Gorgeous Paper Invitations

Sending paper invitations is a lost art reserved only for the biggest events in a person's life like weddings. I am as guilty as the next person choosing to use Evite and occasionally Paperless Post. While these are two green options, they are not as special as receiving an invitation via the good ole USPS. The last two times I have sent traditional invitations I was able to utilize the crafting skills of my mom. For those of you that don't have access to this skilled labor, I would suggest checking out one of these great sites recommended by Real Simple. There are a variety of options depending on the type of event and look and feel you are trying to convey. The best part is that these invitations can be designed online using templates which takes the guess work out of the creation process. So check these sites out and don't forget to invite me to your next event!

12 Great Invitation Websites

And the Oscar for Best Oscar Party Goes To...

Me! Of course you shouldn't be surprised since I am the one handing out the award. So as you probably guessed, this is the recap of my annual Oscar party - 9th annual to be exact. Unfortunately there are not a lot of photos as we were all too busy eating and drinking to be bothered with picture taking!

Invitations

As per usual, I used Evite for my invitations for ease of use, friendliness to the environment, and cost. I like the survey tool and that invitees can post on the "wall" of the invite. This event was a potluck so it allowed guests to see what others were bringing to the event. The other site I recommend is Paperless Post however this is not a free site and does not feature the same survey tools as Evite. If those aspects are not an issue for you and the look of a more traditional invitation is preferred, this site is for you.

Cuisine

As I mentioned, this event is almost always a potluck with everyone bringing an appetizer and bottle of bubbly to share. This year we had a lovely array of tasty treats to enjoy! Some of the items included hot wings, gourmet cheese plate, spinach & artichoke dip, hummus, veggies, baked havarti, arancini (Italian rice balls), and several miniature sweets. One of the most memorable items were the special Oscar themed cookies Audra brought to share. There were cookies for each Best Picture nominee as well as an Oscar. If you want to purchase similar cookies cutters, the slate can be found at CopperGifts.com and the statue at CheapCookieCutters.com (Note: There used to be better statue cutters out there but the Academy forced the sites to take them down. If you're crafty, you can always make your own pattern from an image online.)

Beyond all of the great food provided by my guests, I offered a Individual Mini Pizza station and a Shot Glass Ice Cream Sundae bar.

Individual Mini Pizzas

This recipe is modified from the Personal Pizzas recipe in the Better Homes and Gardens New Junior Cookbook (1979 Edition). I will list the recipe as written and note my changes in parenthesis.

Shortening (Did not use)

All-Purpose Flour

1 Package Refrigerated Biscuits - Qty 10

1 8 Oz Can/Jar Pizza Sauce (Also offered pesto)

1 4 Oz Package Shredded Mozzarella Cheese - 1 Cup (Offered Quattro Formaggi & Fat Free Feta in lieu of mozzarella)

Suggested toppings: Sliced Pepperoni, Sliced Hot Dogs, Chopped Green Pepper, Pickle Relish, & Sliced Olives (Offered Corn Salsa, Turkey Bacon, Cilantro, Sweet Balsamic Onions, Chives, & Pepperoncicis as toppings however you can use whatever you have on hand and think your guests would enjoy.)

1. Pre-heat oven to 425. Grease 1 or 2 baking sheets with shortening. (Used foil and no grease on baking sheet.)

2. Sprinkle cutting board with flour. Pull biscuits apart. Put 1 biscuit on the floured board. Use rolling pin to roll out biscuit till it is a circle 4 inches across. Put on baking sheet. Repeat with the remainder of the biscuits.(In order to make smaller pizzas, each biscuit was cut in half and rolled out to approximately 2 inch circles. Be sure to roll the biscuits as thin as possible as they tend to puff up while baking.)

IMPORTANT NOTE: From here on is the recipe as written in case you wish to follow it exactly. Rather than pre-top the pizzas, I par-baked them and allowed my guests to top them and finish the baking process in a toaster oven during the event. One issue that I had was that they didn't remain as flat as I would have liked. When making them per the instructions, that was never an issue due to the toppings weighing them down. An alternative you may wish to try is to use a Pie Weight Chain during the par-baking. The pizza "crusts" were par-baked for approximately 5-7 minutes. After guests created their own pizza masterpieces, they were baked in the toaster oven for another approximately 8 minutes.

3. Spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the pizza sauce onto each biscuit. Spread evenly over the biscuits. Sprinkle each with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of cheese.

4. Let each person put favorite toppings on 1 or 2 pizzas.

5. Put pizzas in oven and bake until the crust is brown. This will take 10 to 15 minutes.

6. To serve, use a pancake turner (does anyone still call it that?) to put hot pizzas on plates.

Makes 10 (or 20) pizzas.

Shot Glass Ice Cream Sundae Bar

Your Favorite Ice Cream(s) (I used Dreyers Slow Churned No Sugar Added Vanilla.)

Your Favorite Toppings (I used Hershey's Chocolate Syrup Lite, Hershey's Classic Caramel Sundae Syrup, Fat Free Reddi Wip, Lingonberry Jam, Kahlua, and Chopped Peanuts.

1. Using a melon baller, scoop ice cream into shot glass.

2. Add toppings.

3. Repeat to try different flavor combos!

Libations

The Oscars are not complete without lots of bubbly! Thankfully with everyone bringing at least one bottle, we had plenty for everyone to enjoy. Unfortunately none of us are bringing in the big bucks so it was all Cristal and Dom. We enjoyed a variety of international sparkling wines with a few options to dress up your bubbles if desired. Choices included frozen berries, lingonberry drink concentrate and elderflower drink concentrate. The lingonberry and elderflower drink concentrates were both purchased from IKEA though the lingonberry can also be found through Amazon. The elderflower is a bit more difficult however St. Germain elderflower liquor is an excellent though more expensive substitute. When using the concentrates, I recommend cutting them on a 1-1 ratio with water. The pure concentrates do not seem to mix as well with champagne.

Costumes

This was not a costume party exactly but it was a pajama party. The Oscars are such a long show that enjoying it in comfy clothes just makes the night more enjoyable. Plus it is a nice foil to how the stars are dressing at the actual Oscars.

Decor

My apartment is small so I don't decorate for this party. If you are hosting your own Oscar party in future years, there are many sites with decor ideas. Or let me know what type of Oscar party you are throwing and I can give you some suggestions.

Games

What's an Oscar party without an Oscar pool? We stopped putting money on it and now it's just for bragging rights. We also played the third annual Thrillist Oscar Bingo. While this year's bingo cards were not as "accurate" as previous years, it was still a fun way to pass the time between boring speeches.

You know it was a good party when there is Kahula running down the front of your liquor cabinet and everyone is moaning about how much they ate. With next year being the 10th annual event, I am going to have to raise my game!

PS - What do you think of the new background for the site? I'm trying a new look out and would love your feedback!

You Shouldn't Have! - A Guide to Gifting

I am sure you are wondering why at the end of March I would choose to write about gifting. Shouldn't that be saved for November as everyone begins to spend their life savings on holiday gifts for family, friends and that annoying co-worker that always gets you a gift? Absolutely not! There are occasions for gifting year round and with these helpful hints you will be an all-star gift giver by the time the holidays roll around!

I know I am not the first person to spread this wisdom around but what makes me different from the Martha Stewarts and Real Simples of the world is that I have actually made the majority of the mistakes I will be helping you avoid. They say the best way to learn is to learn by experience so I suggest you sit back, pour yourself a glass of wine and learn by mine.

Choosing The Gift

Actually choosing the gift can be the easiest or most difficult part of the gifting process depending on how well you know the recipient. Even for those we know the best, we still might not know what they truly want. Here are some easy ways to make foolproof selections.

1. Ask them what they would like. - This seems like the easiest and most logical but it is tricky. Often when faced with this question the recipient's response goes something like this: "You really don't need to get me anything." or "I'm sure whatever you choose will be great." This brings you back to square one.

2. Look on their Amazon.com "Wish List". - What's an Amazon.com Wish List you ask? Only one of the greatest gift giving inventions of our time. Amazon has pretty much everything under the sun available for sale and the Wish List feature allows you to let generate a list of the items you would like to receive. Have an item you desire that isn't on Amazon? Just download the "Add to Wish List" button and you can add items from all over the internet. The Wish List can be set to a variety of privacy settings so you can add all the "Toddlers & Tiaras" DVDs you want and don't have to worry about the entire world knowing. Personally I update mine all year long as I see a new item that looks interesting. Unfortunately I can't buy everything I want the second I want it so this allows me to "save it for later." So the gift recipient doesn't have an Amazon Wish List? I suggest you lead by example and start one of your own. Then you can share the idea with your family and friends which will eventually eliminate this problem!

3. Buy them something you think they will like. - This is probably what you've been doing all along. As I mentioned above, if you know the recipient well, then this is likely the easiest way to go. I have one friend in particular that always knows what to get me and it's usually something I didn't even know I wanted (though he said that a few years he knew what to get me because I told him earlier in the year - another tip - use your listening skills!). Use your context clues to see what they like and what they already have before shopping. It should give you the inspiration you need.

4. When you are still at a loss.... - As Mr. Birchum says on the KROQ 1996 Christmas Tape (yes, that's right - TAPE), you go for the big three and don't stray - booze, porn or cash (or for him the big four - booze, porn, cash and more porn). Now I'm not suggesting that you buy your friends and family porn. From what I understand that's really more of a personal choice. Booze and cash in the form of champagne and gift cards are another story. If the recipient enjoys alcohol, champagne or wine are always great gifts. If you know that they enjoy a specific spirit or microbrew, that is an option as well. For those with a more robust budget, you can always purchase a wine or beer of the month club for a certain duration of time.

Alcohol not their thing? Gift cards are always a safe option. The best gift cards are to places you already know that they frequent. Two of my favorite gift cards in recent memory were both very practical. The first was to Whole Foods where I pick up an item or two weekly. While I ate everything I bought, I was able to appreciate that gift every week when I went shopping. The second was an online gift certificate to Snapfish which is my preferred photo site. I was able to purchase well over 300 photos and preserve all of those memories in an album. These examples are meant to show you that thinking outside the box can make something as simple as a gift card special.

5. What about regifting? - Regifting is a touchy subject. We've all done it regardless if we admit to it. While a new gift is preferred, sometimes regifting is a viable option. Here are some guidelines to assist you in making sure you regift successfully.

• Make sure the gift is something the recipient will actually want and enjoy. Just because you received two blenders for your wedding does not mean that your sister wants or needs one.
• The gift needs to be in new condition. Don't "try" something and then regift it. That goes for items that are missing pieces or are damaged too.
• Remove all traces of the previous gifting. This includes all wrapping paper, personal notes (personalization on the item itself means it can't be regifted) enclosed in the packaging, gift cards on the gift bag, etc. Just because you don't see these telltale signs of a regift when you quickly glance at the gift, know that the recipient will find them. Go over the item with a fine tooth comb.
• Don't regift within the same circle of friends. This goes without saying - you will get busted.

6. Non-tangible gifts - There are lots of special gifts you can give someone either as a main gift or in addition to the main gift. These don't have to cost a lot of money but are extremely thoughtful. It could be as simple as making a special dinner or making a funny card. Because this type of gift is best when it is personal, it is difficult to give specific examples of things you can do. One recent gift I received that fell into this category was from my last birthday. A friend placed a cupcake and flower vase on an adorable little plate with a sign that said "Eat Me". The items were all great on their own but putting them together with the sign pulled them all together and also went with my party theme.

7. Gifts to Avoid - Clothes, fragrance, bath products, personalized gifts, knock-offs, exercise equipment, and art. This list is far from complete but is somewhere to start. Feel strongly that you know the recipient will love a particular item? See gift receipt below.

Giving the Gift

Once you jump over the first hurdle and have selected the gift, the final step is giving it. Easy as pie right? Nope. This is where a lot of people suffer defeat.

1. Give them a gift receipt. - For those that have been living under a rock, gift receipts allow your recipient to return and/or exchange a gift without the original receipt. We all like to think that our gifts are going to be a slam dunk but unfortunately that is unlikely. Gift receipts sound like a no-brainer but they are often not used. In the past I know I have refrained from providing a gift receipt when I have gotten a particularly good deal on the gift. This is wrong. Trust me when I tell you that if you purchased a sweater that didn't fit the recipient, they are not going to care that you spent $50 or $25 on it. It is an item that they can't enjoy regardless of what you spent. Who loses in that situation? Everyone. You have spent money on something that is likely going to charity (or possibly regifted) when the purpose was to treat the recipient. The gift receipt also works on the flip side of this scenario. Let's say you purchased the sweater at $50 and now it's marked down to $25. Even if the store will exchange it without a receipt, they will only give current value. Your $50 purchase is now only worth $25.

I have a friend who is excellent at providing gift receipts. She always does a great job selecting gifts she knows I will enjoy however there did come an occasion when she purchased an item I already owned. The gift receipt made the exchange simple and painless for all. I have also experienced the flip side and have ended up with two of the same item and been unable to return either. The morale of this story? Gift receipts, gift receipts, gift receipts.

2. Wrapping the gift to perfection. - The art of gift wrapping is a dying art since the invention of the gift bag. I am as guilty as the next person when it comes to gift bags. They are so simple and easy to use (and reuse). If you are willing and able to actually wrap the gift, more power to you. I look forward to receiving a gift from you! If you are like me and sticking with the gift bag option, here are a few helpful hints to make your gift look like a million bucks!

• Keep a variety of bags on hand so you have a variety of options when it comes time to wrap. Think of square peg, round hole. A too large gift jammed into a bag doesn't not look good.
• Match your tissue paper to the bag. It doesn't have to be matchy matchy but complementary. I like to buy a package with a wide selection of colors which requires less storage space than buying a different package for each bag.
• If you are going to reuse a gift bag, make sure it is in pristine condition. No wrinkles, tears, etc. Also, check the bag tag for a personal note. If it's there, remove it. Bags that don't pass this test need to be reused for your personal business or recycled.
• Be sure to fluff up the tissue right before presenting to the recipient. If the gift may be damaged in travel, assemble just before gifting.

Accepting the Gift

So you are the gift recipient? Congrats on your birthday, wedding, etc! Let's say the gift giver didn't follow any of my advice. What should you do?

1. Thank them. - Regardless of how you feel about the gift, you need to thank them. Both when you open it (if they are around) and also with a thank you note. Thank you notes can be hand written or online through a site like Paperless Post.

2. Be honest. - If they ask you how you like a gift and it something you already have, let them know that you love it adding something about how great minds thing alike. They may offer to exchange it for you. Regardless, don't make a big deal about it. You don't want to make the gift giver feel bad about giving the gift.

3. Recommend On The Tart Side. - Have family and friends that can use some of this advice? Suggest that they read this blog!

It is my hope that these tips will help you become a better gift giver and in turn set an example which will result in you receiving amazing gifts for each occasion. Can you think of any good advice I forgot? Comment and let me know!

Mad Tea Party/Unbirthday Party

I love to throw parties - especially theme parties. So for my recent birthday party, I decided to go with a Mad Tea Party theme. Since the party wasn't on my actual birthday, it was also an Unbirthday Party. Unfortunately I have a small apartment and a limited budget so hosting events in the style I would like is often difficult. It takes a little creativity (and some favors from friends) but it can be done.

Invitations

I'm a big fan of Evite. Online invitations are fast, free and environmentally friendly. They allow you to poll your guests and send them updates should details change. There is another great site called Paperless Post. This site isn't free but the invitations are made to look like expensive engraved invitations. The cost is pretty low (ranges from $.13 - $.05 per invite sent) so for events you wish to convey a more upscale feel this is a great alternative. They also offer notecards, save-the-dates, and baby announcements among other options.

Decor

I was very fortunate that one of my business contacts gave me a wonderful deal on a private space at the O Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. We were able to use most of the Mezzanine level which provided space for mingling and lounging. The venue provided votive candles which was great as candles without a protected wick were not permitted (pretty standard at most venues). The space was already quite interesting so I didn't want to distract from it. I purchased tea cups and saucers from a local thrift store to make my flower arrangements. I mixed and matched the cups and saucers for a more "mad" look and filled them with water. I purchased some type of flower (don't remember the name but if anyone recognizes the type from the photo, let me know!) from the local market and was able to make 10 arrangements from one bouquet. Very affordable and festive! Of course if you already have tea cups, that is one less step. Since I wasn't hosting this at my home, I didn't want to worry about transporting my good tea cups back and forth so it was key that I used something I could leave behind. Another friend of mine hosted an Alice in Wonderland themed birthday party earlier in the day and had purchased some funky hats from Oriental Trading Company so those were also added to the decor and were available for those that wanted to add something to their look.

Mini Cupcakes - 1 Box, 4 Flavors

What's a tea party without a little something sweet to munch on? Mini cupcakes are so much more fun that full sized cupcakes and people feel less guilty about eating them since they are so tiny. Thankfully this is where another friend helped me out by loaning me both her mini cupcake tin and some carrying cases. Finding mini cupcake wrappers proved to be a bit of a challenge but I'm happy to share that plain white can be found at Bed, Bath & Beyond and seasonal at Crate & Barrel. As you know from previous entries, I'm a bit of a mad scientist. So what better way to let my creative juices flow than to experiment with a box of cupcake mix!

1 Box White Cake Mix

Eggs & Oil (See Cake Mix for Details)

2 Classic White Frosting Containers

Sprinkles

Cocoa Powder

Lingonberry Jam (Available via Amazon, at Ikea and Scandinavian markets)

Lime

2 cubes Dorot Basil (Available at Trader Joe's and Ralphs) or Fresh Basil

Garnishes - M&Ms, Jelly Belly Beans, Lingonberries (optional)

1. Make cupcake batter according to mix.

2. Divide into four portions, each in a separate bowl.

3. Add additional ingredients to batter. See below for details.

4. Pour batter into paper lined mini muffin/cupcake tin.

5. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees and then check cupcakes to see if they are done. Stick a toothpick in the center and if it comes out clean the cupcakes are done.

6. Bake an additional few minutes and continue to check for doneness. Baking time is not an exact science as the additional ingredients may require varying degrees of baking time. It is not recommended to bake more than one type at a time and/or in the same baking tin.

7. Allow cupcakes to cool.

8. Fill a pastry bag or regular plastic bag with frosting. If using a plastic bag, cut a small hole in one of the lower corners of the bag. The smaller the opening, the less frosting will come out at a time.

9. Pipe your frosting onto each of your cupcakes.

10. Garnish as desired or with suggestions below.

11. Try not to eat the remaining frosting.

Bowl 1 - Sprinkles

1. Mix in sprinkles of your choice to dress up the classic white batter.

Note: When stirring, the colored sprinkles will bleed and create a swirled effect.

2. Follow remaining instructions above.

Bowl 2 - Chocolate

1. Mix in cocoa powder to taste.

Note: I had originally intended these to be purple velvet cupcakes but messed up the proportions on the food coloring and cocoa powder.

2. Follow remaining instructions above.

3. Garnish with an M&M. (I used only purple for my party.)

Bowl 3 - Lingonberry

1. Mix in Lingonberry jam to taste.

Note: The jam adds moisture which will increase the cooking time. Also, the consistency will be a bit more like a muffin in the level of moistness.

2. Follow remaining instructions above.

3. Garnish with a single Lingonberry from the jam.

Bowl 4 - Basil Lime

1. Thaw two cubes of Dorot Basil or finely chop (by hand or in the food processor) fresh basil

2. Mix basil into batter.

3. Zest one lime into batter (I recommend tasting as you go to make sure you are happy with the proportions.)

4. Squeeze a bit of lime juice into batter if desired for moisture and flavor.

5. Follow remaining instructions above.

6. Garnish with a lime flavored Jelly Belly.

Note: Some cupcakes got a bit banged around during transport and others are missing because they were delicious.

The cakestands were also created for this event as disposable items. I purchased plates from the 99cent store and used a votive candle to separate the levels. Due to the clear plates, I was only able to glue the candle to the bottom plate as he glue would have been visible through the top plate. This lead to a bit of instability but for this party it worked. I would recommend securing both ends if you expect to use more than once and/or if you anticipate children or clumsy adults.

Specialty Drink

Offering a specialty drink is always a fun addition to any party. The O Hotel has an amazing mixologist and he actually created three different "tea" inspired cocktails for my party. Each used a different type of tea or tea infused liquor as one of the elements. Unfortunately, I walked out without picking up one of the little menus. If I'm able to get my hands on one, I'll update this post with the details. If you are hosting a similar event in your home, you can always keep it simple with one of the tea flavored vodkas or get crazy and create your own flavor combination using tea and your favorite spirit.

Costumes

It's not much of a theme party if there aren't costumes involved! This is probably my favorite aspect of theme parties. For this party I wanted to keep it simple and easy but still "mad". Guests were encouraged to come in whatever they wanted - as long as it was a bit mad. Their instructions were tea party meets cocktail party and turned on it's head. There were a lot of great outfits and everyone seemed to have a lot of fun with it.

Hopefully this party has inspired you to think outside the box for your next party as well as in the kitchen. Look for details on my Oscar party soon!