Are you tired of the high school graduation party standby of diploma die cuts and black and white decorations? I sure am. Several of my friends have seniors who are graduating this June. They have asked me to give them some ideas of themes that are unique and different. Since I love to create events that are easy to prepare and homemade I came up with a few inexpensive ideas with that WOW factor.
This post is the first of four different graduation themes to inspire you as you start planning the party for your graduate. I will include pictures of decorations, desserts, florals, invitations, diy projects, tablescaping etc.
Theme 1: YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE
I created this rustic, lemony dessert table for my daughter’s middle school graduation last year. Anyone who knows Sara sees her bright, cheery, fun personality. I found the “Sunshine” frames from Karla’s Place downtown Holland. For the desserts I made lemon bars, lemon cookies and lemon pudding shots.
I have been making lemon cars since I was a child. Lemon bars were also a favorite of mine to make in college because they were quick and cheap to make. So this recipe has been perfected over many years!
The Lemon Pudding Shots are an adorable addition to the dessert bar. Nothing fancy, just adorable. I filled these little shot glasses that I bought at Meijers with lemon pudding and topped with whipped cream. For the outside of the glass, cut strips of decorative paper and wrap around the glass. Tie a wooden spoon with twine and voila…so cute!
Lemon Icebox Cookies were the perfect sweet addition. Easy to make in large batches. Make them ahead of time and freeze them until your celebration. See the recipe at the bottom of this post
These sweet lemon drop cupcakes are from Sam’s Club. They are perfectly bite-sized and quite inexpensive. The pinwheels add a whimsical touch.
SOURCES
- Invitation: Tiny Prints
- Lemon Drop Cupcakes: Sam’s Club
- Yellow Sun Pinwheel: DIY project
- Stripe Straws: Michaels
- Yellow and White Stripe Boxes: Michaels
The pom pom on top of the cake turns a regular two-layered cake into a centerpiece cake. The pompoms are so easy to make. Tape them to skewers then stick the skewers inside the cake. What a fun, cheery theme!
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LEMON ICEBOX COOKIES
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, cut into pieces
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar, for rolling
Directions
- In a food processor, pulse flour, confectioners’ sugar, salt, and lemon zest until combined.
- Add butter and process until sandy.
- Add egg yolks and lemon juice; pulse until dough comes together.
- Divide dough in half and form each into a 1 1/2-inch-wide log. Wrap in plastic and freeze until firm, about 2 hours (or up to 1 month).
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds.
- Spread granulated sugar on a piece of parchment; roll logs over sugar to coat. Slice logs into 1/4-inch-thick slices and arrange, 1 inch apart, on two parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Bake until cookies are golden brown around edges, about 15 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.
Recipe Source: http://www.marthastewart.com/315074/lemon-icebox-cookies