holiday punch

I make this holiday punch every year at my holiday party.  It is always a hit!  Recipe and links below for a punch bowl.  If you know someone who would love this recipe, the punch bowl could make a cute gift!  Thank you to Ms. Lilien for this fabulous recipe!

 

Ingredients

1 cup St Germain
3 bottles Brut Champagne; one for ice ring
2 cups Vodka
3/4 cup Lemon Juice; fresh
4 cups Pom Juice, 2 for ice ring
Fresh rosemary springs
Pomegranate Seeds; fresh
Cranberries
Edible Glitter Stars (I have never actually used these, but could be cute!)

preparation:

6+ hours before the party, make the ice ring.  (I make this the day before).
Fill bundt pan 1/2 full with equal parts champagne & pom juice.  Add a handful of fresh cranberries & hefty pinches of edible glitter.

Day of: add alcohol, lemon, & pom juice to a punch bowl and mix.  Garnish with 2 handfuls of pomegranate seeds & sprigs of fresh rosemary.  Add ice ring and enjoy!

 

 

 

bathtub photo booth

Bathtub party idea #2: Photo Booth!

I offered to host a dear friend's 40th birthday party at my house and wanted it to feel different from my other parties.  So.....no champagne in the bathtub because I've already done that twice.  It took some time, but I came up with another idea for the bathtub.......a photo booth!

I lined the walls with decorative paper, bought 2 signs, and the props.  We already had a polaroid camera, just needed extra film.  It was so cute!  It got people moving around, and was a really fun activity.  I also set up a place for everyone to display their photo and write a nice note to the birthday girl.  

If you're throwing a party, find a place for a photo booth or photo moment!  

Things to buy:

 

bathtub idea #1: champagne

I live in San Francisco.  Which means I don't live in a giant house with a giant yard.  I live in an apartment.  If you live in New York, you can probably relate.  I love entertaining, and with a small apartment, you want to make use of all your space.

Our bathroom situation is typical of old SF buildings.  The bathtub is in one room, the toilet is down the hall in another room (brilliant!).  Our bathroom with the bathtub is actually quite large for SF standards.  I decided to get creative and figure out how to incorporate that space into our Christmas party.  What if I followed the speakeasy theme and put ice in the bathtub like they did in the 20's?  I decorated it with silver & gold and filled it with champagne.  I also added a gold sign that read "Bubbly Bar."

Voilá!  Boring empty bathroom turned into VIP Champagne Room!  

It was a hit.  People loved going in there for more champagne.  It was separate from the bar, so it kept people moving around and interacting.  I asked people to bring champagne to fill it up, so we had an assortment, and 50 empty bottles at the end of the night!

This would also be adorable for a NYE party.

summer napkins

Bright linen/cotton napkins work for a hostess gift, a birthday gift, or a purchase for yourself for a summer BBQ or picnic.  Real napkins instead of paper give a grown up feel, yet these colors & patterns still portray a casual vibe.

new candle: celery thyme

Three hours before a party, my house had a strange mysterious smell.  I opened all the windows and took out the garbage....but I panicked & decided I needed an amazing candle just in case.

Sometimes a problem turns out to be a gift.....in my frenzy, I splurged on a nice candle by Lafco, which received so many compliments at the party!

I chose the "Dining Room" candle, but placed it near my front door.  This scent "Celery Thyme" is a light, fresh green scent with crisp celery, white florals, and a touch of thyme.  The box states 90 hour burn time, which appears to be true.  It was lit for 6 hours & still looks new.

This would make a lovely gift for a housewarming, Mother's Day, or birthday.  For everyone who was asking me "what is that wonderful smell?"---this is it!