Party InkTM Fall 2008 Shannon Velasco

Budget Crunch in Capri

If you don’t throw parties they win!

I’m back. And with a party to share.

 

I hold a wee soiree every summer around my birthday in August. I had planned a biggie, with a couple of great musicians I know & sometimes employ, yummy food, Capri was the theme, all aqua and Limoncello yellow…But with a decided party drought, Capri seemed out of reach. Long Beach maybe if you raked away the medical waste, Capri not so much. Read: No discressionary income. So I gave up my vision of live music but not the idea of a celebration.

 

How to humanely “downsize” an event?

 

The Guest list went from 120 to 25. Who did I really want to spend time with? Who would provide great conversation and witty asides? Who would those I love find interesting? Who the hell wants to drive out to the Southern California wine country where I live? Hubby and I had a guest list confab and we whittled it down mercilessly.

 

We asked several close friends to bring a little something. That does not mean I won’t make some yummy Capraise treats, but I can make way fewer and concentrate on chatting with my guests. I will still be wearing a saucy hostess apron to fool the guests who weren’t enlisted. I hesitate to use the word potluck, bringing to mind as it does, a dingy, paneled church basement and various Jell-O mold creations. But every friend has a specia…

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Photo Credit: The Reveler

Junior Awaits Junior


So my darling platinum hued hairdresser Junior (her real name) is having a baby boy, Eugene Jr. (His real name). She asked me to throw a little client baby shower at the home of another client. My first inspiration was an all blue and white theme, crisp and modern with varying hues of blues. Then came the budget shakedown. There was no budget.

How to make a party? I decided on a Middle Eastern theme because I have lots of décor myself and had access to the table-toppers from a previous event (Oasis, in Event photos). The Mommy to be provided the flowers. Much brighter, in modern containers but they provided a nice contrast and “pop” to both the bar and the food table.

The food,set out buffet style, was laid out with hummus, pita wedges, shrimp and other bite sized goodies. I made cupcakes, which we layered on a tiered, ornate silver stand, paired with groovy enameled brass bowls filled with gummy army guys and blue and white M and Ms (left from our first idea of blue -

on blue). Food & drink is fairly simple for a party like this: Snacks, enough to go around no matter the budget, treats (one main thing and little bowls of extras) and the bar.

The bar (God know you need one at a baby shower) was filled with Champagne, a terrific Petite Syrah and a refreshing white that now escapes me. Not to leave out the breeding and the sober, or those who choose not to swill before 4pm, we provided iced Pellegrino with mango nectar and pomegranate juice (POM only!) for a refreshing addition, fruit wedges for garnish. We call them Sparkling Mock-tails. Click the Signature cocktail recipe link for a download-able version!

On a serve yourself bar like we used here, sugar your glass rims prior to your guests arrival. Using a lime or orange or lemon wedge, wipe along the rim then dip into a shallow plate of sugar. To make it even easier, pour the Mock-tail into iced pitchers.

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