6-19-11 Eliana is a Cupcake Cutie!

Friends:

This past Sunday, I threw a “Cupcake Cutie” birthday bash sleepover for Eliana to celebrate her 11th birthday! This is what the table looked like.

6-19-11 Eliana's Cupcake Cutie Table

This is what the individual place settings looked like. We had to kinds of cupcake plates and lots of hot pink!

6-19-11 Eliana's Cupcake Cutie Place Setting

First the girls made taco salad cupcakes, taco salads made inside ramekins that are made to look like cupcakes.

6-19-11 The taco cupcake, a taco salad made to look like a cupcake

A small tortilla is placed inside a ramekins and baked at 400 degrees for 7 minutes. Layers of lettuce, cheese, and ground meat are placed inside. Sour cream is piped on top with a grape tomato as the cherry and shredded cheese as the sprinkles. The girls’ tacos came out uber cute! Dinner was accompanied by a vanilla cream soda punch (1 part vanilla cream soda, 1 part ginger ale, hefty scoops of vanilla ice cream). Yum!

6-19-11 Eliana and the girls with their taco salad cupcakes

After Kid Chef Eliana that, made strawberry shortcake cupcakes with fresh strawberries.

6-19-11 Kid Chef Eliana makes strawberry cream cheese frosting with real strawberries

They were soooo delicious!

6-19-11 Strawberry shortcake cupcakes made by Kid Chef Eliana

Then it was time to blow out the candle on her birthday cupcake!! Actually, the cupcake she is blowing out is a candle in the middle of mini cupcakes!

6-19-11 Eliana and her birthday cake. The cupcake is the middle is actually a candle.

Then it was time to open presents. Kid Chef Eliana got a wild new apron!

6-19-11 Eliana gets a wild zebra apron for her birthday!

She also got a sweet little ceramic cupcake with an “E” on top.

6-19-11 Eliana gets a ceramic cupcake with an E on top!

I think one of her favorite presents of all was her new Cupcake Cutie Room!!!

6-19-11 Eliana's Cupcake Cutie Room

After opening presents, we played a game and the girls had a cupcake collage contest. They all voted on their favorite cupcake art. In my opinion, they are all winners!

6-19-11 Eliana and her friends with their cupcake collages

Then they made chef hats from construction paper and white plastic grocery bags. Adorable young chefs! You can make this chef hat too. Instructions are on Kid Chef Eliana’s website.

6-19-11 The cute little chefs make chef hats from construction paper and plastic grocery bags

Look at Kid Chef Eliana! Love the funky birthday glasses!

6-19-11 Happy Birthday, Kid Chef Eliana!

Then it was time to decorate cupcakes that the girls baked earlier. I created a “Cupcake Bar” with different types of frosting, different kinds of sprinkles, and chocolate chips. The girls went to town!

6-19-11 The young chefs decorate cupcakes at the Cupcake Bar

Josie’s cupcakes came out awesome!

6-19-11 Josie's cupcakes look oh so yummy!

After decorating and eating those tasty treats, we did our last craft and activity for the night. They made cupcake bags by decorating colorful canvas bags with bright fabric paint. They came out great and were perfect to tote all of their goodies home the next morning.

6-19-11 Eliana and her friends made cupcake tote bags - so precious!

It was a fabulous party and the girls had a blast. Cheers to the Cupcake Cuties! Young Chefs Rock!

6-19-11 Young chefs rock!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

1-15-11 The Birthday Diva

Friends:

Saturday, January 15 was my birthday and I had a fabulous party. We had a murder mystery party set at a Roaring 20s Chicago Speakeasy.

1-15-11 The Diva Dianne Sign

For two days, we prepped the food and party decor. It turned out great! On the buffet we had: marinated asparagus, alfredo cheese pasta bake in ramekins, Italian meatballs, caprese flatbread, Caesar salad, mushrooms with Italian sausage, Gouda cheese plate, and Eliana’s marinara. On a side table, we had peppercorn beef brisket, Parmesan chicken tenders, and ranch roasted potatoes.

1-15-11 The 4 Deuces Speakeasy Murder Mystery Birthday Buffet

We also had appetizers on the coffee table: deviled eggs made by my friend, Karen, lumpia (Filipino eggrolls) made by my mom, Josie, and roasted pears wrapped in prosciutto. There was also garlic-stuffed olives on queso fresco (Mexican cheese) and puff pasty topped with spinach ricotta.

1-15-11 Appetizers!

Eliana and her friend, Maci, were also dressed up. They were so cute! They were also so helpful during the party, helping to facilitate the night’s events!

1-15-11 Maci as a gangster and Eliana as a diva

We had a fountain featuring 4 Deuces punch (a tasty Caribbean-like concoction not for the kiddos).

1-15-11 Tropical Punch Fountain with Karen AKA Donna Wannabe in the background

I had gorgeous cupcakes made with cards and card suits to “suit” the theme.

1-15-11 The 4 Deuces Cupcakes

Everyone came dressed in costume. It was awesome! Loved the gangsters and flappers!

1-15-11 Donna Wannabe (Karen Spahr) and her brother Don Wannabe (Antonio Casas)

It was a parade of fedoras, fishnets and feathers!

1-15-11 Holly Stone-Barker as Mary Toosteal and Heather Stone as Vanessa Crooner

The evening started with everyone mingling and finding out about each other’s characters. I was Madame Meme and my husband was Don Wannabe. We were the owners of the 4 Deuces Speakeasy.

1-15-11 Antonio AKA Don Wannabe and Dianne AKA Madame Meme

We had a lot of colorful characters, including a congressman!

1-15-11 Dianne AKA Madame Meme with Wayne Barker AKA Congressman Toosteal

Carrie Crooner-Ravioli was the jazz singer played by my 20 year old daughter, Soleil.

1-15-11 Soleil AKA Carrie Crooner-Ravioli and Holly AKA Serina Siren

My mom, Josie Chretien, played Rebecca Ravioli, daughter of Big Jim Ravioli.

1-15-11 Josie Chretien (Dianne's Mom) as Rebecca Ravioli

Harold Rihner was Big Jim Ravioli, the murder victim!

1-15-11 Harold Rihner AKA Big Jim Ravioli

My brother, Gary James, a police officer in real life, played Inspector Nutella.

1-15-11 Gary James (Dianne's brother) as Inspector Nutella, the police officer

My two illustrators came all the way from Baton Rouge to join my party! Woo hoo!

1-15-11 Holly Stone-Barker, Dianne de Las Casas & Marita Gentry (AKA Attorney Penny Cheatum)

It was a complicated plot and there was a lot of double-crossing, back-stabbing, and two-timing going on! My character, Madame Meme, had a key piece of written evidence. Everyone participated and I loved all the costumes!

1-15-11 Kathleen Gebbia AKA Guilda Guiseppi and John Gebbia AKA Jack Guiseppi

As people were milling about, gathering information, the lights went out, there was a loud pop, and Big Jim Ravioli ended up murdered.

1-15-11 The lights go out and Big Jim Ravioli croaks!

Everyone was given a chance to find a murder weapon and had to solve puzzles to go on a scavenger hunt. During the night’s mystery, another murder occurred, in an unexpected twist of events. Guilda Guiseppi found a murder weapon and killed Don Wannabe (Madame Meme’s husband) with an ice pick.

1-15-11 Everyone solving puzzles to find murder weapons

We had to look over evidence presented by the inspector and come to our conclusions. Whodunnit? We had winners in different categories: Best Sleuth (the won who solved the mystery), Best Female Costume, Best Male Costume, and Best Performer. Clay Chretien (Capo Toto Tequila, Boss of all Bosses) won for Super Sleuth. Karen Spahr (Donna Wannabe) won for Best Female Costume. John Gebbia (Greasy Jack Guiseppi) won for Best Male Costume. The Best Performer Prize went to Harold Rihner for his double role as Big Jim Ravioli (the murder victim) and Mayor Bumpkin.

1-15-11 Dianne (middle) with 4 Deuces Speakeasy Murder Mystery Trophy Winners!

It was amazing to share my special day with all the special people in my life – people who make my life better just for being in it. It made my 41st year in this world so meaningful!

1-15-11 Diva Dianne getting ready to blow out her birthday candle

It was an amazing night and I am overjoyed to have shared it with my family and friends. Thank you so much!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

6-28-09 Eliana the Diva Rock Star Birthday Girl

Friends:

Wow! What a weekend! Because Eliana and I have been on the road touring, we haven’t had a chance to celebrate her birthday with a big bang, until now. Last night, we went to the “Greatest Show on Earth,” The Ringing Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. It was a spectacular show.

6-28-09 Soleil, the makeup artist with Eliana, the Diva Rock Star Birthday Girl

Today, we had Eliana’s Diva Rock Star Birthday Party.We mailed out invitations a couple weeks ago that included a hand-created pink zebra electric guitar and star clapper personalized with the guest’s name. The invitations were mailed in a large bubble envelope covered in “Diva” and “Girls Rock!” stickers. The guitars were very big.

First, we tackled the party set-up. We decorated to the hilt. The colors were pink zebra and purple leopard. Check out the table! A large vase of fresh flowers (don’t all divas have fresh flowers delivered?!) are on top of a cake plate, which is set on a platform of 4 glass blocks, forming a square. A pink and black feather boa is wrapped around the base of the glass blocks. Pink candles sit on each corner of the glass blocks. There are hot pink and black table cloths which is accentuated by a square zebra print runner. The guitar in front of the vase is the party invitation created by my oldest daughter, Soleil.

6-28-09 The Diva Table

The rock star paperware was purchased from Oriental Trading. This is what the individual place setting looked like. Each rock star had her own setting. On top of the plate is an electric guitar luggage tag (in which pictures of the girls were inserted). Behind the plate is a pair of glittered star sunglasses, which every diva MUST have! Guitar glitter is sprinkled all over the table.

6-28-09 Girls Rock! Place Setting

I assembled fab goody bags that even included Eliana’s Diva Party Mix. The goody bag contained stickers, a tiara, hair extensions, a “Diva” or “Girls Rock!” necklace and bracelet, blow-up microphone, a jewel tattoo, a rock rubber duck, eye shadows, and lip gloss. Each bag and all its contents were personalized.

6-28-09 The Diva Rock Star goody bag

The girls were instructed to come dressed as rock stars and they totally did. First, they went to the hair station, where they had their extensions and tiaras done. Then they they moved to the makeup station where fantasy makeup was applied by Sassy Sunshine Beauty.

6-28-09 Bienelyn gets her makeup done

They then went to the nail station where they had diva nails done with glitter, designs, and cool colors. Finally, they had a fashion photo shoot. I set up a back drop with pink and zebra fabric. The photos were for their “album cover” and “concert promotions.” They posed with electric guitars and microphones. The girls were so sassy!

6-28-09 The Diva Rock Stars, coming in concert soon to a venue near you!

These cute girls so totally rock!

6-28-09 The Diva Rock Stars totally ROCK!!!!

Breanne, the rock chick in the neon green, had a special outfit on. Her grandma and mom sewed it the night before! How awesome is that?!! After the photo shoot, the girls munched! They had jumbo popcorn chicken, pizza rolls, spinach & asiago chicken sausage, quesadillas, mini quiches, star sugar cookies, deli wheels, grapes, raspberries, and blackberries. They even toasted the Diva Rock Star Birthday Girl, Eliana!

6-28-09 Raising a Toast to Diva Rock Star Birthday Girl, Eliana

Afterwards, they did the birthday “cake,” mini cupcakes creating the shape of an electric guitar. I drew a guitar template on thick poster board secured to a cookie sheet. “Happy Birthday, Diva Eliana!” was written in white frosting on the poster board. Nine hot pink candles adorned the cake, on the neck of the guitar. Here are the girls with the birthday star.

6-28-09 Eliana's Guitar cupcake cake

After eating cupcakes and Itty Bitz ice cream (just like Dippin Dots), the girls rocked out with their favorite karaoke songs. Here are Breanne & Eliana jammin!

6-28-09 Breanne & Eliana rock out to Lady Gaga's "Poker Face"

Eliana opened presents and got some really cool gifts. Nana, Paw Paw, Uncle Gary and her cousins gave her GUITAR HERO for the Wii! Now that’s in keeping with the theme! Uncle Gary also gave Eliana a Lady Gaga CD. She LOVES it!

6-29-09 Eliana gets Guitar Hero & Lady Gaga CD

A special thank you to Nanny Lisa for being such a wonderful “guest hostess!” Unfortunately, we were so busy taking pics of the girls that we forgot to take pics of each other! We gave the girls one final parting gift – a customized album cover with their name, photo & album cover. Special thank you to talented Soleil for doing her magic graphic design work to create the album covers. Pictures of the girls were uploaded to the computer, manipulated in Photoshop, printed and inserted into thin line jewel cases to act as both a CD and picture frame. The girls even picked their album names. We had “Divalicious” (Eliana), “Rock Angel” (Josie), “Rock Princess” (Bienelyn), “Attitude!” (Jasmynn), “Girl Power” (Breanne), “Rock Star” (Camrynn), “Ready to Rock!” (Jaden), and “Girls Rock!” (Ashlynn).

6-28-09 Breanne with her "Girl Power" CD

As a final thank you for coming, each girl will receive something special in the mail. We wanted to make Eliana’s 9th birthday a celebration for everyone, making each girl feel special – like the Diva Rock Stars they are!

6-28-09 Jaden & Eliana take the world by storm!

Eliana, I hope you had a wonderful birthday party. Breanne, Bienelynn, Jaden, Camrynn, Ashlynn, Jasmynn & Josie, thank you so much for coming. You girls ROCK!!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne