Throwing a Birthday Party at Home

I love birthdays.  I am pretty sure that the reason why I love them so much is because of all of the special traditions my mom created for me and my siblings on our birthdays when we were younger.  

Growing up, when it was your birthday, you would be greeted in the morning with the breakfast in bed tray that had been outfitted with a breakfast of your choosing, all of your birthday cards/gifts, the family birthday crown (encrusted in only the finest plastic gems)  and most importantly, your birthday horoscope cut out from the morning newspaper.  To this day, I still make a point of getting the birthday horoscope from the actual newspaper, since that was the original tradition.  Actually come to think of it, not too much has changed with my personal birthday routine as I have gotten older (birthday crown included….yes, my husband is a saint!).

In addition to family birthday celebrations, I love hosting birthday parties for my close friends.  It gives me an opportunity to celebrate my friends individually, share some of my old birthday traditions and come up with some new birthday ideas.   

The main reason why I am sitting here regaling you with all of the family birthday traditions I have enjoyed since childhood, is because it was the inspiration for my first birthday party blog post.    

Party Overview

This was an all girls birthday cocktail party.  I kept the food pretty simple with a cheeseboard, cupcakes and a specialty cocktail.   I wanted it to be relaxed and assembled all of the hors d'oeuvres on my coffee table.  My thought was that it would be nice to have everything right there so I would be able to enjoy my guests and not have to get up and fuss with different entrees.  It ended up being just that, which was great.  Of course, the "Birthday Tradition Musts" for this party included: party favors, cupcakes, party hats, decorations and a birthday horoscope.

All desserts and birthday decor were set up on my dining table. My dining table happens to be the first thing you see when you enter my home, so focusing the decorations on the table created the immediate birthday vibe when I welcomed my guests.  

Dining Table Details:

• DIY Tissue Pom-Poms (Easy to make and cost approx. $2 to make as opposed to the $20 cost of buying them already made)
• Paper Source Table Confetti- Classic or Trend
• S'more Cupcakes
• Sugar Cookies
• DIY Floral Arrangement using some of my favorite Budget Friendly Florals
• Mini Birthday Party Hats -Oh Joy! for Target
• DIY Party Favors
  • Nail Polish-Save on cost by purchasing a multipack and then parsing it out to each favor bag. 
  • Sofia Coppola Sparkling Wine - Champagne in a pink can complete with straw. Need I say more?
  • Novelty Candy- Like these adorable Brut & Rose Gummi Bears from Sugarfina
  • Kitsch Hair Ties- I found the hair-ties featured above at Home Goods for 60% off their suggested retail value
  • Nail Files- Again, I was able to save on cost through buying a nail file multi pack and then parsing it out to each goody bag.  These Glass Nail Files are fantastic and known to have a very long lifespan.  
  • Cellophane Bags with Flat Bottoms
  • Ribbon (I am a huge fan of saving good ribbon and reusing it).

Birthday traditions can be fun to create, hold on to and share with your friends and family.  Personally, the best part of celebrating birthdays would have to be the people.  Being with family and friends can instantly turn a birthday into a memorable celebration.  

Entertaining Essentials for Hosting a Cocktail Party

Hosting a cocktail party requires a variety of entertaining accessories.  While it is a fact that certain accessories are needed to entertain comfortably, the degree to which you choose to expand that entertaining equipment collection is entirely up to you.

I am sure that there will be many posts in my future where I talk about all of the different types of entertaining equipment available, but for this post I wanted to keep it to the basic essentials for hosting a small and simple cocktail party at home.  

Entertaining Accessories

• Drinkware- I would suggest at least 6 Red Wine Glasses, 6 White Wine Glasses and 6 High Ball Glasses.  The world of drink ware can get pretty extensive, but I find that these three glassware types are the staples and most utilized in my cabinets.  

Red Wine Glasses from World Market are paired with the Orange Zebra Caspari Cocktail Napkins 

• Coasters- Love coasters and a definite must when hosting a cocktail party.  You don't want to be the victim of water-rings (very tragic).  For coaster inspiration, check out my post on Coffee Table Decor Ideas.   I have a section in this post devoted to coasters I love, have and/or wish I had.  
• Cocktail Napkins- Cloth and paper are both great.  Cloth cocktail napkins are lovely and it does provide a more traditional service setting.  They are also reusable, which gives them the eco-friendly thumbs up.  The only down side is the laundering (and ironing...they are not nearly as charming when wrinkled, so yes, they need to be pressed).  Paper is more practical if you are not going to use appetizer plates because it gives your guests a place to rest their food and of course clean up is a cinch (just toss those used paper cocktail napkins right in the trash)!   
  • A few favorites: Shop Lettermade Original Greek Key Cocktail Napkins, Crate & Barrel Linen Ocean Cocktail Napkins, Arbor Floret Cocktail Napkins, Boutross Imports Hemstitch Linen Cocktail Napkins, Caspari Orange Zebras Paper Cocktail Napkins, Silver Lattice Airlaid Non Woven Paper Cocktail Napkins, October Hill Lucy Boxed Cocktail Napkins, Kate Spade Gold Dot Confetti Napkins

• Nut Dishes- As you may have read in my post on Cocktail Party Preparedness-Food & Beverage, nuts are a cocktail party staple.  So it seems only fitting to include a few favorite dishes that I love to use when serving these delicious nibbles.  There are many different types of nut dishes available, but some of my favorites include the small nut bowls that can also be used for dips, the nut bowls with dividers and then there are the artistic party nut bowls that are just plain fun to have!  
  • A few favorites: Rosanna Farmhouse Pantry Hobnail Dish, World Market Tempo Square Bowls, William Yeoward Crystal Inez Nut & Olive Dish, Michael Aram Sea Urchin Nut Bowl, CB2 Prismatic Glass Smoke Bowl

• Serving Platter- One universal serving platter for your hot hors d'oeuvres and one universal serving bowl will be sufficient.  If you are going to stick with this minimalist approach (which is totally fine and more power to you) I would suggest going with a white platter and either a clear glass or white porcelain bowl.  Keeping the colors fairly neutral will make these pieces great to use any time of year.  
  • A few favorite platters and bowls:  CB2 Platform Platter, Jars Cantine Oval Platter, CB2 Narrow Rectangular Platter, Sur La Table Rectangular Slate Platter, Sur La Table Blanc Serving Platters (Set of 3), CB2 Vortex Serving Bowls, Pottery Barn Great White Coupe Serve Bowl, Jars Cantine Serving Bowl, Luigi Bormioli Crescendo Serving Bowl, Juliska Berry & Thread Round Serving Bowl

• Candles - See my post on Coffee Table Candles for ideas on different types of candle lighting that you could use to create a lovely ambiance at your next party.
• Music- Music in the background is a must for any party I host.  To me, there is nothing worse than a party without music (totally makes the party feel sterile).  Party music doesn't have to be an expensive addition.  Spotify and Pandora are great apps for finding songs and playlists that you can download right to your phone.  If you have a sound system in your living room already then thats perfect! If you don't, I would definitely suggest getting a bluetooth speaker.  They are inexpensive, produce great sound and can connect to your phone's playlists.  I actually gave this Triple C Bluetooth Speaker as a gift recently and it was a huge hit!

These are my foundations for hosting any cocktail party in my home.  While nothing is required, I strongly encourage you to consider these different aspects before hosting your next party.  The right entertaining equipment will make hosting easier and more comfortable for both you and your guests.  

My First (and most Classic) "Cheesescape"

I love to "Cheesescape" (actually that is a huge understatement).  For those of you who have seen my Instagram posts, this probably isn't news to you, but for those of you who haven't had the opportunity to get to know me through my instagram or in person, yes, I am a "Cheesescape" fanatic.  

What is a "Cheesescape?"  I am sure this term probably has been in existence for a long time and I would never take credit for discovering the term, but it wasn't a term that I had researched or heard about.  It actually just came to my brain one day while preparing for a dinner party I was hosting that night.  I had just finished setting the table (aka Tablescaping) and was in the midst of assembling my first cheeseboard when the term happened to come to me.  "Cheesescape" is my word for decorating a cheeseboard.

This cheeseboard was a wonderful mix of flavors.  While their were certain pairings on this board that were exceptional together (like the pear crisps with the chili flake encrusted goat cheese drizzled with sourwood honey), the 3 cheese I selected for this board were fairly mild in flavor so  all of the different elements here were very "mix and match" friendly.  

Here is a breakdown of everything I used to "scape" this board:  

Cheeses:

• Apple Smoked Gouda

• Saint Andre Triple Creme
• Chili Flake Encrusted Goat Cheese with a Sourwood Honey Drizzle

Fruits:

• Fresh Granny Smith Apple (sliced thinly with fresh squeezed lemon juice poured over the flesh to keep it from turning brown)
• Red Apricot (they were in season at the time of this scape)
• Dried Tart Cherries
• Dried Fruit Medley

Crisps:

• Simple and Crisp - Pear
• 34 Degrees Crisps - Rosemary

Chutney:

• Virginia Chutney Company - Hot Peach Chutney
• Stonewall Kitchen - Old Farmhouse Chutney

Fresh Herbs:

• Rosemary
• Thyme

While this is sure to be only the first of many cheesescaping posts, I hope that it provides you with a little inspiration for the next time (or possibly first time) you "Cheesescape." 

Blue and White Brunch

I love brunch.  I think the reason why I love Brunch so much is because it's my favorite meal of the day (breakfast), but served/consumed at a reasonable hour of the day (mid-late morning….not 6am).  Brunch is also a great meal to consider hosting at home for the following reasons:

• It tends to be the least expensive to purchase and prepare
• Most brunch food can be made ahead and/or baked leaving you with minimal kitchen time during the actual party
• The foods/dishes associated with brunch are perfect for serving buffet style

One brunch party idea I love and have used many times over, is the blue and white themed brunch.  Blue and white as a color scheme can translate across many different seasons and it works perfectly for me because my everyday dishes are white and my collection of blue table linens tends to be the most abundant.  I say this to you all simply because white everyday dishes tend to be what many people have since the color is so neutral and food looks so appetizing on a white plate.  In addition, white plates pair well with so many different colored table linens, so even if your blue table linens aren't in abundance to match this post, you may have a large collection of green, red, brown, grey or even white linens that would also pair perfectly with white plates for your own brunch party.  

Here is a breakdown of my table decor and where you can get most of the items as well as additional suggestions for achieving this "Brunch-scape."

• My Plates and Mugs- Pillivuyt Basket Weave 
• White Plates I love- from CB2
• "Brunch-Scape" worthy White Mugs (set of 8) 
• Quilted Navy Blue Placemats, Round Blue Placemats, Lighter Blue Placemats 
• I am also a huge fan of these Chilewich Placemats.  So easy to wipe clean and great quality.
• CB2 Restaurant Napkins - LOVE these napkins!  They have become a staple in tablescape repertoire.  Love that you can dress them up or down. 
• World Market Basketweave Napkin Rings
• Nantucket Serving Platter or these Rectangular Serving Platters
• My Coffee Pot (a splurge) or this Classic Thermal Coffee Carafe
• Pier1 Cobalt Glasses 

Happy Brunching!

 

Lemon Basil Cocktail

Looking for a refreshing cocktail to serve at your next get together or for a post work happy hour at home?  Try making this Lemon Basil Cocktail.  It's easy to make, refreshing, packed with flavor but also low in sugar.  This skinny cocktail is great for keeping to those healthy New Years Resolutions, but also shines during the spring and summer months (it is really refreshing).  Cheers to the New Year! 

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 6-8 Shots Citroen Vodka
• 1 33oz Bottle Sparkling Water
• Juice of 2 Meyer Lemons
• 4-8 Basil & Lemon Zest Infused Ice Cubes
• 1 Lemon Sliced (for Garnish)
• 8-10 Fresh Basil Leaves (for Garnish)

Instructions:

1. Stir together Citroen Vodka, Sparkling Water and  Meyer Lemon Juice
2. Place 1-2 flavor infused ice cubes in each glass
3. Pour Vodka mixture evenly into 4 glasses
4. Garnish with Sliced Lemon and fresh basil