Kennedy Creative

Sweet treats we LOVE

CakeShooters are one of our more recent discoveries and the lovely people at Sprinkles were kind enough to let us sample them. Let’s just say they were amazing! So cute in their push-pop containers and delicious too! What a great mess-free way to serve cake at weddings and events.
www.cakeshooters.com

Another sweet treat that we just LOVE is pie. That is why we love TinyPies; they’re pies and they’re tiny, what’s not to love? They have all of the best pie flavors including Sweet Texas Pecan, Fresh Texas Peach, Dutchy’s Apple and more. Their tiny pies also come in small 3 ½ pint mason jars perfect for service to guests as a midnight treat or, hey, if you don’t really like cake, just serve some tiny pies!

www.TinyPies.com

For a really nontraditional sweet treat, why not do a S’mores bar? To spice it up even more you can add different flavors of chocolate bars and graham crackers. It’s a great new twist on the traditional S’mores around a campfire and will guarantee to bring a smile to everyone’s face! Hyatt Regency Lost Pines has many fire places all around it’s property—a perfect place for a S’mores bar and they even make their own marshmallows!!


www.lostpines.hyatt.com

Happily Ever Ceramics

Weddings by Kennedy just can’t get enough of those little fabulous details that are endearing, unique and make our weddings glow with personality. We have fallen in love with the fabulous ceramic products we have found! These hand touched products are the perfect touch for the day of your wedding but are practical in your household as newlyweds for years after. We are in love all over again with those oh-so-frilly details…what can we say, we are such girls!

A new spin on the ring bearer pillow from palomasnest in Austin.

Gorgeous cake plates from Clara French (check out their new registry too!).

The perfect addition to a bridal bouquet also by palomasnest.

Our Favorite Sites to Spice Up Your Backyard BBQ

Summer is now in full swing, and to the team here at Kennedy Creative, that means BBQ and picnic season! Check out some of our favorite sites and items to make your backyard BBQ the talk of the neighborhood!

Tools for the Chef

• Williams-Sonoma : OK, this is an obvious one. But you just can’t go wrong with them! Make your mark with a monogrammed steak brand!

• Red Envelope: The chef manning the grill needs the use of both hands, so where does he put his beer? In his beer holster, of course! That way it never leaves his side!

Fun table settings

• Always Elegant: Features all kinds of great items to beautify your tables. We especially love their cloth placemats.

• Plum party: They have many adorable pieces for all your party needs, including these mini-Adirondack chairs that can hold tea lights and place cards!

Dishware to dish about

• Home Infatuation: They have all your outdoor living needs. We love these adorable melamine plates, resistant to chipping, cracking or breaking!

• Smarty Had a Party: Some of these pieces look so fancy you would never guess they were plastic or even disposable. We love this retro looking clear serving bowl.

Beautifully served beverages

• Velocity Art and Design: This modern home store carries so many great design pieces. Their functional serving pitchers are just as pleasing to look at as it is to drink the beverage inside.

• Front Gate: They have a broad selection of colorful yet plastic drink ware.  Unbreakable can still be stylish! Like this acrylic blue drinkware set!

Outdoor Décor

• Design Public: We love all that design public has to offer for entertaining. They carry many great outdoor accessories to spice up the atmosphere, like these gorgeous lanterns you can set out on tables or hang from the trees!

• Glassbaby: Everyone enjoys the ambiance that candlelight brings to the mood. With Glassbaby you can pick the perfect color candles to accent your backyard theme. Select from these special colors and they will donate part of the profits to cancer research.

Indulge Yourself: Get Pampered!

We LOVE LOVE LOVE when we stumble over a fabulous find.  We Love it even more when it comes wrapped in a cute package including too cute decor, pampering and mimosas to boot!  We all need a day, or even just an hour, to reboot from our busy, multi-tasking lives to sit back and enjoy the niceties of a fabulous mani and pedi…without breaking the bank.  Our answer, Embellish Nails & Boutique!

The super savvy owners of Embellish, Lisa and Wendy met right here in Austin during their first semester of MBA school at UT.  They became fast friends and as all girly girls do, they spent time getting manis and pedis together.  Working on a college girl’s budget and with a penchant for research, they quickly realized that there was a need for a chic, stylish salon that was clean, budget friendly and catered to a client that really wanted a place to get away, relax, shop and feel pampered!

Visit their Central Austin or Westlake locations and you will be greeted with a warm neck wrap while enjoying complimentary sodas, white wine or mimosas on the weekend and an unlimited supply of M&Ms for your sweet tooth.  Their adorable atmosphere of pink walls, chandeliers and flat screens showing chick flicks all add to the fabulous experience.  To accentuate their clean processes, soak in metal basins prior to your pedi and go home with your own nail file and buffer used for the first time on your oh-so-cute tootsies.  Got the entertaining bug, host a party at Embellish for your next bridal shower, birthday party or girls’ night out! 

Mention the Kennedy Creative or Weddings by Kennedy blog and you will receive $10 off a Signature Facial using the Eminence Organic Skincare line!  Now go pick a color!

5 Reasons We Love Etsy.com

5.  Vintage – We adore the beautiful vintage pieces that so many artists and vendors on Etsy.  This funky alarm clock is perfect for any modern home need of a classic touch.

4. Handmade Jewelry – You can always find handmade and totally unique pieces that you are sure to love.  We have found everything from a boom-box charm necklace to birthstone rings.  We have totally fallen for this fabulous cuff, talk about standing out in a crowd!

3. Pretty Paintings – It doesn’t matter what colors or styles you are looking for, there is certain to be a talented artist with exactly what you need.  Check out this three piece abstract painting which is perfect for anyone looking for a pop of color in their home.

2. Perfect Paper – Etsy offers a huge variety of artists that offer anything from greeting cards to paper roses.  This perfectly designed set of baby shower stationary is just the tip of the iceberg!

1. Wedding Wonderland – If you are looking for something custom, cooky, or just a little different to fit into your big day, Etsy is where you need to be.  Anything from wedding bands to guarders, Etsy has you covered. We have to say, this handmade-headpiece it a show-stopper.  We can’t get over the detail and overall beauty.

The KC Team Might Be Confection Crazy

Okay, so we admit… Valentine’s Day makes us a bit dessert obsessed but what’s wrong with a little sugar-rush?  Valentine’s Day may have passed but with all the birthdays coming up in the approaching weeks, these cake pops might just take the not-so-figurative-cake.  Bakerella.com provides perfect step-by-step directions to create the perfect home made treat for your friends.  Just to make sure we are promoting really great ideas, we decided to try this DIY recipe for ourselves (it had nothing to do with how much we have been craving cake).  We can say, from experience, they are as easy as they sound.  You must employ some patience and a bit of time but these little cake-poppers are sure to please, impress, and delight. Enjoy!

Fabulous Custom Cookies

It may be too late to order these for Valentines day, but they are so darn cute we couldn’t resist. Parker’s Crazy Cookies is based in California, but they are willing to ship their goodies – so get excited.  After graduating from the University of California, Dave Parker traveled abroad baking for local shops.  Upon his return to the States, Dave turned his love for cookies into a business – the birth of Parker’s Crazy Cookies.  Parker and crew make totally custom and completely adorable cookies.  With a picture and $20 (plus the cost of cookies), they will custom design a cookie to look like just about anything – even you!  Don’t take our word for it, take a look at their creative cookies below.

Inspiration: Sweet Pink and Yellow

If you’re planning any kind of party this spring, a super cute and festive color scheme we have fallen for is a pink and yellow.  This sweet color palette is perfect for a bridal party, baby shower, or anything in between.  The combination of the soft pink and bright yellow is a perfect spring-time fit with a flirty flare that can be pretty easy to accomplish.

Pink and Yellow Diamond Desserts [Amy Atlas], Hand Fan [asianideas.com], Yellow Slingback Pumps [Stuart Weitzman], Pink and Yellow Invitation [weddingpaperdivas.com], Pink Lemonade Cocktail [brides.com], Flirty Lace Dress [Betsey Johnson], Yellow Dinnerware [Macy's], Tea Cup Floral Arrangements [projectwedding.com]

Sugar: The Way to Any Heart

Looking for an alternative to a dozen red roses for your Valentine this month?  We all know treats and sweets are the way to anyone’s heart and we have some favorites to recommend.  We love our local companies and not just for their Austin spirits, they also are some of the best tasting treats we have found yet.
If  you’re looking to surprise your sweetie with a delivery, these divine deserts are the way to go:

Mary Louise Butters has been serving Austin for some years now, but more recently the rest of the country has gotten a taste of Ms. Butters’ gooey and self-proclaimed “feisty” brownies because of their promise of efficient and secure shipping.  Rachel Ray has referred to these squares of heaven as the “snack of the day” and The Today Show included them in their “8 Best Mail-Order Brownies” list, getting extra points for originality.  A box of 6 brownies will cost about $26 plus shipping.

Lammes Candies has been an Austin favorite since 1885  and they haven’t lost any steam. From pralines and toffee to their “Longhorn” clusters and peppermint kisses, Lammes has almost anything your Valentine loves.  With gifts starting at only $24, you can get two boxes (we doubt your beau will want to share).  The candy boxes can be wrapped, by Lammes, in any holiday wrapping paper and adorned with personal greeting.

If you’re a local Austinite, check out these pick-up only favorites:

Our favorite cupcake shop is Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop on South First Street.  Considering ourselves cupcake-connoisseurs, we can honestly say Sugar Mama’s is one of the best.  With totally unique flavors baked fresh daily, it’s impossible not to find something amazing.  Sugar Mama’s is also known for never taking shortcuts.  There is never any shortening, preservatives, or mixes used in these fabulous treats.  Even more Austin of them – this bakery is wind  powered and they use unbleached chlorine-free bakery boxes.  We can’t say enough great things about this little shop (unless they are interested in appeasing a late-night sweettooth, they’re near perfect).  The cupcakes run $2.50 each or $27.00 per dozen and it’s well worth the trip.

If you have a Valentine with a hankering for the frozen treats, Amy’s Ice Cream is by far the Austin winner.  With 7 standard flavors, daily creations, and seasonal favorites there is something for everyone.  While the traditional Sweet Cream may be our all time favorite, we’ve never been disappointed with any of the sometimes cooky flavors.  With 14 locations, there is bound to be an Amy’s Ice Cream by you – but we don’t suggest trying to wrap this one, it might get messy.

Let’s Talk About Accessories

While costume jewelry is still huge, the more simple accessories are inching their way in… and we love it.  We all have our fair share of chunky bracelets and rockin’ rings, but these super cute pieces might just be cause for a shopping spree.

Handcrafted Bubble Lace Ring [Colleen Baran], Black Plasteramic Watch [Toy Watch], Bird Swing Necklace [Allison Wells :: Papersnake], Cupcake Necklace [Miam], The Banana Bag [One Language Label], Bijou Earrings [Alisha Louise], Valentina Agates Necklace [Stone and Honey] – Also check out Erica Weiner Jewelry for more designs we love!