Come One, Come All to the Greatest Show On Earth!

Several weeks ago, I made a DIY, Printable Vintage Circus Banner.  I had NO idea that vintage circus birthday parties are so hot right now.  I've been selling these like hotcakes and had a request for some custom work.  EEEE....it morphed into a labor of love and boy, do I LOOVVVE this DIY~printable party set!

If you're interested, please feel free to check out a full photo spread on my fan page on  Facebook and enjoy!  If you are not registered on Facebook, no need to worry~ just click on my FB link and it will show you the pictures.

{little man's 2nd faux birthday}

Filled with everything, and I mean everything that you need to be the most fabulous Ringmaster in town!

This enormous kit has 19 different printable party wares with over a whopping 67 different options to suit your needs!  This set is also personalized. 

Step right up and take a look at this amazing lineup of goods to make your party the greatest show on earth!

Invitation {personalized, 4x6}

Envelope for Invitations and Thank You's {personalized with return address}

Thank You Card {4x6}

Banner {large pendant}

Banner {medium circle/scallops with Happy Birthday}

Banner {personalized medium circus tents with child's name}

Treat Bag Toppers {2 designs}

Large Candy Bar Wrappers {personalized, 2 designs}

Small Candy Bar Wrappers {personalized, 12 designs}

Labels/Food Tent Cards {3 designs}

Cupcake Wrappers {4 designs}

Cupcake Toppers {personalized, 6 designs}

Water Bottle Labels {4 designs}

Lollipop Cards {2 designs}

Crowns {2 designs}

Large Signs {12 ticket designs:  Games, Food Tent, Candy Bar, Prizes, Entrance, Face Painting, Drinks, Cotton Candy, Tickets, Show, Happy Birthday, personalized birthday name}

Large Chair Sign {for assigned seating, to be hung on chair backs}

Large Misc. Round Circus Graphics {9 designs}

T-shirt Transfers {2 designs:  1 I Love Fairy Floss and 1 Running Away to Join the Circus}

Directions and Tips

What you will need to gather {more details with instructions}:

ribbon

printer/ink

hot glue gun with glue Sticks

glue stick

Scotch Tape

lollipop sticks from any craft store for cupcake toppers

If making the shirt:  white shirt, transfer paper from Target or craft store

plastic treat sacks from any craft store

Have a great day!

Hugs~

Rebecca

Feelin' Free Tuesday ~ ♥Free♥ Vintage Halloween Cupcake Wrappers and Toppers

Happy Feelin' Free Tuesday!  From me to you...

Vintage Inspired Halloween Cupcake Wrappers and Topper Set in pickled plum, scaredy black and pumpkin' pickin' orange.

Free for the right clicking!  Save. Print. Cut. Tape. 

Right click to save.

Enlarge to fit on 8 1/2" x 11" cardstock.  Print.

Cut out wrappers and use your 2" circle punch to cut out the toppers.

Tape or hot glue a lollipop stick to the back of the topper.

Tape or hot glue to secure your cupcake wrapper.  Insert cupcake.

Enjoy!

Any questions? {message me}

Fatal Attraction with a Vintage Halloween Wreath

Yikes...where did summer go?  I thought I'd be posting all summer, but for some reason (1,3 and 6 year old kiddos) that didn't happen!  It also doesn't help that we don't have a/c and with being hot and humid, comes lack of ambition!  They kind of go hand in hand. 

Not today.  Today is a perfect day.

Our house is 111 years old with 40 large and larger windows.  Typically, this is dreadful on cold days due to drafts and miserable on hot days due to the ripply glass windows sucking in all that liquid gold from the sky.  Not today...Today the sun is bright and warm with a slightly cool breeze.  All the windows are open and as I sit in the dining room, the cool air is rushing through the floor length windows like a vacuum wind tunnel.  This is truly what heaven must feel like!

With fall comes Halloween.  Typically, I'm not a huge fan of Halloween.  My kids are scared to death of anything scary and I can barely drag them into Michael's because of the honkin' huge witch/scary displays.  However, a month or so ago a young lady from Richmond, who bought an Easter wreath from me, asked if she supplied the main items would I create a Halloween wreath for her.  Of course, I said yes.  Boy, am I glad I did!.  Tara sent a box filled with all sorts of vintage inspired goodness.  I was drooling as I was sorting though the box.  It was like Christmas morning.  Soft chenille bones, cupcake picks, vintage cards.  She obviously has wonderful taste.  I couldn't wait to get started and held my breath that she would like what I came up with.  I finished it and realized...I hated it!  It just didn't turn out like I was visioning.  Take two...

First, I wrapped it in soft orange and black tulle.  Then I had some black/off white diamond and damask paper that I made pleated medallions with.  I added some red tinsel and attached the vintage cards.  Next was the bow and smaller items. 

It has black spiders, plastic pumpkins and metal jack-o-lanterns, glitter stars and buttons, glass onyx and orange ornaments.  With the bag of faux candy corn she sent, I strung them to make a little swag.  Tucked into the tulle are black roses to soften the treasures.  I used coordinating pipe cleaners and 20 sticks of glue to attach everything.  No burns, but my gun was smokin'!

 If you notice the bottom of the wreath on the below picture, it is missing a little something. Tara had a lovely raven to perch on it, but because of how fragile it was, decided she would add it when she received the wreath.

I love these eclectic, vintage inspired wreaths and am really happy with how this turned out.  Hopefully Tara will be too!

xo~

Rebecca

My First Blog Award and A Three Ring Circus Event

What a pleasant surprise coming home to a Sweetalicous Blog Award.  Thank you so much Sampler Village!  This really made my day!  I can't wait to pay it forward.

On my plate for the next week or two, other than my swap projects, is a party event that I'm doing the invites, cupcake wrappers/picks, candy bag toppers, banners, birthday hat, table cards...etc...

I'm very excited about it.  The theme is "Vintage Circus" based on one print of paper by Anna Griffin.  I can't wait until it's all done so that I can share it with you!

~Easter Parade~ Nostalgic Wreath

I am already starting to think about Easter. How bad is that? We're not even past Valentine's Day yet! I'm posting pictures of a wreath I made. I made one the other year to sell, so I thought I'd do another. These are so fun to do. I love collages and putting a little of this and a little of that together to create something beautiful.

ENJOY!

~xoxo~

Cupid’s Soiree~Deluxe Vintage Valentine Banner

~Vintage Inspired Crafts with a Fanciful Twist~

This vintage inspired Valentine’s Day banner adds timeless romance to your decor. Double reinforced banner with vintage reproduction cards and paper. All glittering with red tinsel and silver, glittery ribbon and contrasting rosettes of cream and black. Attaching the pieces are silvery tinsel garland.

Available in my Etsy store...www.pinkpearlstudio.etsy.com

Hugs~
Rebecca

My Heart and its Kitchen of Delight

{Pretty cupcake picks I picked up at Hobby Lobby}

St. Valentine's Day

Ahh...The time of year where you transform your heart into a kitchen of delight! It's a time to use your imagination from the heart and, while holding true to old traditions, start a few new ones. There is nothing as sweet as homemade and vintage valentine cards, fancy pastries, chocolate hearts, candies and lollipops shaped as hearts with white confection trim that melts on your tongue. Vintage lace and millinery, white, delicate paper doilies...Need I say more?

When I was a little girl, every year my dad brought me home a box of chocolate that was shaped with the big chocolate letters "I (heart) U". This meant a lot because I could count on one hand how many times my father said it. Now that I have children, I'm always finding ways to mix things up for Valentine's Day. I rarely buy anything, except crafting supplies, because like I said...it's the holiday to use the kitchen in my heart to create beautiful memories so that they are always reminded how much I love them. It truly is the holiday that comes straight from the heart.

Spring has sprung and gone...so put away that wreath!

Spring has sprung and gone...so put away that wreath!

Still standing~A vintage-inspired wreath I made this spring. I love how it turned out. Unfortunately, it clashes with my winter bird scene that is on my mailbox wrap. How tacky. I couldn't figure out how to get the stinkin' thing off the box. Maybe I should just call it a seasonal house. At least I don't have up Christmas lights!

The Artful Cupcake

Small, yet perfectly formed, who can resist the tempting treat called the cupcake? Doesn't everyone, young and old love a cupcake? So small, dainty and pretty. I came across these mini wrappers and couldn't resist them. They are sturdy, yet petite in pretty vintage colors...lemoney yellow, minty mint and peachy peach. Yummy!

Visit http://www.pinkpearlstudio.etsy.com/ to get yours.

This is a yumm-o recipe that works great with the vintage baking cups.

Coconut and Lime Cupcakes

3/4 c. wide strips of unsweetened coconut (found at a nicer grocer like Giant or my fav.~Wegmans)

1 1/4 c. unsweetened coconut milk (Thai section of grocer.)

1 egg

3 egg whites

2 3/4 c. cake flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 sticks of butter, room temp. and unsalted

1 1/2 c. sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350. Prepare muffin pans w/ liners or spray.

2. Soak the coconut strips in 1/4 c. of the coconut milk and set aside.

3. Combine the remaining cup of coconut milk w/ the egg and egg whites.

4. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.

5. Cream butter, sugar until pale and fluffy, add the soaked flakes.

6. Add the egg mixture to the butter mixture in three parts, alternating w/ the flour mixture in two parts. Between additions, mix thoroughly and scrape down the sides of the bowl.

7. Pour the batter into the pan, filling approx. 1/2 way. Bake 18-20 min, until the tops are starting to color.

8. Let rest a couple of mins. in the pans, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and allow them to cool before icing.

Lime Curd Icing

1 tsp. water

1/2 tsp. unflavored gelatin

4 egg yolks

1/2 c. sugar

Juice of 3 Limes

Green food coloring

Zest of 1 lime

1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces

1. Put the water in a small mixing bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it to soften.

2. In heavy saucepan, whisk the egg yolks and sugar to blend thoroughly. Whisk in the lime juice.

3. Place the saucepan on med. heat. Stirring constantly w/ a wooden spoon, cook the mixture until it begins to steam and then thickens. When you can draw a line w/ your finger across the curd on the back of the stirring spoon and the line stays w/o dripping, take it off the heat.

4. Strain the curd into the mixing bowl w/ the gelatin, and whisk to incorporate.

5. Put a drop of green food coloring in a small dish, and use a toothpick to transfer just a smidgen to the mixture. A drop might be too much.

6. Add the zest and butter, and whisk until the butter is melted and everything is an even color.

7. Refrigerate 30 minutes, or until the lime curd has thickened to a spreadable consistency.

Finally, spread the cooled lime curd on the cooled cupcakes and top with coconut flakes. Top each with a lime wedge or a big, black raspberry. Enjoy!