Category Archives: Entertaining

Peas in a Pod: A baby shower for twins

Psst: Tonight I’ll be joining some of my small business friends at the book launch party for Lauree of Simply Leap where she’ll be signing and celebrating this fabulous achievement. Her book, I’m Scared & Doing It Anyway, talks about how a ‘little white blob’ – aka a brain tumor – changed her life. Come join us!

Now, onto my weekend roundup.

I was pretty quiet last week because I was busy with preparations for one of my best friend’s baby showers. Specifically, I was most busy making this shower cake!

Twins Baby Shower Cake

I love how it turned out, though I wish we hadn’t had humidity issues in the 3 hour car ride, because it caused a little bleeding of the colors. Oh well.

Because Reba is expecting twins, her sister and mother chose the theme of Peas in a Pod, and they did such a great job executing it!

PicMonkey Collage

Clockwise, from top left: one vase was nestled inside another so that frozen peas could be added. A clothesline of bibs above a table with fabric markers so we all could decorate bibs for the babies. My cake. Party favors were Pea in Pod wildflower seed bombs from Pulp Art on Etsy. Twins Baby Shower02

My friend made button art monograms in shadow boxes for the nursery, which you can see on top of the fireplace. They are awesome, though she said she burned her fingers with the hot glue a ton while making them. Twins Baby Shower03

Have you ever heard of Advice Diapers? Neither had I, but it was cute. Guests were able to write some advice for the new parents on diapers. I got a chuckle thinking of a daycare provider going to change a diaper, only to find a message written on the front of it…

Baby Shower Advice Diapers1

These two handmade baby quilts stole the show as the most imaginative and handmade gift. The nursery will have an accent wall with green stripes and a tree mural. . . and these two quilts each have half a tree, which forms a whole when put together. Love it!

Below Reba is posing with the maker of the quilts, whose name I didn’t get.

Twins Baby Shower11

Twins Baby Shower12

Oh, and if the house in the shower looks familiar, it’s because we used it for my other good friend’s Safari Theme baby shower last summer, as well as Reba’s post-wedding brunch this March. A huge thanks to Reba’s mom for always opening her home to us when we’re in Richmond. :)

DIY: Teal Ombré Floral Arrangements & Tablescape

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For my friend’s surprise birthday dinner last week I got to decorate, and chose to do a teal/blue ombré theme complete with ombré floral arrangements. I think this was my first time “officially” doing a tablescape for a dinner, and I had so much fun with it!

Blue Ombre Tablescape with DIY Burlap Planter Boxes | The Borrowed Abode

When C’s husband said to me “the restuarant said that we have a semi-private space and can come in an hour early to decorate, if you want to” – I jumped at the chance!

The only catch? I didn’t have any inspiration for the decor! I didn’t want to do something so typical as a fall theme. I hopped onto Pinterest and started doing for phrases like “tablescape” and “dinner party table”, etc. I stumbled onto some images of ombré floral arrangements, and the rest is history.

Sidenote: Thanks for understanding that I’m not sharing the cost because it was for my good friend. With advance planning and use of coupons and sales at craft stores, you should be able to obtain the flowers and candle holders on sale for 40-50% off. If you don’t do that, the cost of fake flowers will add up quickly.

Ombre Teal Tablescape and Ombre Floral | The Borrowed Abode

A collage of random vases filled with flowers of all sorts would have been awesome, but would require lots of faux flowers, thus increasing the cost. Second, having to cart a ton of fragile vases into the restuarant would be more cumbersome.

Planter boxes, however, would be easy to transport safely, and I had enough scrap wood to build them.

I ended up using some very warped boards to build the planter boxes. I was in a hurry and was attemping to bake a cake, so I forgot to take photos and make tutorial. It’s probably for the best, since the wood was so warped that the boxes ended up looking awful. But it was late and I didn’t have time (or wood) to try again, so I grabbed leftover wedding burlap to wrap the boxes.

Burlap Wrapped Flower Planter Boxes | The Borrowed Abode

I simply wrapped the burlap inwards and stapled it to the insides of the boxes, being careful to fold neat and tidy corners on the sides. Even though I hadn’t meant to bring burlap into the decor scheme, it worked in a pinch.

Creating Faux Floral Planter Box | The Borrowed Abode

I lined the insides of the planter boxes with floral foam, then cut the stems short using wire cutters. After that it was as simple as popping each short stem into the foam, fluffing the flower petals a bit, and tucking in some of the leaves.

I love how they turned out, especially that gorgeous dark teal color.

Ombre Tablescape Blue Hydrangeas | The Borrowed Abode

I also wanted to add some sparkle and glam to the table, so I snagged three votive holders at the craft store. They were in the Christmas decor section, and I figure they could come in handy for holiday decor in the future. (Ryan has since told me they’re ugly and he hopes I will never use them again. :)

Silver Mercury Glass Tealight Candle Tapers | The Borrowed Abode

I also DIY’ed some little silver votive candles. They came 12 to a box, so that’s what I went with. I used some Silver Liquid Leaf paint and some 3M painter’s tape to create designs on the glass votives. Honestly, while I’m happy with the designs, I’m disappointed in the lustre, or lack thereof, of the silver paint.

Silver Liquid Leaf Painted Votive Candles | The Borrowed Abode

The next night at the restaurant, however, it didin’t seem to matter that much. Candlelight always looks pretty, and it was dark in the restaurant. Ombre Tablescape Silver Leaf Votive | The Borrowed Abode

For the final touch, I took a cheap white sheet that I already had, cut it into strips, and dyed them in three different gradiations of teal. This was directly inspired by Jenn’s photos from the Portland Blogger’s Meetup. Thanks, Jenn!

To get three variations from one box of RIT dye, I simply made three different small vats of dye, using only a little dye in the first, more in the second, and the most in the third. Unfortunately the table was only long enough for me to use two of the gradients, so it wasn’t the total ombré effect I was hoping for – but I still think it looked great!

And now that the party is over, where are my ombré floral planter boxes? Well, one is sitting on our dining table because we both love how it looks. The other’s fate is yet-to-be-determined. :)

Teal Ombre Floral Planter Boxes | The Borrowed Abode

A Safari Theme Baby Shower & a Free Printable!

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I recently helped host a baby shower for one of my closest friends. It took place in a gorgeously decorated house, so we didn’t have to go overboard with the decorations, but we had some fun playing with the Safari theme we chose.

Baby Shower for Crysty | TheBorrowedAbode.com

For party favors I created little DIY Herb Kits, a project that came together pretty easily and for about $3 per favor. I know that’s not super cheap, but these days it’s nearly impossible to create a good (i.e useful and not crappy) party favor for less than 3 bucks.

DIY Herb Kit – Supplies Needed

Mini Plant Pots
Potting soil
Plastic sandwich or other baggies
Packets of herb seeds
Glassine Seed Envelopes (or jewelry-sized ziploc baggies from the craft store)
Plant Markers (or wooden craft sticks)

These little pots were on summer clearance at the craft store, marked down from $5 to $1.75, and I had a 15% off coupon that brought them down to less than $1.50 each. I already had some biodegradable plastic baggies on hand from Nashville Wraps, and they came in handy to hold the soil.

DIY Mini Herb Kit Party Favors | TheBorrowedAbode.com

How To Make DIY Herb Kit Party Favors

Place a plastic bag inside the plant pot and fill it with soil, then close up the baggie with a twist tie or ribbon. (A sandwich or Ziploc bag could also be used.)
Put a few seeds for each type of herb into the small glassine envelope, then seal it with a piece of pretty tape. Put a label on the front, or write the names of the herbs and days to germination on a small piece of paper. Tuck the mini seed packet into the pot.
Using a tongue depressor or plant marker, write the names of the herbs on one end. Stick the plant marker into the pot too.
Insert the DIY Herb Pot into a larger plastic baggie, then tie with a ribbon and attach a little note, if you want to.

My friend had created a small thank-you note which I printed out and affixed to squares of safari-patterned scrapbook paper.

As for the decorations, the co-host ordered a safari decor kit with water bottle labels, banners, mini garlands, and some other items, but I still wanted to make a few decorations. My easy fabric bunting method came in handy for a few triangular banners using safari-themed fabrics.

Baby Shower Safari DIY Bunting | TheBorrowedAbode.com

We set out the food in the kitchen, and boy did we have a feast. Better too much than too little at a party, right?

Baby Shower Food | TheBorrowedAbode.com

You do know about Jenn, the amazing food blogger at Peas and Crayons, right? I made her infamous Spinach & Feta Quiche Cups. They were a HUGE hit, and so easy and fun to make. I love how the wontons make anything into an easy finger food.

Spinach Feta Quiche Wonton Cups | TheBorrowedAbode.com

Cheese Platter with Figs and Jams | TheBorrowedAbode.com

For dessert, the co-host made cute safari cupcakes and I made strawberry shortcake shooters – a random experiment that I am now madly in love with.

I snagged some (supposedly) disposable shot glasses at the party store. To fill them, I chopped both strawberries and pound cake into tiny cubes. I layered pound cake, whipped cream, strawberries, and more whipped cream in the shot glasses.

We had to hone the skill of “throwing back” a strawberry shortcake shooter s that it all popped out and into your mouth, but once the skill was mastered they were a fun and easy way to enjoy a bite of dessert while mingling!

Strawberry Shortcake Shooters | TheBorrowedAbode.com

Safari Snack Baskets | TheBorrowedAbode.com

The beverage jars from my wedding rehearsal dinner came in handy for the shower. I got the wooden elephant cutouts at the craft store and wrote the beverage names on them, then adhered them with tape. Nothing fancy. Strawberry Lemonade (lemonade with slices of strawerry and lemon floating) and Mint Limeade (just toss fresh mint and lime slices into limeade) were the beverages on tap.

Party Beverages Mint Limeade Strawberry Lemonade | TheBorrowedAbode.com

Free Safari Baby Shower Bingo Printable

The PDF file has bingo cards in blue, green, gray, and pink, and it prints two bingo cards per page. I recommend printing it onto cardstock paper. The bingo squares will be blank, and you ask guests to fill in items they think the baby will receive.

I used PowerPoint to create this template, and for our shower I typed in items that I thought she’d receive. It was a little time consuming to type them in, in a radomized fashion, on 15 or 20 pages, and I realized afterwards that I left some key items off. That’s when I decided that it was better to leave the squares blank.

Safari Theme Baby Shower Bingo Printable | TheBorrowedAbode.com

We used a bottle of champagne, a travel mug filled with candy, and some Save the Amazon chocolate bars as Baby Bingo prizes.

I feel like I should have some clever way of wrapping up this post, but I don’t – so imagine a stork flying off into the sunset. As for the baby in waiting, he’s due any day now. Fingers crossed for an easy arrival – his mom’s decided to do a natural birth.

As for the typical post-wedding question of when I’ll be attending my own baby shower . . . let me just say that we will *not* be decorating a nursery at The Borrowed Abode anytime soon. :)

Almost Sugar-and-Carb-Free Chocolate Cake

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This past weekend was Ryan’s birthday, and Monday was Ryan’s Birthday: Observed. Or so he claimed. ;)

He was back home with his family for most of the weekend, and I was sewing to catch up on all the orders (still) from when food poisoning kicked my butt two weeks ago. But before Ryan came home I attempted to do a little festive decorating & cooking.

I put together a super quick and easy banner, using scrap booking paper, ribbon, and letters printed off the computer. I simply chopped the colorful papers into squares, pasted the printed-out black-and-white letters over them, and then strung it together with ribbon. I hung it on the wall in our living room that is STILL blank after all this time. Sometimes it comes in handy – for Christmas cards & stockings or apparently for birthday banners. It’s like a “special occasion” wall. :)

I also snagged some balloons during my run to the grocery store. Not the most environmentally-friendly decoration, I know, but they sure are fun and give you a lot of celebratory bang for your buck at only $5.95 a 1/2 dozen.

And after the birthday boy has been surprised, the balloons are fun for annoying your pets. Or tying them around the dog.

But I digress. Let’s talk about CAKE!

Because Ryan and I both love chocolate, but we are trying to do a low-carb and low-sugar diet to slim down for the wedding, I experimented with an almost guilt-free dessert. It turned out really well (if you love dark chocolate), so I wanted to share the recipe with you.

I based the recipe on the chocolate torte (Reine de Saba) recipe in the Williams-Sonoma Chocolate cookbook.

Ingredients for Jane’s Almost Sugar and Carb Free Chocolate Torte

*5 oz Unsweetened Ghirardelli baking chocolate, 100% cacao (don’t get the cheap stuff)

*3 oz Bittersweet Chocolate (I like Scharffen Berger, don’t skimp on quality)

3/4 Cup Unsalted Butter, (room temp)

**1/4 Cup Sugar or Splenda

6 Large Eggs, Separated (room temp)

1 1/2 Cups Ground Almonds (use a food processor)

*Instead of 8 oz bittersweet chocolate, I did part unsweetened, to help cut down on the sugar.

**Instead of 3/4 cups sugar, I only did 1/4, and I did a mixture of Splenda and Real sugar for that 1/4 cup. I hate Splenda but Ryan swears by it. So this was a compromise.

To make ground nuts, use your food processor. I used my coffee grinder, and it gunked it all up. Huge mistake.

Grind Nuts Coffee Grinder

Directions!

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Butter and flour a round cake pan, spring form is ideal. (I used a cheap aluminum foil cake pan.)

3. Break the chocolate into small chunks (if not already chopped). To melt the chocolate, use a double boiler (or a pot of water with a heat-safe mixing bowl on top of it. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. The chocolate should cool slightly.

4. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Use an electric mixer if you have one. Add the egg yolks gradually, mixing well after each is added.

5. Mix in the chocolate and the ground almonds.

6. Beat the egg whites until glossy and stiff but not dry. (This was hard for me because we don’t have an electric beater or mixer.)

7. Fold the egg whites into the chocolate cake mixture. Be gentle.

8. Pour the mix into the cake pan, smooth out with spatula on top.

9. Bake at 350 for around 50 minutes. When the top puffs and forms a crust, the torte should be done.

10. Remove from oven. Cool in pan for around 15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to continue cooling.

Serve it up:

We like it with Frozen Raspberries & Unsweetened Whipped Cream.

The original recipe recommends that you serve this baby dripping in chocolate ganache. But because we’re trying to make dessert healthier, I made a simple raspberry sauce. Simmer a bag of frozen raspberries in a pan, stirring and mashing occasionally until they just become saucy. Like a puree, only less work.

Take heavy whipping cream, add a few drops of pure Vanilla Extract, and whip – well whip it until you’ve got whipped cream. The unsweetened cream is so naturally sweet that you don’t need to add the sugar. And it’s SO much tastier than that stuff that comes out of cans.

I drizzled a very generous spoonful of raspberry sauce over the torte, then added a huge dollop of whipped cream. Garnish with orange zest for a natural sprinkle look. :)

The verdict? Ryan and I both loved this very chocolatey, only-slightly-sweet cake. However, we realized that it’s best if served in small slices, smaller than the one pictured above. It’s so dense that a little bit goes a long way. And you know what? That’s fine with me!!

PS: Want to see what happens when we tie balloons around the dog and then ask her “Do you want to go for a walk?” She gets so excited she has to run in circles, even if there are balloons tied to her collar. And then our other pup thinks he should play-attack her. Don’t mind the disheveled state of the room. It was a busy weekend. :)