Good Tidings and Cheer!

 Christmas is the time of year to gather with your family and friends and celebrate the birth of Jesus.  It is a time for happiness and cheer, and thanking God for such a wonderful gift that He gave us! It is also a time for fun decorating and holiday parties. When decorating for Christmas, you don't have to stick with the traditional red and green.  In this blog we will show you ways that you can use hot, bright colors good for any 

holiday party!

Here, we created a centerpiece out of brightly colored tree ornaments stacked together on top of cake plates and a fun zebra striped platter.  We hung a blue boa and tassels from our light fixture, and put bright colored stars in the windowsill. You could also hand ornaments from the light fixture, or have them hang in the window as well.

You can jazz up your chandeliers and light fixtures by adding colors, tassels, and feathers

.

You can even dress up the windowsill 

Add interesting touches such as peacock feathers mixed in

 

You can also add bright colored packages, feathers (we added peacock feathers), and unique ornaments of all shapes, sizes, and colors to make your centerpiece decorative and unique. 

Now we will show you how to dress up and set the table for a dinner party! 

Recipe: Strawberry Surprise Cupcakes

Strawberry Surprise Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 stick (1⁄2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 2⁄3 cup sugar
• 11⁄2 tsp baking powder
• 1⁄4 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1⁄2 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 11⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1⁄2 cup seedless strawberry jam, chilled
• Strawberry Frosting
• 1⁄2 cup diced strawberries
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 3 oz chilled cream cheese
• 3⁄4 cup heavy (whipping) cream
• Garnish: 12 whole strawberries

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 12 regular-size (21⁄2-in. diameter) muffin cups with paper liners. Have ready a large pastry bag fitted with a 1⁄4- to 1⁄2-in. round piping tip.

2. Beat butter, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl with mixer on high speed 1 minute, or until blended. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until combined. On low speed, beat in milk and vanilla (batter will look curdled), then beat in flour just until blended. Spoon into lined cups.

3. Bake 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in centers of cupcakes comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes before removing from pan to rack to cool completely.

4. Spoon jam into pastry bag. Insert pastry tip into top of each cupcake and carefully pipe as much jam into center of each as possible (tops of cupcakes will bulge slightly).

5. Frosting: Stir strawberries and sugar in a large bowl; let stand 2 minutes. Beat with mixer until mashed. Add cream cheese; beat 2 minutes until well blended. Add cream and beat until stiff peaks form when beaters are lifted.

6. Up to 2 hours before serving: Spoon Frosting into a pastry bag fitted with a 1⁄2-in. round piping tip. Pipe frosting on cupcakes. Garnish each with a berry and refrigerate.

Vintage Looks for Less

I really enjoy buying old things and fixing them up, and using old "vintage" accessories when decorating. My roommates and I have this theme going in our home. This summer I bought some old end tables at at thrift store for $20 and get them a face lift. It was a long tedious process, but the end result made it worth it! It was my first time using stain, and I wouldn't suggest staining anything in the middle of the August Texas heat...but they look cute nonetheless.

Here are some of our vintage decorating ideas:
My roommate Megan bought a bunch of old pictures frames and painted some, and left some original and we used these various sizes to fill our wall above the couch.



My roommate Raychelle made some shelves out of plywood that she stained and we hung above our windows instead of doing curtains. We each had various old books, vases, candles, and statues from thrift stores that we combined to fill the shelves.


Lastly here are the end tables that I refinished.



Embossed leather was put on the top of the tables and the front of the drawers to add interest and texture
Different size, shapes, and colors of knobs were added to the drawers

Jordan and Molly's Vintage Birdcage Rehearsal Dinner

On Friday, December 3rd Jordan and Molly Anderson were married. We helped decorate for their rehearsal dinner on Thursday at Childer's Place in Amarillo, TX. We have pictures posted on a previous blog entry from Tyler and Andreas rehearsal dinner in the courtyard. Childer's Place also has inside space available which is what we used for Jordan and Molly. The catering was done there at Childer's Place by their staff, and it was delicious! I would definitely recommend this venue for a small party or reception. Their wedding theme was vintage, and their colors were gray and creme with touches of soft pink and blue. The wedding at Paramount Baptist church turned out beautiful! Molly made a gorgeous bride, and Jordan wasn't too bad either ;) We have known Jordan all his life, and are very excited that he has found someone as special and sweet as Molly! We love them both and wish them all the best!

Here are some pictures from the rehearsal dinner that Pam decorated for which had a theme of pink/vintage/birds/tea party


Music sheets were stained with tea to give them an antique look. Molly is a singer, so we thought the music would be a personal touch



Crystal and mirrors were hung from tree branches


Apothecary jars were filled with coffee beans, bird nests, and twigs


Bird feathers add a cute touch to the end of the pink and gray table runners that were made by Pam

Bird cages were filled with vintage books, tea cups, and flower arrangements to make a cute vintage/bird themed centerpiece. Each table had the vintage music sheets and tea cups as decoration as well.



These handmade fabric flowers are an easy and cute way to add a nice touch of elegance and vintage flair. Check out the previous blog called "DIY: Fabric Flowers" for step by step instructions on how to make these! Pearls and buttons add extra charm to the tablescape


Pam made this centerpiece with pink flowers and "iced" twigs. These are a good decorative touch to add in the wintertime.



We hope you enjoyed these vintage tablescaping ideas!

Check our previous blog entry on how to make those cute fabric flowers, which are a great idea for hair accessories, bouquets, table decorations, place cards, and jewelry accessories!

Tyler and Andrea's Traditional Wedding With a Twist

Tyler and Andrea Holloway got married this summer in Amarillo at Paramount Baptist Church. They are such a sweet couple and special to our family. We hope you enjoy these pictures from Kara Mercer at Vintage View Photography, and design by Jitters!










Location: Paramount Baptist Church, Amarillo, TX
Photography: Kara Mercer Vintage View Photography
Cake and cupcakes: Cake Company of Canyon, Canyon, TX
Flowers/centerpieces/design: Pam and Katryce Hotmann
Catering: Nancy Manning
Brides Flowers: Amarillo florist

Festive Festivities!

I mentioned last time how much I LOVE fall, and how there would be more inspirational pictures to come...well here they are! I would love to get the opportunity to do an event where we can go all out and decorate. So contact us for your next holiday party or wedding!


































Photo from the Wedding Firm Blog
Nothing says fall like caramel apples and hot apple cider!



















Photo from Kella Macphee, Photo Journalist




















Photo from The Knot















Photo from Geoff White Photography




















Photo from Marthastuart.com





















Photo from Joshua Gene Photography





















I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I do!
Have a great day, and God bless.

Katryce Hotmann 806-584-1875
Pam Hotmann 806-676-3404
jitters_events@yahoo.com

Recipe: Mini Pumpkin Cakes with Caramel- Rum Glaze...so yummy!

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Mini Pumpkin Cakes
(Adapted from Southern Living Magazine)
Makes: 8 pumpkins
Hands-on time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 Hour, 45 mins

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350*. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Stir in pumpkin and vanilla.

2. In a separate bowl, combine flour and next 4 dry ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Spoon batter into 2 lightly greased pumpkin-shaped muffin pans, filling three-fourths full.

Tip* For this I used a mini bunt cake pan...and it didn't turn out quite like I wanted it to, but it still worked. So I would suggest finding the pumpkin shaped pans to get the best results. These can be found at Michael's, and I saw one that was specifically pumpkin at Wal Mart, but it only makes one at a time and it is a little larger. To fill the pans, I put the batter into a pastry bag with a large tip; it was easy to fill the bunt pan and was not as messy.

3. Bake at 350 for 24 to 26 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pans to wire rack, and cool completely (about 30 mins).

*for mini bunt cake pans, bake for 17-20 minutes.

4. Cut rounded tops off muffins to make them flat. Invert top muffins onto bottom muffins, forming pumpkins. Drizzle Caramel Glaze over pumpkins. Decorate with caramel stems and leaves, if desired.

Caramel-Rum Glaze
Makes about 1 1/2 cups
hands-on time: 15 mins
Total time: 15 mins

Ingredients:
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 tbsp. rum*

* This is optional. I didn't put rum in my glaze, and it was still delicious!

Directions:
1. Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly; boil, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Remove from heat; gradually whisk in powdered sugar and rum (optional) until smooth. Whisk gently 3 to 5 minutes or until mixture begins to cool and thicken slightly. Use immediately.

There is also another Vanialla Glaze that can be substituted for the Caramel Rum glaze.
Ingredients:
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
3 to 4 tbsp. milk

1. Stir together first 2 ingredients and 3 Tbsp. milk, adding up to 1 Tbsp. additional milk for desired consistency. Use immediately.