And with Christmas just weeks away, be sure to check out the editor's twelve must-have gifts.
Showing posts with label Vintage Sewing Party. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vintage Sewing Party. Show all posts
Vintage Sewing Birthday Party: Feature on Tiny & Little Magazine
Hands down, one of this year's highlights would have to be the lovely photo spread on tiny & little, an online publication based in Melbourne, Australia, geared towards parents-to-be and families with young children. Such an honor to have the Vintage Sewing Party featured as one of the editor's favorite parties of 2011, along with parties from design and styling superstars like Thetis of Little Sooti and Sharnel Dollar.
And with Christmas just weeks away, be sure to check out the editor's twelve must-have gifts.
And with Christmas just weeks away, be sure to check out the editor's twelve must-have gifts.
August Party Finalist on Project Nursery
My events are true labors of love. I really put a lot of thought into every detail, so it's always gratifying when my work is recognized, and more importantly, inspiring others.
Recently, the Vintage Sewing Birthday Party was selected as one of the August Party Finalists on Project Nursery, and I couldn't be more thrilled. Please take a moment to cast your vote for me by going here and spread the word. The race is so close, every vote counts. You may only vote once in a 24-hour period. Voting ends August 31st at 11:55 PM PST. Thank you so much for your support!
Recently, the Vintage Sewing Birthday Party was selected as one of the August Party Finalists on Project Nursery, and I couldn't be more thrilled. Please take a moment to cast your vote for me by going here and spread the word. The race is so close, every vote counts. You may only vote once in a 24-hour period. Voting ends August 31st at 11:55 PM PST. Thank you so much for your support!
Reopening of Pure Joy Events Shop
Oh joy! I'm so pleased to announce that the Pure Joy Events shop has reopened with new goodies from the Vintage Sewing Party, including the hand-embroidered hoop and button cards. And you can still find items from the Transformers Party, as well as the Owl Costume Kit. For a limited time, receive 15% off your entire purchase by entering the coupon code SUMMER2011. Happy shopping!
Tutorial Tuesday: Spools of Thread Cake Pops
Wow, what an incredible honor to be featured twice in one week on Amy Atlas! Hope you caught my exclusive DIY hoop tutorial that was posted on her blog yesterday. It's such a pleasure to have Xiaolu of 6 Bittersweets here to share another how-to from the Vintage Sewing Party -- spools of thread cakes pops.
When I began blogging, I would never have guessed the impact it would have on my life. Just through my little food site, I’ve been introduced to hundreds of people around the world who consistently blow me away with their talent, whether in the area of cooking, baking, crafting, writing, photographing, or styling. When I’m really lucky, one of these incredible people, like Christine, turns out to be right in my neck of the woods!
Even though we discovered each others’ sites fairly recently, I wasted no time pouring over all the fun party photos and creative ideas on Christine’s site. Her passion and skill for styling and crafting was so immediately evident that I couldn’t wait to collaborate with her. Opportunity eventually came calling in the form of a sweet vintage sewing party she was planning for her daughter’s birthday and for which she asked me to prepare some treats.
To be honest, when Christine first asked me to make sewing-themed cake pops I was a bit nervous. Though cake pops are one of my most popular treats – second only to cupcakes – I’d actually never attempted non-spherical pops before. But with an adventurous attitude and some creative thinking, I turned out these spool cake pops that I hear were quite convincing to the young partiers =). Now I’m delighted to be sharing a detailed tutorial sew you can recreate these for your own themed party. Thanks, Christine, for inspiring me with your lovely party ideas and working with me to create such a unique treat!
Spools of Thread Cake Pops
Makes about 20 to 23 lollipops
XIAOLU'S NOTES: I strongly recommend making your own cake and frosting from scratch as it allows you to control the sweetness of the pops much more. You may even want to reduce the amount of sugar from your usual cake since the candy coating will be quite sweet. Please don't be intimidated by my recipe. Its long length is mostly due to the inclusion of detailed notes/tips to make the process go as smoothly as possible. Store-bought fondant can be substituted for the marshmallow fondant, but marshmallow fondant tastes much much better (pretty much like what you'd imagine from its ingredients).
Marshmallow Fondant (Recipe below)
Powdered sugar, for rolling fondant
Round cookie cutter (1 1/2-inches wide)
8 or 9-inch cake layer [in a flavor of your choosing]
1/4 to 3/4 cups frosting [in a flavor of your choosing]
1 lb. 2 oz. candy melts OR white chocolate chips/bark
1 1/2 Tbsp trans fat-free shortening [such as Spectrum or Earth Balance]
Canola or vegetable oil, as needed to thin candy coating
About 21 to 24 paper lollipop sticks (I use 4-inch/10-cm sticks)
Oil-based candy coloring or powder food coloring, optional
Generously dust a large flat surface with powdered sugar. Roll out marshmallow fondant to a thickness of about 1/10-inch. Dust top of fondant and rolling pin lightly with powdered sugar as needed to prevent sticking. Dip cookie cutter in powdered sugar and cut out as many 1 1/2-inch wide fondant circles as possible. Rub circles lightly with powdered sugar to prevent sticking. Repeat with additional fondant until you have twice as many fondant circles as cake pops. Make holes in the middle of half the fondant circles using a lollipop stick. First press the stick firmly into the middle of a fondant circle, then slide the circle up the stick while rotating the stick to slightly enlarge the circle. Leave all fondant circles out to air dry while preparing the cake pops.
Line 2 large baking pans with non-stick silicone mats or parchment paper. Crumble cooled cake into a large bowl, removing any overcooked/crusty pieces. Add in 1/4 cup of frosting and mix into the cake crumbs thoroughly using clean fingers. Test the mixture by attempting to press and roll into a 1 1/2-inch diameter ball. If the mixture crumbles instead of holding together as a ball, add more frosting 2 tablespoons at a time -- mixing thoroughly and testing for consistency after each addition -- just until mixture is moist enough to hold its shape.
Now roll/press the cake cookie mixture into balls 1 1/2-inches wide. Repeat until the cake mixture has been used up (you should have between 20 and 23 balls), and set the balls at least 1-inch apart from each other on a lined pan. Place cake balls in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove cake balls from freezer and use both hands to press and shape into cylinders roughly 1 1/2-inches tall and 1-inch wide. I do this by first rolling the ball between both palms of my hands to elongate it slightly. Then I place the cake ball in the middle of my left palm and bring my fingers together around it as if making a fist WHILE at the same time flattening the ends of the cake cylinder by pressing the open ends using the fingers of my right hand. Finally, I pinch the edges of both ends to create a more defined cylinder shape. Return pan of cake cylinders to freezer for 10 minutes.
Place candy melts and 1 1/2 tablespoons of shortening into a heatproof bowl and microwave for 1 minute on medium heat. Stir well, then continue microwaving at 30-second intervals on medium heat, stirring between each, until the mixture is mostly melted and smooth. Continue stirring (but without beating -- to avoid air bubbles in your coating) until the mixture becomes completely smooth. Dip the tip of each lollipop stick into a little melted coating and insert halfway (not more!) into the middle of each cake cylinder. Place in the fridge [NOT the freezer] for 15 to 20 minutes to firm up so the cake won't fall off the stick when coated.
Meanwhile, color your coating with oil-based or powdered food coloring (NOT liquid or gel) in whatever shade you want your "thread" to be. (You can see from the photos that I didn't color the coating until after the base coat, which was okay but resulted in me piping on extra "thread" to cover up the white base. If you color your base coat, you won't have to worry about that!) Now pour your melted coating into a clean and dry cup that’s about 2 1/2 inches wide until the cup very close to full.
Remove cake pops from the fridge and let sit for 5 minutes at room temperature (dipping the pops while cold will result in cracking of the coating because the cake will expand as it warms up). Dip an entire pop straight down into the melted candy coating until it is completely covered, and immediately remove it in one straight upward motion. (If you stir it around, the cake will fall off and it'll be very hard to salvage!) Once you lift the cake pop out of the coating, immediately turn the pop so that its stick is almost vertical with the cake pop pointing upwards. Make sure the coating meets at the base of the lollipop stick. This helps secure the cake ball to the stick when the coating sets.
There will be extra coating still on the cake pop that you can remove. Hold the pop in one hand and use the other hand to gently tap the first wrist. Rotate the pop to allow the excess coating to drip evenly back into the cup of coating, but never let the stick tilt too far down or the cake may fall off. If too much coating collects at the base of the lollipop stick, you can wipe the excess off with a finger while rotating the stick. And if the coating seems too thick, stir in vegetable oil 1 teaspoon at a time until you get the desired consistency.
When most of the extra coating has fallen off and no longer drips, turn the cake pop over again so that the cake is down and the stick is up and place onto the second lined pan, making sure to set it down so that the stick points as straight up as possible. Repeat with the remaining cake pops. If the coating in the cup gets so low that you cannot easily submerge the whole cake pop, add more coating to the cup. Let all cake pops set (harden) completely at room temperature or in the freezer (about 8 minutes).
Spoon about 2/3 cup of the leftover melted candy coating into a small zipper sandwich bag. Push as much air out of the bag as possible and seal the top. Cut a very small opening (about 1/10-inch wide) in one corner of the bag. Hold one cake pop near the base of its stick and over top of the empty baking pan (the one used to hold the uncoated cake balls earlier). Make sure to hold the cake pop sideways so that all parts are the same distance from the pan under it. Pick up the bag with candy coating using your other hand. Squeeze the bag steadily while moving the opening back and forth quickly across the cake pop to create lines of "thread." Pipe the coating very wide so that it goes beyond the sides of the cake pop. This will result in a lot of the coating falling onto the pan underneath but will create more realistic looking "thread." Set the pop back down where it came from with the stick pointing up. Repeat with remaining cake pops. If the coating in the bag hardens, place bag on a microwave-safe plate and heat for 20 seconds on medium power. If the coating in the bag runs out, spoon more leftover coating into the bag or reheat/reuse coating that's dripped onto the pan if necessary. Let all cake pops set (harden) completely at room temperature or in the freezer (about 8 minutes).
Again using the sandwich bag with melted coating, pipe a small dollop of coating on the bottom of a fondant circle (without hole). Spread the coating slightly with a small spoon, then immediately center a cake pop above the circle and press down lightly. Repeat with the remaining cake pops.
Spread the coating slightly with a small spoon, then immediately center a cake pop above the circle and press down lightly. Repeat with the remaining cake pops.
Now pipe a ring of candy coating around the outer edge at the top of each cake pop and let set (harden) completely at room temperature or in the freezer (about 5 minutes). The purpose of this is to create a more level top surface for the remaining fondant circles to stick to.
Next, pipe a small amount of coating on the bottom of a fondant circle (with hole).
Carefully turn the circle upside-down while holding it by the edges, then slide the circle down the cake pop stick. Gently press down on the fondant with your fingers to make sure it sticks to the cake pop. Finally, lift the edges of the upper fondant circle slightly so that the it is as flat as possible to resemble a spool. Repeat with remaining cake pops. Let cake pops set completely then enjoy!
Marshmallow Fondant
Adapted from Allrecipes
Makes about 1 lb. 2 oz.
XIAOLU'S NOTES: You will only need about 1/3 to 1/2 of this recipe for the spools of thread cake pops, but this fondant keeps well in an airtight container and can be used just as other fondant is used.
2 Tbsp trans fat-free shortening
8 oz. miniature marshmallows
2 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 lb. powdered sugar, divided
Place the shortening in a shallow bowl that’s easy to reach your hand into; set aside.
Place the marshmallows in a large microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on high power for 30 seconds to 1 minute to start melting the marshmallows. Carefully stir the water and vanilla extract into the hot marshmallows until the mixture is smooth. If not yet smooth, continue microwaving at 20-second intervals and stirring thoroughly in between until smooth. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar, a cup at a time, until you have a sticky dough. Reserve 2 cups of powdered sugar for kneading.
Rub your hands thoroughly with shortening, and begin kneading the sticky dough. As you knead, the dough will become workable and pliable. Turn the dough out onto a working surface well-dusted with powdered sugar and continue kneading until the fondant is smooth and no longer sticky to the touch, 5 to 10 minutes.
Form the fondant into a ball, rub a light film of shortening over the outside, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. To use, allow the fondant to come to room temperature, and roll it out on a flat surface dusted with powdered sugar. To make fondant more pliable, rub your fingers with more shortening and knead into the fondant.
When I began blogging, I would never have guessed the impact it would have on my life. Just through my little food site, I’ve been introduced to hundreds of people around the world who consistently blow me away with their talent, whether in the area of cooking, baking, crafting, writing, photographing, or styling. When I’m really lucky, one of these incredible people, like Christine, turns out to be right in my neck of the woods!
Even though we discovered each others’ sites fairly recently, I wasted no time pouring over all the fun party photos and creative ideas on Christine’s site. Her passion and skill for styling and crafting was so immediately evident that I couldn’t wait to collaborate with her. Opportunity eventually came calling in the form of a sweet vintage sewing party she was planning for her daughter’s birthday and for which she asked me to prepare some treats.
To be honest, when Christine first asked me to make sewing-themed cake pops I was a bit nervous. Though cake pops are one of my most popular treats – second only to cupcakes – I’d actually never attempted non-spherical pops before. But with an adventurous attitude and some creative thinking, I turned out these spool cake pops that I hear were quite convincing to the young partiers =). Now I’m delighted to be sharing a detailed tutorial sew you can recreate these for your own themed party. Thanks, Christine, for inspiring me with your lovely party ideas and working with me to create such a unique treat!
Spools of Thread Cake Pops
Makes about 20 to 23 lollipops
XIAOLU'S NOTES: I strongly recommend making your own cake and frosting from scratch as it allows you to control the sweetness of the pops much more. You may even want to reduce the amount of sugar from your usual cake since the candy coating will be quite sweet. Please don't be intimidated by my recipe. Its long length is mostly due to the inclusion of detailed notes/tips to make the process go as smoothly as possible. Store-bought fondant can be substituted for the marshmallow fondant, but marshmallow fondant tastes much much better (pretty much like what you'd imagine from its ingredients).
Marshmallow Fondant (Recipe below)
Powdered sugar, for rolling fondant
Round cookie cutter (1 1/2-inches wide)
8 or 9-inch cake layer [in a flavor of your choosing]
1/4 to 3/4 cups frosting [in a flavor of your choosing]
1 lb. 2 oz. candy melts OR white chocolate chips/bark
1 1/2 Tbsp trans fat-free shortening [such as Spectrum or Earth Balance]
Canola or vegetable oil, as needed to thin candy coating
About 21 to 24 paper lollipop sticks (I use 4-inch/10-cm sticks)
Oil-based candy coloring or powder food coloring, optional
Generously dust a large flat surface with powdered sugar. Roll out marshmallow fondant to a thickness of about 1/10-inch. Dust top of fondant and rolling pin lightly with powdered sugar as needed to prevent sticking. Dip cookie cutter in powdered sugar and cut out as many 1 1/2-inch wide fondant circles as possible. Rub circles lightly with powdered sugar to prevent sticking. Repeat with additional fondant until you have twice as many fondant circles as cake pops. Make holes in the middle of half the fondant circles using a lollipop stick. First press the stick firmly into the middle of a fondant circle, then slide the circle up the stick while rotating the stick to slightly enlarge the circle. Leave all fondant circles out to air dry while preparing the cake pops.
Line 2 large baking pans with non-stick silicone mats or parchment paper. Crumble cooled cake into a large bowl, removing any overcooked/crusty pieces. Add in 1/4 cup of frosting and mix into the cake crumbs thoroughly using clean fingers. Test the mixture by attempting to press and roll into a 1 1/2-inch diameter ball. If the mixture crumbles instead of holding together as a ball, add more frosting 2 tablespoons at a time -- mixing thoroughly and testing for consistency after each addition -- just until mixture is moist enough to hold its shape.
Now roll/press the cake cookie mixture into balls 1 1/2-inches wide. Repeat until the cake mixture has been used up (you should have between 20 and 23 balls), and set the balls at least 1-inch apart from each other on a lined pan. Place cake balls in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove cake balls from freezer and use both hands to press and shape into cylinders roughly 1 1/2-inches tall and 1-inch wide. I do this by first rolling the ball between both palms of my hands to elongate it slightly. Then I place the cake ball in the middle of my left palm and bring my fingers together around it as if making a fist WHILE at the same time flattening the ends of the cake cylinder by pressing the open ends using the fingers of my right hand. Finally, I pinch the edges of both ends to create a more defined cylinder shape. Return pan of cake cylinders to freezer for 10 minutes.
Place candy melts and 1 1/2 tablespoons of shortening into a heatproof bowl and microwave for 1 minute on medium heat. Stir well, then continue microwaving at 30-second intervals on medium heat, stirring between each, until the mixture is mostly melted and smooth. Continue stirring (but without beating -- to avoid air bubbles in your coating) until the mixture becomes completely smooth. Dip the tip of each lollipop stick into a little melted coating and insert halfway (not more!) into the middle of each cake cylinder. Place in the fridge [NOT the freezer] for 15 to 20 minutes to firm up so the cake won't fall off the stick when coated.
Meanwhile, color your coating with oil-based or powdered food coloring (NOT liquid or gel) in whatever shade you want your "thread" to be. (You can see from the photos that I didn't color the coating until after the base coat, which was okay but resulted in me piping on extra "thread" to cover up the white base. If you color your base coat, you won't have to worry about that!) Now pour your melted coating into a clean and dry cup that’s about 2 1/2 inches wide until the cup very close to full.
Remove cake pops from the fridge and let sit for 5 minutes at room temperature (dipping the pops while cold will result in cracking of the coating because the cake will expand as it warms up). Dip an entire pop straight down into the melted candy coating until it is completely covered, and immediately remove it in one straight upward motion. (If you stir it around, the cake will fall off and it'll be very hard to salvage!) Once you lift the cake pop out of the coating, immediately turn the pop so that its stick is almost vertical with the cake pop pointing upwards. Make sure the coating meets at the base of the lollipop stick. This helps secure the cake ball to the stick when the coating sets.
There will be extra coating still on the cake pop that you can remove. Hold the pop in one hand and use the other hand to gently tap the first wrist. Rotate the pop to allow the excess coating to drip evenly back into the cup of coating, but never let the stick tilt too far down or the cake may fall off. If too much coating collects at the base of the lollipop stick, you can wipe the excess off with a finger while rotating the stick. And if the coating seems too thick, stir in vegetable oil 1 teaspoon at a time until you get the desired consistency.
When most of the extra coating has fallen off and no longer drips, turn the cake pop over again so that the cake is down and the stick is up and place onto the second lined pan, making sure to set it down so that the stick points as straight up as possible. Repeat with the remaining cake pops. If the coating in the cup gets so low that you cannot easily submerge the whole cake pop, add more coating to the cup. Let all cake pops set (harden) completely at room temperature or in the freezer (about 8 minutes).
Spoon about 2/3 cup of the leftover melted candy coating into a small zipper sandwich bag. Push as much air out of the bag as possible and seal the top. Cut a very small opening (about 1/10-inch wide) in one corner of the bag. Hold one cake pop near the base of its stick and over top of the empty baking pan (the one used to hold the uncoated cake balls earlier). Make sure to hold the cake pop sideways so that all parts are the same distance from the pan under it. Pick up the bag with candy coating using your other hand. Squeeze the bag steadily while moving the opening back and forth quickly across the cake pop to create lines of "thread." Pipe the coating very wide so that it goes beyond the sides of the cake pop. This will result in a lot of the coating falling onto the pan underneath but will create more realistic looking "thread." Set the pop back down where it came from with the stick pointing up. Repeat with remaining cake pops. If the coating in the bag hardens, place bag on a microwave-safe plate and heat for 20 seconds on medium power. If the coating in the bag runs out, spoon more leftover coating into the bag or reheat/reuse coating that's dripped onto the pan if necessary. Let all cake pops set (harden) completely at room temperature or in the freezer (about 8 minutes).
Again using the sandwich bag with melted coating, pipe a small dollop of coating on the bottom of a fondant circle (without hole). Spread the coating slightly with a small spoon, then immediately center a cake pop above the circle and press down lightly. Repeat with the remaining cake pops.
Spread the coating slightly with a small spoon, then immediately center a cake pop above the circle and press down lightly. Repeat with the remaining cake pops.
Now pipe a ring of candy coating around the outer edge at the top of each cake pop and let set (harden) completely at room temperature or in the freezer (about 5 minutes). The purpose of this is to create a more level top surface for the remaining fondant circles to stick to.
Next, pipe a small amount of coating on the bottom of a fondant circle (with hole).
Marshmallow Fondant
Adapted from Allrecipes
Makes about 1 lb. 2 oz.
XIAOLU'S NOTES: You will only need about 1/3 to 1/2 of this recipe for the spools of thread cake pops, but this fondant keeps well in an airtight container and can be used just as other fondant is used.
2 Tbsp trans fat-free shortening
8 oz. miniature marshmallows
2 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 lb. powdered sugar, divided
Place the shortening in a shallow bowl that’s easy to reach your hand into; set aside.
Place the marshmallows in a large microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on high power for 30 seconds to 1 minute to start melting the marshmallows. Carefully stir the water and vanilla extract into the hot marshmallows until the mixture is smooth. If not yet smooth, continue microwaving at 20-second intervals and stirring thoroughly in between until smooth. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar, a cup at a time, until you have a sticky dough. Reserve 2 cups of powdered sugar for kneading.
Rub your hands thoroughly with shortening, and begin kneading the sticky dough. As you knead, the dough will become workable and pliable. Turn the dough out onto a working surface well-dusted with powdered sugar and continue kneading until the fondant is smooth and no longer sticky to the touch, 5 to 10 minutes.
Form the fondant into a ball, rub a light film of shortening over the outside, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. To use, allow the fondant to come to room temperature, and roll it out on a flat surface dusted with powdered sugar. To make fondant more pliable, rub your fingers with more shortening and knead into the fondant.
Vintage Sewing Birthday Party
Caitlyn became hooked on sewing after receiving a sewing kit and toy sewing machine from Santa. It wasn’t long before she asked to have a sewing party for her 7th birthday. The fresh colors and prints from Heather Bailey's Nicey Jane fabric collection became the inspiration for the party. I also drew inspiration from her gorgeous studio and the oh-so-creative parties that were pinned on my Vintage Sewing Party board.
The custom designed spool of thread invitations by FLIPAWOO were hand-delivered to each of the guests weeks in advance.
By the day of the party, the children’s playroom was transformed into a sewing room, complete with a rotary sewing machine dating back to 1915, vintage spools of thread and hand-made pin cushions. I created a simple backdrop by stretching fabric on embroidery hoops of varying sizes and hanging them on a giant cork board that was already in the room. For the center hoop, I embroidered the words “Sew Seven” by hand (find the tutorial on Celebrations At Home). Vintage blue mason jars holding fresh flowers from the local grocery store were placed on each of the tables, and my DIY ruffled fabric garlands were draped across the chair backs.
A vintage sewing table acquired from Stylish Patina served as the perfect dessert and beverage table. The baked desserts were artfully made by some of the most incredibly talented women from the Washington DC area. The detailing on the sewing basket cake by PhoebeCakes was exquisite. One of the funniest moments was when our son, Camden, ran off with the little kitty paws right before we were about to cut the cake. Dusted with edible glitter, the decorated sugar cookies from JP Creatibles looked too pretty to eat. I couldn't be happier with how they turned out. Sew darn cute!
The cookies n' cream cake pops by 6 Bittersweets, which resembled spools of thread (get the tutorial here), were adorned with washi tape flags. Pink airmail washi tape from Le Box Boutique was also used to adhere spoons to parfait glasses layered with fresh raspberries and whipped cream. Wooden spools tied with pink sorbet baker’s twine from The Twinery held up button lollipops made with vanilla flavored candy melts. A glass jar was filled with raspberry curd French macarons – another sweet creation from 6 Bittersweets.
Pink raspberry lemonade was served in glass bottles with hot pink striped paper straws from Sweet Estelle. Floral beverage coasters from Heather Bailey’s coordinating party collection added a touch of nostalgia.
While guests were arriving, the girls guessed the number of buttons in a jar (the answer was 157) and played a few rounds of “hoop toss”.
For the first sewing craft, they used embroidery thread to stitch their first initial and a flower onto eco-felt that was stretched over a hoop (see the tutorial on Amy Atlas Events). Although most of the girls had never sewn before, they all did an amazing job and proudly showcased their finished projects on the cork board.
Then we used a kit from Paper and String to make adorable felt cupcakes sprinkled with mini brads and topped with buttons.
Beautifully sewn pencil pouches by Bagel Creations and hand-crafted button cards were given to the guests as they were leaving the party.
After months of planning, it was such a joy to see everything come together. A big thank you to all of the vendors and suppliers who helped me pull off this party:
Photography: Rebecca Watkins Photography and Pure Joy Events / Invitations, Food/Beverage Labels & Personalized Tags: FLIPAWOO / Cake: PhoebeCakes / Sugar Cookies: JP Creatibles / French Macarons & Cake Pops: 6 Bittersweets / Printing: Brickwall Printing and Graphics / Cupcake Kit: Paper and String / Pencil Pouches: Bagel Creations / Pin Cushions: Details by Des / Vintage Sewing Machine: Stylish Patina / Blue Mason Jars: JAKRB / Beverage Coasters, Epoxy Button Stickers & Stamp Ink Pads: Heather Bailey Store / Button Boutique Stamps & Buttons: Papertrey Ink / Paper Straws: Sweet Estelle / Baker's Twine: The Twinery / Washi Tape & Glassine Bags: Le Box Boutique / Nicey Jane Fabrics: Redbrick Quilting and Crafts, Skye Reve Fabrics
As Seen On: Amy Atlas Events / Ucreate Parties / Kara's Party Ideas / Living Locurto / Catch My Party / The Party Wagon / Maddycakes Muse / Project Nursery / The White Library / A Few of My Favorite Things / Tiny and Little Magazine / Me and My Insanity / Plush Little Baby
The custom designed spool of thread invitations by FLIPAWOO were hand-delivered to each of the guests weeks in advance.
By the day of the party, the children’s playroom was transformed into a sewing room, complete with a rotary sewing machine dating back to 1915, vintage spools of thread and hand-made pin cushions. I created a simple backdrop by stretching fabric on embroidery hoops of varying sizes and hanging them on a giant cork board that was already in the room. For the center hoop, I embroidered the words “Sew Seven” by hand (find the tutorial on Celebrations At Home). Vintage blue mason jars holding fresh flowers from the local grocery store were placed on each of the tables, and my DIY ruffled fabric garlands were draped across the chair backs.
A vintage sewing table acquired from Stylish Patina served as the perfect dessert and beverage table. The baked desserts were artfully made by some of the most incredibly talented women from the Washington DC area. The detailing on the sewing basket cake by PhoebeCakes was exquisite. One of the funniest moments was when our son, Camden, ran off with the little kitty paws right before we were about to cut the cake. Dusted with edible glitter, the decorated sugar cookies from JP Creatibles looked too pretty to eat. I couldn't be happier with how they turned out. Sew darn cute!
The cookies n' cream cake pops by 6 Bittersweets, which resembled spools of thread (get the tutorial here), were adorned with washi tape flags. Pink airmail washi tape from Le Box Boutique was also used to adhere spoons to parfait glasses layered with fresh raspberries and whipped cream. Wooden spools tied with pink sorbet baker’s twine from The Twinery held up button lollipops made with vanilla flavored candy melts. A glass jar was filled with raspberry curd French macarons – another sweet creation from 6 Bittersweets.
Pink raspberry lemonade was served in glass bottles with hot pink striped paper straws from Sweet Estelle. Floral beverage coasters from Heather Bailey’s coordinating party collection added a touch of nostalgia.
While guests were arriving, the girls guessed the number of buttons in a jar (the answer was 157) and played a few rounds of “hoop toss”.
For the first sewing craft, they used embroidery thread to stitch their first initial and a flower onto eco-felt that was stretched over a hoop (see the tutorial on Amy Atlas Events). Although most of the girls had never sewn before, they all did an amazing job and proudly showcased their finished projects on the cork board.
Then we used a kit from Paper and String to make adorable felt cupcakes sprinkled with mini brads and topped with buttons.
Beautifully sewn pencil pouches by Bagel Creations and hand-crafted button cards were given to the guests as they were leaving the party.
After months of planning, it was such a joy to see everything come together. A big thank you to all of the vendors and suppliers who helped me pull off this party:
Photography: Rebecca Watkins Photography and Pure Joy Events / Invitations, Food/Beverage Labels & Personalized Tags: FLIPAWOO / Cake: PhoebeCakes / Sugar Cookies: JP Creatibles / French Macarons & Cake Pops: 6 Bittersweets / Printing: Brickwall Printing and Graphics / Cupcake Kit: Paper and String / Pencil Pouches: Bagel Creations / Pin Cushions: Details by Des / Vintage Sewing Machine: Stylish Patina / Blue Mason Jars: JAKRB / Beverage Coasters, Epoxy Button Stickers & Stamp Ink Pads: Heather Bailey Store / Button Boutique Stamps & Buttons: Papertrey Ink / Paper Straws: Sweet Estelle / Baker's Twine: The Twinery / Washi Tape & Glassine Bags: Le Box Boutique / Nicey Jane Fabrics: Redbrick Quilting and Crafts, Skye Reve Fabrics
As Seen On: Amy Atlas Events / Ucreate Parties / Kara's Party Ideas / Living Locurto / Catch My Party / The Party Wagon / Maddycakes Muse / Project Nursery / The White Library / A Few of My Favorite Things / Tiny and Little Magazine / Me and My Insanity / Plush Little Baby
Vintage Sewing Birthday Party: Invitations
I came across Louisa of FLIPAWOO last December when I was looking for holiday photo cards, and was completely drawn to her classic vintage style. So when it came time to look for custom designs for the Vintage Sewing Party, I knew that she would be perfect for the job. I asked her to design an invitation that could wrap around a wooden spool with coordinating round stickers for the top, using Heather Bailey's Nicey Jane fabrics as the inspiration. I couldn't be happier with what she came up with. Louisa used a subtle green damask print with a vintage sewing machine for the background, cross stitch fonts, and an image of a small bouquet of roses, which was repeated throughout the entire collection. It was also her idea to have them printed on textured linen paper. No joking, they're much nicer than my wedding invitations!
The invitation spools were tied with pink sorbet baker's twine from The Twinery, enclosed in glassine bags purchased from Le Box Boutique, and then hand delivered to each of the guests.
The invitation spools were tied with pink sorbet baker's twine from The Twinery, enclosed in glassine bags purchased from Le Box Boutique, and then hand delivered to each of the guests.
Vintage Sewing Birthday Party: Button Cards
It's two weeks before the party and I'm making steady progress on my DIY To Do list:
Assemble and send out invitations
Embroider "Sew Seven" on hoop
Sew ruffled garland
Make vintage button cards
Cut felt and fabric for sewing activities
Make button lollipops
I was able to cross off the vintage button cards from the list late last night. These button cards were inspired by the ones I saw on Mish Mash and Fancy Flours (thanks, Kristen for the link). My initial thought was to use candy buttons, but I couldn't figure out how to adhere them to the cards. Luckily, I found these epoxy button stickers by Heather Bailey, which were designed from her collection of vintage buttons. They were perfect! I purchased the coordinating ink pads from her online store and the Button Boutique stamps from Papertrey Ink. I have to say that I'm really happy with how everything is coming together. To see more inspirations and ideas, check out my Vintage Sewing Party board on Pinterest.
Cut felt and fabric for sewing activities
Make button lollipops
I was able to cross off the vintage button cards from the list late last night. These button cards were inspired by the ones I saw on Mish Mash and Fancy Flours (thanks, Kristen for the link). My initial thought was to use candy buttons, but I couldn't figure out how to adhere them to the cards. Luckily, I found these epoxy button stickers by Heather Bailey, which were designed from her collection of vintage buttons. They were perfect! I purchased the coordinating ink pads from her online store and the Button Boutique stamps from Papertrey Ink. I have to say that I'm really happy with how everything is coming together. To see more inspirations and ideas, check out my Vintage Sewing Party board on Pinterest.
Vintage Sewing Birthday Party: Ruffled Garland
Oh, how I dread breaking out the sewing machine. I inherited a vintage sewing machine (dating back to the seventies I think) from my mother-in-law that has a mind of it's own sometimes. It's been known to tangle the thread in the bobbin and cause all sorts of mischief. But last night, when I was sewing this ruffled garland for Caitlyn's upcoming vintage sewing party, the sewing machine actually cooperated and I was done lickety split. I'm thrilled with how the garland turned out. What I love about this DIY project is that it's doable for someone with limited sewing skills. Plus, the ruffles help to cover up any flaws. And when the party's over, they'll be draped across Caitlyn's bedroom window. Bonus! Visit The Sweetest Occasion for the ruffled garland tutorial from Hank + Hunt. Has your sewing machine been acting up too? No worries, Hank + Hunt will reopen for business mid-summer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
