Hot Chocolate Bar

Winter is finally here and I'm reaching for my cups of hot chocolate and tea to stay warm and toasty during these cold days and nights.  Hot chocolate bars are the perfect way to keep guests warm and happy during those cozy winter birthday parties, wedding receptions, celebrating new years eve or just a fun get together with friends and family.  I had a wonderful opportunity to visit with our local MOPS (Mothers Of Pre-Schoolers) group and set up a fun hot chocolate bar for their meeting.  If you are a mother of little ones and searching for a group of moms going through the same struggles and joys, you might want to check this group out.  They have over 4,000 groups around the world.

For the hot chocolate bar styling, I started with our Penguin Birthday Party items and just modified them a little to fit our group.  This is something that we can do with most of our products, so feel free to ask us if we can change the wording, colors, take off the design, etc.  

Here are a few tips and ingredients you will need to pull off a delicious hot chocolate bar at your next winter event.  When planning a hot chocolate bar, make sure to have plenty of toppings, whipped cream and cute signage.  People are more likely to use the toppings and condiments if they know exactly what they are.  The signage and topping selections were the easy parts, finding the right hot chocolate mix, not so easy!  I originally wanted to do a crockpot hot chocolate, but the meeting started early in the morning and all the crockpot recipes required several hours to reach full yumminess.  I am not a morning person, so getting up at 5am to make hot chocolate, wasn't an option for me.  So I thought it would be a good idea to make my own mix then use a large coffee urn for hot water.  I headed over to pinterest and tried many different recipes for homemade hot chocolate mix and I didn't care for the way those tasted, some too sugary, some not sugary enough, most just didn't have enough taste when mixed with water and milk.  So, I broke down and used a store bought mix. I tried Swiss Miss, Nestle and Land O Lakes and decided on Land O Lakes Chocolate Supreme Hot Cocoa Mix.  We borrowed large coffee urns from the church where the meeting was held for the water.  I had regular milk and rice milk on hand and in cute glass containers. Everyone seemed to love it.  

Here is what you will need and links to purchase.

Toppings and ingredients we used for the cocoa bar:
Land O Lakes Chocolate Supreme Hot Cocoa Mix
Milk
Rice Milk and/or Coconut Milk
Whipped Cream
Marshmallows
Peppermint Sticks
Mini Chocolate Chips
Butterscotch Chips
Crushed Peppermint Candies
Chocolate and Peppermint Crumbles (Andes Mints)
Caramel Chips
Chocolate Hazelnut Pirouettes
(for a wedding reception, you could also add flavored liquors and syrups (Peppermint Schnapps, Baileys, etc.) 

Paper Goods and Signage
paper straws 
cup wraps
straw flags
tags for milks and hot cocoa mix
food tents and tags for toppings
directions for mixing and making the hot chocolate
banner or sign directing guests to the hot chocolate bar
napkins
cups
spoons
stir sticks

Added Bonus:
Add favor bags, stickers and ties and let your guests make a bag to take home as a favor.

Photos (and help with the setup) by Jennifer Cox of JT Photography.
All paper goods by us: Tiger Lily Invitations

Chocolate Coconut Truffles in our Post Valentine's Day Post

It's a rare occasion that I feel the need to bake, but this past weekend was Valentine's Day and after several years of going out (sometimes resulting in a nice romantic evening, sometimes not so much) I decided to cook. My main meal was super simple - my family recipe of Swiss steak, rice and homemade biscuits (yes, I make my own).

All was going well until I realized at 8 pm the night before Valentine's we had no dessert and I had no gift for Eric. We had given each other Swatch watches (yes, they still exist ) earlier in the week as gifts but I still like to have something extra for him.
So over to Pinterest I went for some ideas.  Luckily I have pinned 77 yummy dessert ideas to my Craving Chocolate Pinterest board so the finding a dessert part was easy. Eric loves chocolate and coconut, so BAM, chocolate coconut truffles it was for both dessert and gift!

I used a quick and easy recipe for the truffles I found on pinterest from Sugar Apron Blog:

Ingredients
3 cups sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup butter - melted
2 cups or regular size bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
Coconut Filling
Mix coconut, condensed milk, sugar, butter in large mixing bowl.  (I thought the butter was a little overwhelming so I added in a little more powdered sugar and condensed milk.) Form mixture into balls using hands. Place balls on parchment or wax paper on cookie sheet or tray. Place tray in freezer for 2 hours or until hardened.

Side note:
Before placing in the freezer, I thought it would be a good idea to add some of our (Tiger Lily Invitations) cute heart cupcake toppers before putting the coconut balls in the freezer.  I thought it would help with the chocolate dipping process. It didn't, so I took them out and added them after I dipped them in chocolate.

Chocolate Dip
Melt chocolate in microwave safe bowl at 15-second intervals, stirring in between, until melted and dippable.

Place frozen coconut balls on a fork or use mini tongs and dip into melted chocolate. Making sure to coat evenly on each side.  Place back onto wax paper.  Sprinkle with coconut or powdered sugar.  I added our heart toppers at this time. Place back into the freezer for 30 minutes or until hardened.

Keep refrigerated or frozen until ready to serve.

Here's my finished product! I served them on my granny's beautiful vintage rose dishes and crystal cake stand for a little added specialness and used one of the Tiger Lily Invitation heart banners as a backdrop for our table.

The night was simple and special and the truffles were delicious!

The recipe made over a dozen, but they will keep in the freezer so we can have a little treat anytime we need a little sweetness in our day.  ( I just had a half to get me through this dreary Monday afternoon!)

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day filled with a little sweet, a little sparkle and a lot of love : )

Jessica

Share your thoughts and favorite Valentine's desserts with us in the comments below.

Country Meets Rocky Mountain Rustic

The creative process really is easier for me with guidance and feedback.  During our slower months (August-November) I love to take on custom orders because I have the time to really work with the customer to come up with the perfect invitation for their special day.  This summer a customer emailed me and said "I'm a Georgia girl who lives in Colorado now, so the theme of our wedding follows suit: Country feel meets Rocky Mountain Rustic."  I took that description and designed our Rustic Floral Antler Wedding Invitation Suite. The Invitation Suite combines a rustic antler design, commonly used in the Rockies, with a romantic flower bouquet and calligraphy fonts.  The designs and type feature a rich fall jewel tone color palette of plum, marsala, dark brown, deep orange and khaki and the invitation is wrapped up with twine.  Beautiful for a romantic and rustic Rocky Mountain Wedding.  While I am waiting to see photos from the real wedding, I put together a little inspiration board.  

Photo and Product Credits:  

Top Photo: Venue: Dunton Hot Springs 

photo by Benj Haisch 

Groomsmen photo by Ryan Ray

Feather Bouquet and Shoes: photo by Clear Photography

Invitations: Tiger Lily Invitations

Table Decor:

photography: Lukas & Suzy VanDyke 

planning + design: Harmony Creative Studio

venue: The Ranch at Bandy Canyon Escondido, California

florals: Heirloom Design House

Cake Photo by Ashley Cook Photography

Cake Design by Heavenly Delights Cupcakery

Bridal Party Photo:

Photography:Cory Ryan Photography

Bridesmaid Dresses:The Dessy Group

Wedding Dress:Morilee

Classic, timeless and elegant never goes out of style

Classic, timeless and elegant is how I would describe our newest wedding invitation suite.  A lot of our invitations have a rustic, boho feel, which is still hot right now for weddings, but for 2016, we are adding a few classic, traditional designs to the mix, because classy and elegant really never go out of style. Our newest invitation set, features, clean and classic fonts and beautiful grey and blush pink envelopes, topped with a delicate laurel design and monogram.  It is printed on luxurious #120 white (slightly off white) eggshell cardstock and is in the Tiger Lily Invitations signature shape (tall and skinny).  It is perfect for so many wedding types - from traditional to rustic elegant, you can't go wrong with this invitation set and it will be just as beautiful to look back on 20 years from now as it is today.  If you would like to see this pretty invitation set in person, we have samples for sale at www.tigerlilyinvitations.etsy.com.  We love it in the grey and blush pink, but other colors are available.  Contact us at tigerlilyinvitations@gmail.com for availability.

Fall Marketing Intern Position Available

Fall Intern Position

We are looking for a bright, creative and outgoing individual who has a love of event planning, pinning and posting.  We are a very small company, so our intern will gain valuable hands on experience in blog writing, social media/ email /online marketing, photo styling, and day to day business operations and be crucial to our online shop expansion this fall.

Main Responsibilities

• research, plan and assist with product photoshoots and photo styling
• write a weekly blog post about one of our products
• post to our instagram,  facebook and pinterest pages
• assist in creating an email newsletter once a month
• create digital inspiration boards
• assist with administrative duties as needed

Qualifications
The ideal candidate will:

• have a passion for event planning, weddings, parties and of course, all things paper and ink
• have a love and knowledge of social media 
• have excellent writing skills
• have a creative eye and attention to detail
• have your own computer and working knowledge of adobe creative suite (experience in blog writing and/or website design is definitely a plus)
• be able to work approx. 10-15 hours a week Oct - Dec
• be responsible, mature, and serious about their work
• represent our brand in a positive and professional way

If this sounds like you, here's what to do:

• send a short explanation why you will be the perfect intern for our little stationery business
• send a resume with education, work, volunteer work and hobbies (crafts, diy, etc.)
• please include name and contact information for 2 references (can be professors, employers, advisors, etc. - just no family members please)
• please include links to your instagram and pinterest accounts
• email cover letter and resume to Jessica Armstrong at tigerlilyinvitations@gmail.com
• if you have questions don't hesitate to contact us

Tiger Lily Invitations specializes in handcrafted wedding invitations and party supplies. We are an online retailer (www.tigerlilyinvitations.etsy.com) and take appointments with local customers. We are a home-based business located in Cornelia, Ga.

Now Hiring Part-Time Summer Assistant and Taking Applications for Fall Intern

Summer Stationery Assistant Position - Part-Time

Summer is here and we have a lot of fun orders coming in and are in need of a little extra help while Stationery Assistant, Jessica Neeley, is out on maternity leave after the birth of her sweet baby girl.  If you or someone you know is looking for a fun and creative part-time summer job, please give me a ring 706-949-0088 (or an email: tigerlilyinvitations@gmail.com).  If you reach my voicemail, please leave a message.

A little info about the position:

Main duties:

• Assist in cutting, folding, assembly, packing and shipping of invitation orders and paper goodies

Requirements:

• Extreme attention to detail and good organizational skills
• Self-starter who works well with or without supervision
• Reliable and trustworthy

Hours are flexible but 10am – 5pm,  1-2 days a week would be preferable. Position will last from June-August (perfect for a teacher, college student or mature high school student)

Rustic Modern Wedding Inspiration

Our Rustic Calligraphy Wedding Invitation Set can be used with so many different wedding looks and themes, but with fall and winter weddings just around the corner, I thought I would post a more modern and unique inspiration board for those who are looking for a different take on the rustic look.

Modern Rustic Wedding Inspiration

Photo and product credits
Invitations: Rustic Calligraphy Wedding Invitation Set from Tiger Lily Invitations
Top Left: Bar Display  - Decoratualma
Top Right: Photography and styling – Kellie Kano
Bottom Left: Florals - Marti's Floral Designs  Photography - Lexi Vornberg)
Bottom Right: Dessert Table Display: Merci New York