Rustic Woodland Holiday Styled Shoot

What do you get for the person who has everything? A sweater? A candle? No, you get them a gourmet edible gift. I’m so lucky to live in Portland, Oregon. We are famous for our craft beers, but we also have the most amazing culinary geniuses living among us. There is everything from unusually paired ice cream creations to incredibly delicious gourmet popcorn. I love to eat and dessert is my favorite meal. Dessert is a meal, right?  At any rate, I would rather have a dozen cupcakes than any gift! I guess a way to my heart is through my stomach too.

We approached a few of our favorite food vendors and asked them to contribute some tasty treats. We were also lucky enough to have Pottery Barn donate several pieces from their new holiday line. They are a must have this holiday season. I am absolutely in love with with their stag items including the Stag Serving Platter and Stag Drink Dispenser Stand. Some of my other favorite pieces include their Mack Cheer Tumblers and Red Wire Baskets. Another versatile everyday piece is the Galvanized Metal Tiered Stand. I can think of a hundred different ways to use it! I almost forgot one of my all time favorite items, the super sparkly Glitter Merry Christmas Garland banner. I just love how beautiful it is.

Our concept was simple. Purchase a gourmet edible gift, wrap a ribbon around it, and put a beautiful tag on it. It’s that easy! All of our food vendors ship too, if you don’t live locally! I know you can’t taste this beautiful food through your computer screen, but I will do my best to describe it to you!

Let’s start out with these incredible snowflake cookies. They were made by the fabulous Carla of Portland Pie Company. I honestly could have eaten a hundred of them. They were flaky and delicious and the cream cheese frosting was incredible. I am a total cookie snob and these were melt-in-your-mouth-too-good-too-be-true-cookies. Carla also makes incredible pies. Her apple pie is so incredible and the crust is so light and flaky! You have to try them both!

I’m in love with neutral colors, bold reds, and furry textures. You can’t go wrong with a little glitter either. Add in some gourmet food such as Peacock Lane Peppermint Popcorn and Sea Salted Caramel popcorn and this shoot is a beautiful balance of food and festive fun. All of the scrumptious popcorn was courtesy of Poplandia Popcorn. Their gourmet popcorn is so addictive. I’ve eaten several bags by myself. Don’t judge me. I have a healthy appetite.

Talk about eye candy, literally! Jeremy of Batch PDX is a chocolatier who whips up these amazing chocolate truffles. The Spicy Passion and the Margarita are two of my favorite flavors. They are unique and complicated and send your taste buds on a splendid vacation of mouth watering turbulence.  I’m dying to try each and every one of his creative creations.

 Adding in little touches like these adorable stripe stamped forks make all the difference. They are just the festive little touch that your friends and family will love. You can get them from Sucre Shop along with a ton of other adorable utensils and much more.

Ice cream seems like a perfect fit for the holidays! Salt & Straw pairs unique flavor combinations not typically found in ice cream such as bourbon pecan pie, spiked eggnog, and butter roasted chestnuts just to name a few. People line up around the block just to get a taste of their exquisite creamy ice cream flavors. I’ve never tried a flavor pairing that I haven’t liked. They also ship across the country. I’m going to say it, it’s the best ice cream ever!

Oh, don’t get me started with these little bites of heaven from  Two Tarts Bakery. Aren’t they almost too beautiful to eat, almost? Well, I ate them. If I’m being honest here, I ate several of them! Shhh! Don’t tell. I couldn’t brag about how amazing these tasted if I didn’t actually taste each and every one of them! The Ginger Molasses Chews were my favorite.  I also loved the S’Mores and Lil’ Mamas. These would make the perfect gift for anyone on your list this holiday season.

 Have you seen a more beautiful cupcake? These cupcakes are sparkly and delicious! Oh, and they are gluten free too. Kyra of Kyra’s Bake Shop makes some of the best cupcakes around. You don’t believe me? Kyra is a THREE-time (and the ONLY gluten-free) winner of Food Network’s Cupcake Wars. You all know how much of a cupcake addict I am. Getting cupcakes for Christmas would make my day for sure! Hint hint!

I’m still in love with this decadent cake. It was simple, but elegant and I topped it off with some cute little reindeer (that I quickly wrapped with twine to give them fashionable little scarves) and a merry & bright banner which I attached to two stripy straws. The cake was courtesy of Palace Cakes  which happens to be the sister bakery of Two Tarts Bakery  (remember those scrumptious ginger molasses chews I raved about above?)! The beautiful and festive cake would be the perfect addition to any holiday party. It tasted amazing too. Palace Cakes use all fresh, natural and home-made ingredients in all of their cakes – nothing processed here! Keep it simple or dress it up. Either way, anyone would be happy to receive a cake for the holidays!

Did you notice all the fun and festive tags used throughout our Rustic Woodland shoot? They are all for sale in my shop! I also have cupcake toppers, straw flags, and more. I will be giving away a full set of tags to TWO lucky winners. All you have to do is leave a comment and like me on facebook. It’s that simple. I also added in other chances to win by liking our amazing and very generous vendors too. Two lucky winners will be selected randomly! The contest starts now and ends December 17th at 12:00 AM PST. So, enter to win below now!

A huge thank you to my bestie, Courtney of Courtney Jade Photography for helping me style and photograph this shoot. She was also kind enough to bring her boyfriend, Brad and BFF Benj of Benj Curtis Designs who also were a huge help! I couldn’t do this without you guys! A special thanks to my mother-in-law, Nancy who is always up for anything. She was kind enough to let us come up and shoot at Barnwood Farms, which is located in West Linn, OR. Thank you to my husband who entertained the kids while we worked out in the freezing cold. A special shout out to my sister who also gave up the majority of her day to come and help us set up! Thanks Jamie!  And a special thank you to all of our amazing vendors! We love what we do, we love what you do! It’s nice to be able to showcase your gourmet desserts and to eat the leftovers!

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VENDOR CREDITS

– Party Styling: Jessica of Modern Moments Designs, Benj of Benj Curtis Designs, and Courtney Jade Photography
– Printables : Modern Moments Designs
– Photography: Courtney Jade Photography
– Gourmet Popcorn: Poplandia Popcorn
– Cupcakes: Kyra’s Bake Shop
– Pies and Snowflake Cookies: Portland Pie Company
– Chocolate Truffles: Batch PDX
– Cookie: Two Tarts Bakery
– Cake: Palace Cakes
– Ice cream: Salt & Straw
– Location: Barnwood Farms, West Linn, OR
– Stamped Fork: Sucre Shop