Founders Day Party

Remember when I said I was gonna have a party?  Well, last week we had some friends over for the fourth and we had a good ol' fashion founders day party.   It was a blast! We had sack races, and a watermelon roll, lots of sparklers, and tons of great food.  And, for dessert, we had a pie baking contest...with real non-biased judges and everything!

My daughter is to the age where pretty much any project I can do, she can do even better!  I taught her how to do pinwheels, and she couldn't get enough of them.  We used scrapbook paper we had on hand, and didn't worry about the patterns and colors not being the exact color of the flag.  We accented the centers with cute buttons, and they were fabulous.

In my favorite potluck fashion, everyone brought a side dish and we provided the burgers and hot dogs.  Then, for dessert, those who felt up to the challenge, made a pie for the pie baking contest!  It was great.  We had non-biased judges and everything.

I had fun pulling out all my red, white, and blue anything to make a festive tablescape ready for everyone's yummy food to be displayed.

I always love a bargain...I found some paper fans at Dollar Tree, and with a little ribbon and fabric, they were super cute hanging off my back deck!

With a few things on hand, I  changed my staple of a wreath into a little patriotic decor for our front door.  

More to come on that easy project!

Even though it was one of the hottest days we've had yet, we mainly kept the party outside. The pinwheels made great centerpieces and eliminated the need to spend more on flowers.

We sent people on their way with "cookies for the road". Of course, "Homemade in the USA".

The true test of how much I love my job...I love to do it even for free!

If you're looking for a new twist on your July 4th, this fun for all ages party was a great way to spend the holiday together!

Linking up today with one of my favorite artistic communities over at Studio JRU!

 

Myth 4. I Can't Throw a Party Because I Don't Have Any Time (And 10 No-Prep Parties to Plan)

Ok, folks, this is it.  The fourth (and possibly most believable) myth about why you "can't throw a party."  However, hopefully, I'll be able to convince you otherwise!

Sure, you can spend time making fun things to embellish your events.  But those things are not a must have. You can bake until your fingers turn blue to make sure all your items have been made from scratch, but again...not necessary.

If I had to sum up the reasons to party, I'd say, "To enjoy one another's company and to celebrate life."  I'm sure we could add to that list immensely, but those are the biggies. To do those things, it doesn't take much.

To wrap up the myth series, I thought I'd end with a list of how parties can happen with little to no preparation involved.

Here's 10 easy ways to add a little more partying to your life...

1.  Grab a blanket and take out easy things (carrot sticks, fruit, yogurt, cheese, leftover pizza, etc.)  from your fridge and meet your friends for a party at the park. Take a frisbee or a football to add a little action to your evening.

2.  Host an ethnic dinner party. Decide on a type of food (i.e. Mexican) and ask people to bring their favorite dish.  This could be something you host even on a monthly basis!  You get the best of both worlds...literally.

3.  Have a wine and cheese party.  Add chocolate if you really want to make them happy.

4.  One word for ya...potluck. Always the best food ever, and everyone takes their dirty dishes home with them.

5.  Make the kids happy and have a banana split party.  Ask friends to bring their favorite topping...you provide the bananas and ice cream. Easy and so very fun.  My genius of a friend did this for her wedding reception and it was a blast!

6.  Have a movie night.  You could make this one family friendly or not, but either way, the prep is a cinch.  Just have the popcorn ready...and maybe a little movie theater candy!  Want it on the big screen?  Martha has a great idea for really seeing the stars!

7. Have your friends over for a pizza party...but instead of getting it delivered, let everyone make their own! You could provide the dough, sauce, and cheese, but let everyone bring a different topping.  It's fun to see what people like on their pizza, and you have your dinner and party planned!

8.  Another fun one for kids...have their friends come over in bathing suits and have a water party.  All you really need is a hose and a hot day (which we have plenty of right now!) You can keep it completely outside...even have it at a local park if you're worried about your house getting soaked.  Because it's a water party, give them water to drink and watermelon to eat.

9. Game night is always a blast.  You could start with game stations for the warm up games...Checkers, card games, or board games are classics.  Then, end your evening with a large group game like Charades, Pictionary, or Catch Phrase.  Outdoor games are great too. It's always fun to get a Horseshoe or Cornhole competition going.

10. Last but not least (and probably the easiest!)...wait for it...have a take out party.  Let everyone bring over their favorite take out, and all mix and match family style! Don't forget to grab menus from each restaurant to make sure you can share your favorite local spots.

Remember to simply enjoy the people in your life.  When it comes down to it, the party trends will change, and your guests will forget what was on the menu.  What they won't forget is that you asked them to come over, and party on.

Ooh, La, La...

Welcome to the final post of 2011. For any new brides and grooms to be, first let me say, CONGRATS!!! It's such an exciting time of year to get engaged. While I'm enjoying my week of vacation with my family, I thought I would tell you about some fun goodies I've stumbled across. Plus, an "Ooh, La, La!" post would be a fun way to end the year.

1. Make Your Own Monogram!

Source: weddingchicks.com via Terese on Pinterest

Go see how easy it is to make your own monogram...and the best part is, it's free!! This would be a great way to personalize something for a party or wedding...definitely nice freebie! Just print it out in whatever color scheme you're looking for, and you have a lovely sophisticated monogram.

A few ideas:

personalize stationary

favors

invitation labels

save the dates

place cards

wine charms

hang them framed on the bride and grooms chairs

personalized guest book

2. Ruffled Best of 2011 Lists

Ruffled published their favorites from this past year, and it was so fun to look back through. I will say, start with the bouquets, and go from there. The fashion, flowers, and glam will have you oohing and ahhing for a while. Also, finding the flowers and fashion you love can many times lead you to the perfect style for your wedding.

3. Less Stress Entertaining

Then, finally, I saw this cute article over at Real Simple about the Less Stress Dinner party. I thought it might be encouraging if any of you are wanting to have guests over in the New Year, but struggle to feel like it's do-able. With these tips, you just might be willing to throw that bash after all.

I can't wait to start a new year. I'll have some fun surprises in the New Year to share with you that hopefully will only increase your love of joining me here. Thank you for all your support and love. It truly is a gift to be able share life in this little space.

Blessings to each of you as you start 2012!

An Island Makeover

This past weekend, we had a really fun gathering in our home. Some of the families in our neighborhood did a progressive dinner last December. I had always wanted to attend a progressive dinner, but we were out of town last year on the night it was held. All year I've been waiting, and this year we hosted part of it. After guests enjoyed being at a couple other fabulous houses down the street, we ended the party here at our home for dessert...my favorite.

When I was thinking about the flow of the evening, I knew that I wanted to have stations around the house. Stations are a big thing with me...I love styling my receptions that way, because it makes for such great flow. It means no bottlenecks around the food, which is always a good thing! Another reason, is that we don't have a large dining room table...lots of smaller tables, and one big island. So, when planning where food would be, I had a couple thoughts in mind.

I wanted to make sure I had a main food table set up with most of the desserts, but then trays with dessert options set around at different places throughout the house as well. I decided that the island in our kitchen would be the best place for our main table...except I didn't really want it to look like our island. I wanted it to look like an elegant dining room table. So, in about three steps, I gave my island a weekend makeover.

First step...cover it! I used a vintage ivory tablecloth with lace around the edges, and then layered with a piece of fabric for a runner, and doilies over top around the sides.

Next, I brought in two large candlesticks as a prominent centerpiece.

Finally, to keep a more elegant look, I scattered an assortment of white, clear, and silver platters around the island. By choosing varying heights and sizes, it kept the look interesting while still being functional to what we were serving.

Just because it's Christmas doesn't mean that everything has to be red and green. I love a simple monochromatic look of mixing winter whites with silver and gold.

The end result was great. I wish I had a picture of all the food that adorned this spread, but I was too busy stuffing my face with treats to take pictures. However, stay tuned...tomorrow I'm going to tell you what I served on these pretty platters...complete with recipes for all your parties coming up!

Day 30: Entertaining at Home

If you're planning on entertaining at home this fall, you may find yourself turning your decorations up a notch. It's okay to glam it up once in a while, just make sure to stay true to yourself.

Using things that you already have to create centerpieces may seem mundane to you because you see these items all the time. The trick is to use your imagination! Place a gorgeous bouquet of flowers in a pitcher or a couple of clustered mason jars instead of a vase. Make a bouquet of cinnamon sticks to accompany the bouquet, or sprinkle a couple of nuts and/or cranberries around. Or even, put a bouquet of flowers inside of the pumpkin you just carved out (to make pie filling, of course)!

Casual centerpieces, with the use of candles or lanterns, are great for setting a comfortable and intimate tone. Turn up the volume with some sparkle and glam by using glitter pumpkins instead of plain gourds.

Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Day 7: Allowing it to Be

So, in my crazy mixed up brain, I had originally thought that I would juggle the normal kids afternoon transportation and activities along with handling the preparation and set up for this dinner. However, thankfully, a few days before the event, my husband offered to handle picking up the kids and taking them to all their things so that I could simply focus on my work.

Later, I thanked him profusely, and screamed at myself, "What in the world were you thinking??!! There would have been no way you could have done both!!!" Even though I've been doing this for several years now, I still have to be reminded to fully devote time...solid time (not distracted time) to accomplish the task at hand.

Things always take longer than you think. Give yourself plenty of time to gather supplies, carry things to and from the car, and everything in between. Even if you have the best laid plans and preparations, but don't give yourself enough time to carry it out, you will not be able to fully enjoy setting everything up. Instead of being able to artfully arrange a tray, or step back and decide how the table will look the best, and where all the food should go, you are rushing to simply get it on the table!

The stress of not having enough time can easily suck all the joy out of the event design. To allow the event to be artful...you have to allow for the time it takes to let it be. Funny how that works.

Come back tomorrow to see the wrap up of this event. Then we'll continue our 31 Days journey with a little inspiration on Sunday, and then enter into a new event on Monday! If you want to catch up from previous days this week, check out the links below.

Previous 31 Days Posts:

Day 1: 31 Days to an Artful Event

Day 2: The Haves and the Have Nots

Day 3: A Few of My Favorite Things

Day 4: Thinking Outside of the (Berry) Box

Day 5: It's the Little Things

Day 6: Layering is a Good Thing

Linking up with In the Studio.

Day 5: It's the Little Things

There's nothing wrong with a veggie tray. Nothing at all.

If you're in a time pinch, and need it already assembled it's a huge help. But, you know how the ends of celery are always kind of white and stringy? And everything is just stuffed into the plastic pockets? Yea, I'm not a huge fan of plastics.

It takes just a few minutes to trim the celery up and display it on another tray. I added the asparagus to give it a little more of a posh look. And I scooped the dip into another small bowl, to take away the plastic look and feel completely.

The outcome? An artsy, fresh display of tasty veggies.

Same story with the fruit tray. Throw the plastic tray it came in into the recyclable bin. Arrange on a pretty tray, with a little height and color variation, and all of a sudden, you've gone from ordinary "party trays" to outstanding presentation!

Same thing with the dessert. And the chips.

And anything else you feel like tossing in the recyclable bin at the moment. See you tomorrow, as long as you haven't thrown your computer in the recyclable bin.

Day 1: 31 Days to an Artful Event

Day 2: The Haves and the Have Nots

Day 3: A Few of My Favorite Things

Day 4: Thinking Outside of the (Berry) Box

Day 4: Thinking Outside of the (Berry) Box

If you're just joining us, we've been on our journey of...

If you need to get caught up, here's the list by Day:

Day 1: 31 Days to an Artful Event

Day 2: The Haves and the Have Nots

Day 3: A Few of My Favorite Things

This week we are looking at how we turned a business dinner from just an average event, to a memorable evening for everyone there!

Once we had decided on a menu, we could develop our design for the table. Knowing that we were going with traditional southern fare, I knew that I would be able to bring in the rustic elegance look that I love.

Because I have several things around the house that fit into this style, I began looking around. I gathered anything that I saw that reminded me of that style into a pile. Then, I started figuring out what items could be used and what things I would most likely do without.

I also always try to think about the time of year it is, and stem from that with the design. I loved these few things to bring in a bit of Autumn, without going too overboard.

Keep an open mind when you're looking for items to design your event. You can use anything that fits into your vision. It doesn't have to be a "bread basket" to hold bread. You can make a bread basket out of a huge wash stand bowl. (gasp!) Or why couldn't a vintage berry basket hold your utensils instead of just laying them on the table?

Or your books for that matter?

(i know it's a completely different event, but it's a perfect example!!)

I love thinking outside of the box when it comes to how to showcase the necessities. Remember, you're an artist. You were made to create, so have fun with making your event however you want it!

Day 3: A Few of My Favorite Things

Day 2: The Haves and the Have Nots

Day 1: Welcome to an Artful Event

We're onto Day 3 of our 31 Days! The next step in turning this casual business dinner into an artful event was deciding on the menu. I love this step!

I reviewed all of the details that my client and I had discussed and decided that this would be a perfect menu.

I knew that I could partner with a local caterer to make this dinner delicious, while staying in my client's budget. I ordered the most important menu items (the pulled pork sliders and homemade slaw) from the caterer and picked it up for a fraction of the cost as having it delivered and set up. All the other food I picked up from the store, and simply arranged it in a way that looked made from scratch! Shhh...

Great food. Casual atmosphere. And a way for me to intertwine rustic elegance into yet another event. My favorite!

Day 2: The Haves and the Have Nots

As I talked about yesterday, finding your vision is key to beginning your creative venture in planning your event. To find your vision, you have to assess what you must have, what you want, and how you want your event to feel. It's like looking for the big picture of the event.

The Must Haves:

When I asked a few more questions, my client expressed how she was desiring the business dinner to be good food, casual atmosphere, and reasonable in price. She didn't want anything too complicated for people to assemble, but rather easy "pick up and go food", yet still enough to be dinner. Easy enough to stand around and mingle while you eat some great food and visit with business associates.

The Wants:

At first, she was just thinking of getting it catered. However, many times, once you add in the cost of food, the fees to deliver and set up, usage of their plates, napkins, cups, it ends up being much more expensive. And, the other thing, is that caterers don't always design a tablescape or an atmosphere, they just deliver the food. My client wanted a dinner that would taste great, but would also "wow" with it's presentation.

The Feeling:

There were a few things that my client said she really wanted the business dinner to feel like. She wanted it to be nice and she wanted the table to be pretty. She wanted it to feel comfortable. She wanted her associates to walk away from dinner feeling appreciated.

Now, I had the vision, and was able to begin creating.

This is a Test...

Now I don't claim to be anybody's Emily Post, however, growing up, we were taught how to set the table. It feels like pulling teeth sometimes just to get our little ones to stay on their bottoms while we're eating, much less have all their proper manners down.

We've never been the kind of parents who have lots of rules while we're having a meal, however lately, we've seen the need to enforce a few more formalities into our dinnertime routine. I'd never ask my kids to set a formal dinner table, but I do think that there are some basic things they could know (drinks go on the right, forks and napkins on the left)

All these thoughts lead me to wonder, if asked, would you be able to set a formal dinner setting? Check your knowledge and see how many your would have known! A few months back, I found this cute chart. The next time you're hosting a dinner party, feel free to use it!

Have Your Cake and Eat it Too!

I've been working for the last couple weeks on something. My friends have this amazing business, and more recently they have had an even more amazing idea. They have launched a new "daily deal" but instead of it just being like the other groupons, this one gives back to the community.

Save for a Cause gives you the choice of a local non-profit to benefit from your sale, while you still get the amazing savings of a half off (or more) coupon! It's such a great idea.

Today's deal is coming to you straight from Events by Design! Go see us over at www.saveforacause.com and see how you can have your cake and eat it too!

Linking up with In the Studio!

The Simplest New Years Eve Party Ever

Instead of throwing a big bash to ring in the New Year, just keep it simple, and focus on celebrating!

Invite a few friends over for a New Years Eve dessert. Each person (or family) can bring a different dessert. You can provide the coffee and eggnog, and let others know they can bring something else if they so desire.

Create a simple buffet for the desserts to go on. We had some friends and family over for a simple 'Twas the Night Before Christmas party, and this was my dessert buffet. We had appetizers and desserts, so the drinks and apps were in the kitchen, and the desserts were in the dining room. It gave us the chance to spread out a bit.

Your buffet could be on a counter, an island, a table, a side board, a mantle... whatever space you feel works best in your home. Pull out all those leftover Christmas goodies that seem to never end, and put them on a fancy tray. Suddenly, you'll see them disappear... which is always a good thing around here!

The important thing to remember when you're designing your display is to create different levels. This creates a more interesting arrangement, and also allows people a little more room when they go to reach for their goodies. If you don't have tiered serving pieces, you can always place a tray on a few books to add a little height.

Set out serving utensils to go with each platter or tray, so that when people arrive with their dessert, you won't be swamped with trying to find the right serving piece for each tray.

The nice thing about having people over on New Years, is that your house is already decorated, so why not enjoy it with your friends! Hope each of you have a great New Years, and I can't wait to celebrate 2011 with you!

Linking up with Simple Pleasures.

Friday Finds: Happy 4th!

July 4th has completely taken me by surprise. I can't even believe that we're in July already!! Sad to say, I haven't prepared anything yet for this special holiday. However, I just might be so enticed by these inspirational ideas that I get to work! Or, I might just enjoy lazing by the pool. Either way, these things are just too pretty not to show. Happy Friday, and Happy July 4th Weekend!

Ok, let's just say I'm dreaming. This is what my dream house front porch would look like. (the little girl of course would have to be my own daughter, but you get the point). Check out the tea stained bunting and reproduced quilts! I love the vintage flare going on here.

So, if that was my front porch above, than this would be my back porch. (I know my house is now made of siding and shingles, but we'll deal with that later). But, look how fun this party would be?! Pinwheels, drinks in the pail, as we all know I'm crazy about, and look, there are my hydrangeas! (at least I really do have some of those in my yard).

I'm sure Martha Washington could cook a mean apple pie, but Martha Stewart definitely takes the cake when it comes to beautiful eye popping red, white, and blue desserts!

These fun firecracker decorations are for the more adventurous planner, but they are sooo festive! There is a great step by step tutorial here so get get fired up!

Ok, back to the dream state, I'm totally seeing this as my new lake house. And this is what it would look like when you come over for my make believe July 4th party. I love how understated the decor is for the 4th. Patriotic, but not cheesy and overwhelming.

Onto more food! Are you wondering what the best kind of ribs to make this year? Or how to beat your grill master recipe from last year? Well, check out these Top 10 July 4th recipes from around the country!

Whatever you do this year for the fourth, remember to celebrate all the freedom we truly have been given. Now, go pick which dessert you're going to make!

Images from Martha Stewart, Home and Garden, Country Living, NJ.com, and SimpliefiedBee.blogspot.com

Friday Finds: Using Burlap!

Burlap is probably my favorite fabric ever. She's amazing and I love her...in every.single.way.

She can be totally chic...

... or beautifully rustic

or warm, rich, and natural...

I mean, how can you be all those things really well??? Gosh, she's good. And here's the best part...she's dirt cheap. (in a good way.) I tell you one thing...she's my kind of girl!

Jessica did a great post about her a few months ago. Go get inspired!

sources:

countryliving.com

realsimple.com

elizabethannedesigns.com/blog/categories/tablescapes/

http://cjcjordan.blogspot.com/2010/01/burlap.html