You know the American flag cake with strawberries and blueberries for 4th of July?
This is my twist for a Colombian flag; made for Colombian independance day.
It's party time! And once a theme is chosen and the guest list made it's time to figure out the deatils. I'm the kind of gal who loves the details of a party - matching colors, all the goodies, themed games, decorated serving tables, etc. etc. But if I'm going to go all out with a theme I certainly don't want to go all out with the budget. So what's a party loving girl to do?
Jam Tarts - pie dough filled with grape and strawberry jam.
In order to have a party that looks like a millon bucks without spending a million bucks, I have had to find ways to cut back on certain areas - like the cake. Sure it's easier to buy a cake. But sometimes it can be more expensive. Don't get me wrong - when I'm in a pinch, it's pre-made, store bought all the way. And that's just fine with me! But when I have time to plan ahead, a homemade cake is usually much more inexpensive and has that special homemade touch.
Notre Dame football cupake cake.
Giraffe Cake - homemade marshmallow fondant.
So easy and tastes much better than store bought.
(I forgot to outline a spot - do you see it?)
Another Cupcake Cake shaped like a turtle. Fun fun fun!
See the rocks? Those are Chocolate rocks!
They taste awesome - find them in the bulk candy section of stores like Winco.
Feeling too timid to try a shaped cake? How about the elegant and delicious Death By Chocolate? {click here for recipe}
What do you do to cut back on party costs?
What are your best kept party planning secrets?
All photos and cakes made by yours truly.
Those cakes are adorable! How about you share your recipe for homemade marshmallow fondant with us?:)
ReplyDeleteI don't host a lot of parties, but when I do I don't "pre-plan" much of a menu. I go to our local discount grocer, whatever they have good deals on is what I'll get and plan my menu around it.
I used to plan parties...before I began homeschooling. I would save money by pouring over books and magazines from the library (or from my massive collection of cookbooks!) and finding easy and inexpensive but impressive foods/decorations. I would save those in files by theme, so that they were always where I needed when I needed them. Someday I'll get back to my files, but for now I'm enjoying this stage of life.
ReplyDeleteBTW, Emily, I LOVE your giraffe cake! Too cute! :-D
*smiles*
debbi
I agree, homemade is very special! I love the cakes! The giraffe is so cute and it did take a few minutes before I found the "spot"!
ReplyDeleteI usually save a lot on parties by serving appetizers only, which means I don't host a party around any meal times. Food is the most expensive part of the party, but it saves when you don't serve a meal.