Perfect for a Party.. A Mustache Party

Every party needs a theme, so make it a fun one.  For my friend's birthday, she wanted a Mustache theme.  I took the mustache and ran with it.  Other than a theme, a party needs to be well rounded with its decorations, menu and drinks.  Most of these decorations are hand made by me, because thats what I do, but some key elements were purchased from Etsy, because I can't do it all.

I start off any party with a great banner and some garlands.  This flag banner is hand sewn and hand painted and I threw in some perfect pineapple prints in-between.  The garlands are constructed of gold glitter circles on a sting that I hung around the house.

Mason jars with mustaches were a must for this party.  It provides the perfect glass for the cocktail and is also a little souvenir for the guest to take home.  The vinyl stickers were purchased from Etsy.  No Mustache party is complete without mustaches on a stick, also purchased from Etsy.  They provided a fun prop and entertainment at the photo booth.

I've always wanted to do this and final took the plunge, a gold backdrop, purchased from Etsy.  It was a challenge to find a big enough wall space to set up this backdrop, but the closet doors provided the perfect location.

To garnish the jars and cocktails, a variety of straws were provided.  Paper straws, bendy straws with mustaches and a small bouquet of flowers.  I created these small flower arrangements and placed them around the room.  They add a pop of color and life!

The cake is the next important element of a birthday party.  This party was for my friend and her boyfriend, with birthdays only a couple days apart, so I made two cakes.  I wanted to have variety so I made one chocolate and one vanilla.  This is a chocolate cake with whipped cream, raspberries and a chocolate buttercream frosting.  I topped the cake with a gold rhino and raspberries.

This is a buttercream cake with salted caramel buttercream frosting.  It is topped with a gold hippo and a flower.  Both cakes were delicious in their own way.

As party favors I created mustache coozies.  Three different styles in three different colors.  They were useful during the party and everyone loved taking one home with them.

My favorite part, the cocktail.  My friend loves tequila and margaritas.  I chose to do a Paloma, a grapefruit margarita.  They are slightly lighter and less sweet than a traditional margarita, by using grapefruit juice and a squeeze of lime and a squirt of agave.

They looked perfect in the mustache mason jars.

A hand made cocktail is a nice touch to any party, just as long as someone is designated as the bartender! (I was the bartender but I loved making them).  Try to choose cocktails that are somewhat simple to make, no muddling, few ingredients and with a squeeze of lime on top.

I hope this inspired you to create the perfect party.  Remember garlands, flowers, favors, and cocktails!

Be Inspired. Be Bold.

peace&love

Rebecca

Going for the Gold.. Party Decorations part two

An Olympic part needs an Olympic menu.  I continued with the Olympic theme by using the colors of the rings as a backdrop to highlight this delicious menu.  To make it fun and festive, I paired event names with the dish names.

The Menu
Alpine Skiing Swedish Meatballs
Pigs in a Bobsleigh
Speed Skating Shrimp Taco Bites
Freestyle Skiing Caprese Tortellini Salad
Biathalon Caramelized Onions with Goat Cheese Bites
Luge Asparagus Wrapped in Ham
Ice Hockey Hummus
Skeleton Bread Stick Twists

Nordic Combined Cupcakes
Gold Medal Almond Meltaway Cookies

White Russians

I filled cups with colored candies to represent the Olympic rings.

Shrimp Taco Bite Recipe

Caprese Salad Recipe

Asparagus, blanched, and wrapped with ham.  Needed a smear of dijon mustard and a thinner slice of ham, or prosciutto.

Whole Foods Hummus, the best hummus!

Everything Twists.. always a hit

1 1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons dehydrated chopped onion
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
one 14-ounce package all-butter puff pastry, thawed if frozen but still cold
1 egg beaten with 1 1/2 teaspoons of water

1. In a bowl, mix the sesame, poppy, caraway, onion, salt and garlic powder.
2. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry into a 14x11 inch rectangle.  Brush with egg was and sprinkle with the seed mixture.  Cut the pastry crosswise into 3/4 inch thick strips.  Twist the strips and transfer to the baking sheets, leaving 2 inches in-between.  Freeze until firm, 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 375.  Bake the twists for 20 minutes, until golden.  Switch the pans top to bottom and back to front halfway through baking, until golden.  Let stand until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.
**The unbaked twists can be stored between layers of parchment paper and frozen for up to 1 month.
foodandwine.com

Chocolate Cake Recipe
Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting Recipe  This frosting was one of the most delicious frostings I've ever made!  Definitely worth the three sticks of butter!!

Almond Meltaway Cookie Recipe

Not Pictured from the this Olympic Sized Menu

Alpine Skiing Swedish Meatballs- from Ikea, still the best Swedish meatballs I've had.

Pigs in a Bobsleigh- Mini Hotdogs wrapped in crescent rolls.  Bake at 375 for 12 minutes.

Biathalon Caramelized Onions with Goat Cheese Bites Recipe.  I've made this multiple times and its always a hit.

Make sure when creating your menu to be well balanced in your food choices.  I like to have one meat, one seafood, a bunch of veggie based dishes, keep it savory and bite sized.  And have some delicious desserts to leave your guests with something sweet and memorable!  

Be Inspired. Be Bold.

peace&love

Rebecca

Going for the Gold.. Party Decorations part one

I'm decorating for an Olympic party and I decided to go for a gold medal theme, along with the Olympic Rings color theme.  Naturally I started with a hand full of pom poms, gold coins and some skewers.  I created some great drink stirrers of different heights, gold coind on toothpicks for cupcake toppers, and they also look pretty cool just chillin in cups as decorations.  Depending on your color scheme, you can apply these same crafting principles to any party theme.

Stay tuned for the rest of the Olympic themed party decorations.

Be Inspired.. Be Bold. 

peace&love

Rebecca