Egg-cellent Easter Ideas

Easter is next Sunday, April 4.  My family will celebrate with an annual Egg Hunt at a friend's house on Saturday and then brunch with family on Sunday.  So, I've been doing a little research to see what I can make for these fun events.  I discovered three (3) easy ideas (photos above) that I'd like to share with you ... enjoy!

Easter Bunny Bread

This cute idea comes from Taste of Home via Maddycakes Muse.  I love it!

Chocolate Nest with Easter Eggs

Can you believe this edible nest is made from chow mein noodles coated with melted chocolated and marshmallows?  I can't remember which blog brought this clever recipe to my attention but I found a similar recipe in Womens Day.  My girls and I are going to have fun making these treats for friends!

New Leaf Napkin Fold

Give an old napkin a fresh look and your table with perk up, too.  Idea complements of BHG.com via Hostess with the Mostess.

What's your favorite Easter or spring decor idea or recipe?  Please leave a comment for everyone to enjoy.

April Showers Bring May Babies

Clever title?  Too cute, I think!   I can't take credit for it though.  I was inspired by a recent blog from the Birthday Girl, who created an inspiration board for an upcoming baby shower.  Check it out, it's nicely done - in a fresh, modern way!

I've come across quite a few blogs lately showcasing fabulous baby showers and they reminded me of a special baby gift that I gave to a friend last month and have been meaning to share - because people who like posh parties also like giving posh gifts, correct?  My special gift was the Tickle Monster Laughter Kit written by Josie Bisset (remember her from the original Melrose Place?).  It's a super cute book, nicely written with awesome graphics and fun tickle mitts to make baby squeal with laughter.  Heidi Kallet at The Dandelion Patch recommended it to her newsletter readers and I agree, it's a special baby gift.

One more baby thought.  Have you heard of a Baby Sprinkle?  I just learned about this; apparently its quite a popular trend ... for good reason.  It's a party to honor a mom who is having another baby.  The focus is celebrating motherhood, friendship and the pending arrival of the new baby, not on showering the mom with gifts.  As a mom with 3 girls, I really like this party idea!

Cocktail Challenge Inspires 'posh' Tip

Last week, I received a challenge on FaceBook from a friend who needed a cocktail inspiration for an upcoming college graduation party.  She wanted a blue and gold cocktail to complement the school's colors, and a recipe that was not too sweet and called for few ingredients.  I recommended Absolut Blues (photo below); click here for the recipe and other drink inspirations.

Her Cocktail Challenge reminds us to always think 'outside the box' on ways to incorporate the theme or color scheme into our party plans!  Give it try at your next party.  I promise you and your guests will have fun!

What are You Wearing to the Party?

Whether your hosting fancy cocktail party this spring or a backyard BBQ later in the summer, take the 'posh' route and offer your guests guidance on what to wear ... on the invitation.  Not quite sure what to say?  No worries!  How about ...

Smart Casual

Replaces Business Casual, which never made sense beyond a business function. Good for when you want your guests to really dress up ... blazer and nice pants for the men, pantsuit or skirt for the ladies.

Casual Chic

The new Dressy Casual.  Ideal for when you want your guests to dress up ... in their jeans.

Festive Attire

Appropriate for a holiday party. Think Smart Casual with a themed tie, sweater or scarf.

and of course, perennial favorites like Beach, Island or Tropical and Casual!

For additional dress attire guidance, please visit Emily Post's Everyday Etiquette for Entertaining.

Adorable Partyware in Playful Children's Themes

Have you seen the new "It's A Party" partyware line from Meri Meri?  It's ADORABLE and affordable!

If you're like me and try to avoid cartoon-character birthdays, you'll love these cute designs - pirates, princesses and teddy bears (shown below), as well as animal parade (perfect for a baby shower), racing cars, robots, fairies and more! 

The partyware collection includes invitations and thank you sets, banners, table centerpieces, cupcake kits, plates and napkins, and goodie bags.  For most themes, you can buy a complete party set or a la carte.

Do you agree - is this the best news for kids birthday parties?  Which theme do you like?

Edible Table Centerpiece

Recently, I was inspired by a Hostess with the Mostess blog on edible centerpieces.  When a client asked me for decor ideas for her  husband's "Let's Get Cooking" 50th birthday party, I knew exactly what to suggest - and ultimately create.  Tonight is the party.  Below is a photo of my [edible] veggie centerpiece.  What do you think?

I love flowers but they don't last, tend to overpower the aroma of food and sometimes make guests sneeze.  The vegetable centerpiece, on the otherhand, is just as colorful, edible and the perfect complement to a cooking party.

The display was easy to make.  I purchased broccoli, purple cauliflower, English cucumber, yellow and red cherry tomatoes and radishes.  I cleaned the produce and cut into pieces.  I inserted the vegetables into assorted lengths of bamboo skewers and inserted them into floral foam.  I filled in the gaps with rosemary.  For the finale, I filled the 5" square vase with dry black beans.  For the party, I'll put a small ramekin of dip out with the display and have extra vegetable skewers to replenish.

Are you ready to make your own edible centerpiece?  If so, send me photos to share with our readers!

Favorite Things Tea Party for 5th Birthday

Can I tell you something?  This party was HOT ... hot pink that is, accented with a little lime green and sapphire blue! 

Last weekend, we hosted a birthday party for my daughter, Amanda.  You may recall from a previous entry that Amanda wanted a Strawberry Shortcake - My Little Pony - Hello Kitty party.  It eventually evolved into a Favorite Things Tea Party for approximately 15 children and it was super fun!  I'll walk you through the festivities.

First, the girls had to get ready for the tea party.  They decorated purses with foamie stickers and crayons, and then, decorated cardboard vases, which we filled with pretty pink carnations (inexpensive and they last longer). 

Then, Miss Emily of Emily's Teas showed the girls how to set the table - plates, napkins, cups and demitasse spoons ... and vases.   Along the way, she shared etiquette tips, too, like how to shake hands and use a napkin.  With the table set, the girls enjoyed butterfly-shaped sandwiches, strawberries, sugar cookies and organic, caffeine-free pink tea.  It was a very girlie affair!

To bring this party to life, I relied on bright colors - initiated in the invitation and then, incorporated into my home with bright balloon bouquets (from Festive Effects), wrapping paper "table cloth" with faux grass and pink flowers, and little embellishments like a Happy Birthday banner on the fireplace (where we collect gifts); pink carnations and glitter paper cut-out flowers on the adult food buffet; pink, green and blue glitter containers ($1 each at Target) filled with matching jelly beans.

After tea, everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' and enjoyed dessert.  For simplicity and convenience, I ordered vanilla cupcakes for the kids and strawberry shortcake for the adults, both from Patisserie Lille.  The cupcakes were embellished with paper toppers made of cardstock and lollipop sticks and featured Amanda's favorite characters.  The cake incorporated the flowers from invitation and even had a non-edible gemstone!

One last detail - goodie bags!  In addition to the purse and vase of flowers, each guest received a good bag of Amanda's favorite things - Hello Kitty mirror, Strawberry Shortcake stickers, feather pen and My Little Pony fruit snacks!  Each bag had a "Thank you for coming to my party" tag with one of the characters on it.

I hope that I've inspired your next little girl party.  Please let me know by leaving a comment, sharing your ideas ...

Roll Out the Red Carpet for an Award-Winning Oscars Party

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards is this Sunday evening, March 7 (on ABC).  If you enjoy movies, fashion faux-pas and red carpet commentating, host an Oscars Party for family and friends.  Below are a few inspiring ideas to create an award-winning fete!

Pottery Barn's Party Planner has tips for a producing a fabulous Movie Night Party, including tabletop decor and bar set up.

Need more decor inspiration?  Turn to the Hostess with the Mostess' Oscar Party Ideas.

Martha Stewart has yummy popcorn and other snack recipes.

Want to ante up the fun?  Check out the Oscars Party Kit (ballots, bingo, crossword puzzles and more).

Last but not least, make a batch of cute Oscar cookies, created by Bakerella.  These are sure to be voted the Best Cookie of the Night!

Enjoy!

Mardi Gras & Casino Night

Mardi Gras Madness continued over the weekend!  My client hosted her annual neighborhood fete for approximately 30 guests.  There was no shortage of fun!  Guests were treated to strolling magic, a fortune teller and casino entertainment as well as incredibly good food and amazing bar! 

Thanks to my Dream Team of Vendors for another successful 'posh' party:

Catering - Fusions Cuisine

Beignets - Patisserie Lille

Casino - Always Fun Casino

Magic - Dick Steiner Magician

Fortune Teller - Bialek's Music

Rentals - Select Event Rentals

Balloon Decor: Festive Effects

Guest Book Alternatives

{collage photo credits}
Green Bride Guide, Rodney Bailey, Style Me Pretty, Elegance & Simplicity

This week, I researched simple, affordable and eco-chic wedding ideas for an outdoor ceremony at Woodend Sanctuary & Mansion in Chevy Chase, MD.  Below, and photos above, are concepts that I found to share with you.

• Well wishes wrapped around a tree in the grove

• Hurricane glasses for guests to share advice, memories and good wishes

• A keepsake treasure box of notes

• A wish tree. I like this idea best because it looks like a family tree, is inspired by nature, is simple to make and will look beautiful in the reception hall.

The underlying component of all these ideas is that guests write down their wishes for you to treasure forever.

Favorite Things Tea Party

I'm really excited about this invitation!  It's for my daughter's 5th birthday party but it was quite a design journey.  Perhaps you've been in this situation.  You ask your child what they want for their birthday party and they respond with a bunch of ideas and or themes.  You scratch your head and say 'huh! what does that look like?' or 'hmm. how do I pull that off?  Well, that's what happened to me.  I asked Amanda what she wanted and she responded 'I want a Strawberry Shortcake - My Little Pony - and Hello Kitty party!'  Fortunately, all of these characters are girly and pink but I was stuck on how to design the party in a cohesive manner without relying on character paper goods and balloons.  So, below are photos of the final invitation design - the third attempt to create a fun birthday party inspired by the new fuschia dazzlers (pre-glittered flower accents) at Paper Source.

To create, I printed my invitation text on 5.5" white circle flat cards and adhered the flower dazzlers with Zots glue dots.

To assemble, I stacked the cards, the first and third cards right-side up and the second card upside-down.  I hole punched the first and the second cards on the right side and inserted a brad.  Then, I hole punched the second and third cards on the left side and inserted a brad.  Viola!  When you open the cards out they should look like the second photo - 3 cirlces in a row.

I mailed the invitations in a 5.75" fuschia envelope with a 4" circle mailing label and $.64 first class stamp (square envelopes require more postage).

I just dropped the invitations off at the post office.  I can't wait for my daughter's friends to receive their mail and RSVP for a fun party!  I'll share the details - activities, food and drinks, decor and more - next month!

Love Bug Bash Valentines Day Party

Each year, my family hosts a Valentine's Day party for my girls' cousins, best friends and their siblings - about a dozen kids.  Each year, there is a different theme.  One year, it was a silly Knock-Knock party; another year, a Royal Celebration (for my little princesses) complete with a chocolate fountain.  And last year, we had an Out-of-this-World party and made paper airplanes to fly through the house; that was a blast!

This year, I decided on a Love Bug theme - inspired by Sizzix rubber stamps (on sale!); they are so cute.  From there, I had many ideas to bring the love bug theme to life - most shown below.

The invitation; bug juice (strawberry milk) served in bottles, which were later decorated into bug jars; a love bug'banner' on the front door; and adult refreshments.

Food for this afternoon party featured a dessert buffet - cake pops, heart shaped brownies, sweet strawberries, and antique dishes of Sweethearts and M&Ms (or talkin' love bugs and cupids mix as I called them)

Decor was minimal but colorful and fun for maximum impact.  I focused on the dining room table where the activities would be conducted and the dessert table (above).  I wrapped the table in pink wrapping paper (Paper Source), set out a red table runner (from Christmas).  Then, I put faux grass mats on top and decorated with bugs - yellow bumble bees (both from Heart to Heart) and lady bug candles (from my home).

To keep the kids busy, we made love bugs - decorated (bug juice) bottles with heart-shaped stickers, pom-poms and pipe cleaners.  See photos above.  This became a take-home gift that the kids could use in the spring to catch bugs.

After a quick snack, we made cootie catchers - also known as fortune tellers.  I showed the older kids how to fold a square piece of (Valentine's Day print) paper, how to decorate with colors, numbers and fortunes and finally, how to play.  This was a really fun activity and game!

Lastly, we played Love Bug Bingo - hand-stamped custom cards with a lot of images for the younger kids and letters arranged for special sayings (B-E-E H-A-P-P-Y, for example).  We used M&Ms for markers - but could only play 3 games because we ate most of the markers! 

Later in the evening, as I cleaned up, my 3 year old told me that she had the best Valentine's Day party ever - and I think she did, we all did!

Thanks a latte!

Thanks to the Hip Hostess, I've discovered a new, ultra creative resource for serving latte (or cappicino) at your next event - the coffee stencil.  For $10, you can make quite impression on your coffee station and start a whole new conversation.  I love the stencil pictured above but there are over 100 stencils to choose from - text and images - or make your own.  Now, that's posh in a pinch!  Enjoy!

Eye of the Tiger

Chinese New Year is on Sunday, February 14.  While researching Valentines Day craft ideas I stumbled upon the cutest fortune cookies; they are made of felt!  Inspired, I found more great ideas to celebrate the 'Year of the Tiger' including delicious recipes.  Kung hei fat choy! Happy New Year!

An Asian table setting from brides.com

Felt Fortune Cookies from marthastewart.com

Pork Lettuce Wraps with Grapefruit from foodnetwork.com

Steamed Dumplings recipe and how-to video on epicurious.com

More ideas?

Clean the house to "sweep away bad luck"

Decorate with red for good luck

Bunch bamboo stalks together and wrap in red ribbon for a simple centerpiece

Serve your entree in take-out containers with chopsticks

Offer guests oranges, which symbolize wealth and good luck

Distribute red envelopes of money to children (that's sure to be a crowd-pleaser)

Berkshires Bound Destination Birthday Celebration

Save the Date for birthday fun in the Berkshires this fall!  Sounds like fun, right?  I think so!  

I started the year off designing a girls' getaway in Western Massachusetts for the first weekend of October to celebrate my client's 40th birthday.  I researched charming B & B's, zipline canopy tours, day spas, shopping adventures and local restaurants in and around Lenox, MA.  It couldn't be described as work because I was having so much fun exploring and chatting with local innkeepers!

Plans are still being finalized but in the interim, I designed the Save the Date invitation - truly a teaser of what's come.  The primary color is shimmer copper, which subtly complements the fall foliage and the invitation is printed on off-white cardstock.  The calendar design adds a touch of whimsy and is inspired by the Paper Source save the date.  Teal is a prominant color this year.  Combined with copper, the teal ribbon really softens the invitation and conveys the look of a present, the gift of friendship.

What do you think?  Please share your thoughts and opinions with me!

Like the calendar design?  Email me and I'll share with you how I created it.  It was so simple!

Wine Tasting Encourages Shopping and Inspires Mardi Gras Fun

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending the Wine Cheese and Chocolate Tasting to benefit 100 Women Strong.  The event was held at Fortessa, manufacturers of fine tableware ... and the best kept secret in Loudoun County!  Marianne Frantz, sommelier and owner of the American Wine School, gave an enjoyable [read 'hilarious'] presentation on wine.  Some of her tips are shared below.  Later, as we tasted wine from Sunset Hills and Corcoran Vineyards and nibbled on cheese, crackers and chocolate, we were encouraged to SHOP!  Fortessa has an Outlet Center (with a separate clearance room) which is open to the public.  They offer fine china, colorful base plates, whimsical serving dishes, lots of stemware and even nice flatware - and the prices are amazing!  I encourage you to visit, especially if you are shopping for new wine glasses for an upcoming cocktail party ... or something like that.

 I shopped.  I quickly found cute fruity cocktail glasses.  At the time, I was envisioning cool refreshing cocktails on the deck this summer but today, I thought these glasses - with their chubby bubble - could easily be used for a Mardi Gras party. Laissez les bon temps rouler!!

Food and Wine Pairing [Basic] Tips from the American Wine School

This is excellent and practical guidance for your next dinner or cocktail party!

Rich fatty foods pair with full-bodied Charadonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel or Syrah.

Sweet foods need sweeter wine.  Keep the apparent sweetness of the dish less than the apparent sweetness of the wine.

Spicy, salty, smoked foods require fruity, low alcohol wines that have no tannins and no oak like Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir.

High-acid foods require high-acid wines.  Foods like goat cheese, tomatoes, citrus need wines like Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio, Zinfandel or Pinot Noir.

Finding similarities and contrasts of flavor is subjective.  So taste the food, sample the wine and trust your palate! 

Love Bug Bash

I'm so excited!  It's almost Valentines Day and my family is hosting our annual party.  Above is the invitation to our Love Bug Bash.  The theme was inspired by the 'cute as a bug' rubber stamps by Sizzix.

The invitation was super easy to make.  I wrapped lady bug ribbon around a red flat card.  On red oval-shaped cardstock, I stamped and embossed the bug and affixed to a slightly larger black oval-shaped cardstock; with glue dots, I attached both pieces to the ribbon.  On the other side, I printed text from a Word document onto a pink flat card and then, rubber stamped and embossed another bug. Using glue dots, I affixed the pink flat card to the red card.

Also, I decided on a new font - Ability (myfonts.com).  Do you like it?

I have a lot of ideas to bring this 'love bug' party theme to life.  I can't wait to share them with you in the next two weeks!

Really Simple Posh Party Decor

I had barely scrolled through my Google Reader this morning when I came across a fantastic baby shower party (complements of Simply Creative Insanity, produced by Houses, Couches and Babies) which featured two great 'posh in a pinch' decor ideas.  I just had to stop reading and share.

When hosting a party in your home, you can transform the look and feel of your dining room or living room to complement the party theme with these inexpensive decor tricks.

1) Insert gift wrap into photo frames.

2) Embellish white candles with ribbon.

What's your favorite party decor idea?

Snow Much [Olympic] Fun

The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver are quickly approaching (February 12), which means friends and family will gather to watch the Opening Ceremony and or many of the competitions ... figure skating, skiing and hockey are always the most exciting!  So, if you're celebrating, it's easy enough to pull out your 4th of July/patriotic decor items.  Go USA!  To create a winter experience, you can create faux snowballs (assorted styrofoam balls sprayed with glue and rolled in glitter snow); see inspirational photo below from creative outlet.

Want to incorporate some 'snow' items on the food buffet?  Then consider these snow embellishments:

Coconut

Powdered sugar

Marshmallows

And don't forget the homemade hot chocolate!  Enjoy!

Pushing Daisies ... and Edy's Ice Cream!

Tonight, my daughter will officially become a Girl Scout Daisy!  She's my oldest daughter and we're new to Girl Scouts (GS) so naturally I'm excited.  To celebrate, I wanted something yummy and fun for the girls.  My first thought was GS cookies but they aren't shipping yet ... and then I found Edys Limited Edition ice cream in two of my favorite GS cookie flavors - Thin Mint and Samoas.  I can't wait to celebrate!