Announcing the Winners of Our 8th Annual Tablescape Contest!

I'm so excited to announce the winners of our 8th Annual Tablescape Contest! Before I do, I'd like to thank each and every one of you who entered for your efforts and for sharing your creativity with us. It has been a true pleasure to see all your gorgeous work and to hear your inspiring stores.

As always, it was very difficult to choose winners among the dozens and dozens of entries received. So this year, I’ve decided to award a number of Honorable Mention prizes as well. (Please stay tuned for the announcements of these awards very soon!) And now --- we are thrilled to share with you our winners and their stories.

1st Place Winner - Nazra Knutsen - Seattle, WA 

Nazra, congratulations on a fantastic job! I love how you create such loving and fun traditions for your daughters and nieces. Your tables are not only beautiful but also offer your family whimsical and playful experiences. You are making cherished memories that your girls and nieces will remember their whole lives! I also love how you've creatively used repurposed items on your tables with thrift store finds. -- Rosanna

Nazra's Story
Hello! My name is Nazra...and I absolutely LOVE Rosanna products! (Especially cake stands!) I live in Seattle and am actually working up a portfolio so I can take my passion of party styling into something more of a business.  I am submitting dessert tables that I've done for my own two little girls. A lot of what I'm inspired by comes from them...to try and create magical whimsical moments and memories of them feeling special by what they see and feel!

My first tablescape below is one I set up in our dining room the night before my daughter's birthday so when she woke up - SURPRISE!! ...she'd know it was HER special day! Her cousins and a few friends came over to help celebrate her birthday morning! Everyone came in their jammies and helped themselves to the cereal/breakfast bar!  I love being an inspiration to others...and pretty party tables don't necessarily have to be expensive! Everything but the Rosanna cake stands and the paper/plastic products on the table I found thrifting. I love using old and new with a hint of homemade ~ as you'll see in the rest of my entries here too!

This next dessert table was for my youngest girl who turned ONE in February! We love BlaBla dolls and she got her very first one for her first birthday! I was inspired by all their cozy knit colors and actually used one of the rattles for the cake topper!! I handmade the giant yarn poms and of course put the little balloons together. The (two) Rosanna cake stands I used for this table were perfect! As well as the vintage tin lid - to display the donuts - which brought a little pop of color to the table! Cake was made by Butter and Bloom in Seattle!

The tablescape below was for my two nieces and daughter that turned 2, 3, and 4 within a few months of each other. We celebrated their birthdays with a Lemonade Stand/Picnic in the park...and of COURSE had to have a dessert table!! I actually thrifted every piece and my brother-in-law made the awesome stand. I handmade the fabric flowers, and cakes for this one! It was a lot of work - but SO worth seeing the smiles on the birthday girls' faces!!

2nd Place Winner - Kahly Berg - Woodinville, WA

Kahly, congratulations on your recent nuptials! As an Oregonian myself, I love how you incorporated the quintessential elements of the Pacific Northwest into your wedding reception! The use of reclaimed timber for the cupcake and cake pops pedestals give an elegant but rustic feel to your beautiful dessert table. I also like how you created the fun s'mores table which gives a nod to one of Oregonians favorite past times -- camping. Your wooden fish-shaped labels for the desserts tie delightfully into your fly-fishing theme. Very creative and original! -- Rosanna

Kahly's Story
Hello, I'm Holly and I'm submitting the dessert tables at one of my best friend’s wedding. The bride, Kahly Berg, actually designed the table and wooden stands for her fly-fishing themed wedding down in Camp Sherman, OR. The wedding venue was nestled alongside the beautiful Metolius River. The bride’s sister traveled down from Woodinville with all of her home-baked and decorated sweet treats. While the tablescape is simple, in my opinion in remains elegant and reflective of the newlyweds passions and attention to detail. On the second dessert table, they even set up a table with s’mores fixings, including elevated burners in rock beds and roasting sticks for the guests to toast their home-made marshmallows on.

3rd Place Winner - Annabella Chiocco - Seattle, WA

Annabella, I love how you are sharing your amazing baking talents with your family and friends, as well as for charity. Creating meaning holiday traditions is so important for our children to have a happy life and to strengthen family bonds. Making the beautiful desserts to help your daughter's school shows your daughter how we can use our time and talents to give back to our community. I truly appreciate your being a Rosanna fan and using so many of our pedestals in your tablescapes. Your desserts and presentations are beautiful! -- Rosanna

Annabella's Story
Ever since my daughter was born, Easter has been a staple celebration in our home. Originally, I started small with just a select few friends and family. The plates were simple, the dishes were homely and the celebration was quaint. Over time, it became a special way to show my friends and family what I was working on throughout the year--the specialty desserts and cupcakes I make through my business Sprinkles & Sweets. Soon, the plates were more elaborate, yet still retained their homely beginnings, and the dessert table became the centerpiece of my Easter brunch.

This year, I opted for a simple dessert table and I placed it outside to enjoy the open and blue skies that are longed for in Seattle. My table included individual Vanilla Panna Cotta in ceramic cups covered with Sugar Straw and small candied chocolate ‘rabbit’ eggs, a four tiered Chocolate Cake covered with homemade Salted Caramel Marshmallow Icing, and the centerpiece was a delectable Carrot Cake Basket topped with Sugar Straw and covered entirely with small Individual Sugar Flowers.

For my second tablescape entry, I am sharing the dessert dash fundraiser for my daughter's school. What started as a way to fulfill our obligation for school volunteer hours, soon became my premier event!

Each year, my daughter’s school would ask me for help on planning and preparing for the annual auction to raise much needed money to pay down the school’s debt. After attending a different event fundraiser and experiencing a “dessert dash,” I immediately thought to do the same at our school’s annual fundraiser.

Before I could even start on the first request, the orders just kept coming. I took this photo on the afternoon of the event when I was getting several orders ready for delivery. My display includes a moist Tres Leches Cake topped with fresh strawberries and peaches, a decadent Chocolate Ganache Cake covered with Toasted Coconut shavings, a New York Style Cheesecake topped with Salted Caramel, several presentations of assorted Italian Petifores, a very special Pecan German Chocolate Cake, an Old Fashion Coconut Crème Cake, a Raspberry Chocolate Torte and last, but not least, a Hazelnut Chocolate Mousse cake with fresh berries and Swiss Chocolate Ganache.

Again, a big congratulations to Nazra, Kahly, and Annabella--our winners!

Warmly,
 

R O S A N NA I N C . C O M