Food allergies

Here at the Inspired Occasion we like to think that we can overcome any challenge thrown in our direction!

One challenge that we are eager to share with you all this week is allergies; and more specifically the fun and exciting ways that we overcome the restrictions that food allergies hold. Whilst a little off the Christmas topic we feel that now is an important time (what with Christmas feasts coming up) to touch on the subject, especially after a week of allergy recipe baking from Alex!


Over the last few weeks Alex has been busy in the kitchen creating some delicious festive treats for clients. Food allergies are something that Alex has become something of a pro at working around and she was delighted to see so many Christmas orders being placed that included items which are designed for allergy sufferers. The Inspired Occasion are proud to offer a full range of edibles which can be moulded to individual needs, which includes delicious variable recipes to suit a whole range of allergies. Alex was thrilled to be able to put her new Christmas recipes to the test!

One brilliant approach which we’ve found that easily facilitates food allergies within our events are our individual lunch boxes. Perfect for younger children, each lunch box can be carefully created around specific dietary requirements (as well as party themes) without the child even knowing the lunch box is any different from other party guests. Take a look below at some of our favourite designs so far.

Did you know that Coles offer a range of special dietry recipes on their website?
We are so pleased to see that one of Australia's major supermarkets are helping out families with new and exciting recipes for a whole range of allergies. Keep up the good work we say!

Make sure you take a look for some delicious ideas!

http://recipes.coles.com.au/special-dietary/

That's all for tonight, make sure you check out our last post for the year on Thursday!

The Inspired Occasion

Party in a box - everything you need for your next occasion

Here at the Inspired Occasion we like to make things as easy as possible for our clients. With Christmas on the horizon and the last few manic pre-santa days rapidly approaching we appreciate now more than ever that your time is precious!

Does organising an event leave you questioning why there are only 24 precious hours in one day? If so then we have created the perfect solution for you!

The Inspired Occasion's 'Party in a box' solution is ideal for anyone who is time limited but perfection focused. These DIY boxes are perfect for any event as our creative team are able to arrange all edibles, table wear, printables and decorations created to your specific requirements.

Easy? Absolutely!

Take a look at the images below to see some examples of our different themed 'Party in a box'.

These gorgeous photos show a custom designed purple, white and silver 'Christmas party in a box' that we created for a client recently. Perfect!, And we think our lovely client thought so too!

'The Christmas party was great and the work you guys did was very impressive - I even had the next door neighbour in to have a look !!'

Take a look the delicious individual portions of Christmas pudding!

The festive season is a perfect excuse to indulge in sweet treats.

These chic silver and purple baubles placed in the glass vases definitely add a touch of glamour to the party, plus they're a quick alternative to putting up a christmas tree!

Do you have little monkey's living in your house?

If so this jungle theme would be perfect for you!

 Check out the different animal print lanterns floating from the ceiling.

Pink, pink and more pink! What more could a fairy ask for on her birthday?

(Well maybe some sugar cookies and cupcakes, but don't worry we supplied those too!) 

Finally to wrap up this evenings post, here's a photo taken from a very special 30th Birthday that took place recently. Here are a selection of edibles we created for the event, macaroons, cake pops, cupcakes and just look at that cake!

Make sure you check out Sunday's post welcoming a new member to The Inspired Occasion's creative team!

Enjoy your Friday and the weekend

The Inspired Occasion

The Inspired Occasion - Hot off the Press!!

The Inspired Occasion is back in 2012, bigger, better and with even more inspiring ideas brought to you by a fresh new online team. 

Our new relaunched blog will feature special feature editorials from some of Australia's die hard events enthusiasts along with the tips, features and ideas that have made us one of Australia's favourite event styling resources. 

Kicking us off into the new year is Sheridan Wright, freelance writer, PR dynamo, event manager and professional event attendee. A serial offender on the events circuit , Sheridan will bring you fortnightly (and humorous) accounts on what is happening in the world of events. Whether it be the launch of a new brand, the revamp of a bar or the opening of an envelope, she will be there gathering tips on what's hot and more importantly, what's not.  

We are also very excited to introduce to you another new member to The Inspired Occasion blog team. Fresh from the UK -  Ellie.  Ellie will be providing weekly blogs on much asked for topics such as party and food trends, fool proof recipe ideas,  and cost effective DIY party solutions. 

The Inspired Occasion will of course still be committed to keeping you up to date with all our latest baking creations, event management tips and party styling ideas alongside regular blog features and submissions on party trends in Australia and overseas (including bios on great party venues, restaurants, hotels and gardens). 

With many new exciting projects on the horizon, we look forward to sharing what will surely be a fantastic year with you.  

As always, feel free to get involved with feedback, good, bad or indifferent, because without your input our occasions wouldn’t  be so inspired.

Stay tuned next week to meet a new member of The Inspired Occasion team!!

The Inspired Occasion online team!! 

A Christmas treat with something sweet!

At the The Inspired Occasion we understand that all your occasions are important. We appreciate that they are your opportunities to celebrate the special events in life and we value the importance of every moment. Our job is to construct a tailored and inspired occasion to your specific requirements. With our extensive party planning and event management experience we can guarantee you a stress free event which will leave you and your guests with exeeded expectations.

With the highly anticipated Christmas holidays only days away and festive plans starting to be put into motion, The Inspired Occasion understand now more than ever how hectic the year’s final weeks can be. To give you some inspiration for your own Christmas we thought we’d share some mouth watering dessert stations menu options and some stunning photos of beautiful Christmas events that we have helped create.  

ENJOY!

(WARNING - This menu induces watering of the mouth and tummy rumbling)

• Individual served of Rich fruit puddings, soaked in Cointreau or Brandy and served with cream and custard
• Pavlova with mixed berries and chocolate shavings
• Vanilla cupcakes with buttercream icing and jaffa 'berries'
• Decorated Christmas shortbreads or sugar cookies
• White chocolate dipped strawberries
• Cakepops for a splash of colour
• Assorted home-made truffles in white, milk and dark chocolate
• Christmas mince tarts
• White chocolate dipped vanilla wafers, rolled in crushed candy  canes

These delicious Christmas deserts are sure to put a smile on any scrooges face! 

Stay tuned over the next few weeks to see more Christmas inspired posts to get you in the festive mood!

The Inspired Occasion!!

Part 2 - Food for thought

Following on from Tuesday nights post featuring Emily’s divine 4^th Birthday tea party, tonight’s blog will focus on one of The Inspired Occasion’s favourite party elements. Edibles!

At the Inspired Occasion we are delighted to offer a range of delicious (not to mention gorgeous) edibles fresh from our certified kitchen, so this topic is definitely one that sits close to our hearts (and stomaches!).

 For many of us food is an opportunity to share, socialise, create and above all else

enjoy.

The Inspired Occasion are positive that everyone attending Emily's Birthday tea enjoyed the afternoon, we can just imagine the guests excitement when they saw the stunning desert station! 

We just love the creative use of the white dresser, the drink bottles poking out of the open drawers and the cupcakes nestled on grass mats look so tempting.

We asked Rachael if she thought her desert station was a success.

"Our guests were so busy enjoying the buffet that our craft activity ended up being taken home to complete"

The Inspired Occasion think you'll all agree that the answer is a unanimous YES!

In Tuesday nights blog post The Inspired Occasion discussed the different uses of theme, notice how Rachael has even incorporated the garden party element into the edibles (a trick The Inspired Occasion too are particularly fond of). The colourful flower pops and cupcakes look almost too good to eat!

The Inspired Occasion are delighted to have helped Rachael with her daughters special occasion, check out our cakepops proudly on display in the plant pots!

 Finally the gorgeous Birthday girl checking out her cake!

A very Happy 4th Birthday to you Emily!

Supplier Credits

Pom Pom Princess  – Facebook for the tulle and paper pompoms in the chandelier http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Pom-Pom-Princess/196413923724705

Cake bakeshop for the Robert Gordon patty pans, vintage style paper straws and vases for the buffet

Pinwheels and Pearls for the lovely twirling ribbons http://www.facebook.com/pinwheelsandpearls

Lou Lou’s Florist in Ballarat for the fresh arrangements in the bird cage and in the alcove under the dresser- they smelled divine.

Photography by Celeste Vermeend www.ourgirlyworld.blogspot.com

Shabbyblogs for the printable templates for all the labels and place cards. www.shabbyblog.com

Lastly, before the team at The Inspired Occasion sign off, we would just like to say a special Thankyou to Rachael for sharing with us her Inspired Occasion!

Emily’s shabby vintage tea party

Themed to perfection

At The Inspired Occasion we believe that theming any event gives your occasion an unbeatable edge! From choosing a simple colour palette through to creating an entire event around a specific idea, theming is definitely something to consider if your aim is to wow your guests!

Over the past year The Inspired Occasion’s online blog has featured an abundance of diverse events to help get your creative juices flowing, many of which we carefully created around our clients visions.

The Inspired Occasion will be providing regular blog posts sharing our tips on the different ways that events can be personalised and styled with the help of a theme.

Rachael from Myrtle and Grace (www.myrtleandgrace.com.au) blew us away with this latest party submission, with her delicate theming and incredible attention to detail The Inspired Occasion are delighted to present 

 Emily’s shabby vintage tea party

When we asked Rachael where the inspiration for her theme came from she explained that her daughter Emily had asked for a flower garden party. The bright flower decorations used throughout the party certainly fit Emily’s desired theme yet contain the elegance and quirkiness of the shabby vintage that Rachael added later on. 

The clear glass bottles you can see below (which are available for purchase at The Inspired Occasion) show the incredible level of creativity that Rachael put into every minute detail. Just look at the vintage style font on the gorgeous flowery labels.  

Do you have ‘useless’ old objects lingering around your house? Why not get creative and use them for your next occasion? This terracotta plant pot is a perfect example of using the old to create the new and undoubtedly it fits perfectly with the shabby vintage garden party theme!

One thing that the Inspired Occasion would recommend to anyone looking to create their own themed event is to COLLECT!

Rachael became a hunter and gatherer when organising her event and searched for everything from old vintage side plates and pretend crystal dishes to vases and cake platters. These sought after items definitely add a touch of elegance to the event and we have no doubt that Emily’s guests felt quite the lady for the afternoon!

The Inspired Occasion will be featuring Part 2 of Emily’s 4^th Birthday later in the week so stay tuned to see more divine photos from Celeste (www.ourgirlyworld.blogspot.com), vintage themed food ideas and supplier credits.

The Inspired Occasion

Kais Kids Market - St Agnes Homestead

What a wonderful day was had today at The Stables, Saint Agnes Homestead in Kyneton, (www.saintagnes.com.au) with a fantastic charity market supporting some family friends.

The Inspired Occasion all set-up

With all gold coin entry, stall holder fees and donations going to Kais Kids www.kaiskids.org an orphanage in Cambodia dedicated to housing and supporting infants and children.

With an early start and a car packed full of cupcakes we headed to Kyneton this morning with the weather holding out for what was a great day in the beautiful grounds and stalls at St Agnes Homestead.

It was great to see a familiar Inspired friend Margarite from Babychinos who stopped by for a Raspberry Cupcake!!

The Inspired Occasion Stable

 And some new friend were made:

• Liama – Olive Branch preserve from Taradale
• Brian - Honey Health Warrandyte
• Gordon - Cope/Williams wines
• Linda - Red Loves Green – Unique hand painted art

 The day was action filled with the arrival of Santa with his baby reindeer, Cooking demonstrations, live music, silent auctions and lots of local wines, beers, produce and products to be sampled.

Some people arrived early and quickly took claim to prime sunny locations with picnic blankets. Many of these people of whom became regulars during the day enjoying our cupcakes for both morning and afternoon tea!!

We knew a successful day was had when we sold out of cupcakes hours before the end of the day and was then able to sample and purchase some of the great products ourselves.

This market will defiantly be on The Inspired Occasions calendar again next year

The Inspired Occasion

First Communion

We love it when our customers share with us what they do with our Edibles after they are collected, and Kelly has excelled with this dessert table.

We just couldn't resist sharing the feedback we received from our client  "Everyone just loved the edibles and Grace was just so happy! Everything tasted wonderful and my table never looked so beautiful!". It puts a big smile on our face.

Working with a brief of  "something pretty and a colour palate of white, pink and touch of green" we designed decorative cross and heart shaped sugar cookies, colour matching macarons and cake pops as well as the ever so popular personalised chocolate bars.

Finally a special thanks to Kelly for letting us be a part of your daughters special day, for sending these snapshots and providing us with great feedback.

If you would like to order some Edibles for your next event, you can email us here.

'A very hungry caterpillar' themed babyshower

We were thrilled when we were recently asked to put together some pieces for a baby shower with The Very Hungry Caterpillar as the central theme. The guest of honour is a teacher, so it seemed very apt and we loved creating all the little details to help her bring the baby shower to life. 

Love these biscuits - each one had a tiny hole in it!

Big thanks to Giggleberry Creations for the gorgeous bunting and Squiggle & Stitch for the fabulous purple spotty table runner. The fun caterpillar was made from pom poms by the lovely Pom Pom Princess.

All candy, edibles, cake stands and jars from The Inspired Occasion.

Finally, big congrats to Bec and Kristy on their wonderful job of styling the table!

The Inspired Occasion