Trent Alert {Gender Reveal Parties}

Before you ask, no it's not what I sounds like.  It's a take on a Baby Shower.  Glad we got that sorted.

Gender reveal parties are the newest way to announce to your family and friends the sex of the baby you are soon to give birth to.  Themes tend to be gender neutral and the soon-to-be parents will normally announce the sex by cutting of the cake to reveal either a blue or pink cake inside or by opening a box and releasing blue or pink balloons.

Husbands are encouraged to be more involved in a gender reveal party and both men and woman are normally invited.  Second time parents also find this a fun way to announce what they are having, as a lot of second time parents like to find out the sex of their child.

Recently we worked on a story with The Sunday Mail and put together a little gender reveal dessert table to inspire others.  Two talented ladies worked closely with me on this table.  Coby from The Lemony Cupcake made amazing cake, cupcakes, vanilla bean custards and honey jumbles.  And Sarah from Style Me Gorgeous created the backdrop, thank you tags and buffet labels.

I choose to work with a 'bee' theme selecting soft yellows, caramel, white and a touch of black as the colour palette.  I also included some wood to add a casual, slightly rustic feel.

The table centrepiece by The Lemony Cupcake.

The hive or top cake was cut to reveal the sex of the baby.

Beautiful cake detail




Little daisy cupcakes with coordinating printables by Style Me Gorgeous.
The beehive cake stand is from West Elm (and the ship to Australia too).
Baking cups and napkins from Paper Eskimo.

Sweet little individual vanilla bean custards topped with crushed honeycomb.
I stamped some wooden spoons from Paper Eskimo.  Stamp set from TomKat Studio.
Mini glass pots from Sweet Style.
I stamped "What will you bee" and "Baby Bumble Bee" on the spoons.




An oldie but a goodie - Honey Jumbles - yum!
The milk glass cake stands I used here are my absolutely favourite cake stand.  I love the shape of the pedestal and the smooth milk glass finish.
They come in a heap of colours and can be found at Sweet Style, Shop Sweet Lulu or TomKat Studios.




Milk and honey refreshments. Old school milk bottles can be found at Lark.  Similar mini bottles can be found at Shop Sweet Lulu.
Striped straws from Paper Eskimo.

Toasted marshmallows, caramel jerseys and gumballs.
Jars are my own.  I know they are cute aren't they?




Jars of honey make a useful and inexpensive party favour for your guests
and also help decorate the table.
Diamond quilted jars from Inviteme.



Simple kraft paper bags enable your guests to take home a selection of lollies/candy.
Thank you tags by Style Me Gorgeous, kraft treat bags from Occasion by Design.

Another gender reveal party that is on my list of most gorgeous parties is this one designed and hosted by Kate Landers.  You can see all the gorgeous details of her own gender reveal party by clicking here.

Photography by Sharnel Dollar for Sharnel Dollar Designs

If you would like us to design a dessert table for you next event you can get in contact with Sharnel here.

Jazz it up with jewellery

Sorry it's been so long between drinks.  Between school holidays, bronchitis, work and life my little blog has taken a backseat.

I'm here to today to share with you some super cute and inexpensive handmade jewellery pieces by Lucie Allen.  You may have seen Sophie wear the bunting necklace during her time on The Block.

Well I'm in love with her stuff and wanted to share Lucie's beautiful work with you.

Hope you love it just as much as I do.

Leila's 1st Birthday

Childrens first birthdays are one of the big milestones parents love to celebrate.  Here are a few images of Leila's 1st Birthday, a celebration we were lucky to be apart of recently.

Cake and desserts by The Lemony Cupcake

Dessert table design and event styling by Sharnel Dollar Designs

Photography by KC Fotografie

Paperie by Loralee Lewis

Backdrop by Inviteme (to match existing paperie)

Dessert Table

Fragrant Vanilla Cupcakes

Simple, classic but breathtakingly beautiful.  Leila's birthday cake.

Crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside.  Just the way a macaron should be.

White Chocolate Mousse Pots

Refreshments Stand

Strawberry Milks

Leila's 1st year in photos

Table settings

If you would like us to make your next event extra special, don't hesitate in contacting Sharnel here.

Life in a spin

The past two weeks have been far too busy for my liking and I'm looking forward to stepping on the merry-go-round for a week or so.
I'm totally in love with instagram at the moment so here is a look into the past two weeks of my life.

Vintage Circus Wedding Dessert Table

I am pleased to share with you the dessert table I designed recently, themed around the movie Water for Elephants.  The bride requested a vintage circus themed dessert table in rich reds, chocolate brown, ivory, bronze and gold detailing.

Desserts and cake by The Lemony Cupcake.  Table design and styling by Sharnel Dollar Designs.

We make a great team!

Wedding Cake by The Lemony Cupcake

Chocolate Macarons, Lemon Meringue Tarts, Raspberry Tarts, Caramel Popcorn, Petite Cupcakes

Chocolate Macarons

Petite Cupcakes

Details

Baileys Mud Truffle Cake Pops and Chocolate Tarts

Cranberry & Pistachio Slice and Choc Cherry Slice

Caramel Popcorn in handmade vintage style popcorn boxes

If you would like us to create your dream dessert table please contact Sharnel or Coby.  We would love to help you celebrate your special day with one of our delicious dessert tables.

Images by Sharnel Dollar

Vintage Circus backdrop

Creating interesting and theatrical backdrops isn't as hard and one would think.  I've just completed this backdrop in 40mins.  I still have to paint it, but the hard work is done.

This particular backdrop is for a vintage style circus wedding next weekend.  I'm going to paint the inside of the 'tent' black and I'm making carnival style lettering with fairy lights and paper mache block letters to sit in the middle of the table.

Materials needed:
MDF sheet (this one is 2m x 1m) approx 7mm thick
1.5m of Velvet (we used dance quality as it's a little more affordable than real velvet)
Tassel tie backs x 2
Heavy duty staple gun

Firstly I pleated the side panels and stapled to the top MDF board.  I folded the edges over the top and stapled to the back.  Do this on both sides.  Be sure to measure so the sides are even.  I've left some fabric at the bottom and will either arrange it messily on the table or cut off on site.  See what works on the day.

To complete the gathered billowy curtain at the top I centred the piece of fabric and stapled across the entire piece to the back of the board.  Next I measured the centre and started to gather, pleat and staple until I was happy with the way it looked.  I then played around with either end of that piece until I got the balloon effect and stapled in place.

Once you are happy with the way the curtain or tent is sitting you can then attach the tassels.  I'm really looking forward to sharing with you the finished table next weekend.  Coby from The Lemony Cupcake is in charge of all the delicious desserts and wedding cake!

My design process

I wanted to share with you the original sketch I did for the White & Pistachio Dessert Table.

image courtesy of Todd Hunter McGaw

As you can see the 'details' have changed a little but the main concept is there with wall panelling backdrop, the cake, meringue towers and tiered silver stands.

I always start with a sketch of my dessert tables and work from there gathering stands and vessels, selecting ribbon and right food labelling to match.

Thank you for all the kind words you have left Coby and I regarding this table here on my blog and on facebook.

White and Pistachio Wedding Dessert Table

A few weeks ago both Coby (from The Lemony Cupcake) and I had the pleasure in designing this wedding dessert table for a bridal showcase hosted by The Powder Room.  These beautiful images were taken by none other than Todd Hunter McGaw.

A little side note: I grew up in Samford, a lazy rural town north of Brisbane.  I went to school from pre-school to year 7 with Todd's younger brother Lachlan.  About a year ago Lachlan and I reconnected via facebook he told me about Todd's fab photography business with his lovely wife Alyda.  It was such a treat to see Todd again and reminisce about the good old days.  And can I tell you, they were the good old days.

Classic and timeless.  We selected a palette of crisp white with accents of pistachio and silver.  I had the backdrop custom made to look like wall panelling.

Breathtaking 4 tiered cake

Hydrangea, quilting, beading and cameo detail

Handmade chocolate hearts

Homemade pistachio nougat on our custom made white timber footed platters

Petite Lemon Meringue Tarts

White chocolate mousse with choc mint leaf accents



This photo was taken by me.  Mint white choc mousse cups, cookie cakes and cupcakes with hydrangea detail

White chocolate truffle balls

Meringue Tower detail

Meringue Tower with hydrangea ball decoration

Design and styling Sharnel Dollar Designs
Wedding cake and sweet treats The Lemony Cupcake
Photography Todd Hunter McGaw
Graphic design Style Me Gorgeous


If you would like us to design a breathtaking dessert table for your next event, please email me sharnel@sharneldollardesigns.com.au