Calligraphy Etc. Blog

Top 5 Cinco de Mayo Ideas

With Cinco de Mayo right around the corner, we've taken inspiration from our Pinterest board and created a Top 5 list of ideas for you to implement for your own Fiesta this weekend!

1.  Single serving seven-layer dip as appetizers (so easy and fun!)  Seven layer dip is a classic party food, but we love how this version is the perfect size for individuals!  Much less messy and more personalized!

2.  Delicious Mexican fare for your dinner party guests (yum!)  Leave it to bon appetit to rustle up a great Cinco de Mayo dinner menu!  Looks delish!

3. Pinata Cookies (In this case, Sugar Cookies filled with a surprise)... how clever are these?!  We just can't get over how cute they are!  What  a creative way to present dessert...or party favors for guests to take home and enjoy later?

4.  Tequila Bar (because your guests WILL want to partake).  These terra cotta shot glasses really give the right feel to the tequila bar- rustic and useful!  We love how the options are laid out simply, inviting guests to enjoy with a no-fuss attitude.

5. Maracas make the perfect party favor for your South-of-the-Border shindig!  Tie them up with a tag of well wishes, party sentiments, or simply the party date... guests are sure to recall how they "shook things up" at the party!

Pinterest Party

Do you LOVE Pinterest?  We do too!  That's why we love the theme for this Girls' Brunch- it's a Pinterest & Pajamas Party!  What could be a better combination than friends, food, pajamas and crafts?  Almost everything for this party was inspired by ideas seen on Pinterest, from food to decor to the projects!  Each guest was asked to bring a frame or shadow box (in the size of their choice), and with the help of a "craft cart" and printed instructions for possible projects, they were able to take home their very own Pinterest masterpiece!  Check out the craft cart, filled with ribbon, cardstock, wire, glitter, stickers and all kinds of little trinkets to play with!

We can't take the credit for all of these great party details... as they were inspired by things seen on Pinterest (don't worry, we've pinned all of the details on our "Pinterest Party" Board so you can find them for yourself!)... but we will take credit for the custom invitation and menu, which have a fun take on the Pinterest logo and a Valentine's Day theme.  We also designed the "all you need is LOVE, LOVE is all you need" tray that you see in the photo below.  With Valentine's Day around the corner, this party is one we hope you will LOVE as much as we do!

The menu:  Berry Pink Buttermilk Pancakes with Raspberry and Blackberry Butter, Cupid's Arrow Baked Eggs, Sweet Berry Medley with Mint, and crispy bacon.  Guests sipped on milk, mimosas and Red Rooster Punch (cranapple, orange juice and vodka mixture) through striped paper straws adorned with hearts and sayings (to match the logo on the invitation).  For the party favors, each guest was given a "You're all write Valentine" pink pencil.  The decorations:  Vintage Valentines on the mantle, a conversation heart topiary, and scattered conversation hearts on the buffet counter, just for fun!  What's not to love?!

Ghoul's Night In Spooktacular

This Halloween, how about throwing a Ghoul's Night IN?

We love the details from this party - especially the invitation and the "shocktail" station!

Here are the details pictured above: 

This invitation, housed in a manilla envelope, is a fun play on a medical examiner's record.  With a skull image printed on vellum and attached to the "Medical Report" with a paper clip, this invitation is definitely one that guests will remember!

For the table, each place setting is framed with a black paper shoe (originally in PaperCrafts magazine in October 2005, updated template downloaded from Ellen Hutson). The shoe is garnished with a striped stocking filled with candy and a personalized tag.  Such an easy (and fun) place setting idea (that doubles as a party favor too)!

A Cocktail Cart is a great way to get any party in gear - it gets people involved!  Guests are given the opportunity to mix their own "shocktail" - in this case, with Black Vodka (Blavod), while they mix and mingle.  The featured drinks for this evening were a Black Widow, Bad Moon Rising, and Olive You to Death (you can see the ingredients on the drink cart board).

Appetizers included Mini Caramel Apples, Horsey Shrimp Cups, "Choke" Dip with Salty Bones and Spicy Meatballs.

For dinner, guests were served "Heart" (of Palm) Salad, Pumpkin Gut Soup, Grill (Chicken) Legs, Scream Beans, Stuffed Shells  and "Coffin" Cake with "Eye Scream"

As a party favor, guests even took home "Spiderwebs on a Stick" (white cotton candy wrapped around a rock candy stick and garnished with a tag and spider ring).

All in all, a SPOOKtacular evening we think!

Pancakes & Pajamas Party

How fun would it be to wake up in the morning and go straight to a fabulous birthday party?  Just take a look and see!
We absolutely love this Pajamas & Pancakes theme from our customer Kelly L., especially all the little details she used to make this morning shin-dig a memorable one for her daughter AND all of their guests.

We were excited to create this custom invitation for the party, and can't believe how it worked so perfectly with Kelly's planning!

{Don't miss the "pancake" sugar cookie favors at the bottom- they look so real ...great job, Kelly!}

 

Don't miss the details:  A dining table with a fun sheet and propped up pillows serves as a fun (and functional) serving table - Pancake Toppings make it fun for everyone to build their own (and food coloring in the pancake batter makes it even more magical!) - Several varieties of syrup take regular pancakes from drab to fab (a great investment for just a little money) - Colorful lanterns and a pinata add color to the porch area with brightly colored table cloths - Let kids have their cereal and play with it too with a Fruit Loop necklace station - Make a "stack o cake" using cake batter on the griddle (Kelly said it was a little tricky at first, but she got the hang of it- and we think the effort was worth how great it looks!) - For party favors, mini stacks of "pancake" cookies are the perfect ending to this sweet birthday party ( again, great job, Kelly!)

Summer Brunch

Summer is the perfect time to host a brunch- especially on the patio or poolside... and we've got a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing!

When it comes to a party, there are a few little tips that will make a BIG impact.  Here are a few of our favorite ideas:

 - add decorative straws to your tablescape (like the ones shown below - they each have a specific "flag" that makes them fun and festive - the pink straws say "Yes, please" and the purple and green straws say "Hello, Mary")

- identify what your guests are eating and drinking (here we used mini chalkboards, but you could use decorative food picks or tent cards or something even more creative)

- try to come up with one "wow" factor for your party - whether it's a killer recipe, a unique floral arrangement, fun party favor, live entertainment or a serving experience (like the bloody mary bar below)- people like to experience new things, and as a hostess, giving them something to talk about is worth it's weight in planning!

We love these brunch bar ideas - after all, brunch is just a great excuse to have a cocktail before noon, right?  If your crowd is a bit more reserved, the "Choose Your Own Adventure Mimosa Bar" might be the way to go.  Guests can decide for themselves how much (if any) champagne they want to add to their orange juice.  If your guests aren't shy about the booze, then let them mix and mingle with a build-your-own Bloody Mary Bar!

Want to snag the idea for your next party?  Of course you'll need the basics - bloody mary mix (we used Mr. & Mrs. T's- regular, not spicy), ice, margarita salt, and vodka (since we're in Texas, we like Tito's).

For the "toppings", here are our suggestions:  olives, pickle spears, pickled asparagus, hot peppers, shrimp, carrots, celery, Tony's Creole Seasoning, Worchestershire sauce, Tobasco sauce, limes, and candied bacon.  Oh yeah.  You read that correctly.  Candied bacon... yum!

Are you short on space for all of your 'Mary Bar fixin's?   You could always make a drink cart like ours!  This old baby changing table was bought at a thrift store for just $15.  With a little paint, rolling casters, fabric to line the shelves and a plexiglass cover for the top shelf... it's a new piece of furniture with a much more fun purpose!

Alright, drinks are covered, now on to the food... 

Brunch is great because it's the best of breakfast and lunch- you can't go wrong!  We tried to cover all of the bases- from fruit to bread, sweet and savory. 

BRUNCH MENU

Yogurt and granola bar (featuring Greek Gods Vanilla yogurt and an assortment of berries, pineapple and granola for guests to create to their liking)

Sausage Cheeseballs (probably the only Paula Deen recipe that doesn't call for any butter!)

Rosemary and Strawberry Scones (gotta love this easy recipe from Giada DeLaurentiis)

Baked Tomatoes stuffed with spinach, feta and egg (no official recipe here- just hollow out beefsteak tomatoes and layer with a sprinkle of feta, a few spinach leaves, and pour scrambled egg mixture to the top and bake until cooked through)

Fruit Skewers

 

See now, doesn't having brunch sound fun?  Get to brunchin'!

 

 

Vintage Bird Bridal Shower

We love when our customers use a custom invitation design as a base for the themed details of their party!  Check out this adorable, vintage bird themed Bridal Shower from Laura N!  We love all of the little details!

From the top:  Custom vintage bird invitation from Calligraphy Etc., coffee beans in jars as party favors with the personalized label - "Love is brewing!" and a gingham fabric tie around the jar {the bride and groom-to-be love visiting a local coffee shop where these beans came from}, gorgeous flower arrangements in grapevine "nests" with accents of green moss balls, pearl-dipped marshmallows on "I DO" flagged skewers, tiny bird nests and eggs in various jars around the house, and raspberry sorbet for dessert (in beautiful vintage glasses of course!)... by the way, doesn't all of the food, especially that fruit salad, look gorgeous?? 

Well done Laura!  Thanks for sharing your party details with us!

Cotton Country Christmas Dinner

In West Texas, cotton really is King around here, especially this year when most farmers had a great crop!  Since my granddad is a cotton farmer, and since I invited my grandparents to Christmas Dinner, I decided to incorporate cotton into my table centerpiece.  Filled with luscious pine needles and greenery, I thought it would be fun to replace flowers with snippets of cotton stalks and pine cones.  I actually loved the effect (and my granddad thought it was quite clever too, so he was amused as well)!

For each place setting, I used a twig (from a tree out back) to fasten a cardinal Old World Christmas ornament to, next to each place card.  The ornament served as a party favor AND table decor!  I also found tiny white poinsettia stockings that held the silverware for each guest.  A roaring fire and a few votive candles later... A festive and country Christmas Dinner is served!

 

Here was the dinner menu (and I must tell you it went over FAMOUSLY!):

For appetizers- jalapeno poppers and mozzerella stuffed cherry tomatoes

For the main course-

Spice-Rubbed Turkey Wrapped in Proscuitto (Tim Love's recipe from Country Living) ***** sooo good!***

Potatoes au Gratin

Steamed Fresh Squash

Grilled asparagus

For dessert-

Brown Butter Pumpkin Layer Cake (from Fine Cooking)  **more butter than i've used to cook in 6 months, but MAN it was tasty!**

 

 

 

How Frightfully Inviting

Halloween is only 27 days away!  Are you planning a party? 

Whether you're having a pumpkin carving party for the kids or an adult soiree, it's time to get those invitations printed and in the mail... and to get you started, we're offering FREE PRINTING on all Halloween invitations THIS WEEK ONLY! (offer ends Saturday, October 9,2010- sorry, only applies to in-store orders - so come in and see us!).

We have over 30 Halloween-themed invitations on our shelves, and we can help you find the perfect one for your party! 

Just a few of our faves (from Inviting Company):  
 

 

 

 

 

 

To get those creative juices flowing, here are a few wording ideas to set the mood for your Halloween get-together:

"Trick or Treat!  Come by and get something good to eat!"

"You're invited to join us for a frightfully good time"

"We're having a Halloween Brew-haha, and you're invited!"

" Join us for a Spooktacular Halloween Party"

"This night will be bewitching!"

"Join us if you dare... for a Halloween scare!"

"Let's scare up some fun with a Ghoul's Night Out!" (or IN, with ideas from our last post)

Yes, I know FREE PRINTING is inticing, but if you would rather print them at home yourself, we suggest checking out Dafont.com for a font that's sure to set the right tone for your Boo-Day Bash!
 
 

Ghouls Night IN

  With the first of October right around the corner, it's time to start thinking about decorating with pumpkins and gourds,  wrapping up in sweaters on a chilly nights, enjoying the scent of harvest spice candles... and having a Ghouls' Night IN! 

That's right, Halloween doesn't just have to be all about the kiddos this year!  What could be more fun than throwing a small dinner party for your girlfriends with a few of these fun Halloween ideas?

The centerpiece for this table is simple, but it still evokes a beautiful fall feel.  With the addition of a little colorful stemware, a few candles, a decorative menu and place card/party favor, this party is frighteningly simple and fun!

One of my favorite details of this Halloween tablescape is the Witch's Shoe Place Card/Party Favor.  Not only does the shoe serve a purpose (aside from just looking cute), but it's a great party favor when you add striped stockings filled with candy and tied with a favor tag. This paper shoe paper is from Papercrafts magazine several years ago.  To download the shoe template, click here.  One thing I like about the tag is the subtle orange stamp of the month of October in the background, with the 31st circled.  Adorned with a grosgrain ribbon and small silver buckle, these shoes are simply adorable - your girlfriends will love them!

And for the menu?

To Start - Pumpkin Gut Soup (a delicious Pumpkin Soup recipe from the Walkerswood Caribbean Kitchen Cookbook)

Main Course - Scream Beans, Scalped and Mashed Potatoes, and Grilled Legs (chicken legs with dry rub of course!)

For Dessert - Coffin Cake (coffee cake) with Ice Cream and Blood Sauce (Raspberry topping).

  Even the drinks for the menu were in-theme with Vampire Vineyards wine and martinis using Blavod (black vodka) and "eyeballs" (onions).

What do you think?  Get any ideas for you and your "ghouls" to have a deliciously delightful night in?  Get to brainstorming... we're going to be showcasing a few great Halloween invitations in our next post (for kids and adults)! 

  

Nautical Baby Shower

We are LOVING this baby shower!  We did a custom invitation for the nautical-inspired theme, and just love how it turned out.  A nautical-themed baby shower is perfect for a little boy on the way, and such a fun event for the summer!  This poolside party works perfectly with the color scheme they chose, and utilizing the deck to cookout and serve food is a great way to get people mingling.

One of our favorite details were the matching napkins (which they ordered through us also).  On the entrance table, guests were able to fill out cards with advice for the new parents-to-be, which is always a nice touch.  The finger food was even in the color scheme - chocolate covered strawberries and tiny petit fours with blue and red sprinkles.  The party favors were little bags of cinnamon and blueberry candies of course!

What a great shower!  Thanks for sharing with us!

{ And congratulations Erin and Joel!  They just had their little baby boy yesterday!}