Spokane for the weekend.

We're in Spokane this weekend!  Which means a weekend full of Papa and Ma, a bridal shower for my beautiful cousin Debbie, sunshine, hot temperatures (90+ degrees), and A/C in the house to enjoy the 90+ degree weather with.

Yesterday was a very busy day for us...  

It started with making the cupcakes for the shower with the bride-to-be and her sister :) 

Then came the shower itself at Linwood Park in the 90+ degree weather... 

fun with family and friends + yummy food = perfect way to spend the afternoon

And it all ended with a nice relaxing evening at mom and dad's with some A/C.  And in case you were wondering, I'm focusing on the air conditioning so much because in the Seattle area it's definitely not the norm to have A/C in your house so it truly is a treat for us when we visit during the summer.

And now comes the other reason for this post...  pictures of the Raspberry Tiramisu cupcakes that I made for the bridal shower...

 Since there were both children and adults I made some of the cupcakes without the coffee and Kahlua mixture, both were delicious!

{ Vanilla Raspberry cupcakes }

{ Raspberry Tiramisu cupcakes }

If you'd really like the recipe that I used (a hybrid of two different recipes I found online) just leave your email address in a comment below...  did I mention that they were delicious, yummy and so good that most of us tried both :)

ENJOY!

Love

Steph

{ Inspiration. Inspired. } Fashion.

A pretty fabulous Saturday, if I may say so myself! 

1st- Carter and I started our morning off with a visit to the Country Village in Bothell to visit the duckies and chi-chis (chickens), we were even prepared and had treats for all of our friends! 

2nd-  We then ventured to the mall so that I could take my COACH purse back to the store because the fabric was wearing out and it's only a little over a year old, not acceptable for a designer purse, right?!  LUCKILY the salesperson said it would be no problem to exchange it and that's just what I did!! 

I'm in LOVE!

Seriously an all around fabulous trip to the mall!  What could be better than getting to shop for a new purse and not having to spend any money?  Oh I know! Not losing my cell phone while Carter and I spent a little time at the kids area in the mall... luckily I realized only a few minutes after leaving that it wasn't in my purse or my pocket, so we rushed back and I found it on the floor before someone else did...  phewww!

You may be asking yourself, so how does this post get titled { Inspiration. Inspired. }?  Well because the other week when I was searching for ideas for my Independence Day post I found some sweet little CHANEL inspired cupcakes.  And seeing as how I LOVE designer purses, I thought that I would combine that with my LOVE of cupcakes/party designs.  And with that you get the PERFECT inspiration for any party, a bridal shower/baby shower/I even saw a 1st birthday inspired by Juicy Couture!!

By the way, I know I'm not the only girl out there hearting over designer purses and/or clothes and/or shoes, so hopefully I've covered most of the designers that you LOVE!  Here goes!

My go-to/fave purse designer, COACH!

And on to Tiffany & Co., I just LOVE the little blue boxes!  Here's a sweet and simple Tiffany cupcake... 

And then there's the more 'detailed' interpretations, feel free to click the top image to see more details.  And seriously, can you believe the little blue box is an actual cake? It's covered in fondant to look like the famous little blue Tiffany boxes.... AMAZING! 

The cupcake which inspired this entire post, sweet/simple/CHANEL!!

And this one is just beautiful, like the quilted black and white purses it's drawn it's inspiration from!

What blog post about designer inspired cupcakes would be complete without Juicy Couture?!

Here are a few more ideas/inspirations...

And for those with a taste for fancy cars, I even found a little something for you!

What designer do you find yourself being drawn to the most?  You know the one that no matter how much their designs are you just have to have it...

Have a wonderful 4th of July!

Love

Steph

Independence Day

Can you believe it's only 2 weeks until the 4th of July?!  This year is just flying by!  So what are your plans for the upcoming holiday?  Are you planning a party/BBQ to celebrate?  Or maybe going to the local firework show?  Well if you're planning a party hopefully my ideas will help give you a little inspiration!

  

When I think of the 4th of July I automatically think of red, white and blue, as I'm sure most of you do, so I decided to go with the traditional colors.  I also think of fresh fruit and delicious burgers, afterall it is summer!  So please enjoy my ideas for the perfect 4th of July BBQ!!

Details. Details. Details.

WARNING:  I have an obsession with Etsy, so much of my inspiration comes from there.  Be advised that you may find yourself falling in love with Etsy, too!

1.  Invitation:  Courtesy of Roxterdesigns on Etsy.  Simple and totally BBQ, down to the red gingham print, we'll emphasize the 4th of July in some of our other decorations.

2.  FRUIT:  Watermelon, berries and lots of them, after all it's summer and that's when you can get some of the best fruits of the year, at least in my opinion.

3.  Cupcakes:  I love the simplicity of the cupcakes that I found; chocolate, vanilla and red velvet, can't get much easier for a cupcake.  And they just happen to go fabulously with the invitation that I've picked,  A++!  To dress them up I would add some pinwheel cupcake toppers to some of the cupcakes and leave some without, wouldn't want to over do it.

4.  Berry shortcakes:  A very patriotic dessert and oh so yummy! 

5.  BURGERS:  Whether you want a traditional burger or a GOURMET burger it's up to you.  I've found some pretty amazing recipes on FoodNetwork.com, there's the Creole Crab Burger, Sliders, and the Bacon Cheese Burger, always a crowd favorite! 

6.  Poms decor:  A wonderful and simple look...  you can hang them from the big, shady tree in your backyard or along the fence, it's up to you!  I found these 4th of July colored poms at SweetandSavvyDesigns on Etsy.

7.  Berry parfait:  Layers of juicy, ripe berries and whipped cream, what could be better? 

8.  Popsicles:  Pick up a big bag of them at your favorite grocery store or make them yourself, sure to be a favorite with the kids either way!

9.  Table decor:  Here's the 4th of July decor I promised you!  A modern Statue of Liberty and Abraham Lincoln party set, PERFECT!!  This fabulous set is courtesy of Paperandcake on Etsy, it comes with everything you could need and more, check it out!  Did I mention it's all printable, so you don't have to wait for it in the mail?!

10.  Peach cobler:  Another wonderful summer fruit and I just LOVE that you make each individual serving in a jar!  (Yes, these were in a past post of mine, I absolutely LOVE the idea so it was totally worth mentioning a second time!)  Here's the recipe if you want to try them.

11.  Drinkware:  I know I LOVE a lot of my ideas, but this one is truly a fave of mine!  From the bottles to the striped paper straws...  Oh!  And the amazing chalkboard labels!  Yes, I said chalkboard labels, check them out at ShowersBringFlowers on Etsy!  FYI. FYI. FYI. - The glass milk bottles can be quite pricey, so if you're looking for a budget friendly option buy the small size of bottled Starbucks Frappuccino... you just have to drink them (or have someone do it for you), peel off the labels and then wash, and they're ready for your party!!

I hope you found some inspiration for your 4th of July party, I know I sure had fun putting this all together! 

Until next time!

Love

Steph

"Sunset"

I don't think I have ever read a magazine from front to back, I usually skim through them until I find something that peeks my interest...  But today was different, from the amazing picture of fish tacos on the front to the wonderful recipes and creative ideas for a pendant light in the kitchen, the July 2011 issue of "Sunset" magazine was AMAZING!  

One particular recipe that I can't wait to try is Chloe's Vegan Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes, if you watch Cupcake Wars on the Food Network you surely saw Chloe when with her yummy vegan recipes, and I am so excited that they were in the July issue of Sunset so I can make them for an upcoming baby shower!

DELICIOUS!!

Until next time!

Love

Steph