Fabulous Product: Sparkling Disco Dust. Marvelous Edible Glitter

Google "disco dust" without "+'cake decorating'" and you'll probably get some really odd results.  I know.  I've done it.  But it's the sparkling edible glitter used on confections that I want to talk about today.

Disco dust (aka pixie dust)--edible glitter for cake decorating.

I have a slight addiction, as you can see.  The full line of my colors didn't even fit in this shot, and I always end up buying one or two more when I go to the cake decorating store.  I put it on everything.

On berries to add a little bit of magic to the the Cornish fairy party:

Disco dust adds fairy magic to raspberries.

On cookies and chocolate frogs (sneak peek for tomorrow's Harry Potter party post):

And of course on cakes:

Pixie dust instantly makes toadstools magical.

Disco dust sparkling up a Rainbow Unicorn cake

The secret to easy, even application is the little shaker posted in the first picture.  Scroll back up and check it out.  I'll wait.

I've tried every other technique I've read about, but so far, nothing has come close to the easy and fabulous look of that little shaker that costs just a few cents.  I buy mine at ABC Cake Decorating in Phoenix, and as far as I know, they're the only ones who have figured this trick out.    See the two shakers in the background with pink and blue lids?  That's because these little shakers started their lives as cupcake toppers for baby showers (I presume as faux baby powder containers).  When ABC started carrying disco dust a few years ago, one of the employees had the brilliant notion that these little cupcake toys would make the perfect disco dust applicator.  And she was right.  So very, very right.

I'm a firm believer in having the right tool for the job.  I've tried baking in friends' kitchens without all my supplies and it made me realize why some people hate baking.  I would, too, if I didn't have the right tools for the job!

These disco dust shakers are the right tool.  Sure, I occasionally dip the occasional item directly in the vat of sparkle for really thick coverage.  But nearly all the time, this little piece of plastic is exactly what I need.  It's the best $.39 I ever spent.

Sneak Peek: Harry Potter Cookies

I'm having a lot of fun this week helping my friend put a Harry Potter birthday party together for her daughter.  This is her show, let there be no mistake.  I'm just along for the ride in a supporting role.   It's like getting to do the fun creative part of party planning without all the stress of actually making it all come together.  I could get used to this.  ;-)

Tomorrow night starts the flurry of last minute crafting and baking, but I just finished the sugar cookies and wanted to offer just a little glimpse of the fun ahead.

Harry Potter sugar cookies: a broom, an owl, and the sorting hat.

Wish us luck!

Fabulous Product: Printable Treat Bags

I saw these new products from Print Your Party and just flipped.  Printable glassine or craft treat bags!

So slick!  So elegant!  So completely custom and professional looking!

And you can do them at home!  Printable collections are getting really amazing and versatile.  Oh, how I wish any of this had been around when I got married!

PYP sells both the blank bags and the graphics designed to go on the bags.  How simple to make, yet how striking!

Love love love.  What an easy way to create an absolutely gorgeous custom presentation for your goodies.

Rapunzel Cake Adventures

So I spent a large part of this weekend making a cake for my friend's adorable sprite of daughter.  She was turning four, and desperately wanted a Rapunzel party.  Kids are happy with any cake, any celebration, of course.  They're awesome and really easy to please that way.   But when you can create something really special, the kids can tell.  I love being able to do that for a child.

Rapunzel Cake, decorated in fondant with gumpaste accents.

I tried making homemade fondant (using this, my favorite recipe) using my KitchenAid mixer and the dough hook for the first time to knead it all together.  It worked brilliantly, and made much less mess in less time than  usual, but I need some practice.  When I'm not kneading it by hand, I don't get that feel when the texture is just right and it's time to stop incorporating powdered sugar.  The green was definitely too dry, and I barely managed to make it work to cover the hill.  I still had some cracks, so it's a good thing I tend to make cakes with very busy designs ("Another crack?  I guess I'll put a rock and some flowers there, too!").  I'm helping a friend with a Harry Potter cake later today, so I'll get some more practice.  

For as much fun as I have doing these, it's not something I want to do professionally.  For one thing, do you have any idea how much I'd have to charge considering the hours and effort that went into this sucker?  (Not to mention the cost of a commercial kitchen, the license and inspection fees, insurance.)  Nope, I'm much happier making cakes as gifts for friends and family.  The hugs, smiles, and leftover cake scraps are all the payment I ever want.

Fabulous Product: Birch Bark Napkin Rings with Rustic Elegance

I ran across these lovely birch bark napkin rings from the Vermont Branch Company and just had to share them here:

Birch Bark Napkin Ring from the Vermont Branch Company.

Sweet!  Romantic!  Rustic!  Elegant!  Natural!  Refined!  All at the same time!  Wouldn't they look great on a table along with the birch bark carved initial centerpieces from this tutorial?

Birch Bark Carved Initial Centerpiece

Convey Meaning With Flower Choices and Colors

Yet mark'd I where the bolt of Cupid fell:
It fell upon a little western flower,
Before milk-white, now purple with love's wound,
And maidens call it love-in-idleness.
Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream (2.1.169-72)

You can't help but be surrounded by flowers on Valentine's week.  The grocery store, street corners--flowers, flowers, everywhere.  Because I love history and literature, it got me thinking about what the different flowers and colors represent.  


Encoding messages in floral bouquets has been around for centuries, but it became extremely popular in the Victorian era, when floriography flourished a way to communicate feelings that weren't considered appropriate to speak aloud.  

If you're a history buff like I am, and would like to incorporate some meaning into your bouquet, here are some commonly accepted meanings for flower colors:


Red:  Love and passion.
Pink:  Love, like red, but of a more innocent and youthful variety.
Yellow:  Bright, unflagging happiness.
White:  Purity, innocence.  Not surprisingly, this is linked to Queen Victoria, who is commonly considered the inspiration for the modern trend of white wedding dresses.  
Purple:  Long a color of royalty, purple flowers indicate success, pride, and accomplishment.
Green:  Health, vitality, and youth.
Orange:  Confidence and strength.
Peach:  Friendship.
Blue:  Calm, peace.

Or just pick the colors you love.  We're not buttoned-up Victorians who need to rely on secret pollen-laden messages to show our feelings, after all.  Sometimes, it's just about what is pretty!

Need Direction for Your Wedding Look? Pantone's Fall Color Forecast is Out!

The color experts at Pantone have just released Fall 2011's most fashion-forward colors!

Gorgeous!  I love how bright and cheerful the colors are, but how they still have a warmth that makes them perfect for fall.  (I was clearly prescient when I bought my favorite purse in cedar, thinking that it would look great even through the fall. ;-) )

The Dessy Group is once again working closely with Pantone and has created a collection of bridesmaids' gowns in these colors.

They certainly make it easy to take inspiration from the color experts and incorporate this gorgeous palette into your wedding!  I can't wait to see wedding pictures from our customers in a few months.  Be inspired!

DIY Project: How to Color Sugar

In yesterday's post, I described how to make edible decorations for cocktail glasses.

When I was prepping the photo shoot, I knew I wanted to rim the edge of the glass with sugar crystals to complete the look.  But I only had white.  Then I remembered the very fine color-your-own-sprinkles tutorial over at Such Pretty Things, and wondered if the same technique would work on sugar.

I put some of the regular sugar crystals in a small bowl, added just the tiniest bit of petal dust (same color I used on the butterfly, for consistency), and stirred.

It worked brilliantly!  No need to stock dozens of colors of colored sugar any more, when I can mix up exactly the color I want when I need it.  

DIY Project: Edible Garnishes for Glasses

Whenever I go to an event, the glasses catch my eye.  Standing there, all in a row, catching the light and sparkling, no matter if it's bright sunlight or romantic candlelight.

It's an image of anticipation of the celebration to come, scintillating with promise.  

I suppose it's because I love this sparkling vision already that I'm always seeking to highlight it and make it even more special.  That's why I came up with an idea to create edible embellishments to adorn your glasses.  They're easy, cost next to nothing, and can be made to go along with any theme.

Signature cocktail rimmed in pink sugar and embellished with a rice paper edible butterfly.

First, I had the idea to use punches.  For this embellishment, I used a Martha Stewart butterfly punch:

I could have used paper and cautioned people not to eat the decoration, but that's really not my style.  If it's on food, I like it to be made of an edible material.  (That's why I'm so obsessed with making edible cupcake toppers, by the way.)  I experimented with using rice paper, also called wafer paper.  It worked gorgeously, and easily made semi-translucent, white, edible shapes.  

The shapes were beautiful as they were, but I wanted more, so I started experimenting with coloring and embellishing the rice paper shapes.  Edible food coloring markers work well--especially if you want to write on the glass decorations.  Dusting with petal dust and luster dust proved to be the best way to give soft, overall color to the punched-out shapes.  

Edible flower and pink sugar decorating a signature cocktail.

When I tried to add disco dust to the butterfly to make it sparkle, using vodka to wet it down (a classic cake decorating trick) simply dissolved the fragile shape and made a gummy mess.  A very light spray of canola oil worked gorgeously, however, to help the disco dust stick to the butterfly.  

I rimmed the glass with pink sugar crystals, and filled with a signature cocktail.  The butterfly was attached to the glass with a tiny dab of clear piping gel.  The flower (made by layering two flower punches over each-other and gluing together with a small dab of the piping gel) was attached to the glass by cutting a slit into the middle of the flower, and simply sliding it on the glass.  Both techniques worked equally well.  The shape of the punch would dictate which method would look best.  

The sugar crystals rimming the glass are entirely optional.  The rice paper punch embellishments look just as beautiful on their own.  

More Embosser Tricks: Monogram on Satin Ribbon

Did you know that the embosser works on satin ribbon, too?

Imagine the possibilities!  The ribbon wrapping your bouquet.  An embossed ribbon enclosing your invitation.  Ribbon with your monogram on the gift bags for the out of town guests, and adorning the gifts you give to your bridesmaids.  A subtle, romantic, custom touch on the pew bows.  

When embossing satin ribbon with your monogram or logo, squeeze extra hard to get a nice impression.  Just like with the embossed velum and napkins, a little bit of practice and you'll easily create beautiful, personalized elements for your wedding.

More Embosser Tricks: Monogram Velum Votive Candle Holders

Here's another elegant and unconventional use of a monogram embosser:

Votive embellished with velum and a monogram embosser.

To get this effect, simple cut a strip of velum, emboss with your monogram embosser (see yesterday's post), and attach to a plain votive candle holder using the same insanely simple technique used for the lace-wrapped votives.  (Spoiler alert:  it's tape.)

One word of caution when embossing velum:  use a very light touch.  If you squeeze too hard, like you would for the napkins from yesterday's post, or a piece of quality paper, you will tear through the velum.  Just squeeze a little less vigorously, and you'll be creating gorgeous monograms on velum in no time.

This technique would also look spectacular on a vase.  Imagine a centerpiece made from a glass column vase filled with a bunch of tulips (or other flowers with pretty, graphic stems) and wrapped with a strip of velum embossed with your monogram.  How elegant, and how incredibly simple for a DIY bride.

Inexpensive DIY Personalized Napkins

I've always loved embossers.  The sense of history, the tone on tone look, the feel of the raised paper under your fingertips...I love it all.  An embossed monogram is an incredibly classic touch on the flap of an envelope, but that's not all you can do with them.  How about this simple idea for making your own customized napkins:

No need to pay for personalized napkins to set out at the bar and at the cocktail hour when it's so easy to make your own elegant version.

Using a monogram for a married couple?  The proper order is woman's first name initial, shared last name initial (usually larger), man's first name initial.

Did you design a custom logo for your wedding?  No problem--many companies like Made to Order Stamp and Seal are happy to make embossers out of your custom artwork.  How neat and classy would that be?