On Saturday May 1st, I catered a surprise bridal shower (Breakfast at Tiffany's Theme a la Audrey) for a very lovely young lady named Amy. Amy thought that she was attending a birthday party for her sister, whose birthday was in fact on May 1st. The entrance to the building was festooned with birthday balloons and banners. As she walked through the doorway to the cheers from friends and family that had gathered, she realized the day was for her and she just glowed.
I would like to say that everything went off without a hitch except I am embarrassed to admit that my camera was out of commission. I was so good about recharging the batteries and remembering to place them back in the camera the night before, unfortunately I left my memory chip in my computer after downloading some photos earlier in the day. So I had to rely on guests to kindly relay their photos to me. I had visualized certain poses as it were for my "food photo shoot" that did not materialize; however, there were a few good shots that captured the atmosphere of the day.
Originally, the buffet table had been set up against a nice bare wall, which would have provided a clean backdrop and a better photo opportunity. Once set up, the table had to be moved as it turned out that the hall lights above the table were not operable and created a dark spot. Unfortunately, the move to a better lit spot placed the table in front of doorways and clutter which I tried my best to edit out. I staged a few shots at home, mimicking some of the table decor set-ups for you to have a better view.
In an earlier post, I described the menu and posted some of the recipes. (Click here to see). The photo above shows the Shrimp Cocktail that was served. A martini glass was dipped in lime juice and then dipped into a bowl of finally chopped cilantro to create a pretty green ring. Then finely shredded lettuce was placed inside the glass and topped with guacamole (thinned out with sour cream to be more of a cream style than chunky).
The ladies enjoyed the food with the two most requested recipes being for the Chicken Waldorf Salad and the three quiches (ham & cheese, crabmeat & dill, and feta, bacon, & spinach. I will write them up to post.
Also in earlier posts, I had hinted that shoes would be used for flower arrangements and indeed they were. Originally floral foam and fresh flowers were to be used; however, when I found the fabulous black Gerber daisies, I changed the design. Now normally I would not use fake flowers, as they would look just that.... fake. But I was using black daisies, big black over-the-top daisies, which became more of an art piece as opposed to a floral arrangement. This was how I assembled them.
I found the shoes at Goodwill. Each pair was the color of the week so would have been 50% off but some had been pretty pricey to start with, especially the Nine West pair. When I explained what I was doing with the shoes, they gave them to me for $1.99 a pair. I did have to promise to bring them in for show & tell. Thanks guys for the help. Then I cut a square of black tulle and tightly pulled it together on one end to create a fan shape. I glued the gathered side at the top (heel) of each shoe. Next I cut out some foam, just regular white Styrofoam that I had lying around and placed it in each shoe over the base of the tulle fan. I used a black paper napkin tucked around the foam to hide everything.
Next, I wanted a little bling so I found sparkly pieces here and there to hot glue in the center of each flower including, on sale, packs of 6 beaded flowers that I cut from their stems and placed on the smaller daisies. The larger jewelery piece shown above is actually from a fancy pony tail holder that I purchased at Goodwill.
One shoe from each pair had 2 small Gerber daisies, silver leaves and pearl berries. I then added a white candle, placing hot glue at the base of the candle and pushing it down through the paper napkin cover and into the piece of foam. The other shoe had only one large bejeweled flower, silver leaves, pearl berries and no candle.
Here are some photos of the finished project.
You will see in the buffet photos that I used this large gift bag to add some height to the table. I filled it with stuffed newspaper and then added a child's black tutu. Some more of the black Gerber daisies were placed inside the opening of the tutu.
Next to it is a jar of black licorice. The licorice flared out like petals of the daisies.
Here are a few color shots of the buffet table. The first photo shows the decorated bandboxes that I made and the silver shoe menu card holders that I created. Click Here and Click Here to see how they both were made.
This is a staged vignette of some of the pieces used at the shower which included the shoes, black gloves and silver glasses.
The ladies loved the purse "save the date" favors that were designed for the shower, my original design, (click here to see) and also the silver shoe menu card holders.
The photo on the left shows the gift bag flower arrangement, the band boxes, and a nice rectangle box that held the plates and napkins. The photo on the right shows a vintage pair of long black gloves adorned with a "diamond" engagement ring ( a paperweight purchased at Christmas Tree Shop).
Here are a few more photos of the buffet table which include the cake made with gumdrop roses (click here to make). The photographer of these photos was trying to be creative in taking black and white photos. I hope that you can see all the different components of the tablescape.
The happy couple, Amy and Jeff. I raise my mimosas to them in a toast, best of luck with the wedding and their new life. Cheers.
Have a great Day.
Sherrie
Saturday is the Bridal Shower that I have been working on .... it has been a little hectic around here.. I have to apologize for not getting a chance to visit everyone this week for all the fun Vintage and Thrift part
ies that were being held but promise to catch up on my blogging Saturday Night. In the meantime, I thought you might like to see the party favor I created for the shower. It is a fun keepsake of the day and also a "save the date" reminder as the wedding will not be held until September. As we were going with a fashion theme, I thought it appropriate to have little pocketbooks. So here is my first ever tutorial .... this is harder than it looks, the tutorial that is and not the making of the purses. Added to the degree of difficulty, low battery power meaning only a few photos were able to be taken.
These little purses were made from lightweight cardstock and a few sheets of flocked black and white scrapbook paper. Other supplies included thin ribbon, stick on sequins, velcro dots and a few sheets of vellum paper.
Here is the pattern. The dotted lines indicate where the paper is folded. The first fold line makes the purse flap, the next dotted lines form the flat base of the pocketbook so that it can stand on its own. The little pattern piece is for a contrasting paper of your choice which is adhered on the larger piece and is the purse flap.
Next I ran off using my mailing label format on my computer, the names of the bride and groom, the date of the wedding, and a reminder to save the date. These were then cut out to be glued on the inside of the purse. I could have just printed them out on the self sticking white mailing labels but I liked the sheen of the vellum.
In the next 2 photos you will see that the black and white paper has been glued in place. I then used my pinking shears to cut around the whole piece before folding, for a nice decorative edge. A sequin is affixed to the bottom part of the purse flap to mimic the clasp. I used the self sticking round velcro dots to close the flap. Cutting each circle into 4 quarters, I could do 4 favors with just one round.
In this photo the dark black dot that you see is the velcro. The corresponding piece of velcro is under the purse flap, on the inside. With a small hole punch, I made 2 holes to run the ribbon through for the handle.
50 little purses later, I am ready for the Bridal Shower. I hope that my instructions were somewhat clear. It really is an easy project and when all grouped together, they look really sweet.
I am off to get ready for the Shower. Don't worry I promise to post photos of the table, the food and the decorations.
Have a good day.
Sherrie
I was surprised last week to have received so many comments from folks; themselves being surprised, at just what you can find at Goodwill. As I have shared before, it is easy for me to pop into a Goodwill Store 3 or 4 times a week. So I will admit, if you spend that much time in one of their stores, the odds are good that you will find something. Today, I am sharing a few pics on what I found last Saturday at the brand new Goodwill in South Portland, just one stop, at one store.
Since I am sharing, I am joining Linda @ Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays;
Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality for Today's Thrifty Treasures;
and Suzanne @ The Coloradolady for Vintage Thingies Thursday for all my thrifty purchases.
Please click above or see the parties posted on my sidebar to get to their fabulous parties. No invitations or R.S.V.P's needed. Enjoy.
As you see from my banner, I love green. This little creamer was my first purchase and is already on my kitchen shelf with my others. (And yes, I was collecting Fireking long before Martha Stewart showcased it in her magazine when she was decorating her daughter's apartment with these dishes, and then the prices went through the roof, because every dealer felt that if Martha collects it, we can charge more.)
I was even more excited when I found this platter. It has handles on either side that I accidentally cropped out of the photo, oops. It is about 14 inches across, and yes it is one of my favorite colors. It was on the bottom shelf and topped with a stack of newer plates made in China. I was not expecting to see it marked Redwing. Probably my best find of the day.
Ironstone for $.99 a piece, need I say more? The little flower plates are marked USA . My plan is to place a little nest and eggs in the center of each plate. At $.50 cents, if they don't turn out well, no real money invested. I just loved the plates simple graphics.
The silver tray and pedestal tray will both be used at the Bridal Shower I am catering on Saturday. Can you ever have too much silver shine? The Pewter tankard was only $.99 and it is engraved Robert and has the clear glass bottom. Nope, I don't know any Robert's but thought it would make a lovely vase.
Once again, you never can have too much glassware. To the far left is a little hot beverage container. It is next to a charming glass creamer. In the back row are 2 tall frosted glasses in the green and pink. I have a large frosted pink bowl that matches these glasses. The other tall glass is really heavy and it reminds me of what you would find in a restaurant for your ice cream floats. I am not sure if it is vintage, but at $.99 it is a thrifty find. The silver rimmed glasses are going to be added to a box of bar glasses that I am collecting for a gift for a friend.
I love this plate. It is a cream/brown flower plate, Johnson Brothers, England.
Two hand embroidered pillowcases. There are just a few places that still show the printed on design missing the completed stitching. One pillowcase for Ma, the other for PA.
This 3 piece set was in an earlier pic. It has a white lining that you can see is worn in a few spots. The size of the pieces seem a little small to be for regular use and I am wondering if it wasn't part of a toy set. I have started to clean the silver and it is coming out well; however, in this unpolished state, it would look lovely holding a few succulents or moss covered rocks.
Don't you just love the "puppy dog eyes" that this piece has? It isn't ceramic or plaster of paris, could it be chalkware? This is an area I have no knowledge of, and any help would be appreciated. He will be a gift for my friend whose own dog looks like this charming little fellow. The poodle pin was equally as charming and I won't be wearing it as a pin, but rather incorporating it into a new artistic endeavor.
This was all from only one of far too many trips to Goodwill. I look at it this way (as in rationalize and justify). For the few dollars that I spent, would not even cover the price of admission to a movie, plus popcorn and drink for a night out .... and this was much more fun.
Please be sure to see what every one else is showing today and have fun thrifting.
Have a great day.
Sherrie
The Bridal Shower is scheduled for Saturday and I am in full motion. As I discussed earlier, the theme is Breakfast at Tiffany's, which means the mod chicness of the 1960's, bold graphics, fun fashion and plenty of bling.
I normally use buffet markers to identify the food being served, especially if anything contains nuts. However my silver crown markers did not fit this theme. Since I am using pocketbooks and shoes in my tablescape design, I thought I could use some little shoe ornaments to do the job.
Now these garish little beauties were a Christmas Tree Shop find about 5 years ago, in fact an after Christmas sale of $.10 cents apiece. I used to have about 40 of them. The pink ones were on my Victorian Tree and the rest I used as gift packages toppers.
I had just boxed them up in January and had put them in my designated lawnsale closet to be sold this summer.
After taking over an hour digging through the boxes, I finally retrieved them. (This always happens. As soon as I put something out for the lawnsale, I need it.)
I pulled off the feathers and ribbons and armed with Krylon Chrome spray paint, a brand new can bought at Goodwill for $.99 cents, you can see the blue sticker on the can, I began the transformation of the shoes.
Next I used my tag punch, black and white scrapbook paper, and wired silver roses (a bag of them found at Goodwill for $.50 cents), for making my menu tags.
There was a metal loop at the back of each shoe for originally hanging the ornament. The flower stem fit perfectly in the loop to hold the tag in place.
And to think that I almost let these little beauties go.
Many of you have asked what is on the menu, so here it is.
- Mimosas, Ice Tea and Punch
- Fruit Platter with Dip
- Waldorf Chicken Salad
- Cornbread Muffin Sandwiches with Turkey and Cranberry Mustard
- Mini Quiches, Ham & Cheese; Bacon, Feta & Spinach; and Crab meat
- Banana Bread with flavored Cream Cheese, drizzled with honey (Click Here)
- Roasted Shrimp Cocktail with Avocado Cream Sauce
- Assorted Mini Cheesecakes
- Marinated Baby Carrots served with Spring Greens
- Cake with Roses (Click Here)
- Sun Dried Tomato and Pesto Cheese Torte with crackers
I have got to get back to cooking. Have a great day.
Sherrie
P.S. Please forgive me for not responding to your recent kind comments. I have been a little out straight getting ready for the shower. I promise to do a proper visit to all when things slow down this week. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
I love to 
organize a party. Make it one with a fun approach, a little glam and a little bling, ...... I am in Heaven. As I posted last week, I am catering an upcoming Bridal Shower for a sophisticated Bride. The theme is Breakfast at Tiffany's. Think Little Black Dress and Diamonds Chic and that is my design inspiration.
First, I need to show a little update from that post. As you recall, I displayed a few repurposed band boxes that I will be using on the buffet table for height and visual interest. I was not 100% satisfied with the silver box with black tassel, so changed it out by adding this silver ribbon and bit of bling (bought at Goodwill for $.99 cents.) I like it much better this way.
Next, I was going to post about the party favors and menu cards that I am creating; however, a trip to Goodwill on Saturday morning changed all that. There in the housewares department were these Mercury Glass candlestick holders for $1.99 each. Their shape invoked the 1960's, perfect for Holly's apartment in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Now I was planning on using a few of my silver candlestick holders, but not all from my collection. Most of my silver is better suited for a Victorian High Tea. These were absolutely perfect for the look I am going for and I bought them all.
One of the ladies at the store told me that these were brand new from QVC. She had just opened them up from the original boxes. It seemed that these and other items had been stored in a horse trailer owned by the brother of the woman that apparently buys a lot from QVC. Now that it is spring, the trailer was needed for horses and not candlestick holders and he had warned her to move her stuff or loose it. (Ouch, that had to have hurt. I wonder if she knows her things are missing yet?)
I followed up my trip to Goodwill with a foray into Michaels. I wasn't really looking for anything but wanted to use last week's 40% coupon. They had a sale in the floral department and that is where I found these beauties ..... black Gerber daisies. I normally do not use silk flowers, much less black ones, but could not pass these up for only $1.00 each for the large and $.75 for the small.
I removed the flowers from their stems and they fit perfectly in the candle holders. How fun is that?
I think they will be gorgeous in a line down the center of the buffet table. What do you think?
Today I have decided to link up with Southern Hospitality for Today's Thrifty Finds. (Click here to check out other fun finds). Normally when I think thrifty I only think of a vintage find; however, I am just ecstatic, dare I say giddy over both of my weekend thrifty finds. Thanks for letting me have fun showing you.
I also want to say a big thank you to all the nice ladies that left such sweet comments about my daughter's birthday. They were very touching and greatly appreciated. In case you were wondering about the Mother & Daughter photo, yes she looks just like her father. Thank goodness she got his nose, but at least my hair.
Have a great day.
Sherrie
On May 1st, I will be catering a Bridal Shower. The bride is in her 30's and as such a little more sophisticated than some of the younger brides I have dealt with for such events. For the actual wedding, the bridesmaids will all be dressed in Black and each one will be wearing a dress and dress length of their own choosing, a trend that I have been seeing a lot more. Personally, I would have preferred that option in the weddings that I have been a participant.
Since this surprise shower will be a brunch, I thought what better theme for this bride-to-be, than "Breakfast at Tiffany's" combining the chicness, glam, little black dress style and plenty of bling.
The menu has been set, party favors designed, and a look created for the table that incorporates sophisticated style and elegance with a fun flair reminiscent of Holly Golightly herself. Think flower arrangements made with actual ladies shiny black pumps and pocketbooks as vases along with sumptuous silver candlestick holders and trays and of course all the cut crystal shining brightly as any diamond.
Over the next couple of weeks, I thought I would share the projects and recipes that I will be using for the event. First thing to discuss is the buffet table -- the "Look". I hate seeing a buffet spread laid out in a monotone fashion, all plates identical and on one level, flat on the table. Any good hostess knows that you eat with your eyes before ever tasting that first bite. The food may be 4 stars quality but if it looks bland and boring, it may taste the same way. Some of the dishes should be elevated to create visual interest.
I had found these band boxes at a lawn sale last summer knowing that I would of course be painting them or doing some other treatment to change their appearance. These are sturdy pieces that would easily hold a heavy food platter. So this is the Before photo.
With a little paper from the Dollar Store, a roll of trim for $1.00 at Michael's, wrapping paper on after-Christmas clearance from Old Navy for $1.00, Black Tassel for $.25 and of course spray paint, here is the After shot. I have a couple more boxes to create for the table, but you get the general idea of the look from these three. The next Bridal Shower post will be showcasing the serving pieces and the menu card holders.
Have a great day.
Sherrie
On Saturday May 1st, I catered a surprise bridal shower (Breakfast at Tiffany's Theme a la Audrey) for a very lovely young lady named Amy. Amy thought that she was attending a birthday party for her sister, whose birthday was in fact on May 1st. The entrance to the building was festooned with birthday balloons and banners. As she walked through the doorway to the cheers from friends and family that had gathered, she realized the day was for her and she just glowed.
Originally, the buffet table had been set up against a nice bare wall, which would have provided a clean backdrop and a better photo opportunity. Once set up, the table had to be moved as it turned out that the hall lights above the table were not operable and created a dark spot. Unfortunately, the move to a better lit spot placed the table in front of doorways and clutter which I tried my best to edit out. I staged a few shots at home, mimicking some of the table decor set-ups for you to have a better view.
In an earlier post, I described the menu and posted some of the recipes. (Click here to see). The photo above shows the Shrimp Cocktail that was served. A martini glass was dipped in lime juice and then dipped into a bowl of finally chopped cilantro to create a pretty green ring. Then finely shredded lettuce was placed inside the glass and topped with guacamole (thinned out with sour cream to be more of a cream style than chunky).
I found the shoes at Goodwill. Each pair was the color of the week so would have been 50% off but some had been pretty pricey to start with, especially the Nine West pair. When I explained what I was doing with the shoes, they gave them to me for $1.99 a pair. I did have to promise to bring them in for show & tell. Thanks guys for the help. Then I cut a square of black tulle and tightly pulled it together on one end to create a fan shape. I glued the gathered side at the top (heel) of each shoe. Next I cut out some foam, just regular white Styrofoam that I had lying around and placed it in each shoe over the base of the tulle fan. I used a black paper napkin tucked around the foam to hide everything.
You will see in the buffet photos that I used this large gift bag to add some height to the table. I filled it with stuffed newspaper and then added a child's black tutu. Some more of the black Gerber daisies were placed inside the opening of the tutu.
This is a staged vignette of some of the pieces used at the shower which included the shoes, black gloves and silver glasses.
Here are a few more photos of the buffet table which include the cake made with gumdrop roses (click here to make). The photographer of these photos was trying to be creative in taking black and white photos. I hope that you can see all the different components of the tablescape.
The happy couple, Amy and Jeff. I raise my mimosas to them in a toast, best of luck with the wedding and their new life. Cheers.
