Same flowers...different arrangements!A couple days after I used the flower arrangement centerpiece I already posted, the tulips and peonies were beginning to open up more. I decided to rework it into 3 different arrangements to put around home! For the first arrangement, I used a tall, unique glass vase and filled it with all of the tulips from the original arrangement. I had to trim some of the tulips and mix up the pink and purple ones. I used this one again as a pretty centerpiece. For the next arrangement, I just used all of the green mini hydrangeas from the original arrangement. I placed them in this super cute tin can for flowers. I had to trim the stems quite a bit but the mini hydrangeas turned out perfect in the short, small can! For the last arrangement, I used the pink and white peonies and the white ranunculus from the original. I arranged them in a small silver mercury glass vase from our wedding decor! These flowers created a pretty little ruffly arrangement.
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A Sweet Spring or Summer TreatI found a recipe for a Strawberry-Lemonade Layer Cake from Southern Living...but wanted to do my own spin on it and turn it into cute little Strawberry-Lemonade CUPCAKES! The original layer cake recipe calls for a Strawberry-Lemonade Jam you make separately and spread between the cake layers. For the cupcakes, I made the same jam and used it as a cupcake filling. These tasty little treats are a perfect combination of tart and sweet, with a light and fluffy frosting. They took a while to make, but are definitely fun and really yummy! I also cut this recipe in half for the cupcakes and it made 8-9 cupcakes. Here is the full recipe: Ingredients: 1 cup butter, softened 2 cups granulated sugar 4 large eggs, separated 3 cups flour 1 Tbs baking powder 1/8 tsp salt 1 cup milk 1 Tbs lemon zest 1 Tbs lemon juice Strawberry-Lemonade Jam (below) Strawberry Frosting (below) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter at medium speed with mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with milk. Beat at low speed just until blended. Stir in lemon zest and juice. Beat egg whites in a large bowl at high speed until peaks form. Gently stir one-third of egg whites into batter. Fold in remaining egg whites. Place cupcake cups into cupcake pan. I found these adorable pink gingham cups at Marshall's. They worked great because they are slightly smaller than typical cupcake cups, but they are stiff and held their shape well. Spoon batter into cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or more if needed (until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean). Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 or more minutes. Remove cups from pan and cool completely. Strawberry-Lemonade Jam Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups finely chopped fresh strawberries 3/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup lemon juice 3 Tbs cornstarch Process strawberries in blender until smooth. Press through a strainer into a saucepan, using back of spoon to squeeze out juice. Discard pulp. Stir in sugar. Whisk together lemon juice and cornstarch. Gradually whisk into strawberry mixture. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, and cook, whisking constantly, for one minute. Remove from heat. Place plastic wrap directly on warm jam. Chill for 2 hours or until cold. Once the jam is completely chilled, I took a large Ziploc bag, cut a small hole in the corner and inserted a cupcake filling metal tip. Then I poured the jam into the bag. I inserted the tip into each cooled cupcake, squeezing the filling in each one. Strawberry Frosting Ingredients: 1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened 2/3 cup sugar, divided 2/3 cup chopped fresh strawberries 1 drop red food coloring 1 1/2 cups Cool Whip (the original recipe calls for heavy cream, but I used Cool Whip to make it lighter) 3 Tbs lemon juice Beat cream cheese and 1/3 cup sugar with mixer until smooth. Add strawberries and food coloring. Beat until blended. Beat Cool Whip and juice at medium speed until foamy. Increase speed to medium-high, and slowly add remaining 1/3 cup sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold half of this mixture into cheese mixture. Fold in remaining mixture. Use immediately. Again, I used a large Ziploc bag, cut a small hole in the corner, and filled it with the frosting. This helped in frosting the cupcakes in a cute, fun way. And here is the sweet finished product!
Spring Flower Arrangement with a TwistI wanted to create my own spring flower arrangement...but not just in a vase. Instead, I used my fruit bowl that is on a pedestal for a unique arrangement. You can use any medium-large sized bowl for this, and any other types of flowers instead. Once I set it up, this project wasn't too complicated and was really fun to put together! Here is how: To begin you will need: -scissors -several fresh flower stems (I used 4 different packs of flowers) -water -tape -bowl First, you fill your bowl with water a little above half way. This is so the flower stems are still able to be fresh and in water once they are in the arrangement. Next, you tape a grid across the top of the bowl. The grid allows you to put flowers in the spaces and it will hold them in place and maintain the shape of the arrangement. For this particular arrangement, I used purple and light pink tulips, mini green hydrangeas, pink and white peonies, and white ranunculus...some of my favorite types of flowers! You can use any type. Next, I cut the tulips to a length where they would fit along the edge of the bowl well (stems going across to the opposite end of the bowl). I did the entire rim of the bowl with the tulips. Then I just filled in the middle with the hydrangeas, then the peonies, and the ranunculus. I used a few leftover tulips in the middle as well. I also saved some of the extra greenery I snipped off and filled in with it. The end result is a pretty, unique, fresh flower arrangement that holds together well! Easter CenterpieceI used this arrangement as a centerpiece for our dining table set for Easter dinner. You can't go wrong with beautiful fresh flowers as a springtime centerpiece!
Dining Table DecorI decided to set our little dining table for Spring...it might still be cold and feel like Winter in Boston, but this Southern girl was ready to at least decorate for Spring! I wanted to do something colorful and cute, but also pretty and sophisticated. I used a simple white cloth placement as the base, and mix and matched multicolored dishes from Pottery Barn to create a bright, fun, spring look! I also used these beautiful green napkins from Pottery Barn for another fun but classy pop of color. The same setup could be used for a larger dining table as well!
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BLOG OF A...Southern Belle and Carolina girl who loves Jesus, family, and life below the Mason-Dixon line. A Fan of Southern hospitality, grits and biscuits, pearls and bow ties, cotton and magnolias, sunshine and sweet tea, and all things monogrammed! Archives
December 2016
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