Summer Soiree Party Kit - Meredith Corporation

Throw your own casual outdoor party complete with croquet and tea sandwiches. Get three easy DIY projects and pretty recipes-- everything you need to celebrate summer in style is right here.

SUMMER SOIREE

"The summer soiree garden party is so much fun to host. The colors and casual elegance fit perfectly into a lazy Sunday afternoon. With beautiful warm weather, gathering outdoors to enjoy iced tea, pretty sandwiches, and sweet desserts is a wonderful way to celebrate. The flowers, beautiful linens, and bright balloon are my favorite accents! The setup is simple, too, really everything can be prepped easily the day before.

There's plenty of time to enjoy the party!"

MEET CAMILLE

Camille is the founder of Planning Pretty blog and creative studio. She shares playful and elegant home decor, entertaining ideas, and tips for everyday life.

SOIREE PRINTABLES

BALLOON WITH LACE TASSELS

You'll need: - 36-inch diameter yellow balloons - 36 feet of lightweight lace ribbon, assorted colors and styles - Fabric shears or crafts scissors - Florist wire - Curling ribbon or twine - 6 feet of 1-inch wide white satin ribbon - Lace doilies - Stapler - Helium

FABRIC FLOWER BROOCH

You'll need: - Flower templates (page 3) - 2 yards of fabric - Sewing pins - Fabric shears - Sewing needle and thread - Safety pins or buttons

1.

1.

Steps:

1. Cut lace ribbon into

eighteen 2-feet long strips.

Group three strips together

and fold in half. For a

polished look, keep ribbon

ends even.

2.

2.

2. Wrap a small piece of the florist wire around the ribbon

fold. Make sure the wire is

tight around the center.

3. Tie a knot around the center,

3.

4.

using curling ribbon or twine, covering the florist wire.

3.

Cut ends of ribbon or twine,

4.

leaving them about 4 inches

long to attach to the balloon.

Repeat to create six tassels.

4. Tape white satin ribbon to

the wall. Measure and divide

the ribbon into thirds. Staple

one doily to the ribbon at the top third. Tie two tassels

5.

5.

underneath doily. Repeat with remaining two thirds of

the ribbon.

5. Inflate the balloon with helium and tie a long strand of curling ribbon to it. Tie satin ribbon with tassels around the neck of the balloon. Note: If the lace tassels are too heavy, remove the bottom ones.

2

?Copyright 2015, Better Homes and GardensTM Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Steps: 1. Print the flower template on 8 ?x11inch white paper; each template will make four flower brooches. Cut a section of the fabric to the size of the paper. Pin printed template to fabric at all corners and along the edges using sewing pins.

2. Carefully cut out each flower shape using fabric shears. Discard paper.

3. Gather three flower cutouts. Fold each flower in half, then in half again to make quarters.

4. Once you have all three folded, layer the three cutouts together and begin stitching together in the center. As the flower cutouts become secure, sew closer to the center to create a full flower shape.

5. Once the flower is complete, simply add a safety pin. Trim any frayed threads.

FABRIC FLOWERS BROOCH (Continued)

3

?Copyright 2015, Better Homes and GardensTM Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

SCORECARD

Croquet SCoreCard

Winner iS...

Players 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Total

Round

1

Round

2

Round

3

Croquet SCoreCard

Winner iS...

Players 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Total

Round

1

Round

2

Round

3

4

?Copyright 2015, Better Homes and GardensTM Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

SOIREE RECIPES

LEMON TEA CAKES

1 cup granulated sugar 6 eggs, slightly beaten 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup unsalted butter (no substitutes), melted and cooled 1 tablespoon finely shredded lemon peel 4-1/2 cups granulated sugar 2-1/4 cups water 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar 1 tablespoon lemon juice 6 cups sifted powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Line the bottom with waxed paper. Set aside. 2. Place the 1 cup granulated sugar and the eggs in a 3- to 4-quart heatproof mixing bowl. Place bowl over 1 to 2 inches hot water in a large saucepan (bowl should not touch water). Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes or until egg mixture is lukewarm (105 degrees F to 110 degrees F). Remove bowl from saucepan. Add the 1 tablespoon lemon juice and the vanilla. 3. Beat egg mixture with an electric mixer on high speed for 10 minutes. Sift about one-third of the flour over egg mixture. Gently fold in flour. Repeat sifting and folding in one-third of the flour at a time. Gently fold in melted butter and lemon peel. Spread batter into the prepared pan. 4. Bake for 25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan; peel off paper. Cool completely on rack. 5. Combine the 4-? cups granulated sugar, the water, and cream of tartar in a 3-quart saucepan. Bring mixture to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to mediumlow. Clip a candy thermometer to side of the saucepan. Cook until thermometer registers 226 degrees F, stirring only when necessary to prevent sticking. Mixture should boil at a moderate, steady rate over

the entire surface (this should take about 15 minutes). Remove saucepan from heat. Cool sugar mixture at room temperature, without stirring, to 110 degrees F (allow about 1 hour). Stir in the 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Stir in enough powdered sugar to make an icing that is easy to drizzle. If necessary, beat the icing with a rotary beater or a wire whisk to remove any lumps. If the icing gets too thick to drizzle, beat in a few drops hot water. 6. Using a serrated knife, trim sides and top of cake to make the edges smooth and straight. Cut cake into 1-?-inch squares, diamonds, triangles, and/or circles. Brush off crumbs. Place cake pieces on wire racks with waxed paper underneath.

7. Insert a 2- or 3-prong, long-handle fork into the side of one cake piece. Holding the cake over the saucepan of icing, spoon on enough icing to cover sides and top. Place frosted cake piece back on the wire rack, making sure it doesn't touch other cake pieces. Repeat with the remaining pieces. Let cakes dry for 15 minutes. Repeat with a second layer of icing, except set cake pieces on top of the fork prongs (do not spear them). Repeat with a third layer of icing. If necessary, reuse the icing that has dripped onto the waxed paper, straining to remove crumbs. Tint any remaining icing with food coloring as desired and pipe or drizzle on top of cakes. Makes about 48 cakes.

Camille's Styling Tips: Adding a small garnish, such as an edible pansy flower, is the perfect touch of detail. Be sure to use organic edible flowers found at the farmers market or in salad mixes to avoid any harmful pesticides. Small sprinkles, candy pearls, or other purchased cake decor make great toppers as well. Since these little desserts need a little boost in height, display on tiered cake stands. A collection of glass or vintage cake stands surely does the trick. Stack from largest to smallest and arrange the tea cakes around the tiers. Use a decorative teacup of flowers near the display and the tea cakes will look even sweeter.

5

?Copyright 2015, Better Homes and GardensTM Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

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