1001 Nights

Disney's Aladdin was the first idea for this birthday party...

I do have to say that my inspiration was the wonderful party I found here.

inspiration...!

Since this was designed for a 5 year old girl, I should really focus on Princess Jasmin.
But the truth is, I  also didn't want to use Disney's character.
So I chose a "reinvented" Jasmin clipart.

For the background I put some white sheets and golden round balloons, meant to evoke the spirit of Agrabah.

The bunting was handmade, with a trio of colors I chose for this party: 

deep blue, vibrant pink and gold.

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The following picture shows the cake assembled. Unfortunately, I didn't structure the cake to support the weight of the sugarpaste Lamp. So the Lamp hat to sit near the cake the entire party...

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As cupcake toppers, sugarpaste creations:

Golden Lamps for the Chocolate-Pinenut Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache

Golden Beetles for the Orange-Blossom Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache

The Cardamom-Yogurt Mousse was decorated with a gummy orange slice:

(recipe: Epicurious.com)

Stuffed Tomatos with Lentil Couscous, decorated with custom made labels:

Chocolate Mousse with Golden Edible Sugar Decorations:

Every plate or tray was decorated with a custom handmade label:

Decorated Cookies:

Brazilian Truffles: Golden Chocolate Truffles and Heart-Decorated Coconut Truffles

 Lollipops in custom made paper:

Some golden bonbons and coins to set the mood...

And (more) labels for the chocolate waffer cookies...

Outside I put a tent and organized some activities for kids:

Cave of Wonders - fishing game with sand to collect rings, necklaces and other gifts

Jasmin's Room - a manicure station to embellish our little princesses

and the

Can you defeat Jafar? - toss a ball into Jafar's pictures!

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What to you think of this party?!

Christmas Present

This is a very special
Candy Buffet.

It was offered to very special customers...

... children.

They live in a very special place, with very special people, in an institution - Casa da Criança - that helps children from women who are in jail, until they can get out and (re)start living their lives with their child... (or sometimes not.)

So I came up with this Santa Claus:

The ideia was to portrait Santa in a "informal" way, holding in his hands the most precious presents these children could ever wish for: love.

This is a view from the table:

With a side "mini-buffet", so children would feel free to grab some candy in case they were intimidated by the big table...

Throughout the table, I give thanks to all the sponsors of this Candy Buffet:

Amazonia Hotel

...for the place, desserts, patience and dedication of management and staff. Couldn't do this without you.

Horto do Campo Grande

...for the beautiful plants and decoration items that make this table unique. Thank you so much for all the help you gave me.

Maison des Macarons

...for the gourgeous, delicious macarons. Please continue to bake them!

La Maison by Amora

...for some wonderful decoration pieces that give this table the nostalgic and enchanted touch I was looking for.

Denegro Chocolates

...for these lovely chocolate lollipops! Many thanks!

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I guess the kids were not intimidated at all....!

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Here are some of the treats...

Chocolate Mousse and simple Cupcakes

Custom design cookies

Santa's Cake

Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Swirls in Christmas Cupcake Wrappers

Cookies

Popcorns (a huge success!) and Chocolate Lollipops

Homemade Brazilian Truffles

Candy!

And more Candy!

Some glasses of warm milk...

And a happy farewell!

I wish from the bottom of my heart that Santa brings all the love you need...

Rapunzel, Rapunzel,... where's the party?!

Oh, I loved planning this party!

Let's first take an overview of the table...

The theme was princess, namely, Rapunzel and I used pink and green, because it's my favorite colour combination for girls.

Paper pom-poms and a handmade personalized banner:

And the birthday cake with sugarpaste work:

I had a few major conditionings for this party: I would have to prepare most of the food a few hours before the party and I had a small fridge and no oven.

So what?!

I love chalenges!!

So this is what I did...

(the cake was the last thing to prepare at home and it lasts long hours because the sugarpaste seals the cake)

Lots of royal icing decorated cookies, because they can be made several days ahead:

A chocolate sauce that took me 15 min to make...

To dip in these grissinis...

A fruit salad prepared a few minutes before serving...

... with those chocolate covered cookie cups (prepared a few days ahead):

These cupcake wrappers were waiting for some special cupcakes. They were actually a "cake/pudding", made the day before:

(no buttercream swirls - no time and no storage for that)

Lots of candy, of course!:

 At the side table, a small savory buffet:

 

Quail eggs cooked at the spot (anyone can help you remove the shells!):

Guacamole with tortilla chips:

Simple ham and cheese sandwiches:

Fries were places in paper bags:

Hot dogs with homemade (frozen, defrosted and heated) pimento-sauce:

It was actually very pretty, practical and tasty...!

(unanimously speaking!)