Today, I’m excited to be guest posting over at Pink Little Cake, and participating in Kathia’s 28 days of Sweet Halloween Ideas. I’ve put together a tutorial showing how to make these gingerbread Halloween treat favors. Come visit Pink Little Cake for the details, and a bunch of fabulous Halloween ideas!

Unlike wild boys and wild dachshunds, flowers bring a serene sort of peace to my house. Please take note Prince Charming, if given the choice between cupcakes or flowers, I’ll pick the cupcakes every time. And if you happen to bring flowers in cupcake form, I’ll know you’re what I’ve been waiting for!

These flower cupcakes were simple to put together. I found a great video tutorial by Chef Alison McLoughlin at the Culinary Institute of America . I wanted something cute and easy to make for the My Little Pony party that I also made the 3D rainbow sugar cookie favors for. The cupcakes on the highest tier were made to look like the ponies were in grass with the Wilton tip # 233.  Hallie, the birthday girl loved seeing those little ponies and her cupcake flower garden.  

                                                                                                                                                                                                  If you make cupcakes on a regular basis, I highly recommend this cupcake stand from The Cupcake Tower on Etsy. I have several fancy cupcake stands, but what I love about this is that with just a little double stick tape, you can use different ribbons around the tiers to coordinate with the party color scheme. It also breaks downs and is easy to store, unlike the tall, bulky cupcake stands. If the three-tier cupcake stand is more or less than you need, they offer two other sized stands.

Oh, you know how I love centerpiece ideas. Here are a few more easy ideas to decorate your table for Easter, all incorporate Easter eggs. The picture on the top left reminds me of the PAAS kits we buy every year. I love the pastel colors you can achieve without keeping the eggs in too long. To make this, insert a smaller container in the center of a vase and add flowers and water. Then fill the outer portion with kid-created eggs.

Sometimes the best materials are right under our sinks. I love the natural look of the nests filled with white eggs pictured on the right. I was surprised to discover they were made using paper bags from the grocery store.

Who else, but Martha, would use lace to decorate and dye eggs? Can’t wait to try this technique out this year. I love how they color coordinate with my blog? The picture in the bottom center is what happens when you put several totally different items inside a bell jar. The result… festive and fun. Finally, the picture on the bottom right is also a Martha idea. Those little chocolate bunnies love taking center stage,  and the kids will enjoy eating them afterward. Love how they interspersed a few of the dyed eggs in the grass.

So many great ideas to try. It looks like I’m going to go on a hard-boiled egg diet immediately following Easter Sunday! Good thing the Naughty One loves eggs!

The links to the pictures in the collage are below (plus a ton more examples on these sites).

Better Homes and Garden Slideshow

DIY Nests

Martha’s Egg Slideshow

Submerged Tulips, Tulips with White Eggs, Pink Tulips in a Mason Jar, Tulips & Limes, Tulips with Calla Lilies, Tulip Variety

Want more spring floral inspiration, check out these other posts…

Simple Centerpieces in 60 Seconds

Color, Creative & Cost Friendly

(The first picture is a little hard to see. The vases are filled with water. Cranberries float on top and surround floating candles. I also love the candle placed in an artichoke, with other mixed vegetables, and flowers to create a unique centerpiece. The rest of the centerpieces are a cinch to make, fill vases with cranberries, acorns, or other fall favorites and add candles for warmth.)

Can you believe 45 million turkeys are cooked each Thanksgiving? I am very thankful that I’m not in charge of cooking any of them. My mom has been making Thanksgiving dinner since I was little. The preparation starts the day before and I think the woman literally works two days straight in the kitchen to prepare an amazing meal for the people she loves. This year my sister and her family are coming into town and I’m thrilled to spend time with them and have our kids play together. Deb, one of my best girlfriends, and her family are also joining us. We are their “California” family and I’m so excited that we get to be with them for another Thanksgiving!

My ex-husband, his girlfriend, and their little one will also be coming by for part of the afternoon. Continuing a friendship with Blake’s dad has been one of the greatest blessings in my life. We both have too much love in our hearts and no room for anymosity or hurt feelings, which has enabled us to come together and celebrate all of life’s important moments as a family. When we first divorced, there were definitely tough times, and if you’re going through it right now, know that time will heal. Looking back, what I’ve learned is that out of the challenges we face come blessings that we never imagined.

Need more centerpiece ideas? Check out these previous posts…

Pumpkin Centerpieces

More Pumpkin Centerpieces

Apple Centerpieces

More Simple Centerpieces