40th Birthday Card Party

02/25/2010 • Birthday Celebrations, Party Inspiration • by

Card Party

Oversized Playing Cards

Steeler Fan recently celebrated his 40th birthday.  A couple weeks ago I offered to throw him a party but he declined. Five days before the big day he decided that he did, in fact, want to have a party.

With so little time to prepare, I decided to make it fun and playful. He agreed to having a Card Party themed celebration. Here are the few snapshots I managed to take before our guests arrived. 

The DECORATIONS were few but very effective.

I found the oversized playing cards and black balloons at Party City. They really seemed to set the tone for the evening.

Since ladies were going to be in attendance, I added a few floral touches.

GAMES were plentiful as were the guests.

  

Of course there was Poker which was very popular.  We also had a table set up for Spades players.

 For the non-card playing guests, we had Dominoes and…

my favorite, Scrabble!!

The FOOD was pretty good too…

 

 Deciding what to serve was a challenge for me.  I wanted to make it nice without forgetting that this was a masculine party.  These are the snacks we served.

Margarita Shot-Glass Shrimp and

Crispy Shrimp Tarts from the June 2007 issue of Pillsbury Summer Appetizers.

Subway sandwich slices.  Also on the menu were Tequila Lime Chicken Wings, Buffalo Chicken Wings, Empanadas, Meatballs, Spinach and Artichoke Dip & Nacho Cheese Dip with Tortilla Chips.

There were Apple Slices with caramel dip,

Brownies and Chocolate Chip Cookies.

 To wash it down….bottled water decorated with scrapbook paper from Hobby Lobby, fruit punch, sodas and

cocktails from our specialty beverage station.

Steeler Fan and his guests had a great time at the Card Party.  Thanks for stopping by!

Bold Black and White Push Pins

02/24/2010 • Etsy Confections • by

Wednesdays are awesome and so is this week’s Etsy Confection.

Black and White Push Pins

These four bold push pins will add fun and flair to any bulletin board!  Each push pin has a different black and white design on it, making them all wonderfully unique.  These make the perfect gift for a co-worker, college student, high schooler or yourself!

The Bold Black and White Push Pins are $5.00 and are available in Emariecreations’ Etsy Shop

A Turkey Pastrami Sandwich

02/19/2010 • Sandwiches • by

 

I’ve been trying to keep “sandwich stuff” in my pantry and fridge because it’s such a quick lunch or dinner solution.  Turkey Pastrami is one of my favorite sandwich meats and this is one of my assemblies…

 I start with a regular sandwich bun,

 

then toast it on a griddle.  While it’s browning I mix a little mayo and mustard together.

 

These are my standard toppings…lettuce, tomato and pepperjack cheese.

 

VOILA!  Time for lunch now.  See you tomorrow!

Something Old, Something New and Something Navy Blue Brooch

02/17/2010 • Etsy Confections • by

Navy Blue Brooch

It’s time again for another Wednesday Etsy Confection.   It’s so crafty…I had to share it!

This brooch is a one of a kind design and is made from three different types of recycled fabrics including jeans, tricot, cotton and linen.  It’s approx. 9 inches in length (23 cm) and has 2 brooch pins attached to the back.

Denim Brooch

A versatile accessory, this brooch is full of character…. it’s modern and funky and at the same time romantic and stylish. It can be worn attached to your skirt, blouse, jacket, handbag, sweater or hat. It surely will make your outfit fabulously interesting!

The Something Old, Something New and Something Navy Blue Brooch is $15 and is available in Chomelchomel’s Etsy Shop.

A Sweetheart of a Dinner, Part 2

02/16/2010 • Desserts, Food + Drink • by

Yesterday I posted some highlights of the Sunday Dinner I recently prepared for my family.  Here are the desserts I promised to share. 

I started by making a few pralines.

The ingredients.

A little bubbling action going on while the candy cooks.  After it reached soft ball stage I removed the pan from the heat and stirred in pecan halves.

The candy was spooned onto parchment paper, and then set aside to cool.  I wish you could have smelled them….so intoxicating.

After they cooled, I chopped up a few pralines to be used with my Chocolate Dipped Strawberries.  The rest were individually wrapped and saved for later.

These strawberries were dipped in white chocolate and then drizzled with bittersweet chocolate, rolled in toasted pecans, and rolled in my homemade pralines.  Don’t worry…we didn’t eat them all at once.

Finally there were Molten Lava Cakes.  I received this recipe via a promotional email from the Metropolitan Cooking Show.  It seemed fairly simple so I tried it.

See that stream of melted chocolate getting all mixed up into the batter.  Miss A thought it was kinda cool.  Me too.

They’re all ready for the oven.

Now it’s ready to be eaten.

Mmmmm.  My family loves me now.  Let’s see what they think of me next week when I serve them salads, raw veggies and fresh fruit.  {laughing on the inside}.

Did you miss the dinner details?  Read about it here.

Thanks for stopping by!

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