New York Story 1

Posted on December 20, 2010 by PartyInk

Just got back from the NY stationary Show. Day one was spent moping around trying to figure out what to see. Lots of pedestrian crap. I was becoming more and more worried that I was indeed the sole freak in the custom stationer community. As I turned the aisle searching in vain for the bathroom there they were. Like a hilarious beacon in the night! Freaks like me! Not many doing invitations however. Mostly greeting cards and those who were doing invites were doing invites that weren’t quite what I was looking for.

Boring. But do not fret my little biskets! On day two there were amazing halloween invites from several vendors and some fabulous flocked cards (velvety goodness) that I am trying to order. I want to use them for invites and wedding invitations but I am waiting on my samples (next time I won’t bring so many shoes to save room for samples and catalogues. Not really, I will still bring all my shoes, silly! I’ll have another carry-on next time or mail them home) to figure out how they will work as an alternitive use card.  So lots of goodies comming including the most amazing advent calenders for Halloween, Valentines Day (14 days of naughtiness) and a spooky Christmas. They could even be printed on as invitations and PartyInk could customize the window for the day of your party! Look for these amazing vendors in the ready to write section of the shopping and read the Gazete for the featured vendor because there is no doubt many of the ones we are buying are totally worthy.

After staying two lovely nights in Brooklyn with a fat brunette named Zero, who likes nothing better than to wake me with a lick to my arm pit and a head butt, I headed over to The Algonquin Hotel. F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S! There was a cat there too but she knew better than to mess with Zero’s girl!

I played hooky on day four and spent the afternoon trotting around  The Village, swilling wine and cackling with a friend; Ended up with hair-raising blisters from my favorite cork wedgies. Now I know. Good thing I had brought my brown wood and studded leather platforms for the evening. The straps perfectly went around the blisters! Then to the 100′s to meet my girlfriend’s NYC support network. Champagne, sushi and smart company. It doesn’t get any better than that!

On the last day I checked in with the people I had seen previously and spied a few more! New York really lit a fire under me. Thanks in particular to the amazing funky soul combo on the e-train platform. I enjoyed dancing with you! You do a wicked staple singer! If I can somehow get all my work done, keep the kids out of prison and pack my house up to move, I’ll be on my way!

Posted in Stories | Comments Off

It’s all down hill now

Posted on November 16, 2009 by PartyInk

Halloween is over. I am no longer in denial and I am no longer angry. I have resigned myself to the slow creep of Christmas.

So I was thinking about Christmas. We see it everywhere all flash and glitter. So little of it is thoughtful or unique. Plus we must see it in October. I always feel as though my Halloween has been violated if Christmas is stacked on the end-caps when I am in the market for sculls and entrails.

As a fan of off color everything Christmas initially proved confining until I discovered Simon Doonan (Then Barneys NY star window dresser) in high school. I have entertained magenta and orange, aqua and lime, white on white, feathers, disco as the scheme-o-the-season. I am currently not inspired by anything except the fact that Doonan and Jonathan Adler have a Prince head in their home. I heart random artifacts. AND Prince!

Perhaps we could have a Purple Rain theme and Simon and Johnny could loan me the Prince head? You know Mr. Adler finds the head kitschy and disconcerting. We could cut the ass out of Santa’s suit, make Apollonia Mrs. Claus and concentrate on black lace and purple glitter. Have Jay Z remix Perry Como with “I would Cry 4 U”…I am kind of getting excited now. We could write the lyrics of “Purple Rain” in fake snow on the windows. Endless possibilities. How to convince Daddy, Jay Z and Simon Doonan?

There is no fireplace or dining room in this house so scale is the key. Daddy is grousing about getting a tree again. He will be thrilled at how small our tree will be this year. We try to remind him of the lovely green primordial smell that permeates the house, all one room of it.

So how to creatively decorate for entertaining? Tree, small. Color, bright. Cocktails, cold. Seating, plentiful. Friends, witty.  Other than the tiny tannenbaum it’s just like in a big house! Happy Holidaze!

Posted in Stories | Comments Off

taste may not run in the family

Posted on November 24, 2008 by PartyInk

Dear Miss Stickler, My nephew is getting married to a young lady who just had his baby. They are 20 and 18 respectively. She has little taste and less money and she has assumed that our family will pay for everything. Her family has not stepped forward to offer to share costs. Do we have the right to impose some aesthetic direction?

Appalled Auntie in California

 

Oh Auntie, the horror! You could say no to the underwriting but I am sure you want it to be nice for your nephew; no union hall, fried chicken travisty for you. So make it clear to the fertile couple what you are willing to do and the parameters if there are any. An unwillingness to sign off on a red and black goth reception for example. 

That said, it is their day regardless of how they got there. Perhaps you could approach it the way Party Ink does a particularly recalcitrant client with questionable taste. Take their suggestions, lime green floral with carnations, and ignore the carnations. Take their burning desire for lime green table cloths and translate to lime green napkins and crystals against a crisp white. They will be so thrilled with the result and the use of their favorite colors they wont notice your judicial editing.

Posted in Event Etiquette Q&A | Comments Off

what fun Capri

Posted on November 24, 2008 by PartyInk

What fun Capri! Such a turn out! I love our friends and family!

Where do I start? The simple Caprese blue and Limoncello yellow invites? In Italian! “Una Festa fantasia a Capri”. A fabulous party in Capri. I hope it says that. That’s what my source told me…we got a lovely response, with those invited RSVPing like the pros they are. We had family in from Massachusetts (staying with us), friends from the big apple (staying with us) and more friends from Sacramento (staying with us)! All traveling near and far to frolic with us in The So. Cali! All total, 13 overnighters.

The weather was perfect and surprisingly balmy. I begged borrowed and stole every huge class enclosed (it’s windy here) candle I could! (Thanks Libby!) Our friend from Huntington Beach surprised us with an entire sound system, lights and the Ipod to run the tunes all night! (Thanks Christopher!) I had sous chief Annie all day, helping to put together the Menu while the brawny men folk picked up borrowed furniture and stray groceries.

Every event should have a signature cocktail. For Capri, what better than a Limoncello Martini? Quite the popular potable, even with the men folk! Check out the recipe and download it for your next party! I had a few friends help a sister out with the nibbles.  My gastronome friend Bill brought a lovely ceveche; my Greek goddess Nola brought Tziki, caprese salad and a lovely lamb roast, Heather her world famous cheese ball! I know what you are thinking, cheese ball? Yes but this isn’t your mothers freaky orange ball with nuts. This is an all natural ball of heaven. Yours truly made her word famous artichoke crustini, multicolored heirloom tomato brushcetta and crudités, Italian bread sticks (skinny) and tapinade.

For desert I made a lemon scented mascarpone trifle with raspberries and crème de casis. (Thanks Giada De Larentis). Gorgeous!  And some dark chocolate on the side. I have made this recipe several times now and had great success with it. It cuts much neater than a regular trifle, none of the oozing pudding so common in the traditional recipe. This cuts clean like a cake. Yummy.

The real highlight of the evening was the acoustic performance of our friend Annie Baaten. She must have played for over 45 minutes. Some Linda Ronstat covers and a terrific Janis Joplin re-do. Then came the knock at the door. Shit. It was probably the Man. The last live music we had at the house was the Psycho Billy band we had at MP’s 40th. The police came at 9pm. It was sort of reassuring that at our age we can still generate a party that gets “busted”. But no. It was a neighbor and her daughter. To complain? No! The daughter was an aspiring singer and she had been listening several blocks over and was wondering if she could “talk to the band”. Of course. We invited them in, offered a martini to Mom. Daughter got to chat with Annie; Annie got to chat with a “fan”. Lovely all around.

Such an amazing, low budget frolic with great friends, delicious food…everyone participated and brought their own unique talents to the table. We reused linens from another party, we repurposed Italian wine boxes and vases and we revised our guest list. Never let a lack of funds stand in your way of a good time!

 

 

 

 

Posted in Featured Party | Comments Off