Create My Event - Event & Party Ideas Blog

The new Fancy Flours catalog is here!

I recently received my fall Fancy Flours catalog, and as always, I am fully delighted! They are a fabulous cake and cookie decorating supply site, and you may have just seen them featured during the Martha Stewart's Show's Cupcake Week. They have everything you can imagine, from edible gold leaf and cake jewels to bling out your baked creations to cake stand and cupcake wrappers, like this spider web wrapper.  The catalog is chock-full of Halloween and fall ideas to wow your guests with at your next soiree.  They are offering my blog readers a 15% discount on purchases at their site.  Don't try and fight it, you know you have lots of holiday baking coming up! Not Just A Mommy!

my new favorite things

i stumbled across this website this morning, and i am just loving all this fun, funky melamine stuff!

as the mother of a very energetic and rambunctious almost 4 year old, we like love unbreakables. in my house, i don't get to break out the fine china as much as i'd like to, but we always have nice family dinners at the table every night. however, i always feel like my daughter isn't completely 100% included since she uses different dishes and glasses then my husband and me. i love my every day ceramic dinnerware patterns {i have so many to chose from, i never get tired of them!}, but our daughter has a few boring plain melamine dishes.

i guess my using different dishes always makes me feel a little incomplete. i doubt she cares, but maybe she does. now that i have found french bull melamine i really don't have to worry about excluding anyone. i love this stuff!!!!!

how much do you love this set? it's perfect for you and your kids, but you could even break this stuff out when you have a late summer backyard BBQ as a great alternative to boring, environmentally UN-friendly paper plates.

i just ordered this set to use for a little sweet girl's 5th birthday party. i can't wait to incorporate the pattern {which has served as my inspiration for this "sweet" party} into all the "sweet" design elements we're using for this. how cute will candy and cupcakes look on these adorable plates?

i think this one is my favorite! i love that the bohemian paisley is coming back. my neighbor's 10 year old little girl is such a little fashionista, i just know she is the next SJP, and she has given me her seal of approval on these fabulous plates.

she is having a back to school bash and has requested demanded that absolutely no pencils or apples be included in the decor, so these will be perfect for this little trend-setter.

i also think they'd be perfect for my 'say goodbye to summer' party as well.

and that is what is so great about these sets. you can use them for your kid's parties, your parties, and everyday dishes.

i also ordered this utensil set for myself as well as gifts fr 3 of my great friends. what a great gift to give the chef who has that funky, child-like spirit.

this last one is a bit more elegant. i think these would be perfect for those more grown up outdoor parties. maybe an evening garden cocktail party. i love the weight the pattern gives each plate. i can see my favorite 'fancy cocktail party' recipe!!!

slow-roasted beef tenderloin

1 beef tenderloin, between 5-8 pounds
1 bottle soy sauce
1 bottle worcestershire sauce

use a big ziplock bag and pour both bottles of sauce over the tenderloin in the bag. seal the bag and marinate for at least 24 hours.

slow roast at about 225 degrees until the meat reaches your preferred level of 'done-ness' i am a huge fan of very rare steaks, so i usually take this out when it reaches an internal temperature of about 140.

slice very thin and serve with artisan rolls. put out horseradish, dijon mustard, and an assortment of sliced cheeses for these delicious, gourmet cocktail sandwiches.

send me pictures of what you do with this stuff!!!!

have fun and happy eating!
allison@occasionsandstyle.com

Melemine Trays Perfect for Serving Summer Drinks

Love these trays from Atlier LZC! Elegant and durable. Availible at Bunny Maxwell.

S'mores the really easy way

If you are planning a beach barbecue or campfire at your 4th July celebrations you could make dessert easy with these SmorStix Marshmallow Roasting Sticks from Moose-R-Us.

The 30" long White Birch sticks save having to scour the undergrowth or sand dunes for suitable spears to toast those marshmallows and are even more convenient if you purchase the complete S'mores SmorPak that includes Stix, Marshmallows, Graham Crackers and Chocolate. $21 from Moose-R-Us, campfire not included.

In case there is anyone out there who doesn't know how to make their campfire Smores, you will need per person

1 large marshmallow
2 graham crackers
2 squares chocolate

Place the marshmallow on the stick and toast over campfire until golden brown.
Place the chocolate squares on top of a graham cracker. Place the marshmallow on top of the chocolate. Complete the sandwich with the remaining graham cracker. The heat of the marshmallow will melt the chocolate and result in a crunchy, gooey, irresistible summer treat. Enjoy.

At Your Service

We love to barbecue but by the time we've made several trips from the kitchen to the patio with tableware and food we are usually exhausted. What would make the outdoor eating experience more relaxing? A serving cart, or what my grandmother would have called a Hostess Trolley. Here are three of my favorites:

From Conran USA, this fun and fabulous Luxembourg Bar Cart. In apple green powder-coated steel it has 3 bottle holders and a removable tea-tray top. $650 plus delivery.

If wicker fits your patio decor better this traditional Smith & Hawken Marlton Tea Cart from Target has two deep-sided shelves and costs $189.99 online.

At the luxury end of the market comes this contemporary stainless steel and Ipe wood Modern Outdoor Talt Cart available from 2Modern. It's eco-friendly, low maintenance and manufactured in the USA. Priced at $2,399 as shown, the cart is also available in powder-coated steel and polyboard in various color combinations. Prices start at $1,399.

Napkin Rings

Often underused, napkin rings are a quick way to add decorative flair to the table. They are easy to make just by tying a colored ribbon around each napkin and adding a small flower or some glass beads, but even if you're not the crafty type there are so many different rings for sale you can make your table look unique for only a few dollars. Four of my favorites below: at these prices you could change them out each season, or even each event

Cute zinc Starfish Tied with Nautical Rope. $3.50 each from Crate and Barrel.

Whimsical Feathers and Grosgrain Ribbon. 4 for $20 by decorativeinstincts on etsy.

Stylish laser-cut Wood Veneer Rings by Sarah Finn, in mahogany or maple. 6 for $22 at A+R Store

Quirky Ant Napkin Ring Set, in black or white metal. 4 for $24 at 2modern

Herbalicious Spring Party

We had an exceptionally mild winter here on Long Island and almost all my herbs, with the exception of basil, survived. That gave me an idea for my next bash. How about a herb-themed party?

I will decorate the table with small pots of different herbs: marjoram, oregano, thyme and sage, and tuck a few springs of lavender into the napkin rings.

Make name tags from brown paper and twine or buy these Garden Delight Gift Tags from etsy to tie around pretty jars of herbs that the guests can take home later as a memento of the evening.

Serve

Grilled Chicken Breasts with Salsa Verde
Ingredients:
3 cloves garlic; finely chopped
2 cups parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon basil, thyme, sage, oregano
4 tablespoons oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper

Blend herbs and garlic in a food processor or blender until they form paste. Add the oil, a little at a time, and mix well. Add the lemon juice, and season with sugar, salt and pepper to taste.

and Lavender-Honey Ice Cream

with Mint Juleps or Mojitos to drink:

Mojito
Ingredients:
2 parts white rum
1 part fresh lime juice
10 mint leaves
4 teaspoons sugar or 2 tablespoons simple syrup
Club soda
Spring of mint

Muddle mint and sugar in highball glass, add everything else except club soda. Fill glass with crushed ice, add club soda. Garnish with sprig of mint.

The house should smell wonderful, too.

Blackboard Tags

Run, don't walk, to your local Pottery Barn! On sale now for $12.99, these mini chalkboard tags come in a set of six, chalk included. Available only in stores, grab a bunch of these sets and use them at your next dinner party. Hang them of wine bottles to let your guests know something about the wine your serving. Tie them around silverware and put your guests' names on the tag for a chic way to assign seats.

Go the extra mile and add more chalkboard details with chalkboard paint. For a shower, play a game of Jeopardy! Paint small 5X7 heavy paper boards (frame them in something pretty if you want - sans glass cover of course) and let guests use them to write out their answers.

For more chalkboard chic ideas, check out Modern Vintage.

Parisian Sweets

Here's a dessert that's been around for a while now but has yet to get the attention it deserves. Yes, it's the Macaron! And no, we are not talking shredded coconut here.

These Parisian treats, two domed cakey-cookies sandwiching a sweet gooey filling, are made in a variety of flavor combinations. They can be as traditional as chocolate cake with chocolate ganache or as innovative as  coconut cake with passion fruit jam center. 

Colorful and sweetly charming like cupcakes, Macarons make for great party and wedding dessert. They look chic displayed on tea-stands and precious when packaged as favors.

Order them online at L'Espicerie. If you're in NYC, check out Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery in the Time Warner Center and, if you're in Beverly Hills, stop by Paulette's Macarons.

Hungry for more? Please check out my daily blog, Modern Vintage's posting for more on this delicious treat. (Btw, I am thrilled to be one of Create My Event's guest bloggers! I hope you enjoy this posting and look forward for more to come!)

Customized...everything!

As I was looking for ideas for my own wedding celebration, I came across a company called Zazzle which is a cool company making one-of-a-kind, on demand products for shipment across the country.  They have tons of cool ideas and are able to print your own personal graphics on everything from T-shirts to glasses, to buttons, to cards and stickers.  One thing that caught my eye was the customizable postage stamps they can make using any graphic or picture you send them.  This is a fun, whimsical way to add that extra personal touch to cards and invitations you send to people.  I love the Sealed With A Kiss stamps for Valentine's Day and the Save The Date stamps for a beach wedding, among others.  If you are looking for fun party favors, party props, theme gifts or if you just want something unique for you next celebration, check out this website for ideas galore!