Author: natasha

DIY Strawberry Cream Tarts

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tarts

SERVINGS: 12
TIME: Prep: 20 min. + chilling

 

Ingredients:

 

* 2 packages (6 count each) individual graham cracker tart shells
* 2 egg whites, beaten
* 1 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 3 cups milk
* 2 eggs, beaten
* 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, cubed
* 2 tablespoons lemon juice
* 12 medium strawberries, sliced
* 12 blueberries
* 6 tablespoons strawberry jelly, melted

 

Directions:

Brush insides of tart shells with egg whites. Place on two baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 5 minutes. Cool completely on wire racks.

In a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar and flour; gradually stir in milk until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly; cook and stir for 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Stir a small amount of hot milk mixture into eggs; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir for 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Stir in butter and lemon juice. Refrigerate until chilled.

Just before serving, spoon custard into shells; top with strawberries and blueberries. Spoon jelly over fruit. Yield: 12 servings.

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Yummy Secret Messages

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boxes

A secret message hidden beneath coconut-and-cashew truffles is revealed as the chocolates are devoured. The packaging seems fancy, but this is just a standard box trimmed with scalloping scissors; the tabs are usually tucked in, but we left them out, punched holes, and threaded ribbon through for a unique form.

 

Tools and Materials
Small lidded folding box (ours was 2 3/4 inches square by 1 3/4 inches high)
Colored card stock
3/8-inch-wide ribbon, cut 23 inches long
Scalloping shears, small hole punch, bone folder, and utility knife

 

Scalloped Favor Box How-To

 

box 2

Choose a small, square lidded box, just big enough to hold four chocolates.
1. Fold the box into shape. Use scalloping shears to cut decorative edges on the side and front flaps of the box. Punch a hole in the center of each side flap.

 

2. Cut colored paper for the liner; it should be as wide as the box’s interior and long enough to cover the bottom, one side, and the lid. Use a bone folder to score the paper where it will bend; then fold, and crease with the bone folder. Write one word in each of the four corners of the bottom.

 

3. For the dividers, cut two more pieces of colored paper to be as wide as the box and twice as high.

 

4. Score the dividers lengthwise down the center, and fold. Use a utility knife to cut a slit in the center of each divider so they’ll interlock; one should go from the bottom up to the middle, and the other should go from the top down to the middle. Slide the dividers together at the slits.

 

5. Place paper liner and the interlocked dividers in the box. Wrap the ribbon around the box, and slip the ends through the holes in the flaps.

 

6. Fill the box with chocolates. Fold the paper liner down and then the lid down to close. Fold the side flaps in over the top. Tie the ribbon snugly over the box.
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Top Ten Honeymoon Destinations

natasha 2 Comments

While the honeymoon is not part of the actual wedding ceremony, it is important to include it in your planning. You and your fiancé should brainstorm a budget and an idea of were you would like to go. You will also have to figure out if you will need a passport or not. My fiancé and I are currently in this process since we will be heading to Jamaica after the wedding. I am too excited for words! Anyway, if you do need a passport you will need to do all the paperwork a few months ahead of time. But where you want to go is the key thing. This can sometimes be the hardest decision. So…I have compiled a list of the top ten honeymoon destinations for 2008 to make this decision a little easier

 

1.Hawaii

 hawaii

 1. Jamaica

jamaica
2. Mexico

mexico
3. Tahiti

Tahiti
4. St. Lucia

st lucia
5. Italy

italy
6. Virgin Islands

virgin islands
7. Aruba

aruba
8. Las Vegas

vegas
9. Bermuda

 bermuda

 

Statistics pulled from Info Please.com.

30 Cake Cutting Song Options

natasha Leave a comment

1.Sugar Sugar-The Archies
2.Sweetest Thing-U2
3.How Sweet It Is-James Taylor
4.Cut The Cake-Average White Band
5.Eat It-Weird Al’
6.Recipe For Love-Harry Connick, Jr.
7.All My Life – KC and Jojo
8.Ain’t That A Kick In The Head-Dean Martin
9. I Got You Babe-Sonny and Cher
10.When I’m Sixty-Four-Beetles
11.Little Moments-Brad Paisley
12.Pour Some Sugar On Me-Def Leppard
13.Sweets For My Sweet-CJ Lewis
14. L-O-V-E -Nat King Cole
15.You’re The One That I Want-Grease
16. Ice Cream– Sarah McLachlan
17.I’m A Believer-Smash Mouth
18.Happy Together-Turtles
19.Grow Old With You-Adam Sandler
20. How Sweet It Is-Michael Bublé
21. I Can’t Help Myself-The Four Tops
22. Sweetest Thing-Lauryn Hill
23.You’re My Best Friend-Queen
24.Lets Do It-Alanis Morissette
25.Love and Marriage – Frank Sinatra
26. Sweet Thang– Mary J Blige
27. Sweets For My Sweet-THE SEARCHERS
28.Build Me Up Buttercup-The Foundations
29.Going To The Chapel Of Love– The Shirelles
30.Fruitcakes– Jimmy Buffett

DIY Place Card Tree

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If you are looking for a unique way to display place cards, then look no further! This idea comes from the great minds at Style me Pretty. Enjoy!

tree

How to make the Placecard Tree…

For the placecards:
I used Stardream metallic cover stock in quartz that I purchased from http://www.paper-papers.com/. I designed a simple layout on MS Word, and used the font Murray Hill to write each person’s name on the placecard. I then printed them on a Dell Laser printer (printing on Stardream cover stock can be tricky!). I made them so they would fold over, so we could glue the fringe and ribbon inside without it looking ugly on the back.
I used a bone folder to fold my printed placecards in half, so I could cut two slits in the top folded area, to slip my ribbon through and glued it to the inside of the card. I used beaded fringe for the dangling crystals, it was easier to work with than individual crystals and you couldn’t tell once you glued it inside. It looked like this but I purchased it at Home Fabrics in Downtown Los Angeles. I cut the fringe so it had 5 crystals and then glued it to the inside bottom and then pressed the folded placecard shut to hold the fringe in place.

For the actual trees:
We bought manzanita branches at a place called Wasabi Green in downtown LA, but I know you can order them online at:
http://www.nettletonhollow.com/manzanita.html

We created some bases out of wood, in a trapezoid shape, which we then covered with the light shantung fabric, adding the fabric was a little hard, we started off by using fabric glue and then also cutting and sewing parts of it, so that the ends would sit taut on the trapezoidal base. We the glued on a 1 1/2 inch brown satin ribbon and the rhinestone buckle. We secured the branches in the tree with expanding foam and anchored them with some heavier rocks, so they wouldn’t topple over. We then covered the top of all that mess with some moss so it would look pretty on top.

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DIY Centerpiece

natasha 2 Comments

DIY centerpiece

This centerpiece is an easy and elegant idea for a wedding. The total cost of everything is about $5. Therefore, it is also very affordable. Even if you are not a DIY bride, this centerpiece is an easy and cost effective option. To achieve this look you will need the following:

 

Materials:
3 Small Floating Candles
1 Rose
Water
Lilly Bowl
Scissors

 

Directions:
Fill lily bowl up with water. Take rose and cut off the bloom leaving as little stem as possible. Place bloom in the middle of the lily bowl. Next place a small floating candle on all three sides of the bloom. That’s it! Simple, easy, and elegant. What more could you ask for?