I love the simplicity of this cake:
–Square pan.
–Colored frosting.
–Piped dots around the edge.
–Candles indicating the number of years being celebrated.
And there you have it! A beautiful celebration cake.
July 9th, 2011
Posts Labeled ‘birthday’
June 8th, 2010
May the Force Be With You: Star Wars Cookie Cutters
Dear friends of ours (who also happen to be our next door neighbors) have three adorable children whom we’ve had the privilege of watching grow since the first was born over 8 years ago. We’ve watched as their personalities emerged and their tastes and dislikes developed.
The two oldest have recently become aficionados of Star Wars — particularly the Star Wars Lego video game. I’ve played it with them a few times, leaving each game with my tail between my legs, duly humiliated by my lack of hand-eye coordination. My husband, on the other hand, is a worthy opponent for them.
When I spotted these Star Wars cookie cutters from Williams-Sonoma I instantly thought of the kids. How perfect would these be for a birthday party or play date?
To my little friends across the street: may the Force (and yummy cookies) be with you!
Star Wars cookies (cutters available at Williams-Sonoma)
set of four Star Wars cookie cutters from Williams-Sonoma
November 4th, 2009
Put a Sock in it: Fun Non-Floral Centerpiece Idea
Rachael Ray is the queen of make-it-great-but-make-it-easy — whether that is offering up a creative menu for a meal in thirty minutes or sharing fun, easy decorating ideas.
I absolutely A-D-O-R-E this clever non-floral centerpiece idea (created by Orla Kiely and photographed by Ngoc Minh Ngo) featured on Rachael’s website, Every Day with Rachael Ray. Wouldn’t this be fabulous decor for a shower, birthday, or even at a pre-party for a bachelorette outing?
Non-floral centerpiece idea from Every Day with Rachael Ray
October 20th, 2009
Pop, Pop, Pop. Popcorn!
Let it be known that my love affair with popcorn began decades ago, long before this new gourmet, artisan popcorn trend starting popping up (pun totally intended). So I am not a recent convert. Instead, my popcorn roots run deep and I love it almost as much as I like ice cream (and if you read this post you know how very much that is).
At dinner at Blue Ridge recently I was greeted with a small bag of expertly seasoned popped kernels as a starting “snack.” The W Hotel served it fresh and seasoned at an event I recently attended. Popped kernels are even making their way onto entrees as garnish. Yes, popcorn is everywhere.
By gourmet, artisan popcorn, we aren’t talking about the stuff you might find in large, colorful tins walking along the boardwalk in the summer. This new popcorn trend focuses on the optimal ways to pop the kernels and creative ways to season it — say with a little brown sugar, paprika, sea salt, or cinnamon.
Artisan popcorn would be a great starter for an engagement party, birthday soiree, or even at a relaxed wedding.
To make popcorn at home, Alton Brown’s recipe for Perfect Popcorn is a great reference for the basics. I’d also highly recommend purchasing a Whirley Pop — the secret to the great popcorn in my home.
Whirley Pop
Great kernels are also a must. We buy the 50 pound bag from Amish Country Popcorn. (You heard me right, 50 pounds. No judging, please.) But they sell it in one pound bags also.
Should the thought of trying to create the perfect popcorn on your own overwhelm you, don’t fret. The fabulous 479 Popcorn is just the solution for you. They offer fabulous flavors like black truffle with white cheddar and fleur de sel caramel.
Artisan popcorn from 479 popcorn (image via 479 popcorn)
So tap into this new party trend for your next gathering. Guests are sure to love the whimsical treat. Enjoy!
October 19th, 2009
A Bubble-icious Wedding Send Off!
I opened the latest issue of House Beautiful only to find the most wonderful tool for a wedding send off.
Restrictions at venues against rose petals or other tossing items lead many brides to invite their guests to blow bubbles for the send off at the end of the wedding. These fabulous wands from Clay Company would make not only a great tool for a bubble-filled send off, but would also be a nice gift for guests. The wands come in four different styles, but here at Rex & Regina we are biased toward the “crown” style!
While perfect for a wedding, the wands would also be great at a birthday celebration or a New Year’s Party.
Bubble wands from Clay Company
Crown Bubble wand
Should the wands not do it for you, check out these adorable champagne bubble bottles from Beau-coup. They’d be great for a vineyard wedding.
champagne bubbles from Beau-coup
July 18th, 2009
Birthday Garland
This week was my mother-in-law’s seventieth birthday and we celebrated with a low-key dinner at a local restaurant and cake back at our home afterwards. While the plan was to keep things casual, I wanted to do something special to help honor my mother-in-law and her milestone birthday. We were on vacation this week, so it had to be relatively easy to do.
I decided to create a special birthday garland that she would see when she walked into the house and would hang by the table as we ate cake. With a little inspiration from Martha Stewart, I created this pale pink and ivory birthday garland.
birthday garland
pinking shears give the letters a festive effect
the letters are strung together with gold ribbon which provides a contrast and punch in color
The garland was easy to make by following Martha’s template and instructions. I modified the instructions by adding a square cardstock backing to the circles to make the garland a little more prominent against the backdrop I was using.
Happy Birthday, Sookie! Wishing you a wonderful year ahead!
July 4th, 2009
America’s best birthday cake.
Happy Birthday, America! Birthdays should always be celebrated with cake. And I can think of no better cake to celebrate our country’s independence than Ina Garten’s most fabulous flag cake.
Barefoot Contessa
Happy Fourth, everyone! Have a slice (or two) for me!
May 19th, 2009
Vegas, baby. Vegas!
I just returned from a trip to Las Vegas where Rex & Regina planned a 50th birthday celebration at Green Valley Ranch Resort for a fabulous woman named Grace. She’s the kind of woman that, if you meet her, you can’t help but instantly love her. She’s dynamic, bold, inspiring… and she has an enormous network of dear friends who all wanted to celebrate her birthday with her. What a testament to her and how loved she is!
Over 100 people came from around the country to Vegas for a weekend celebration. Grace wanted guests to come to celebrate not just her birthday, but also all of the exciting milestones that have occurred in people’s lives this year. Her friends were invited to bring their friends, and the weekend became a wonderful opportunity to visit with longtime friends and make new ones.
A destination event like this is a wonderful way to catch up with friends and celebrate life’s blessings, big or small. What fun it is to host a reunion of college friends, of special co-workers, of family — or better yet: all three. Bring your social circles together and celebrate… Vegas style!
An informal cocktail party was held on Friday evening so as people arrived at the resort they could mix and mingle. We chose a particular bar at the resort for the gathering because it had four 8-bottle enomatic machines that allowed guests to sample a variety of wines. (I love enomatic machines! They are so fun and interactive and great for a party. Stay tuned for a future post on chic party ideas at bars and restaurants in DC featuring this new trend in wine tasting.)
Mixing and Mingling...
We rented cabanas during the day so that guests could enjoy lounging by the pool. The cabanas also served as a convenient central meeting place for everyone.
Cabanas at Green Valley Ranch Resort
The party took place Saturday evening at The Pond at Green Valley Ranch Resort. The space looks very chic at night and did not require a lot of extra decor.
Seating area at The Pond
Well-placed candles added to the glam ambience of the space
A waterfall and lighting made the pool a dramatic focal point
A logo was created for the party and was used from start to finish to create cohesion for the event. It was incorporated in the invitation and all guest materials. At the party, we featured the logo in the ice sculpture/vodka luge and in a gobo at the entrance door.
A gobo was projected on the ground just inside the door, greeting guests as they walked in
Ice sculpture and vodka luge
The guests really enjoyed the vodka bar and ice luge. Rather than selecting just one signature drink, the vodka bar allowed guests to be creative with their cocktails. We also served a sorbet bar and encouraged guests to mix the two: the result was a refreshing “vodka float” with sorbet, vodka, and perrier. Absolutely divine!
Finally, as a surprise for the guest of honor and as a way to commemorate the weekend, we framed old records by her favorite artists and asked guests to sign the records with a gold paint pen. (This idea was inspired by Second City Soiree!)
The framed records and their album covers were set on the DJ table for guests to sign
The end result was very festive!
Happy 50th Birthday, Grace! We love you!
