Cocktail Club: The Birthday Caketini

Hey friends! Today is my birthday, so I am sharing one of my favorite once-in-a-while cocktails. It's rich and decadent (just like a proper birthday cake) and it's also strong, so any more than just one is probably too much...kind of like a cupcake!

There are so many flavored vodkas out there that it is incredibly easy to find not only cake vodka, but whipped cream vodka as well. I have tried a couple of different cake-flavored vodkas, and I think the Three Olives is the best, but you do what you like best. The Pinnacle-brand whipped cream vodka is also fantastic. {Sidenote: there are SO many yummy flavors by both Three Olives and Pinnacle. Have you tried any of them? If so, let me know in the comments and please share any tips of recipes too!} As far as amaretto goes, the Trader Joe's brand is a fantastic alternative to the pricier (and more well-known) Disaronno.

First up: pour one full shot of cake vodka into your shaker. I got my cute mason jar shaker, and mason jar shot glasses at Homegoods, but you can find a similar ones HERE.

Then pour approximately a half of shot of whipped cream vodka into a shot glass, and top the shot glass off with another half shot of amaretto. Pour into your shaker.

Pour two shots of half and half (or milk) into your shaker.

Throw some ice into your shaker, put the lid on and:

Pour into a martini glass:

You could be done with that step, but since this is a BIRTHDAY Caketini we need to garnish. Squirt some whipped cream on top:

And then add some colorful sprinkles. (Side note: I've made this martini and rimmed the glass with the sprinkles. While adorable, it changes the color of your lips and teeth. At one of our Christmas cocktail parties a few years ago I made peppermint mocha martinis and rimmed the glasses with red and green sprinkles. Everyone's lips and teeth turned brown. I don't recommend it.)

Feel free to stick a cute, little straw in your drink (this one is from the Target Dollar Spot, I just cut it in half to fit.)

Voila!

This drink is such an indulgent, little treat and truly perfect for a birthday celebration!

If you make it be sure to let me know what you think!

Special thanks to Maryam of Hi + Hello Photography for the amazing pictures! She is so incredibly talented, and if you're in the Bay Area, make sure to keep her in mind for your photo needs! My shirt is from The TomKat Studio, and all jewelry is by Stella & Dot.

Here are some pinnable images if you want to save this recipe!

Do you want to build a snowman? // Coco's "Frozen" birthday party

When Coco told me she wanted a "Frozen" birthday party, I have to say - I cringed a little. While I loved the movie, I don't love the idea of character parties. (Don't hate me!)

When I started looking for invitations I found tons of cutesy character ones, but nothing that I loved until I stumbled upon some Christmas party invitations from Minted. (Invitations are what I always figure out first, and I find the rest of the party falls into place once I get them ordered.) Once I found the perfect invitations for the party, Minted customized every last detail for me, and then the ideas started rolling....

The decorations were simple. Leila and her friends cut out hundreds of paper snowflakes, which we taped all over the walls, along with some teal, mint and pink honeycomb fans.

I also scored a bunch of snowflakes, icicles and trees after clearance at Target and Home Depot for 80 and 90% off!

My friend Jessica also made a gorgeous snowy flower centerpiece, which fit the party perfectly!

Food was simple - mac and cheese, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cut into the shape of snowflakes and string cheese that I drew snowmen on. (We also had fruits, hot chocolate and sangria for the adults!)

Activities were kept inside since it was a rainy weekend, but we had still had fun! (And don't worry, I'm not cold-hearted. What Coco loves about Frozen is the characters. I knew we had to include them, but that it would be in bits and pieces.) I printed up some coloring sheets:

Pin the nose on Olaf (Tony drew Olaf, and we cut out carrot shapes on scrapbook paper)

My good friend came over and painted faces:

 (Leila actually painted Tony's face and was very proud of herself!)

And we had a station to make your own snowman:

Desserts were mini powdered donuts with little carrot candies, Olaf sugar cookies created by the Amador Valley Catering Department, my dad's famous monster cookies with light blue, turquoise and white m&m's to fit the color scheme and a cake from Safeway, since we had a last minute cake fail. To compensate I opened up one of Coco's presents - a Frozen figurine set - and put them on top of the cake.

Guests were sent home with a Frozen book, white rock candy (frozen fractal as Coco kept calling them) and a little Frozen hair tie.

We had so much fun celebrating our girl!

PIN me!

Sources:
Invitations: Minted (c/o)
Photographer: Tara Marie Photography
Honeycomb fans: Minted (c/o)
Flower centerpiece: The Petal Company
Coloring Pages: Disney via Am I A Funny Girl
Snowman Printable: Studio Marshall Arts
Olaf Cookies: Amador Valley HS Catering (email dharvey@pleasantonusd.net for inquiries)
Jadeite cake stand: Minted (c/o)
Anna and Elsa dresses (on Leila and Coco:) Little Wellies
Favors: books, rock candy, hair tie (FOE - I made the hair ties)

Group Giveaway Day

Hey friends!

On this day in 1983 I was born, making me the big 3-0 today!

It's my birthday, but YOU get the presents! 

I am so excited about this month's Group Giveaway, because it's birthday-themed, and my awesome sponsors have really offered up some amazing goodies!

 I asked each of them the best birthday present they've ever given or received, and really loved their answers - you will too!

River and Bridge

River and Bridge is an amazing shop filled with some of the most beautiful stationery, party invitations and various paper goods out there. Heather, the designer/owner of River & Bridge is insanely talented, and also happens to be the fabulous lady behind this blog's new look (which I'm obsessed with!) River and Bridge is giving one lucky winner a Bridge Box!

Heather: "For my 26th birthday, my husband gave me diamond earrings, instructed me to put on a dress, and surprised me with a fancy dinner out with a few of our closest friends. The food, drinks and company were amazing, and I felt so special knowing that my husband went to such lengths to plan a memorable evening for me."

You can find River & Bridge here:

facebook * etsy * instagram

Can Can Cleanse

The Can Can Cleanse is awesome, and I cannot say enough good things about it! They are generously offering one lucky winner a 3-Day CAN CAN Cleanse (value, $185)

(Bay Area only, delivery not included, feel free to pick up at their awesome San Francisco location!)

From Teresa, owner of CAN CAN:  "The best present I've ever given was the trip for my mom (for her 60th b-day) to the island of Hvar (Croatia) to see the home of her grandmother. It was the most special moment watching how childlike my mom became as we walked the dirt roads and stood in front of the stone house where her grandmother grew up. A magical experience for both of us!"

You can find CAN CAN here:

CAN CAN Cleanse  *  facebook   *  pinterest 

Pen & Paint

My friend Lindsay of Pen & Paint is so freaking talented it's ridiculous. I am lucky enough to own several of her prints and have them all throughout myself.  One lucky winner will get to add some P & P art to their home too, thanks to a $30 shop credit to Lindsay's fabulous store!

Lindsay: "My favorite birthday gift was a special beach get-away with my husband last year to celebrate my 30th birthday. It was the first beach trip we had taken alone since having little ones, and it was so nice to enjoy the sun and the sand together!"

You can Pen & Paint here:

shop  *  twitter  *  facebook

CUPPOW!

Cuppow is one of Glitter and Gloss's newest sponsors, and I adore these guys! You can tell that they are completely passionate about what they do, and it shows through in their fantastic products!

Cuppow is giving one lucky winner one of each cuppows (clear regular mouth, clear wide mouth, blue and orange!)

Aaron of Cuppow: "My best birthday gift ever received: A surprise birthday kidnapping dinner party at an Ethiopian restaurant! Surprising people who hate surprises is the best! I'm a major foodie and had dropped hints about wanting to go- so Josh and co. caught me by surprise and I didn't expect a thing!"

You can find Cuppow here:

 shop  *  facebook  *  pinterest

Michelle Dwight Designs

You guys, the pillows by Michelle Dwight Designs are SO incredible awesome! I've featured them on the blog several times, and it's because they're just the coolest around. I'm SUPER jealous, because one of you is going to win the coveted "Hustling" pillow in lavender. Feel free to send it my way, mmkay?

Andrea of Michelle Dwight Designs: "This may sound totally cheesy, but I think the birthday "gift" I remember the most (both giving and receiving) is time spent with my amazing friends. Thinking back on past birthdays that's what comes to mind first. I mean, friends and birthday cake? Doesn't get any better than that!"

You can find Michelle Dwight Designs here:

FACEBOOK  *  TWITTER  *  SHOP

THE PRINTED PALETTE

The Printed Palette is an awesome shop owned and ran by my friend Alissa - I'm pretty sure you've seen her awesome designs everywhere!! I wear her stuff all the time, and I can barely open up my instagram account without seeing someone in her awesome stuff! It's THAT good! One of you lucky ducks will be winning the "Wayward Boyfriend" (inspired by Glitter & Gloss!!) tee:

Alissa of TPP: "The best birthday gift I've ever recieved was my very own life size play house my Dad built me when I was one. It was the size of a small apartment in New York. I used to pretend I had my own boutique growing up. Look at me now- still doing what I love! "

You can find The Printed Palette here:

INSTAGRAM  *  PINTEREST  *  FACEBOOK

One winner takes ALL of this awesomeness (valued over $300) All you have to do is use the Rafflecopter below to enter. Enter as many or as few times as you wish. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Coco's Mermaid Party

Better late than never, right? We threw this fun, little mermaid party in the beginning of March but I am just now getting around to posting about it. (Apologies.)


First - the pretty pictures, taken by my super talented friend:

....and now my less-than-awesome pics:

Spotted this awesome blowfish fruit kabob on Pinterest and knew we had to do one. I totally wanted this shark, but watermelons weren't in season yet. Womp womp.  (HERE is my entire mermaid party inspiration board if you're interested!)

The dessert table is always one of my favorite parts of throwing a party. Lizzy D Minis made the most delicious (and beautiful) mini cupcakes and mermaid cakepops, with the sweetest little handmade mermaid toppers!! I also picked up some chocolate and vanilla macarons from Trade Joe's and dusted them with some edible pearl sugar to make them a bit prettier. I got seashell and seahorse-shaped truffles from Marshalls and handmade turquoise and seafoam green meringues at a local craft fair. My mom also made these super cute jello aquariums. Somehow I only managed to snap a quick phone picture of the dessert table, d'oh!

Mermaid drink markers from Cost Plus hung over the side of the jello aquariums while gummi sharks swam inside. A little bit of turquoise twine + a sucre shop spoon on the outside made them the perfectly portable dessert for kids and adults! Party favors were super simple - a sand bucket, some sand toys, an under the sea book (on clearance from Joann's for a .10 - seriously, only a dime!!) and a z-bar. Kid-friendly and easy.

The food was EASY but delicious - seashell mac and cheese (Marie Callendar's frozen shells with vermont white cheddar), my "famous" paninis, under the sea pasta salad (the pasta salad I make for every party with THESE noodles), crustacean crackers (white cheddar goldfish, orange cheddar whales from the Target dollar spot and sour cream and onion starfish from Safeway, all mixed up) and then good ol' chips and salsa.

This piñata had THE creepiest face. Fortunately the kids didn't seem to mind.

Glitter tattoos have become a staple at our kid-friendly parties. They're an inexpensive and fun way to really impress the little ones. Tony is also quite good at it. If this whole firefighting thing doesn't work out, he totally has another career option ;)

We had such a great time celebrating our sweet, little Coco!

Vendors: Party Printables and treat cups - TomKat Studio, Cutlery - Sucre Shop, Leila and Coco's Custom Dresses - Oh, Cecilia!, Cupcakes and Cake Pops - Lizzy D Mini's, Assorted Under the Sea Decor - Oriental Trading, Tassel above dessert table - Everly Lane Designs, Photos: Tara Marie Photography Starfish Bows and Necklaces - Glitter and Gloss

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