Shortcakes and Springtime

Hello!  I’m so glad you’ve stopped by on your way through this Springtime Holiday Hop!  If you just visited Twinkle Twinkle Little Party I’m sure you got plenty of inspiration for throwing a wonderful Mother’s Day celebration!  If you’re just joining in on the blog hoppin’ fun you can pop over to Mirabelle Creations where you can start at the beginning!  You’ll find another link to the next creative stop at the end of this post…and I know you won’t want to miss the springtime bridal inspiration from Brenda’s Wedding Blog!  These are some of the amazing bloggers, party planners, and business owners who have come together to share all the seasonal festivity…

I don’t know about you but I’m so thrilled Spring has finally arrived!  I really enjoy all the seasons but the roller coaster of temperatures this year has teased us with springtime one too many times and I’m just ready for it to stick around a while!  This new season give us so many reason to celebrate too…not just the arrival of blossoms and warm breezes but several holidays which often times brings us together with those we hold dear!  I’m always inspired by the new colors of this springtime…the soft pastels of Easter, bright and cheerful blooms, and the endless shades of green bursting from the trees and popping from the ground!  This was my inspiration for a fun twist on a springtime dessert buffet…and I had so much fun collaborating with some fantastic creatives to bring these ideas to you today!  Let’s celebrate the season with a simple treat…

set up a shortcake station!

decorations…

when planning a celebration i often stick to a simple theme…and many times it revolves around color!  decorating with a color theme is really easy and it allows you to add just about anything you wish!   so for this simple gathering the season itself and many fresh shades of green were the primary components of my party decorations!

so throughout the days leading up to my celebration, i tried to pick up or recycle all things green!  this was actually pretty simple to do since the Pantone color of 2017 is Greenery!  so needless to say you’ll see plenty of that shade just about anywhere!  i also picked up some butterfly items…not too many, just enough to add to the springtime joy!  and you might be surprised how many goodies you already have in your home!  always take a quick inventory before you buy…when you recycle & reuse, you save!  you can also keep within a budget with DIY projects which can help you customize your event for less…like the addition of the paper grass simply taped to the edge of this small dessert stand.  a super simple way to add fresh springtime to my serving piece!

food table…

let’s begin with the fabulous backdrop and food tents from Sprinkled Designs!  it is so easy to find a graphic you love to highlight your party!  whether you have it printed or download the design and print it yourself, a sign can create such a dramatic and beautiful addition to your treat table!  i simply “framed” mine by hanging and leaning larger, empty frames right around the it.  i used removable hangers & painters tape to secure all the decorations to the wall…i LOVE the way the butterflies look like they’re fluttering right around the fun!

i simply printed the food tents from my computer…already designed by my talented friend!

and the baskets filled with biscuits and cakes get a non-folded version of a food tent simply attached with a butterfly clip!

i chose a tiered basket lined with parchment to hold all the “cakes”.  a strip of ombre blanket binding is woven through the wire to add a soft touch of color.  don’t forget to check out the sewing sections when looking for ribbon, you’ll be surprised what’s hiding in there!  i used a box mix for the mini angel food cakes and i’ll share the printable recipe for the yummy biscuits & creme fraiche at the end of the post! but remember you can find items like these in the grocery store and they will be just as tasty and look just as sweet…don’t let baking stop you from entertaining!

the only toppings i used for the cakes were fruit, raspberry curd, creme fraiche, and sprinkles…EVERYTHING is better with sprinkles on top!

i added some butterfly cookies to the table…fun for munching while people mingle!

the mini honeycomb balls from The Bakers Party Shop are clipped to a piece of twine to EASILY make a festive and color-coordinated decoration to the front of the table!  i filled a crate with two tissue poms for a colorful addition to the shelf below…

my friends at The Bakers Party Shop have plenty of goodies within this celebration like the Sprinklefetti mix of sprinkles on the buffet and the cutters i used to make the mini cookie bites!  i just dipped each mini cookie in the sprinkles before baking…they came right from the oven perfectly decorated!

and the other more elaborately decorated butterflies came from my pal at Alice-Louise Press who’s equally talented at cookie decorating as she is at her letterpress!

i used piles of edible Easter grass to line the dishes holding all the cookies that are scattered throughout the room!  the larger butterfly shortbread cookies are iced and piled on platters at the drink station and on the table…

the grass is a fun way to add more color to the platters…

i love to scatter the sweets to other areas of my party where guests will frequent…like the drink stations!  my buffet is set up with non-alcoholic beverage choices AND more sugar!

beverage table…

more iced cookies and some snack-cake “kebabs” are more sugary sweets within nibbling distance while guests grab a re-fill!

i only served simple beverages at this station, so i have plenty of room to add some extra decor to make it look special.  i created a fabric garland to drape over the mirror and hung a tiny boxwood wreath in the center embellished with mini butterfly clips!  the wooden “spring” sign was perfect for my theme!

little details can really make a big impact…i love the tiny cupcake stand to hold all the sugar cubes for the iced tea!  AND i easily made the lemon ice by freezing slices of the fruit in a muffin tin!  (actually my hubby’s idea!  i love it when planning a celebration becomes a family affair!) once you pop them from the tin, layer them between parchment in a storage container and keep them in the freezer ’til you’re ready to use them!

these adorable candy sticks from The Bakers Party Shop make wonderful swizzle sticks…

you may have noticed that i used them to make the snack-cake “kebabs” too!  purchased snack cakes in colors of green & shapes of spring were skewered onto the stick topped off with a marshmallow!  i thought the butterfly snack cakes needed a little more “green” so i pressed them into the sprinklefetti before adding them!

you can see how REALLY simple items can still look so grand with easy details!

so that’s the non-alcoholic sips…let’s head over to the bar cart for some bubbly!  again, i didn’t have a huge variety of drinks.  just sparkling lemonade and champagne…so i gussied up the cart so it wouldn’t look empty!  another diy fabric garland covers the front along with the adorable banner created by Two Chihuahuas!  i LOVE this banner and it adds so much fun to my cart…i think it may be up all season and every spring thereafter!

bubbly time!

more swizzle sticks are adorned with blueberries for another fun addition to the bubbly sips!

now my cart just screams springtime!

table top…

i believe a table can be simple and still look divine.  here i just used decorative papers as placemats to color-coordinate the table.  wooden utensils and a butterfly clip on each napkin look really sweet and tie in the theme with no effort!

and the custom confetti from my pal at FestivFetti made my table party-ready in a snap!  can you see the little butterflies she added to the mix?

i also attached a honeycomb ball to the chandelier above.  i love paper poms and lanterns to add extra festivity at any event!

last but certainly not least…

party favors!

i love creating party favors for my guests!  i’m so excited to share this idea because it’s so whimsical, fun, AND personalized!  i planned to fill little boxes with a treat or two for my pals to take home .  a take away gift doesn’t have to be expensive or grand, just a sweet reminder that you’re so happy that your people could join you!  i bagged up some simple sweet treats to take…but since my gal pals were joining me for a dessert buffet, i decided to make these favors for each of their children instead!  this way they can take home a tiny surprise for their own peeps!

so i decided to rely on my friends at Gift Wrap My Face to make wrapping paper with the cute faces of each kiddo!  i was so thrilled to see this arrive at my door step!

let me share what i made with a cardboard snack box you can find at any party/craft store.  by simply cutting a strip of paper from the end of the oversized sheet, i could cover the box with whimsical fun!  i just wrapped the sheet around & taped it.  then i trimmed & folded the excess paper inside.  i didn’t have to be too careful, i knew i could cover the taped edges with another little piece of the paper cut to fit…the inside is going to be covered with the goodies anyway!

i tucked the bag of sweets inside…

and piled them in a basket…

now each of my guests could search for their kiddos when they were ready to leave!  i think these were actually the biggest hit of the party!

i hope you found lots of springtime inspiration for all your celebrations to come!  it’s finally a new season…

let’s celebrate!

please head over to see what my friend Brenda is up to with all her bridal shower inspiration!  hop on over to Brenda’s Wedding Blog…the last stop on this seasonal “hop” so make sure to check out all the fun!  And please check out all the bloggers on Instagram…we’ve got some wonderful giveaways to enter and you won’t want to miss it!  you can grab my IG feed in the sidebar at the top of the blog!

AND don’t forget the printable recipe which follows the list of collaborators!

Shortcakes & Springtime collaborators:

The Bakers Party Shop:  butterfly cookie cutters, Sprinklefettie sprinkles, ombre rock candy sticks, mini honeycomb balls.

Sprinkled Designs:  “Shortcake” sign, favor sign, food tents

Two Chihuahuas:  “Springtime Sips” banner

Alice-Louise Press:  custom butterfly cookies

FestiveFetti:  custom confetti

Gift Wrap My Face:  custom wrapping paper

other party supplies can be found at…

Target:  “spring” wood sign, boxwood wreath, paper straws

Michaels Stores:  sparkle butterfly clips, paper grass embellishments

JoAnn stores:  decorative paper, wooden butterfly clips, mini angelfood cake pan, fabric for garlands

Walmart:  ombre blanket binding

Hobby Lobby:  tissue poms

Ikea:  large honeycomb balls, paper butterflies

Shortcake Biscuits and Creme Fraiche

Breakfast Shortcakes & Creme Fraiche

Print Recipe

• CourseDessert
• CuisineBreads, desserts

Servings	Prep Time
12-14 2" biscuits	15 minutes

Cook Time	Passive Time
14-16 minutes	45 minutes

Servings Prep Time 12-14 2" biscuits 15 minutes

Cook Time Passive Time 14-16 minutes 45 minutes

Breakfast Shortcakes & Creme Fraiche Print Recipe CourseDessert CuisineBreads, desserts Servings Prep Time 12-14 2" biscuits 15 minutes Cook Time Passive Time 14-16 minutes 45 minutes Servings Prep Time 12-14 2" biscuits 15 minutes Cook Time Passive Time 14-16 minutes 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 Cup unsalted butter chilled
• 2/3 Cup milk
• 3 Cups flour
• 1/4 Cup sugar
• 3/4 Teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons baking powder
• 1 egg beaten

Servings: 2" biscuits

Instructions

1. In a bowl combine the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Cut in the butter with a pastry knife until crumbly. Stir in the milk with a fork and stir until a soft dough forms. You may need to add more milk. Once it resembles dough, you can use your hands to mix it together, then turn out on a floured surface and pat or roll out to 3/4" thick and cut out rounds with a 2" cutter.
2. Place the biscuit rounds on an un-greased baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
3. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush the tops of the biscuits with the beaten egg. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until slightly golden.
4. Split and serve with fresh fruit and creme Fraiche
5. Creme Fraiche: in a glass jar combine 2 cups heavy cream, 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice. Let this stand at room temperature for 8-12 hours in the loosely covered jar. Once it has begun to thicken, tightly cover the jar and refrigerate until ready to serve. Can add 2 tablespoons mild honey before serving, optional. (mason jars with screw lids make a nice container to make the creme)
6. Optional additions to the berry shortcakes can be fruit curds, jams or jellies, ice cream or whipped toppings.