{New Year's Eve} Champagne Popsicles

New Year's Eve celebrations will be hosted around the world this Saturday night; are you ready?!  Whether you are hosting the party or offered to bring something to the party, I have a midnight treat that's truly posh in a pinch!  Champagne popsicles!

I spotted this clever idea on Pinterest this summer.  Originally featured on Southern Living for an outdoor pizza party, I think these fruit popsicles dipped in prosecco would be absolutely festive for a New Year's Eve dessert. 

Need a kid-friendly option?  Serve the fruit popsicle in a clear tumblier with sparkling apple cider!

Has this festive holiday treat inspired you?  If so, please leave me a comment and let me know!

DIY Ice Cooler

I hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful holiday season!  I feel like it's just starting for me.  Last week, I was involved in producing an international government conference for the new Republic of South Sudan; hence, the lack of posts.  But this week I'm back in action to share a fun and festive idea for your Christmas Eve or Christmas Day brunch, dinner or open house - a do-it-yourself ice cooler that will look fabulous on your bar.

I made the ice cooler above for my first photo shoot at the beginning of October!  It was a gift-wrapping party and the article was just published in the holiday issue of I Am Modern magazine (yes, I'm so excited!).

Here are the instructions for making the ice cooler.

Cut off the tops of two plastic soda bottles (1L and 2L)

Place the smaller bottle inside the larger bottle

Pour water between the two bottles, and add colorful garnish like cranberries and rosemary

Freeze overnight

Carefully remove the bottles and place the ice cooler in a bowl; I used a trufle bowl filled with more cranberries

For more 'posh in a pinch' holiday party inspiration from this photo shoot, please read my December issue of party possibilities; I've included a lot more photos, courtesy of my friend, Audrey!

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday celebration!

{in season) Cranberries

I have a fabulous client, who is more like a friend.  When I visit her home to discuss upcoming parties, she offers coffee, smoothies or a glass of wine ... it hardly feels like work!  This holiday season, I'm helping her with her decorations, including new greenery for the staircases.  I found this inspiring photo on pinterest; isn't it fabulous?!

The little pop of red reminded me of cranberries ... and how much fun you could have creating the look and feel of a holiday party based on cranberries.

Red ornaments atop candlesticks?  Stunning and simple decor!

Rosy Cranberry Cider ... perfect beverage to warm up a crowd on a cold winter's night!

Sparkling Cranberry Brie Bites!  Yummy appetizer!

Other creative ideas for cranberries:

Garnish

spear a few onto a drink stirrer

Floral

add cranberries to a clear vase for a festive touch

Candle Holder

embellish a tray of votive candles with cranberries

Ice Bucket

DIY ice bucket decorated with cranberries

Tutorial forthcoming soon!

What are your clever uses for cranberries this holiday season?  Please leave me a comment and let me know!

All images found on pinterest.  Credits include BHG, Martha Stewart and Yummy Mummy.

Leftover Turkey and Brie Quesadillas

At my family's Thanksgiving dinner there's always leftover turkey!  That wouldn't be a problem except I don't like turkey and I don't like leftovers ... that was until I discovered this really yummy quesadilla recipe with gooey brie, cranberry sauce and turkey.  Now, it's one of my favorite recipes and go-to party recipes.  [Quesadillas are great crowd-pleasing appetizers] So, on the day after Thanksgiving, if you want a delicious meal after some serious Black Friday shopping, try this recipe!

Flour tortillas

Dijon mustard

Turkey slices

Cranberry sauce

Thick slices of brie cheese

Brush mustard on tortilla.  Layer turkey and 2 slices of brie on one half of the tortilla.  Add a dallop of cranberry sauce (try to avoid any juice).  Fold the tortilla in half.  Heat in a skillet with a little olive oil, or bake at 450 for 10 minutes.  Did I mention the gooey brie?! It's so yummy!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and if you try this recipe, please let me know!

Photo credit and recipe inspiration from Martha Stewart

{event showcase} Let the Ghoul Times Roll Halloween Party

Halloween came early for the Dorfman ghouls ... err, girls and their friends!  Last Saturday afternoon, which was a great day to play outside, 35 kids and half as many adults joined us for our annual Boo Bash.  This year's theme was Let the Ghoul Times Roll, a Mardi-Gras inspired Halloween party for little ghouls (princesses, zombies, wizards, witches and superheros, too) complete with beads, masks, donuts (in lieu of beignets) and live jazz music.  It was like a spooktacular New Orleans festival!

Below are the details. You may want to bookmark this party for next year!

I don't like to brag ... but isn't this the cutest party invitation?!!!  I love the ghouls!  Once again, the talented ladies of Frog Prince Paperie designed the invitation and adorable coordinating printables.

While the party was held outdoors, I did decorate the front door with this fantastic fabric from Joanns.  It is decorated with little ghosts wearing masks, including some Mardi Gras masks.  The hanging plastic ghost is a perrenial favorite decoration; I just added beads from my girls dress-up box.

No surprise, the snack table was a big hit with these hungry ghouls!  Ghoulishly Good Treats included:

Assorted donut holes

Cheese-flavored popcorn

Red Delicious apples

Candy corn

M&Ms

Half Pint Bottled Water

Assorted Little Hugs Juice

Starbucks Coffee

Hot Apple Cider

In addition to the colorful food, I used existing Halloween decorations, including old fabric remnents, to create my display.  I hand-stamped lime green paper sacks for popcorn bags.  Served drinks in a witches cauldron.  Used glitter cardstock to create a simple "banner" backdrop.

Guests' favorite decoration - the Boo Cups!  They are easy to make.  Just attach googly eyes to the white cups and serve! 

There were two craft stations to keep children busy and creative.  They could decorate a mask with feathers and glitter glue and string candy necklaces. 

Both activities were well received.

I also had plenty of orange, green and purple beaded necklaces for the children (and adults) to wear!

The highlight of our Mardi Gras-inspired Boo Bash was the musical entertainment!  Pablo Grabiel and his friends from DC Music Entertainment filled the air with lively jazz music ... and some familiar Halloween songs, too.  In particular, they encouraged the children to sing Ghostbusters and dance the Monster Mash.  Other Halloween hits included:

Witchcraft
Thriller
Adams Family
People are Strange
You Put a Spell on Me
Let the Goul Times Roll
Purple People Eater

Additionally, they showed the kids how to make spooky sounds on the instruments!

The music definitely appealed to kids and adults of all ages!  I received many positive compliments.

Each year, we conclude the Boo Bash with tractor rides!  It is the most antcipated portion of the party; guests line up to take a ride ... over and over!  This year, my husband got a new ... and bigger ... cart and faster tractor ... so the rides were more thrilling for the kids.  He zips them around the property and when the ride is over, they hop back in line for another turn.  It's like being at Kings Dominion (or other amusement park with rides)!!

So that's the scoop on this year's Boo Bash!  The Ghoul Times definitely Rolled; we had a great time and I hope that I inspired you to shake up your traditional holidays with a few creative twists!!  If so, please leave me a comment.  I'd love to hear from you!

Mardi Gras Madness: Blueprint for a Great Party!

Parties are like books.  There is a beginning, a middle and an end.  With proper planning, each part will develop into a great ending, leaving guests wanting more!

Like the party showcased below.  My client just set the date for 2012!

A few weeks ago, I produced this Mardi Gras & Casino Night party!  There were so many great elements that unfolded over the course of the night that the party was claimed successful, "best year yet!"

Below is the blueprint for planning this party.  How can this help you?  Change the theme and the blueprint for planning still works.  Let me explain ...

Jim and Vivian, the gracious hosts.

The party starts with cocktails and passed hors d'oeuvres.

The party continues with a Strolling Magician, who amazes guests as they mingle.

About 30 minutes into the party, the casino tables open for Roulette and BlackJack fun!

A fortune teller rounds out the staggered entertainment.

About an hour to 1 1/2 hours into the party, the food buffet opens!  The magician has concluded his fun but the casino tables and fortune teller are still open to keep guests amused during dinner.

Towards the end of the evening, coffee and desserts are brought out for guests to enjoy at their leisure.  Also, guests turn in their chips for the grand prize announcement. 

The unexpected surprise was a guest who played the piano while guests (and staff) sang-a-long!  What a nice way to conclude another successful party!

So, in sum, the blueprint for a great party is to stagger food, drinks and entertainment so that excitement builds - just like the plot of a great book with a spectacular ending!

What is the plot of your next party?  How will the excitement unfold?  Please leave me a comment.  I enjoy learning from you, too!

Thank you to Vivian and Jim for allowing me to produce their annual party, and thank you to my A-Team of vendors:

Balloons - Festive Effects

Beignets - Patisserie Lille

Casino Tables - Always Fun Casinos

Catering - Fusions Cuisine

Fortune Teller - Bialek's Music

Strolling Magician - Dick Steiner Magician

{sneak peek} Mythbusters Valentine's Day Party

Look at what I got in the mail yesterday ...

Mustaches, lips and glasses ... oh my!  These are photo booth props for my Mythbusters Valentine's Day party.  Offered by MaroDesigns, the beret and goatee were added to the collection; thanks, Suzi!

I was stuck at home last week with lots of snow and no power so I had little time to design an invitation.  Here's what I came up with using existing printed cardstock, note cards and envelopes ...

So, we're busting myths this Valentine's Day; what are your plans?

Snow Much Fun ... on New Year's Eve!

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone enjoyed the winter holidays, perhaps with a party or two!

My family celebrated the New Year with family.  We do this every year; it's tradition.  My girls love the extra play time with their cousins and the adults enjoy curb-side Outback Steakhouse - yum!  It's a lot of fun ... and again, tradition!

This year was our turn to host.  I used the opportunity to play - to experiment with ideas and materials and above all, just have fun.  Below is the result of my fun - a playful and inexpensive New Year's Eve party for children.  Take a look!  It may inspire some "snow fun" of your own this winter.  And at the end of the post, I'd like your opinion ... is faux snow is a good choice for a table covering?

Snow Much Fun tablescape

I covered the table with a blanket of snow ($1.79 at Joanns) and created a white winter wonderland scene accented with sparkly pink, purple and blue jewel tones.

[The irony of this themed tablescape is that it was 50 degrees outside - who knew it would be so warm on New Year's Eve?!]

Snow Much Fun centerpiece

The centerpiece was a snowman with snowballs flanked by trees.  I made the snowman out of 3 styrofoam balls and decorated him with Christmas garland ($1 at Target), plastic buttons and a tiny party hat.

The snow balls were made of stacked styrofoam balls and embellished with paper numbers.

Snow Much Fun place setting

Paper plates and clear cups filled with a white napkin, cutlery and noisemakers.

Snow Much Fun accessories

Photos {L-R} - homemade banner hung between the trees (which didn't work as well as I hoped); glitter hats and tiaras; trees made of styrofoam cones embellished with strands of garland ($2.50 at Michaels) and topped with a wooden dowel wrapped in purple ribbon (to hang the banner); snowballs; light-up plastic glasses; hanging foil snowflakes ($.50 - $1.25 from Target), ornaments and snowflakes (from my Christmas collection); and finally, festive cupcakes.

Snow Much Fun activities

The kids colored snowmen and penguin masks; made lots of noise with glitter clappers, blowouts and kazoos; and made Snow Wishes in lieu of resolutions - like 'I wish that it would snow 8 times this winter' or 'I wish to build 69-20 snowmen' (a quote from my 4yo who only knows how to count to 7 =)

From my family to yours ... I wish you snow much fun in the New Year!

What do you think? Faux snow or no?



My 4yo told me (unsolicited) that the snow table was the prettiest party she has ever seen, and that made my heart sing, but looking at the glass table after clean up, I rather like it without snow - perhaps just a runner made from Paper Source white glitter wrapping paper.  What do you think?  Please leave a comment!

Pop the Champagne? Not so fast!

{my photo taken with my new camera!}

A little research this week revealed that popping the cork on a bottle of sparkling wine/champagne is not a good thing.  Rather the cork should be gently twisted off.  Good to know ... or your guests will wear the tiny little bubbles that we love so much!

More good to know sparkling wine/champagne stuff

Chill the bottle at 45 degrees F to lower the pressure (thus, avoiding the pop);

To quickly chill, use salt!  Place bottle in a bucket filled with cold water and ice, sprinkle with salt to lower the freezing point and turn the bottle occasionally.  Chills in 15-20 minutes.

Pour a little sparkling wine/champagne into a flute or tulip shaped glass; let the bubbles settle and then pour more, about 2/3 full.

Hold the glass by the stem, not the bowl, to keep your drink cold.

For complete instructions, watch this video from Ted Allen on the Food Network.

More New Year's Eve Goodies

This is a Blowout Invitation.  The invitation is tucked inside the blowout.  Isn't that fun?  I got the idea from Martha Stewart years ago.

This is a festive Table Centerpiece that I quickly assembled using Christmas garland and noisemakers.  Not a bad idea for repurposing garland? 

This pink, purple and blue garland is the inspiration for my New Years Eve family party. I can't wait to put it together and show you the photos next week!  Until then, I wish you a happy and healthy New Year!  Cheers to 2011!

{event showcase} 3 Strategies for Entertaining at Home

For many people, today will be a frenzy of last minute holiday dinner preparations.  With this chaos in mind, I have 3 strategies for entertaining at home.  I'll demonstrate by showcasing a recent holiday party =)

Spread Out!

Avoid congestion by creating party zones.  For example, serve cocktails and a few appetizers in the family room; create a food buffet in the kitchen; and offer dinner seating in your dining room and adjacent [living] rooms.  After dinner, swap out wine and apps for coffee and dessert.

For my client's party, we set up a bar a desk (above left) and created a food buffet on the kitchen table.  Dinner tables were set up in the living room and in another cozy room as well as the dining room. 

Go Semi-Homemade!

I'm a huge fan of semi-homemade strategies!  For example, my quick and affordable solution for table decor is to deconstruct beautiful bouquets of flowers into smaller centerpieces for the dinner tables and food buffet as well as foyer tables and powder rooms. 

For my client's party, I purchased 3 floral bouquets to fill 4 small vases plus 1 large container.  To enhance the look, I filled the containers with faux snow and added snippets of evergreen and holly from my yard, silver ting from my client's pantry and seasonal ribbon. 

Light Up!

Candles transform rooms and convey warmth!  For my client's party, I placed a few red votive candles on the dinner tables, food buffet and kitchen island.  It was just enough accent without going over the top!

Need more ideas?  Recently, I suggested a few napkin folding ideas as well as a quick and easy recipe for Peppermint Cookie Bark (which is a great hostess gift, too!).

These are just a few of my strategies for successful entertaining at home.  We'll explore more ideas in 2011!  Until then, I wish everyone a Merry Christmas full of love, laughter and many memories!

{event showcase} Whodunit? Holiday Party

A murder mystery may seem like an unusual choice for holiday entertainment but it was ideal for a recent corporate party, providing audience participation and a lot of laughter as guests discovered who killed the maid during a "Fiends of Fentress" book reading hosted by Lady Penelope, Semper Fi.  Read on to see how the party played out.

The holiday party was hosted by the Washington, DC Studio of Fentress Architects at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.  Fentress designed the award-winning museum so it was a very fitting venue for their employee party.

INVITATION

My custom invitation was sent via email.  It incorporated a photo of the museum (provided by Fentress) and complemented their brand identity including logo, slogan, font and colors.

{front}

{back}

TUN TAVERN

Cocktails were hosted on the Overlook (bottom right photo) and then, dinner and entertainment were held in the Tun Tavern (remaining photos), a replica of the Philadelphia tavern considered the 1775 birthplace of the Marines.

ENTERTAINMENT

After dinner, guests participated in solving a murder mystery, as well as participating in dance auditions (bottom left) and reading select book passages (top right) during a custom comedy performance by the talented improv actors from Now This!

I really enjoy entertainment at parties; it's adds another dimension to the event! What is your favorite entertainment for a [corporate] holiday party?

Peppermint Cookie Bark

I went to my first Cookie Exchange last weekend!  As expected, it was fun ... even for me, who doesn't bake a lot.  I tried this new "no-bake" recipe - Peppermint Cookie Bark from The Celebration Shoppe.  It was insanely simple and oh so good; however, if I make it again, I will stick with the original recipe and use white creme Oreos instead of holiday red.  Though my version was yummy and festive, the red creme tinted the white chocolate, which didn't look as nice.

Peppermint Cookie Bark

{link to the exact recipe}

1 package of Oreo cookies, crushed

6 oz. Candy canes (or red and white candies), crushed

1.5 cups of white chocolate (though I used a lot more)

Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler

Stir in Oreo cookies and candy

Spread on wax paper-lined cookie sheet

Refigerate for 45 minutes

Break into pieces to serve

I'm off to sample another cookie!  What is your favorite cookie recipe?

Fan, Tree, Jingle Bell Roll: Christmas Napkin Folds

Want to set a pretty Christmas dinner table without a lot of effort?  Fold your napkins!

I learned a new napkin fold this weekend.  The fan.  It's actually an old design used in the nicest restaurants and hotel ballrooms ... for good reason.  It's elegant (without being over the top) and so simple to fold!

Above are photos from my client's holiday party last weekend. The tables look fabulous (if I must say so myself)! And that's Mabel; she showed me how to fold the napkins into fans.  Real Simple has a great video with written instructions on how to fold a fan.  Or try one of these Christmas folds:

Christmas Tree

{instructions available from bhg.com}

Jingle Bell Roll

{instructions available here}

or how about this clever Bread Basket?

{instructions available from marthastewart.com}

What is your favorite napkin fold?  Please share with me!