At the end of every year Pantone announces their 'Color of the Year' and for 2023 it was goodbye millennial pink, and hello to Viva Magenta, a bright and punchy fuchsia-red color that Pantone describes as "brave and fearless."

According to Pantone, Viva Magenta is a shade rooted in nature and represents a new signal of strength that promotes joyous and optimistic celebrations. It's a colour that's pulsating with exuberance, and it's perfect for couples looking to add a bold and beautiful element to their wedding design.

While Viva Magenta may be a bold choice in many situations, it's perfect for a wedding! Whether you want to go all out and plan a completely magenta-toned celebration or simply pepper it throughout your big-day design, there's an option for everyone. We think Viva Magenta is perfect for a Mexican inspired wedding. So grab your maracas and get ready for a fabulous fiesta with pretty papel picado fluttering in the breeze, bright colours and a margarita or two.
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Here are some of our favorite ways to make this vibrant color a part of your wedding celebration in 2023:
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Bridesmaid Dresses - One of the easiest ways to incorporate Viva Magenta into your wedding is by dressing your bridesmaids in this bold colour. It's a statement look that's sure to turn heads, and it looks fantastic on all skin tones.

Floral Arrangements - Flowers are an essential part of any wedding design, and Viva Magenta is the perfect colour to add some vibrancy to your arrangements. Consider incorporating magenta roses, peonies, or dahlias into your bouquets and centerpieces for a pop of color.

Table Settings - Viva Magenta can add a bold and beautiful element to your table settings. Consider using magenta table linens, napkins, or even glassware to add a touch of colour to your reception.

uWedding Cake - The wedding cake is an excellent opportunity to showcase your color palette, and Viva Magenta is no exception. Consider incorporating magenta florals or even a magenta ombre effect into your cake design for a statement look.

Stationery - Incorporating Viva Magenta into your wedding invitations is a great way to add a pop of colour and set the tone for a fun event. This bold and vibrant hue pairs well with a variety of other colours, including yellow and red, making it a versatile choice for your invitation design. Consider incorporating Viva Magenta through illustrations, envelope liners, and other fun flourishes to give your invitations a festive and colourful flair that will leave a lasting impression on your guests.

We're making a nice early start to our Halloween planning this year. New house, we've got some cool ideas. First job we ticked off - a spooky monster eye for the front door. So super easy to make, perfect if you have a round glass panel like us but it will still work on other style doors too.

All you need is paper and glue. A big sheet of white paper, some black and a colour. We went with green, but you could do red or yellow etc.  Just cut a big circle of white paper to a size big enough to cover your round window or fit the width of your front door. Next circle a bit smaller is your colour, smaller again for the black and a little circle of white to look light the light bouncing off. SO EASY! Glue together with some stick glue and for longevity have it laminated!

If you follow the blog or our social media regularly you might have noticed we're big fans of the the rainbow cake, well, rainbows in general are pretty cool - but a rainbows and a cake! Perfection! 
So here are the ten absolute favourites we've come across to make your next party full of rainbow goodness. 

Instead of different layers of sponge in the colours, this cake uses the icing as well to create the rainbow shades. 

Are we alone? Be inspired by an other-worldly trend we're seeing more of lately - flying saucers.
Here are some other alien ideas we love - a UFO made of a paper plate, half of an acrylic ball and a pom pom. A fun kids activity great for party decorations too. Delicious looking UFO cupcakes by Donna Hay. The recipe is no longer available but you can use this very similar step by step on Sweetest Kitchen.

I could not resist sharing some of these amazing melting ice cream drip cakes (also known as upside down ice cream cakes)! These ones have been loaded up with all sorts of other goodies but you can find a fairly straight forward set of instructions on Mom Loves Baking here.

Well I thought this was a party trend that needed investigating! Yummmm. Thanks to instagram sprinkle drip cakes are really taking off. The best bit is Sprinklepop blog have got a great 'How To' on making these, check it out here.
Here are a few more pics to drool over from @brittanymaycakes the genius who came up with the idea.