These Winter Party Ideas Are a Piece of Cake

Winter Wonderland Decor

We've all seen the traditional red and green decorations at holiday parties. Shake things up a bit by transforming your party into a snowy winter wonderland with a few D.I.Y. items that you can find at your local craft store. All you'll need are a few packs of glittery silver hanging snowflake pendants and regular white upholstery batting (48 inches wide by 1/2 inch high by 5 yards long).

1. Using the hook at the top of each string of snowflakes, hang wherever you want in your living room/kitchen.
2. Cover your table with the white batting. Trim with scissors as needed.

Snow Globe Drink

To pump up the beverages at your holiday party, make snow globes that guests can drink! They're simple to make and will impress adults and kids alike. You'll need chocolate tree lollipops (you can buy or make these--just make sure they have a cocoa butter--not hard candy--base so that the color doesn't bleed into the drink), globe-shaped glasses, marzipan, coconut water, white cranberry juice and desiccated coconut flakes. Here's how it's done:

1. Cut off the sticks of the chocolate tree lollipops.
2. Form quarter-sized pieces of marzipan into balls and use one to "glue" each chocolate tree to the bottom of a glass.
3. Pour a small amount of coconut water into each glass up to the base of the tree.
4. Place the glasses into the freezer until frozen solid.
5. When it's time to serve, add a teaspoon of desiccated coconut to each glass.
6. Pour white cranberry juice in the glass.
7. Stir with a paper straw to "let it snow!"

D.I.Y. Meringue Tree

Every winter wonderland needs a frosty white Christmas tree. Make your party sparkle with a homemade snowy meringue tree! This tree is an easy craft that will wow your family and friends. You'll need a 1- to 2-foot foam cone (sold at your favorite craft store), aluminum foil, offset spatula, white royal icing, buttercream, store-bought white decorating icing pouch, store-bought white meringues, edible white pearls (sixlets), edible silver dragees and silver star sprinkles. For the final part of this presentation, you'll need a shaker of confectioners' sugar to "let it snow!"

1. Cover the foam cone in aluminum foil and use white royal icing to seal it up.
2. Use white royal icing to glue the cone onto a cake stand.
3. Coat the cone in white royal icing using an offset spatula, then let it set overnight or until completely hardened.
4. Use a dab of buttercream to "glue" each meringue to the tree in circular rows, starting at the bottom. Repeat all the way up until the cone is fully covered.
5. Fill in empty spaces with white sixlets using the white icing pouch to "glue."
6. Use the white icing pouch to "glue" on the edible silver dragees and silver star sprinkles to each meringue. The silver stars look like snowflakes!
7. "Let it snow" by shaking confectioners' sugar over the tree.