8 Wedding Cake Ideas Your Guests Will Love …

8 Wedding Cake Ideas Your Guests Will Love …

Wedding Cake Ideas are constantly changing, constantly evolving and constantly shifting. To me, the wedding cake is by far the most important aspect of the wedding (yanno, besides the dress, invitations and theme). Nowadays, wedding cake ideas can be as outlandish and strange as possible and people will still buy into it! Below, I’m going to talk about 8 different wedding cake ideas that should make your wedding stand out among the rest!

1. Cupcakes

If you are one that keeps up on wedding cake ideas trends, you may notice that cupcakes are super popular! My brother actually is one of the few weddings I’ve been at where cupcakes were the wedding cake. It’s a unique and different idea and the best part? You can get different cupcake flavors so you can make all of your guests happy!

2. White on White

By far, white on white wedding cakes are the most popular cakes out there, but there are wedding cake ideas that can incorporate white on white in a different way. How about doing something lace or a striped white on white pattern? With so many different shades of white, you should be able to find all different ways to make the white on white method your own!

3. Striped & Classy

I adore wedding cakes that offer something different to the guest. Striped wedding cakes are a great way to incorporate a few different colors and even brighten up a wedding! Stripes are also a great way to tie in a theme of some kind. For me, hot pink and black stripes will do just fine for my wedding – that’s classy right?

4. Floral & Fun

I love, love flowers on a wedding cake. No, not the hard flowers that you get on a Dairy Queen wedding cake, but actual gum paste flowers that are made to look like the exact flowers in a garden. I am obsessed with shows like Amazing Wedding Cake and the Cake Girls in Chicago do an awesome job doing things like gum paste flowers and taking unique wedding cake ideas and transforming them into something beautiful.

5. Fashion Forward

Weddings nowadays are not boring. They are themed, they are fashionable and they are not at all dull. Your wedding cake should represent all of that! You want a cake that is fashionable, unique and different looking. Throw some pearls on there, fashion a corset complete with ruffles – these are just a few examples of what a fashion-forward cake would look like for the ideal fashionista bride!

6. White on Black

Imagine a completely black cake that was piped or lined in stark white? How unique would that look? That’s a new fashion trend in wedding cakes that is catching on quite quickly. Check out the cake at the next wedding you’re at – I can almost promise that it will be white on black instead of black on white!

7. Ribbons Galore

Whether it is a bow or a ribbon just around the base of the cake to add in a bit of flare and color to the bottom, ribbons are a trend that I don’t think will ever go away. Ribbons are a great way to really tie in some colors to a normally all white cake. You could add in the theme of the wedding’s colors or even just some colors that mean a lot to the bride and groom!

8. Individual Wedding Cakes

Unlike cupcakes, these are actually individual wedding cakes. Not only are the cakes typically two-tiered but they are actually cakes that are all decorated exactly the same. I like individual wedding cakes, I think they are elegant and classy – but make sure your baker will do them; they are quite a pain in the rear to manage.

With all of the different wedding cake ideas out there, it can be hard to choose the one that suits your wedding. Picking out the right wedding cake ideas that fit into your wedding should be a fun experience though, especially with all of the different choices out there! What types of wedding cake designs do you like best?

Read More

8 Red, White, and Blue Desserts …

8 Red, White, and Blue Desserts …

We already covered Fourth of July party decor ideas and now it’s time to move to the food! Here are red, white, and blue desserts that will surely make your party the best in the neighborhood. Happy cooking/baking/mixing!

1. Fruited-Cheesecake Flag

The first on our list of red, white, and blue desserts is from Martha Stewart. This is a great dessert to serve at a party because it comes in individual servings. Make sure that you arrange the squares like the American flag, okay?

2. Ice Cream Cupcakes

What do you say to red velvet cupcakes topped with blue moon ice cream, marshmallow creme, and sprinkles? Do I hear a YES? I suggest you read the comments on this particular recipe, too, so that you will have other options on how to go about baking and serving these Fourth of July treats.

3. Red, White, and Blue Coconut Stars

Oh, I love desserts made of coconut. Even if you don’t, you will love making these because the finished products are just too darn pretty! These are red, white, and blue desserts that will definitely make your buffet table look more picture-perfect.

4. Flag Cake 1

Of course you will need a flag cake at your Fourth of July party! This particular recipe is made of gelatin and needs to be cold at all times. If you are traveling to your party venue, you might want to choose one of the other red, white, and blue desserts we have featured here.

5. Flag Cake 2

Now THIS particular recipe will give you a cake that will travel well. And photograph quite beautifully, too. That’s right, your guests will blog about your party and this cake will feature prominently. They will take a million photos of the cake and then, of course, ask you for the recipe.

6. Snickers Cake

And we have here another flag cake. But this one is different because it’s made with Snickers! And there is no baking involved. Hooray! You will need only vanilla pudding mix, frozen pound cakes, Snickers candy bars, whipped cream, strawberries, and blueberries. You then layer and assemble the fruits like the flag.

7. Red, White, and Blueberry Cheesecake Tart

The combination of blueberry and soft cream cheese is pure heaven so this dessert will be a big star in your party. This is too complicated for me to make so I am begging for an invitation to your get-together.

8. Blueberry Cobbler with Sugared Star Cookies

The star cookies of this cobbler are just too cute for words. You can bake extra and wrap them for your guests to take home. You can even give them a copy of this recipe so that they can make their own. I bet they’d love that.
And there you have red, white, and blue desserts for your Fourth of July party. Aren’t color coordinated food fun?
Don’t forget, you can make these for other times of the year, too. As long as the fruits are in season or you are craving for something sweet, these can be your go-to recipes.

Read More

7 Grocery Shopping Mistakes …

7 Grocery Shopping Mistakes …

Grocery shopping is something we all have experience with, and yet, for some reason, we always seem to make the same mistakes. I still make them, I’ll confess. So, this article is just as much to me as to anyone else. Here are 7 shopping mistakes I’m sure a lot of us make, and what we can do to fix them!

1. Over-buying

Let it be said, never go to the store hungry, it only makes this mistake worse. We see this huge bag of grapes, that bunch of bananas, a huge bag of apples, not to mention the oranges and the kiwi….and before you know it, our buggy is full. The sad thing is, at least half of that fruit is going to go to waste because we can’t eat it all before it starts going bad. The best rule of thumb, when buying perishable items, is to buy in small quantities and go to the store more frequently. While your Walmart or Kroger may be too much of a drive to do 2 or 3 times a week, most all of us have a little small town grocery not far from us. Do your main shopping at Walmart and then pick up as needed at your local grocer. By doing this, not only are you keeping your money from going to waste, you’re also helping a small town business out as well.

2. Forgetting About Coupons

They may be a bit of trouble to have to clip out of the paper, but let me tell you, they can save you so much money, you would faint if you knew! I have friends that go to the store with coupons and get over $100 worth of groceries for about $20 or $30. No kidding! There was even one time that the store actually owed them a few cents, and they ended up paying nothing! It’s all in understanding about coupons and how to use them. Once I’ve learned all their tricks, I’ll try to do an article about them to share with you if you’d like.

3. Buying Junk

This is a mistake that the average American makes on a regular basis. We are addicted to junk food, and this addiction is just about as bad as any drug addiction out there, as it is just as harmful to our bodies. I know that we all like an occasional snack cake or Dr. Pepper, just try to make sure your fruits and veggies and other good food outweighs your junk food. It’s a good idea to only buy one junk food item a week, and treat them as special rewards rather than everyday foods. Your kids might not like you right now, but when they’re older and more healthy, they’ll be glad you cared enough about them to limit their junk food.

4. Shopping Without a List

Make a list at home, check it twice and stick to it. Don’t let yourself stray, even for that bag of donuts.

5. Taking Too Long

It’s easy to get caught up in everything at Walmart and quickly lose track of time. However, the longer you stay in a play flowing with food, the more apt you are to get way too much. Limit your time. If you have older kids or a husband that likes to have fun, split the grocery list and have a race to see who can have all the stuff on the list in the buggy and up to the register first. By doing this, you don’t have time to stare at the candy and cake aisle and talk yourself into buying something you know you don’t need. Get the basics and get out!

6. Ignoring Nutrition

It’s ok to be one of those shoppers that takes their time to look at the labels of the stuff they’re wanting to buy. We need to know that we’re eating. We need to be aware of our calorie intake as well as fat intake. Pay attention to what you’re eating and make wise decisions on what’s best to feed your family. Try to find stuff high in fiber and low in fat. Don’t get something just “because it looks good” but rather because it is good.

7. Going Close To Bedtime

I’ll admit, I love to shop at Walmart later at night. I don’t have to deal with lots of people and I enjoy it better. However, if you have younger children with you, it’s never a good idea to choose this time to shop. All you get is a headache and lots of people ready to see you leave. There have been so many times I’ve been at the store and had to follow a mother with her young child and listen as that baby cried, wanting it’s bottle and bed, and yet Mommy had so much shopping to get done, that baby didn’t matter right then. Choose to do your shopping in the daytime when baby is in a good mood, and isn’t hungry or tired. You’ll leave in a much better mood as will your baby. Trust me, it will be a much better experience!

Grocery shopping is something we all mess up on, but heeding these 7 grocery shopping mistake warnings, perhaps you’ll have a better experience in the future. Do you have any other ideas to add to this article? If so, please share!

Read More