Ocean Themed Birthday Snacks and A Marvelous Mess Party!!!!

To go with the Ocean Cake I showed you last week, I also made this:

Gummy Fish Jello Bowl from Martha Stewart

and some of these:

Oyster Cookies from Rook #17

My cookies didn't turn out quite like the ones above (I wished I had gotten a picture....but I always do these projects Soooooo last minute, especially for birthdays). I used Nilla wafers instead of Madelines (I couldn't find those darn cookies), white frosting tinted pink between the cookies, and some edible pearl glitter on the frosting.  

The cookies matched the Invitations I made....which I'll show you next week!!

Thanks so much for joining up to my party last week. I am totally loving the fall themes in the air. September is my favorite month. 

The post I'm going to feature on my sidebar for a week is:

Fall Pom Pom Wreath by Todd & Lindsey

Thanks so much for linking up!! If I featured you, be sure to grab this button:

<br /><center> <a href="http://marvelouslymessy.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="A Marvelous Mess" src="http://i941.photobucket.com/albums/ad256/MarvelouslyMs/buttonbackground1-2.jpg" /></a></center> Now, on to the party:

A Mother's Creature Comforts: Soothing Bedroom Features

source

After the kids have gone to bed and the dishes are put away, most moms cherish the precious evening hours to spend with a partner or alone.  Raising kids, maintaining a home, and even working an outside job on top of it all can be a tremendous feat to manage, and every mother deserves a quiet, restful bedroom where she can relax, unwind, reflect, or be inspired.

No matter what the size of your bedroom, many simple and elegant features exist to bring tranquility to your bedroom. Decorative pillows, beautiful drapes, soothing colors, indoor wall fountains, and scented candles set the mood for well-deserved peace and quiet.

Decorative elements in any room can be an easy, inexpensive way to create peace. Since you want to set up a room that is both beautiful and orderly, choose just a few key pieces of decorative elements. If your partner wants to keep his collection of bowling trophies from the 1980s prominently placed on the dresser, or if you have a collection of porcelain dolls from your childhood, consider moving these items to a different location. You won’t diminish the sentimental value of these objects – you just want to refresh your space and keep it calm and orderly.

Purchase or make a few pretty pillows that match your bedding and your favorite colors, and place them on your bed. Matching drapes in a solid, dark color such as plum or navy add an inexpensive elegant touch and also keep out harsh morning light. One easy and inexpensive way to refresh any room is to choose a new paint color to add life to your pillows and drapes. Repainting a room will wow you for months every time you walk in.

Indoor wall fountains not only add elegance and surprise to a room, but they also fill it with the soothing sound of cascading water.  Especially with fall and winter coming, bringing refreshing outdoor elements inside can ease the length of the colder months and create a stunning focal point. Indoor wall fountains are sleek and modern and bring a sense of zen to any space. They can be purchased in a variety of sizes, depending on the size of your room, so they don’t have to overpower other décor or take over the room.

You don’t have to invest a lot of money or hire a decorator to refresh your space and make it more restful for you. Try these or a few of your own ideas to add solace and peace to your space.

Paige One looks forward to writing about ideas on how a mother can create a relaxing space of her own. Decorate interiors with beautiful elements and add elegance with stunning decor pieces.

Ocean Theme Birthday Cake and a Marvelous Mess Party

For my Munchkins birthday party, we had an Ocean theme. Ove the next week or so I'll be sharing the different parts of the party that I crafted and organized to make this theme work....and it really did, it was so much fun!! The cake was really fun to make. I'm no fancy cake decorator, but I can admit I've stepped up my game since the days of the flat sheet cake. Now with this cake we're talking layers and we're talking homemade chocolate candies, we're talking edible glitter gel, and even a little spoon flick to make the top of the frosting resemble waves. 

To make the candies, I just bought a shell mold at AC Moore, melted some white chocolate, poured it in the containers and popped it out when it was ready. Really easy, and I thought it gave it a nice look. 

For the waves on the top frosting: Frost the top and then, with a small spoon, press the flat part near the tip into the frosting and pull up on the end of the handle in a vertical direction.

Here is the recipe:

Here is the recipe:

1 box devil’s food cake mix

1 small pkg Jello instant chocolate pudding mix

1 cup sour cream

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups mini chocolate chips

Read More http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dessert/the-best-chocolate-cake.html#ixzz1isFAy4Oz

~Set the stove for 350 and mix all ingredients except for chocolate chips in a *large* bowl. Once it is thoroughly mixed, add the chocolate chips and place it in two greased 9 inch cake pans. 

It should bake for around 45 minutes, but check it at 30 and every 5 minutes or so after, remembering that the melted chips can trick you.

You're going to love this cake!!!

Last week we had some fun projects linked up (as usual). Here's my favorite!!! I'll be featuring this project on my sidebar for a week:

Fine-Feathered Friend from Turtles and Tails. Love the feathers in this.....it's totally a fall look.

If you were featured, here is your button:

<br /><center> <a href="http://marvelouslymessy.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="A Marvelous Mess" src="http://i941.photobucket.com/albums/ad256/MarvelouslyMs/buttonbackground1-2.jpg" /></a></center> Now, on to the party!!!