Sunrise Creations Blog

You know how some weddings just stand out in your memory?   I’ve decided that it’s often because of the little details which show thought and care which make one wedding different from another. 

I’ve been thinking about place cards lately.  They are a necessary part of any function but sometimes they can be a little routine, can’t they?  What if we put some extra effort into finding quirky place cards?  How much different might that make to the way we remember an event?

Here are some of the clever ideas I have come across. 

These little hand decorated biscuits serve as place cards and they are edible so they have a dual function.   By Also Heaven, these pretty cookies will attract attention.  .

Of course, not everyone likes sugar.  If your wedding is eco-friendly, uses a nature theme or has a green colour scheme, why not use something like these apple place cards fromSugar Bowl?

These little lollipop place cards are by DIY Weddings but they would be just as much fun at a children’s party. Don’t they look fabulous?

I love this look, too. By Southern Living, it uses little bird’s nests and eggs to hold the place card. You could create your nest out of straw and write the name on the egg. How good for Easter.

There are more ideas over at Oh So Beautiful Paper but I love these ones. Satin ribbon, an old fashioned key and a handwritten, vintage style name tag. So pretty.

It’s the tiny things like place cards which turn a wedding from pretty to magical.

What ideas can you come up with?

Isn’t it funny how easily we can let something slip from our minds when it’s not there right in front of us? In our defence, life does get the better of us; one minute it’s Monday, the next it’s Sunday, and you find yourself getting ready to start another week all over again.

The human brain usually works best when we get a reminder about things. A little trigger here or there – a fragrance, a song, a place – can flood your mind with sensations. So what better to be reminded of than your memories or feelings for someone, something or some place you love?  That’s often why we enjoy having photos around us at home and at work.  They are a visual reminder about what we love and enjoy which we can then share with everyone else.

Very often, behind the photo is a story.  A great way to tell the story further without even saying a word is compiling a series of photos of what was happening that special day.  Your child’s first day of school, for example, would have been a process of getting ready, making the lunch, packing the bag and then leaving home to start their exciting new journey.

I always take photos throughout the day because you never know what you’re likely to capture or what particular part of the day will be the one that moves you most.  Seeing my child in uniform for the first time brought tears to my eyes but, unexpectedly, so did the moment when I watched him walk out of school with a big smile and a new friend. 

By taking the photos of each moment and putting them together in a photobook or in a series on your wall, they form something like a visual story, to be shared, admired and reflected upon for years to come. You don’t always have to limit yourself to one photo for a memory – your own story board with a collection of photos can say a thousand words.

Photo display boards are a really nice way to display some of your favourite photos in and around your home.

The also make a great feature-piece on large, blank walls, or create a personal, yet stunning accent to any room.

You can make your own display board, or pick one up online, or at places such as scrapbooking outlets, photo processing shops or Spotlight. No matter where you get your board, it’s what you do with it that will make it a feature.

They are also highly personal, so make it really special.

You may like to have your favourite snapshots of great times with people you love; the images you caught unexpectedly that make you smile, or remind you of a fun moment.

Simple framed board with patterned background by Country Living

It may be a random display of your family, featuring photographs that highlight each family member’s personality, which features well in kitchen and living areas, or capturing the essence of a particular day, celebration or other special moment.

The display in itself can tell the story of a person, featuring a careful selection of images, or a special day, including specific moments, guests or other happenings.

Family feature display by Woman's Day

For themed living areas, or bedrooms, you may like to create a feature board, with similar coloured or themed pictures. It may be your daughter dressed in her favourite fairy princess dress ups. You may prefer a theme, featuring images of beaches, trees or your favourite animals.

Country style ribbon board by Christine Chitnis

Ultimately, your photo display board can be created around what it’s purpose is; to make you smile, inspire and motivate you, to add character and colour to a room, or just remind you of special moments in your life.

If you like the style of the ribbon board pictured here, Christine has a tutorial on her site showing exactly how you can make one.

Your photo board is what it is to you … so go create.

Without a doubt Christmas Day is one of the biggest feasts of the year. Whether you celebrate it traditionally with roast meat, vegetables, ham, plum pudding and all the trimmings – or Aussie style with seafood and cold salads, we all know that dessert is an all-important feature of Christmas Day.

We thought we would do a little hunting around and find some truly gorgeous Christmas Dessert Tables to inspire you and get you thinking about your own Christmas Dessert Table this year.

1. Christmas Drinks Dessert Table from the blog Mrs A in the Cove. Featuring Chocolate dipped pretzels, Raspberry Cupcakes, Cookie Pops, Meringues, Macaroons, Chocolate dipped wafter sticks, Mini chocolate bars and Candy Canes.

2. This is also from Mrs A in the Cove but features some more traditional desserts such as: "The Trifle", Tim Tam Cookie Pops, Rum Balls, Chocolate dipped wafers, Chocolate dipped strawberries, Meringues, Christmas Pudding, Ginger Biscuits and jaffas.

3. Mini Dessert Table.

The Christmas Dessert Table doesn’t have to be full of a huge assortment of desserts nor be lavishly decorated. This mini dessert table from A Little Delightful is simple and sweet and includes little snowmen on lollypop sticks, fresh milk in glass bottles, Oreo pops dipped in white chocolate, meringue stars, chocolate dipped pretzels and mini chocolate puddings.

4 .Christmas Gingerbread Dessert Table

This was actually from a Kids Gingerbread House Making Party – from the blog Jenny’s Cookies which has some really gorgeous photos. The dessert table included hot chocolate on a stick, north pole cupcakes, Christmas hot chocolate and cake pops amongst other things!

If you need some more ideas for Aussie dessert inspirations have a look at the collection at taste.com.au –summer berry trifle, mulled wine sorbet with clove biscuts, kiwifruit, pineapple and passionfruit parfait and heaps more ideas for your 2011 Christmas Dessert Table!

There’s a heap of information and resources out there on making Halloween fun for the kids, but what about the adults? Surely they’re allowed some fun, too?

Halloween is, really, just another excuse to host a party. This time, you have a theme you don’t need to think to hard about.

Obviously, you want everyone to come in character; Halloween themed character, of course. The themeing doesn’t stop there however. Simple touches, like orange and black napkins, balloons, streamers and other decorations.

Add some cardboard skeletons, hang some bats and fake spider webs and cover the windows with black cloth and you’re on your way.

The right music will enhance the night dramatically – songs like Werewolves of London, Psycho Killer, Monster Mash, Black Magic Woman and Sympathy for the Devil are a good start. There are plenty more where they came from.

Food, of course, is an important element of any social gathering. You can make your Halloween party so much more fantastic with the right food. Drinks and cocktails – in the right colours of course; red, luminous green and black – served from IV drip bags, or in punch bowls filled with “body parts” (peeled grapes, chunks of watermelon) add to the effect.

You are looking for impact with your choice of food, so make sure that it looks effective and gets even an adult imagination wondering.  You might like to try something like "Eye of Newt" from the Betty Crocker Kitchen. Until you taste it, you won't be quite sure what it is...

Finger foods are also handy; like Mummy Dogs or Frankenstein Finger Dips (using carrots and … a dip!)

Of course, don't forget the drinks.  They have to match the theme, too.  I love the sound of the Green Ghoul cocktail.

Ingredients:

• 1 part Midori Melon Liqueur
• 1/2 part Strega Liqueur or Yellow Chartreuse
• 1/2 part Canton Ginger liqueur
• Ginger Beer or Ginger Ale

Preparation:

There’s plenty of food ideas out there on the web, but really, all you need to do is take a nice, easy recipe you know, and spooky it up! A dash of red and some squiggly lines makes brains or body parts in an instant.

You’re only limited by your imagination.

And how much fun you can handle!

The focus of any dessert table is the centrepiece and more often than not, it’s a floral arrangement.   While they are beautiful to look at, they aren’t the only type of centrepiece you could choose.  I like the different and the unusual but I also like the practical, too.  That’s why the idea of edible centrepieces appeals to me so much.  They can be pretty or they can be totally wild but they are always tasty.

Fruit Bouquets

I love the look of these colourful and fresh fruit bouquets, don’t you?  They would be suitable for parties for children or adults.  In fact, it might encourage some children to try fruit they would never normally eat.  These arrangements are by Edible Blooms.

Chocolate Centrepieces

How could you go past a chocolate sculpture?  Isn’t this creation amazing?  It’s all chocolate and was created by Sisko Chocolate.  It’s elegant and textural and totally, eye-catchingly unique.  Please go to Sisko and look at their work.  It's divine.  Have a look at the wall of chocolate butterflies.  Incredible.

Macaroon Marvels

At first glance you wouldn’t realise that these displays were made of macaroons and cookies, would you?  These delicious looking arrangements use flowers as an added decoration.  (Perhaps the disguise makes them safe from little fingers for just that bit longer!)   These designs were made by Cookie Couture.

Cheese Cakes

Yes, these really are cakes of cheese – wheels, to be precise.  If you don’t have a sweet tooth, you might prefer an elegant arrangement like these ones from Wheely Cheesy Cakes.  They don’t look like wheels of cheese, do they?  What a pretty way to decorate your table.

There are lots of other styles of centrepiece you could use.  Don’t stick to the usual floral arrangements.  Add some interest and then eat it up. 

There is nothing like receiving an extraordinary envelope in the letter box, knowing that it will be something exciting and fun and not a request for money.

In today’s modern and more relaxed times engaged couples are less hesitant to let their personalities and love of life shine through, and this starts with the invitation to your special day.  This is a teaser of the theme and should reflect the mood you hope to create.

Gone are the days when wedding invitations were white, ivory, ecru, cream, alabaster etc. You get the message! Weddings and therefore invitations tended to be formal and traditional. Not anymore!  You are restricted only by your imagination, and wedding invitations can be any colour of the rainbow to tie in with your personal theme, the colour of the attendants, or even the season or the location.  Gold and Silver are always in fashion, and can be combined with just about any colour you like.

For example, show your love of the orient by selecting an oriental inspired invitation and then follow the theme with your catering, decoration and even your choice of wedding gown.

Wording and font is another design feature that allows couples to individualise, moving away from traditional phrasing. Invitations often come from the couple themselves, instead of the parents as was the case in a generation or so ago.

The ultimate personalisation is the inclusion of photographs. Maybe you invested time and money in your engagement photos, or you want another excuse for a casual photo shoot to record the early days of your relationship.  Using these special images in your wedding invitation is a special touch.

The trend is to individualism with the creation of unique and very personalised wedding invitations and stationery.  It makes your special day even more perfect because your personality shines through every part of the day.

Nothing can beat the feeling of quality paper between your fingers, and the anticipation created by pinning a gorgeous invitation to your fridge for 6 weeks.  Everyone loves a wedding!

I love seeing new and unusual things, especially decorations.  They are such an important part of setting a mood and creating an atmosphere, particularly for parties.

I was wandering through Etsy today and I found a store called Fake Cupcake Creations.  Aren't they fabulous? 

Can you picture these cakes in a fantasy setting?  Think Alice in Wonderland or even a cake palace.  How colourful and decorative are they?

Fake Cupcake Creations make fake cakes for all occasions.  The Halloween ones are ghoulishly delightful.  If you are a real cupcake fan, you can also buy a headband with a creamy cupcake sitting on top!

This store is a feast for the senses so  pop in and have a good look around.  Your imagination will go wild!

The music you choose to play during your should reflect the mood you have set for the day as well as your own personal tastes.  Don't let anyone else tell you what you should or shouldn't be playing.

For example, if you are planning a retro wedding, choose music from that era.  A 1930's wedding would be filled with songs from the jazz and big band era.  Think about Irving Berlin's "Across The Breakfast Table" (Looking At You), Cole Porter's "Easy To Love" (You'd Be So Easy To Love)  and "My Baby Just Cares For Me" by Gus Kahn and Walter Donaldson.

If your tastes are more metal than jazz, think about choosing songs like "Eve" by Dream Theater, Nightwish's "Sleeping Sun" or Apocalyptica's version of "Nothing Else Matters".  

Of course, if you are really stuck and can't make up your mind what you like, you can always hope on over toiTunes and look around.  There are pages of different styles of music to look through.

Just remember that it's your day and the music should be special to you.  It's the soundtrack to the beginning of your new life.  Choose the music you love.