Saturday, August 20, 2011

Breakfast Pastries

Hey guys! How was your week??

I just wanted to quickly share some pastries that my sister and I made this week for our new business, Le Plaisir. We were so excited when we were contacted by Chesapeake Energy to provide some breakfast pastries for a morning meeting. Here is what we made for them:

Some apple and cherry danishes



Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing





Chocolate Croissants



Pigs in a Blanket and Ham & Cheese Croissants




I wish you could've smelled our kitchen that day. I had to exercise some major self control to keep myself from devouring it all! Have a wonderful weekend!!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Doing My Part



Remember this grocery bag I made back in April? I never got around to showing you the rest of the bags I made. That's because I never got around to finishing them. I found them in my "work in progress" pile and I was very disappointed to find that all I was pending was attaching the handles. So I dug them out and finished them up last night.





I used Keyka Lou's pattern which is simliar to the design of the plastic bags given at grocery stores but about twice as big (and reusable!!). Here's my little model showing you how large they are.



These are finally off my to-do list! Onto another unfinished project and some more swap items. Enjoy your Wednesday!

Linking up here.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

DIY Pennant Banner

**If you have used this tutorial or any others by Pink Stitches, please post your pictures on the Pink Stitches Flickr Group! I'd love to see your beautiful creations and feature some of my favorite projects!**



So I've been working on a bunch of stuff all week and unfortunately, since some of the stuff is for the swap, I'm not able to share it with you guys yet. But, I did make a pennant banner for our next dessert table and I took some pictures along the way so you can make one too!

Here is what you'll need:

- Scrap fabric (no smaller than 8" by 9")
- Ribbon (I used 7/8" grosgrain in antique white)
- Cardstock for your Pennant Template
- Scissors, thread, straight pins

To make your Pennant Template:

Cut a piece of cardstock down to 8" by 9". You can make it smaller or bigger if you wish, as long as you just add one inch to your width to make your length. For example, if you want your pennant to be 4" wide, your length would be 5".

Now, use the image below to make your template.



Measure to the center of your width at the bottom (in this case 4") and then draw a line from that center to each of the top corners of your cardstock. Cut out your template. *Please email me if this is too confusing*

To make your pennant flags:

Place the template on the fabric you're going to use and trace out two flags.



Cut out your pieces.



Place your pieces right side together.



Sew along the two longer sides and clip the corner before turning right side out.





Make the rest of your flags using the same method.



To make your banner:

Press your ribbon in half lengthwise. (You don't have to but it makes it easier to keep it even throughout the rest of the project)



Leave about a foot of ribbon at one end and then pin the first flag in between the fold.



It's up to you how far apart you want your flags. I left about two inches in between each one. Pin the second and third flags.



Top stitch the ribbon from the beginning edge to the end of the third flag, keeping it folded. Attach three more flags and repeat until you have sewed on all the flags. I did mine three flags at a time so that I could keep the ribbon pulled and straightened as I went along. When you get to the end of your last flag, leave about another foot of ribbon and cut off the excess. Finish sewing the end in half.



And you are finished with your pennant banner!



I made mine for our next dessert table but banners like these are so versatile. They can be used for anything! It's going in my craft room after we have finished using it.





How cute would these look for an outdoor party??



I hope you guys enjoyed this little tutorial and try making these super easy banners for yourselves! They will put a smile on anyone's face :-)

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Turquoise and Purple

As I mentioned in my last post, my sister and I have started our own business, Le Plaisir- dessert tables and sweets. We have both been so blessed to be able to be stay-at-home moms and we decided that starting a dessert table business would be the best way to utilize both our talents and bring in some extra income while still staying home with our babies.

Our first table was a success! We chose a simple and clean color scheme (turquoise and purple) that featured exquisite desserts with less emphasis on the decor.



The menu consisted of Swan Profiteroles, which are Pâte à choux swans, filled with crème pâtissière and fresh whipped cream



Large pretzel rods dipped in white chocolate and colored sugar



Monogrammed sugar cookies



White chocolate Parisian macarons (I'm proud to say that my super talented sister learned how to perfect these in a special culinary class in PARIS!!)



Handmade vanilla marshmallows with turquoise swirls (which were amazing!)



And we also had a chocolate layer cake with buttercream frosting.



We made "to go" dessert boxes with my snazzy Silhouette machine and that accordian pinwheel backdrop out of cardstock and placed it against a bead board panel.



I'm so excited about next week's table. We are calling it "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and I get to go cuh-raaazy with the decorations! I also have a tutorial coming up for you guys that has to do with the table.

By the way, True Blood was awesome tonight!! What's going to happen to Jessica!? That was a rhetorical question, if you know don't tell me!! I want to be surprised :) Have a great week everyone!

Saturday, August 6, 2011

40% Off Everything in my Shop!!

Hey bloggy friends! I've missed you!


Sorry I've been MIA lately. I haven't been sewing. I haven't been reading. I haven't even been on vacation. My sister and I have been busy little bees launching our new business!



Le Plaisir means Pleasure in French. We will be making dessert tables for special events. In fact, we made our first table yesterday for a photo shoot. Here's a little sneak peek of it.



Turquoise macarons anyone?? We will be posting pictures of the full table later today on our Facebook page. I hope you'll stop by!

So in celebration of this exciting milestone in my life, I am offering 40% off everything in my shop to all my readers!

Just enter coupon code: DESSERTS (at checkout)


I will have more good stuff to share with you soon. I'm currently working on another fun dessert table (that I'm dying to show you!) as well as some projects for my upcoming swap. Have a great weekend!!