Posts tagged ‘entertaining’

I discovered a wonderful tea shop during a recent trip to Chicago, and this weekend I visited a local location.  It’s called Teavana which means “a heaven of tea”.  I was really impressed with how knowledgeable their tea people are.  I love that I can sample a few teas each visit.  And I appreciate how their flyer & website educate on how the different teas (white, green, black, oolong) are made, what temperature & how long to steep each tea, and the health benefits of each tea.

I’m not quite a tea snob, but I love learning more of the intricacies of tea.  I got a book last birthday from my husband called The Harney & Sons Guide to Tea.  It’s full of great information, but lacks exciting pictures.  Does anyone have any other tea companies or books you recommend?  I think I’ll have a tea tasting party this winter!

I made this Martha Stewart cookie recipe for a Fall party this weekend. The nuances are perfect…the subtle banana flavor, crunchy walnut, and oatmeal texture, plus the obviously compelling chocolate!

The best part was letting my almost-2-year-old son help.  I measured & he dumped & mixed & spilled sugar on the floor.  He also found a new favorite snack…chocolate chips.

I love melting extra chocolate into my hot coco, so occasionally I’ll splurge on the sugar and make chocolate spoons.  Not only can you add them to hot coco but coffee as well.  Plus you can get innovative with flavored chocolates, drizzled designs, and pretty packaging.  They’re great for gifts & parties, and they’re inexpensive to make compared to store-bought ones.

So, here’s how you make them…

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I’m throwing a bridal shower at my home next month, so I’ve been searching for perfect food & decorating ideas for the bride.  Since we’ll be serving hot tea, I thought tea sugars would be pretty and somewhat unique.  I used a general sugar cube recipe and will elaborate & share what I learned through the process.

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We had a birthday party for my husband this weekend.  I was busy hostessing, so I hardly took any photos.  But the fun parts were: bringing lots of indoor furniture outdoors, candles & strings of lights, the fire pit, great mood music, healthier snacks (humus & pita, apples & caramel, pistachio chips, shelled peanuts), pasta salad & chili, and one of my favorite cakes…Warm Lavender Almond Cakes.

The cake recipe is originally from the book The Herbal Kitchen.  I also found it online.  I really enjoy cooking with lavender and drinking homemade lavender tea.  Lavender has a great scent and a deep flowery taste (so use sparingly!), plus I use lavender buds from my garden so they’re pretty much free.  I served the cake topped with whipped cream, strawberries, sliced almonds, and a small side of vanilla ice cream.  Everyone said it was really good in a unique sort of way.

I hunted through my craft photo archives a bit today.  Here are some prizes I made for a baby shower about two years ago.  I handmade the coordinating jewelry, then made the green tags to sit like a pillow in the clear favor boxes.  The shower attendees were nicely competitive when they saw the prizes they could get.  It was a big hit.

I ear-marked some favorite finds from “House Beautiful” May 2009 to share.  

* Carnival Glasses by Fishs Eddy.  Other fun items are Floor Plan Mug and the Memo Collection.

*Good gift idea…cookbook called Two Dudes One Pan.  You can do a lot with just one pan and a few ingredients.  

*I like the shape of this Tea Swizzle at Sur La Table.  Plus I’d love serving fancy lemonade in an Hourglass Beverage Jar.   I just might make these Chalkboard Signs for my next party.  

One of my favorite coffee mugs got a hairline crack down the side of it.  Now it leaks.  But instead of tossing the cup, I use it as a sugar cup for parties.  

I went “window-shopping” to Crate & Barrel this weekend.  My husband kindly took our son so I could peacefully wander the store.  When I go to home stores like this I’m in full brainstorm mode…I revel in patterns & colors; I’m on lookout for organization ideas; I make mental notes of things I could DIY.  Here are some of my fav’s. 

I love the Bristol collection–teal & black, within white walls–featured on the outdoor furniture catalog cover (spring/summer 2009).  

Seguro Coffee Table-reclaimed wood!  Isn’t it great when wood is reused to make something beautiful?  This says DIY all over it.

I’d sing if I had an orange leather chair.  Does anyone know what product you’d use to paint or dye leather?

Cabo Pitcher & Drink Glass-This is one of my favorite shades of green.  Plus it’s 100% recycled glass.

A blog I’ve been reading for years, the DC Goodwill Fashion Blog, posted this week about preparing for your party at the Goodwill. The DCGF (DC Goodwill Fashionista) linked to a post on NPR’s Tell Me More about planning a party with your children, keeping “green” ideals in mind. In their book Celebrate Green they suggest shopping at the thrift store to buy your party dishes, instead of disposables. Then when you’re done with the dishes for the party you can donate them right back.

This idea reminded me of a baby shower I attended for a friend of mine. She had a tea party theme and decorated with tea cups and saucers she purchased at a thrift store. They were all different and elegant and looked so right for an afternoon shower. Then to top it off, when the host awarded prizes for the shower games the tea cups were the prizes, stuffed with a variety of teas.

Spring and summer are party season. Don’t forget these adorable ideas when you’re planning your get together. And keep checking back here for more ideas. Better yet, leave your environmentally friendly entertainment ideas in our comments!