Happy Summer! | Easy Floral Macaron Cake Hack

It's here, it's here! Today marks the first day of summer, and although it was off to a dreary start, the sun and blue skies are finally out and giving us a taste of what's to come. And while we are talking about tasty, let's talk about this cake! Kristin and I are big fans of this simple white buttercream cake from the grocery store that costs a whopping $8. With some leftover macarons from our friend Janet at Pete's Sister Creative Gifts, and a stunning flower crown from Flower Factory, we made this $8 cake look like a show stopper. We used the two tiered cake stands to add height and a layer for flowers - so while this cake looks impressive, it's really quite small and the perfect dessert for a summer garden party.

Succulents and bright orange ranunculus definitely have us feeling ready for some summer heat.

After adding one layer of macs, we thought we'd add a second layer - and dressed them up with a little lemon design using a Wilton Food Writer (pretty much an edible felt pen).

MACARONS: Pete's Sister Creative Gifts

FLOWERS: Flower Factory

CAKE: Thrifty's

CAKE PLATES: Homesense

Citrus Brunch with DIY Fruit Garland Centerpiece

If we were to choose one meal to host, it would most definitely be brunch (and it's not just because mimosas are involved). Dinner parties are always a good idea - but there's something about daylight and breakfast foods (okay, and mimosas) that make brunch a winner in our books.

Since brunch isn't usually as time intensive as hosting a five-course meal (or at least it shouldn't be), it's the perfect opportunity to spend that extra bit of time setting the perfect tablescape. This girls' brunch was a trial run for an upcoming Mother's Day brunch I'm hosting for my mom and grandma.  We must say, it looked just as delicious as it tasted! 

We based the table around a simple garland of eucalyptus and colourful blooms and gave it an even bigger punch of colour from a selection of fruit sourced straight from my fridge. The fruit was such an easy addition.  It added colour, texture and a vibrancy that flowers alone couldn't.  The bonus was that our centrepiece was partially edible! Grapefruit mimosas and halved grapefruit were the perfect and light prelude to a main of crepes suzette, followed up with ristretto for this caffeine-crazed gal right here. 

The citrus garland was really easy to put together and made a huge visual impact. If you're hosting for Mother's Day, it's definitely worth a go!

RECREATE OUR LOOK

- Greenery from the florist (or your backyard bushes!)

- Eucalyptus
- Floral tape or wire

- One grocery store bouquet

- Variety of citrus fruits (grapefruit, orange, blood orange, lime, lemon)

- Dragon fruit

- Two bunches of grapes

Start with the greenery and shape it into a garland the length of your table.  Use floral tape or wire to secure it together. Cut the stems of your flowers from the bouquet and place throughout, leaving some blank spots for the fruit. Cut all the fruit in halves (minus the grapes) and place throughout the garland until you achieve the look you're going for! If you want to prep in advance of your brunch, you can use strips of floral foam under the garland to stick the flowers in and then place the fruit just beforehand.

Flowers: Flower Factory
Chargers and flatware: Pier 1
Plates: Sophie Conran

Woodland Baby Shower

The only thing more exciting than celebrating the arrival of a new baby is celebrating the arrival of two new babies! Twins,  Baby Hailey and Baby Zachary’s woodland theme baby shower was the perfect choice for a mixed gender celebration.  The loveable woodland creatures and outdoorsy elements tied together to create a charming ambience for a nature loving mama.

We incorporated a mix of deluxe pastries, an affordable cake adorned with fawn cookies, and DIY treats to create a delightful dessert table.  Tree branch play blocks were used as decor and later gifted.  All babies are adorable, but these two are particularly gorgeous and we couldn’t resist displaying a series of their newborn photos. 

TREE BRANCH BLOCKS - Natural Pod
COOKIES - A.Elizabeth Cakes
CAKE - Thirfty's
GARLAND - Flower Factory
BABY MOCASSINS - Minimoc
FAUX FUR RUG - Ikea
VINEYARD CHAIR - The Little Wedding Shoppe