I finally get to share my crafting party with everyone! I had it last Friday in my home for a few of my friends. If you haven’t already guessed from some of the clues in previous posts, “Hot Chocolate” was the theme with burlap and doilies as the theme of the decor. I wanted to create a rustic, cozy environment which I felt white and natural colors give off.
I put together a small hot chocolate bar along with a few sweets and snacks.
A friend of mine made the banner for me. I just told her what I wanted and she went at it! I added lace and cotton “lace” ribbon on each end.
Remember these “Hot Chocolate” mugs? Each guest got to take one of these big boys home! Inside each mug was cocoa on a stick that I made using a yummy recipe I found on That’s What Che Said. Each stick was stamped with the word “cocoa”.
What’s hot chocolate without marshmallows? Not big on marshmallows (gasp!), it’s ok. There’s still the option of crushed peppermint, crushed graham crackers, or a cinnamon stick to stir around in your hot chocolate! Want just plain old hot chocolate? That’s ok too:)
Some of you may recall that I mentioned in a previous post that I was going through a stamping craze. Well, as with the cocoa sticks, each serving utensil (scoopers and tongs) were stamped with the item’s name.
Macarons and macaroons were served (hehe!). French macarons and coconut macaroons that is! The French macarons (along with the cake) were purchased from my favorite bakery in Chicago, Bittersweet. And in my humble opinion, the best bakery in Chicago! For the coconut macaroons I used Rook No. 17‘s amazing recipe! One look at the pictures in her post and I was sold! Beyond sold folks!! I had pinned the recipe five weeks ago, and since then my pin has been repinned 4,934 times (as of this moment)!!! I had my Pinterest set up to receive emails every time someone repins any of my pins. Just imagine how many emails bombarded my inbox! My phone alerts me when I receive a new email…so I was getting little beeps practically back to back every second! Oh my goodness folks! So now I have my Pinterest settings to receive only one email a day. These cookies are worthy of every pin!
Let’s not forget about the chocolate hazelnut wafer roll cookies (from Pepperidge Farms). I love wafer rolls because they seem to always add an elegant yet rustic touch to drinks and desserts.
I am about to introduce you to the most amazing cake I’ve ever had! This is my favorite cake on the planet folks! It’s a hazelnut cake with creme brulee and fresh strawberry filling covered in dark chocolate ganache with a buttercream layer underneath the ganache. My friend Jenan introduced me to this cake years and years ago (I can’t remember exactly how many years ago, so “years and years” about covers it..hehe). Since then, nothing has compared or come anywhere close to it’s amazing-ness!! If you are in Chicago, you must make a trip to Bittersweet and try this cake! Just be sure to call in the order 48 hours in advance:) They always dress it up with fresh flowers on top unless otherwise specified.
Surrounding the cake are chocolate chip cookies, Muddy Buddies (or puppy chow if you prefer), and pretzel treats with Hershey Kisses and M&M’s. The chocolate chip cookies were made by Susu. I like her’s better than mine… she has a little magic trick that I can’t share:) The containers that each of the treats are presented in are planters that I found at Ikea. Don’t they look like doilies? I love them!
The milk and “Nibling Necessities” (Thanks Veronica for the cute phrase!) were served on a small console table. I turned the table so the drawer would be facing to the side, and placed the plates, forks and napkins in the open drawer.
The forks were stamped with “Eat Cake”:D Hmm…recognize anything from previous posts over here? Hehe.
Hot drinks and sweets tend to make you thirsty, so I included water bottles with “doily” labels presented on a 3-step stool. Also, a marker was available for the guests to write their names on their bottles. I placed a doily sign on the stool that said “Put your name on it!”
I made “Take Home” treat bags for the guests and placed them in a “doily” tin tray. The original color of that tray was red, then I spray painted it white but the white with the mix of the red looked pink (I used a whole can of white!). I went with bronze for the final color to hide the crazy pink color. The tray just didn’t want to be white!
I had a “carry all” bag for each guest with a thank you tag that says “Thanks for crafting with me!”
Last but not least, the craft! You will just have to come back for the next post to hear about what we made, but here’s a little sneak peak. Can you guess what it was?
Thanks for joining me today. Have a wonderful weekend!
I will be sharing at these linky parties.
Ode to Inspiration 