Nearly a decade ago, I (Tess) enrolled in a watercolor class during summer school at my university. I've always considered myself to be a fairly crafty and artistic person, but let me tell you - watercolor painting is HARD! Making simple designs and blending colors was fun and sort of relaxing, but the detail and artistry that my instructor and some of my fellow classmates used was phenomenal. Needless to say, I knew I was not going to improve all that much in just a short amount of time. However, I definitely left inspired and with a tremendous amount of respect for those that could create beautiful imagery with only a few tools.

So excited to finally share with you the fabulous Gluten Free Cupcake Baking Party from our contributor Gillian ! Not only it's full of inspiring party ideas, but Gillian also use the designs from our Cupcake Baking printables  to create the large sprinkles table backdrop !  How cool is that?! I simply designed them in a resolution high enough so Gillian could take it to a printing shop to get it enlarged! Fun, right?! Imagine the possibilities! ;) Check out all the stunning party photos and details below as told by Gillian:

Hello fellow cake makers!! I am excited to share some quick tips to take your plain, buttercream cakes to the next level. Although I highly encourage learning how to create a smooth buttercream finish, adding textures is an easy way to change up the appearance of an ordinary cake.

Get ready to drool...if you follow this blog or have ordered my book ( Mindy here ), then you already know that i have an obsession with macarons. Well...I also have an obsession with meringues. One day I want to have the tag line: Mindy - The master of macarons, meringues, and marshmallows. It has a nice ring to it :)

Hi, it's Jen from Banner Events here. I love Mother's Day!  Not only is it a wonderful day to celebrate with my children, but a beautiful day to celebrate my own sweet mother.  

You've probably guessed it's all about Mother's Day this week on the blog...And today, our contributor Gillian is sharing a super sweet, pretty but also easy to style  Mother's Day desserts table ! Check out her lovely ideas and details below...The bird cage is my fave! ;)

Hi there! I (Tess) hope you all enjoyed the last segment of the series, Baking Basics , and have been whipping up yummy, moist cakes left and right! Now, before we get into some decorating and assembly tips and tricks, I would like to set you up with some classic or  Classic Cake and Icing Recipes from my own kitchen - Believe me, if you start with a stable icing and a crumb with good structure, the sometimes-daunting decorating process will be much easier!

I ( Mindy ) live in northern California and one of our family’s favorite outings is to the jelly belly factory ! Aubrey was so excited about this theme for her party {and so was her brother ... my little guy has lots of allergies and jelly belly beans are vegan and safe for him to enjoy too} and since Aubrey’s birthday occurred in the middle of writing my book, I relied quite a bit on the incredible vendors (listed at the end) to help make her day special!  I also relied on a simple color scheme: Rainbow ! The Jelly Bean Printables were designed by Bird’s Party   - the jelly bean and striped patterns were exactly what I was looking for – and they were just perfect!

Today we're sharing some of the fabulous photos as styled and photographed by our contributor Mindy . She used Bird's Party Glam Baby Shower printables to create a stunning and super creative desserts table for a friend's baby shower! I especially love the post-it note backdrop and that gorgeous giant frame decorating the front of the table - So easy to re-create and both pack a huge wow factor! Details below as told by Mindy:

I (Mindy) love valentines day. I  love macarons. I  love sprinkles .   So naturally these Valentine's day macarons had to be! This idea kinda has me all over it :)  If you have made macarons before then this tutorial is an easy way to kick them up a notch! 

Happy Mardi Gras everyone!! :) Even though I live miles away from my native country of Brazil, we celebrated CARNAVAL  (that's what it's called in Brazil) this past weekend with a lot of confetti, samba, Caipirinha, barbecue and Brazilian sweets.

Only 2 says to go, but these super sweet and totally adorable party favor ideas or gifts, are very quick to put together. Just grab some candy tubes or boxes + your Valentine's fave candies or Hershey's Kisses + cute party printables , and you're off! ;)

This one is ideal for the boys and for classroom Valentine's - Simply print, cut and staple to a bag of cute leaping frogs, for a non-candy Valentine's Gift! Keep reading to download your FREE printables.

Call me (Christine, Pure Joy Events) old school, but I heart Post-It Notes. I use them to jot down notes, set reminders, bookmark pages, and label just about anything. When I came across this picture on Pinterest , I couldn't wait for the opportunity to make an eye-catching backdrop from the world's favorite sticky notes.

Today it's all about baking! And what better way to celebrate our love of sweet things, than with these gorgeous heart shaped Valentine's cookies from Haniela's ?! And Hani baked them especially to match Bird's Party NEW Modern Valentine's Day Printables !! How cool is that?! :) Perfect for weddings and bridal showers too!

Just in time for Sunday, we're bringing you an easy recipe for your game watching party or tailgating celebrations! No matter what team you're on, these super bowl cupcakes are sure to be the hit of the party! ;)

Crissy from Crissy's Crafts styled this fun and original party for the Investiture and Re-Dedication Ceremony party for her daughter and friends.  I LOVED designing the printables for this 'girl power' party, and you can now download them for FREE (includes editable invitations and templates!) Check out all the amazing details below + download link for your FREE Girl Scouts Party Printable Kit !

It's always nice to start the week on a sweet note, don't you think? And there's nothing sweeter than a cute packaging idea for your  Valentine's party favors ! This one is from the creative Crissy, and it does exactly what it says on the packet. Love + sweetness guaranteed! ;)

I have been trying to get these ' Cake it Pretty ' cake decorating series up and running for ages, and so am beyond excited to have come across a mega talented professional to guide us through the world of cakes - Step-by-Step!

Hi, it's Hani from Haniela's .  Are you getting ready for the Valentine's Day? Here is a cute idea to add to your Valentine's Cookie repertoire - Heart Balloon Cookies !  Step-by-step with cookie baking and decorating tips and recipes below.