Thursday, February 10, 2011

D.I.Y. Dessert Table On a Budget


Kim and I threw a Valentine’s Day party for ourselves our kids, and set up this lovely Valentine’s themed dessert table.

Who doesn’t love a dessert table?  It’s a table full of desserts, people.  Quite simply, it’s my version of heaven.


While planning for the party, we stuck with two solid ideas – to present something affordable, and to present something that a person with even the most limited amount of time could reproduce. 

Well, I mean, having tasty edibles on a visually fabulous table were our other ideas, but that kind of goes without saying, don’t ya think?

Our party was just for our two families, but with the amount of desserts and sweets here, this easily could have provided for a dozen people (give or take).

Are you ready for the best part?

Setting up this entire table only cost us $30!



The only thing we purchased to set up this Valentine’s Day dessert table was the edibles, and all of those were purchased at Target and Walmart. 

That means that by using items you already have on hand and purchasing only what you need at your local store, you too can provide a tasty dessert table on a budget for your next party. 

Yes, YOU!


Using scrapbook paper, we customized ordinary soda bottles to match our red and white Valentine’s theme.



To save on time, we made only a few of the edibles and purchased all pre-made candy.
To fill the candy dishes, we used $1 movie-sized boxes of color-coordinating candies.



A $1 bag of Valentine suckers became cute and easy edible cupcake toppers.



We felt a little less guilty letting our kids chow on red dye and sugar laden treats by offering them something on the healthier side.  These adorable (and delicious!) cheesecake strawberries took 10 minutes to whip up.



We all love a cake made from scratch, but in the interest of time and staying on budget, don’t snub the convenience of a box mix.

When looking for ideas on cake toppers, Kim only had one criteria – and I quote - “Something I can put a skewer in!”  Peeps and pre-packaged heart shaped chocolate covered marshmallows were perfect.  Again, she used more of the suckers, and the peppermints were leftovers from Christmas.



Red velvet, oh yeah.


You can offer a good assortment of treats without going over budget.  Using a variety of coordinating dishes creates a full table.











These simple and inexpensive ideas can be used at your next party, regardless of the theme. 

We hope this inspires you to create a fun and stress-free desert table for your next party!







This was either the best Valentine’s Day party I’ve ever been to, or I was having a mad sugar rush.  You decide.