{Fabulous Customers} Surprise 30th Luau Birthday Party

The absolute best part of doing what I do is being able to be a small part of someone's special event.  In this case, a dear family friend, Crystal, contacted me about helping to create a surprise Luau birthday party for her bestie's 30th.  Working with Crystal was so much fun; she knew exactly the look she wanted and her attention to detail made for a very special evening!  Even though the party was held in the birthday girl's own backyard, Crystal was able to keep it surprise.  Of course, the birthday girl's husband, Chris, was in on the surprise and was able to sucessfully keep her away from her house, while Crystal and her friends set up the party. 

Crystal dreamed up the idea of pouring sand down the center of the dinner table.  She then sprinkled seashells and paper umbrellas down the sand and added a pop of color by filling vases with colorful water. 

Each guest's chair was adorned with a colorful lei.  By the end of the night, many of the party guests were wearing their leis. 

Guests were treated to a menu of beef brisket, pork ribs, smoked chicken, pulled pork and baked beans.  For dessert, they enjoyed a chocolate cake with fresh strawberry filling (YUM!) from The Twisted Sifter and Oreo cupcakes. 

The dessert table also included a fun assortment of jello shots.   Crystal served the jello shots in eight different glass jars -- a fun, creative way to display the treats!

Great job, Crystal!!  I'm sure it was a party that the birthday girl, and the other guests, will not soon forget! 

Kentucky Food Bloggers Night Out

I was recently invited to join the Kentucky Food Bloggers Association.  This past Thursday, several ladies from the Association (including The World in My Kitchen, Fake Food Free, Bourbon & Beans, My Fiance Likes It So It Must Be Good, Savoring Kentucky, Crazy Englishwoman Cooks and The Goodness of the Garden) were treated to a night on the town in Danville, Kentucky. 

Our host for the evening, the ever-energetic Adam from the Danville-Boyle County Convention & Visitors Bureau, led the tour of six establishments.  Our first stop was V the Market.  We first sampled some delicious prosciutto di parma -- not your typical supermarket variety prosciutto.  Then, we tasted a fabulous goat-bleu cheese (a combination I had never tried) and a white Lincolnshire Cheddar.  Each selection was complimented by the Life & Limb beer that was on tap. Not only was the food fantastic, but the store owner, Mary Robin, was fabulous.  Mary Robin's knowlegde about her offerings was superb.  Her passion for food and drink was evident and impresive. 

We then moved on to Mermaids, an intimate, fine-dining establishment.  Mermaids was recently award the 2011 BLOOM Award "Best Restaurant Experience".  Our experience that evening was led by restaurant owner, Kelly, an entertaining and attentive host.  Kelly started us out with Mermaid Punch and Porch Punch, two drinks, both with a hint of Southern and Tropical flavors.  We also tasted an appetizer selection -- seared tuna, wrapped with locally-grown greens and cucumber with wasabi sauce, a prawn wrapped in prosciutto and a filet from Hubble Meats, a local pork and beef producer.  The filet was perfection!  The fresh beef from Hubble Meats was seasoned and cooked perfectly by Mermaids. 

The fun atmosphere at Mermaids is punctuated by the beautifully lit blue bar and the hanging, ceramic mermaid, Bubbles, that greets you as you arrive.  Mermiads also has a well-appointed second floor room that can be used for entertaining larger parties.

The next stop on our tour was 303 W.  We sampled a wide selection of the restaurant's appetizers.  One of my favorites was the pretzel breadstick with fantastic pimento spread.  The restaurant includes billards in the back, but this is not your typical billiards hall.  The stamped tin roof, refurbished hardwood floors and wood-paneled and brick walls create a warm, inviting atmosphere.  303 W's owner, Mark, and his staff were friendly and helpful. 

We then moved down Main Street to The Bluegrass Pizza Pub to sample the Mediterranean Pizza, Cheesesticks and Breadsticks.  In the past, I have also had the chance to sample the Mighty Meat and Main St. Veggie Delight.  The brick oven pizza never disappoints.  The homemade crust and fresh toppings marry for a sublime pizza.  The small, cozy space is the perfect meeting spot for a casual dinner.

After leaving the Bluegrass Pizza Pub, we walked about a block to a new micro-brewery in downtown Danville, the Beer Engine.   The Beer Engine serves its own brews and other craft beer on tap.  I am not a big beer drinker, so I didn't do much sampling.  However, my fellow bloggers seemed to enjoy all of the selections.  With the many selections offered at the Beer Engine, all beer drinkers would be sure to find a beer to their liking. 

While at the Beer Engine, our colorful bartender also gave us a sample of his fabulous granola.  Made by Food Leaf Farms, this fresh, tasty granola was a bonus treat.  We tasted the Chocolate Granola, but the Food Leaf Farms also makes Sorghum Granola and Cinnamon Raisin Granola.  You can check out their website to see where the granola is sold.  

Our last stop was The Hub Coffee House and Cafe.  By the time we finished up our tour, the Hub was actually closing, so had the rest of the dessert spots in town.  Fortunately, even though the Hub was closing, they allowed us to hang out and sample many local desserts.  We tasted cupcakes from The Twisted Sifter, my go-to spot for cupcakes.  I used Twisted Sifter cupcakes in the All American Brass Band Festival party featured on Hostess with the Mostess. 

We also took home gourmet caramel treats from Karamel Kreations.  My favorite treat was the Karamel Klub -- a small pretzel, dipped in caramel, rolled in rice krispies, covered in chocolate.  We also sampled treats from Burke's Bakery, a local institution.  Burke's donuts and cookies make you feel like you've stepped back in time.  Burke's recipes have remained unchanged for decades, a constant source of quality, not trendy, baked goods.

Within the last year, Danville has become a spot for locally-sourced, thoughful, and delicious food and drink.  This quaint town has been tranformed into a dining destination within a matter of months.   Make a trip to Danville and you won't be disappointed!

Mimi's Coconut Chip Cookies

Last week, my daughter was reading a book that had a recipe for chocolate chip cookies, with peppermint.  She really wanted to make them, but I was out of peppermint extract.  She found coconut extract in the cabinet and asked if we could make them with that.  I was a little skeptical, but we decided to try them.

They turned out to be some of the best chocolate chip cookies we've ever made!  My husband even claims that they were the best chocolate chip cookies he's ever had. 



My daughter has also always been my biggest cheerleader with this blog.  She wants to read every post and has helped me set up lots of parties.  If I am designing a printables set, I'll often ask her what she thinks because she has pretty great taste!

So, she has really wanted to start her own blog.  Her dad and I finally agreed to let her do it.  It's called Mira's Munchie Ideas.  Her first blog post is the recipe for these cookies.  If you are interested in the recipe, you can find it HERE. 

If you get a chance, stop by her site and leave her a comment.  It will absolutely make her day!

Picnic with the Pops!

This weekend we were lucky enough to attend a local event -- Picnic with Pops.  Every year, the local philharmonic, joined by a guest artist, performs an outdoor concert.  This year, we were treated to Tiempo Libre -- a grammy nominated Cuban music group. 

It is an annual event for us, where we are joined by a group of lifelong friends.  We have two tables, coordinated by the fabulous Donna, the mother of a childhood friend.  I was assigned to bring dessert, so sticking with the "Pops" theme, I made these Apple Pie Pops. 

The event was held out at Keeneland, which made for a beautiful backdrop.  I wish I was good at estimating crowd sizes, but I have no idea how many people were there.  As you can see from this picture, it was a great crowd.

The event includes a table judging contest.  Attendees get extremely creative.  There are always several wacky, over-the-top tables.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Grey's Anatomy inspired table

Celebrity train wreck table, complete with Charlie Sheen Tiger Blood Jell-O Shots

A Bay of Pigs Roast, which included an adorable stuffed animal pig roasting on a stick

There were also some beautifully decorated tables.  It was a great event to see new ideas and inspirations.  This table was gorgeous, plus it kept with the Cuban theme.

This table had a sophisticated barbeque theme.  Perfect for an outdoor dinner.

{Featured Parties} -- Colin's Pizzeria Party



One of the best parts of starting my own blog has been finding out how many talented friends I have.  Recently, I received a comment on one of my posts from Danielle.  When I visited her blog, A Day in the Life, I was thrilled to learn that we went to high school together.  

Danielle created a precious Pizzeria Party for her son's 4th birthday party.  I love the color scheme she chose.  The orange, light blue and lime green work perfectly for a little boy's party.  Danielle also picked party printables that resemble her adorable little boy.  What a great personal touch!



Danielle set up an art table for an activity for the guests. In addition, all the guests were able to make their own pizzas.  This is one of my favorite entertaining ideas for kids.  When we are entertaining other families with kids, instead of cooking an elaborate meal, we often serve make your own pizzas with lots of topping choices.  It's always a hit with the kids and the grown-ups.  Such a great idea Danielle had to build a party around pizza making.

The guests were sent home with pizza box favor boxes -- so clever!  They were filled with a pizza puzzle and other cute favors.

For more pictures and a list of vendors, please visit Danielle's site HERE.  Thanks for sharing your party with us, Danielle!

If you have a party you would like to share on Mirabelle Creations, I would love to see it! Please contact me at mirabellecreations@hotmail.com.

Lunch with Jon Carloftis

Ok, so this lunch with the fabulous Jon Carloftis is not a one-on-one soiree.  He is actually coming to speak today at our local Community Arts Center as part of a Lunch with the Arts series.  But, a party planning girl can dream about a one-on-one lunch with this talented gardener/entertainer/decorator, right??

If you are not familiar with Jon's work, check out the following party pictures.  He throws some amazing parties!  But, party planning isn't his only talent -- he is more famous for his master gardening.  Best of all, he's a Kentucky native, splitting his time between Kentucky, Pennsylvania and New York City.

These pictures are from a fun, budget-friendly Derby party he hosted several years ago.  It's hard to believe the threw this party for under $120.  Check out the link below to his website to find out all the details!



 

Derby Party

 

Make sure you take check out all of his website.  The site has so many great decorating, entertaining and gardening tips.  I can spend hours on the site!

Girly Spa Party - Mira's 8th Birthday

Before I started this blog, my daughter had her 8th birthday.  Months before her birthday, she told me that she wanted a spa birthday party.   We started planning a couple months before her actual party.  She had definite ideas about what she wanted, as usual!  But, it all came together and that night after her party, before bed, she told me that it was the "best day ever"!  That pretty much sums up my philosophy on party planning.  Although it was one of my first few dessert tables and there was much room for improvement, her thoughts about the day were all that really mattered!

 



Food:  For the food, we served Pink Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting, Chocolate Whoopie Pies, Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows, Spa Mix (Pretzels, Peanuts and Popcorn), Strawberry Whoppers, Pink M&Ms, Cotton Candy and Cotton Candy Sticks. 

Activities:  The girls absolutely loved having their toenails painted.  We have a wonderful lady in our life, Crystal, who happens to be a fabulous nail technician.  She and Mira picked six custom designs from which the girls could choose. Then, she gave each of the girls a pedicure, complete with a foot soak.  In addition, the girls were treated to either a Strawberry Honey Mask or Chocolate Yogurt Mask.  Lastly, the girls decorated flip flops with pink and teal ribbons to wear after their pedicures. 

Decorations:  For the party printables, I repurposed printables from Love the Day's New Year's collection.  We selected a pink, teal and black color scheme.  I made the two-tier cupcake tray from trays and candle holders from the dollar store, spray painting them to match the color scheme.  I also sewed a few pillows to sit on the bench where the girls would be getting their nails painted.  We sent the girls home with little favor boxes, filled with cupcake soaps, bath salts and bath fizzes. 

FREE Printables - Back to School Tags

Yesterday, I posted about a survival kit for teachers.  My kids were so excited to take their gift to their new teachers.  The kit was topped off with a gingham ribbon and a tag.

I made these tags and some other back-to-school tags to be used to decorate teacher gifts and little goodies for the kids. 

To download and print these FREE labels HERE! 

Back to School - Teacher Survival Kit

Today is the first day back to school for my children.  It's so hard to believe, since it feels like we just had our last day of school.  We are all a little sad to see summer break ending, but we know we made the most of summer! 

The teachers at my children's school are absolutely amazing.  So, I wanted to make a little something to welcome them back to school.  I saw an idea for a Teacher's Survival Kit on Bee in our Bonnet and thought my kids would enjoy assembling a little kit for their teacher. 

We first purchased a plastic container that is made to hold beads.  We filled it with some small goodies.  To finish it off, I made a label for the kit (I edited the photo to blur out the school name). 

The kids picked out the contents of the kit.  We included gum, mini clothes pins, lip balm, a nail file, a permanent marker, erasers, post-it tags, lifesavers, band-aids, clips, a mini notepad, tic tacs and hand sanitizer. 

We tied it up with a gingham ribbon and attached a label to make it pretty!



I will post a free link to the labels later this week. Hope everyone out there has a safe and happy back to school!

Boy Party Ideas

Boy parties are filled with fun, excitement and joy. I've found that the key to a successful boy party is to have lots of fun activities planned.  The folllowing party themes are guaranteed to delight the little boy in your life.   

Star Wars Party from Sweet Craft Cakes

For the Star Wars lover, a Star Wars theme will be sure to bring happiness.  During this party from Sweet Craft Cakes, the guests made paper R2D2 models.  Then, they battled using light sabers (pool noodles).



Baseball Party from Mon Tresor

I love this vintage baseball themed party.  But, you could easily use these elements to create a team-specific party, too.  Other sports themes, like football, basketball or soccer, are great  themes for your sports loving boy.

Pirate Party from Pizzazzerie

A pirate themed party would be perfect for any Pirates of the Caribbean fan.  Some activites for a pirate party include having guests make their own pirate hat out of newspaper, a walk the plank game and a scavenger hunt for treasure using a pirate map. Although little boys love pirates, girls would enjoy a pirate party, too.

Cowboy Party from A Reason to Get Together

Cowboy parties are a great theme for an outdoor party.  I love the way that hay bales and other rustic elements were used to decorate for this party.

Robot Cupcakes from Hello Naomi

These cupcakes are so adorable, they make me want to plan a robot party just so I can have these cupcakes! 

Firetruck Birthday on Half Baked

My son had a firetruck party for his 4th birthday.  I called the local fire department and they even brought a truck to our house during the party.  The kids faces were priceless when the truck came down our street.  The firemen demonstrated their equipment and talked about the features of the truck.  They provided great, educational fun for the party!



Superhero Party from Lil Hoot Parties

 

Do you have a little one who is always playing superhero?  It seems like whenever we have a group of boys over to play, they end up playing superheros and bad guys.  I love the idea of a superhero theme for the birthday boy.
 

Monster Party from One Charming Party

I have seen a lot of cute monster themed parties, lately.  Of course, if your child likes scary monsters, instead of cute monsters, that would also work. 

Dinosaur Party from The Celebration Shoppe

Do you know the difference between a Styracosaurus and a Archaeopteryx? I sure don't!  But, if you have a little one who does, then a dinosaur themed party might be just right.