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How about we kick the week off right with a fabulous new surprise giveaway?! Super stylish online shop - Estilo Weddings - is offering up a $100 Shopping Spree for anything on their site to a lucky HWTM reader!

Whether you’re in the wedding market or not, there are tons of pretty little things to shop for at Estilo Weddings, including invitations, stationery, custom stamps, photo albums, party favors, shower & wedding decorations, cake jewels, clay flower arrangements that look just like the real thing (see top left image!), gorgeous jewelry, handbags, bridesmaid gifts, and more!

Check out all these fabulous fashion accessories…I’m especially partial to the sparkly Samba Ring (in the lower right-hand corner below) myself! Details for how to enter after the jump…

How to enter:
• Post a comment here telling us about one (or more!) of the designs from the Estilo Weddings website that you think is especially fabulous.
• Giveaway ends Friday, September 12th at midnight PST. Winner is chosen randomly and will be announced Monday, September 15th. Good luck, everyone!!

Full details for how to recreate the Candyland Birthday Party we threw for Max Sutter last month are finally up in the Party Themes section.  I’m so sorry it took me a while to get them up - the plate’s been a little overloaded lately! But as they say, better late than never though, right? ;)  Click here for all the details…

Veggie-lover? Not a veggie-lover? Either way, chances are good that you’ll enjoy this easy, delicious side dish recipe starring eggplant, tomato, and mozzarella cheese!

Feathers add such a glamorous & unique feel to parties and weddings…I’ve always loved the look but am especially in the mode right now because we’re working on some fun feather accents for the upcoming Hip Hostess/Chambord event in NY at the end of the month! (more details on that coming soon!)

Pictured above, clockwise from upper left:
• Beautiful peonies surrounded by ostrich feathers
{photo by: Lifestory Photography, via theknot.com}
• Pink Feather Bouquet - featuring earthy-brown pheasant feathers and magenta-stained duck feathers.
{photo by: Roland Bello, via brides.com}
• Cattleya Orchid Bouquet with lush yellow ostrich feathers
{photo by Ellen Silverman via Simple Stunning Weddings}
• Gorgeous Vintage Glam Feather Tree Centerpieces
{photo by: Clark Photographics, via the knot.com}

Pictured above: gorgeous DIY feather tree centerpieces constructed from IKEA vases wrapped in tulle, instalytes, and oversize ostrich feathers…get full details here (scroll about 3/4 way down the page}.

I have no idea how summer flew by so fast, but the good news is that there are lots of things to look forward to and celebrate over the next few months!  If you’re looking for some fun new ways to spice up your upcoming celebrations or holiday parties, please come join us for the next Hip Hostess Series event in NYC on September 30th, which will be held at Robert Verdi’s super stylish Luxe Laboratory in Midtown Manhattan! More info from Chambord:

The theme of the NY event is “Modern Parisian” and there will be lots of feather accents, damask-style patterns, and glittery things, in addition to food and Chambord cocktails, of course! Guests will learn how to create themed centerpieces, dress up glassware, mix signature drinks, and more…

Space is extremely limited, so please sign up only if you’re sure you can make it!  If the time that you’d like to attend is already sold out, send an email to Courtney at courtney_sandora@b-f.com and she’ll put you on a waiting list for that time slot. Schedules can change at the last minute, so more spots may open up. If you’re a member of the press and would like to cover the event, please email Courtney directly as well.

Here are a few pics from another event held at Robert Verdi’s Luxe Laboratory to give you a feel for the space… (The Luxe Lab site is password-protected, but you can google it for more pics & info.)

Hope to see you there!

P.S.  Also coming up soon on the Hip Hostess Series calendar: Dallas in October (Halloween-themed!) and Boston in December (holiday entertaining!).

Congrats to Vané of Brooklyn Bride on the launch of bklyn pillow - her brand new line of contemporary, handmade ring pillows! If you’re looking to add a modern, unique touch to your big day, head over to bklyn pillow to check out all the fun designs!

The question of party food quantities to prepare for your guests is as old as hospitality itself. Party food planning is only a little tricky, though. As you will see, there are several different ways to look at it, but the bare-bones answer is:

1 Pound Of Food Per Person For Snacks

1 1/2 Pounds Of Food Per Person For A Meal

Those are average figures to toggle between the linebackers and the little dainties. Let’s break them down into averages for particular kinds of parties and party foods.

Appetizers: On average, your guests will consume 5 hors d’oeuvres per person per hour for the first 2 hours and 3 per person per hour for each additional hour. So for a 3-hour long party of 10 people, you will need to prepare about 130 appetizers, a little less if the party is to be followed by a meal.

Continue reading »

\\ tags: food preparation, party food, party planning

Shiny, new chocolate & red finds from MoMA store: brilliant red Bean Vacuum Jug (inspired by the shape of a coffee bean!), cute & contemporary lacquer Cupcake Canisters, artsy Aika Espresso Cup & Saucer sets, and the ultra-modern and deliciously glossy Husque Bowl.

As a follow-up to last week’s Bold Black & Yellow inspiration board over at Simply Stated, I created a new Autumn Orange inspiration board today - after Simply Stated reader Jen requested it…click here to check it out and get all the resources & details - including a link to the Pumpkin Divine martini pictured above…yum!

Laurie at Tip Junkie interviewed me for this week’s Talk to Me Tuesday segment on her creative, tip-driven blog. The interview is focused more on blogging than entertaining, but it was fun to discuss the business side of things this time…thanks for the feature, Laurie!