Monthly Archives: March 2012

Needing some touches of detail for the decor and buffet tables, I turned to dear old Martha Stewart.  She had some adorable coffee filter bowls in her latest edition of her magazine.  I adapted them a bit, wanting more of a decorative flower than a serving dish…plus things never turn out quite as great as her magazine shows…

I used her same technique, using food coloring and water to create the color I wanted. Quickly dipping the edges of a stack of coffee filters into the dye, then allowing them to dry upside down in another bowl, gives an amazingly “real” look to the petals.

When it came to making the flowers, I layered the coffee filters more, using clear rubber hairbands to secure them together. After they dried I separated the layers and ruffled them to create more of a “peony” than a daffodil.

Using some small bowls I found in the clearance section of IKEA years ago (they were $.19 a piece!), I now have adorable little bowls and serving dishes for jelly beans, nuts and who knows what else!

The time spent creating in the kitchen with Ellie Graye is my favorite.  Cooking, baking, or decorating becomes exponentially more complex when a 3.5 year old is bouncing around, grabbing tools, pouring salt in unexpectedly, or just simply asking, “Why?” over and over, but I don’t care. It makes my heart happy – and she likes it too!  If this girl doesn’t know how to cook and serve dinner for 20 people by the time she’s 10, I’ll be shocked.. We’re always talking about ingredients and what flavors complement each other and chemistry and design and color mixing…and sculpting.

As I dive in to prepping for our “Simple” Easter Party, Ellie is right by my side. “I can help ya!” she repeats over and over.  So yesterday, that’s what she did.  First we made a small batch of sugar cookies (I’ll make another batch after she heads to school today), and while she painted on the royal icing, I broke out the Gum Paste and started to work on the flowers that will top the cake. She had some fun with her own gum paste as well, and was eager to learn some of the techniques that I pretend to know.

The flowers themselves are actually fairly easy to make, but make a pretty impressive display once finished and painted with food coloring (which I have yet to do). I used a Wilton flower cookie cutter for the basic shape, using the handle end of a paintbrush to add ridges. The cup is pretty self-explanatory.  I started with a small ball, then shaped it into a tear drop and used the end of a larger paintbrush to hollow out the center. I let them dry in small pinch prep bowls, and voila. Daffodils.  Next up, the stems.

These will dry for a while, and be added to stems and leaves…

I’m excited about the party, even if I’m not sure I’ll finish everything I’d like to. My decision to keep things small has made it possible to do some of the detail-oriented party planning that I usually have to for-go. Of course, the weather report is calling for rain for the next 10 days, so the Easter Egg Hunt will have to be inside, and I’m not sure what I’ll do with the kiddos for activities, but all that worry disappears simply because Ellie is thrilled that I didn’t cancel, and can’t wait to have her close friends over.  That little stinker makes my world go ’round!