Plum (Great) Entertaining Tips, Ideas & Unique Party Planning.
All you need is love (and a few irresistible supplies).
This year, Valentine's Day falls on a Saturday, providing a great excuse to buck the couples-only restaurant scramble, and instead, host an inclusive Valentine's brunch. Keep the menu homey and simple with dishes that are easy to prep before guests arrive (try goat cheese quiche, fruit salad with honey, and heart-shaped muffins). Create a warm atmosphere inspired by V-days of yore, when it was all about sweet treats, construction paper hearts, and piles of valentines for everyone in the class.
Agatha Hearts Table Cover Like a grade school arts & crafts project tacked to the refrigerator, this table cover radiates from-the-heart charm. www.plumparty.com/18128.html
Pink Placecards When it comes to your color scheme, think pink. Softer on the eyes than red, it's perfect for the pre-coffee crowd. Rosy pink placecards make every guest feel welcome. www.plumparty.com/18033.html
Sweethearts Conversation Hearts It's just not Valentine's Day without them. Scatter these tiny icons on tables, use them to fill vases, give them as favors, you can't overdo it. www.plumparty.com/18373.html
Silicone Heart Muffin Pan Corn muffins with raspberry preserves? Blueberry with lemon curd butter? Whatever gets your heart racing. www.plumparty.com/17156.html
Classic Valentines These cute cards kick the nostalgia into high gear. Punch holes in them and string them above your table, or simply send them as invitations. www.plumparty.com/18393.html
Valentine Loot Bags We heart these retro goodie bags. Fill them with candy, or miniature soaps and votive candles. www.plumparty.com/16852.html
Make your bash the place to see and be seen
It's the Super Bowl of fashion, the Olympics of egos, and the paparazzi prom, and we can't get enough of it. If you're hosting a gathering dedicated to the glitz, glamour, and gossip that is awards season, our fabulous finds set the stage.
Take One Invitations Clapboard invitations tempt A-Listers with the promise of "ACTION!" www.plumparty.com.html
Square plastic stemware Welcome guests with cocktails, think champagne or kir royals to freshen the party mood www.plumparty.com/22655.html
Paparazzi Play Set Live vicariously with your very own paparazzi. Display our play set intact as a centerpiece or tuck individual figurines into invitations or goodie bags. www.plumparty.com/22216.html
Gold Stars Decorate, walk-of-fame-style, with oversize gold stars. Tack them to doors, place them on tables, or personalize with guests' names and affix to seat backs (director's chairs for extra credit). www.plumparty.com/17861.html
Star Attraction Party Set Serve star bites on our black and gold papergoods: caviar and champagne (blockbuster budget), or Wolfgang Puck-inspired pizzas and soft drinks (indie budget). www.plumparty.com/18747A.html
Popcorn Containers It's showtime! Keep the popcorn flowing in these retro plastic containers. www.plumparty.com/14439.html
Hostess Envy Backyard Lunch
This past weekend, we went to check out our friend Tom and Allie's new house and were treated to a barbeque lunch in their garden. Not only had they just moved in, but Allie is also nine months pregnant--and yet they still pulled off a casually elegant spread... and made it look easy.
Ideas I'm stealing: Allie served two side dishes--a veggie couscous and an edamame salad--on a single platter with a serving spoon on each side. And she wasn't just conserving space on the table--her plates and serving pieces were environmentally-friendly Bambu Veneerware.
Everything about their backyard was charming--down to their gardening tools. I'll buy these cute gardening gloves as a housewarming present the next time friends move to a place with a yard.
In the center of the table was an unfussy cutting board topped with an impressive selection of BBQ fixings, some standard--ketchup and mustard--and some a cut above, like this locally-farmed black pepper goat cheese.
Allie had placed clear glass bud vases filled simply with baby's breath throughout the house, creating a clean and airy flow from room to room.
Fresh Florals
The Spring and Fall 2008 runways were abloom with floral prints. No shrinking violets here-the modern way to do florals is to go for the bold and unexpected.
Take Stella McCartney's fabulous platform sandals, for instance. This vibrant watercolor pattern is surprisingly wearable. I plan to live in them this summer!
The Oasis Flower collection translates the floral trend for paper goods. Oversize pink blooms bring style and energy to the table.
Could anything be cuter than this diaper cover with Carrie Bradshaw-scale roses on the bum? I'm counting on it to win the baby-shower-gift-ooh-and-aah contest.
These pillows bring flowers indoors, without a hint of bed-and-breakfast chintz.
I'm stocking up on a H2 Glo flower lights-I'll simply float them in glass containers for casual summer gatherings.