Dual Graduation Cake

Our city's favorite swim teacher contacted me to make a dual graduation cake for her son, who was graduation from college, and for her daughter, who was graduation from high school.  It was such an honor!

The daughter wanted chocolate cake with raspberry filling.

I added a little a LOT of chocolate/raspberry ganache on top of the raspberry filling.  Oh how I wish I could have tried the cake!

Did I mention this cake was for this area's most amazing swim teacher?

Can you guess that her son went to college on a swim scholarship?

And that her daughter is active on the high school swim team?

Who would have thunk it?!?

Congratulations to this wondeful family!

Thank you so much for the honor of making your special cake!

Smiles!!!

Cake Balls for High School Graduation

My husband's friend, a football coach for an area private school, asked me to make some cake balls for his students' high school graduation. 

I was thrilled to be asked to supply some of the treats for this important event!

He requested 3 different flavors and he wanted them to reflect the school and the senior class.

For the lemon cake balls, I put the school's initials on them.

The Red Velvet Cake Balls were differeniated with the " 'll  " added to the top. 

Chocolate cake balls were dipped in dark chocolate and drizzled with white and red.

(The school's colors are white, red and black.  Dark chocolate was my "black" this time.)

Congratulations HPHS Seniors 2011!

Smiles!!

Great Gift Ideas for 40th Birthdays

Husband was lavished with tons of gifts at his 40th birthday party.

All of them were thoughtful and generous!

(He received something like 5 bottles of Crown and as many bottles of wonderful wine...nothing like self-medicating to get over the shock of turning 40!)

I thought I'd share some of them with you to spark your creative gift giving juices for the next time you need to take something for a milestone birthday.

Time Magazine from the week he was born.

We've had such fun looking at the ads for such items as Pintos, Polaroids, and cigarettes!

This is an idea I've already been working on for some milestone birthdays coming up in my family.  I was surprised you can actually find them fairly easily on Ebay. 

A UB40 CD...honestly, I didn't get it that evening.  As I was cleaning up the next morning, I got it.  I laughed and laughed!

A bottle of wine with a name similiar to the birthday boy.

Loads of gift cards...some to his favorite restuarants, golf courses and stores!

$40 was a common amount!  Cute!

His favorite gifts, of course, were all of the friends that came to celebrate his birthday with him.  We can't thank them enough for thoughtfulness and friendship.

Smiles!

Tuesday To Do #13 and #12 List Makers

I just LOVE partying with you guys each week!

You are so talented, thoughtful and creative!

Here a few posts that made my To Do List last week...

Cottage in the Oaks shared this adorable A/C housing she found at the music teacher's house!  I so want to do this, but I'd probably get ANOTHER letter from the HOA!

This is too easy not try!  Snowflakes and Dragonflies shows you how to make this economical salt scrub with a simple tutorial.

A knit hat on my list?  Really?!?

Yes...isn't it Caaa-Ute?!?!

I don't knit, but if I did, I'd have to get started on this one TODAY to have it ready by winter!  Easy Peasy Grandma created this little beauty along with another super cute hat with buttons!

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

 TUESDAY TO DOFEATURED BUTTON

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

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

3. 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!!

40th Birthday Golf Party Decorations

My m-i-l gave me notebooks full of 8x10 photos of my husband growing up.

They were the best decorations ever for his 40th birthday!

Again, my friend and super helper, Grace, attached them to black construction paper using repositionable adhesive (wanted to be sure they would easily come off the construction paper.)  Then I made them into a banner by simply stapling the construction paper to black satin ribbon.  We used almost 100 photos and I still had lots left over...just not a place for all of them!!!

On the stairs, down the wall....

Off the mantle, across windows.....

Also, I scanned many of the photos into the computer and made collages of pictures per decades (except for the 20-30 era...momma wasn't there taking pictures and neither was I!)

I had the framers cut four 5x7 opening in this matte...guests, using silver ink pens, signed it with special birthday wishes.  I'll have it framed and he can hang it in his office.

The dining room table held framed photos of husband playing golf as a child and as an adult.  Also incorporated some other photos I found and added to a black foam board set up on an easel.

This was a great place for people to sign the matte  and leave birthday cards & gifts.

Here is one of the flags I made...they are actually secured in black buckets full of golf balls.  I used one on the dining table, dessert table and outside on the snack table.

Used lots of white ball candles to mimic the golf theme...

and the tees were personalized.

Had wanted to make pomanders out of live carnations, but they weren't working out for me so luckily I have an incredible neighbor that ran out and bought a second set of paper lanterns for me to use on top of these candlesticks, instead.  Used LED tealights inside of them.  (For some reason I didn't get any good pics of the outside...also had paper lanterns with LED tea lights hanging over the snack table.)

Finally, as people were leaving, there were ice cold bottles of water and Zip Fizz waiting for them to sip on the way home...this helps with the morning after feeling!

Added vinyl lettering on one that said, "Please Take One," and on the other "Thanks For Coming."

For more golf party ideas:

Invitations

Golf Ball Cake Pops & Cupcakes

Be sure to stop by the Pretty Packages Party!

Going on June 5th thru June 11th

Linking to:
market Yourself Monday

Pretty Packages Party #10

It's Pretty Packages time again!!!

Summer birthday parties are coming up and I was looking for some fresh ideas!

Here are a few fun and simple ideas I found...

Custom paper how-to at Elle Decor using plain paper and office supplies.

A simple hole punch transforms plain paper into fun packaging at Real Simple.

This simple complementary color pairing by Merriment Designs is just smashing!

The Color Connoisseur shares these gorgeous packages perfect for summer.

What fresh ideas do you have this month?

I can't wait to see them!!!

This is a PRETTY PACKAGES PARTY so what I'm looking for is beautifully, interestingly, creatively wrapped gifts. The gifts could range from individual gifts, to party favors, to food gifts to birthday presents, to any type of gift or packaging! At the end of the week (if I can wait that long,) I'll chose my favorites to share with everyone.

Please be sure to add your permalink below, and not your general blog address. To get your permalink, click on your post name, then just copy and paste the address that shows up in the address bar at the top, into the "url" box for the picture linky. You'll also need to put your e-mail address in, but don't worry, it will not be visible to anyone.

It would be fantastic if you would include the Pretty Packages Party button in your post, to make it easy for others to find your Pretty Package post. To do that, just copy and paste the Pretty Packages Party button to your computer or grab the html code from underneath the Pretty Packages Party button on my sidebar. A text link under your post is great, too!

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Please include a link in your Pretty Packages Party post back to the host blog, The Blackberry Vine. Why is this important? When you include a link back to The Blackberry Vine, it ensures your regular readers/visitors will find the other gorgeously wrapped gifts linked to the Pretty Packages Party. If everyone links back, this maximizes the opportunity for visits for all who participate.

Please do not add your link below, until your Pretty Packages Party post is actually published to your blog. Another helpful hint...DO NOT type in all caps...it makes it very difficult to read! Thanks!

Last, but certainly not least, please comment on the post in front of you and behind you (and any other post!!)...spread the comment love!

Golf Ball Cake Pops and Cupcakes

This week has been crazy with end of school activities and baking orders.

No blog time!!!

Well here is another little bit of the fun golf party we had next week.

You knew I'd have them!

Husband requested lemon cake pops for his golf ball pops!

They're displayed on some foam covered with more of the green moss... 

Other items on the dessert table were carrot cake, assorted cheesecake bites and chocolate cupcakes....all of the birthday boy's favorites!!

Chocolate cupcakes topped with french buttercream "grass" and a golf ring topper...pretty cute!

Smiles!!!

More Golf Party Inspirations:

Golf Party Invites

Golf Party Wreath

Come Join this month's Pretty Packages Party!

June 5th thru June 11th! 

Linking to:

Sunday Showcase

Weekend Wrap-up Party

Sunday Scoop

Saturday Spotlight

Whatcha Got Weekend

Not Baaad