Spooky Halloween cocktail ideas

Halloween has traditionally been a childrens' holiday... or has it? More and more adults seem to find entertainment in dressing up, heading out and enjoying festivities while in costume. Alizé Liqueur has developed some seriously sinful vodka-based drink concoctions for your Halloween party or as a treat for yourself after the kids have circled the neighborhood and gone to bed.

From Devil’s Punch to the Mad Scientist Sangria, Alizé offers a drink fit to be enjoyed by every ghoul and ghost. Muah ha ha. Here are some of our favorites...

Devil’s Punch: sweet and tangy with a punch of citrus
2 ounces Alizé Gold Passion
2 ounces Bacardi Limon
Splash of Canton Ginger Liqueur
Splash of Cranberry juice
Splash of Lime juice
Splash of Ginger ale

Passion & ‘Pagne: simple and oh-so-yummy
3 ounces Alizé Red Passion
3 ounces Taittinger Champagne
Serve chilled in a champagne glass.

Mad Scientist Sangria: we recommend adding berries and watermelon
1 ounces Alizé Red Passion
1 ounces red wine
Chill Alizé Red Passion and red wine. Just before serving add 1 part ginger ale. Serve in a wine glass and garnish with a slice of apple or orange.

Vampire Kiss Martini: WARNING, these are addictive!
1 ½ ounces Alizé Red Passion
1 ounces Alizé Gold Passion
1 ounces premium vodka
Top with lemonade and serve in a martini glass.

Embellish your stemware with fake spiders or flies and garnish your drinks with black sanding sugar for an extra spooky effect.

You're now ready for your Halloween party! Offer guests the cocktail of their choice as they arrive and prepare for a night of mayhem and mischief. Enjoy!

Katie's 30th Birthday

This weekend was full of celebration with a 30th birthday party on Saturday and Independence Day on Sunday. Katie turns 30 today and we helped her husband create a fun, relaxing birthday party for her.

The request was for a simple party that was "not over the top" with a theme but still created a fun atmosphere. Since Katie was born in 1980 we went with an 80's style party and added just a few touches from the decade.

Photos of Katie in the 80's greeted guests at the door and continued throughout the house. The only other themed decorations we chose were a string of neon cassette tapes adorning the kitchen area and small puzzle games for guests to work on and take home as favors.

Katie's husband barbecued hot dogs and hamburgers for guests and we set up a nacho bar in the dining room. The cake was made in the shape of a boom box by the incredibly talented Frosted Cake Shop. It was almost too cute to cut!

80's music played both inside and out, and while they mingled, we asked party goers to write down birthday wishes for Katie that we'll use to create a memory book for Katie.

Each guest's "wishes" to the birthday girl will be matched to a picture of Katie with that friend or family member. Guests were not required to dress up, but the ones who did had a great time with it.

Katie, thank you for letting us be part of your birthday. We hope the next 30 years are even greater than the last!

Inspiration Board: Jillian's College Party Housewarming

When you think "college" you can't help but think of red cups, keg stands and needing quarters to do laundry-- at least that was our experience! For Jillian's housewarming we've come up with a fun, festive college-feel for food, decor, and even games.

Here are a few thoughts to inspire and get you in the mood to party: kegs, chips, Animal House, beer pong, Jell-o shooters, quarters, Top Ramen and Tylenol. Lots and lots of Tylenol.

Image credits clockwise from left: Jell-o shots, Animal House, bunting, Doritos, quarters, beer pong, Top Ramen, chalkboard, keg

Melanie's Housewarming

This weekend we celebrated Melanie's new home! Friends and family helped christen the new house and we were thrilled to get to be a part of the party.

As guests entered the home they got to see "before" pictures of the rooms when Melanie purchased the home. She replaced flooring, painted, added baseboards and more. Having the "before" pictures there helped highlight the hard work Melanie put into the home.

As part of our Burlap and Barbecue inspiration we had custom burlap banners made for Melanie's entry way and mantle.

We do our best to use decor that is functional after the party and Melanie will be able to use these as decor in the future.

To brighten up the kitchen and draw attention to the food, we lined the large kitchen window with vases of sunflowers. Each vase was wrapped in burlap and secured by twine.

The menu included fruit skewers, Caprese sticks, Swedish meatballs, grilled pineapple and grilled chicken.

Of course we couldn't forget something sweet. These chocolate dipped marshmallows with graham crackers went fast!

Melanie's kitchen island served as a drink station, dressed with a burlap table runner and loaded with Mexican sangria, sparkling lemonade and a variety of Hansen's sodas. We used pineapple wedges to garnish the glasses.

Frisbees, soccer balls and foot balls were available outside for guests to enjoy the yard and it was a perfectly beautiful afternoon! Melanie's friends and family enjoyed themselves so much in fact, that the party lasted long after the time scheduled on the invitation.

Melanie, we are so honored we could share in the "warming" of your new house. We hope you have many, many years of happy memories there to come!

Inspiration Board: Melanie's Housewarming

Image credits, clockwise from top:
Burlap banner via Etsy

Chicken skewers

Wreath found at Tatertots and Jello

Burlap votive

Caprese skewers

Favors

Drinks with skewer garnish by Country Living

Invitations from Paper Style

Moving into a new home can be stressful, exhausting, exciting, and overwhelming-- all at the same time. After all the painting, remodeling, landscaping, decorating and unpacking is done, it's time to celebrate! Melanie has done so much work on her new home so it was important to us that her housewarming be simple, laid back and FUN.

To encourage guests to explore the home and yard with hands (relatively) free, appetizers on skewers is a must. We also want to highlight the home and decor instead of detract from it with party decorations, so burlap accents for this celebration are perfect.

We are so excited to be a part of this new chapter in Melanie's life and can't wait to PARTY!

Yuliya + Alex

Last Saturday was Yuliya and Alex's wedding in Carmichael, California. The ceremony and reception were both held at Carmichael Presbyterian Church, a gorgeous and quaint mission-style church. The image below is from the rear of the venue as guests arrived.

Carmichael Presbyterian is full of beautiful architectural details and (once the rain clouds cleared out) Yuliya and Alex had plenty of pretty places to take pictures.

These are just a few shots from the reception. When we get the professional photos from the photographer we will certainly share them. The image on the left is the guest view of the head table as they entered the reception hall. To the right were place cards hand written by the bride.

Yuliya's colors were bubble gum pink, chocolate brown and champagne so we used shimmery champagne linens throughout the room accented by chocolate brown napkins and chocolate brown ribbon on the centerpieces.

The bride and groom arranged for the caterer to have hor d'oeuvres placed on the tables before guests arrived so centerpieces needed to take up minimal space. Budding twigs combined with pink gerbera daisies in simple glass cylinders were perfect. A hint of winter combined with the promise of spring!

We took advantage of the high ceilings in the auditorium and secured giant, 36" balloons to the tables. Suspended at varying heights, the balloons provided visual interest, carried in the accent color and added a whimsical and fun feel to the reception.

While Yuliya was set on using pink gerbera daisies for boutonniers, corsages and centerpieces, she knew she wanted pink roses for her bouquet and her bridesmaids' bouquets.

We used delicate baby pink Peckoubo roses for Yuliya's bouquest, the three bridesmaid bouquets and Alex's boutonnier. Simple and stunning. As was Yuliya's dress, which we can't WAIT to show you when we get the professional photographs!

Thank you Yuliya and Alex, for allowing us to be a part of your beautiful celebration. Congratulations!

Feature Friday: The Roseville Utility Exploration Center

Today's Feature Friday brings you a fantastic venue that is perfect for a childrens party or baby shower: the Roseville Utility Exploration Center. Situated next to the Martha Riley Community Library and within the Roseville Sports Complex, the Center is "an environmental learning center focused on bringing visitors information on protecting natural resources in a fun, engaging way."

*Quote and all photos courtesy of the Roseville Community Exploration Center*

It is the mission of the Roseville Utility Exploration Center to promote a healthy environment by encouraging individual actions for a sustainable future. Topics covered include energy efficiency, renewable technology, water conservation and recycling.

The Roseville Utility Exploration Center was the perfect venue for Mason's Birthday "On the Green" in keeping with our commitment to making the event environmentally responsible. When we originally scheduled the room we reserved three and a half hours at a rate of $60 per hour. The party ended up running over by an hour and they didn't charge us any extra fees! While that was great in and of itself, what we were most impressed by was the impeccable service the Supervisor, Bob Garrison, offered.

From the moment we arrived, Bob asked what he could help with. He helped set up tables and chairs, instructed us on how to use the technology, brought pitchers for drinks, and provided ice and a jug for water. He offered a selection of movies to show and reassured us that his office door would be open should we need anything. Bob stayed visible until party guests arrived and then retreated to his office, still available if we needed anything.

The room itself was clean, bright and spacious with a functioning sink and ample counter space. One entire wall consists of windows, which allowed for light to flood in even on a cloudy and rainy day. Although not pictured, the room also had a large white board we were able to use-- children enjoyed drawing and writing messages to the birthday boy.

We will definitely utilize the Roseville Utility Exploration Center in the future and highly recommend the venue to others. For more information or to book the Center check out their website or call 916.746.1550.

Mason's Birthday "On the Green": Budget

There is no questioning you can find parties everywhere on the web. There are thousands of blogs and websites devoted just to parties and party ideas. How often do you wonder about the budgets of those parties? The most common question we get from clients is, "How much will it cost?" Of course budgets vary greatly and no two parties (or clients) are the same but we thought you would be interested in seeing how the budget broke down for Mason's 1st Birthday. If you have additional suggestions or questions please feel free to leave them in the comments. So here we go, this is what our budget worksheet looked like for this party:

Venue (which we will bring to you in detail tomorrow) $210

Food $63 (we are serious budget shoppers)

Smash cake $25

Decor $45 (tees $5, golf balls $10, Astro turf $15, bunting $5, paper $10)

Favors $63 (paper $5, jewel cases $15, printing $53)

Table settings $60 (all supplies purchases through Green Party Goods)

Total: $466

As you can see, half of this party's budget went to the venue, which we feel was completely worth the expense. If you host a party at home the costs are cut but there are trade-offs. If your home can accommodate this then great! If not, there are plenty of other options.

You could also cut costs by choosing a less expensive favor or going without them all together. We could have printed full-page calendars with just one picture and all twelve months to cut down on printing costs.

More ideas? Host a pot luck style luncheon, or simply a dessert party to reduce the costs of food.

So there you have it. A party thrown for 30 people, food included, for under $500. We would love to hear what you have done to cut costs or would have done differently for this event, so please share in the comments below.

Check back tomorrow for details on our fabulous venue!

Mason's Birthday "On the Green": Vendors

For Mason's birthday we worked with some fabulous vendors and we couldn't wait to share them with you! We mentioned before that keeping the elements of this party environmentally responsible was particularly important-- even in the smallest details. Enter Green Party Goods.

 Green Party Goods carries just about everything you could want to complete your event. We could spend hours on their site (and several more hours telling you about everything they offer) but we'll limit ourselves to sharing just the items we used for this party and save the rest for a Feature Friday.

Table settings for Mason's birthday included Biodegradable Sugarcane Plates, Recycled Paper Napkins, Recylced Paper Cups and Potatoware Utensils. We also used their Natural Fiberware Lunch Boxes for to-go lunches for the golfers.

Speaking of the golfers' to-go lunches, we used brown and white striped twine purchased on Etsy from Swann and Smerlin. Despite this seller residing in Ireland, the items arrived quickly and were packaged beautifully. Exactly the attention to detail we appreciate!

Also found on Etsy were the cupcake liners we used for the mini cupcakes, cake bites and cake pops. The sheer selection in Cupcake Social's shop is awe-inspiring. We were specifically looking for cupcake liners that resembled blades of grass to mimic the look of golf balls "in the rough" and found them at Cupcake Social. It was hard to resist buying more than we needed since there were so many fun cupcake wrappers to choose from!

The cupcakes, cake bites and cake pops were nice, but the most important dessert was the birthday boys cake. The Frosted Cake Shop custom made Mason's smash cake for the occasion. We requested a "golf inspired" cake in orange, apple green and brown. The result was nothing short of perfection! Owner, Tessa Lindlow, even managed to accommodate our order with a low-sugar and organic-ingredient recipe. If you ever need a specialty cake or cupcakes, The Frosted Cake Shop is the only way to go!

There you have it, a few of the fabulous companies we work with and order from. We hope you will consider them for your next event and please feel free to share other vendors you have had success with.

Next up is the budget. The single most frequent question we get from brides, mothers, friends and party-hosts (or hostesses) everywhere: How much will it cost? We'll share this party's budget with you tomorrow!

Mason's Birthday "On the Green": Decor

For Mason's 1st Birthday "On the Green" decor was minimal, partly because the venue didn't need a lot of embellishment and partly because we wanted to keep costs and materials down. We used 6' x 1.5' lengths of astro turf as table runners. They were sturdy, inexpensive (about 48 cents per square foot) and can be used after the party. Centerpieces were cylinder-shaped vases (which were re-used Pom juice glasses) filled with golf balls and wrapped with a strip of grass-patterned paper and an orange ribbon.

(The golf balls in the center pieces were actually more of a source of entertainment for the kids than anything else!)

We made a simple bunting using eco-felt and 1/4 yard of three different fabrics. The bunting now adorns Mason's bedroom walls!

Favors aren't necessarily "decor" but they were our favorite project from this party so we wanted to highlight them. We used this template from Shutter Sisters to create mini photo calendars for guests (using recycled paper.) Each month featured a picture of the birthday boy from the previous year during that month.

The calendars are made to rest in jewel cases. On the back were directions on how to assemble the jewel cases. Adorable and relatively inexpensive to make.

Activities during the party consisted of Wall-E (the movie) playing for the kids, a station to color golf-related clip art pictures, a "Guess How Many" jar full of golf tees and a "Mason Trivia" game for the adults.

When guests RSVP'd for the party, those who wished to golf were given a tee time and we incorporated a golf mini-tournament! There was plenty to do for all ages-- a must for any party.

Come back tomorrow to check out the awesome vendors we used for this event and Thursday for a sneak peek at our budget!

Mason's Birthday "On the Green": Food

Yesterday was Mason's 1st Birthday Party "On the Green". Not only did the party have a golf theme but the "green" carried into every aspect in the form of recycled materials, compostable elements and even guest participation. We'll be sharing this party all week so first here was the menu:

U.S. Open Club Sandwiches

Presidents Cup Fruit Skewers

PGA Tour Potato Salad

Masters Marinated Vegetables

For dessert, Bakerella's cake pops and cake bites as:

In the Rough Red Velvet Cake Pops

Fairway Vanilla Cupcakes

Muddy Golf Balls (Chocolate Cake Bites)

Drinks included:

18th Hole Bloody Mary's

Pebble Beach Punch

When guests RSVP'd for the party those who wished to golf were given tee times. Everyone met at the party location (which we'll share on Feature Friday this week) and the golfers picked up their lunches before heading out to the course.

Up tomorrow: Decor and Activities

Wednesday: Vendors

Thursday: Budget

Friday: Venue

DIY Button "Bouquets"

Last weekend was Laura's baby shower! This time of year (close to Valentines Day) the price of flowers rises significantly so we opted for some non-flower alternatives. One of which were button bouquets pictured below. These are super simple to make, work with any color scheme, are cost effective and most importantly (we think) utilize less resources than fresh flower bouquets.

For this project you'll need:

- buttons

- floral wire

Start with lots of buttons in various shades of your color scheme. In our case it was pink, pink and more pink.

Now begin to make stacks of buttons for each "flower". Three or four buttons per stem is a good number. You want to vary the colors and shades-- or you can use three of one color and one small button on top for the center of the flower.

Bend the floral wire in half and thread the wire through two holes on each button. Push each button to the end of the loop on the floral wire.

Secure the buttons by twisting the floral wire all the way to the end. You're done!

Display groups of the button bouquets in small vases or tie them together with ribbon to decorate a place setting. When you're done with them you can untwist the wire and save the buttons for something else.

Easy, cute and environmentally responsible. We love it!

DIY Stocking Favors

Every party needs handmade and personalized elements so for Pete's 70th In Luau of Christmas party we made these stocking favors for guests to fill with candy. Here is how you can make some (for next year) or apply the concept to a design that fits your party...

Step 1: Gather your materials. In this case we used 1/2 yard each of red and green Hawaiian floral fabric and 1 yard of navy blue fabric (for the trim and backing). Using a less expensive solid backing is cost effective but doesn't compromise the look you're going for. You'll also need a rotary cutter, self-healing mat, ruler, sewing machine and thread.

Step 2: Print out a template in the size and shape of your favors (like this stocking one from Martha Stewart) or draw your own. Trace enough shapes for a front and a back for each favor. We made 16 stockings so there were 8 of each color for the front and 16 navy blue for the back.

Step 3: Measure the top of your stocking and cut out a rectangular piece for the "flap" of each stocking. We used pinking shears on the edge to give them a more decorative look.

Step 4: Pin the fold to the wrong side of the fabric (align it with the top) and sew approximately 1/8-1/4 inch seam just along the top side.

Step 5: Now flip the blue over so that it is now on top of the pattern and pin the backing to the stocking so that the flap and the right side of the fabric are sandwiched in the middle.

Step 6: Stitch along the edge of the stocking (see in the picture how the fabric is wrong-side out) but DO NOT stitch along the top, otherwise your stocking will be sewn closed.

Step 7: Trim any excess edge.

Step 8: Flip the stocking right-side out and iron flat.

Done! See how easy?