Recent Event Work // Strawberry Dessert Bar

Chocolate covered strawberries can get a corny reputation- often synonymous with really only one holiday - Valentine's Day. That seems such a sad and unfortunate missed opportunity to indulge in one of the easiest, tastiest and even somewhat healthy sweet treats! For one- February is not even peak strawberry season so while you're feeding perfectly red, large stemmed berries to your Valentine, they are surely some hothouse grown specimen purchased from a restaurant dessert cart at a premium. I say, right now is best time to dip and enjoy those berries. 

So it was no wonder then that I recommended a strawberry bar when asked to create a dessert station for a recent engagement party.

Our grocery had just received their first shipments of local berries plucked right from the field- many of which were giant sized and perfect for dipping. I set out to make 4 dozen dipped and rolled in various toppings to give the guests variety and the presentation some visual variation. This could not have been easier friends (nor more fun!).  I presented them on tiered platters and a bed of shiso leaves which kept things looking bright and fresh.

Looking to do the same (and you should!)- here's my hot tip: Use your microwave to melt your chocolate. The trick is to heat it at 50% power for 90 seconds. The chips won't look like they are melted at first, but stir them up. If you still find you need a little more melting time - again heat at 50% power for 10 second intervals. Full power will surely burn the chocolate. I also found that Ghiradelli now makes "melting chips" akin to those little fondue fountain disks you see. They work great and offer a low risk option to your dipping chocolate. 

I also added a little flair to the adjoining coffee station. Remember these mineral decanters I made for our home bar? I used them to create a flavored creamer presentation. Sometimes you have to sell the coffee- especially at a celebration where signature his/hers cocktails were flowing until the wee hours of the next morning.

ONE FOR THE BOOKS // AN IVY LEAGUE INSPIRED CELEBRATION

With any good party, comes a good hangover. Well, if there's any merit to my party philosophy, this one was one for the books. You see, it's been a whole 38 days since I hosted this shindig for my husband's 40th birthday and I'm just now feeling like the haze has lifted enough to break it down for you all. The truth is, I've been anxious to tell you all about it because it was one of those rare, near perfect occasions where most everything fell into place exactly as I had envisioned and a good time was had by all. The hangover I speak of arrived promptly the next morning,  manifesting with equal parts exhaustion and apprehension that I properly share the details here, lest you miss out on the truly magical vibe of the night. 

I had planned this one out for quite some time in my little head, refining and calibrating all of the little details I would spend hours and days creating to bring the pomp and circumstance of East Coast prep, privilege and tradition to life here in our casual West Coast home. I did a lot of my own research as I worked feverishly to build out, source and buy all of the little effects that would eventually set the tone for the evening. In the end, it came together with a truly handmade, vintage spin that I was quite proud of on a swelteringly hot California evening in March. 

I'm a big believer in setting the tone for guests before they ever walk through the door to a party. Invitations go a long way. But for this event, we asked guests to dress in their finest prep attire, keeping it flexible to include anything golf, yacht, tennis or equestrian club related. While I worked out the background details for the party, our partygoers worked on their fashion, in essence becoming part of the decorative backdrop itself when we all came together. I always say build up and anticipation go a long way to creating a successful party and as it turns out, planning out what we were all going to wear worked to stretch out our timeline beyond just a 5 hour event.

 I'm a big do-it-yourself-er when it comes to hosting a party. Looking back at our most recent events, I can easily make out a formula to my "brand" of event - 60-75% handmade, 25-40% store-bought or hired in. It's true that I like to control the outcome as much as possible to gel with the vision percolating away in my little brain, but I'd also argue that a lot of the work I take on is driven by my own budget. It's hard for me to rationalize the spend when I think I might be able to create or do something myself that even comes close to what I'm envisioning. Cut to hours and hours of singular focus and many, many trips to Home Depot, my retailer of choice when it comes to creating a party backdrop. But, if I'm being completely honest, I enjoy every darn minute of it - don't let the bags under my eyes tell you otherwise. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

For my husband's bash, I lined our entire kitchen in smooth, tongue and groove cedar planks to create a neutral, masculine base on which I built a multi-tiered food buffet, comprised of single-serving hors d'oevres on silver spoons and platters. With most of the staging already complete well in advance, I was free to spend two full days on food prep and flowers. Though loaded with plenty of variety, the prepared food was relatively simple by design, allowing me to make most of it well ahead of our start time and keep me free from standing in the kitchen all night. For all the work, I was free to enjoy this party you guys with the guest of honor and that meant so much.

I served almost 100 party guests, utilizing several stations to maintain both flow and impact. I staged the dessert bar in the entry-way, because let's face it- first and foremost, everyone always wants to see what's for dessert. As guests continued on into the house, they were greeted by a cheese presentation before they reached the primary food display using all three counters of our U-shaped kitchen. 

Several beverage stations beckoned beyond the patio, maintaining motion while keeping liquids outdoors where they could be easily mopped up if needed (this was a party after all!). My mom and I made custom linens for all of the pub tables throughout the party, embellishing them with preppy decorative ribbon borders. The best part, no returns.  For a fraction of the cost (albeit some sweat equity), these are ours to keep for the next party. 

 My husband makes a damn good cocktail- of any sort. But I wanted to make sure he had the night off. So I stocked several bars with just about anything a guest would want and instructions on how to build out several custom-cocktails I created befitting our theme, cocktails with names like "The Haa-vad" and "The Handsome Dan" (recipes to come in a future post!). There were craft beers and plenty of scotch for tastings as well. 

The outdoor bars were staged with old photos found online and on eBay. Many of these photos pre-dated 1950, lending a bit of a vintage patina to our modern day interpretation. I pulled frames from other parts of the house to display artwork and photos, creating a men's club feel to the covered poolside bar. Authentic Ivy League Pennants and painted wood rowing paddles also helped to create that feel. There was lots of wood and leather and of course old silver trophies, pulled from my flea and thrift store jaunts throughout the party, which played well into our theme.

Our crescendo moment came with the cake presentation. It's an important moment of any birthday celebration, but I wanted a cake to mark 40 good years to be something extra special. Cue a presentation complete with fireworks and pretty girls (all our sisters!). It was a VIP moment for sure and these are the sparkly photos I look back on and get a little thrill remembering how much fun that night was.

 We are party-people people and you know what, we like to dance. I was pretty tickled to find some old photos from a famous weekend-long dance party that actually took place at Princeton in 1960.  I blew up some grainy photos and mounted them on insulation board sourced from, you guessed it- Home Depot. These were light in weight enough to hang from fishing line along our windows around the dance floor. And yes, we were crazy enough to ditch all of our furniture and store it for nearly two weeks to allow ample set up time ahead of the event.

My home office was outfitted with a photo booth and props that were well utilized throughout the night. Guests were able print off a copy of their photo strip and take home a souvenir from the night.

I put a lot of myself into this one, as sort of a love letter to my husband. Our guest of honor is still reminiscing nightly about his big birthday bash, so I count that as the biggest measure of success. I have to say we had one hell of a night and honestly we have the best friends and family - always willing to show up and make even our smallest parties a proper celebration.   I hold this one close to my heart as one of my favorites yet. 

There is still so much more to share! Look to some future posts focusing on recipes and some other fun effects that gave this one a little extra... well, something. 

EASY ENTERTAINING // BAGELS + BLOODY MARYS

To kick off 2015, we skipped the big midnight fete and opted instead to host an informal New Year's brunch for friends and family. While there was some pre-party prep involved, for the most part this was one of our easiest gatherings yet - made simple by two build-your own stations we set up in the dining/bar area of our home. Our best parties are always those where guests participate in some form or another and to be honest, my favorite celebratory activities have always been - food and drink.

You guys, set up and clean up was so seamless and the cost was so minimal,  I had to share our strategy with you so that you too can host an impromptu party you will have the budget and energy to enjoy.

No rules really apply here. Just keep in mind that the more options you lay out, the more fun it will be for your guests. Remember, we eat with our eyes first! Much of what we displayed we already had in our pantry or fridge. We did some chopping and prepping of garnishes, but the most difficult part of this set up was organizing the condiments and toppings to allow easy access for all. 

A Bloody Mary bar allows non-drinkers to build their own cocktail as well, though we had other non-alcoholic options on hand also. 

Be sure to keep a trash can close at hand for discarded drink garnishes (everyone likes a fresh glass!) and periodically check ice both in the bucket and on any seafood you have at the bar. We like to use highball glasses when making Bloody Marys, so that is what we offered. We also used our stack of ceramic dinner party plates still unpacked from Thanksgiving and Christmas. As a suggestion:  empty the dishwasher before guests arrive and encourage them to toss their plate in the dishwasher when done. I ran a load mid-party and had very little clean up as a result.

One of the things that added to the fun was seeing all the clever creations our friends would make from what we had laid out for them. There were competitions and dares (and of course, Instagram photos to prove it) to see who could come up with the most loaded glass (and then drink it all down). The bagel buffet was replenished when needed and was well preserved on a cool California morning, while we all sat fireside, visiting and talking about vacations and plans for the upcoming year.

Make This // Geo Dowel Pendant Fixture

I recently shared some pictures from the big New Years bash we had here at the house and today, I thought I'd highlight one of the design elements that went into the party decor.

We were expecting a lengthy guest list and wanted to make good use of every corner of the property. So though it was unseasonably warm that night, we staged a tent out by the pool to house another seating area for guests. Tent lighting options are readily available from party rental companies, but I always opt to create a unique statement piece of my own. I have an affection for lighting fixtures in general- but especially those that are inventive and make good use of understated items to create something more dramatic. The dowel pendants I came up with were heavily inspired not only by my fixation of late on geometric patterns, but by the seasonal Himmeli that adorn Scandinavian houses at Christmastime. So there was both a motivation to infuse something handmade, but also meaningful and relevant to the time of year.  The fringe benefit? These were inexpensive to make which left extra budget available for other more important expenditures like cocktails.

I have to tell you that though these may look complicated, they honestly came together so easily. I was convinced they'd fall apart with the first evening gust. But the glue has held them strong and sturdy well past the turning of the New Year. 

Here's the how to.

What you'll need:

1/4" wood dowels sourced from craft supply store

Hot glue gun/sticks

Plug in pendant lighting kit

Filament Bulb

To create a design like mine, you'll need 24 - 12" dowels. I also used Ikea's Hemma lighting kit. But you can also find similar kits at Urban Outfitters and on Amazon.  I finished off the pendant with an old fashioned filament bulb for effect, sourced right from my local Home Depot.

For our large party tent, I made two separate fixtures and hung them side by side. I also left the wood dowels unpainted for this affair. But, these can be easily repurposed with a little paint to create an entirely new look for our next party. See? It's a win win and good use of resources.

Party on.

Welcoming 2014 // All the Details from Our Inaugural Celebration

The first six days of 2014 have been a wondrously fun mix of photo swapping, video watching and reminiscing. The truth is, while many of you have already moved past holiday clean up and on to organizing life in the year to come, I'm still riding high from the party we threw on New Year's Eve. I have to tell you, after so many weeks of planning and handcrafting details for our fete, it's truly been the sweetest gift. 

Today I'm offering a glimpse into all the handiwork that made up our inaugural celebration. 

We wanted our guests to get the message straight away - this was a party! We placed a few effects and some party animals out front to help show them the way.

Our signature cocktail greeted them at the door. We nicknamed it the "Au Revoir" - a tasty concoction of Calvados, Champagne, Apple Cider and Mint. It was sort of the Yin to the Yang as we we ushered out one year and welcomed another.  

 I whipped up a few shooters from the Jelly Shot Test Kitchen archives to get our party guests going. First up - The Bramble (citrus vodka with a blackberry floater), The Cosmo and a Cucumber-Lime Margarita shot served silver spoons.

The beaming Cheers marquee sign created by The Mister lead guests out onto the patio bar. We had asked guests to help us build the bar by bringing a bottle of their choice with them. It worked out really well and we had everybody's tastes well covered. 

The mineral decanters I had created just prior to the holiday were used to present juices and other mixers beside the bar.

We lucked out with the weather and ended up spending part of the balmy night poolside under the canopy. We ditched sidewalls in favor of prettier effects. I pulled together some geometric lighting fixtures using dowels and industrial bulbs. Overhead, we hung a cone art installation (10 hours and 1200+ sheets went into that). Lumber trees decorated with white paper flowers sat along the perimeter of the canopy in between the cocktail tables.

Some old wood paneling was parlayed into a timepiece that announced the New Year on both coasts.

One of the best decisions we made was hiring in Felipe and his amazing taco cart for the night. No work in the kitchen meant more time preparing pretty details like the monogrammed and gilded coasters that sat on all the cocktail tables.

The biggest transformation of the night impacted our living room. We cleared out all of the furniture to create two sections - a dance floor and adjacent lounge area where guests could rest their dancing feet. To protect the floors, we laid down thick plastic and indoor/outdoor carpeting. The solution was a success!

In the dining area, we fashioned a board game using dice and the painted beasts that sat around last year's Christmas tree.  

Tired guests were sent home with hand painted goodie bags stuffed with a burrito, taco sauce and a chocolate chip cookie - the requisite snack after a long night of dancing and indulging!

We woke up to the aftermath of a great celebration. Thankfully our house can take a party and cleaned up well. As we kick off the first official work week of 2014, all is already polished, shined and put away. But what a night to look back on with all our nearest and dearest. It's something both The Mister and I will remember and talk about for many nights to come.