Let them Eat Cake

I got curious about the origin of the phrase "Let them eat cake" attributed to Marie Antoinette when I was working on this post.

It was reported to Marie that the people of France were so starving there was not even bread to eat...She said "Then, let them eat cake" not fully grasping the severity of the situation.  Well, according to multiple sources (phrases.org and wikipedia.org to name a couple), there is zero proof that she ever uttered those words.  Consider this your daily history lesson.

When planning a baby shower a few weeks back, we decided that we would let our guests eat cake.  Sandy's Unique Imprint in Fort Worth makes exquisite cakes, so another host suggested we use her.  We agreed that we would use a majority of our budget (about one fifth) toward the cake since it would be both a center piece and dessert. It was a HUGE hit!  My friend took Sandy the shower invitation and this is what she created...

I thought my friend's idea to match the invitation (invitation printed by Prints and Paper) to the cake was fabulous (I know it sounds so simple, but this kind of thing would have never occured to me)!  It made such a statement.  The cake was expensive, but it served as a conversation piece, a decoration, and tasted delicious! 

After the shower, I was thinking how cakes are normally passed over in the planning process since they are quickly cut into and eaten.  But if a cake is done right, it really adds to the atmosphere of a party.  

My memory temporarily escaped me, but when I was writing this post it dawned on me that this happened at my wedding.  When we designed our cakes, I had not clue how much they would add to the atmosphere of the reception.  Here are pictures of our wedding cake and groom's cake (made by Frosted Art in Dallas).  Unexpectedly, the cakes ended up being my favorite part of our wedding...take that back, top 5 favorite things!

Apologies!  I took a picture of a picture of the groom's cake from my wedding album because I didn't have the individual pictures.  A quick shout out:  The WONDERFUL Summer Carlin took my wedding photos (not the one on the left...that was an amateur shot ;) ) and created my album.  She also does baby photos, so if you are in the Fort Worth area definitely check her out.  She is the best!

Man, this post made me hungry...I may need to stop by the bakery on the way home today!

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CopyCat: A bad thing?

Growing up, I was never one to care if someone copied me.  After all, copying is the highest form a flattery.  Why is copycat a negative term, just take a look at these two!?!?  They are too cute to be thought of in a bad way!

 
Now that I am a grown up (ha), I flatter (copy) all sorts of people!  I am no Martha Stewart or even close to it,  but I like to consider myself an expert googler.  There are some fantastic ideas out there!  I have gathered some ideas about baby showers decorations and activities that I would love to share with you.  Please copycat my copycats!

I have renamed these awesome things Puffkins.  We made them for a baby shower I was hosting last weekend.  I was a bit nervous because usually the make your own decorations things looks way easier in the picture than it turns out to be.  These were actually really easy!  We found this article from Martha Stewart with the step by step instructions, but here are my pictures to see a different vantage point.




8 sheets of 20x30 tissue paper




Fold 1.5 inch accordian style




place a wire around the center




Round the edges with scissors




Pull each layer of tissue paper to "fluff" it up




Hang with ribbon




My mom had the idea to stuff them at the top as well



I had a couple thoughts after we made them.  We could have alternated the colors of tissue papers to make multicolored Puffkins.  Also, it might be cute to use tulle or organza, but thought they turned out pretty cute as they were.  I think they added a lot more than flowers and were a fraction of the cost.  At Michaels craft store they sell pre-assembled Martha Stewart "Puffkin" making kits for $20, but we just bought all the pieces separately and it was only $10. 

Good luck!  Please send pictures if you decide to copycat or improve on the idea! 

More baby shower ideas to come!

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