Holiday Cookie & Cupcake Decorating Party

I promised myself I would keep this blog strictly featuring my cards, but I can't help myself - I must show you what my lovely ladies and I made during the first annual holiday cookie & cupcake decorating bash I hosted this weekend!

These are the marshmallow snowmen cupcakes that were my contribution. Shh... I didn't bake the cupcakes - I cheated and bought Buttercup cupcakes; I figured no one would mind that they weren't homemade since they're so delicious. But the cute snowmen perched on top are entirely of my doing!

My cocktail concoction for the party (see below picture) was something appropriately seasonal and holiday-y - and, since no boys were allowed, unabashedly girly - a Pear Ginger Smash. I muddled half a fresh ripe D'anjou pear into each drink (it's the foamy-looking top layer of the drink - very yummy!).

I also undertook the task of making my own ginger-honey syrup. I had wanted to make a batch well beforehand to cut down on stress, but unfortunately, I read that ginger loses its "bite" quite quickly. Some people add peppercorns to the mix to keep the zing, but Kaiserpenguin recommended muddling fresh ginger with simple syrup. I used a combination of the traditional hot method and Kaiserpenguin's cold method: In the days leading up to the party, I boiled 1 part sugar (in my case, half honey and half organic raw cane sugar) with 1 part water and slices of fresh ginger, adding an ounce of vodka for preservation.

My entire apartment smelled heavenly when the ginger syrup was boiling. The day of the party, I muddled fresh ginger into only the amount of syrup I needed to make the drinks. Every single person RAVED about the drink; there weren't enough seconds to go around! Honestly, though, they were delicious, but a bit too labor- and time-intensive; next time I make cocktails for a whole group of people, I might opt to make a big bowl of some sort of punch.

And here are some of the things the other girls and I came up with while apple cider simmered on the stove and the Beach Boys cheerily warbled Christmas songs on the stereo:

Gingerbread women (and umm, one anatomically correct gingerbread man)...

Yin-yang mini pumpkin pie...

Burning Man interpretation...

Cartoon-ish puppy dog (with Medusa-rific hair)...

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder mini pumpkin pie and bran muffin...

Snowmen and gingerbread men scene...

I would venture to say that my inaugural holiday cookie & cupcake decorating party was a big success! I love the idea of making it a tradition. Don't quote me on this, but ambitious plans are in the works for next year - I might bake my own gingerbread and prefabricate a bunch of gingerbread houses for my guests to decorate! 

Only a week 'til Christmas, wheeeeeee!!!