Invitation Ideas for a Crawfish Boil Party

Looking for a good way to finish out the 2010 crawfish season? How about a big crawfish boil party? Invite your friends and family over to celebrate the last bit of yummy crawfish available for this crawfish season with one of these festive invitations.

The Louisiana crawfish season typically starts in early spring. The peak season runs from March through June, but these dates change depending on the weather each year. With the slow start to crawfish season in 2010, big tasty crawfish should be available all the way thru June. So now is the time to get your crawfish before you have to wait until next spring!

Did you know this interesting fact about crawfish? According to Stephen Minvielle, director of the Louisiana Crawfish Farmers Association*, Crawfish are the safest food people can eat in Louisiana. He said, “They are non-tolerant to any chemical — pesticides or herbicides.” One more reason to cook up a batch and celebrate the end of the 2010 crawfish season.

*Crawfish Season article posted on: thefishsite.com

The fun crawfish boil invitations highlighted here authentically capture the spicy cajun specialty perfectly. These custom invitations are printer friendly and sold blank. This means that you can print directly onto the blank card from your printer at home, saving you money. In addition, quantity discounts are available on most of the invitations.So whether you are sending out 10 or 1000 cards, save money by buying your crawfish boil invitations from Mardi Gras Outlet.

Standard letter paper that can be used for invitations, newsletters and scrapbooking is also available in crawfish boil patterns. This economical paper is another great way to send out traditional invitations but the lower price per piece helps to cut costs. This is a great way to save money if you are hosting a large crawfish boil. For other ideas on inexpensive table centerpieces for large crawfish boil parties, see our post on Crawfish Boil Centerpieces.

Don't forget the rest of the crawfish boil supplies you will need  from Mardi Gras Outlet. Disposable paper crawfish trays make serving the crawfish easy and clean-up a breeze! So  grab some of your favorite cold ones and enjoy some crawfish!

For all the crawfish boil invitations & supplies listed here, click:

My Top 10 Crawfish Boil Theme Cake Ideas

The creative cakes featured below are my top 10 favorite crawfish boil cakes. And YES they are all cake even though they may look too real to be edible! Either served at a traditional crawfish boil as a crawfish themed dessert or highlighted at a Louisiana Cajun themed wedding or party, these elaborate cakes are fabulous. I hope these photos offer some inspiration to you for your next Louisiana themed party. A crawfish themed cake is sure to be a crowd stopper!

WOW...What a delicious looking crawfish boil pot? Those creamy mushrooms look perfect scattered around the pot. The spicy boiled mushrooms are one of my favorite things to eat at a crawfish boil!

Aryanna Gamble at The Crumby Baker posted this crawfish boil cake on her blog. After years of putting off trying all those new recipes she collects, Aryanna instituted CAKE MONDAY and chronicles her adventures on her delightful blog.

Here is what she had to say about this crawfish boil cake creation, "So my friends and I annually overindulge ourselves in the bliss that comes every spring in New Orleans--Crawfish Season. What better accompaniment than an overindulgent, overambitious 7 layered chocolate cake? According to everyone in attendance, none! It was the hit of the party, which made me feel oh so much better about spending 2 weeks of planning and 1 week of production on this bad boy."

Aryanna Gamble gives you all the "how to" details of this perfect cake as well as lots of great cake decorating tips at Crumby Baker. Check out her insightful commentary and other creative cakes on her blog.

Cake posted at: crumbybaker.com

That is one big crawfish! I think this giant crawfish cake is so realistic and almost too cute to eat. Wonder if this crawfish is spicy like its boiled crawfish cousin?

This version of a Crawfish Boil cake was made for a crawfish boil birthday party.  The crawfish, corn, potatoes and lemon are marshmallow fondant. The "pot" is a 4-layer yellow cake with butter cream icing. Amy of Custom Cakes by Amy says,"I had a lot of fun with this one." I bet it was just as fun to eat!Check out Amy's blog for more photos and information on this creative cake.

 Cake by: customcakesbyamy.blogspot.com.

This fun 35-count cupcake cake is complete with crawfish, corn, potatoes, and beer cans all made of fondant. The top is iced in butter cream and airbrushed to look like a picnic tablecloth.The cake board is covered in newspaper, like the table at a real crawfish boil. What a great authentic twist the newspaper adds to this cupcake crawfish creation!  Cupcake cakes are so popular right now. This one is sure to be a hit for a crawfish boil.

Cake by: Angiescreativecakes.com as posted on cakecentral.com 

This elaborate Crawfish Boil cake was posted on Laurie's Blog. This was the groom's cake at a Louisiana themed wedding. The photo was sent to her, but she does not know who created the cake. I would love to know who made it. If you know, please respond in the comments. The details in this cake are amazing.  The groom must have loved boiled crawfish and I am sure this cake!

Cake posted on: Missnewworleans.blogspot.com

What great attention to detail there is in this crawfish boil cake. I like the multi-colored flames and cute bubbles of boiling foam. The attention to detail goes all the way down to the sweet, simple ribbon around the cake board. I can not find the information on who made this cake.  If you know where to credit this cake, please let me know!

This cake is by Wendy Averett  who  has dreams of opening up her own bakery. This single mom of two currently bakes cakes out of her home for lucky friends and neighbors. This crawfish boil cake is a testament to her talent. I hope she gets her bakery soon!

Cake posted on: accessible.org

Dena Bryngelson of Dena's Sweetly Unique Cakes creates this Crawfish Boil cake as a Groom's Cake for those southern men who love boiled crawfish. I like Dena's interpretation with the pot spilling out onto a table...just like a real crawfish boil. You can almost see the steam coming off the pot.

Check out Dena's website for other unique cakes.

Cake posted on: http://www.denascakes.com/GroomsCakes.html

This unique take on a Crawfish Boil cake shown here was submitted to Cake Central by the Cake Girls. The animated crawfish on this cake look like they are enjoying a pool party in that crawfish pot complete with pool floats and beer. From the look of the flames on the bottom, it is going to get hot quick!

Cake posted on: http://www.cakecentral.com/

This whimsical cake with animated crawfish in a hot pot caught my eye. This cake posted by Sugar Daddy Bakery is if full of crawfish personality.

Check out the faces of those crawfish! They look like little perfect animated figurines, not edible parts of a cake. The baker of this cake wrote that this was his first cake...he is full of talent. Keep up the good work! Check out his web site for more information on his work.

Cake posted on: http://www.sugardaddybakery.com/


Hope these pictures inspired you to bake or order one of these fun cakes for your next crawfish boil. A crawfish themed cake is a great way to end a spicy crawfish boil on a sweet note!

How to: Red, White and Blue Star Topiary made with Deco Mesh

Transform simple wire garden topiary forms into party decorations for any type of  holiday with a roll of decorative mesh garland. The decorative poly sinamay mesh in metallic red, white and blue stripe was the inspiration for this patriotic party topiaries. This sinamay style art mesh has been used by florist for years and is now making its way into home decorating. With a little creativity and some sparkly star shaped red, blue and silver Mardi Gras beads, you can turn this everyday garden topiary into a fun red, white and blue centerpiece. This sparkly star topiary would be perfect for your July 4th or Memorial Day party. See the tutorial below for instructions on how to create this centerpiece.

Supplies needed:

 (These supplies will make two topiary centerpieces with extra ribbon and striped Deco Mesh left over)

1-10 yard roll (21” wide) Red, White and Blue Striped Poly Deco Mesh
1- roll (2.5” wide) red poly mesh ribbon
1 -bag (48 pieces) Red, Silver and Blue Star Mardi Gras Beads
Floral wire
Wire snips
Scissors
Wire garden topiary form

1. Cut floral wire in 12" sections. For this topiary we used approximately 8 pieces of wire. You may need more or less depending on the height of your topiary form.
2. Gather the end of the 21" wide red, white and blue striped poly mesh together.
3. About 12" down from the end, fold over the mesh to form a loop.Gather this section together with the end piece.
Wrap a piece of floral wire around these two sections securing them, to form a puffy loop.
4. Attach this loop to the top of the topiary form by wrapping the attached floral wire around the top finial of the topiary form. Leave the wire ends poking out for now so you can attach additional ribbon and beads here later.
5. Move down and around the topiary form bunching the mesh garland by gathering sections of mesh and attaching with floral wire. Leave all the wire wire ends poking out.
6. Continue to bunch and gather the mesh down and around the form. The garland should be circling the form as shown. 
7.  At this point the decorative mesh garland should be forming to the shape of your topiary form.
8. 
    When you get to the bottom of the topiary form, attach the    decorative mesh at the bottom with a piece of floral wire and cut the mesh about 12" out. Finish off the bottom with a second loop like the one on the top. Simply fold over the remaining 12" piece of mesh and wire it the end onto the topiary form. Leave the end wire pieces open.

9. Using the 2.5" red mesh ribbon,  make a double sided loop approximately 2 feet total.
10. Cut the two ends of the loops to make three short pieces of ribbon.
11. Gather up the center section of these three ribbons and attach to the top of the topiary with the     floral wire you left open at the top. This red mesh ribbon creates a puff of accent color around the topiary.
12. Continue to cut pieces of red mesh ribbon and attach them down the topiary form. Attach at each section that you have wire on the topiary form.
13. Sort the assorted red, silver and blue Mardi Gras beads and pull out three beads, one in each color. Cut these 3 beads in one spot to make a long garland like section.
14. Attach these star beads to the top of the topiary with the floral wire already there. Leave a small tail of beads dangling down on one end with a longer section that you will wrap around like garland. 
15. Move down the topiary form, wrapping the longer length of beads around the mesh. Attach the tail end of the beads to the next wire.
16. Continue adding beads around the form as needed.When you are finished attaching the beads,wrap the remaining floral wire pieces to the center of the topiary form so they do not show.
    

The finished red, white and blue topiaries really pop with color. Line these topiaries down the center of a food table or stagger them on a buffet table against a wall. Shown here on a dining room table the topiaries add a festive element to the table scape.  Star shaped Mardi Gras beads left over from the topiary project were draped from chandelier for another fun touch. 

Looking for more Patriotic themed party supplies? Click here for more deco mesh sizes, colors and patterns. MardiGrasOutlet.com carries even more types of beads, such as braided, American flag specialty beads and a variety pack of simple red, white and blue strands.

Where ever you decide to use these festive red, white and blue topiaries, they are sure to make a big impact!

Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C.

We love a good parade down here in Louisiana. So I thought I would pass along some pictures of the National Memorial Day Parade  held in Washington, DC on Memorial Day. The National Memorial Day Parade features legendary veterans of the U.S. military, and has included the Band of Brothers, Doolittle Raiders, Flying Tigers, and the Tuskegee Airmen (shown above). If you couldn't be there in person at least you can watch from home. Check out the parade coverage at the National Memorial Day Parade website. 

A parade...what a great way to spend Memorial Day!

Photos courtesy of http://www.nationalmemorialdayparade.com/