witticisms by Jess Witty

March 13, 2012

Birthday Bash

Ummmm... YUM.


Not gonna lie... if you don't like sweet paper crafts or sweet treats, man oh man... you're not gonna like today's post for Papertrey's March release countdown :) Not one little bit.


Cause there is just a whole lotta sweet up in here today.
Sweet after sweet after sweet.

With extra sweetness sprinkled on top.


Today each of the Papertrey Ink design team gals are focusing on one of the images from the new 2012 Birthday Tags set as well as the new By Invitation set.  (Both sets will be available for purchase beginning 3/15 at 10pm EST at www.papertreyink.com.)

As luck would have it, my real life and my Papertrey life happily coincided right around the time of a special baby shower...


Yeah... I might have knocked a few DT'ers over in my quest to secure this celebrate tag for my projects :)  (Kidding, kidding.) I thought it would make the perfect accent for all of the baby boy shower details.

I started my paper projects with the invitation.  The base layer is cut with the new Card Base-ics #2 die... yeah... totally diggin' that thing.  I wanted this set to have a very simple, elegant feel so I started with one of my favorite elegant basics... linen fabric. 

All it took was just a bt of spray adhesive on a panel of white cardstock to adhere the linen on top.  Do that step first, THEN die cut it with the Card Base-ics die.  Mine cut perfectly the first time in my Big Shot... just look at those beautiful edges!

I added a bit of tissue paper cut with the Parisian Lace die to the top and bottom of the card base.  That left the perfect spot to add my Celebrate tag stamped in Spring Rain. 

Love the Spring Rain, linen, and white combo :)

A vellum panel stamped with the new By Invitation set slips right into the die cut slots... love the detail there.  I wrote the details in with a white gel pen to tie everything together.


You know what baby showers mean to me?
I mean... besides the (obvious) baby :)

Treats.
Lots and lots of treats.
So when I host a shower, I can assure you... there will be treats.
Lots and lots of treats.

See?


Cupcake in a jar.
Seriously :)
The last baby shower I threw involved pies in a jar, which left me lots of jars, so naturally... another baby shower mean another something-in-a-jar :)  You'll find baking details at the bottom of this post.

I thought it would be fun to create a cupcake bag instead of the more traditional cupcake box.  I used one of Papertrey's small coffe bags with no window, then created my own custom window with the new Tag Sale #6 die. 

All that requires is placing the die on the inside of the bag (face up) and running it through the die cut machine.  Since you're placing the die inside the bag, the placement can be a bit tricky.  To fix that, I used some removable adhesive to keep the die in place and held it up to a light to help get the placement just right. 

Next step is trimming a clear panel to fit over the window.  Here's what my panel looks like... I set it on top of the bag so that you can see what the placement should be like when you stick it inside the bag...


Of course, the cupcake carrier needed a matching topper :) I added the Parisian Doily die cut plus a little linen detail.  I made that in the same fashion as the invitation card base, I just die cut it with the Tag Sale #6 tag this time.  The celebrate tag sits up on top of everything.


But wait, there's more :)

I kicked of this entire baby shower idea with some iced onesie cookies and, as you know, apparently I think that all cookies deserve a pretty glassine bag wrapping (see here and here for further evidence).  Seriously, I just think glassine bags make everything prettier :)

This favor bag got prettied up with a Parisian Lace doily topper, plus another linen Tag Sale #6 die cut.  I folded the tag in half then used a standard hole punch to add another hole to the bottom of the tag.  I also punched a hole straight through the bag so that I could hold everything together with a matching ribbon.  Sweet, right?

And, of course... those sweet cookies needed an equally sweet and practically identical card to go with them :)

Be sure to click on the picture below to catch the details on this one.  I used the Shape Up: Onesie die here and added a stitched edge to the front for a little something extra.  The heart die cut on the front just puts the cute factor over the edge for me :)


Once more I'm gonna be up front with you... the following pictures are pretty much just gratuitous shots of the baked goods.  So, you know... if you're into seriously sweet baked goods... read on.

If not, save yourself the calories and skip to the end :)


Once again I used the sugar cookie recipe from A Bee in Our Bonnet here, and the royal icing recipe from Sweet Sugarbelle right here.  I paired those with the sweet onsie cutter from Hobby Lobby (it came in a set of 4 baby themed cutters).

Have to say... these are my favorite cookies to date :)  The decorating is 99% white icing which makes for a super simple design to execute.  I didn't come up with the idea to add the heart myself... I've seen it on lots of beautiful onesie cookies.  I just tried to put my own spin on it by keeping everything else super simple and beautiful. 

When thinking through some plating ideas for the shower inspiration struck in the form of sugar... I added a layer to all of my platters.  The white base on everything helped tie my different silver platters and dishes together and gave everything a pretty base to sit on.  (Ummm... sort of like my love of white card bases?  I think so.)

I have one long platter that *perfectly* fit the baby name cookies :)  Love how these turned out!  Every mommy loves to see her baby's names on things, right?? I used some older Martha Stewart cookie cutters for the letters and this tutorial from Sweet Sugarbelle to add the sanding sugar to the edges.  This was my first attempt at adding the sanding sugar and it was no surprise that I loved it... it's the Prisma Glitter of the cookie world :)



I couldn't resist adding one tiny little heart detail to the M...



And to keep everything consistent, I used some of the leftover blue icing to make some heart accents for the cupcakes-in-a-jar (catch Sweet Sugarbelle's tutorial on royal icing accents here).  Kinda love how that ended up coming together. 

The cupcakes themselves were super simple.  I used the small 4oz jars and sprayed the inside with oil.  Any cake batter will work, just fill them up around halfway or a smidge over (more is not always better, though!).  My cake batter filled about 20 jars so I baked 2 separate batches of 10, setting each 10 on a cookie sheet to be slid into the oven.  They might take a bit longer than typical cupcakes, but not too much.

If you're nervous about baking the jars (I'm not as they are canning jars and made to be exposed to high heat, plus this isn't my first baking-in-a-jar-rodeo :) you could always just bake regular cupcake, cut them in half, stick the bottom half in the jar, add icing, then repeat with the top half and more icing.  More icing doesn't sound half bad to me :)



But I do love how just the jar dresses up a typical cupcake :) They're great for a party because you can just carry the jar and your fork and eat it without the cupcake paper mess.


I sprinkled some sanding sugar on the cupcakes to tie them in with the letters (once again, it's the papercrafting influence... I want them all to work together!).


And here's a few shots of how some of the treats looked the night of the shower...

(Hey, look... I was able to strategically crop out the messy kitchen counter, haha!)
Pretty cupcake jars...



and even more cookies.  Lots and lots of cookies :)



If you've made it this far, you deserve a medal.
Likely one made of cookies :)

Or you could just mosey on over to see the rest of today's new projects from the design team.  I promise you won't be disappointed...
Nichole Heady
Danielle Flanders

Thanks for hanging in there for this marathon post, friends!

Thoughts? Opinions?  I'd love to know what you think about the paper crafted sweet fest happening here today :)



{Celebrate} Baby Shower set
Supplies not available now but available 3/15: 
Stamps - 2012 Birthday Tags, By Invitation
Dies - Card Base-ics #2, Tag Sale #6
Supplies available now:
Supplies available now but not listed in Inlinkz: Classic Kraft ink, Linen Vellum Cardstock



50 comments:

Kelly S. said...

Bravo! I just love the linen invitation!!! So beautiful and sweet and charming at the same time. It's totally unfair that someone is so talented in the papercrafting studio AND the kitchen! Your treats are as sweet as your project! Awesome job, Jessisa!!!!

Kelly S. said...

Oops, maybe I should just say Jess ;) I was very excited by all of this and my finger must have gotten stuck on the ssssss :)

Marybeth said...

Gorgeous baby shower, all of it! Linen on the card is looks amazing! Thanks for sharing all your beautiful ideas with us!

Rhonda said...

OHHHH my! Almost speechless!! Gorgeous Jessica. What wonderful inspiration.

Gena S said...

Wonderful items!!!
I too love sweets and any occasion to celebrate with them.
How do you do the cupcakes in a jar?
I am always in charge of favors for showers at church and would love the recipe, if possible.
Love all of your ideas, keep it up!

Unknown said...

Well that's one of the most elegant baby showers I've ever seen!! Gorgeous-I made the shower invites for my dd#2 baby shower and used a onesie as the focal point of the card, but they don't look elegant like this!! Love, love your cookies, decorated to perfection. Jess your handiwork is just amazing!

Holly Saveur said...

Stunning so sweet and gorgeous..and yummy too!

Jennifer K said...

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous, Jess! I love the idea of adhering linen fabric to the cardstock - genius idea! And those cookies and sweets look so professional - you're a fabulous baker!

Katie Gehring said...

Wowza! This is amazing! It's like a baby shower dream come true! Your friends must have been over the moon delighted! Thank you so much for the inspiration!

Amy Rohl said...

You are SO amazing, Jess! I can't stop shaking my head in amazement, but then again, what did I expect when I clicked on over to your place?! LOVE!

Debbie said...

This party set is beyond A-MAZ-ING!!! WOW!!! I'm filing this idea for future parties ... I especially like the cupcake in a jar in the kraft bag -- brilliant :)

Hollie Shepard said...

WOW, I am so jealous of your decorating skills! That party looks awesome! Love what you did with the Birthday Bash Stamps!

Audrey Pettit said...

Wow! I'm speechless! What stunning projects. And such amazing sweet treats, too!

Unknown said...

I am SO HUNGRY right now! LOL. AWESOME!! I love everything, and wish I had someone to give a shower for, lol. All of those treats *and OF COURSE their packaging too* look amazing. Thanks for sharing!!!

Unknown said...

Wow, awesomeness all over!

Cindy H. said...

Awesome - all of it!!! I think I'm on a sugar high - thank you :)

Linda said...

I am in complete and utter awe. Amazing craft nd amazing decorating. Now I just have to find some jars.

LEG Studios said...

What a lucky friend - your party setup is outstanding!

Denise E said...

Shut.the.front.door! This is one of the most awesome shower decor/party/invite/treat layouts that I've ever seen! It's seriously stunning. I am so going to try that cookie recipe! I love decorating cookies/cakes, but mine have never turned out that beautiful! Gorgeous. Amazing. Do you get the drift that I LOVE it?! Thanks for sharing! =o)

Marge said...

Graham's Mom must have been blown away when she saw this baby shower from beginning to end -- WOW -- an AMAZING celebration she'll never forget!!!

Laurie said...

Jess, would you come and do a birthday party for me?!
Believe it or not my favorite was the idea of covering all the surfaces with white sugar to keep it clean looking! Although, I loved everything! Bravo!!

Crestajune said...

Wow! I just love your ingenuity, creativity, and style of writing!
I especially love the linen, the way you tied every little thing together (that is totally my thing! ;)), and the cupcakes in a jar (can't wait to try those!). Thank you for inspiring me today.
Hope your day is fabulous!

Melissa said...

sigh...you are amazing Jess! Is there anything you can not do? Everything you touch is magical!
Melis

bjmartin said...

Wow, so beautiful! I love that everything ties in together and the crisp clean look. Thanks for the inspiration!

carol (krillsister) said...

Jess,
I always look forward to your release posts. You always have some very creative ideas.

Tricia said...

Love it all, Jess! My favorite is the onsie cookies - absolutely adorable - and yummy, I hope!

Rachel P said...

Your sweetie posts never disappoint, Jessica! It's just not right that your talent should be so all-encompassing that it would spill over from paper crafting into baking! Those shower treats are absolute perfection, it's just sickening! ;) This gal is seriously lucky to have you involved in her shower...Makes me want to have another baby just so I can hire you to throw my shower! (ummm, k, not really, but still, sounded fun to say ;) Thanks for sharing such fabulous inspiration, as always! :)

Charlene Austin said...

Oh girl...I love everything! I had a Valentine cookie decorating party and it was the first time all, except one, of us decorated cookies. SO. MUCH. FUN. I blogged about it. Check out my winning ugly cookie. haha. We will be doing it a few times a year for sure! Wanna come?

Flowers said...

Oh my gosh everything here is amazing!! The detail and pure perfection into everything just makes it stunning! Well done you!

Juanita B said...

WOW, Jessica, I am so very, very, very impressed! Your projects are so full of creativity and prettiness. Everything made me go "awwwww". TFS.

BethieJ said...

My thoughts... EVERYTHING IS FABULOUS! I love every single detail you have shared with us.. I MUST make the cupcakes.. I have many ideas pinned and even got the jars.. just a bit um chicken! :) No more.. go forth and bake in jars is my new motto! HA HA! Thanks for sharing with us!! Have a GREAT day!

Susie said...

Since I am working on Baby shower right now this post really caught my eye! You've done a wonderful job with everything. I love the idea of laying the cookies on a bed of sugar - darling idea. It's all in the presentation, right? : )

I'm definitely going to take a peek at these recipes. And of course I always love what PTI and their designers offer.

Kathy Mcdonald said...

Amazing! Boy, you really set the bar high for those of us who host baby showers! I LOVE the cookies so much, and the cupcakes in a jar are pure genious. Thank you for the inspiration.

Carolyn said...

Super cute! My neighbor is having a baby. I think I'll make these cupcakes for her or maybe the cookies. Or maybe both. They're just so stinkin' cute!!!

paula e. said...

love everything about your shower ensemble!!! amazing!

Larissa Heskett said...

OMG!! Look at those BEAUTIFUL cupcakes in a jar and the cookies!! Not that I don't think your paper crafting pieces are BEAUTIFUL, but those treats are AWESOME!! I LOVE the SPECIAL touches and the fact that you added the little heart and sugar!! What a FUN way to showcase them!! I'm thinking that the kids in my life would be sticking their fingers in the sugar and leaving the treats on the tray!! =) Anyway, I'm sure your SPECIAL mom was feeling UBER-SPOILED and LOVED!! THANKS for sharing and have a FABULOUS WEEK!! =)

Tigriswillreign said...

Seriously, I have the sugar tolerance of a wooly mammoth. That's assuming, of course, that the bigger they are, the more they can withstand. I can gulp down a tray of Nanaimo bars like nobody's business and everyone else just stares in awe. Forget chips and nachos... Baked goods are my weakness. I love to bake cakes and cookies but I'm not a decorator so right now I'm staring in awe at your fantastically copious amounts of delectable baked goods! I can't wait to try cupcakes in a jar! Thanks for the taste! (Now to try a new chocolate chip cookie recipe...)

Heather S. said...

Can I get one of those cupcakes?

Jessica Wekenman said...

I love jars! Everything is better in a jar! Cupcakes? Good. In a jar? Fabulous! Your cupcakes truly look amazing! I love every detail of this baby shower ensemble! I'll definitely have to remember the sugar lined bottoms to make your serving pieces uniform! Genious! Thanks for all the inspiration! I bet that mommy had an unforgetable shower!

Meredith MacRitchie said...

Don't you just LOVE Sugarbelle?! Do you follow her on FB? She's constantly posting cookies she's inspired by, so it's like double the fun.

You did an amazing job with all the cookies, too - nice and clean and perfect!

Beautiful projects - I bet your guests were thrilled! I love the touch of linen to everything - modern, but pretty!

janmjax said...

First the plant pot cakes and now this.....you are amazingly creative!!! I feel my inner Cookie Monster yelling, "Cookies! Cookies!" =) They look yummy! I love all the colours and textures and I'm sure the Mommy-to-be did too!

jan metcalf said...

Sweet cookies and cupcakes, and how they are packaged!!

Lisa Petrella said...

WOWZERS!!!! Your projects are ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!!!! AMAZING work!!!

Anonymous said...

Stunning baby shower with all the coordinating goodies. I love your papercrafted goodies as well! Just lovely.

Jo R. (Australia)

jintyoo7 said...

Eeek, the linen invitation is marvelous. I'm not a baker but enjoyed looking at all the goodies you made :)

Betty Sue said...

Wow! Everything you did was over the top!! The paper invitations and the beautiful treats!

Cristina said...

Will you please come live with me and throw me parties every day?

cutiephinphin said...

Wow... you're not only an amazing crafter, you're an awesome baker! I love those cute onsie cookies and the cupcakes, everything in fact that you did for the baby shower.

If only I could sample those :)

Carol's Ink Spot said...

Catching up on all the DT blog posts and WOW you deserve the 'blue ribbon' for this one! What a wonderful spread of deliciousness and beauty! I'm saving this one for all those recipes. Now if only I could 'taste' the goodness I see! Yum!

Anonymous said...

Holy Sweetness Batman! You have given me a TON of ideas for a baby shower I'm helping to plan, thanks!!
-Dina M