Autumn Harvest Thanksgiving

It just so happens that Heather and I love the fall season.  It’s one of those happy little details that we learned about each other whilst dating.  There is just something about this time of year.  Maybe it has something to do with summer finally passing, with its mix of both oppressively humid and hot weather.  When fall arrives, it is literally ushered in with a breath of crisp fresh air.  It might have something to do with the trees turning all different hues of red, yellow, orange and brown.  Or maybe it’s just the pumpkin pie. Or in Heather’s case, pumpkin anything, because she is truly a fan of any pumpkin dessert one could conjure.


Speaking of those earthy tones, Heather and I borrowed heavily from a color palette eerily reminiscent of a Bob Ross oil painting.  Yellow ochre, burn sienna, some van dyke brown and a splash of crimson red. Okay maybe a lot of brown and maybe I’m stretching that a tiny bit.  I just really wanted to work in a Bob Ross reference to go with this awesome picture I found…

<3 Bob Ross

We wanted our Autumn Harvest table to convey a little something to everyone that feels the same way we do.  And even to the people that don’t like this time of year, we hope we made it nice enough that it might appeal to them as well.  Traditional colors, familiar textures, and comforting foods and sweets.  One of the other things we wanted to accomplish was to see how inexpensively we could put together a dessert table, without it looking all “jacked up” as my stepfather is known to say.  It’s amazing how many of the most iconic images of fall are available to anyone free of charge from that thing outside of your computer office called Mother Nature.  Pine cones, acorns, chestnuts and every color of fall foliage are all just sitting around waiting to be raked up.  (Pro tip:  Make sure that if it does come from the great outdoors that 1. It doesn’t touch any of the edibles.  2.  Make sure you check for AND remove any little creepy crawlies.  And by creepy crawlies, we mean spiders.)

If you do happen to live somewhere that these natural elements are not ready for the picking and totally F-R-E-E, you can always buy them at most craft stores like Michale’s, AC Moore or our new favorite online store Save on Crafts! Another element we incorporated that is inexpensive and easy on the eyes are dried beans. They come in huge bags at the grocery store and cost next to nothing. We used them as filler in our platter and on our plates to add a bit more color and texture.


Our secondary task was to re-use several props from previous tables we have done, again keeping costs low.  Items like our home made heirloom white cake stands from Heather’s gorgeous Southern Heirloom table. Those particular cake stands just matched perfectly with a ROMANTISK platter/serving tray we picked up from IKEA, $9.99.  Also from IKEA were the SOCKER galvanized milk jug and co-ordinating planter pot that doubled as our Candied Nut dish, $4.99 and $1.99.  And even more IKEA, the white KALASA Plant pot which we filled with our apples, at $5.99 (since discontinued in that size) and the BJURON Plant Pot which we used for height and decor at $4.99. All of these items are neutral enough to use again and again so we considered them a good investment.

We also frequent our local Jo-Ann Fabric quite a bit for inspiration and deals. Our tablecloth and backdrop were both steals on the clearance table there. We spent approximatly $30 total for several yards of each of those fabrics, and another $6 on the burlap fabric you see as our table runner. The galvanized props and the inclusion of the small hay bale that held our Caramel Corn Stalks and the vase of wheat (borrowed from the mom-in-law, and originally purchase at Wal-Mart), added a touch of country farm charm without it looking like something out of Hee-Haw.  No offense Hee-Haw. (Update: I’ve just learned that Heather used to watch Hee-Haw with her great-grandfather when she was little.) For anyone keeping track that is awesome 80’s reference number 2. - Jason out!

 

OK enough with all that decor jazz, let’s talk FOOD! All of our desserts and edibles were really simple and easy to create without sacrificing on taste. Seriously, just a few hours in the kitchen and you too can have a veritable fall feast! Please look for our follow up post in a couple of days with the how-to’s on all the recipes and where-to’s on the things we bought ready made! For now though here is a quickie overview:

  • Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Toasted Marshmallow Topping, recipe linked from Annie Eats. These are deliciously moist and sticky!
  • Gingerbread Spice Cookies - Store bought but still super yummy. We picked up several varieties from Wal-Mart that were perfect.
  • Red Delicious Apples - Yep just plain ole Red Apples, but they are so beautiful, tasty and classically fall.
  • Caramel Corn Stalks - Please see our future blog post about how to make these cute harvest desserts!
  • Mulled Apple Cider - One jug of apple cider + one packet of mulling spices stewed on the stovetop = fall in a jiffy! Just add cinnamon sticks for the complete experience!
  • Candied Pecans - This is a classic recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens Red/White Cookbook. It also happens to have a bit of sentimental value to me as it was something my grandmother made for our Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday get-together. Miss you Grandma!
  • Acorn Cookies - Super simple, super cute and delish!
  • Pumpkin Cake - Tried and true recipe from Williams-Sonoma, it never disappoints.
  • Sugared Pears - The easiest, most elegant way to serve up a pear.

We hope you enjoyed this Autumn / Fall theme as much as we enjoyed putting it all together. It is a perfect design for Thanksgiving or any family gathering you may be planning this autumn. 

Our Autumn Harvest Printables set includes everything listed below in as many quantities as you need!

 

  • 5x7” Invitation
  • Straw Flags
  • Pie Bunting
  • 5” (Large) Food Tags
  • 3” (Small) Food Tags
  • 4 Decorative Patterned Cupcake Wrapper Designs
  • Wine Bottle Labels
  • 2” Party Circles
  • Napkin Rings / Bottle Wraps
  • 5x7” Banner Cards

 

How are we doing? Any comments or questions about our Dessert Tables are always welcomed and answered as quickly as possible, so feel free to chat us up!

Want to know what we are really diggin’ this week? Join us on Pinterest for daily inspirations!

 

Sweet Parties: Southern Heirloom Dessert Table Garden Party

"Now isn't this better than sitting at a table? A girl hasn't got but two sides to her at the table." - Scarlett O'Hara, Gone With the Wind

We'd like to take you through our process of creation, step-by-step by discussing how we came up with our theme and inspiration, to what we chose to serve and how we chose to serve it, to the little detail decor that helped bring everything together. Let's get started!


Sweetly ladylike and classically southern, our Southern Heirloom theme draws inspiration from family generations and antiquities passed down. Using my great-grandmother's Noritake "Azelea Pattern" China and my grandmother's Fostoria "American Pattern" Crystal and a combination their vintage lace tablecloths, handkercheifs and antique furniture, we created an intimate garden party for true southern belles. The color palette was chosen first, drawing from the feminine pink and muted greens of the china pattern. Then we incorporated quite a bit of ivory/off-white as a neutral color because we already knew we wanted to hold this little soiree outside. It also helped to tie in the ivory color of the vintage lace tablecloths we used as well.

Decor decor, where did all that pretty stuff come from? Well we already talked about all of the heirloom pieces you see, but what we didn't talk about were the little touches. We used silk (gasp) flowers to decorate here and there throughout the display. Pretty delicate pink blooms with green/blue leaves adorn two of the cakes and are featured under a cloche purely for asthetics. We found them half off at AC Moore back in April and saved them for future use because they were just that pretty we knew we would find something to do with them eventually. The pink grosgrain ribbon was acquired from (another gasp) Dollar Tree. They had a huge box of all different shades both grosgrain and satin and we snagged several rolls for that bargain price and held on to them for the future as well. The small green and pink bottles were found at the good ole DG Store, another favorite place to spot the occasional awesome item. The little green paper flags on our smooth iced layer cake were a homemade touch using a tutorial we found at The Yuppie Lifestyle Blog. The frilly fluffy ivory garland in the background was homemade DIY Ruffle Garland crafted from crepe paper streamers.

It is so super easy to make your own ruffled crepe paper garland. Find out how to make it in our new blog section Sweet DIY Projects.

Fun Fact: The lace swag you see above was actually my grandmother's wedding veil! She kept a hope chest of all her most prized possesions, which I explored and discovered this most beautiful and delicate lace piece that had to be displayed somewhere, somehow! It found a perfect home draped casually over the side of the smaller table.


What to serve, what to serve! We chose to have several of our tall layer cakes (ruffled and smooth), whoopie pies and a little mom inspired powdered doughnut cake. (Powdered doughtnuts are one of my mother's favorite treats.) We found inspiration for our ruffle cake from the Sweet and Saucy Blog, who seems to excel at all things vintage and delicious and outdoors. You may remember a previous post featuring a powdered doughnut cake (here) which we spotted on the HGTV website a while back and promptly pinned to our Pinterest Board! We included it for several reasons, first of all it is really super cute and sweet and secondly this table was meant as a tribute to the women in my family and as I mentioned before, mom likes them. Our whoopie pies were strawberry, sweet and pink and perfect for our theme, plus it is strawberry season and we already had farm fresh strawberries ready at hand. The fluffy pink spun sugar added a touch of whimsy and was an impulse inclusion since our local grocery store had a huge display of hard to resist bags front and center. We also chose a sprakling Shirley Temple to drink because... (pause for dramatic effect) it's pink! Not really too hard to guess why on that one lol.

What did we use to display all of those pretty little cakes and doughnuts? Custom cake stands of course! Remember how we mentioned that beautiful vintage cake stands cost an arm and a leg (here)? Well we have pretty much decided that making our own is the way to go from here on out. (That is unless we ever make boat loads of money and can actually afford to collect some of those beautiful pieces. (*File it under Someday*) 

Jason was the mastermind once again for the creation of our cake stands. He used his handy-dandy woodworking skills to fashion several stands for the table that were different but also looked nice together too. He chose a three color palette for the stands to match the china as well and continue the color scheme of pink, green and ivory. Incedentaly the off-white color he chose is actually called Heirloom White and is made by Rustoleum.

Another bonus to creating your own stands is having several them to use again and again in the future for more dessert tables. All they may need is a coat of a new color paint and they are ready to use. Visit our DIY post here for more information on how to make your own cake stands.

Side note: Other companies (like Amy Atlas) are located in urban areas that have awesome places called "Prop Houses." These buildings of wonder and amazement are actually in the business of renting out vessels and serving pieces and just about anything you could ever need for a Dessert Table. This eliminates the need to create your own stuff or hunt endlessly to find super bargains here or there in order to pull off a table without breaking the bank. So it should be noted that taking this route is a commendable feat to do-it-yourself party planners that do not have access to rentals :)


We chose to place the pink spun sugar in the delicate Noritake china tea cups that belonged to my great-grandmother. At first it seemed cute and whimsical, not the average choice for styling, but then it melted. Quickly. In fact it melted so quickly we had to replace it several times before we were even able to take photos. Even then it still melted a little on the edges. Nice thing about spun sugar though, it's still sugar no matter what form its in and tastes just as sweet! 

 


We are now referring to this cake as the Ruffled Southern Belle cake. Southern belles like Scarlett always had mounds of ruffles on them somewhere and this cake follows suit. We topped it off with a beautiful delicate flower with even more pink and green.

My grandmother was a true southern hostess. Her mid-20th century Fostoria American Crystal collection was the centerpiece of her serve ware. Delicate cut crystal cake stands, goblets, punch bowl and sherbet pieces all sitting awaiting special company or a holiday. Anyone who planned to spend time at my grandmother's home for a special occasion could expect to see a perfect display of traditional party foods awaiting them on delicate serving pieces like the one above. She took great care to make everything "just so," just as we have taken great care to make this Dessert Table "just so." We hope you enjoyed this theme!

 

Vintage Circus Carnival Printable Giveaway

We've decided to give away our funfabulous set of Vintage Circus Printables, with fully customized text to suit your party needs, to one lucky commenter this week! You can also purchase a custom set of our Vintage Circus Party Printables in our Etsy shop HERE!
This complete set includes:
  • Decorative Patterned Paper Designs
  • Drink/Cupcake Flags
  • 5x7 Invitation (customized with your party info)
  • Large and Small Dessert Tags/Decor
  • Decorative Cupcake Wrappers

You will receive: one PDF file via email in which you may print the included pages as many times as needed in order to have the desired quantity of decorations.
THE PRIZE: A complete set of printable VIntage Circus Party Decor from Hello My Sweet
HOW TO ENTER: Comment on this post with the words “UNDER THE BIGTOP” and…
WE WANT TO KNOW: … share what your favorite memory of the circus was when you were a kid.
CONTEST ENDS: Friday, July 1st at 9pm EST
NUMBER OF WINNERS: One
PRIZE DISTRIBUTION: via Email
RULES: One entry per e-mail address is permitted. The winners will be selected using random.org and announced on  Saturday, July 2nd as an update to this post. So come on back here on Saturday morning, July 2nd, for the announcement of the winner. Happy commenting!