PARTY favors
party favors for all occasions
I received an email from Janine who is thinking of doing a garden party for my daughter's first birthday.
She feels that all of the kids party decorations look so passé and cheesy. I have to agree with her. She asked for some ideas. I am proposing a cool flower theme.
Party Planning
A first year birthday is often more for the parents and family since the baby is not well aware of what is going on. It is best to plan for a two-hour party. Schedule some activities to play with the kids.
Flower-Power Décor
The cakes for the 10th anniversary of Cakes by Tatiana were my inspirations. Located in Ottawa, Cakes by Tatiana has a list of distinguished customers including two former Prime Ministers of Canada and Adrienne Clarkson. The two cakes are creations by award-winning pastry Chef Tatiana Vorobej.
I do not expect you to get such an exquisite cake for a first birthday. The flowers and spheres can be reproduced on a larger scale for your garden. Make a few vignettes that you spread across your space to define and cheer up your garden.
A cheap version is the cute Flower Ballons created by Martha Stewart. The steps by step instruction are published on Martha’s site. It is not complicated to do. Fill pails with a baby friendly toy (sandbox tor for example) and insert a paper daisy to dress it up. Reserve the lollipops for older young kids or distribute them to the moms.
The Menu
Since you need to entertain and take care of the babies, keep the menu simple. Serve bite foods, sandwiches and snacks. As long as you make your food look pretty, serving simple foods look sophisticated. And it can look stylish without a lot of work.
Take this cool tray of vegetables designed by Martha. I am sure you have seen those before. You can use square flower vases instead of the glasses or clear acrylic boxes. Start by cutting your vegetables. Cut each type on a same length. Blanch the asparagus, beans, cauliflowers and broccoli to give them a vibrant color. Serve the veggies neatly in the glassware sitting on a tray.
Get inspired by Revisiting the Sandwich Box for serving sandwiches to the adult guests. For the kids, you can serve the blossom sandwiches by Martha Stewart.
Baby Activities
Singing is always popular with babies and parents. Set up a singing circle in the garden where parents and kids can sit. A sandbox is always a fun activity for the little ones.
You can organize a small play. My sister in law asks her teenager babysitter to create a 10-minute show. The farmyard party photo canvas available at Pottery Barn will make great memories and older kids can participate.
Get a girls' first birthday bib for the day. Preserve the memories not just in photos and videos; store the bib and the other decorative elements in a cute keepsake cardboard box.
I hope this will inspire you. And Janine, keep me posted on how the first birthday of your little girl will turn out.
>>> Sourcing:
Party supplies: Flower Balloon How-To [Martha Stewart]
Inspirations: cakes by tatiana -10th anniversary [cakes by Tatiana]
Party supplies: Flower in Pail Party Favors [Martha Stewart]
Buy online: farmyard party photo canvas [Pottery Barn] – price: on sale at $24.99 USD
Buy online: girls' first birthday bib [Pottery Barn] – price: $12 USD
Video: Crudités with Buttermilk Peppercorn Dip Recipe [Martha Stewart]
Dishing up: Edible Blossom Sandwiches [Martha Stewart]
Categories:
FOOD + drinks
OUTDOOR
KIDS party
DISHING tips
PARTY favors
FAMILY style
posted @ Monday, May 12, 2008 3:54 PM | Feedback (2)
I was looking for fresh ideas a couple weeks ago when I received the digital version of Canadian House & Home May 2008. It is their Green Issue. I want to give pointers for people who care for the environment but are not an aficionado. In short, I am talking about a green party that we can all do.
1. Serving Uncooked Food
Since we eat three times a day, how we cultivate, prepare and consume food has a huge impact of the environment. So why not rely less on the stove for this dinner party?
Besides serving the obvious salads, sushi, meat tartars and vegetarian dishes, what can you do? Canadian H&H reminded me of the raw food movement. I am not a follower but I can see some merits.
Raw Food Movement
Cooking raw requires new cooking techniques and recipes. Raw food is not to cook over 118 degrees Fahrenheit because higher heat degrades the enzymes that help the digestion system. I look at some recipes. Many are lengthy especially if you wish to reproduce the taste and texture of cooked food. If you are a novice, your best bet is probably to order from a raw food caterer or restaurant in your area.
There are recipes for beginners. The Cold-Cured Salmon Gravlax is one of them. This is a dish that everybody will feel comfortable with. The raw food recipe from Canadian House & Home May 2008 is basically the traditional Scandinavian Gravlax recipe with agave nectar instead of sugar, Kosher salt and the leaves from 3 sprigs of fresh tarragon plus 4 sprigs of fresh dills.
11 More Tips to Plan Your Eco-Friendly Party
Some of these tips are my own, others I read in the Green Issue of Canadian House & Home.
- Serve flavored tap water in a pitcher. Use frozen fruits or fresh herbs. To set a chic love of nature feeling, make own water popsicles as I shown you last summer.
- If you are looking for glamour, make your own sparkling water with the vintage seltzer bottles. They look fabulous. From art deco to Hollywood style, they are a whole array to dig up.
- Buy local organic produces as much as possible. Limit the use of manufactured, processed food
- Rely less in power kitchen equipment. You can prepare homemade dips in five minutes with a manual food processor. Look at the dip recipes featured on the Kitchen.
- Freshly cut herbs boost the flavor of any dish. Cultivate your own herbs. It even decorates your kitchen.
- Use organic fabric napkins and tablecloths. I am showing you the latest eco friendly fabric collection designed by Lara of Kirin Notebook. The colors complement the party theme. It shows that you do not need to look blah to be eco-friendly. Look for organic cotton, bamboo and hemp.
- Retrain from using paper and plastic tableware. Or you can use Bambu dinnerware and flatware. The Bambu collection looks so organic.
- Have a candlelight dinner. To create a nice mood, spread solar power landscape lamps around your house for a soothing glow. You could also hang decorative LED lamps.
- Make a centerpiece with organic locally grown flowers.
- Play in the background the series Earth by the BBC on the big screen. So people can appreciate the beauty of our Blue Planet. There is nothing more convincing than seeing with your own eyes.
- Give each family a trio of herbs in a terracotta pot or a tree growing kit as party favors.
I feel the big message of Earth Day is to fall in love again with our planet.
Sourcing:
Learn more: New organic eco friendly fabrics! On Kirin Notebook
Buy online: Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series – price: $59.95 USD for the Blu-Ray version
Buy online: Starfrit Manual Food Processor – price: $24.99 CAD
Buy online: Natural tree-growing gift-kit at CadOsphere – price: $14.95 CAD
Photo credits: Cold-Cured Salmon Gravlax, Seltzer bottles, Noma Eco-Bright Light – Canadian House & Home May 2008 issue
Categories:
FOOD + drinks
PARTY ideas
TABLEWARE
PARTY favors
posted @ Tuesday, April 15, 2008 12:52 PM | Feedback (3)
This post started because I saw the most wonderful dishing of picked eggs photographed in the March 2008 edition of EnRoute magazine. I forgot my copy on the plane so I will describe it for you. And I promise to show you my own version before next Tuesday.
You may be aware that pickled eggs are back in style. But the current version are far more sophisticated than boiled eggs in vinegar jars available in cheap deli restaurants.
These pickled eggs are subtle in taste, often done with organic eggs, duck eggs and quail eggs. You can serve them resting on a nest of watercress or mache salad.
Farm 255, a restaurant that seeks to reconnect food to its roots & people to their food in Athens, Georgia currently serves pickled eggs as appetizers with olive oil, dill, cracked pepper and fennel. Yum!
Nature inspired Easter Tabletop
Forget the artificial color Easter eggs and go for a more natural look. I really enjoy wrique did by dying boiled eggs with onion skins. It really looks like a piece of art. Instead of the basket, use a grayish or brownish earthenware small bowl, a rice bowl for example.
Wrique explains steps by steps how to make these stunning Easter Eggs on Instructables. Wrique provides useful tricks. Did you know that rubbing some oil at the end gives the eggs a nice shine and seals their pores which should help them fresh longer?
Harmonize it with an organic dinnerware like this handmade matte olive Coutour dinerware set available at Viva Terra. The plank is a beautiful touch. Unfortunately, this one is too narrow and too high to feel comfortable while eating. Spring calls for a punch of colors. Therefore, I would place colored flatware with either yellow, orange or pink handles.
Add more colors through your centerpieces
Display a snakelike line of the new Tiny Tin Edible Flowers by BloemBox. And let your guests brings back home their own after the meal. Each tin contains edible flower seeds. Alternate the Edible Tiny Tins with the Habitat Hummingbird Garden to add movements. Each Habitat box contains three 5’ biodegradable, plantable tissue paper seed ribbons, one of each nectar-rich variety with planting instructions.
These elements would create an Easter tabletop that is out of the ordinary.
Sourcing:
Learn more: Easter Eggs Dyed With Onion Skins by wrique
Buy online: Matte Olive Contour Dinnerware – price: $129 for a 16-piece set
Buy online: Habitat Hummingbird Garden – price: $99 for 6 boxes
Buy online: Tiny Tin Edible Flowers – price: $36 for 6 tins
RELATED POSTS:
+ Bunny shaped napkins at your Easter brunch
+ Dressing up your Easter brunch by Colin Cowie
+ Grown ups tabletop - Easter's Inspiration Board Part 2
Categories:
TABLESCAPE
HOLIDAY
DISHING tips
TABLEWARE
PARTY favors
posted @ Wednesday, March 05, 2008 1:27 AM | Feedback (1)
If you wish to create awareness for a cause, throwing a party around your cause is a great idea.
For the fight against Breast Cancer, you can plan a dessert buffet or a tea party in the afternoon with your girlfriends.
I fell in love with the cute cupcakes by Sprinkles Cupcakes a few months ago. From October 1 to 14, they will donate the proceeds of the sales of their Pink Ribbon strawberry cupcakes to the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s Women’s Cancer Research Fund. During that period, the strawberry flavor will be available every day.
Modern decor, refined style and strong packaging
Frankly, the retro look so typical of cupcake bakeries look tired; we need more varieties. Here come Sprinkles Cupcakes that opened its first shop in Beverly Hills in 2005. At last, a fresh and modern architecture boutique décor.
Sprinkles developed two signature looks; each one is fabulous for any party. Who can resist the cool fondant dot on a flavored buttercream frosting? And pouring monochromatic French chocolate sprinkles adds sophistication to the small cake. Unusual flavors like chai latte and ginger lemon coexist with the classic mocha, carrot and vanilla. There is something for everyone taste.
How Sprinkles Cupcakes add even more elegance to your party?
1 | An array of special decorations for custom made cupcakes
Your cupcakes can be decorated with any of the 24 cutout shapes representing vegetation, animals, emotions, items or occasions.
For a 70’s party theme, the Peace and Love sign is so a propos. And with all the violence in our world, why not host a party to embrace peace at every level of our life? The Peace sign is perfect for a New Year’s Eve party. The Tree can symbolize the environment or simply be a Christmas ornament. The custom made cupcakes have a low minimum order of a dozen per decoration.
2 | The party tray and the cupcake tower
Sprinkles sells a custom made cupcake tray with so much flair that it can replace a birthday cake. Send or bring the Sprinkles cupcake tray filled with a dozen cupcakes firmly in place in the cute gift box. The tray can be recycled as a votive candle holder or stored until your next batch of cupcakes.
You can serve 2 to 3 dozens of cupcakes with a three-tiered cupcake tower. Buy the tower with the ribbon kit for $15 USD or add your own ribbon and buy the cupcake tower at $10.
3 | The favor box
At the end of the event, it is nice to thank your friends that made a donation. Nothing is more efficient than a little incentive. Let them bring home a cupcake in a favor box.
If you do not have time to throw a party, you can still make our friends aware of your support to the fight against Breast Cancer. You could send one Pink Ribbon strawberry cupcake with a donation form and a note card to a list of friends. This unexpected gesture is sure to get their attention.
Locations of Sprinkles Cupcakes
Right now, there are 4 locations in the United States with 15 more scheduled boutiques. These cupcakes are popular amongst celebrities. Beverly Hills, Newport Beach, Dallas and Phoenix-Scottsdale are the lucky residents that can enjoy Sprinkles Cupcakes at the moment.
If you live to far, you can buy online neatly packaged cupcake mixes for $14. Stock a few cylinders in any of the 6 flavors since the cupcake mix makes a remarkable hostess gift.
Sourcing:
Learn more: Web site of Sprinkles Cupcakes – price: $3.25 each or $36 for a dozen
Buy online: Gift items available at Sprinkles Cupcakes
RELATED POSTS:
+ More cupcake designs
+ Cupcake desk cards
Categories:
PARTY ideas
CAKES
PARTY favors
posted @ Saturday, September 29, 2007 12:45 AM | Feedback (3)
I have been a fan of flavored salts for a while. After you tried a good flavored salt, you asked yourself how you manage all these years without it.
Flavored salts most commonly flavor a recipe and dish up a plate in no time. Use a flavored salt as a rub to enhance the flavor of a simple fish recipe. A little bit of black olive sea salt can add another layer of flavor to a recipe that has black olives as the dominant flavor. Other times, flavored salts provide an easy way to complement another flavor on my plate.
Making your own flavored salts
Ever since I saw Jamie Oliver making is own citrus flavored salt on TV, I realized how simple is it to make your own flavored salt.
I was thrilled to see on Tastespotting that Jaden from Steamy Kitchen just published three recipes of flavored salts: Szechuan Peppercorn Salt, Citrus Salt and Matcha Salt.
Steamy Kitchen is an excellent cooking blog with interesting recipes. Orange-Chili-Ricotta Frozen Yogurt was the recipe on her previous post. I like the sound of it.
Going back to the flavored salt recipes, you can use a food processor or a heavy mortar and pestle to mix together the ingredients. The Citrus salt is a must for its versatility. The fact that it turns out in a striking color adds to its appeal. Try to rub the citrus salt on fish or poultry. The taste is excellent. Season your summer salads with a hint of citrus salt and a few drizzles of olive oil.
Where to buy Matcha tea?
If you are wandering where to get Matcha tea, I suggest you visit a fine tea shop in your area. Most fine Asian / Japanese food stores carry Matcha tea. Otherwise, Jaden from Steamy Kitchen uses the brand sold via Amazon.com.
Another option is to visit the online store of Muzi (their tea bar was formerly known as Infuze). Muzi has a distribution center in Torrance, California as well as Vancouver, BC, making shipping within the USA and Canada quick and easy. As a treat, Muzi published four recipes on their site. You can make your own matcha ice cream, matcha chocolate, matcha lattes and matcha smoothies.
People often give homemade jams as hostess gifts or party favors. But giving your own flavored salt is more original.
Container options for your party favors
I prefer a jar with an attached lid instead of the basic Mason jars. Look at the Fido collection by Bormioli Rocco. These glass jars are affordable, reliable and widely available. That is what I use at home to store dry food. The top left photo is another great system by Bormioli Rocco.
Organize.com sells individually the Endurance Magnetic Stainless Steel Spice. I like the clean lines of these spice jars. They look sharp. Just add a printed custom label to personalize the look. If your budget allows it, use a commercial printer for better results.
If you do not wish a complete do-it-yourself option, browse the wedding favor stores to buy a kit. The one shown here (the food is sold separately) is from beaucoup wedding favors. They cost $12.00 for a pack of 6 spice jars. The beautiful custom labels can be ordered from beaucoup. It is $10.80 USD per sheet of 18 labels. Beaucoup.com proposes 6 designs in 10 colors. You cannot be wrong; their 6 designs are suitable for all occasions.
Sourcing:
Recipes: Making Your Own Flavored Salts published on Steamy Kitchen blog
Buy online: Ujinotsuyu Matcha Hagoromo (All Natural Green Tea Powder) with Product Brochure and Pier Mall Home Recipes via Amazon.com
Buy online: Matcha tea on Muzi – switch to US store from top menu
Buy online: Endurance Magnetic Stainless Steel Spice at Organize.com
Buy online: Glass spice jar at beaucoup wedding favors
Via: Tastespotting.com
Categories:
FOOD + drinks
PARTY favors
posted @ Sunday, June 24, 2007 10:57 PM | Feedback (0)