Seeing Spots

Check out this adorable Polka Dot party from Inchmark blog.

She did a great job of repeating the "dots" everywhere! This is for a little girl's birthday but is so sophisticated, I think it could work for adults too.

Ellie's Black Belt Party

Last weekend I had the pleasure of working on a little girl's Karate party. Ellie is 9 and just completed her test and recieved her black belt!

Becouse of opposite schedules that day, I had to set up what I could in the morning, and our dear hostess had a few tasks to complete during the day before the party at 5:00...like still make the cupcakes! LOL, and get food from the caterer. Below is an assortment of some of the decorations I did.

One of the objectives for this party was to incorporate the colors of belts leading up to the black belt. That's where the colored ribbon, cupcake toppers, shredded paper filler, and m&m's(in favor cones) came in. I have to say those favor cones were so cute. They looked just like the little karate uniforms with black belts! You may recognize the idea from this post a couple weeks ago.

Another element we incorporated was the representation of the board that Ellie had to break during her test. The hostess had a LOT of broken boards that had been used for practice, so we used those as risers to hold a larger board, and set food onto. I also made little food label signs out of small wood craft pieces.

One of my favorite elements for this party was the large picture of the guest of honor. This is a custom photo tile display done by Fotomural . I would encourage anyone to use their service as this is such an attention-getter, and Dianne was amazing to work with!

Off To The Races!

I have always wanted to throw a Derby party! Alas, the timing is just never right. But I know there are some of you out there who can pull this off! Here are some classic recipes from Southern Living to get you started. By the way, don't you just LOVE the bar set up in the picture above?!!

You must serve the classic Mint Julep!

Those Baby Hot Browns look delicious! Anything with bacon and cheese, and I'm IN!

Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie!.....you had me at Chocolate.

Bourbon Balls.....YUM. For when you just can't commit to a full slice of pie.

Modern Products By Utility:Home

I recently came across a very cool and modern web site that is perfect for the hip hostess in all of us. Utility:Home uses retro-modern designs in all of its products, that are perfect for gift giving or keeping for your self. From top left: placemats, coasters, sugar-free mints, match boxes.
Check out their site for more designs and their note card collection.

Easy Centerpiece

I'm busy with the final details of a party I'm working on for tomorrow, but I wanted to post something simple and sweet. How's this for an easy DIY centerpiece? Just vases, candles, and some stretchy beaded bracelets and you have a cute and modern display! from BHG

Earth Day Shot

How's this for the perfect Earth Day idea?! Serve a shot in a cucumber cup! Great way to add style and be Earth friendly. Cut a cucumber into 2 to 3-inch slices, then core out the center(with a melon baller or tiny scoop) leaving some in the bottom. Then fill with your favorite vodka or sake. You could even use this to serve a shot of cold soup. How refreshing! Then you just eat the "cup." No waste, no clean-up.

from the book "Slurp"

Little Birdie Soiree

How adorable is this Little Birdie shower?!! This party was put together by the girls at Chasing Spayde Designs. Not only can they put together a lovely party, but they also make the cutest little gift boxes for all of you guys out there looking for favor containers! You'll see this handy work on the "sweets" table at the bottom. I love the color combination of the party and the details on the dining table are perfect. Notice the white feather tucked into the napkin rings!

To see more details of this shower or their favor boxes go to Chasing Spayde Designs.

Presentation Is Everything!

In my own little world of party planning, I love to incorporate interesting ways to present food items. I have been known to choose a dish just on the bases of how cute it will look in some special display(Hello, Cheesecake Lollipops!). So when I found these little ideas at Brides.com, you can imagine my wheels began to turn! Could you just die at how adorable these mini pizzas are in their mini pizza boxes and their mini calorie count?!! You could make mini pizzas on english muffin crust, or small rounds of pizza dough. Personalize the little boxes however you like. I found a great tutorial on how to make the boxes at Follow Your Heart blog.

Soup and Sandwich Anyone?! I have always loved the idea of serving soup(tomato bisque here) in a beautiful tea cup and saucer. The addition of the tiny little ham & cheese sandwich is over-the-top cute! I think you would get the same effect by cutting the crust off of a regular sandwich and then cutting it into quarters.

Of course we can't forget the old take-out containers filled with noodles, salad, chips, veggies, or whatever suits your taste buds. You can dress up a plain box with monogram labels, stamped monograms, ribbon, etc.

These ideas may take a little extra effort, but by using some pre-packaged food items, you can reduce some of the work. And the visual impact will be well worth it!

Mini Club Sandwiches

I think it has been established that "mini" food is just about the best food around! Here is a yummy little club sandwich that would be dainty enough for the ladies, but also hearty enough for the men.

1 tomato, chopped
4 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled
1/4 cup mayonnaise
12 small dinner rolls, split
3 slices cheddar cheese, cut into 4 pieces each
1 (9 oz)package thin sliced turkey breast meat
6 lettuce leaves, torn in half
Combine tomato, bacon, and mayonnaise. Layer ingredients on bottom half of roll, top with tomato mixture, and replace top of roll.

recipe adapted from Kraft

TV Segment Video

We finally got the tv segment up and running on YouTube. You can see my appearance on Virginia This Morning, above.

Super Stylish Centerpieces!

I've been admiring these floral centerpiece ideas for a while. Who better to share them with than you guys?!! Look and Love, my friends.Does anything say Spring like this fun grassy centerpiece?! How about those cute and whimsical flowers "growing!"
Photo: Cynthia Martyn Events

I love the architectural feel of this floral arrangement. Notice the use of little bamboo pieces! Photo: Style Fragments

The absolute Simplicity of each individual arrangement is what creates it's absolute Beauty!

Photo: Life Abundant

This can be easily re-created and is so precious for a bridal or baby shower, or birthday!

Photo: unknown

DIY Treat Cones & Cupcake Display

Have you guys been to Celebration Shoppe? It is filled with Super Cute ideas! Just look at some of the latest ideas Kim has come up with. I love everything about this birdhouse cupcake tower!

Who doesn't love a Cone Favor holder?!! This is on my "must do" list!

Make Your Gift Special

How do you make your gift stand out from the rest? How about some adorable personalized wrapping supplies!

Start with a cute dotted box.
Add some personalized ribbon.

Maybe add a great label.

Or wrap it up in monogrammed or signature wrapping paper!

All these fantastic supplies can be found at NameMaker.

A Baby Sprinkle and Spring Brunch!

This past weekend I hosted a "Sprinkle" for our friend who is having her second baby. We decided on a champagne brunch with a Spring theme.

Who doesn't love a Champagne Bar?! We had orange juice for Mimosa, peach nectar for Bellini, and a Sweetheart that consists of 1 TBSP strawberry flavored syrup, 1 TBSP Amaretto liqueur, and top it off with champagne. It is goooood!!

The Dining Table:

The Kid's Table:

This was a family affair so the kid's had their own table set up complete with personalized juice bottles and favor boxes.

The food buffet had lots of Spring and floral details.

Gifts, and take-home favors: These were the cutest 'Flower' cookies I found at Walmart. I dressed them in a plain cellophane bag and added a flower sticker to a circle tag.

Please check out our Flickr set or facebook page for more.

Fun With Favors

I saw this little favor display by the queen, Martha Stewart, and it got me searching for more ideas for favors. FYI, I think food is the best option! Truffles in a box

Candy-dipped apple

Gourmet Popcorn

Homemade Jam

More Homemade Jam