Party Invitations, Party Planning & Event Ideas

Stars And Stripes

Yikes! Fourth of July is zooming up fast!! Nothing screams independance like this invitation from Fine Stationery, to get your party started, and inspiring today's board.

Keep your cool with patriotic fans.

These festive lanterns are perfect for keeping little hands busy. BTW, we've made these before, super fun and easy, and you can change the colors for any season.

Let your table be the star...a super-easy centerpiece from HWTM; tablesettings can include these napkin rings and heavy weight dinner plates.

The perfect signature cocktail? Celebrations' Berry Breeze.

And of course, I had to throw in my super-cute Jello parfaits from last year, easy to make and eat! Not Just A Mommy!

Vintage Flair For Your Affair

There are many little vintage details turning up in today's celebrations. Sometimes it is the smallest details that catch your eye and make something a little more special...especially when it is treasured keepsake. We all have a few heirloom items around the house...some little treasure that reminds us of someone special. In addition, those who like to search for little gems at flea markets might rethink the purpose of their treasures. Here is a collection of ideas to reinvent some old and treasured things that can add a little charm to your next gathering.

Mixing a few antique items with today's modern pieces brings interest to any table.

1. & 2. Flea market crystals hung on simple bud vases with a single bloom create this simple centerpiece and mix and match dishes to bring a lot of visual interest and texture to the table. From Country Living.

3. & 4. Fill a few vintage teacups with small bunches of flowers as a charming centerpiece from Better Homes and Gardens and use a vintage sugar bowl to hold mismatched teaspoons on the buffet table from Country Living.

5. Napkin rings made of vintage button cards from Country Living. Get the instructions here.

Add a little bit of vintage to your party favors. Here are a few
original ideas.

1. Boxes covered with decorative paper and trim, with a crepe paper medallion and a shell button center. Inside the favor boxes is a pair of vintage salt and pepper shakers. From Once Wed.

2. Create candle favors using copies of treasured photos and vintage images from Country Living.

3. Find these wall pockets from The Vintage Polka Dot at ETSY. Vintage images on muslin, tucked with lavender, make up these lovely pockets to hang around the house.

4. Vintage gloves filled with soaps and lotions create this beautiful and unique party favor from Quill Cottage.

Here a few ways to re-purpose those vintage items that guests are sure to notice.

1. Vintage postcards made into garland can be found at ETSY. This one is made by Cori Kindred found at Once Wed.

2. Vintage typewriter key wine tags - Impress your guests with this elegant solution to mismatched glasses. Find these great wine tags at QA Create at ETSY.

3. & 4. Here is an original idea...how about using a toothbrush holder to hold the silverware and napkin at each place setting. Another beautiful touch is adding a little tulle and a clip on earring to the stemware on the table. These ideas come from Quill Cottage.

Celebrate your special day with vintage charm.

1. A wedding cake topper handmade with vintage sheet music at ETSY by amadalebel.

2. Beautiful vintage hankies stamped as "Save the Date Card" for a wedding. Every guest will receive something special and unique in the mail. From Lucky Luxe.

3. White vases filled with simple flowers and a vintage camera sit on top of old record albums give this table an eclectic feel. From Once Wed.

4. A Dapper couple sits atop a tiered finial. Handcrafted of vintage sheet music and finished with organza ribbon. Bottom tier is lined box, perfect to hold jewelry or mementos. From D Sharp.

5. Simple DIY cake plate from Vintage Flair - Decorated with vintage ledger paper and clip on earrings.

By Entertain Exchange

Beverage Dispensers

For my friend's 50th birthday, his wife had placed a multi-gallon dispenser of Berry Sangria at the center of her beverage display. It was a hot, summer Florida and everyone made a bee line to sample the chilled libation. They were pleased with what they tasted and the presentation impressed.

If you throw parties for crowds on a regular basis, you might want to consider owning a beverage dispenser. They add striking height on a drink or buffet table. Fruit and herbs can be added for flare and the spigots make serving drinks a breeze.

Gumps has a classic, hand blown version for $79.

Wisteria's model has nickel finished accents, a removable pedestal and 2 gallon capacity. $149

NapaStyle, a favorite online retailer of mine, has this chunky, casual Chiara Drink Cooler. The elevated base is hollow for decorative additions or ice. $199

Z Gallerie has a price-is-right, retro design. $49.95

Sometimes an event needs something a little more commercial or industrial. This 6 gallon jug will be right in place. At Uncrate.com for $35.

Cinco De Mayo Party Ideas

May is just about here with the Cinco De Mayo holiday on May 5. It is a great reason to have a casual get-together and an excuse for making a fresh pitcher of Margaritas! Here are some easy ways to get you in the mood for a simple and festive celebration.

Start by sending out great e-invitations from Sendomatic here. With animation and music this is a quick and easy way to send out last minute invites!

This Cinco De Mayo Party was featured last year in the Better Homes and Gardens Magazine. Here are a few fun and simple ideas for your celebration!

A simple centerpiece of sunflowers and a mix of bottles. Etch each guest lime with their initials and use as a drink tag. After having a wonderful time celebrating send your guests home with this easy cactus favor.

Let the fiesta begin with these great recipes from the Food Network in their special feature – Cinco De Mayo Fiesta Fare.

Find the recipes for the Mango Margaritas made with fresh mango puree, Chipotle Shrimp Taco with Avocado Salsa Verde, Cheese Nachos by Emeril Lagasse and more here.

Here are a few easy and festive DIY centerpieces that can be as inexpensive as a few dollars! How great would these be to make for a Summer Mexican Fiesta Party or the upcoming Cinco De Mayo. This is even something fun the kids could help with.

Here is all you need to make the paper candle holders...a few glass cylinders or vases and a multi-colored pack of tissue paper from the dollar store. I already owned the glass vases so my only cost was for the tissue paper...a dollar! See the complete instructions here.

I found these hats last year at Dollar Tree and used a few small potted flowers inside creating an inexpensive instant centerpiece. See more table ideas here.

Click here for information on the history of Cinco De Mayo. Entertain Exchange

Butterfly Tea Light Holders

   

Every Spring I love to add a few items to my outdoor living area. This year Butterfly Tea Light Holders adorn my dining table in the trees. $8.00 each. Black or white. 2Modern.com.

Baby Bird Blue

The creative diva that is Tanya at Munchkins and Mayhem did a super, super-cute shower for a friend expecting twins by a surrogate. I'm so over pastel pinks and blues and fluffy bears for baby showers. They seem so generic, but you can tell how personal this shower was, down to the twins' initials incorporated on the birdhouse place settings. A fun shower theme if you want to focus on mommy, especially for a spring shower.

Check out these other sources of inspiration: Bluebird invitations from tiny prints and PaperStyle. JannyPie's fab birdhouses and cupcakes make a beautiful tabletop, Flickr user bebe's beautiful blue setting, and creativity running rampant at Renovating a Brooklyn Limestone, I'm crazy over all the feathers! Lalalaurie's too hip color combo of blue and orange. Not Just a Mommy!

Throw Me Somethin' Mister! A Recipe For The Perfect Mardi Gras Party

Hey Y'all! Mardi Gras is almost here! The Krewe Balls have all started, costumes have been made, floats have been constructed, and everyone is in full Mardi Gras mode.

This year, Mardi Gras is Tuesday, February 24. 

A bit of history on what Mardi Gras is and why we Cajuns celebrate it with such fervor. 

Since the majority of the residents of South Louisiana are Cajun, that means we are all Catholic. Mardi Gras has become a way for us to "get all the sinnin' out" of our systems before we hunker down and give stuff up for the 40 days of Lent (Lent is the time leading up to Easter). Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday which is why this huge party day always falls on a Tuesday. But, more importantly, it always falls on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday (the start of Lent).

And although Mardi Gras is only one day, in Louisiana, we celebrate for many, many days with the Krewe balls starting in January. This is called Twelfth Night, and it begins on January 6. This is the day of the Epiphany (some call it Little Christmas).

I think the hardest part of growing up and moving away from Louisiana was not having 3 days off for Mardi Gras!

So, in honor of THE biggest party day of the year, let's have a party!

Even though Mardi Gras tends to be a big party with LOTS of cocktails and beer, you can make it kid friendly, as well.

Form your own Krewe!

A Krewe is just a club of sorts that sort of caters to a specific area. There are children's krewes, men's only, women's only, etc... Each Krewe is different, and each has their own ball and float. 

Each year, the Krewe's committee decides upon a theme. This theme will dictate the costumes worn at the ball and on the float.

Each Krewe also has a Court of Royalty, with a King and Queen.

Now, obviously, your costumes needn't be so elaborate. 

King Cake!

This is a Mardi Gras tradition, and a MUST for any Mardi Gras celebration. 

The King Cake is the dessert brought to ALL Mardi Gras parties. There is a baby baked inside the cake (plastic, of course!), and the person who finds the baby has to bring the next King Cake to the party. You will also notice that the icing colors are green, purple and gold. These are the traditional colors of Mardi Gras, so your party should use this color scheme.

Drinks!

The Hurricane is a traditional cocktail made famous by Pat O Brien's bar located in the heart of the French Quarter in New Orleans. You can buy the mix from Pat O Brien's.

Or, you can make it yourself:

• 1 oz. Bacardi 151 Proof Rum
• 1 oz. White rum
• 1 oz. Dark rum
• ½ oz. Grenadine
• 3 oz. Orange juice
• 3 oz. Pineapple juice
• Crushed Ice

Serve in a Hurricane Glass filled with Crushed Ice, garnish with Orange slice and cherry.

You can also offer apple martinis. 

Since they are green, they will fit right in with your Mardi Gras colors.

The Tables!

Decorate your tables with beads, masks, dablooms, and anything else green, purple and gold. Add some metallic items as well. Feathers, crowns, and tiaras will also add to your tables.

Food!

Other than King Cake, there are several options for your menu. I always do a big fish fry on Mardi Gras, but you can serve whatever you'd like. Jambalaya, shrimp creole, or crawfish etouffee are all good choices. You can find those recipes here.

Music!

Mardi Gras has its own genre of music. Try The Dixie Cups, Aaron Neville, or Professor Longhair. I love this compilation album.

Now that you know about Mardi Gras, you can easily have your own party. Throw your beads, drink your hurricanes (RESPONSIBLY!) and eat your jambalaya.

Just don't forget the golden rule, Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez! 

(That means let the good times roll!)

*Please remember to drink responsibly and NEVER EVER NEVER drink and drive. ALWAYS designate a sober driver!

Allison is the CEO of Templeton Events, a bespoke event design company in Coastal Virginia.

Last-Minute Christmas Place Settings

Still looking for fun ways to set your Christmas table? Here are some great ideas from Martha, and I bet you have most the materials stashed in your craft room...Not Just a Mommy!

- An easy and fun tree place card.

- Can you believe this angel is made from paper plates?

- A piece of the tree creates these Christmas-tree and evergreen place cards.

- How simple and elegant is this paper scroll place card placed on a holly leaf?

- This candy-cane place card is made with ovals and ribbon.

Festival of Lights

In last December's Martha Stewart Living, Jodi Levine did a wonderful article on creating gifts and decor for Hanukkah. I most certainly have it in my ideas' binder, but you skedaddle over to Martha's and view it in all it's glory. My favorite ideas are the sparkly store-bought(GASP!) letter banner with decked-out dreidels (you can never go wrong with glitter, unless it's eyeshadow), and the "glittered" sufganiyot, how cute are they in cello bags? Elsewhere in the Marthaverse, a clever menorah of sherry glasses and beads would look beautiful on any table.

Fabulousness reigns over at Crate & Barrel, from beautiful silver table cloths to hand-dipped menorah candles. Classic OREO cookies are drenched in creamy chocolate, then artfully screenprinted with blue and white Hanukkah designs. And an added bonus, all the items in the Hanukkah section are eligible for free shipping!

Social Couture's Hanukkah Box of Questions is designed to help you connect with your loved ones in a more meaningful way. Not Just a Mommy!

Christmas Entertaing Class at Pottery Barn

This weekend, I checked out a complimentary decorating class at Pottery Barn -Holiday Decorating and Entertaining, co-sponsored by Real Simple. If you have a PB in your area, you should check it out, but hurry, the next class is Sunday.

They showcase their new merchandise, and at our store, we received a 10% off coupon and recipe cards from events showcased in their book Real Simple: Celebrations. Which, BTW, if you don't have this book, you should, it's one of my favorite guides to a spectacular event. It even has invitation templates online to go with the different party themes outlined. I loved all the ideas and although I couldn't take pictures, here are pictures from the new catalog, and some of the items they talked about.

Not pictured, but definitely worth the mention are the Caterer's dinnerware set. This set is a blank canvas, versatile all year round, although they only offer it during the holidays. It comes packaged in a sturdy cardboard box with dividers, that you can easily store away.

My favorite idea was the monogrammed candlepot as a placeholder and a party favor. You can purchase them with any letter you like and how thrilled would your guests be to receive one?

I loved, loved, loved the mercury glass collection. The silver is between the glass walls, so they'll never chip. They have them displayed just like they do in the book, with the moss and ornaments.

The Reindeer Collection is just too fun. The dinnerware collection consists of 3 sets of bowls, plates and mugs, each set has 4 different reindeer, so you need all 3 sets to get all 12 of Santa's helpers. Napkin holders, linens and serveware round it out. They showcased it with a really pretty red and white polka-dotted runner, which isn't available online.

The capri lanterns are fab in person, they had the large one in nickel with silver glitter candles and pinecones, as a table centerpiece.   Not Just a Mommy!