Mermaid Tea Party, Giveaway and Fun!Post Six, Final Post of Party!
I hope you are all having fun at the party, so many fabulous sites to visit (located on the right hand side of the blog.
First I want to show you the giveways, the first is a wand from my new line of Dollie Wands, your wand will be similar to this one shown here: Taffy's Delight!The next is a Custom Charlotte Doll, here are some examples: and a package of my custom cupcake chic doll heads
I will also be sharing with you a seaside/mermaids collage sheet for each of you to use in your works.
The Giveaways in Order:
1.Dollie Wand
2.Custom Charlotte Doll
3.Package of Doll Heads
4.Free Digital Collage Sheet for all

Sign up here during your mermaid adventure, deadline to enter is April 21, 2009
at 8pm.
P.s. All past giveaways form Carnival Soiree are either mailed or in the mail now. All current swaps are en-route and everything will be received before I leave for California.
P.P.S These items in this giveaway will be mailed the in 3weeks, when I get back from California, as I need to customize the doll.

Magic, Mermaid and Joy!
XO!
Lisa!

Seahorse Gardens, My Final Destination!Post Five
Wow, the gardens are located on the other side of Neptune's Gate, I didn't realize just how big it was here. You have to walk down Coral Arcade and through Crystal Towers, to the veranda which leads to steps down the rocky terrain to Seahorse Gardens and Water Park. At last I see the curtain, to my tent, this is where I will be all day!Everywhere you look are Mermaid Tea Party Signs and invites turned into programs.People, Pixies and Mermaids are partying all over the place by the sea, the tea party ponds, under the canopies and frilly umbrella's. So many familiar faces, all waving hi!Inside the tent I found Abigail and Tracie Killian, my two friends from Coral Reef Island, They swam in yesterday to beat the party traffic. Aren't they too cute.Abigail added some magic pops to our tea, for some extra magic, its amazing, I choose a pot of Cherry Almond Tea from Hollow Moon Tea Emporium, Abigail choose the Cherry Cheesecake Tea and Tracie choose Indian Mocha Chai, all yummy flavors.Here are our party favors, silver shell containers filled with edible tea candy shaped like a tea set!Plus as an added bonus I donated Dollie Wands to all the guests at Seahorse Gardens, everyone was excited. Don't worry, I saved one for you, visit my last and final post of the party and for the giveaways and info! See ya in a few!
Xo!
Lisa!

"The Guests of Pinkerbee's" Post Four
Cupcakes Anyone? These scrumptious delights are located all over Pinkerbee's in tantalizing flavors: Cherry Vanilla(I had one already), Black Forest Cake, Lemon Lavender, White Chocolate Rose and Creamy Red Velvet. Here is a picture of my new friends Violet and Sugar, they are the sweetest, this is actually their promo photo card, located on all the tables inside the pavillion, on the back is a recipe for one of their cupcakes, which I will share with you in a bit.I just adore Violet she is filled with so much sweetness and genuine magic, you will love her too!I finally decided to stay here for an hour and have tea and treats with Violet and Sugar, we were having just so much fun, I called my other friends and informed them I'll meet them for the next course over at Seahorse Gardens!Just at the end of the hour Sugar was called away for a photo shoot, I forgot to mention she was named Tea Party Queen 2 years in a row, Lauten and Puck are the photographers doing the shoot. This will land Sugar on the cover of The Mermaid Times and Seaside Tea. Enjoy this sneak peak at the shoot, held outside the Pavillion in Pageant Alley!Before I leave for Seahorse Gardens, I wanted to share the recipe on the back of the card!

Chocolate Cupcake Recipe w/Pink Buttercream Frosting!

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted (see Note)
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Note: To melt the chocolate, place in a double boiler over simmering water on low heat for approximately 5–10 minutes. Stir occasionally until completely smooth and no pieces of chocolate remain. Remove from the heat and let cool to lukewarm 5–10 minutes.

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1.Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers. Set aside.

2.In a small bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda. Set aside.

3.In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the chocolate, mixing until well incorporated. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

4. Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing. At the bakery we ice the cupcakes with either Vanilla Buttercream or Chocolate Buttercream.

Note: If you would like to make a layer cake instead of cupcakes, divide the batter between two 9-inch round cake pans and bake the layers for 30–40 minutes.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:
-Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.)

-Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

*Note:
If you are icing a 3-layer cake, use the following recipe proportions:
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
8 to 10 cups confectioners’ sugar
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Note: Recipe from The Magnolia Cookbook!

"So Many Sugary Treats To Taste" Post Two!
Serrina's Seaside Treats is at the Party near the balcony seating, I have to go over and see her famous sugar stars, I might buy some to bring home to those who couldn't make it to the party!
Serrina's Sugar Cookie Recipe!
Ingredients
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
1 2/3 cups white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Now in a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

2. Next in a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Now slowly mix in the dry ingredients.

3. Roll mixture into rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.

4.Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

This is Serrina's Sugar Cookie Recipe, have fun shaping into seaside shapes, letters, stars or regular circle style. OOOH I see some friends, I'm off to Pinkerbee's Pavillion, I can see the gorgeous pavillion curtains from here!

"Did Someone Say a Tea Party By The Sea?" Post One!
WHO would be
"A mermaid fair, Singing alone,Combing her hair, Under the sea,In a golden curl
With a comb of pearl, On a throne?I would be a mermaid fair;I would sing to myself the whole of the day;
With a comb of pearl I would comb my hair;And still as I comb’d I would sing and say,
“Who is it loves me? who loves not me?”I would comb my hair till my ringlets would fall,Low adown, low adown,From under my starry sea-bud crown,Low adown and around,
And I should look like a fountain of gold, Springing alone,With a shrill inner sound,
Over the throne, In the midst of the hall;Till that great sea-snake under the sea
From his coiled sleeps in the central deeps, Would slowly trail himself sevenfold
Round the hall where I sate, and look in at the gate,With his large calm eyes for the love of me. And all the mermen under the sea,Would feel their immortality
Die in their hearts for the love of me.""But at night I would wander away, away,I would fling on each side my low-flowing locks,And lightly vault from the throne and play, With the mermen in and out of the rocks;We would run to and fro, and hide and seek,On the broad sea-wolds in the crimson shells,Whose silvery spikes are nighest the sea. But if any came near I would call, and shriek, And adown the steep like a wave I would leap, From the diamond-ledges that jut from the dells; For I would not be kiss’d by all who would list, Of the bold merry mermen under the sea;They would sue me, and woo me, and flatter me, In the purple twilights under the sea; But the king of them all would carry me, Woo me, and win me, and marry me,In the branching jaspers under the sea;
Then all the dry pied things that be, In the hueless mosses under the sea
Would curl round my silver feet silently, All looking up for the love of me.
And if I should carol aloud, from aloft, All things that are forked, and horned, and soft, Would lean out from the hollow sphere of the sea, All looking down for the love of me."-The Mermaid, Afred Lord Tennyson, 1830.Now that you have reached Neptune's Gate, it is time to show the guards your inviteNow you can enter through the gate to a world of magic,mermaids and sweet tea. Are you ready yet? I am! "Hello Sir, here is my invite, may I enter through the gate, I have traveled through sea, land and now to the great Coral Reef down to Mermaid's Wharf?" "Yes, you may!" replied the guard, now I am in, exploring around this fabulous place!I couldn't help to collect some shells along the way, afterall they were too pretty to just leave, can you pick some shell favorites?, I can!Okay, I must say, I'm a bit hungry and had to pick up a cupcake to snack upon:There is a nice seat by the seaside balcony, I think I will go and eat my Cherry Vanilla Cupcake and wait for some of my friends to arrive!

The Charlotte Costume Party!Meet Queen Esmeralda, Queen Millie, and Harlequin Maude, look for Violet, The Candy Fairy and Sugar, The Mer-Cupcake Queen!Sugar The Mer-Cupcake Queen and Violet The Candy Fairy are the newest additions to The Charlotte Dollies, who are all getting ready to go to their Costume Ball Tonight and Tea Party Tommorrow.
Here is a close up of Violet, in her party best.Here is Sugar in her sugary best!These girls just love their cupcakes and candies, they have even made a special batch of their cupcakes for tommorrow's Tea Party at Mermaid Cove!In this picture we have Miss Taffy, part of the Dollie Wand Series, look for Sadie, Shelby, Taylor and Tilly!Each of these wands are made from my rounded doll heads and other enchanting embellishments!

See you tommorrow at The Mermaid Tea Party! Don't forget to bring your cupcakes, tea hats and mer-tails!

Magic and Joy!
Lisa!

Mermaids, Charlottes, Tea Oh Boy!
As you all know, The Mermaid Tea Party is Fast Approaching, 2 more days till the tea and sea event begins. All the Mermaids are primping for this Springtime event, with fancy hairdo's tea time hats, mer-tail jewelry and clothing, crowns, jewels, and appetites for a scrumptious afternoon of delicious treats.

There is so much to do and prepare for, afterall, we have many mermaids and mermaid attendees coming for tea, I promise to share the recipes for everything with you all.

Even the Charlotte Dollies have been prepping for their costumes for the event. Here is some new photos of Queen Millie (Lily's Sister), Harlequin Maude and Queen Esmeralda.Here is a close up of the one and only Queen Millie, she loves cotton candy and sugar! Now here is Harlequin Maude, who just loves the carnival and diamonds!Queen Esmeralda's favorite color is blue, could you tell? These gals sure know how to dress, their costumes are perfect for Saturday's Tea Party, now the only thing left to buy is a mer-tail, Chanterelles makes the finest Mer-tails in the area and is super busy designing everyone's pieces for the party, if you call them for your mer-tail, tell them I referred you!

Okay Ladies and Gentleman, get your tea and sea best ready for the party!
Magic and Joy!
Lisa!

Mermaid Tea Party, Sign up Now!
Hello All,
Its here the Mermaid Tea Party, coming Saturday April 18, 2009 all day, sign up now, for a day of magic and mermaid enchantment. Come with me and have tea by the magical coral reef with mermaids of her shape, size, and style, swimming to the party from every land from all over the world.

Share stories among each other of mermaid folklore, seaside tea recipes, projects, ephemera, and some giveaways. Ask yourself, "Are you the Little Mermaid?" or "The Fiji Mermaid?" " Do you prefer Seahorses of land horses?, or both?" "Do you love salmon sandwiches or dill and cream cheese?" "Salt Water Taffy and Salt Water Pearls?"

Speaking of pearls grab a vintage pair, or two or three, and extract the power of wisdom they have ready to share with you, but you might have to get past the King of Clams to get to them. If not hang out on the pier over a creamy ice cream cone or sweet funnel cake and let the salty fresh air seep in.

Now that Spring is here, Summer will soon follow and promise us all new adventures into the seaside-scape. Beach goers, collect a shell or two to remember your day, or Sansibel natives, share your shells in a post or send some to a friend. Queens of the sea wear your seashell crown and blinging best, deep sea divers find us a treasure and Pirates, play it safe and have a soiree on a deserted Island with all your treasures and wares and please don't forget the rum, LOL for the mojitos.

Are you at the tea party soiree yet?, I am, see you on April 18...If you want to join in the fun, leave a comment here and I will sign you up for a day of fun, treasures and giveaways under the sun.

Xo!
Lisa!