Dropping my son off at the airport for his long flight to China proved to be a little stressful for me! Luckily, one of my favorite places was just around the corner for some retail therapy to take my mind off the fact that my household will be one person short for the next two weeks! I love Ikea for so many reasons…the prices, the large array of goodies to look at, and always some inspiration to take away! So that said…I’ll share what inspired my menu (and decor) for a tiny gathering to celebrate a special day! It’s summer…so for me the thought of bright, colorful flowers and fruity desserts and cocktails are so festive…and perfect for the season! I’m sharing the site for a “favorite thing” and have two recipes to offer up via links today–one for a “sweet” & one for a “sip”–and since I had a stressful week, my husband and I had a trial tasting of both…you’ve got to sample what you serve, right? Take a peek at this very-berry inspired treat…
summer berries…summer treats!
my therapy at Ikea sent me home with some “berry” cute things…(sorry, i couldn’t resist). i fell in love with this raspberry pillow with its pop of kitchy color!
…and these fruit-filled cookies are a favorite in our house. we normally get apple but this summer a new berry is on the shelf!
so with these goodies in my cart, i was ready to plan out my little soiree! i later found these banner flags at Hobby Lobby and thought they’d be perfect to add a simple garland to the treat table…
flowers…always an inspiration!
my little patio desk gets gussied up with the tiny banner and some tissue tassels…so easy!
now for the sweet treats…
chocolate cups with raspberry curd filling…the recipe for this curd is to die for! if you want a treat, check out brownbettydesserts.com! their recipes can be found in their cookbook, The Brown Betty Cookbook…and i would highly recommend ordering one if you want their expertise on how to bake mouth-watering cakes and desserts!
and, of course some of the Ikea cookies!
let’s move on to the libations, shall we?
i absolutely love this mason jar cocktail shaker! we got ours from cooking.com.
i don’t know if you can see it well, but my vintage glasses actually have a berry pattern etched in…how lucky!
ready to serve…
shake up some summer sips…
this recipe from the Cooking Channel’s Dinner at Tiffani’s is simply the best summer cocktail i have ever had!
i followed the recipe exactly…it only makes two at a time so gather your ingredients and be ready to keep shakin’…you’ll be making multiples i’m sure! you do have to make your lemon zest ice ahead…i used a cake-pop pan to make half circles!
a super-summer treat…
on a breezy eve…
a berrylicious inspiration!
