMAZE me with your creativity and talents.

Check out last week's List Makers...

Yummy Chenille Blanket from Mommy by Day Crafter by Night

Midwestern Sewing Girl's Distressed Photo Art How To

Gorgeous paint job by Moments with the Montano's

Nifty Thrify Things' adorable Valentine Treat Bag

If you were on this week's To Do List, then please feel free to grab a  LIST MAKER button:

TUESDAY TO DO
FEATURED BUTTON  

<center><a href="http://www.blackberryvine.blogspot.com"><img border="0" src=" <a href="<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/51243403@N02/5510091012/" title="Tuesday To Do FEatured by jamianntexas, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5253/5510091012_ebe78ff067_m.jpg" width="125" height="125" alt="Tuesday To Do FEatured" /></a></a></center>

Now on the the party...

Link up your creations!  Sewing, crafting, cooking, tips, photography, tablescapes, parties, scrapbooking, collectibles...it all works.  Please save your items for sell, your giveaways and your own parties for those specific blog parties.  You're the best!

(Borrowed these little rules from the Shabby Nest...she's got it going on!)

1.  Become a follower of The Blackberry Vine and "LIKE" The Blackberry Vine on Facebook.

2. Link directly to your post and not just to your blog.

3. Grab the TUESDAY TO DO BUTTON from the sidebar, and link back to the Blackberry Vine.  (Yes, it can be a little time-consuming, but it's the sweet blogger thing to do!)

4.  Please visit other participants and leave them some comment love.  Comment, comment, comment!!!

I reserve the right to remove posts that are not in keeping with the spirit of Tuesday To-Do including but not limited to those that link to your shop, your giveaway or your linky party, and those that do not link back to the Blackberry Vine. Thanks for playing fair!!

Ella's Farm Party Birthday Cake

 This is Sweet Baby Girl Ella's Birthday Cake!

She had the most wonderful party (will share more pics soon!)

Can you guess the theme??  Yes, a down home on the farm party!  She had ponies and everything!

Ella is one of my BFF's little girl.

It was so important to me that this cake was as special as I could make it.

Here is a little detail on the cake...I was thinking wisteria vine...my boys were thinking grapes...

Sweet Ella is a triplet...the three flowers were to let her mom know we'll always remember.

Just liked this picture because you can see Ella's mom's bridal portrait in the background.

She was the most beautiful bride!

Happy Birthday Sweet Ella!

Thank you for picking Aunt Jame Jame to make your cake!

Smiles!

May share Ella's cake at some of the parties in the side bar=>

Save the Date Cake Pops

 A client was hosting a surprise engagement party this weekend for her daughter and futer son-in-law.  After deciding on flavors and talking about colors, we came up with the idea to add a little save the date tag to the cake pops. 

I loved this idea and so did my client.

Another option with this idea is to add the couples' names and a little magnet to the back.  After the guests get home from the party and nosh on their cake pops, they can just put the save the date tags on the fridge.

Happy Engagement S + N !!!!

Smiles!!

Cheesecake with Valentine Banner

This is the Peach Tree Tea Room in Fredricksburg's Famous Cheesecake Recipe topped with stabilized whipped cream I made for a client.  She gave it to her "Quiet Cupid" for Valentine's Day.

To "valentine" it up...added the heart banner...

Sweet!

Would you like to make your own?

Here's the delicious recipe from the Peach Tree Tea Room Cookbook.

Crust:

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup melted butter

Mix the crust ingredients thoroughly and press into the bottom of a well-buttered 9" to 10" springform pan.  Bake 15 minutes in a preheated 325 degree oven.  Remove from oven and reduce temperature to 300 degrees.

Filling:

32 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

3 tablespoons flour

2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla (I use vanilla paste)

4 eggs

1 cup evaporated milk

1. Using an electric mixer, beat softened cream cheese with brown sugar until well blended.

2.  Add flour, vanilla, and the eggs -- one at a time, blending well after each.

3.  Gradually add evaporated milk.  Scrape down sides of bowl frequently and remix until no lumps remain.  Pour into greased pan.

4.  Bake 1 hour at 300 degrees.  Turn off oven and let the cake cool in the oven with the door closed for several hours or overnight.  Refrigerate.

Serves 14 - 16

I highly recommend the Peach Tree Tea Room Cookbook as well as a visit to the actual tea room in Fredricksburg, Texas.  Sadly, Cynthia Pedregon, the wonderful woman behind the Peach Tree passed away this month.  She has had a huge influence on me as I often turn to her cookbooks for trusted recipes and inspiration.  Good luck to Tina as she continues the legacy of her mother.

Please visit the Peach Tree HERE.

Smiles!

May share this pretty little cheesecake with some of the parties in the side bar=>

Valentine's Brunch for Friends

This week I hosted a Valentine's brunch for a few of my dear friends.

It was such fun setting the table and preparing the food to honor these wonderful ladies.

I'm so lucky that they could take some time out of their busy days to stop by for a few hours of food and fellowship.

Mini iron urns from a Southern Living At Home party YEARS ago filled with mini carnations were placed around the birdcage.  

My bird cage (will have a post on this soon,) took center stage...yes, we did lean around it on occasion...probably should have set it to the back of the table...but it's so cool! 

 The iron birdcage was wrapped with a paper heart bunting.

My mil gave me the pink matelasse tablecloth just for driving down to Horchow to pick up a couple of them for her!  Is that a deal or what?!? 

The Waterford Simply Pink wine hocks look spectacular on this cloth.

Inexpensive champagne flutes for the mimosas were also part of the setting.

 Spode Billingsley Rose has such darling little details.

Several plates of various patterns were layered on vintage linen pull work place mats.

A Spode Savoy dinner plate was used as a charger for a Spode Billingsley Rose luncheon plate.  Next was a Johnson Brothers Richmond salad plate topped with a Spode Billingsley Rose berry bowl.

The silverware was Gorham Chantilly.

Personalized cookies were used as place cards as well as party favors.

Isn't this gorgeous?  My mil passed it along to us.  It was a wedding gift to my husband's parents from my fil's grandmother.  I'm not sure of the maker, but maybe my mil will fill in the details on the comments.  I feel so privleged to be the steward of this piece of the family history.The beautiful silver tray was a wedding gift from my cousin.

My birdcage again...the botton was filled with multi-sized pillar candles, unscented of course!  We considered lighting the candles, then we thought better of it as the bunting could pose a fire hazard...then there was talk about nice looking firemen....we quickly came back to our senses and left it as is!  

,

The prettiest part of the whole table were the lovely friends that sat around it.

I'm so fortunate to have friends that are real, with character and integrity.  Friends that are kind and that are trustworthy.  No hidden agendas.  No putting on shows or tooting their own horns.  They're such a wonderful bunch of ladies, full of amazing talents and many accomplishments!  (Trust me, these ladies have plenty to brag about, but would never stoop to such hideous behavior!)  People with those qualities can be hard to find...I'm sure you have a story or two YOU could tell!

They also indulge me in my tablescaping needs!

Thank you friends!

And finally, after washing the dishes and resetting the table for more pictures, I lit the candles for one final photo.  Lovely.

Hope you have had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Smiles!

May share this with some of the parties located in the sidebar =>

Tuesday To Do Part #49 and #48 List Makers

Hey there bloggy friends!

Today started with a wonderful party (brunch) with friends and it's ending with another fun party with friends!  (Can't wait to share a few pics of the table from this morning!!)

(Also, remember The Pretty Packages Party is going on all month long.  CLICK HERE TO LINK UP YOUR PRETTY PACKAGE.)

Here are a few of my favorite friends from last week:

Valentine Wrap Up from Tales Of a Trophy Wife

Casa de Luna's adorable Teacup Pincushion 

The Places I've Been Map from Loopy Loop Creations

If you were on this week's To Do List, then please feel free to grab a  LIST MAKER button:

TUESDAY TO DO
FEATURED BUTTON  

<center><a href="http://www.blackberryvine.blogspot.com"><img border="0" src=" <a href="<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/51243403@N02/5510091012/" title="Tuesday To Do FEatured by jamianntexas, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5253/5510091012_ebe78ff067_m.jpg" width="125" height="125" alt="Tuesday To Do FEatured" /></a></a></center>

Now on the the party...

Link up your creations!  Sewing, crafting, cooking, tips, photography, tablescapes, parties, scrapbooking, collectibles...it all works.  Please save your items for sell, your giveaways and your own parties for those specific blog parties.  You're the best!

(Borrowed these little rules from the Shabby Nest...she's got it going on!)

1.  Become a follower of The Blackberry Vine and "LIKE" The Blackberry Vine on Facebook.

2. Link directly to your post and not just to your blog.

3. Grab the TUESDAY TO DO BUTTON from the sidebar, and link back to the Blackberry Vine.  (Yes, it can be a little time-consuming, but it's the sweet blogger thing to do!)

4.  Please visit other participants and leave them some comment love.  Comment, comment, comment!!!

I reserve the right to remove posts that are not in keeping with the spirit of Tuesday To-Do including but not limited to those that link to your shop, your giveaway or your linky party, and those that do not link back to the Blackberry Vine. Thanks for playing fair!!

You've Got the "Write" Stuff

We made these little Valentine treats for the boys' teachers.

When the kids go to so many different classes through out the week, it can be hard to recognize all of the teachers that have an impact on their lives while still being able to pay the mortgage.  This isn't much, but it let's them know we appreciate them!

The printable just jazzes the pencils up a bit.



Heart shapped sticky notes were added to their classroom teachers' stash.

Packs of dollar store Valentine pencils, these free printables and a hole punch were all it took to create these little Valentines.  (I needed to punch some extra space around the initial hole for the pencil to fit.)

Download your free printables HERE.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Smiles!

May share these little Valentines with some of the fun parties in the side bar=>

Some More Valentine Ideas

We hit the mother load today at our Valentine Parties!  Lots of great valentines and yummy candy!

After combing through the boys' stash looking for Twix cute Valentines, here are a few I thought I'd share with you...

 Cute homemade valentine decorated with stickers and stamps.  Not sure where this momma found the heart shaped folded cards...Oriental Trading company maybe?

This is a great way for the kiddos to make valentines that are cute AND legible!

 Loved this little valentine benefitting MD Anderson Cancer Research Hospital!

MD Anderson has treated my family and friends and I love to support them when I can.  I usually received their Christmas catalog, but had not noticed they had valentines.

What a great idea!  Will definitely look for these in the future.

I'm guessing other organizations may have these as well.  Does anyone out there know of any?

 Here is a great version of the super hero valentine!  The mom got her inspiration from Family Fun Magazine.  Like that she had her little valentine sign his name on the cape.

A few more homemade valentines...butterfly, pencil and the superhero again...all clever ideas!!!  (I'll show you my pencil valentine version later today. )

And last, but not least, is a valentine by a momma with the craftiest of skills.

She got her inspiration from Pinterest and executed this one flawlessly!  It is so, so cute!  To see more cute ideas like this one, check out this crafty momma's blog HERE.

She's full of cute and clever ideas !!

Something I realized today is that the kids LOVE valentines.  Star Wars valentines, Muppet valentines, Penguins of Madagascar Valentines, handcrafted valentines, valentines out of a ox, valentines with candy, valentines without candy...they love them all.  Kids love sharing with each other, especially a little bit of themselves.  Valentines give them that chance to give each other little, sweet gifts that can mean so much!

Happy Valentines Day!!

Smiles!

May share these valentine ideas with some of the parties in my side bar =>