Sunshine Surprise!

What a great weekend!! I made a special trip back to Wisconsin to celebrate one of my best friends, Tammy's, 30th birthday. Tammy's stepdaughter Mindy started planning this surprise nearly a year ago. She contacted me to see if I would come down and do a birthday cake. Of course I agreed! As the months passed, the plan evolved into a dessert buffet.
Tammy's favorite color is yellow, so my table was based on that. 40+ people gathered on Saturday in Tammy's home. Her clever husband had gotten her out of the house for a few hours. She came home to find everyone standing in her dining room singing Happy Birthday. Since I came down from Minnesota, everyone thought it best if I hide, and be sort of a "second" surprise. Just as she was taking it all in, I popped out from behind the door to more screams and excited tears. Then Tammy realized there was a sunshine yellow dessert table, just for her....

I found a great tutorial for a unique yard "egg" decoration. I made a few and hung crystals in the center of each. (Details on how to make these yourself will follow soon!)

I also found another great tutorial on painting and creating dollar store cake stands (Details on how to do this yourself will also follow soon!). I was able to make matching stands for under $10!



I crafted a simple yet elegant cake for the centerpiece.

It was a vanilla cake with chocolate filling.

As you can see, Tammy couldn't wait to bite into it!

Monogrammed sugar cookies, special for the birthday girl.

Dipped marshmallows...which were a huge hit! Especially with the kiddos!

Mini cupcakes with pinwheels and blooms.

Yellow hued oreo cookie balls, also a hit!

It wouldn't be a sunshine-y summery theme without pinwheels!

Here I am with the birthday girl. Yes, I did wear yellow on purpose! Overall the party was a huge success, the buffet was fun to make, and well worth the time, effort, and driving across Wisconsin for my friend. Happy Birthday Tammy!!