Inspiring Ideas for your Thanksgiving Table

I'm off-the-hook for hosting my family's Thanksgiving Dinner this year so admittedly, I haven't been paying too much attention to preparations but fortunately, many other creative professional party planners across the blogosphere have been.  Here's a quick look at what inspired me; may you be inspired too!

This edible cornicopia is made from bread, embellished with fresh fruit and looks lovely!

{inspiring idea from The Idea Room via Divine Party Concepts}

I love the unexpected vertical arrangement of the placemats plus the gorgeous combination of blue, orange and green!

{inspiring idea from HGTV via Divine Party Concepts}

I love the simple idea of tying ribbon around the wine stem to create a wine tag

{inspiring idea from Celebrations at Home}

Look no further than your backyard to create this lovely centerpiece!  Clear vases are filled with pinecones, moss, prickly balls and even dried beans from your pantry.  Embellish the display with a few scraps of yarn, berry twigs and small pumpkins.

{inspiring idea from Celebrations at Home}

I would be a kid again to sit at this table!  The turkey leg place card is too cute!

{inspiring ideas from Fiskars}

Another clever place card for the kid's table!

{another inspiring idea from Celebrations at Home}

Entertain kids until dinner is ready by guessing how many Indian Candy Corns are in a jar?

{yet another inspiring idea from Celebrations at Home}



Grateful Turkey Table Toppers - fun to make and cute on the table!

{inspiring idea from Couture Parties}

One last idea - free Thanksgiving printables!  Write down what you did this year to make next year easier.  There's even a set of free Christmas printable too.

{printables available from Life ... Your Way}

Which idea inspires you?  Do you have an idea share?  Let us know!

{event showcase} 40th Birthday at Club Bryan

Today I have the pleasure of sharing a fun milestone birthday celebration with you!  Last month, over the Halloween weekend, my client hosted a 40th birthday party for his wife.  Her only request was to dance.  Therefore, I transformed the lower level and pool deck of my client's home into a night club.  Here are the details.

Hustle on over and bust a move

Amy’s turning 40

So we’re having party!

The birthday girl has a passion for tennis so the night club theme evolved to "40 Love" at Club Bryan!  The birthday cake and cupcakes were made by Amphora Bakery.

Catering trick: to display a sheet cake place a stack of 2-3 small plates in each back corner.  The stack of plates prop up the cake for a better display.  Thanks for the tip, Jim!

As guests arrived downstairs, they passed through silver beaded chains to reveal a dark night club with lots of lights, including a custom light on the wall and lights that moved to the beat of the music.

The DJ played great music, dance hits through the decades with extra attention to favorite songs from the 80's and later in the night, guests enjoyed karaoke too, which turned out to be a huge hit!

Our color scheme was sapphire blue and sparkling silver and the look and feel of the night club was contemporary with a disco edge, like South Beach meets Studio 54.  To make this work, we rented white furniture and linens, draped the existing couches in blue fabric and created a backdrop for the DJ (thus, hiding the Bryans' entertainment system) using white drapes and a tufted backwall.  We accented with blue and silver pillows, candles and uplights.  To really drive the theme home, we had a disco ball centerpiece on the food buffet that lit up and spun around; it was personalized to read "40 Love"  and "Club Bryan".

On the buffet, we served a tasty array of hors d'oeuvres including my favorite - Southwest Trifle with layers of guacamole, creme fraiche, salsa verde, cornbread and pico de gallo - and a new favorite - Miniature Beef Fajita with citrus cream, roassted corn, black bean quinoa and smoked chili sauce (shown above).  The birthday gal also loved the Tomato and Fennel Soup Shooter with Manchego Grilled Cheese. Super yummy!

Outside on the pool deck, guests enjoyed the bar and more seating with outdoor heaters to keep them warm. 

In addition to beer, wine and soda, two specialty drinks were offered at the bar:

40 Love

a.k.a Gator-ade, a nod to the Bryans' alma mater

Hurricanes

a nod to where the Bryans' met many years before

Creating "Club Bryan" was a lot of fun!  Many thanks to the Bryans for entrusting me to produce this very special party and to my A-team of vendors - Fusions Cuisine, Bialeks Music and Gala Events - for helping me!

{event showcase} Client Appreciation Party

Today, I have a fantastic party to share with you!  It's a client appreciation party hosted by Sherry Spinelli and Lauryn Eadie of Circadian Realty Group.  Lauryn's name might sound familiar; she's the uber-lucky lady who won two of my summer promotions - a custom event design as well as invitations.  This fall, she cashed in her prizes!  Below is an overview of the custom event design and then further below is how the party panned out, including the invitation design.

Lauryn and Sherry told me that they wanted to host a client appreciation party to thank clients, friends and family for their business, referrals and support.  They wanted a new and interesting venue that conveyed warmth (like a cozy home) and suggested a wine tasting activity.  One venue in particular was The Wine House in Fairfax, VA.

With this information in mind, I came up with 3 scenarios - all based on the concept of showing recent homebuyers how to entertain in their new home.

A Taste of Home

Wine tasting in a restaurant conducted by a sommelier with discussion of wine basics, food pairings, etc.

The Art of Entertaining

Similar to the scenario above but hosted in an art gallery (for flexibility with catering expenses).

Home Sweet Home

Replace wine and cheese with coffee and desserts (again, for flexibility with catering expenses).

{Lauryn Eadie (L) and Sherry Spinelli (R)}

Lauryn and Sherry hosted their Client Appreciation Party on Sunday afternoon, November 14 at the Wine House.  In addition to thanking guests, the party was an opportunity to debut their new corporate identity including new business name, logo and tagline.   They asked me to design the invitation, name tags and good bags, which was an opportunity for me to return to my corporate marketing roots (yeah!).

To complement their new logo, tagline and colors, I designed the following items:

Invitation

5.5" circle invitation with PS Poppy square envelope and circle mailing labels

Name Tags

PS Poppy and Chartreuse circle mailing labels

Goodie Bags

Pear and Tangerine Jelly Bellys in a clear plastic treat bag and tied with orange or green ribbon and custom gift tag (again, PS circle labels)

{L-R: me, my husband and Sherry's daughter}

The party was lovely!  We were greeted with a welcome glass of wine, mingled with guests and enjoyed an assortment of yummy canapes.  Here are the important food and wine details:

Food Display

Assorted cheese with crackers and fruit

Charcuterie with Olives and crackers

Wine House Baguette with Truffle Butter (my favorite!), Olive Tapenade and Honey Butter

Passed Canapes

Petite Crabcakes

Marinated Beef Skewers

Scallop and Mango en Crute (perfectly done and oh, so yummy!)

Smoked Salmon wrapped Asparagus

Smoked Duck with Honey Dijon and Microgreens

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

Dark Chocolate Terrine

Welcome Wine

Willm Sparkling Blanc de Noir, Cremant d' Alsace

Wine Tasting

Foxglove Chardonnay, Central Coast, CA

Lil Rippa Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, NZ

Lil Rippa Pinot Noir, Central Otago, NZ

Clifton Cabernet, Sonoma, CA

Lodali Moscato d' Asti, Piedmonte, Italy

Thank you, Sherry and Lauryn, for allowing me to share my creative talents and professional party planning skills with you to produce a very special event!  I wish you much continued success with Circadian Realty Group.

{event showcase} 8th Annual Boo Bash

Today, I'm taking a short break from planning parties to show you some of the recent parties I've produced, starting with my 8th Annual Boo Bash.  The party was so much fun, I hope you enjoy!

Hosted at my home for approximately 35 children (ages 4-9) and their parents, this year's Boo Bash was "Experimenting with Fun" where the highlight of the party was Mad Science entertainment. 

My party space was defined by three distinct areas - refreshments, entertainment and a Haunted House.  To create cohesiveness in a large yard, I used pipe and black drape in front of my garages and then placed the display tables in front - a tall schoolroom table in lime green and then a rectangle table in front in black linen.  See the fun photos below!

Here's the invitation, as featured in this previous blog.

This is the refreshments table - complete with (L-R) "radioactive" pretzel rods dipped in chocolate; beakers of Blood Orange European Soda, Water and Apple Cider; and specimen tubes of Jelly Bellys.

Note: the "beakers" are Carafes from IKEA (Thank you, Lori!)

More goodies included (L-R) M&Ms, Cupcake Surpr-eyes, Treat Boxes, more radioactive pretzel rods, Pop Rocks and Petri Dishes filled with Lime Jello and Gummy Worms ... plus candy corn, Popcorn and fresh apples.

Notes: the cupcakes (my favorite) were store-bought that I decorated from these instructions; the treat containers were inspired by this blog (with how-to instructions); and the Petri Dish display was made by placing a black tray between a Monster candle holder and the Monster decorated candle pillar.

Kids had so much fun making their drinks - Kool-Air Fizz tablets (cherry, lemon and grape flavors) dropped into their half-pint bottle of water that was served in a cauldron.

I made the laboratory using a few notable items - Mad Science picture frames from Target (so cute!) that were draped with cob webs; glitter skeleton propped up by our favorite Hallmark musical Halloween toy; microsope from the toy closet; and my husband's dusty science books with a glitter skull and Red Robin beaker for bookends =)

And the Mad Science entertainment.  With help from Danielle from Mad Science, the children ...

Hope you enjoyed the fun as much as we did!

Holiday Centerpieces Made from your Pantry

I spotted the photo above in the October 2010 issue of Rachael Ray's magazine.  Created by HGTV's David Bromstad, this gorgeous centerpiece is simply made with pears embellished with craft store gemstores and nestled on gift boxes in between votive candles for a lovely display.  Nice (and easy)!

I went online to find the find the photo and found more inspiration; see below.

Glass containers filled with layers of cinnamon and salt for a candy cane effect!

Martini glasses filled with Hersheys kisses, greens and tapered candles!

Sprigs of holly tucked inside an upside down wine glass with a tea light on top!

A string of lights on the table, some tucked inside upside down colorful tumblers!

Which one do you like?  Do you have a 'pantry' centerpiece idea to share?

Disney Cake Pops

Back from vacation and I still have a Walt Disney World state-of-mind!  Speaking of which, have you seen these adorable cake pops?

They are from Bakerella, a super talented woman who just launched her Cake Pops book and book-signing tour.

Visit this page for the Mickey & Minnie cake pop recipe and this page for the Mrs. Potts recipe ... and as the folks at Disney say, 'Celebrate Today'!

{halloween} Pumpkin Cocktails

Thirsty? I have a few Pumpkin Cocktail recipes to share - and some of them sound better than Halloween candy!  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice

(Vodka, Lime Juice, Pumpkin Puree and Ginger - looks refreshing on ice!)

Pumpkin Martini

(Vodka, Pumpkin Spice Liqueur and splash of Simple Sugar - sounds sophisticated!)

Jack-O-Lantern Punch

(Aged rum blended with cloves, fresh lemon and apple juice - could be a crowd pleaser!)

And this recipe sounds the best to me - Pumpkin Pie

(Rum, Kahlua, Milk and Pumpkin Pie Filling) 

All recipes and photos from here.

{halloween} Scary Spider Pumpkin Cooler

Creating a beverage cooler from a large pumpkin is a perennial favorite for many hosts and hostesses.  It's a festive touch for a Halloween party, harvest cocktail party or Thanksgiving gathering. 

Want to take the design one step further - add copper legs to make a scary spider!  Love this great idea and how-to video from Southern Living!

Want more creative ideas for your pumpkin? Read this Southern Living article on 31 Halloween Pumpkins!

{in season} Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Halloween is almost here!  Time to carve the pumpkins ... and roast pumpkin seeds!  I've never roasted pumpkin seeds but supposedly, it's easy to do and the nutritional benefits are awesome.  I found this basic recipe with many variations and great suggestions adapted from the Whole Foods 'Whole Story' blog.  What do you think?  Join  me for some roasted pumpkin seeds?  Which variation appeals to you?  Scroll down to see my favorite variation!

 {photo credit}

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Boil seeds for 10 minutes.

Drain and pat seeds dry.

Mix seeds in a bowl with a little oil and dash of salt.

Transfer seeds to a baking sheet and spread out to a single layer

Bake at 325 degrees for 20-30 minutes

{photo credit}

Variations

Roast with seasonings such as chili powder, cayenne, cumin, and coriander.

Roast with dried herbs such as thyme, oregano, parsley and rosemary.

Roast with sweet spices, too: Cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves and allspice.

Roast and garnish grain dishes, breakfast cereals and pilafs.

Roast and garnish roasted root vegetables, steamed vegetables or sautéed vegetables.

Roast and garnish soups such as corn, pumpkin, butternut squash or vegetable.

Roast and garnish for beef or vegetable stew.

Roast and garnish enchiladas, tacos, chalupas, tamales and migas.

Add them to muffins, pancakes, cookies, granola and other baked goods.

Grind them up and add them to specialty sauces such as Mole.

Roast and garnish salads, slaw and even Caesar salad!

Add roasted pumpkin seeds to trail mix.

Throw a small handful into a smoothie with fruit or yogurt.

Roast and garnish ice cream, yogurt, fresh fruit salads or non-dairy desserts.

Incredibly yummy as a garnish on dark chocolate cake!

Cook whole grain pasta; toss with olive oil, garlic, Reggiano Parmesan and roasted pumpkin seeds.

Add to pesto sauce in place of or along with pine nuts.

ADD THEM TO CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES. YOU WILL NEVER LOOK BACK!

[I think this variation sounds the best! Enjoy!]

{party trend} Party for a Cause

Fundraising events are not new; however, there is a growing trend to host fundraising parties at home!  For example, I received an invitation this week from my friend who hosts an annual holiday shopping party in her home.  She invites her friends with small businesses like Silpada, Pampered Chef and Usborne Books to display their goods whille other friends come over to shop, eat, drink and be merry.  It's an afernoon of fun and the best part is a small percentage of the proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society.  No surprise, my friend is a top fundraiser for Reston Relay for Life!

Ready to party for a cause?  Here are two fundraising home party ideas to inspire your philanthropic endeavors:

Celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness month with the moms from your child's play group or members from your book or bunco club with free printables, festive drinks and party supplies!

Photos clockwise:

Favor Tag from Chickabug

Cupcake Wrapper from Eccentric Designs

Pink Ribbon Punch from Martha Stewart

Plates, Cups & Napkins from Celebrate in Pink (20% off, use promo code 5YEARS)

Support Operation Give Thanks, a nation-wide fundraising campaign to help Operation Shower continue its mission of throwing amazing baby showers for military families to ease the burden of deployment. [You may remember my recent participation in Operation Shower's A Star is Born baby shower at Walter Reed Army Medical Center].  Now you can help too by hosting a fundraising party!  There are free printables - amazing designs - to get you started.

My favorite is the Fall/Thanksgiving "Grateful Mod" Collection from Hostess with the Mostess which includes invitations, drink tags, favor tags, bottle labels and more.  I'm not hosting Thanksgiving Dinner this year so I think I may host a Girls Night cocktail party using these free printables - and raise money, as well as awareness for Operation Shower!

Additional Operation Give Thanks contributors (and amazing free designs) include:

The TomKat Studio

Parties by Hardie

Paper & Pigtails

Paper & Cake

So, what fundraising party will you host at home?

{halloween} Monster Treats!

This morning, I have some Frankenstein-inspired Halloween treats to share with you!  These recipes look easy to make; in fact, your children might enjoy making a few too.  Enjoy!

Monster Treats (clockwise, L-R):

Monster Pops

Frankies chocolate dipped marshmallows

Frankenstein Cupcakes

Scary Pudding Cups

{in season} More Apples!

In yesterday's post, I forgot the one recipe that started my quest for other apple recipes ...oops!  So, here it is - Feta Crostini with Tomato, Bacon and Apple Jam!  Doesn't that sound delicious?!  If I was at a cocktail party and the hostess served this appetizer, I know that I'd have to have more than one!  The sweetness of the apple jam mixed with the savory cheese and bacon - yummy!

{Photo credit}

I spotted the recipe in the latest issue of Better Homes and Garden (November 2010 I think).  Here is the recipe, which looks easy:

INGREDIENTS
1/2 lb. smoked bacon
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup sugar
1 medium apple, peeled, cored and diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 loaf baguette-style French bread, thinly sliced and toasted (about 30 slices)
1 8-oz. block feta cheese, crumbled
Snipped fresh chives

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until it is just browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain excess fat. Crumble or cut into small pieces.

2. In a large saucepan combine the drained tomatoes, sugar, apple, onion, vinegar, salt, pepper, and bacon. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook, stirring often, for 12 minutes or until apples are tender and most of the liquid is reduced.

3. Remove pan from heat; let sit for 5 minutes.

4. Arrange baguette slices on a serving platter, top with a dollop of warm jam, the feta, and chives. Makes 30 crostini.

{in season} Apples!

Got apples?  I've got apple ideas ... for snacks, drinks and decor!

SNACKS

Caramel Apples 6 Ways

Apple-Cranberry Pocket Pies

DRINKS

Apple Spice Sangria; inspiration posted here

Bailey's Caramel Appletini; inspiration posted here

DECOR, inspired by

Apple cake decorations; inspiration posted here

Apple-themed fall party; inspiration posted here

Enjoy!

Operation Shower: A Star is Born

Last week, I participated in an amazing event called Operation Shower, which is a unit-wide baby shower for military moms-to-be whose husbands are deployed or in high-stressed situations.  Hosted at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC and supported by the PGA Tour and March of Dimes plus generous contributions from KMart and many more extraordinary companies, Operation Shower "showered" 40 moms with car seats, clothes, blankets, snugglies, boppies, diaper cakes and all the other essential baby gear.  Sound incredible?  It was!

Above are some highlights of the decor.  The theme was "A Star is Born", a Hollywood premier complete with red carpet, concession stand and the most adorable table centerpieces!  Kudos to Leanne Morrisey and Amy Belle Isle for generously creating this remarkable event.  For more information about Operation Shower, please visit OperationShower.org as well as their Facebook page and YouTube video.

The event was also special because I got to meet and work with some ultra-talented party professionals - Sarah from Sheek Shindigs, Lindi from Love the Day, Amy from Stem Parties and Chris from Celebrations at Home; see photo above.

I'd like to thank Midory Takeda-Ragonese of BBJ Linens and Ramona Kelly of Select Event Rentals for supporting this event.  The linens (including the black and white zebra print napkins!), as well as the china, flatware and stemware made the shower look special!

{halloween} Ghost in the Mirror!

So, I'm busy preparing for my family's annual Boo Bash and came across a spook-tacular 'good thing' - a Ghost in the Mirror.  Made of frosted window cling, this cute decoration looks super easy to make!  The template and instructions are available on MarthaStewart.com.

I don't have a foyer mirror but I can easily put this little ghoul in my powder room or better, blow up the template to fit my Dining Room windows.  What do you think?  Do you like this project idea?  Do you have other ghost decoration ideas to share?

Table Tent Trivia Cards

My friend, Stacy, of Everday Celebrations in NJ introduced me to these clever conversation starters - Table Tent Trivia Cards!  Displayed on a cocktail table and or bar, these trivia cards have lots of thought-provoking questions like 'How many grapes does it take to produce a bottle of wine?'... and they come in a wide assortment of designs/themes like Wine, Martini, Girls Night Out and even, Halloween.  I've been eyeing the 'Martini' collection for a Martinis and Mayhem Holiday Party in December (but I don't know if that party needs any more initiative!)

Anyway, check out the trivia cards and then, contact Stacy to order ... or better, stop by Stacy's table this Sunday, October 10 at The Dilworthtown Inn's Wine Festival from 12-4pm!

{party trend} Grilled Cheese and Bloody Mary Bar

Yesterday afternoon, I did something that I rarely do.  I watched The Oprah Show!  But wait, it gets better.  Martha Stewart was on ... and they talked parties!  I was inspired so I thought I'd share it with you.

Martha featured her Grilled Cheese and Bloody Mary Bar.  Wow!  It looked so good.  The set up was pretty simple; platters of cheese, bread, condiments and extras like sliced apples, bacon strips, red peppers and avocado slices (top photo above).  Of course, they made sandwiches.  Martha made Oprah a Gruyere Apple and Sage on Rye (small middle photo) that looked really yummy!  Clicking through the recipes, I discovered the Proscuitto Arugula and Tomato sandwich (small left photo) oozing melted Gruyere cheese; now that's a tasty sandwich!

To accompany the sandwiches, Martha had a Bloody Mary bar with red and yellow tomato juices and homemade vodka (small right photo).  I'm intrigued by the yellow tomato juice (it's less acidic according to Martha) and I like this grown up alternative to tomato soup.

So, what do you think of this party trend?  Ready to host a Grilled Cheese and Bloody Mary bar at your next casual party?  I am!

{halloween} Green Gooey Slime!

Kids love to make a mess, especially when making green gooey slime!  Here's an easy recipe from Disney's FamilyFun web site:

Materials

Two mixing bowls

Measuring cups and spoons

Glue

Borax

Green food coloring

Water

Instructions

Mix together 3/4 cup warm water, 1 cup glue and several drops of green food coloring in the first bowl.

In the second bowl, mix together 4 teaspoons borax and 1 1/3 cups warm water.

Pour the contents of the first bowl into the second, but don't stir. Let it sit for 1 minute, then lift the now-congealed slime out of the bowl.

Divide slime so that each child has a piece to play with. The glue in slime can make it stick to certain fabrics. To minimize accidents, give each little monster a zip-top bag to store it in.

SAFETY NOTE: Since borax is toxic in large doses, be sure to keep the slime away from kids younger than age three.

{halloween} More Cocktail Napkin Decor

Last week, Maddycakes Muse showcased a great Halloween DIY project - Modge Podge Pumpkins - using strips of leftover cocktail napkins.  Here is the tutorial with step by step photos from The Other White House.  I think the trick is using a repeating pattern like the sophisticated black and white pattern (above, left).  For a more whimsy feel, I like these cocktail napkin designs (above, right) - black and orange dots, spider webs and especially, the colorful Halloween dots and pumpkins.  

I've got an assortment of leftover Halloween napkins plus this week's 40% off Michaels coupon.  It's going to be a very creative afternoon!  How about you?  Tell me about your DIY Halloween Decor projects.

{halloween} Owl Treat

Happy 1st day of October!!  Like so many others, I go batty for October - cooler temps, awesome colors and my favorite holiday.  I plan to celebrate all month long with inspiring ideas to help you celebrate, too.

First up.  Whooooo could resist this owl treat?  It's so cute - and according to Amy of LivingLocurto.com, it's easy to make (recipe below the photo) ... maybe 30 seconds to assemble and less than 5 seconds to microwave.  My kind of fast food!!

You’ll need:

graham crackers
marshmallows
chocolate chips
yellow candy melts
candy corn

Directions:
Place two marshmallows on a large graham cracker (2 stuck together).

Put a candy melt on top of the marshmallows.

Heat in the microwave for about 2-5 seconds, just enough to make the marshmallows puff up, but not get too hot.

Take out of microwave and add a chocolate chip on the yellow candy melt and the candy corn beak while the marshmallows and candy are still warm. Everything should stick together nicely.

Let cool and serve! You can make these the night before a party and everything is still very tasty.