Celebrate: Cupcakes & Champaign Party

This is one of our dearest friends, Brenda.

Brenda's birthday is next week and this week, she is moving home to San Francisco. San Francisco seems like a billion miles away. In reality, its only about 50 miles. I don't really specialize in reality. Anyways, two days ago, Brenda decided she wanted to have a "Cupcakes & Champaign" going away birthday party. She wanted a light coral and gold "Cupcakes & Champaign" party, specifically. Suddenly, I was on some party planning reality TV show. I think I dragged Jake to every craft and party store within a 30 mile radius. He loved it.

After a lot of shopping, baking and frosting, this is the table-scape I designed for Brenda's Champaign & Cupcakes going away birthday party... Classy!

Tobi's Tips & Tricks for a Cupcakes & Champaign Party:

1. Label Love

Creating simple labels when you're serving desserts, finger foods, or appetizers is easy and it automatically bumps up the ATD factor (thats Attention To Detail, of course). Here I used some inexpensive spray painted frames from Michael's that I had left over from the wedding. I used Adobe Illustrator to create labels for the cupcakes in a fun font, but you can use any word processing software. The cupcakes weren't made from scratch, they were Betty Crocker cake mix, but making up fun names like "Mellow Yellow" and "Chocolate Pudding" makes desserts seem gourmet. I also labeled the candies with gold alpha stickers from Michaels. This was the least difficult thing I did, and yet people got a kick out of it all night long.

2. Stand Up

Display pieces that create height can contribute a lot to a table-scape. Here, I used Delish Cake Platters from Crate & Barrel. Cake stands are not limited to displaying cupcakes though, try using them for baubles or centerpieces too.

3. Classy Cupcakes

Never waste your time frosting cupcakes with a knife. It's annoying. Piping bags and tips are cheap and easy to use and they give your desserts a beautiful finished look very quickly. You can find a simple set at Michaels, I bought the Duff Goldman 15-Piece Signature Set because it comes in a cute and convenient tin.

4. Simple Sweet Tooth

"Candy Bars" are all the rage right now for weddings and parties, but they can get pricey quick. To add munchies and color to a table, you can make a simple and cheap one. The glass containers were from Michaels and were about $2 per piece. I used mostly Target brand candy because it was affordable. Here we had Chewy Sweet Tarts, Caramels, Swedish Fish and Sour Patch Kids.

Ideas for Next Time:

1. Telephone Toast Party Game

Sit guests around the room in a circle and have one person think of a champaign toast they want to say to everyone, then have them pass it around the circle by whispering it in the next person's ear, like a game of telephone. The person at the end of the circle then has to stand up and give the toast that was passed on to them... no matter what it ends up as!

2. Cupcake Bar

If you are interested in a less posh party, set up a do-it-yourself cupcake bar. Provide baked cupcakes, frosting and assorted candies and toppings. Then, let guests go wild.