I love me some Trader Joes!

I'm heading off to my local TJ's in a minute and checking their site for any new featured products. Look what I found? It's a Guide to Party Planning, the Trader Joe's way! They're so smart and thorough, thinking of every last detail. 

Click for the full Guide to Party Planning

"Trader Joe's was once known as a party store. Before most of us bought eggs, bread, produce, meat, milk and vitamins at TJ's, we came for cheese and wine. Now that we offer so many interesting appetizers, desserts, cheeses, quick meals and sauces for everyday meals and entertaining, here are some ideas to help make entertaining fun, easy, tasty and stress-free. Now matter what your budget or space allowance, Trader Joe's will help make your gathering a huge success."

Throw a Fiesta

Do any of you use The Nest website? They have all sorts of things on there. It's mostly articles and forums geared toward newlyweds, with topics like home decor, fitness, money, travel, crafting, food, fashion, etc... They send out newsletters too and I recently got one featuring party ideas for a fuss-free fiesta. Here's the party plan.

Send a bold invite to get your guests in a fiesta mood. They suggest an online invite to keep it easy, but if you're a paper freak then go for a great printed invitation (below invite by Boatman Geller).

Serve 'ritas on the rocks. As soon as guests, arrive put a cold margarita in their hand.

Make a create-your-own-chalupas buffet. Or DIY nachos, tacos, fajitas. Have fun with it! Check out The Nests collection of Mexican recipes here.

Throw in a fun curve ball. No one's too cool for a pinata!

Play Latin tunes. Download high-energy hits from the Gypsy Kings and Santana.

Set the mood with lighting. Slip a votive in a colored paper bag with pebbles or sand, and presto: lounge lighting that will last all night!

Use creative serve ware. Try something original by using cactus or palm leaves for a no-cost serving platter.

End with tequila tasting. Use a quality tequila (one that's made from 100 percent agave - your hangover-free guests with thank you the next morning!) Ole!

Happy 90th to Grandma!

Good morning everyone! I wanted to share with you a cute 90th birthday party that my husband's family threw for Grandma Hallie. She's such an amazing lady and never wanted a party or fuss to begin with, but it was so much fun spoiling her for a change.

Invitation - as the go to invite girl in the family, I chose this watermelon invite from Whitney English. That was my job to help out. And I loved doing it!

Menu - classic BBQ dinner catered by a family friend. Pork BBQ, grilled chicken on the bone, baked beans, potato salad, slaw, watermelon ... mmmmm!

Dessert - birthday cake made by cousin Krissy. She's very talented. And a no bake cheesecake too.

Table decor - flowers from Aunt Jane's garden. And homemade canned goods as favors.

Grandma Hallie loves handwritten notes! So naturaly, I gifted her a set of monogrammed stationery from my favorite line Whitney English. She loved them!

Five for Friday

TGIF! I hope everyone had productive weeks. As soon as 5:00 gets here, productivity is OVER for me. Where's my Corona? It's 5:00 somewhere right?!?! 

A small update on my 30 before 30 Bucket List ... I haven't made any major advances this week. But I did stick to my 2 workout classes per week schedule. This week I went to Monday night Group Power and Thursday night Spin. I need to stick with it and be sure to do something, however small, on days in between. My #1 excuse is how hot it is outside. But I can still wait till 8:30 or so to take Ruby out for a walk. I went to the doctor yesterday and realized I had gained 10 lbs since my visit this time last year!!!! Now its not necessarily a horrible thing because last year I wasn't all that healthy and had a lot lower appetite. Now that my healthy appetite is back I need to start watching what I put in my mouth more.

I'm finally working on my 2nd newsletter blast for PaperConcierge. If you'd like to be apart of it, email me at kburch@paperconcierge.com  I'm doing a freebie giveaway for my newsletter peeps this time! and I'll be doing a blog giveaway soon too, so stay tuned :)

Here's my 5 for Friday. I think I stole this idea from Design*Sponge. I'm linking 5 blogs that I found particularly interesting this week. enjoy!

#1 - College Prep giveaway! This company, Niko and Lala,  is news to me and I'm loving them so far. Hope I win something ... or I hope you do by entering College Prep's giveaway.

#2 - Confessions of a Paper Freak's post series You're the Boss. It's really motivational to an aspiring entrepreneur like myself.

#3 - Rock Paper Scissors fashion inspiration boards are the best. Check out this sailor inspired board called Hook Line & Sinker.

#4 - Chelsea's Wedding Watch posts from Martha Stewart Bride. I kinda feel bad for the poor girl. Will she even be able to hear her own vows with all the helicopter noise? Wait a minute, why would feel bad for a girl who is having a 3 - 5 MILLION $$$ wedding?

#5 - I hesitate in even saying this, but lets pretend for a minute. Someday in the not so near, not so far, future I will have a baby (hopefully). And I've always joked around saying that I want my baby delivered by the stork in a basket on my doorstep, bypassing all the woes of pregnancy & childbirth. So this shower idea is really cute and funny to me. Check out Tiny Print's Stork Themed Baby Shower.

Cornhole & BBQ 2010

Last Saturday we had our annual Cornhole tournament party. I think this was the fourth year for it. About 25 friends and neighbors came out and had a great time! I'm so mad at myself, I forgot to take pictures :(  I love reading other peoples' blogs where they document their cooking, display and party decor, etc... and I had every intention of doing that, but got too distracted and forgot about taking pictures. I'll just have to try my best in words then. And the below food pics are borrowed from various online sources.

Here's the invitation I chose from Hicks Paper Goods. Available at my PC store HERE.

My menu turned out like this:

Appetizers (brought by friends)
- Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Mexican layer dip
- Homemade salsa
- Veggie Tray

Main and Sides
- Catered BBQ, made into mini pork sliders
- Cole slaw
- Cooking Light's Potato Salad with Grilled Squash
- Baked Beans
- Scalloped Pineapple (i have to get this recipe from my neighbor. it's awesome!)
- Tri-colored Melon Salad

Dessert
- Kentucky Bourbon Pound Cake with Strawberries
- Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

For the cornhole tournament, we selected guy/girl teams by drawing from two different hats to pair them up. It was a lot of fun! Michael actually got lucky and won with his teammate. I really need to come up with a good winner's prize next year. And maybe a funny losers prize too :)

Let's Fiesta!

My favorite snack is great chips & salsa. My favorite beer is Corona with a refreshing lime wedge. And my husband says that I must have been Mexican in a past life! It’s my favorite cuisine! So in honor of Cinco de Mayo, I’m featuring my top fiesta party ideas.

Michael and I in Riviera Maya, Mexico last year

FOOD – “Salsa has now passed ketchup as America’s favorite condiment. Isn’t that amazing? You know its bad when even our vegetables are starting to lose their jobs to Mexico.” – Jay Leno, on the Tonight Show

By far, one of the most unique Mexican restaurants I’ve been to is Mercaditos (link here) in NYC. My sister worked here part-time and took us there for dinner & brunch. You can see their different menus (link here). I want to try to recreate many of these at home.

If you find yourself low on time and need a tasty treat to serve for guests, why not try my ’10 minute salsa solution’. You really don’t even need a recipe. Just mix the ingredients to your liking.

10 Minute Salsa Solution


Ingredients: 1 can black beans, frozen corn (thawed in microwave), grape tomatoes halved, chopped red onion, diced jalapenos, fresh cilantro, and lime juice. The flavor really comes together with the lime juice. I used 3 limes!

DRINK – 1 tequila, 2 tequila, 3 tequila …. Let’s not go to the floor!

Skinny Girl Margaritas by Bethenny Frankel (link here)

        2 oz of clear premium Tequila (count 1, 2 while you pour, no need for measuring)

        Tiny splash of Orange Liquor


        Juice of 4 fresh lime wedges

       Combine all ingredients over a glass of ice and garnish with a lime wedge

Fiesta Inspirations  - Top: gorgeous inspiration board by My Island Wedding blog; Sombrero Invitation by Hicks Paper Goods found at Paper Concierge; Crate and Barrel's Raya Pitcher.

 

 

A day at the races

It’s almost Derby time!

Horses, hats and mint juleps are filling up many social calendars this week. I have still never been to a horse race, but know I’d love it and fit right in! I do know a little bit from derby themed parties. Anything that brings together friends, fashion & cocktails is right up my alley!!! And I’m seriously considering trying out HWTM’s Mint Julep Cupcakes! So in honor of the 136th Kentucky Derby, here’s my little addition of derby fun!

Top to Bottom:

1. Vintage prize ribbons

2. Invitation by Whitney English, found at PaperConcierge (click here)

3. Derby fashions at last year's Derby Birthday Party for Deana (ignore the guy in the dress!)

4. Traditional mint juleps