Las Vegas Wedding Party & Banner

Hey there!  I am back today to share some of the crafty details from Aaron and Crissie's marriage celebration party.  The party was held at the lake home of our sweet friends Megan and Brandon (daughter and son-in-law of my friend Peggy).  We chose an evening time frame in order to beat some of the heat, though I must say Mother Nature was especially kind to us!!  The weather was wonderful!

The first craft idea I had for the party was the seven panel banner pictured above and below.  Megan and I thought it would be fun to carry though the Las Vegas idea since that is where they married and honeymooned.

I used four cartridges to create the pennants for the banner:  Las Vegas, Pretty Pennants, Tie the Knot, and Art Deco (the last two for their fonts).

Aaron and Crissie selected the photos used on the banner - this first one from a hockey game they attended.

I used the Mr & Mrs Cut from Tie the Knot, then added the word Edwards in a similar font.

Aaron and Crissie also chose this photo for the banner - a Halloween selfie of the two of them.

To continue with the Vegas them, I printed and cut decks of cards, poker chips and rolling dice.  The cupcakes were two flavors with three frosting colors to match the Vegas colors.

Every wedding party needs wedding cakes!!

Other menu items included Caprese Skewers, meatballs, and homemade cheese spread.

We also served veggies and dip, hummus and flat bread, fresh fruits and cheeses, spanakopita, quesadillas, and ham and cheese roll ups (a big hit).

Our beverage center was outside stocked with water, sodas, wine, beer, and a signature drink I called the Vegas Strip!

Above is Bethany with our friend Alex and her dad.  Below is Ian and Bethany.  I was so happy that Ian came in from Atlanta for the party.

Oh the irony!!! We never actually took a photo of Aaron and Crissie together. Below is Crissie surrounded by several of her co-worker.  They all had a great time.

First Swimming Adventure

Hello everyone, welcome to this week's Bitten By the Bug 2 challenge.  My wonderful Design Team sister, Sharon, selected this week's Cricut Challenge cut theme.  Sharon asked us to create a project about swimming or water.   I had just downloaded the photos of Avaleigh's first swimming pool adventure at her Aunt Christy and Uncle Josh's house.  She was not sure about the pool at first, but she really got in the spirit of water play after a bit.  

I am not going to lie, I used cuts from a lot of different cartridges.  Seriously, I used cuts from nine different cartridges on this one layout.  I used Once Upon a Princess to create that adorable mermaid, Animal Kingdom to create the kissing fish, Splish Splash to create a fish, Create a Critter to create the Starfish, Animal Antics to create the Snorkeling Fish, Doodlecharms to create the Sea Horse, Paper Dolls for Everyday to create the ocean floor, Life is a Beach to create the Seaweed.

I finished the layout with tiny air bubbles, assorted pink, champagne, and brown gems on the ocean floor as well as a sand (champagne) colored ribbon under the seaweed.  

I am pleased to say that there were no big events in our lives this week.  No one eloped, no one lost or found a new job, and everyone had a nice week!  I am planning a Vegas themed reception/party for Aaron and Crissie, but I do not plan to go as over the top as I have been know to when party planning. 

Thanks for stopping by today.  I do hope that you take the time to go by Bitten By the Bug 2 and see the amazing projects my design team sisters made for this week! They are so talented!!  Also, we do hope that you will join us in the swimming/water challenge this week!

Loving Strawberry Season

Hello everyone.  Today we are taking a break from paper crafting to talk about breakfast and strawberry season.  We are "smack dab" in the middle of strawberry season here in South Carolina.  My only problem with Strawberry season is that it is far too short.  As the berry crop began to come in locally, I created a new Pinterest board aptly titled Strawberry Season!  I pinned some really yummy looking strawberry recipes, including these WONDERFUL Strawberry Biscuits.  

So far this season we have had strawberry cobbler and a lot of strawberry shortcake variations - sometimes with ice cream, sometimes on home made biscuits, all with real whipped cream!  As much as we have enjoyed our strawberry desserts, I thought it might be nice to try strawberries for breakfast, other than in my yogurt.  I had pinned three strawberry recipes that looked promising, scones, muffins, and this biscuit recipe.  Well we may never try the muffins because this recipe was THAT good.

Strawberry Biscuits
(recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter
1 cup chopped very ripe strawberries
1 cup heavy cream (I used fat free half and half)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.

In a large bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Add butter and cut it in to the dry ingredients with a pastry blender, until it resembles a coarse meal. Stir in the strawberries carefully, so they get coated in the flour mix. This keeps them evenly distributed in the dough later when you add the liquid. Speaking of liquid… add the heavy cream, then gently fold all the ingredients together. You don’t want to overwork the dough, so don’t worry if everything is completely worked in. It will be.

Generously flour your counter or cutting board, then transfer the dough to the board. Flour the top of the dough and with your hands gently press the dough into a 3/4-inch thick rectangle. Using a 2 1/2-inch biscuit or cookie cutter (or even the top edge of a drinking glass) cut circles out of the dough. Press straight down without twisting (this makes for nice layered edges) as you cut. Carefully transfer the biscuits to prepared baking sheet, leaving a few inches between each one.

You can re-roll the scraps of dough, and continue cutting circles, but don’t worry if the dough appears very wet. The strawberries will have already started to release some of their juice. That’s okay though! They’ll still turn out beautifully.

Bake the biscuits for 15 minutes, until lightly brown at the edges. Cool in pan for a minute, brush on the butter recipe below, then transfer to a cooling rack. Serve warm.

I made a quick strawberry butter to slather on top of these beautiful biscuits. Just mash up two large strawberries into 4 TBLS soft butter, then freeze for about 15 minutes. (You can do this while the biscuits bake.) It’s a tiny detail that will make a world of difference in flavor.

My mom, Doug, and I all enjoyed the biscuits for breakfast AND lunch.  John took one home as an afternoon snack when he picked up Avaleigh.

Speaking of Avaleigh - this is from her latest photo shoot. John and Bethany have a variety of funny little costumes for her. This is their little fox pup!  

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!!!