Sweet Experiences That Shine: Inside Our Peace Love Shine Activation
House of Shine’s 2026 Women who shine, pictured from left to right: Noelle leveaux, claudia beeny, rebecca lopez, dr. robin hall, tomi herl, colleen monroe, morgan hopson, dr. karena setoudeh-maram, and yasmeen tadia.
CLIENT: HOUSE OF SHINE
VENUE: GLASS CACTUS at gaylord texan resort, grapevine, texas
DATE OF EVENT: february 11th, 2026
SPOTTED: Amberly Lago, claudia beeny, colleen monroe, hamilton sneed, dr. karena setoudeh-maram, Kim Stephens-Olusanya, kimberly hall alexander, morgan hopson, noelle leveaux, rebecca lopez, dr. robin hall, tomi herl, yvette lopez
SWEET EXPERIENCES OFFERED:
volunteer appreciation gift bags, including organic sugaire® cotton candy pints and gourmet hotpoppin® popcorn
elevated dessert towers featuring custom french macarons and chocolate covered oreos, gourmet hotpoppin® popcorn, mini gourmet desserts, hand-crafted chocolate truffles, and gourmet halal sour belts
Celebrating the Heart Behind the Event
One of the most meaningful parts of this activation was creating custom gift bags for the incredible volunteers who helped bring Peace Love Shine to life. Volunteers are often the driving force behind impactful nonprofit events, so we wanted each gift to feel intentional and celebratory.
Each volunteer received a curated selection featuring two pints of our Banana and Passionfruit Sugaire® USDA Certified Organic Cotton Candy. These light, vibrant flavors were chosen to reflect the uplifting spirit of the evening while offering a gourmet twist on a nostalgic favorite.
This interactive element transformed a simple gift bag into a curated experience, reinforcing our belief that even small gestures can create lasting impressions.
Bringing Sweetness to Purpose
One of peace love shine’s guest tables, featuring bags of hotpoppin® gourmet popcorn in watermelon cheesecake, cotton candy cheesecake, and melted butter.
At Make Your Life Sweeter®, every event we participate in is rooted in intention. When the team at House of Shineinvited us to be part of their annual Peace Love Shine celebration, we knew this experience would be about more than desserts. It was about honoring service, celebrating community, and creating memorable moments through thoughtful activations.
The Peace Love Shine event took place at the stunning Glass Cactus, located inside the iconic Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas. Surrounded by energy, generosity, and a shared mission of impact, our team designed two distinct activations that reflected both appreciation and celebration.
Guests attending Peace Love Shine were welcomed with a special treat experience. Each attendee received a one cup bag of Hotpoppin® Gourmet Popcorn, adding an interactive and playful element to the evening.
Guests enjoyed one of four fan favorites:
Cotton candy cheesecake
watermelon cheesecake
melted butter
Brown Butter Caramel
These surprise selections encouraged conversation, sharing, and connection throughout the event, proving that even a small sweet moment can spark joy.
A closer look at Make Your LIfe Sweeter’s dessert tower display.
A Showstopping Auction Experience
Our second activation centered around creating excitement for the evening’s auction. We designed two elevated gourmet dessert towers that served as both visual centerpieces and highly desirable auction items.
Each tower showcased a carefully curated collection of handcrafted desserts designed to balance artistry, flavor, and brand storytelling. The display included:
Vanilla and lemon macarons customized with the House of Shine logo
Customized chocolate covered Oreos
Gourmet mini cupcakes and donuts
Artisanal white chocolate raspberry cheesecake truffles
Customized mini mason jars filled with blue sour belts
Martini glasses filled with gourmet Hotpoppin® Black Truffle Popcorn
The goal was to create an experience that immediately captured attention while encouraging engagement from guests participating in the auction. Dessert activations like these elevate fundraising environments by transforming sweet treats into immersive, high value experiences.
Claudia Beeny, founder of House of SHine and Yasmeen tadia, Founder and ceo of Make Your Life Sweeter.
Why did this client choose us?
Our collaboration with House of Shine is built on a long standing partnership rooted in trust, creativity, and a shared commitment to creating meaningful experiences. Over the years, our teams have worked together on multiple initiatives, allowing us to deeply understand their mission of celebrating purpose, community impact, and personal growth.
For the Peace Love Shine event, House of Shine selected Make Your Life Sweeter® because of our ability to go beyond traditional dessert catering and design experiences that feel intentional and aligned with their audience. They trusted our team to create activations that would both honor the volunteers who make their work possible and elevate the excitement of the evening’s fundraising efforts.
We are incredibly grateful for our continued partnership with House of Shine and value the opportunity to support organizations that inspire connection, generosity, and positive impact within the community. Each collaboration strengthens our shared goal of creating moments that truly make life a little sweeter.
Sweet Moments That Support a Greater Purpose
Events like Peace Love Shine remind me why I started this journey in the first place. Sweetness has the power to bring people together, celebrate generosity, and create moments that guests remember long after the event ends.
Partnering with organizations that inspire growth and positivity is always an honor. House of Shine’s mission to encourage individuals to discover their unique strengths aligns beautifully with our own philosophy of making life a little sweeter while giving back to the community.
Peace, love, and sweetness truly shined throughout the evening, and our team was grateful to play a small part in such an impactful celebration.
Making your life sweeter,
Yasmeen Tadia
#MAKEYOURLIFESWEETER #SWEETISMYJOB #LUXURYDESSERTS #houseofshine #peaceloveshine #gourmetdesserttower #SWEETMOMENTS #ORGANICCOTTONCANDY #GOURMETPOPCORN #custommacarons #artisanalchocolatetruffles # #DALLASEVENTS
Kimberly Hall Alexander of kimconnects and yasmeen tadia of make your life sweeter.
Noelle LeVeaux, co-founder of dress for success dallas, Yasmeen Tadia, founder and ceo of make your life sweeter, and Kim Stephens Olusanya, founder and president of the collab link and president of the kim o collection.
Yvette Lopez, house of shine volunteer and Yasmeen Tadia of make your life sweeter.
yasmeen tadia of make your life sweeter, hamilton sneed of has events, and morgan hopson, professional auctioneer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of events does Make Your Life Sweeter provide dessert activations for?
We create customized dessert experiences for corporate events, nonprofit galas, fundraising luncheons, brand activations, conferences, private celebrations, and large scale community events. The Peace Love Shine event with House of Shine is a great example of how our team designs activations that support both guest engagement and event objectives.
Can dessert experiences be customized to match an organization or event theme?
Absolutely. Customization is at the core of everything we do. For the Peace Love Shine event, we incorporated House of Shine branding directly onto macarons and curated dessert selections that reflected the celebratory and community focused atmosphere of the evening. From logos and color palettes to flavor profiles and packaging, every detail can be tailored to align with your event vision.
Do you offer gifting options for volunteers, sponsors, or VIP guests?
Yes. many clients request branded gifting experiences to recognize volunteers, sponsors, or special guests. For this event, we created curated volunteer appreciation gift bags featuring Sugaire® Organic Cotton Candy and Hotpoppin® Gourmet Popcorn, allowing attendees to select flavors and enjoy a personalized takeaway experience.
How do dessert activations enhance fundraising events or auctions?
Interactive and visually elevated dessert displays often become standout auction items because they combine luxury presentation with a memorable guest experience. At Peace Love Shine, our gourmet dessert towers were designed not only as beautiful centerpieces but also as high value auction packages that encouraged participation and excitement among guests.
What is the guest capacity you can accommodate?
Our team regularly supports both intimate gatherings and large scale events with hundreds or thousands of attendees. We scale production, staffing, and presentation based on event size to ensure consistency, efficiency, and a seamless guest experience.
Do you handle on-site setup and presentation?
Yes. Our team manages setup, styling, and display installation to ensure every activation looks polished and event ready. For large venues like the Glass Cactus at the Gaylord Texan Resort, we coordinate logistics in advance so installations are completed smoothly and on schedule.
Can multiple activations be incorporated into one event?
Definitely. Many clients request layered experiences throughout an event. For Peace Love Shine, we executed two separate activations: curated volunteer gift bags and auction ready gourmet dessert towers. This approach allowed us to support different audiences within the same event while maintaining a cohesive brand presence.
How far in advance should we book a custom dessert activation?
We recommend reaching out as early as possible, especially for large scale events or branded customizations. Advanced planning allows time for design development, flavor selection, production scheduling, and logistical coordination to ensure the final experience exceeds expectations.
Do you work with nonprofit organizations and charitable events?
Yes. Supporting community driven initiatives is an important part of our mission. We frequently collaborate with nonprofit organizations to create meaningful dessert experiences that elevate fundraising efforts while aligning with the organization’s purpose and audience.
What makes Make Your Life Sweeter different from traditional dessert catering?
We focus on experiential design rather than simply providing desserts. Every activation is thoughtfully curated to tell a story, strengthen branding, and create memorable moments for guests. Our goal is to transform sweets into an immersive experience that enhances the overall impact of an event.