I love this party design for its contrast of pretty spring blooms and rustic earthy elements. Since this event is designed as a brunch and neighborhood auction for Haiti relief, it’s only appropriate to have the raw burlap edges and chipped brick wall back-dropping the brilliant pinks and flowery details. A bit of rubble mixed with the simple beauty. Here are the details… (DIY’s for the party to follow next week)

We set up the party on our back porch under the canopy and softened the rough lines with beautiful poms of tissue paper and homemade felt flower bunting.

A field of life saver & chocolate flowers sit on the table ripe in bloom.

The candy “flowers” are resting in moss and the field is covered in burlap with miniature bunting welcoming guests to pick and taste.

A showing of spring potatoes made with fresh rosemary anticipate the coming meal.

We prepared a plate of scones made using a Sandra Lee recipe and baked them right into old soup cans. They came out extra fluffy (which is a great sconce quality if you ask me) and were topped with burlap spray-painted bloom labels and miniature raw edged bunting.

Since creating the s’more trees earlier this month I have realized just how lovely dessert trees can be. An orange tree in bloom finished off our table, with yogurt covered pretzel flowers and a few little bird peeps perched on the branches.

I stuck the oranges through with toothpicks and hung them with bright orange ribbon.

We dressed up simple white paper napkins with tissue flowers sewn right on. They make for a beautiful and budget friendly addition. Using tissue instead of fabric allows the napkins to remain disposable- just a few quick stitches adds an extra dose of beauty.

A re-purposed table that we found left for the trash was revitalized with a coat of bright red spray paint and a stenciled in bloom. It serves beautifully as a drink table along side our main space, reminding us that was has been meant for ruin can truly be restored.

A great quality of reclaiming trashed items is the ability it gives you to add substantial pieces to your event for a minimal investment- a half a can of spray paint and fifteen minutes work give us a table that fits right into our event design.

While making the ceiling poms for this event I was dreaming of a fresh way to use tissue this spring. These large flowers are a fresh take on the always lovely but a bit played-out tissue flower poms. They went together quite easy and add a bit of whimsical funk when paired with a thrifted frame and an old wreath resting against our brick wall.

Beverages are being served out of a plastic watering can. A cheap find that you can snag just about anywhere this spring. Stenciled in with a bright pink bloom makes this a pitcher I will be keeping around to use well after the party is over.

Champagne is also being offered with fresh-cut orange slices in a goodwill antique tea carafe. The glasses are rimmed with orange bloom zest and lavender.

As a tabletop centerpiece I converted our love vase project and freshened it up for spring. Switching out the spray-paint for hot pink and adding a vase gives this project a whole new (read: bright) life.

Our back yard has a white gate which serves as a lovely entrance to the party. A chalkboard painted piece of wood with a large tissue flower lead the way in.

Along the entrance path also sit our party favors. Individual garden tiles wrapped in pre-seeded burlap with thank you notes attached. Although a bit heavy to carry home, they’re a great addition for our neighbors yards. The burlap can be planted to sprout a few blooming flowers for each family.

Along the welcome path also sit our recently planted flower pots. Using the bloom stationary they announce the reality that it is not quite spring and there is much we are still awaiting to bloom.

Preparing this party has been such a joy. I love how the whole theme has come together around a word that encapsulates so much about life, the season we are currently in and what we hope to accomplish through the event. The little details were so fun to pull together, like the bike wheel wreaths and the spray painted table runner.

BLOOM

A theme and an event that we hope will bless those near and far. A design I hope will inspire you in grace and service this spring.

PS. Share your imperfect party for a chance to win an Anthropologie gift card. Two weeks left to submit- HERE.

blessings.

]]> http://thecitycradle.com/bloom/feed 7 http://thecitycradle.com/roast-toast http://thecitycradle.com/roast-toast#comments Mon, 15 Feb 2010 21:46:50 +0000 Vicky http://thecitycradle.com/?p=7152 We celebrated our housewarming this weekend with a lovely marshmallow roast & red wine toast. It was a fabulous evening and we felt incredibly blessed by our new community of friends.

Roast & Toast would be a great party inspiration for any celebration- A summer backyard bonfire for graduation perhaps or an evening roast & toast to celebrate a new engagement. S’mores will certainly sweeten anything in life that you are given to toast to this year.

(Throughout this week I will be posting a handful of custom printable projects and easy DIY items for you to recreate this Roast & Toast theme)

It’s all in the details:

We sent out matchbook invitations, including a few matches along with the party information to set the roasting theme.

A gourmet s’more bar was set up near the fire with easy access to all the roasting supplies and extra goodies.

To roast we prepared homemade s’mores using Martha’s recipe. They turned out so very gooey and scrumptious, although fifteen minutes with the hand mixer had me quite envious for a Kitchenaid.

Our bar was complete with berry fruit toppings to accentuate the s’more taste. It was agreed by all of our guests that bananas were the most superior tasting fruit when combined with the chocolaty s’more goodness.

The bar was also outfitted with an array of spices to heighten the natural s’more sweetness, sea salt lent an especially exotic flavor.

We had a boat of s’more pops ready to be eaten. Made with store bought marshmallows, melted chocolate and ground up graham crackers, these “lollipops” stuck on skewer sticks were a quick fix for those not willing to wait for roasting.

Standing tall in the back were 3 different s’more trees. With marshmallow flowers, real chocolate molded leaves and teddy grams standing in for dirt, they brought a hint of nature to our indoor fire.

We set up the dessert bar beside our dutch door which brought in that cool San Diego air as the fire heated up our living room. Next to the tree you will see a vase of mini s’mores that were out for the snacking- mini marshmallow, chocolate chips and more teddy grahams gave a tiny foretaste for the bigger s’mores to come. Our guests were also welcomed throughout the home with my favorite easy to make tiny circular welcome banners.

Above the table floated our s’more poof. I made one using these poof instructions. This was of the simplest and most economical decoration I have ever put together. Just a few pieces of tissue paper combined to form this s’more in the sky.

We set everything up right along the fireplace wall so there would be ample ability to roast (We used wire hangers that are easy to unwind) and plenty sitting space to enjoy each others company.

Above the fireplace there is homemade bunting that touts the words of our theme, Roast & Toast. This no-sew bunting was a great way to add a bit of rustic texture to our party. It is a mixture of burlap and silk fabric remnants, strung together and glued on tight. The letters are stenciled and spray painted giving it a very rustic, ready to roast above the fire look. I just love how this theme combined the elements of the rawness of a roast with the smoothness of wine making everything seem somewhat magical.

For non-toasting drinks we served ice cold milk in mugs dipped in chocolate and graham crust.

We also had plenty of coffee on hand with marshmallow stir sticks. To make- simply thread a few mini marshmallows onto a toothpick.

As an extra lovely detail, we etched in the word toast with cinnamon on all of our wine glasses.

Also as a part of our toast each wine bottle was labeled with a word we are currently thankful for. As we opened the bottles it gave us a wonderful reminder of what we were toasting together.

Our guests went home with these favors, homemade marshmallow houses attached to a wire hanger that they can twist out later to roast these treats in their own home.

We roasted and chatted and toasted the evening away. A lovely celebration of our new home and the new adventures we have begun.

blessings.

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