{RECIPES} - Cranberry Chai Cupcakes (Revised)

Ooops!  I posted this yesterday, but forgot to add the cranberries to the recipe.  Sorry!  Here is the revised recipe:

I made these Cranberry Chai Cupcakes for the Golden Indian Anniversary party and they were a big hit!  I have been assigned dessert for one of the three Thanksgiving dinners we are attending.  These cranberry cupcakes are a perfect choice.  They are spiced with cinnamon and ginger, making them a delicious fall treat. You could certainly make these from scratch, but I start with a plain yellow cake mix and add in the extras. 

Cranberry Chai Cupcakes
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup water
1/3 cup canola oil
3 eggs
2 teaspoons chai spice (recipe below)
1 cup of fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 24 muffin cups with paper muffin liners.

Beat cake mix, water, canola oil, eggs and spice on medium for 2 minutes.  Stir in chopped cranberries

Spoon batter into muffin cups.  Bake about 18 -20 minutes.  Cool for 10 minutes, then remove from muffin tins and cool completely on wire racks before icing cupcakes.

Chai Spice Mix:
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

Mix together.

Chai Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (3oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon Chai Spice Mix
1 (16oz) package powdered sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons milk

Cream together butter, cream cheese, vanilla, spice mix.  Gradually add 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar alternately with 1 tablespoon milk, beating on low speed until blended and smooth after each addition. 

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

{FREE PRINTABLES} -- "Give Thanks" Thanksgiving Banner & Etsy Store Discount

Thanksgiving is just one week away!  What is your favorite thing about Thanksgiving?  The turkey?  The mashed potatoes?  The pumpkin pie?  Family?  The cool, crisp air?  I absolutely love all of those things.  But, one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving is pausing to actually give thanks for all the blessings in my life before the craziness of the Christmas season begins. 

I am not hosting Thanksgiving at my house, this year.  So, I haven't decorated much for the holiday.  Have you made any fabulous Thanksgiving decorations, this year?  If so, I'd love to see them.  One thing I decorated was our mantle.

I used the banner from my Pumpkins & Pomegranates Collection across the mantle and added a few other red and orange decorations.  Because I am thankful for each one of my readers, I am offering this banner for FREE and a special 30% discount at my Etsy Store.  If you'd like your own FREE copy of this Thanksgiving banner, I've made it available for you to download, HERE. 

You can also purchase the rest of the Pumpkins & Pomegrantes Thanksgiving Party Collection, now 30% off.  That's just $7 for this entire collection!!!

And, for the kids' table, I created a coordinating Whooo's Thankful? Thanksgiving Party Collection, which is also 30% off, making it just $3.50. 

Both collections can be purchased for $10.50, using the following coupon code at checkout:  GIVETHANKS.  If you are not already a fan of Mirabelle Creations on Facebook, please become a fan!  Happy Thanksgiving!!

{Mirabelle Creations Party} -- Golden Indian 50th Anniversary -- All the Little Extras!

This is the last post about my in-laws' 50th anniversary party.  If you missed the last two posts, you can check out previous posts about the Tablescapes and the Dessert Table.  This post will show all the little extras.  Like jewelry does for your favorite LBD, the extra party details can take your party from great to fabulous! 

Details:

One small element that was repeated throughout the party was the lotus image.  It started with the lotus image on the invitation and printables.  Small lotus candle holders were purchased at a local store.  I also made several fabric lotus flowers.  The flowers were attached to the drink table, on the favor bin and on picture frames.  The fabric flowers were also pins, so the female guests could take home the fabric lotus pins as favors.  The children were all sent home with either milk or dark chocolate elephants, with gold sprinkles. 

Drinks that were served also reflected the Indian theme and menu.  The children drank mango nectar, chai cola and orange-mango punch. Kingfisher Beer, an Indian beer, was enjoyed by the adults.  Picking a few drinks that pair well with the menu, is another way to reflect the theme of a party. 

To honor my in-laws, we created a Heritage Table.  It featured pictures of them, over the years of their marriage.  Guests signed a sign, which stated, "50 Great Reasons to Celebrate Ramesh & Vijaya".  The reasons varied from completely silly to heartfelt.  The sign was framed and given to my in-laws as a memento from the evening.  One of my favorite party planning details is to do something special for the guest of honor.  This was an easy way for all the guests, even the children, to get involved in honoring the accomplishment of 50  years of marriage. 

With so many kids attending, we needed plenty of entertainment!  The biggest hit of the day was, of course, the bouncy house and bouncy slide.  The kids (and many of the adults) enjoyed the bouncys!  Once the sun went down, the kids entertained themselves singing around the fire pit.  Entertaining with children is much simpler if you can plan an activity that will occupy them, but not need your close supervision.  Five kids were at the house several hours before the party, while I was trying to set up.  But, since the bouncys were already there, they played while I worked.  It truly worked out perfectly!

If you are planning your own Indian bash, don't forget to check out the printables from this party, available in my Etsy Store!

{Mirabelle Creations Party} - Golden Indian 50th Anniversary Party -- Tablescapes

Today, I will be discussing the tablescapes from my in-laws' Golden Indian 50th Anniversary Party.  For this party, we needed seating for 15 adults and 10 children.  Luckily, it was a beautiful day and we were able to set up the adults' tables and kids' table outdoors.  Once I decided to use an old sari for the tablerunners, the tablescapes were planned around the sari.   Lots of Indian inspired elements were added to the both the adults' and kids' tables. 

Details:

Adults' Table - The tables were first covered with floor-length purple tablecloths (my father-in-law's favorite color).  I cut an old sari into two pieces for the tablerunners.  Before the party, I searched for small gold pedestal bowls for fruit centerpieces; however, I was unable to find the right ones.  So, I painted four small glass cake stands gold, using glass paint.  Each cake stand was $5 and the paint was less than $5.  The total cost for all four pedestals was less than $25.  In addition to the gold pedestals topped with red apples, I scattered groupings of red flowers, candles and ceramic elephants down the center of the tables.  Several vases and candle holders were made from mason jars that I painted with gold puffy paint to look like Indian lanterns.  The elephant and lotus namecards at each placesetting pulled together all the colors of the party. 

Jewel colored circle garlands were hung along the wall of our screened in porch.  Often, for Indian celebrations, marigold garlands are used for decorations.  The circle garlands were inspired by that traditional element.  The garlands were made by punching different size circles in gold, ruby red, peacock, midnight blue and purple.  The circles were attached to narrow ribbon using glue dots.  This was an easy and expensive element, that added a festive look to the screens. 

Kids' Table -  My husband put together the kids' table using plywood and cinder blocks.  Outdoor cushions were scattered around the table for seating.  All the kids loved sitting on the ground at the low table.  My daughter and I decorated the kids' plastic cups using puffy paint, to give them a more Indian feel.  Each glass had a straw with a "celebrate" flag.  At each place setting, we used a Mandala coloring page as a place mat.  Mandala is a Sanskrit word that means "circle" and it is a type of Hindu design, incorporating circles, squares and a center point.  It was a fun way to keep the children entertained, but also learn a little about their culture.  The kids' napkins were wrapped with either a lotus or elephant napkin ring. 

For all the details on the sweets table for this Indian party, please see the Dessert Table Post.  Tommorrow, I will discuss all the extra little details from the party!

{Mirabelle Creations Party} -- Golden Indian 50th Anniversary Party -- Dessert Table

My husband and I recently hosted a special celebration for his parents' 50th wedding anniversary and his dad's 75th birthday.  Family and friends came in town from five different states to celebrate such milestone occasions.  It was a special event and I was thrilled to have the party featured on Amy Atlas Events.  Amy Atlas is such an inspiration to me, so each time she has featured one of my parties, I am completely shocked and ecstatic! 

This party has lots of fun details, so it's going to be broken into three different posts.  Today, we will start with the Dessert Table. 

Details:

For the table skirt and table backdrop, my wedding sari was used.  First, the table was covered with a white tablecloth.  Then, I pinned the sari to the white tablecloth, so it fell to the floor.  It was then wrapped behind a piece of painted beadboard, and draped down over the front of the board.  I pleated the sari, to make the backdrop resemble the front of a sari dress.

We served Ras Malai, dumplings made from paneer cheese soaked in sweetened milk flavored with cardamom, and Jalabi, deep fried batter that is soaked in syrup, catered by Masala Restaurant.  The two tier, gold dusted, lotus cake was made by The Twisted Sifter.   I took in a copy of the invitation and she matched it wonderfully.  I made the rest of the desserts -- Oreo Truffle Pops, Indian Spiced Rice Krispie Treats, Cranberry Chai Cupcakes and Coconut Burfi Truffles. 

One of my favorite parts of the dessert table was the sign, that read, "The Sweets Table will Open at 7:00".  Several of the younger kids asked me the time before I realized they were wanting to know if the dessert table was open!  But, they all waited patiently and finished their dinners before they indulged in sweets. 

Tomorrow, I will post about the tablescaping!  The Printable Golden Indian Party Collection, used for this party, is now available in my Etsy Shop.

{REAL PARTIES} -- Festive Fall Play Date Party

My friend, Andrea, recently emailed me pictures from an adorable play date party she hosted for her son, Charlie.  This party incorporates some wonderful ideas for a fall kids' table, including some ideas that could be used for your Thanksgiving table. 

Details:

Andrea purchased a few bales of hay to construct the table.  She covered plywood sheets with material, then placed them on top of the hay bales.  This is a great, economical way to create extra outdoor seating.  The rustic, natural table was decorated with pine cones and owls.  Snacks were cleverly served in hollowed-out mini pumpkins and baskets.  The kids were also treated to adorable graham cracker owls.  What a fabulous, fun way to enjoy a beautiful Fall day! 

New Printable Collection -- "Whooo's Thankful?" Thanksgiving Collection

Every year for Thanksgiving, we have an adult table and a kids table.  As a child, our family Thanksgiving dinners were always enough that the kids sat at a separate table.  And, I loved that!  There was something fun about sitting with the kids, not having to worry about all the grown-ups' rules.  Plus, we weren't subjected to boring grown-up talk.  

This year, in addition to the Pumpkins & Pomegranates Collection, I wanted to do a coordinating kids table collection.  The two adorable owls in this collection add a little fun to the kids table!  Plus, there are two activities for the kids -- an owl coloring page and a "Whooo's Thankful?" card for them to fill out. 

This whole collection is just $5!!  To purchase, please visit my Etsy Shop.

New Printable Collection -- Pumpkins & Pomegranates Thanksgiving Party Collection

Now available in my Etsy Shop, my new Thanksgiving Collection.  You had a little sneak peek of the collection HERE, a couple of days, ago. But, now the Pumpkins & Pomegranate Collection is available for purchase.  As always, at least 50% of the profits from the sale of this collection will be donated to charity. 

Stay tuned for a coordinating collection, later this week.  I have a coordinating children's collection that is perfect for the Thanksgiving kids' table!

Thanksgiving Collection Preview

I had a wonderful time at the Birds of a Feather Fair in Northern Kentucky this weekend.  I met many new friends, both vendors and patrons.  And, I really appreciated meeting ALL of you!

One of the collections I previewed at the Fair was my new Pomegranate & Pumpkins Thanksgiving set.  My children adore pomegranates.  Once the temperatures start to dip, they start looking for their favorite fruit to appear at the supermarket.  Sometimes, I think that the tips of my fingers are going to be permanently stained through the Fall from opening so many pomegranates!  This much beloved fruit was the inspiration for this year's Thanksgiving collection. 

Here's a sneak peak:

The full collection will be available later this week in my Etsy Shop!

Dia de los Muertos -- Day of the Dead Inspiration

Although Halloween is over, I'm still not quite ready to move on to Thanksgiving because I'm still thinking about Dia de los Muertos!  Today is the last day of Dia de los Muertos, also known as Day of the Dead.  If you are still planning on celebrating, today, the following pictures may provide some inspiration for your own party. 

If you have hosted your own Dia de los Muertos party, please send some pictures.  I'd love to see them!!

Dia de los Muertos party from ME!




Wedding Pop Cake from Poptastic Bride

Glitter Sugar Skulls from The Crafty Chica

Cake from Ooh Lou Lou

Calavera Sandwich from Croq Zine



Skull Cake Pops from Kathyphantastic



Fiesta party from Martha Stewart