Beach Themed Wedding Shower

I've been dying to tell you all my plans for my gorgeous bride cousin's bridal shower, but I had to keep my mouth shut till it came. It came and went and was a hit! Yay! We did a beachy theme with the colors aqua and coral. Here are some pics!

The Beautiful Bride with new baby neice Mackenlie <3 :)

Surprise! I was in charge of cake ;) I made a bottom layer of chocolate and a top layer of vanilla, frosted it blue and added little Adirondack chairs for toppers. I used Wilton Candy melts for side decor. I processed chips ahoy for the sand. Lets talk about my toppers for a second. They sell these mini wooden chairs on Etsy for about 35$. I don't know about you, but that's ridiculous to me! I found these at  AC Moore for, guess what, a dollar a piece! I painted these white with nontoxic paint and sealed them with a spray stuff. They look just as good to me ;)

For games I made just two. I think with pinterest sharing so many good ideas, people get really excited and want to do everything they see. Guests do not want to be bombarded with twelve things they have to sign and forced into eight games for a four hour shower. Our shower was also jack and jill, so I KNOW that guys want nothing to do with this. I tried to make the games fun for all. I did he said/she said off of facebook statuses and a bride libs game that could give the guys a chance to be, well, guys. Here were my finished products.

You are also welcome to save and use my images for the bride and groom. I did a guy starfish and girl starfish instead of a mustache and whatever. I think the mustache fad is kind of silly. Haha!

I made the banner myself also. I used scrap book paper and sparkly letters both sold in Michaels. I used an Ellison machine to cut out perfect circles and a hole punch to thread my ribbon. I used star fish at the beginning and end and hung it above the dessert table. 

Lastly, the recipe book. I'm upset that I didn't get a picture! Wah! Rachael and Jake live in Florida, so they have family and friends here and there. I wanted a way to connect the two showers, and I thought the 'recipe for a good marriage' on wooden spoons were cute, but what are you going to do with twenty wooden spoons soaked in permanent marker? So I made a recipe book with the rest of the bridal party. Her sister and mom made up recipe cards included in the invitation with a note asking to please write your favorite recipe for Rachael and Jake. No better way to bond than over food! Everybody has a memory with food. It started in Florida and then made it's way to our shower. She now has a start to her collaborative cook book of all of her family and friends favorite foods! 

We had a great time! We set up a volley ball court and had our pool and kept it low key. I think the bride and groom really enjoyed themselves. It was a success for sure. 

In other news, I made a cute little dino topper and have been making sheet cakes along with my usual fondant cakes! I made an official facebook page for my company called Sweet Baby Janes and have made my first few real deals! Yay!!!!! 

Hope I gave you all a little inspiration!

Goodnight! 

Becca

PS: YOU ARE ALL A BUNCH OF ALCOHOLICS ;) Just kidding! My post about alcoholic cupcakes got over 700 views and counting! Thank you SO MUCH for repinning!!!!!

C-Section Goody Bag

Hi again!

My cousin had a baby on Thursday! Happy Day!!! Beautiful baby Kenli was born a perfect 7 lbs and 20 inches. She is beautiful. 

Anways, when I called to talk to my cousin, she was not doing so hot at all. I did not have a c-section, so I was kind of lost. I wanted to bring her goodies, but really didn't have a clue as to what would be helpful or comforting. I searched around and also couldn't find any ideas, so here I am to inform you, if you're ever in this rut... or maybe I'm just clueless and you can all figure it out ;)

Here's A List:

- Her favorite snack

-Premade food* especially when they get home

-super low rise comfy BUT CUTE pants (not to irritate stitches)

-a flowy CUTE shirt

-A magazine or some sort of reading material (keep in mind, don't buy her "Sexiest Bikinis of the Summer" in  Cosmo or something, remember they just had a baby!)

-A nice chapstick

-Brush Ups or Listerine Strips for when company comes and they can't make it to the bathroom in time to freshen up

-A cute head band, because nobody wants to do their hair

-Clip on hand sanitizer 

-Cute sandals or slippers

-A listening, non judgmental ear... keep in mind how emotional we can get, especially at a time like this!

-A diaper changing offering

-Any travel side lotion, moisturizer or a nice shampoo for the hospital

-A date for their other children (if any) Nobody wants to worry about their other children in recovery!

-Tums, if their doctors allow

-Fuzzy socks

-A nice, loving card

-Chocolate

-Your company

I think more than physical things, our friends, sisters, cousins, daughters, need our support more than anything. It's a super emotional time, and can be lonely if Dad has to go back to work or whatever the situation may be. Remember they're in the hospital for at least 5 days! If they have other children, don't let them stress over the kids! Take the other children to do something.

When it's home time, they're still not fully recovered. Prepared foods that are truly yummy and only require a microwave are perfect. Maybe a plastic chair for her shower if she doesn't have anything to rest on. Hang out with baby so she can go upstairs and nap. Don't ask to leave with the baby and take the baby somewhere. It might not be comfortable and you don't want to put her in an odd situation. DO NOT let her entertain you, they need to rest. Us women always have to put on our happy face and be good hosts. Don't let her! Give her a fresh pedi while baby naps. Anything you do, but first and foremost, be there for support! Hope this helps.. but again, I might just be the only silly one who didn't know what to do or get! Ha!

Anything that I missed? Did you have a c-section? Any requests for us super supportive friends and family?

Night!

Becca <3

21st Birthday Cupcakes

Happy Mother's Day to all of the amazing moms in the world!! I had such a great mother's day! Adam bought me a beautiful pink rose gold ring, and my parents got me awesome presents as well! I'm so blessed! And yes, I wore my tiara all day ;)
Had fun with my mommy, too! My brothers and I did a picture recreation! Super fun, and funny! She loved it!

So I haven't written in super long between babies being born in the family, finals week, selling those t-shirts to donate and tons of birthdays, I'm running like a crazy woman. BUT I made a cake, had an emergency cake decorating sesh and made cupcakes for two 21st birthday ladies! One of my friends is pregnant so she couldn't drink, but I took her out for virgin daquiries and we had fun nonetheless :)

Soooo yummy! 

So for my other friend, I obvi went alcoholic in our dessert choices. I decorated some cute cups that I put the cupcakes in. These were plastic from Shaws and I used e6000 glue, jewels and marabou to decorate. 

Then I thought, but wait... the cupcake must have something to cushion it on a round bottom. That's when vodka gummies jumped in my head! I soaked two packages of gummy bears in plain vodka for TWO DAYS. Remember that if you are planning on making these! They must soak for at least 48 hours! But let me tell you, they like triple in size and taste like a shot on their own. 

Directions are super simple for these. Submerge gummies in vodka. Cover and Refrigerate for at least two days.

Next is cupcakes! I made chocolate cupcakes, cored them out froze them. I then put a pudding shot inside the core, frosted quickly and froze them again until it was time to serve. I think coring then freezing makes it so that the cupcake doesn't get soggy and doesn't seep through into the cake. For decoration, I cut 21's out of fondant, and her name for her cupcake and applied disco dust. I did it ahead of time so it would be ready once the pudding shot was inside

Oreo Pudding Shot Recipe:

1 pkg Oreo Pudding

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup vodka

1 nip UV Cake 

Directions: Mix together the mix and milk. Then stir in vodka and UV. Refrigerate. I know.. really difficult ;)

In putting it all together, I put the vodka gummies inside the bedazzled goblet and the cupcake on top! Here's the finished product..

The inside with the pudding shot 

For the under 21-ers, or designated drivers, like myself, I made a few non alcoholics! I marked these with white frosting and a decoration of light purple.

And also... if you're wondering why we were in the car, it's because the restaurant she wanted to go to had a 50 minute wait, so we chowed some cupcakes in the car! Life's short, eat dessert first!!!!! :-) 

I made a mermaid cake, too, which was sooooo fun!

Going to post one more time- unrelated :)

Happy alcoholic baking! 

Love Becca :)

PS: I don't think it's worth it to bake alcohol into cupcakes, because it's expensive and bakes out anyway! Save that, and save ya money!

Boston Marathon Relief

Hey!

Writing super fast (Lil is about to wake up) to let you know that I've decided to print up some t-shirts and wristbands to benefit those injured in the Boston Marathon. It hit really close to home, and I felt the urge to do something for sure. I designed these t-shirts and would LOVE to send a huge check their way. Some people who provided for their families may never work again. Insurance does NOT cover everything and these people are going to live a long struggle. Like the face book Donations for Boston Marathon Victims to donate, order a t-shirt or wristband! 100% of profits will be going to the One Fund Boston by Deval Patrick and Tom Menino. Please reach in your hearts to help from these horrible tragedies!

Thank you :)

-Becca

My Favorite Handmade Shops

Long time, no post! I had a really concentrated amount of cake orders, and then a nice calm, break. I had one cake recently and have been enjoying my time off! I have a cake to do towards the end of this month that I am just ITCHING to do, but no details, because the recipient may be reading! ;) Here's a birthday cake I made:

So in my break time I have been working my butt off at the gym and planning for crafts and fun stuff to come. I'll be posting a summerish craft tutorial, but it goes with the cake so no clues! Today, I want to talk about my favorite handmade stores and such (etsy and facebook pages) I've done LOTS of searching around and am picky with what styles I buy for Lily.

So many bow makers charge frankly too much, or maybe just too much for me. My favorite bow place is Kota's Bowtique (link here). Her bows are beautiful, nicely made, heat sealed edges, many caps to choose from, occasional clays and most importantly- the perfect price! She also posts sales every so often, like yesterday... which of course I could not resist. Buy 5 bows, get 2 free! How awesome?! She's friendly and has great service. Highly suggest you check her out. Also, she offers different sizes, which is important because Lily looks silly with a gigantic bow on her head, but you certainly want it big enough. You can customize every part of the bow and she is willing to work with it! Her bows were the ones around Lily's Easter basket. Thanks Kota's Bowtique! This is one of my favorites we ordered:

Another important bow maker to check out is Mommy Crafts A Lot. Now I started following her ages ago, and now she's an A-list celeb in bow world. She makes YouTube videos (link here) on many different things, but mainly bow techniques... Unfortunately, bow making just was not my cup of tea. But, she also has a facebook page! Here, she not only sells her bows but promotes MANY other makers and has the biggest auctions featuring tons of different stuff. (check her out) If you're not into the types of bows I am, this page will direct you where to go. Tons of different styles and shops, and often getting you a good deal. MCAL's bows are amazing also, but people bid on them for unspeakable prices!

Leading me to my next point- if you auction, be a savvy auctioner. Check the boutique before bidding way higher than they regularly sell for. I know that's the point, but I only have x amount to spend on fun things like bows, and I'm looking for a bargain.

My go to tutu set girl is Bethanie's Boutique (facebook here) or (etsy here). I splurged a bit on Lily's first birthday outfit, and got her a GORGEOUS set to match her theme. The set was a personalized onesie with a tutu and hair piece. It's currently featured as Bethanie's profile picture!! Here is Lily in her set:

As you can see, beautiful work! Please pay attention to her turnaround time- as any shop- and order in advance to be safe. She's popular, but surely affordable. I ordered two new baby cousins' a set for a unique baby shower gift. Way adorable, and again, willing to work with anything. Super nice woman as well! Thank you Bethanie's Boutique! 

Finally- in regards to all Etsy Goods, do your shopping. Look around for the best price! For instance- I wanted to send my cousin a present in the mail and came across those Future Mrs. _____ rhinestone sweatshirts. SO CUTE. Some of them sold for around $60! I got mine for $33 from My One Stop Bling Shop. I also got a clearance rhinestone tank for my maid of honor cousin. Great prices. Look around the end of each season or year. Stores like to put out new styles every year and often get rid of their "old" ones. Can't wait to show you the lacey outfit I bought on clearance from Etsy in a photo shoot in two weeks. 

What's your favorite bow place? Where do you find great prices?! 

Do your research and happy shopping!!!

Love Becca

Happy Easter!

Hi all! Happy Easter! Just wanted to quick post about what I've been up to and Lily's Easter! So I've been super busy the past few days. Wedding dress shopping for my cousin, and baking like crazy on top of the usual holiday bustle. I made a cake for my cousins baby shower, made a generic birthday rosette cake, made egg shaped cookie sandwiches for Easter, am in the process of making my brothers birthday cake and wedding shower cupcakes!! Busy busy time! But it looks like a lot of people viewed the Easter party post so I'm super excited about that! Thank you all for reading and repinning and sharing! I'm so grateful! And also, I'm on my phone which means all of the pictures will be at the bottom. Sorry!!!

So first ill talk about the rosette cake. I use a wilton tip 1 and had a crazy easy time with it honestly.. the only tip (not frosting tip, pointer tip, lol) I really have is to be conscious of the sides. Don't worry too much about making the side rosettes the same size as the top rosettes. If they don't fit, they don't fit. Make bigger rosettes for the sides.

Next ill talk about the baby shower cake. I'd say I learned plain old not to use sugar sheets. They're so difficult and frustrated the crap out of me! They don't wrap around the cake as easily as youd think and even someone like me, who always finds a solution, struggled bad! I also purchased the baby mold for the top from a company called winbeckler who I could spend millions on! I didn't have color dust, so I painted the baby's hair with cinnamon. I also put the baby in diamond sugar around the baby which definitely gave the her a nice touch! Surprisingly, this cake has got more comments than any thus far, I think, and its not my favorite.

And last but certainly not least, Lilys basket!!! She found hers in her room and was very pleased!! She had hair bows, pjs, chalk, bubbles, big coloring book, a ball, brobee keychain (yo gabba gabba), shoes, hair elastics, shorts, a little wind up jumping bunny and a rubber duck. Very satisfied! Grandpa also got her some books. I did not give her any candy. She did an egg hunt at Adam's house and made out very well too!

Now I feel people are going kinda crazy with baskets. I don't think big gifts are necessary at all because its not a big gift holiday. Here's a list of basket stuffers for children under 3:
*puffs, yogurt drops, cheerios, cheddar bunnies or their favorite snack in eggs
*beach toys
*bubbles
*books
*a small stuffed animal
*shaker eggs or an egg tambourine
*bows
*pjs
*stickers
*crayons (the fat ones are great for little hands)
*a large scale coloring book
*wind up toys
*bath toys
*a ball
*socks
*water shoes or flip flops
*anything you truly need to restock on (hair elastics for Lily)
*sun hat or baseball cap
*Melissa and Doug wooden puzzles
*mix up some pinterest baby finger paint if you're feeling brave
*a bathing suit
*fairy wand
*tball set
*Easter rubber duck (dollar store!)
*baby sun block (if you're going with beach theme)
*tights
*a soft photo album

See, I think its key to set a budget or an Easter basket size, because you don't need to get too much. We spent about 30$. They probably have plenty of toys and will get overwhelmed if there are too many things to look at. I think that interactive things like coloring and outdoor activities are great because you can prepare for summer! Don't buy something cute but useless, you'll be wasting money! Simplicity is key in everything with kids. You can also put things in the basket that your baby needs anways. They won't know at this age. When buying ask yourself, "Does my child need one of these?", "Will this stimulate a skill or growth?", "Will this be interactive for my child and I?". Those are the worth while presents. I mean how many toys do you have that sing the abcs, count and sing songs in Spanish and English?! Let them do the learning and exploring!

What did you put in your childs basket?! What was their favorite?

Thanks for reading :)
-Becca

Baby Easter Party!

Today, Lily had all of her baby friends over for an Easter party!! :) We all met at a group when the babies were about 2-4 months old. They're all born between November and January and all girls. Crazy weird! So my mom suggested this idea and I'm so glad she did and helped me shop. Thanks Mom! Here are the decorations:

I also put garlands in the the hide and seek room, a few ribbons around and a chick with eggs cut out. I made the garland and will never touch tissue balls again. Those things are the biggest pains, EVER! They do look cool though!

So for food, I saw some ideas on pinterest. The silverware carrot idea was from there as well as the bread bunny! Way too cute. I made everyone's favorite, peanut butter filled chocolate cupcakes and put little chocolate eggs on top. I dyed the frosting green and used a star tip to look like grass. I think the food labels are a super cute touch and easy for sure.

For 'goody bag's, I used beach buckets(dollar store) (mom's idea), so that they can re-use them again. But me, being me, bedazzled them with their names! Inside I put a little bit of grass (dollar store), bubbles (dollar store), crayons (dollar store), an egg tambourine (iparty), a pinwheel (dollar store) and a little stuffed animal (dollar store) for the top. I also made a little bucket for the mom's because they deserve a treat, too!

And last but not least, the activities! Now these babies are between 14 and 16 months, so over planning can be tiring and wasted efforts for a party planner. If you plan too much, you'll lose their interest and they probably won't do it all. Most of a baby party will be just playing and down time. So I stuck with one main activity and a mellow activity. We of course did an egg hunt, which the girls were amazing at! I bought these cute glittery paper bags with bunnies from Iparty for 30 cents a piece and used those for egg hunting. We did it in the living room because it was too cold outside, still snow on the ground. YUCK. I filled the eggs with baby puffs and yogurt drops. 

The girls checking out their loot

The egg hunt was first. I felt that while the girls were pumped up to see each other, they'd have the most energy and focus now. Next was lunch, landing right around noon, where we started at eleven. Finally, I set up an Easter themed sensory tub. This was nice because the girls could freely play (and destroy) and also play with other toys without being told to do something specific. You can only ask so much of a baby before they just want to do their own thing, you know? So in the tub I got three or four bags of Easter grass (dollar store), and also added bunny tails, which were last season's snowballs, but this seasons bunny tails! They're like sparkly, large cotton balls. I also put in a chirping chick and hopping bunny from the dollar store, and some rubber ducks that Lil already had, and some empty eggs. The girls loved it and happily threw the grass all over the living room!

So that concluded our party! We had so much fun and I think it was a great success! The idea of one big activity, food and a mellow activity is definitely the way to go with multiple babies. Also, I feel that parties are a lot nicer when you offer healthy food. I chose whole wheat organic pasta to serve because it's a healthy option for babies, alongside the side dish, that mothers can be comfortable with. Nothing is more awkward when you don't want to feed your baby someone's unhealthy food. The adults could have the finger sandwiches and everyone was satisfied and raving. Lily had so much fun with her friends, and we can't wait till we all get together again. This is the friends from last year (the first time we got together), to this year! Almost exactly a year later. Crazy how fast time flies with babies!

Do you guys know any fun activities for babies? What are you favorite Easter traditions with a little one? Thanks for reading :)

-Becca