Next week my friend Amy Atlas‘ new book, Sweet Designs hits the shelves. It’s a mega-manual of sugar and crafts that will help you create beautiful dessert tables like this one from the book called Honey, I love you.
Just looking at this photo has me buzzing with excitement. Dessert tables bring smiles and designing one is a great way to tap into your creativity. Plus, you’re playing with sugar so what’s not to like.
When you work on one, it’s very easy to get caught up in the crafting and design behind each dessert. You’ll experience a constant flow of ideas and won’t want to stop. Or at least that’s how I feel. Here’s a Super Bowl dessert table I helped my friend Julie with a while ago and we had the best time watching it all come together. I think we could create dessert tables everyday and never get bored. They are so visually appealing and full of yummy treats – I wish I could keep one on display at all times – magically replenished with desserts. That would be sweet.
Here’s a few extra shots from the full table. I zoomed in a little so you could see more of the detail.
…because the website just isn’t wide enough to do this entire spread of sweets justice.
Sweet Designs has more than 175 projects with tons of pictures throughout.
That means it’s huge… 374 pages huge.
Candy math… tools of the trade… candy index… the book is full of information to get you started on your own table designs.
And if dessert tables aren’t your thing, that’s okay too.
The book makes it easy to find individual recipes and projects from each table to bake or craft if you just want to start out small.
There’s also handy overviews in each chapter. Shop it. Display it. Switch it.
But I think my favorite is Find it. Thank you Amy for a detailed listing of all the items you used. Your book makes me happy happy!
You can pre-order Sweet Designs right now from amazon or look for it in stores next week.
But, you can also win one here. Signed by Amy. Yay!
Enter for a chance to win a signed copy of Amy Atlas’ Sweet Designs.
- To enter, leave a comment on this website post and just answer the following question.
- What theme do you think would make for a fun dessert table? (baby, owl, circus, safari, super hero? Nursery rhyme? Dinosaur? Dancing with the Stars? I don’t know – get creative…the possibilities are endless.
- Deadline to enter is Friday, April 20th at 5 p.m. ET. SORRY, TIME’S UP! Winner Announced below.
- One winner will be chosen at random and announced on this post sometime Friday evening.
Good luck – and now I need to go clear off my dining room table.
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We have a winner – and we have a lot of incredible dessert table ideas. Take a look at some of the comments for inspiration.
And the winner is:
Comment #1154 Michele M! Congratulations. It sounds like you’ll get some good use out of the book. Send pics of your table after the party.
a shark theme! i love sharks
I think I Bollywood type theme would be awesome! There are so many cool theme ideas running through my mind though… the possibilities are endless!
Charlie Brown, a bunch of cake pops as the peanut gallery! Awesome!
Minnie mouse bowtique!!!
An around the world dessert table!
hollywood glamour
Its all about Angry Birds in my house :)
Anything Spring themed would be great!
Defiantly The Hunger Games<3
Peanuts! As in Charlie Brown, Snoopy, etc
I love the BEE table. I am going to learn how to work with bees this summer! What a great BEE PARTY table. I could use some (alot) of ideas from her book!! I am also getting ready to do my son’s wedding very soon.
Peanuts!! As in Charlie Brown, Snoopy, etc
Shabby Chic would be sweet :)
Since I have been so obsessed lately with two things I have a tie between Hunger Games and Hockey (go pens!) A table of either of these themes would be a great day in my world! :)
I’m trying a Rapunzel/Tangled themed table for my daughter’s 3rd birthday and this is turning into so much fun!
Having a Survivor Party for my son’s birthday! Survivor table would be great!
I would make a music themed table! Music notes, instruents, and piano keys everywhere! But in dessert form :)
I would love to do a Star Trek theme, although the desserts would have to be out of this world!
Summertime is around the corner and summer activities are great
Hunger Games! Fire! I think that sinse they have been so popular lately, everybody would love them. Plus, the fire could serve as a really elegant look on the table.
If I made a desert table I would probably make the theme Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I saw it on Pinterest and absolutely fell in love with it!!!
Daisies!
Since I’m going to be hosting a Bridal Shower and want to do a dessert table, I’m going to say a Bridal Shower.
I’m a total Seattle girl, so I would LOVE to see a dessert table designed around Seattle sweets! The ideas are endless!
Harry potter theme would be AWESOME!!!
Dessert Breakfast Buffet!
the theme for my next event is all about baby..
Sweet 16!!!
I think that an aquatic-ocean theme would look pretty cool. Bright fish and blown glass would make the dessert table extra special. I’m sure it’d look just as good as it tastes!
Since my favorite animal is a turtle, I was thinking that it would be so much fun to have a turtle dessert table!! I would absolutely love it!!
I would love to see a Monster High Dolls theme. My daughter will be 10 next month and is in love with these dolls!
Noah’s Ark as a theme for a baby shower! An ark cake, animal crackers, animal print cookies…I need to make this ASAP!
Girls Night Out theme!
I am going to do a mermaid/under the sea theme for my daughter’s 6th birthday. She’s been obsessed with mermaids for a long time now & will be super excited to browse for ideas.
Epcot – around the world!! This would get me ready for my trip to Disney next month. :-)
Not very creative but I’d love a rainbow/funfetti theme :)
my soon to be 5 year old daughter is asking for a My Little Pony theme, so that’s what I’m thinking about :)
spring showers and flowers
I think a farm/barnyard theme would be cute with all the different animals and a red barn etc! Or a carnival theme would be awesome too with a ferris wheel, cotton candy, and candy apples! Too many cute ideas to just pick one =)
Pinkalicious-the kids book!! That would be adorable!!!
Huge Discworld fan here, so I would find a table themed around Nanny Ogg’s recipes in The Joy of Snacks hilarious. Can you imagine a table full of suggestive sounding desserts like the Strawberry Wobbler at a bachelorette party?
The book s total eye candy!! I think a dessert table of vintage candies would be fabulous. I think bright candy colors would be a delight…
A Wizard of Oz theme would be so cute!
Jungle theme for a baby birthday!
Baby birds (feathers, nests, eggs) for spring :)
My dad would absolutely love a fishing theme.
So hard….the possibilities ARE endless…! I’m going to go with a painting theme, you can use ANY colors, from black to bright emrald green! :)
Rainbows….brilliant colors…yes!
Dollhouse.
Wizard of Oz~ the Lollipop Guild and all the gorgeous colors of Oz!
I would love to see a pat the bunny themed table for my son’s bday, I think it would also be cute for baby showers.
I love the idea of a “school’s out for summer” party. who doesn’t want to celebrate that?!?!
shark boy and lava girl
Eeee, those bees! SO CUTE, I LOVE BEES!
I think I would go with a fantastic Nintendo Princess theme! All the goodness of the great ladies of video games :)
LALALOOPSEY DOLLS! They are the cutest dolls ever. I have a 4 year old girl and a 6 year old girl so we have lots of Loopseys around. They are adorable and very colorful! OOOO, now I want to do it!
Lots of great ideas here… I am trying to think of a fun theme for my son’s first birthday, don’t want to do the typical ones, but still want it to be kid friendly. Dr. Seuss books Offer a Lot of fun ideas, I think that would make for a nice dessert table. Can’t wait to get Amy’s book to get some ideas/inspiration.
You could do a coco Chanel or Juicy Couture theme.
You should totally do a hunger games or owl theme!
Regional specialty sweets , the best the US has to offer
I love the idea of a monkey for a little boy baby shower. So cute!!
I think either picking an artist or a style of art would make an interesting theme.
Jewels, crystals, etc. If you could create those things out of candy, and did a good job, I think it would look really pretty.
Summer BBQ’s or pool party
I think a carnival theme would be a lot of fun. Imagine how much you can do!
I’m thinking of everything sugared–you know, all the sweet stuff that glistens with sparkly sugar. How pretty and shiny would that be?
I think it would be so much fun to pick a children’s book and do a table theme on it! Like a Very Hungry Caterpillar table, or Pinkalicious, or the If you Give a Mouse a Cookie series, or a Dr. Seusss theme. I could go on!
The book looks amazing! I think I would read it cover to cover. If I were to do a themed dessert table, it would revolve around the beach. We are in the midst of planning our family vacation, so sun and sand are all I want to think about at the moment!
I would like to do something with graduated tones of colors, based on the color scheme of our baby shower.
What about a dark pink theme? Or how about a tea party theme dessert table?
I would love to throw a woodland animal
party for my daughter. This book looks so cute!
hmmm that’s a tough one! there are so many fabulous themes to choose from! I think poker would be a great theme! My bf loves poker and taught me how to play because he is really good at it (i’m kinda so-so lol)… i think there would be some fun ways to get really creative with it!
I think a garden theme for kids would be fun!
Dr. Seuss would be great for a very interesting and colourful dessert table!
Disney! cute and classic!
I’d like to see an all white theme…or a ballerina theme.
I’m trying to plan a dessert party for a classic movie party. So I want to do something very fancy and retro – a black and white themed table or touches of gold. Just classic being the theme.
Lots of great ideas here… my son’s first birthday is coming up in a few months and I am looking for a theme for his party, I think a sesame street themed dessert table would be fun for a 1 year old. Can’t wait for Amy’s book to get some inspiration/ideas to help me.
I’d LOVE to have a medically themed one for our medical school graduation coming up far too quickly!
Garden theme with lots of flowers
A dr suess theme I have fove kids and the four older ones are born in July and a play on thing one and thing two would be great
Spring – lots of flowers and bright colors!
A fancy nancy tea parties theme would be just beautiful!
Mario Brothers for us guys!
I would love to see how she would do a sushi-themed table!
Something springy, with lots of butterflies and flowers in pastel colors!
True Blood for us grown up girls. That would be amazing!
Ireland…its the place I really want to visit!
Anything girly would make a darling dessert table! Pink, pink pink!
A pool party theme would be fun!…with blue, green, and aqua colors!….fun!!!
Hunger games! Most definitely!!! And invite allll my friends over. They would love me forever!
Circus would be fun
An Elvis theme dessert table would work for me!!!
Thanks for a chance to win this book!
Lori
Bunny themed – I love them.
I would do a steampunk theme.
Dr. Suess has so much color that I think it would make a great table
Monkeys for a baby shower
Ice cream! Thought about this since I’m making cupcake ice cream cones next weekend for dbf’s bday. I almost made your ice cream cone cupcakes, and then have a sundae station!
GROOVY, Far-Out, 70’s lava lamps, peace signs, tye dye, beads, and macrame!!!! Avacado green, burnt orange and harvest gold!!! LOL
A Parisian theme would be fantastic – ohhh the desserts that could be made.
I’d love to do a country theme (like farm country, not different countries) table or maybe a Disney table!
ombre affect of your favorite color
Ooooooo if I could do any tablescape, it would have to be Super Mario-themed, with Italian food and a “Princess Peach” pie. God I’m such a nerd . . .
My 10th anniversary is this fall and if I were to have a party and the party had a dessert table…it would showcase the memories of our relationship. Something to represent when/where we met. Our vacations, our move across the country, all of our houses, the city we now call home, the birth of our son, etc. I’m sure I could find some amazing things to represent those life memories and everyone would get to share in our little corner of happy!
Peanut’s theme…with representations of all the Peanuts characters.
A cute Tangled theme, my little one is obsessed.
I think a carnival or a circus theme would be really fun. Kids would love it, of course, and adults would love it for the nostalgia factor.
I am thinking that a good theme would be literary classics… you could have a lot of good characters and book title references.
I think a Pastery Chef would be cute. Black, white and red colors would be real pretty.
I would say either Cars for my boys or Harry Potter for my girl. But that bee hive setup is pretty cute!
Eighties theme!!!
I think Dogs would be a great dessert table!
a day at the beach or a fun vintagey garden & birds theme :) :)
Baseball. My husband is a huge fan of the Chicago Cubs so they would be the center piece.
I will definitely get this one!
Hot Air Balloons! :)
I think either a rubber ducky for a baby shower or a nautical theme for the summer (beach party) would be so much fun!
I know I am behind the times here, but I am super into twilight these days! Vampire desserts :)
Im coming out in a beauty and the beast ballet next month and it would be awesome to do a beauty and the beast theme. Its just such an amazinly cute movie.
I think a Rapunzel from the movie Tangled…I think of her long hair with long pieces of taffy…the possibilities are endless!!!
Lego theme.
My daughter is into Tom & Jerry right now. She would love a desert table representing them :)
A last day of school theme!
All things pink, it is my daughters favorite color.
An adult dessert table – Champagne, Chocolate & Cupcakes! Nothing could be better (Beige and Light Pink) – Awesome
Rainbow!
I would have to say Willy Wonka or a crazy Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland theme. Both of them you could design a whole house around, and the possibilities are endless! Makes me want to throw a party…. :)
The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party!
I think a theme from the movie Finding Nemo would be a cute one!
We did a fuschia & black corset themed dessert table for my niece’s bachelorette party. Came out better than we had imagined.
since its prom season, i’d love to see a prom theme with all the little tux’s, dresses, and sparkles.
Olympic games
I think a sports theme would be fun to do!
a rainbow candy theme!
I would do a glitter themed table. Sparkles everywhere!
I think a superhero theme would be great!! I love superheros!
There are several great ideas that I have read but I would love to see a mystery themed table as we just did a mystery party for my daughter’s birthday.
Island theme! Think of the fun…different tropical candy drinks, beach chairs, beach balls – candy palm trees :)
Hello Kitty !
I would do a summery knitting theme for my mother’s birthday on June 21. She loves to knit and it would be so much fun!
A bluebird or robin theme would be cute. I am waiting for an occasion to do this. Little nests and eggs, I think it could be fantastic!
I think it would be interesting to try a a steampunk theme :)
I would like to see a theme of butterflies.
I would want to do either a vintage book theme for my sister’s bridal shower this summer (and maybe serve desserts from the eras of her favorite books, or a Harry Potter themed dessert party just for me. :)
Oh, beautiful bakerella!
I would love to see a tea party theme…just went on an antique store hunt for tea cups and saucers that I would love to use!
I know it’s been done, but I’d love to see how Amy would do with a Lego theme! I’d love to see what desserts you’d come up with too! You both are so inspiring! You’ve changed the way ppl entertain!
I think a beach themed one would be cute… with beach umbrellas, crabs, fish, palm trees, etc. :)
I have always wanted to do a dessert table, but never had an excuse to! I think I’d have a blast doing a classic rock one! ;) Or for something more “cutesy”, Moomins!!
A science themed one would also be a lot of fun, with lots of test tubes and oozy things…. oh, I’ve got too many ideas now!
I would love to do a tea party theme!!!
I’d love to see a spring pastel/Marie Antoinette-esque themed dessert table! So pretty and feminine :)
Butterflies
We throw a big Halloween party every year, so I’m planning out the food tables all year round.
I think “Hello” to a new season would be fun (think Fall – apples, pumpkins, etc or Winter with sparkly snowy white desserts,etc).
Spring would make a great theme right about now. The book looks amazing.
Strawberry Shortcake!
dandelions!
I’m working on a princess themed party for my soon to be 4 year old daughter. I can’t believe how much fun I’m having with it.
I would love to see an Adventure Time themed table !!!! An adorable television show that my little brother LOVES !!!!
A tree house would be awesome! Would have to do some serious thinking on how to pull it off though! Thanks for the giveaway.
the little prince and calvin and hobes!!!
I would choose Elmo simply because my nephew would love it! captainliss40(at)gmail(dot)com
So many great ideas mentioned already! I will be doing a graduation theme and i think a Hawaiian theme would be fun, too. I saw some pina colada cake pops that would fit in wonderfully.
I LOVE LUCY! <3. For My Birthday! My first time, I need this book.
How about doing the Wizard of Oz, that could be fun.
Broadway theme would be awesome.
I would do a Harry Potter themed table.
Orchids and other exotic flowers!
A lemonade stand! i have seen it done for first birthdays and I just love the soft pinks and yellows.
A carnival or county fair themed one would be awesome!
Tim Burton and all his fabulous cartoons/adventures:)
I work in a bank, so it would be fun to have an bank/money themed dessert table…
Just for something different, and with the movie, “Dark Shadows” coming out…get all Johny Depp and Tim Burton…wax fangs!
broadway<3
What a cool looking book! I’d love to have this one. I think a neat design for a dessert table would be Snow White and the Seven dwarfs. The contrast between the two would be awesome.
loving a superhero/comic book theme for a little boy’s birthday party!
Halloween, the options are endless.
a sailor theme! stripes, anchors, and rope :)
I would love a medieval or renaissance theme. It’s so romantic.
I think it’d be fun to do a more modern look and maybe just do geometric shapes. Think of all the candy you could explore for that!
Black and White Dessert Bar!! Just did a Motorcycle theme desert bar for my sons 4th birthday so fun!!!
i would have to go with a chocolate theme. seeing as chocolate is my favorite :)
Rodeo or a Cowboy theme would be awesome!
S’mores! Flavored homemade marshmallows, fun toppings like granola, nuts, and different chocolates!
Based on the TV show Lost – polar bears, a hatch, an airplane, a deserted pirate ship, the possibilities are endless
An underwater world. Big pieces of sugared “coral”, an octopus cake, fish cake pops, seashell cookies. The possibilities are endless.
Another dimension! :D
My daughter loves The Berenstain Bears. I’d love to make a dessert table for her birthday like that!
How about a cute zombie theme….or a not so cute zombie theme…
I’m 3 weeks away from my almost five year old’s “Candy Land” themed party. We’re doing a small scale candy-dessert table.
My baby boy’s room is a mural of baby sea turtles racing across the beach to the ocean. It would be fun to do a theme based off of baby sea turtles with beach elements.
i think i picnic themed table would be oh so cute! complete with a couple of cakes shaped like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches,a checkerboard table cloth,a cake shaped like a basket,and giant fondant ants! (sounds hard, …. but it can be done) :) basically and picnic in a park theme :D
Pink for little ballerinas.
I think a disneyland theme would be fun. could do all the different lands and cute themed cookies and things :)
Sports/fitness
The beach! But My daughter would say pinkalicious!!
I think it would be fun to do a dessert table around the TV show “Friends.”
Best. Show. Ever.
pricesses
Horse themed! How…..not sure… :)
Nursing/Medical Theme!! Hahahaha!!!! It doesn’t have to be gross with body parts but cutesy!!!! :)
I think it would be so much fun to do a dessert table centered around a cupcake theme – with not only cupcakes, but other desserts made to look like cupcakes, as well.
Thank you!