We're ending our apple-themed month of posts here on the blog with a toast. An apple and cinnamon punch cocktail toast, to be precise. This cocktail embodies all things fall with its seasonal flavors and its amber good-looks. Not to mention that it's a super easy-to-make recipe that will take you beautifully all the way into Thanksgiving! You can make this cocktail in a shaker and play bartender in front of your guests, or simply make a big batch ahead of your party to serve a thirsty crowd. Both recipes given below for your pleasure. You're welcome! 😉

I love styling tablescapes. Even before having a blog, setting a pretty table was always something that I looked forward to each holiday and special occasion. I love dreaming up new colors, patterns, textures and creative details to dress and embellish my party tables. And I couldn't wait to create an apple-themed farmhouse inspired tablescape to share with you guys this month!

As you probably noticed, this month we're celebrating all things apple.  And you there's no better way to celebrate anything than with cake, am I right?!  Apple and cinnamon together also embody everything "Fall" for me, and is one of my favorite flavor combinations ever! Add salted caramel to the mix...and you have me hooked. For life. So today I'm sharing with you my latest layer cake creation, which consists of a delicious, fluffy apple and cinnamon sponge cake filled with a gorgeous apple and cinnamon pie filling, frosted with a creamy cinnamon frosting, and topped off with a to-die-for salted caramel drip . You're welcome! 😁

September is one of my favorite months. Not only because both my kids were born in September, but because of the cooler days, the beautiful autumnal sights we see in nature and the gorgeous produce we get to enjoy this time of year, like the humble apple! Apples also symbolize the back to school season, so in its honor, we decided to celebrate by creating a few of apple-themed posts to share with you throughout the month of September - from DIYs to recipes and all in between! Staring with today's adorable DIY apple zipper pouches ! 🍎

Frangipane is an almond based French cream. Now that we've got the vocabulary lesson out the way, let's move on to the cooking, shall we?! 😉 This delicious apple and frangipane tart is the bom diggity of tarts, and it's one of my favorite recipes to make this time of year, especially for Thanksgiving as you saw in my Boho Chic post here ! 

Thank you Mardi Gras Napkins for sponsoring this post. Learn more about Mardi Gras Conversation Starter Napkins here and grab your coupon today! Fall is one of my favorite seasons. Mainly because of all the the wonderful produce in season this time of year, and the tasty treats we bake (and eat) with them, of course! 😉 Our apple trees were covered in fruit these past few weeks, and it has been a real treat, I tell ya! We've had apple pies, apple crumbles, apple compotes and even apple chips baked in the oven and covered in cinnamon. YUM! But one of my fav ways to use up all them apples, is with a Caramel Apple Station ! 

Toffee apples take me right back to childhood. I remember walking past the sweet stands selling them at carnivals and country fairs, and I always pestered my mom to buy them. I totally favored these over cotton candy every time! And autumn is the perfect time to make these delicious, crunchy toffee apples at home. Forget bobbing for apples, toffee apples is where it's at! ;) Oh, and did I mention it's super easy too? I love them even more now!

Have you noticed how almost anything tastes better on a stick?!  Not sure if it's the novelty of seeing our yummy recipes in bite-form; or actually a scientific reason behind it. Whatever it is, pie pops are my new Fall favorites! They are perfectly practical for serving at parties. And can we just taking a minute to appreciate how cute they look? :)

Thanksgiving is around the corner, and though I really wanted to style a full-on table for you this year, I've been up to my eyebrows in crafts for the Paris trip this week. So I got some of my fave party gals to help me come up with some cool ideas on how to use our FREE Thanksgiving printables  (limited time only!) in recipes, table styling and party favors. We're all posting today, and you'll find the links to the awesome tutorials on the bottom of the post. 

I'm an advocate for hand-made, and don't care who knows it. BUT I also don't have a lot of time and like any working mom, budget is always at the forefront of my party planning. And last year for my kid's joint Barnyard Birthday it was no different. I baked, crafted and handmade a lot of the details, including these Apple Cake Pops and mini " Farm Orchard" Centerpiece display for the pops...

Following on from yesterday's Barnyard Birthday post , this is the recipe for the " Farmhouse Apple and Berry Pie " I made instead of a birthday cake! I always like to incorporate a lot of handmade details in my styled parties, but this time around I was also in full prep for  Bird's Party Magazine Fall Issue , and hence my shortcuts - Instead of a fancy decorated cake, I opted for a farmhouse-style, rustic fruit pie for my kid's Barnyard Birthday this year . I'm no Nigella, so "rustic" is the operative word here! ;)

I love thinking of fun, unique ideas and twists on popular birthday themes, and it was no different for my  children this year - We always have a joint party as they were born on the same day but two years part, and the  Barnyard Farm Theme  was a perfect solution for their 5th and 7th birthday celebrations! I did snap loads of pics a usual, but below's a taster of the day...Oh, and because I made a lot of the stuff by hand, there'll be some tutorials coming all this week! :)