Teenager Party! An Interview on Logistics

A few months ago, one of my close friends, Kimpossible  of the blog  Sun and Stars posted about hosting a Spa Makeover- Themed teenager party. Now, I know some brave people, but I feel like it takes a special kind of person willing to open their home to a gaggle of 13 year old gals. After reading her blog post about the successful, fun-looking party, my Hostess Brain scrambled with the logistics behind undertaking such a project. I asked Kim some questions about the planning process.

Spa Socks! by Kimpossible

Hosting While Moving

With just a few weeks left to pack up our home and say goodbye to our Los Angeles area friends, I still can’t stop partying. Ever inclined to host, even with one foot out my own door, I decided to just keep on inviting guests over and let us be our social selves. Because once we’re gone, it may be months or even years before we see our West Coast friends again.

One evening, after a long day of packing, our friend Jenny came over for dinner and relaxation with wine. We lounged in the back yard and grilled out and talked politics, religion, and jobs. Another night, we invited friends and family over for a “Come drink all our weird leftover alcohol” bar potluck. We still have a ton of vermouth, rum, and lychees, but we got rid of our pink champagne, vodka, and soda, and it was a pleasant evening enjoyed by all.

Here are some tips on how to host at home even when you’re moving out:

Bon Vivants Ladies’ Group: Ready, Set, Sew!

My fabulous friend, Husband’s hairdresser, and fellow blogger Missy of the blog “Technicolor Cutie” started a vintage ladies’ group here in Los Angeles a few months ago. One day a month, a gaggle of us gals get together and revel in our love of vintage. We try to pick a theme to share a skill or passion we have for things that are related to the vintage lifestyle. This month was hosted at my house, and it was called Ready, Set, Sew!

Missy was kind enough to teach us Sewing 101, and the machine I’ve let sit unused since our wedding reception a year ago is now churning out raised hemlines and stuffed animals with lightening speed! I’m going to edit and upload a video of it soon. Meanwhile, you can read her blog entry and pics about it here.

(Like seeing stuff like this? Follow me on Instagram @BerettaFleur for more behind-the-scenes shenanigans.)

Tiki Birthday Bash – With Printable Swag!

I threw myself a Tiki Birthday Bash this month.  Here’s a recap! Bonus: One of my esteemed guests, Technicolor Cutie, posted this blog about it here!  

The Theme of Tiki

Vintage Tiki Drink menu, image found by browsing online. I took some of these fun-sounding drink names and made up recipes to go with them!

Although tiki is big in Pinup culture, I’ve never had a tiki-themed party before, so this was a good choice for me this year.

4 Attractive $40 Party Menus for 10

What’sa matter? Sad?

Why? No money?

Bummer.

Why don’t you have a party to cheer yourself up?

What? Parties are expensive unless they’re totally ghetto?!?

That’s crap. Here are five ways to feed and liquor a crowd of about 10 for around $40, and still make it pretty AND delicious.

Gamma’s 66th Birthday

In February of 2012, I hosted this party for my Father-in-Law Gamma’s 66th Birthday. There were about 16 people, from ages 4  – 68, and this menu worked out well. It was a lot of fun, especially getting to play Army Men with the 4 year old!  Here’s the menu.

A Romantic Dinner for Two – Menu, Recipes and How to Pull it Off!

I wrote this post for Valentine’s Day, but it works for any time you want to be romatic.

Menu: Mussels Appetizer. Grilled Flank Steak, Grilled Veggies.  

Dessert:  Fruit and chocolate fondue

Bar: Pinot Grigio, Cabernet, Port  

OR  Sparkling or still water with lemon, espresso

This menus is for the cook at home, to make for someone you’re in love with and who loves you, since you will have garlic breath. OR, if you prefer, a great idea is to have sexy time BEFORE you eat it. And then make this in your bathrobe and enjoy it before a fire/ by candlelight.

SickNic

Husband and I were laid up to the bone in February 2012. Coughing, sneezing. Waking each other up. Getting low grade lung infections. Getting into arguments about whether or not you can stop zombies by shooting them with feces. (We also had cabin fever).

We decided to dress up and have a Sick Picnic (SickNic) outside in the balmy weather. The dogs played. We drank. And coughed. And ate.

Menu (Required no effort):

Holiday Decompression Party

January can be depressing because everyone is broke, with no plans, and overwhelmed with all the family drama the Holidays can bring about. Since there’s almost zero social conflict and people need a pick-me-up, it’s a great time to throw a party. I threw this party in the  second weekend in January, and here’s my post about it!

Our Holiday Weekend

Our Multi-Holiday Holiday weekend was lovely, enjoyable and low-key.

On Christmas eve, we ate:

Christmas eve: Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! And yams, and stuffing, and spiced rum cider, with sisters and friends dropping by.