This weekend my daughter turned 2 and the event planner in me decided to step it up on the home front. We chose a chinese theme for a cartoon "Ni Hao Kai Lan" because A. she loves that show, B. my daughter resembles the cartoon and C. chinese food is cheap! 

I decided to make a dessert table complete with a paper dragon. It looked wonderful and the children loved it.  Here are some pictures but stay tuned for tips on saving money at a children's party as well as a how to make candy sushi post! 

 The dessert table sign I made myself with plain paper and a paper cutter. Just cut each letter into a triangle and staple onto ribbon. I promise you this is easy. I used comic sans font in turquoise and red.

 Gift bags were jazzed up with printed labels. We got learning chop sticks to give to all the kids.

 Little chairs gave the kids places to sit and eat or watch the magic show.

What's a party without balloons?

The latest installation for Hotel Indigo in Riverhead combines a modern aesthetic with the colors of rich colors of fall.

 I used birch poles and attached preserved maple leaves as well as vibrant call lilies in yellow, orange and a deep eggplant color. 

I also put a piece of just calla lilies on the front desk…the colors are just magnificent. 

To bring fall throughout the lobby I placed a vase of preserved maple leaves around. 

There are few people in the world who go all out for a party; decorate every detail of the space, relate every aspect of the event to the theme, basically go above and beyond expectations. And then, there is my friend who loves Halloween more than anybody has loved any holiday before. Man does she make me proud! This weekend was her 8th annual Halloween bash and I couldn't stop myself taking pictures of all the details...AMAZING! The labels alone on the food borught tears to my eyes...Mama is proud!

Here are some pictures from the fabulous event...WARNING some pictures may scare you!

The Bar - how perfect?

Scary Girl Prop

The Outside

The Bathroom

I truly believe in fate and that it has placed my incredibly talented, creative and party throwing friend in the house 2 down from mine. When she told me she was having a small birthday party for her son and the theme was going to be Transformers, I knew she would do something that was brilliant…and blog-worthy. She didn't disappoint. Here are the shots with the "Transform your own pasta bar" and other details that made the party special and fabulous!

 She used lunch boxes to hold grapes and strawberries.

How cool is this Transform your own pasta bar? I love LOVE the label!!

 Here is a few pictures from a photo shoot for the Hotel Indigo in Riverhead. Mind you, these are not professional but from my lil' phone. They wanted clean and simple so we used emerald palm leaves and tinted the water.  In the alcoves I used monstera leaves which make a big impact but are still simplistic.

This blog is all about hosting chic and fabulous parties... but what if you are going to a party? You should bring a chic and fabulous gift, right? Here are a few suggestions on what to bring to your next soiree…

These glass tags from Etsy are a perfect gift to bring to a holiday party. How many times have you put your glass down and a few minutes later asked the question; "which one is mine?" Before you know it  your drinking someone else's glass only to find out they have mono and you are about to spend the next month in bed! It can all be prevented with a glass tag! This seller in particular can make customized tags as well…making a great housewarming gift too. 

I had a few ladies over last night to chill and relax and thought to myself "I should make that low-fat chocolate cake with pumpkin puree I heard about. How hard can that be?" Fact is, it sounds incredibly easy…the recipe (which I looked up before I started but I guess I didn't "read" it thoroughly) calls for chocolate cake mix and pumpkin puree. TWO INGREDIENTS!! Now, I ask you, how can that go wrong? Here is how it went down...

I placed the cake mix and in a bowl and mixed in the pumpkin puree. I mixed, and mixed. Then I smell it and it smells like PUMPKIN. Then I taste it and it tastes like RAW PUMPKIN! Panic ensues and I run to the computer to read the incredibly simple recipe again and realize I needed to mix in a 15 ounce can of pumpkin and I mixed in a 29 ounce can instead. In comes my event planner instinct and I aim to fix it. The solution? Pour in another bag of cake mix. Stir, smell, taste. Add water…stir, smell, taste, start feeling sick. Start drinking wine and laughing wildly to myself. Luckily, my fabulously supportive mother tells me it ill be fine and I should just bake it and everything will be ok.

I baked the cake for almost an hour and the outside looked like a black, burnt mess. We didn't eat it, in fact I put it aside and made my guests promise never to speak of what they saw at my house that night.

This morning however, I turned the pan upside down and to my surprise the cake looked normal. To my even greater surprise the cake was good!!! It was moist and fudge like and had no taste of raw pumpkin. I guess mom was right…baking solves all!

Here is the recipe for the low fat, low calorie and low in weight watchers points cake:
1 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree
1 box of chocolate cake mix

Mix two ingredients together. Do NOT put eggs or oil. Place a little water if you feel it is too thick. Place in pan of your choice (I chose the bundt pan) and bake for as long as it says to on the box for that size pan. I just sprinkled powdered sugar on top to keep the calories low. Enjoy! See more nutritional breakdown here.