Watercolor Cakes

Watercolor wedding cakes are one of my favorite trends right now.  

They can be soft and romantic or bold with pops of color. 

 Below are some of my favorite sugary masterpieces.

Also, watercolor macaroons...

adorable!

Do you have a favorite?

 xo

{ Martha _Weddings : 1 : 2 : 3 : 4 : Wedding Chicks }

A Tiny Home

I am a fan of tiny homes, especially this one.  

Our little apartment is definitely tiny.  It's not quite as small as this cabin 

but we literally sleep in the only closet in our apartment (at least it has a window).  

I'll post a home tour eventually but for now more of this lovely space:

{original source not found : Pinterest}

Seattle is home.

Two weeks ago Justin and I had to make a big decision 

on where to live and root ourselves and a future family.  

After many pro and con lists and a whole lot of prayer 

we ultimately decided that Seattle is home.

More later on why we had to make this decision 

but I wanted to share with you my top five favorite things

about the city that I am proud to call home...

1. Pretty City

I get to enjoy living in an urban setting but a day hike 

and moutains are a mere 30 minutes away by car.  

The city is incredibly green and the ocean borders our lovely city.  

I have not found a city that is prettier.

2. All Four Seasons

We have all four!  We start with a winter that includes the 

occasional snow fall followed by a blooming spring and warm summers.  

Fall is my favorite.  It's warm and foggy and the trees create 

the most incredible colors. 

3. Food

Seattle is a foodie city.  I could come up with  a new favorite 

restaraunt every week.  There are too many to choose from (see list below).

4. Beverages

My husband currently works as a brewer so we are

always in the know about the best and coolest new breweries in 

the Pacific Northwest.  I love wine and that's an easy local find as well.

5. Culture

Last year when the Seahawks went to the Supberbowl 

the city decorated itself more than it does for Christmas.  

I am not exaggerating!  Everyone bound together and 

created major comroderie. 

All in all we feel very lucky to live in such a wonderful city.  

Below are links to some of our favorite spots and places in case you ever visit.

xo

Restaruants:

Cornutos

London Plane

Hecho

Portage Bay

Mai Thaiku

Ristorante Picolinos 

Beverages & Bars:

Two Beers Brewing Co. & Seattle Cider Co.

The Sexton

Barolo

The Noble Fir

The Octopus 

Activities:

Chihuly Garden & Glass

Walking Greenlake

Rattlesnake Ridge

Wine Tasting in Woodinville

 {watercolor painting by Summit Ridge Studio}

Go Hawks!

Animals, Bubbly, and Cake

This past Friday my husband and I threw our friends 

our annual zoo lights party.  It was so much fun!  

I had been planning the decor, food, and cocktails for months ahead.  

My parents hosted a lot of parties growing up so hosting is in my blood.  

We offered two cocktails: a bubbly beverage and a whiskey cider.  

I used my favorite bubbly (here) and 

locally sourced hard cider (here).

Whiskey Cider

Bubbly Rock Candy 

*Side note: sugaring rims is SO much harder than I thought! 

I could not get it to look perfect like all of the photos on Pinterest.  

A should-have-watched tutorial here.

Considering I have a limited amount of champagne flutes and rock glasses 

I had each guest label their glass with a gold zoo animal.  

In all I had about 40 small gold painted animals.  

They decorated the cakes, drinks, and food display.

I wanted a wintery cake so I made a 

Peppermint Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Coconut Frosting.  

It was SO good.  I forced myself to toss the leftovers after the party

or I would have eaten all of it for breakfast the next morning.  No joke.

The finishing touch to our party was the gold tinsel photo backdrop 

paired with animal masks.  As seen below we had a lot of fun.  

Who doesn't want to wear an animal mask?

{photos and styling by me}

Pop Some Bubbly...

...it's time to get rowdy!

Tonight we are throwing a little party for our friends.  

I can't wait.

I have been planning for months.  

I have been busy spray painting animals and masks, 

ordering special cocktail napkins, and its finally here.  

I'll try to take some pics and put a post together soon.  

Happy weekend 

xo

{Ruffled & The Sweetest Occasion}