Tweedle Dee Designs shows you how to flaunt your independence with these free downloadables!

• - Water Bottle Labels
• - Treat Bag Topper
• - Patriotic Straw Tags
• - Party Punchables for Cupcake Toppers
• - Stars and Stripes Banner

After dowloanding these 4th freebies hop over to Tweedle’s etsy shop for more goodies! Time to cue the fireworks and get grilling…

• ** Another 4th Freebie: If you would like to wear your patriotism on your head, download this tugboat patrotic hat by Printshop via Daily Candy!

SHOP WITH LOLLIPOP:

• - picnic pets (ants; $48.00, ladybugs; $48.00)
• - provence runner; $45.00
• - gather sign; $98.00
• - retro drink umbrellas; $5.00,
• - vintage enamelware candleholder; $6.00,
• - mid century modern metal enamel wine glass; $15.00
• - reclaimed oak cutting board; $95.00,

Today we are honoring donuts. They can be spelled donut or doughnut. They are mysteriously served with a large gaping hole in the middle of them. An even stranger phenomenon is that the hole (appropriately named donut hole) is sold separately. Brilliant marketing strategy? I would say so! Donuts can be frosted, sprinkled, powdered,  dipped, dunked and stacked. They make a brilliant companion to both coffee and milk, are fairly inexpensive, and are a dessert that you can eat for breakfast!

• RECIPES & SOURCES:
• - Cream cheese pumpkin donuts recipe
• - Donut recipes via Country Living
• - Donut favor boxes via the knot
• - Donut tiered tower via Wedding Chicks
• - Pyramid stacked donut – via us Lolliladies! We stacked white powdered donuts on plates for a   Christmas Party, and set them into a winter wonderland of other delectable desserts.

We LOVE the humorous and creative favor box that a bride & groom (photo above) gave out on their wedding day. It says: Mmm… Donut ‘our first conversation was about the Simpsons, so we wanted to share Homer’s favorite donut with you!’

If you are fighting the sugar crave because Summer is around the corner, you can opt for healthier gluten- free donuts try these DIY doughnut recipes for gluten-free Cherry Blossom Doughnuts and Pumpkin and Hazlenut Doughnuts via Cannelle et Vanille.

***CELEBRATE NATIONAL DONUT DAY: Get a free one at participating Krispy Kreme and Dunkin’ Donuts (where you have to buy a drink in order to get the deal).

We are inspired by food styling: tables that look like people are supposed to eat at them. Not so overly manicured that you are afraid to set them with food. As event stylists we love to integrate food into the tablescape (Leila knows this VERY well from when we designed her wedding.) We feel that we are selling an experience, and the experience at a dining table is to DINE.

Weird concept! We are not Pottery Barn display artists selling furniture or plates, we are selling laughter, celebration, and fun at the table. All of this surrounds the time honored tradition of eating. So we like to honor food by celebrating it and integrating it into the décor of the day.

Carefree, effervescent, lived in, a table should not be too composed. Just like a brand new pair of sneakers isn’t comfortable until worn a few times, we like our tables to feel thrown together (in the most beautiful way of course. And of course each element is placed to perfection, but it shouldn’t necessarily look that way!)  When you think back to some of your favorite dining experiences, often you think back to family dinners, your mom  or grandma cooking your favorite recipe in the kitchen, one that you now cook.

It is those kind of memories that we like to evoke at events. The feeling of sitting around a table with friends and family in a relaxed environment and ultimately celebrating, and we think integrating food into the tables adds to the feeling. We have a few favorite food stylists that inspire us, but one of our favorites is Leesa O’ Reilly.

Hop on over to Inspired by This to find out our favorite inspirational cookbooks! Do you like integrating food into your table scapes? What inspires you??

This cake was inspired by the flower appliques on a series of flower pots at Anthropologie.

And the inspiration for the ‘Always in my heart’ cake came from a valentines day card!

We find it fascinating to see where the inspiration starts for talented designers. We love that inspiration can come from traveling, cultures, nature, and everyday simple objects like greeting cards and beautiful vases. Letting yourself just be inspired, and recognizing when you are in fact inspired can open up to creating really fabulous designs!

This birthday cake design was “Inspired from a birthday banner decoration”. It seems like such an obvious place to obtain inspiration, yet not everyone would think to translate a paper banner into such a clean design.

“Inspired from the pattern on an Orla Kiely handbag.” There is no better place to obtain inspiration than from fashion, especially when it’s going on a delectable dessert!

From Inspiration to Creation Liz transforms her sketches and inspirations into scrumptious confections.

This cake is called the “Pop Flora” and the inspiration came from a design on a three ring binder she found at Target. We are fascinated with how such a simple inspiration could transform into such a lovely cake.

The “Pinwheel” cake inspiration came from the pinwheel appliques of a Jcrew cardigan!

Once again our Inspiration to Creation segment showcases how the tiniest inspirations, whether from a sweater applique or a binder, can turn into design dazzling creations!

Shauna says, For this Valentine’s-themed event, I designed custom cupcake towers that resemble traditional tiered cakes, along with chocolate bar wrappers, favor labels, and plaid cookies.

Next, I “map out” the table. I also do a quick sketch of any custom items. For this table, that included the design of the cookies, as well as creating pink-on-pink striped papers and navy logos for different favors. I like to jot down any notes about the theme or “feel” of the event. For this, I scribbled All you need is love for the theme and preppy pretty to describe the vibe. I wanted to balance the girl-y pink with more masculine navy and tan.

Photography by Tricia Little of Sweet Shibui Photography; Design by Shauna Younge Dessert Tables

And wala, a perfect pink confection creation!

Some of the details from the inspiration board that Shauna used as inspiration to create the dessert display were:

- The bride’s Monique Lhuillier gown had a floral bodice. Those same flowers are echoed on the chic, grey cake and the custom marshmallow toppers.

-  The dress had sparkly beading. The same shimmer is found on the white chocolate gems, custom macaron towers, and rock candy.

- The bride and groom’s sophisticated, grey attire is represented by the hand-painted truffles, 4-tier wedding cake, and custom linens.

Images: Sweet Shibui Photography

Top Row: Jeff and Melissa loved the clean lines and floral interpretation of their Kate Spade “Gwinnett Lane” china pattern that. They asked Erica O’Brien to translate the pattern into cake. Erica hand cut fondant pieces colored to match the china and appliqued them to the fondant covering the cake.

Middle Row: Michael surprised Jillian with a trip to Hawaii, where he proposed to her after years of dating. To commemorate their trip and their engagement, they bought matching Hawaiian print shirts. They asked Erica OBrien to create a cake inspired by their shirts.

Bottom Row: Ron and Sarah used elements found in an Indian painting (exoticindiaart.com) to represent Ron’s family’s Hindu heritage

See more of Erica’s brilliant work at Erica O’Brian Cake Design.