Friday, April 28, 2017

Queen Girdie's Glitter Jubilee- Tasty Treats

I think the only food picture I managed to take at the retreat was these cute swan cookies.

 
Fridays meals were catered by the talented Kam's Kookery. Both lunch and dinner were huge hits and such a help to me. A very special thank you to our friend Donna who recommended Kamela and whose daughter made our tasty Fried chicken sliders. If I can talk her out of that recipe I will be sure to let you know. Our Friday night dinner was the best pork tenderloin- we definitely ate like royalty thanks to Kamela and her talented staff.
 
Friday morning we had Ina Garten's Raspberry Baked French Toast . I was pretty easy and could be made the night before which is a plus.
 
Raspberry Baked French Toast
 
1 TBS unsalted butter, room temp
10 extra large eggs
23/4 cups half-and-half
1/3 c plus 2 TBS sugar
1/3 c light brown sugar, lightly packed
1TBS vanilla
1tsp grated orange zest
1/2 tsp kosher salt
10 cups diced challah ( I just used sourdough)
12 ounces fresh raspberries
Confectioner's sugar, for serving
Pure maple syrup, for serving


Grease 9x13x2 oval baking dish with butter. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, 1/3 c of sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, orange zest & salt.

Spread half of the diced bread in the prepared dish. Sprinkle the raspberries on top. Top with the rest of the bread and pour on the egg mixture, pressing down lightly to moisten the bread. Sprinkle the remaining 2 TBS of sugar, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place baking dish on a sheet pan and bake for 60-70 mins. or until the custard is set and the top is puffed and brown. Check after 45 mins. and if it is getting too brown, cover lightly with foil. Cool for 10 mins., sprinkle with confectioner's sugar, orange zest and serve with warm maple syrup.


Since the weather cooled on Saturday, I changed our menu from a trio of soups to soup and salads.
The tomato soup was from Homeland and straight out of the jar- Scaffetta's Tomato Basil. Typically it is on the end cap of the pasta aisle. Pretty good and even easier!

The Barefoot Contessa came through again for our Pasta, Pesto & Peas Salad.

Pasta, Pesto & Peas
 
3/4 lb fusilli pasta 
3/4 lb bow-tie pasta
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 1/2 c pesto
1 10oz frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
3 TBS freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/4 c good mayonnaise
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 c frozen peas,defrosted
1/3 c toasted pine nuts
3/4 tsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp black pepper
 
Cook the fusilli and bow ties separately in a large pot of boiling salted water for 10-12 mins. or until al dente.   Drain and toss into a bowl with the olive oil. cool to room temp.
 
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree the pesto, spinach, and lemon juice. Add the mayonnaise and continue to puree.
 
Add the pesto mixture to the cooled pasta, then add the Parmesan cheese, peas, pine nuts, salt & pepper. Mix well, season to taste, and serve at room temperature.  
 
 
 
Magnolia Bakery's Banana Pudding
 
1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 c cold water
1 ( 3.4 oz) package of instant vanilla pudding
3 c heavy cream
1 12 oz box Nabisco Nilla Wafers
4 c sliced ripe bananas
 
In a medium sized bowl, beat sweetened condensed milk and water for about a minute. Add the pudding mix and beat for about two more minutes.
 
Transfer to a smaller bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
 
In a large bowl on medium speed, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the pudding mixture until blended.
 
In a large bowl, layer wafers, bananas, and pudding. I started with a small scoop of pudding. cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 8 hours before serving.
 
Can garnish with caramel syrup,mini chocolate chips or toasted coconut - or all three!
 
 
ENJOY!
 
 
 
 

Perfect for the Next Few Months

These new lines that just arrived at Paper Crown are perfect for the next few months filled with fun family vacations and beautiful weddings.








 
 

 
Don't forget to sign up for May classes!
 
 
Lesa Dailey Graceful Swan- Sat., May 6th, 10-1, $55
 
Swan Watercolor- Thurs., May 11th, 5:30-8:30, Angie $45
 
Chalk Lettering- May 13th, 10:30-12:30, Krystal $85 
 
Brush Calligraphy- Sat., May 13th, 1:30-3:30, Krystal $115
 
 
 

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Queen Girdie's Glitter Jubilee- Swaps & Swag

It just wouldn't be Glitter Retreat without a few swaps and I quickly learned the less restrictions I place on it the better. We just throw out a couple of ideas and tell the ladies to let their imaginations go wild. Each year they are always so much more spectacular than I could have ever imagined. This year was no exception!

The first swap was a tussie mussie or small bouquet. You have often seen the Queen presented with small bouquets as she makes her way in a royal procession and Queen Girdie was no different. First I must apologize, I always get so caught up in these swaps that I forget to take pictures. I was a little better this year but still have a long way to go. If I missed your swap I am so sorry. Chances are, I was still in awe over what you created

  
 





 


The second swap was a paper crown, pretty appropriate considering.




Hopefully some of you all took more pictures and can share them with us. I just get so caught up in the incredible creations that I forget to snap pictures.


The third and final swap was a dress form., very similar to what we start out with when we dress Girdie.

 




 
It just wouldn't be a Glitter Retreat without a little swag so here is a peek at some of the items the ladies received last weekend.  
 
 
Every Queen needs a crown and her royal sash.
 





A little reminder of the swan tablescape
 
We had a couple of Angie's paintings made into postcards, stickers and even a coloring book


 
 
 
Designs by Jamie created these adorable pouches that greeted the ladies our first morning. Jackie added a little bling to the crown and a crown charm to the zipper to make them
" fit for a queen."  Jamie is an amazing seamstress and we were lucky enough to have her at Glitter Market last fall.
 
Jamie also made these adorable totes with two of Angie's images on the pockets for each of the teachers. With a little arm twisting we might be able to talk Jamie into making something very similar for our Paper Crown girls. If you are interested let me know.
 
Sometimes a crown is a little out of place but this Paper Crown hat ensures that you can always have your crown.
 
 
Loved these Zinnia seeds from Floret Farm. Did you notice the name, "Oklahoma Salmon." Floret is one of my favorite sites to follow on Instagram- such beautiful flowers, it reminds me of our visit last summer to Terri's.

Each night the ladies got a little bedtime reading material and this " Sweet Dreams" tag was tucked in the first night's magazine.

The ladies also received a goodie bag full of paper, hand dyed ribbon, custom glitter and thanks to Jackie's husband Tom, a portable phone charger. Probably the most used gift of the weekend. Thank you Mr. Peters, you are a gem!
 
 
 
 
 
Several of the ladies even came bearing presents. Peggy made everyone one of her famous stitched tags and a sweet sentiment defining "Glitter Retreat." Marlene from NJ gave everyone a beautiful beaded box and a fun custom bookmark with each of our swaps.
 
 
 
 
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Four May Classes

May seems to be such a busy month- graduations, Mother's Day, transition to summer- but I know you will want to make plans to add these three fun classes to your schedule.


 
Graceful Swan
Sat., May 6th
10-1
Lesa Dailey, $55
 
If this cutie looks familiar it was our centerpiece for this year's Glitter Retreat. If you weren't able to attend the Retreat you can take home a part!  
 
 
 
Swan Watercolor
Thurs., May 11th
5:30-8:30
Angie, $45
 
We have all gone wild over Prima's new Watercolor Confections so let's get them out and use them!
You will love this class!
 
 
Chalkboard Lettering
Sat., May 13th
10:30-12:30
Krystal, $85
 
 
Brush Calligraphy
Sat., May 13th
1:30-2:30
Krystal, $115
 
Either of these classes would be such a fun Mother's Day present. I can guarantee Mom would rather spend time with you creating a memory than getting flowers or jewelry. I know, I'm a mom! 
 
Make room for these classes, you will not regret it. To sign up, call Paper Crown at 405 848-2389.
 
 
 

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Queen Girdie's Glitter Jubilee-It's All in the Details

Jackie has done a great job on her blog, Good Grief Girdie, http://goodgriefgirdie.typepad.com/blog/2017/04/glitter-retreat-2017.html the past two days documenting the 2017 Paper Crown Glitter Retreat day by day. I could not have done a better job and Jackie's pics are ALWAYS so much better and she has many more so I decided to highlight a couple of areas of the retreat rather than a day by day recap.
I thought I would focus today on the details and décor. The first retreat we did had a theme, birds, but it was pretty loose. We didn't plan for decorations but just went in the back room and cabinets after each meal and tried to come up with tablescapes which were different. My how things have evolved!

Once we come up with a theme the details just start flooding our minds. We realized this winter that even though we are called Paper Crown, we had never done a crown as a retreat project - we also had a very special customer who had been asking for a paper crown for years - Thanks Suzy Q.

I asked Angie to paint some icons we could use to break up the registration email and little did I know they would become front and center in this year's retreat.

 




 
From these sketches we came up with our three beautiful projects, three decoration themes for Paper Attic, our daily treats and even the food.
 
The three projects for this year's retreat fit our theme perfectly and were all such fun to create.
 
Jenn McGlonn taught this fun doll with a swan

Angie Myers created this beautiful paper crown

Jackie Peters used a Paper Whimsy Alterable to create this queen


With almost 30 women in the store, we needed a little help the first day remembering names so Jackie " just whipped up" these adorable felt name tags. So, so cute and of course, they had a crown.


No event at Paper Crown is complete without Girdie and since this year's retreat was all about her, she had a beautiful gown, sash and flowering crown. I swear give Jackie some paper and a glue gun and this happens-she is better than Cinderella's  fairy godmother!
 
Each time the ladies entered the Paper Attic for a meal, we had a new theme. The first was flowers, second crown and third was swans. I must admit this is where I can go crazy but oh is it FUN! Unfortunately I seem to come up with the crazy ideas and then let Jackie and Angie figure out a way to make them happen. I have the best team because they ALWAYS seem to come up with a fantastic solution.
 



 
 
 


 
 

  
Friday night we transformed the Paper Attic into the royal banquet hall fit for a queen. It really was very pretty and the sound of rain on the roof just added to it.  
 
 





 
 
 



 
 
 
 
 
Love that these girls did not let a broken foot dampen their FUN! You look marvelous ladies!
 
 
Our last trip to the Paper Attic was all about the swans. Angie painted a beautiful mural and Jackie worked her magic on three swans to turn them into royalty. Marlene this theme was for you ; )
 

 
 

 
 

These lovely swan centerpieces were created by Lesa Dailey for the retreat. If you missed the retreat, you can still take a piece home. Lesa will be teaching a class on the swans, next Saturday, May 6th from 10:00-1. Call the store at 405 848-2389 to enroll.



 
 
Tomorrow- swaps and swag