Stop and Smell the Roses

This sweet display of roses is a sample centerpiece for an upcoming fundraising event I'm working on. We have such wonderful people who are sharing their talents with us to help us create a wonderful event. The inspiration for this event is the organization's 50th anniversary, so the color gold is being used to commemorate the "golden anniversary." Complimentary colors of red and black are also being used throughout the event.

As the event draws closer, I'm grateful to have this centerpiece nestled between my computer monitor and Rolodex. The roses make me smile, pause, and take a deep breath before I jump into the next task. I encourage you to take some time this week to stop and smell the roses... to relax and take a deep breath before moving on. :-)

Glassware

In my day job I plan fundraising events for a non-profit in Washington state. We have a big auction coming up in a few weeks, so my days and work weeks lately have been looong. At any rate, I came across a really cool company in Oregon that is helping us out by printing custom champagne glasses for our event. You wouldn't believe how hard it was to find someone who printed on glass. That was an interesting dilemma, and thank goodness we found a company, even if they are several hundred miles away from us.


Introducing: Tri-S. This company does some amazing print work for breweries and liquor companies (unfortunately, I am not able to re-post any photos from their website, so you'll have to click the link and check out Tri-S for yourself). As I was talking with them the other day, I discovered that they've also done custom print work for weddings and other personal celebrations. One couple had an image of their dog printed on beer glasses along with their names and their wedding date as favors for their wedding guests. I thought I would share the idea with you all and provide you with a quality, reputable, and environmentally responsible company that can handle the job.

Steal This Idea!

Photo from No Fuss Fabulous; link below

Ok, maybe it's not nice to steal, but definitely BORROW this one! How CUTE are these Cupcake Doilie Skirts???? Click here for the original post, photos, and instructions from No Fuss Fabulous. How's this for a fun way to jazz up those Valentine's Day cupcakes or Pretty Princess party cupcakes?

Super Bowl XLIV

We're still waiting to hear which teams are going to face off in the Super Bowl on February 7th, but it's not too early to plan your Super Bowl bash! I'm not going to bore you with the usual ideas of using team colors, pennants, jerseys, etc. to decorate. Instead, I'd like to offer you some fun and flavorful recipe and beverage ideas to spice up the party. No matter which team you root for, your party menu will be a winner! I'm a huge fan of the Food Network, so all recipes presented here I found on FoodNetwork.com.

Menu #1: Miami Flavor

• Guacamole with Cumin Dusted Tortillas (Bobby Flay)

• Caribbean Chicken Wings (Sunny Anderson)

• Plaintain Chips (Tyler Florence)
• Pineapple Upside Down Cake (Paula Deen)
• Mojito (Emeril Lagasse)

Menu #2: Tailgate Sizzle

• Macho Nachos (Paula Deen)

• Mini Chipotle Burgers with Warm Fire Roasted Garlic Ketchup (Rachael Ray)

• Black Bean Salad (Guy Fieri)

• Tailgating Sangria (Guy Fieri)

• Smore Pizza (Guy Fieri)

Menu #3: All-American Classics

• Ritz Cheesy Football (Ritz Crackers)

• 
  
   Swedish Meatballs (Alton Brown)
  
  
  
  

• Baked Macaroni & Cheese (Alton Brown)

• Steak Fajita Chili (Aaron McCargo, Jr.)
• Beer Biscuits (Sandra Lee)
• Super Bowl Punch (The Neelys) [This is an adult beverage!]

I hope these varying menus help make planning your Super Bowl get together easy!

If you use any of these recipes, please leave a comment letting us know how you liked it/them!

Gorgeousness!

I simply need to share with you some gorgeous invitations that I came across on Wiley Valentine's blog. You can see the original post here. I love the unique color palette and beautiful print work. Photos by Wiley Valentine.

This is a fun color scheme for a winter celebration or a different twist for your upcoming Mardi Gras party!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, CE readers! Thanks for your readership in 2009. I look forward to sharing more fun entertaining tips with you in 2010. Let's make this a great year for entertaining with loved ones!

Operation NYE Made EASY

I know, I know... it's not even Christmas yet! So, why am I even bothering to bring up something that you may not want to think about for another 24 or 36 hours?? Well, you're probably going to need some help for your New Years Eve celebration, and I have just the thing to help you out!

MyPunchbowl.com is a "new" (relatively speaking) alternative to Evite. They want to say thank you for all of the support they received in 2009 and want to show new users just how cool they are. I admit to being an avid Evite user, but MyPunchbowl has piqued my interest, and I'm going to give it a whirl!

Here's the best part: You can give it a whirl too! FOR FREE. Because you are a reader of my blog, MyPunchbowl will give you a FREE upgrade to a Premium account ($30 value for one year) when you sign up and create a new account with them before December 31. Why not? IT'S FREE!!

The cool thing is that the MyPunchbowl Premium account (which is FREE to new account users for one year!) allows you to do just about anything you need to do to plan and execute your next gathering. In addition, you will have unlimited access to invitation and e-card designs, plus the ability to send advertising-free invitations and e-cards for one year.

Go on, check it out, and sign up. But you need to hurry because they are only giving away 10,000 Premium accounts! Go to this link and they'll know I sent ya. Show them some love; after all, it's the season of love, and give yourself the gift of EASY when planning your New Years Eve celebration!