What You Make it...: Entertaining

Showing posts with label Entertaining. Show all posts

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Spring Centerpiece

March may be the 'official' the start of spring,but in my neck of the woods April is more like it. It's the season to put away those heavy sweaters and bring out your bright colored dishes!

To create a simple centerpiece, spray paint random size bird cages in the same color(s) as your dishes and linens and spread along the center of the table.

After the company leaves and the extra table comes down, these cuties are going to be hung from the ceiling in a cluster of the dining room :)

Thursday, April 12, 2012

This year I hosted Easter at my house and would love to share my 'woodland' themed tablescape.

My inspiration came from a wedding that I am executing this coming year. This event will be full of moss, bird nests, burlap, and touches of whimsy such as butterflies... a perfect theme for the season of new life.

To recreate a mossy, garden-themed table, dessert bar, or part in general, look around your house. Stick rocks or bird nests under cloches. Group herbs or plants in old pots. Layer neutral toned linens on top of burlap. Fill mason jars or twine wrapped bottles with wildflowers or greenery. Scatter branches randomly. The best part is that if you need extra inspiration, just look outside.

I will share my other Easter tablescapes this weekend :)

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Company Holiday Event

In January, I (Life of the Party), decorated for a local business's holiday company party. Over 300 guests enjoyed drinks, dinner, dancing, and drawings with some awesome gifts. Although it was a Christmas party, the decor was more of a 'winter' theme. Aren't most people over the holidays once January hits?

Even with the few obstacles we had (outdated furnishings and a small budget) as the guests entered, the space was glowing with beauty.

White Christmas trees and a tall, illuminated manzanita tree draped with crystals framed a large backdrop greeted guests .

Blue and silver ornaments were seen throughout the centerpieces.

'Icicles' scattered all of the table runners, adding to the winter wonderland theme.

Five different centerpieces graced the tables including white carnations coated in 'ice', submerged snowflakes, illuminated bowls of ornaments, and martini glasses with candles.

A very big thank you to Kirsti over at Lovely Lalaland for taking the wonderful photos!

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Hawaiian Party Food + Recipes!

As promised, here is the menu and recipes from my Hawaiian Party that I posted about earlier in the week. I will be honest, not all of it was homemade (Schwan's anyone?) or that it is authentic Hawaiian food. Funny how you add pineapple to something and it's magically Hawaiian. But it looked cute and tasted good so we are going with it :)

Menu:
Ham/Pineapple Skewers (Recipe below)
Tempura Shrimp (from Schwan's)
Hawaiian Rice (Recipe below)
Fresh Fruit Cups ('Recipe' below)
3 Layer Coconut Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (Recipes below)

Drinks:
Mai Tai (Recipe below)
Sex on the Beach (Recipe below)

Ham and Pineapple Skewers

Fresh Fruit Cups
(no recipe here, just cut up fruit and place in individual serving cups)

Hawaiian Rice

Coconut Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

I tried to incorporate the colors into the food and drinks. The small pops of orange in the carrots, the yellow in the pineapple, and pink garnishes in the drinks do a subtle job of tying it all together. For an unexpected surprise, the cake even had color!

Mai Tai & Sex on the Beach

What is your favorite 'Hawaiian' food or drink?

Monday, January 16, 2012

Pre-Hawaiian Party

This week, Dustin and I along with 2 other couples are off to Hawaii for a much needed vacation! To celebrate our upcoming time-off and get in the Hawaiian spirit, earlier in the month I threw a 'Pre-Hawaii Party'.

I stayed with a simple color scheme- pink, orange, and yellow and added typical touches like palm trees, woven place mats, and hibiscus flowers. The backdrop is loud so I wanted to keep the actual 'table cloth' neutral (it's actually a bed sheet) to allow the food to stand out. To pull in the theme, I strung a hula skirt around the table and added a few touches of greenery. Natural touches always seem to ground a theme (whether you are decorating or entertaining).

I will see you all next week, but in the meantime, stay tuned for the recipes!

You might find me linking up to...

Savvy Southern Style

DIY by Design

No Minimalist Here

Tales of a Bloggeritaville

The Shabby Chic Cottage

At the Picket Fence

Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

The DIY Showoff

Yesterday on Tuesday

French Country Cottage

Sunday, November 20, 2011

My Exciting News!- Life of the Party

Entertaining, decorating for weddings, and staging parties has always been a hobby of mine. This is why I am so excited to announce that I have turned my hobby into an official side business! This past September I took over Life of the Party, an event decorating company.

The two previous owners (who happen to be friends of mine) found themselves too busy with their full-time jobs and families to continue. They mainly decorated for weddings, but I am hoping to decorate and coordinate other events such as birthday parties, company events, and holiday parties.

With the new business came my brand new website that was just launched last week! Kelly Hicks, the talented designer who also designed numerous items for my wedding and blog header worked hard to finish my site just in time for a bridal show last week. I didn't have much information to give her (yet) so the site looks a little sparse... but it's a great start :)
Go check it out!

Coming to North Dakota from a large city really made me realize the need for a person to encourage brides and other party-throwers to break away from the 'norm' and step out of the box when it comes to decor and traditions. I want to be that person :)

I am thrilled to start in this new journey and put my twist on events. No more cookie cutter weddings or parties here!

Monday, November 7, 2011

Thanksgiving Table Decor

This weekend I worked on taking my Halloween decor down... a little bittersweet. My house seems so bare now but I'm still not ready for Christmas decor to go up. Maybe a week or two? In the meantime, I'm searching for DIY Thanksgiving decor to fill the void.

Source

What is your centerpiece at the dinner table this time of year?

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Day 27 of 31 Spooktacular- 'Blood and Guts' Dessert

These desserts are sure to up the 'gross factor' of your Halloween party or menu.

For the first mini desserts I layered Oreo crumbles, pudding, and cherry pie filling.

The fun part is topping it off with your favorite (edible) body part!

The cherry cheesecake was prepared on top of a graham cracker crust and fancied up with (hairy) chocolate ears, eyes, fingers, and old wrinkly toes.

MmMmMmmmm, am I making you hungry!?

You might find me linking up to...

Savvy Southern Style

DIY by Design

No Minimalist Here

Tales of a Bloggeritaville

The Shabby Chic Cottage

At the Picket Fence

Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

The DIY Showoff

Yesterday on Tuesday

French Country Cottage

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Day 25 of 31 Day Spooktacular- Bloody Shower Curtain

Disclaimer: Not for the faint of heart!

Is it just me, or does this shower set you give you the creeps? A bit disturbing? Taking it a little too far? Weird in general?

Source

These are all the reasons why I HAD to make one for my Halloween party!

This set above goes for around $40 but you can make your own with red paint, a white shower curtain, and a white bath mat.

Instead of spending $13+ on a white shower curtain, I made mine with a white shower curtain liner from the dollar store. Instead of buying an actual bathmat for $15 that I will have out for 2 weeks, I bought a table place mat for $3. I set it over my white bath mat and it did the trick. Here is my version..

I was going to only put one blood streak on the curtain, but do you know how hard it is to stop shoving your paint covered hands along it?

Creepy? Yes.
Disturbing? Yes.
Taking it a little too far? Yes.
Perfect addition to a Halloween party? YES!

I can't wait for all of our Halloween guests to gasp when they use the bathroom :)

I'd love for you to follow along for the 31 Day Spooktacular!

Catch up!

Day 1 (Candy Corn Tablescape)

Day 2 (Costume Ideas)
Day 3 (GOURDgeous decor)

Day 4 (3 Ingredient Pumpkin Cookies)

Day 5 (FREE Halloween Printables)

Day 6 (Acorn Desserts)

Day 7 (Pumpkin Candle Holders)

Day 8 (Specimen Bottles with FREE Printables)

Day 9 (DIY Book Crafts)

Day 10 (7 Layer Dip- Halloween Style)

Day 11 (Skull Basket)

Day 12 (Fall Mantel- Guest Post)

Day 13 (Danger Sign)

Day 14 (Skeleton Centerpiece)

Day 15 (Vintage Cupcake Toppers)

Day 16 (DIY Halloween Goblets)

Day 17 (Snake Wreath)

Day 18 (Autopsy Display)

Day 19 (Spiderweb Pumpkin)

Day 20 (Mummy Wraps)

Day 21 (House Numbered Pumpkins)

Day 22 (Candy Corn Spoons)

Day 23 (Outdoor Halloween Tour)

Day 24 (Shrimp Brain Dip)

You might find me linking up to...

Savvy Southern Style

DIY by Design

No Minimalist Here

Tales of a Bloggeritaville

The Shabby Chic Cottage

At the Picket Fence

Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

The DIY Showoff

Yesterday on Tuesday

French Country Cottage

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Day 24 of 31 Day Spooktacular- Shrimp Brain Dip

How perfect is this for a Halloween party?! It tastes as good as it is cute!

Find the recipe to this shrimp dip here. (If you don't like shrimp, there are various recipes all over the Internet). Place on a spooky plate with an arrangement of crackers and I guarantee it will be the hit of the party!