Original food and wine watercolors, turned into party printables and host gifts
I’ve always brought a bit of art into the dishes I cook and plate. Here, I flip that around and bring the joy of cuisine into the art I create. Each original piece (never clip art) becomes the heart of a themed party, from customizable invitations and menus to tasting scorecards that tie the whole feel of your evening together. I’ve also designed host gifts for the food and wine lovers in your life. Every invitation, menu card and host gift here starts as my own artwork. And yes, my over-the-top birthday cakes live here too.
Original Food & Wine Paintings
“Wine Infused” started with one of my most well-loved cookbooks — the kind with a few stained, spattered pages that mark which recipes actually get made. I painted this piece in that same spirit: deliberate spills, wine-ring halos, a splotch or two, as a little homage to a lifetime of good reds (and the occasional over-pour).
This original watercolor is the starting point for a whole lineup of designs, from party printables to host gifts. You can find the full collection on my Etsy shop “By Have Wine Will Pair”.
Editable Party Printables From Original Art: Invites, Menus, Tasting Scorecards, and More
My “Wine Infused” artwork turns into a full lineup of party printables — invites, menus, wine games, place cards, thank-you notes, all the small details that pull a dinner party together. Every design is customizable, so it works just as well for a birthday or anniversary as it does for your next big dinner.
See the Full Party Printable Collection
Host Gifts Made From Original Art
That same “Wine Infused” watercolor shows up again here — just dressed for gift-giving instead of place settings. A glass cutting board that puts the whole watercolor on display, an insulated tote for the friend who never shows up empty-handed, an apron for whoever’s actually doing the cooking. Pick one piece or build a little set; either way, it’s a hostess gift that still looks like it came from somewhere other than the grocery store checkout line.
Browse the Host Gifts Lineup
Request a Theme or Design
Feel free to drop me a line if there is something you’d like to see. I love creating art (as much as cooking) and bringing it into items to enjoy in your own home.
Crazy Cakes: Sculpted Birthday Cake Art
Not just food-inspired art, but actual food art in the form of cake. I am not a professional baker, but I sure love to make crazy cake art. I often make big sculptural cakes for my kid’s birthday and other family occasions. What I lack in fine precision, I make up for by going all in creatively. Click on a cake to learn more about how I made it.
To note, many of these posts contain affiliate links, where I may get a small commission if for qualifying purchases.
Unicorn Mermaid Sitting on a Turtle Cake
Upping my sculpted cake game based on a rather random request for a birthday cake. We started with the idea of a unicorn cake, but that was so done a million times over. She threw in the “sitting on the turtle” for me, because I love sea turtles. The unicorn head I sculpted out of rice cereal treat mix and modeling chocolate. I ended up having to keep it frozen (yes, a horse head in my freezer), otherwise it would fall apart from the weight when it got warm. It did make it through the party, which is what counts.
I bought a cake set of horn, ears, eyelashes. Also got some silicon flower molds and fancy sprinkles to help jazz it up. I made the tail from a mermaid mold, but then added more tail flair to make it larger.
