Summer BBQ Party

Outdoor Grilling Party!

This party was a lot of fun to put together, and something I wanted to do for a while. I created this bright and colorful graphic collection to use at a "Indian Summer" (a heat wave that occurs in the fall) grilling party.  I did use some of it then, but unfortunately didn't take any pictures... So when it started to warm up again I saw it as a great opportunity to finally dust off the barbecue utensils and fire up the grill :-)

The colors, the sounds and the smells of summer inspired me to create this party décor. I wanted something simple, casual and inviting, but also festive and with a mod flair. Colorful background colors speckled with white polka dots and a handful of summer and grilling elements sounded just right!

To purchase this printable collection via automatic download, click here and/or here.

The invitation - as simple as it is, I think it represents really well what the party was all about: outdoor fun and good food!

I brought the indoors out by utilizing some colorful household furniture and paired it with white serving pieces and other rustic elements, such as a vintage picture frame where I displayed colorful pennant flags and used as a table backdrop.

We had a “caipirinha” bar (or caipifruta station) where guests could mix their own drinks.  Caipirinha is a typical Brazilian drink made with only a few ingredients but with endless possibilities of flavors. I cut fresh mangoes, kiwifruits, limes, lemons, raspberries and lychees and arranged them in separate matching-color bowls, along with demerara sugar and crushed ice. I like to make my caipirinhas with raw sugar, since it gives the drink a more complex and sophisticated depth of flavor. Besides cachaça, which is the traditional liquor used to make this drink, I also had available bottles of sake, rum, vodka and tequila, so guests could use the fruit-liquor combination of their choice.

Bar menu: "pick your fruit + sugar + pick your liquor + crushed ice

I used inexpensive wood letters from my local craft store as a signage for the "bar." I customized the B, A and R for the party by covering them in the same polka dot pattern I used throughout the décor. 

Mason jars fancied up for the day. I replaced the metal lids with cut circles from the polka dot paper pattern and added plain white paper straws sprucing them up with little flags from my printables collection. You can download a free template for the mason jar "lids" at the end of this post.

Left: Raw sugar and crushed ice on background, adorned with handmade pinwheels (included in the printable party set); Right: Bottles of cachaça, vodka, rum, tequila and sake.

It doesn't get much better than a lemon caipirinha on a hot and sunny day :-)

I kept the food to a few basic and classic grilling staples and “dressed” them in a bit more exciting way: the grilled corn on the cob gained a drizzle of cilantro-lime butter, a seasonal grilled salad was sprinkled with grilled polenta “croutons” and the plank-smoked chicken skewers got a nice coat of a homemade smokey barbecue dry rub (adapted from a Tyler Florence's recipe.)

To keep the colors vibrant, I opted for using colored hashis (or "chopsticks") to serve the chicken skewers

Grilled romaine (try it, it adds an amazing smokiness to the salad!!) with local feta cheese, heirloom orange, yellow and red tomatoes, and polenta croutons.

Grilled corn on the cob with a side of cilantro-lime butter

Paper fans to cool off :-)

The dessert and party favor station

For dessert, four different flavors of cooling fruit sorbet to choose from – mango, raspberry, lemon and blood orange. We also had ripe watermelon served on popsicle sticks – a whimsical and practical way to serve them up that was a big hit among the kids.

Mini paper umbrellas from my Summer BBQ Collection. They would look fabulous paired with a cocktail as well :-)

Watermelon on a stick :-)

Party favors at a barbecue party?  Why not?! Using baker’s twine, I tied together a mesquite grill plank and a metal tin containing my homemade dry rub so guests could replicate the main dish at home.

I hope you had fun reading the details about this party, which was such a pleasure to put together. As a "thank you", here are two treats: one recipe and one free printable. ENJOY!!

RECIPE:“Caipirinha”

Ingredients: 

• fresh fruit 
• raw sugar (demerara, turbinado, muscovado) 
• cachaça (or other types of clear liquor such as sake, rum and vodka) 
• crushed ice

Directions: 

Lightly muddle cut fruit and raw sugar, then add cachaça and ice to taste. Muddling the fruit releases their juices and in the case of fruits like citrus, it also releases their essential oils.

Cheers!

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And here's your free gift - a free printable template for mason jar labels.  Just click on the picture to download it. Happy grilling everyone!!

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Love (Nesting) Birds Baby Shower - a sweet yellow & grey gender neutral baby shower for super special friends!!

I am proud to say that this party was featured on "Sweet Designs" by Amy Atlas.  Check it out here!

If you like the party printables, you can purchase your own set at my Etsy shop HERE.

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Wow, so much happened since the last time I posted about a homemade party I hosted... Among the major changes is the fact that we've moved (and are still in the process) and I started an online business selling digital custom partyware kits (check it out here if you haven't yet, or just click on the "SHOP" tab on the menu bar above.)

Considering our already pretty full days (and life, thankfully!), I really don't know how we are managing to do it. There's truly a lot more power in us than we give ourselves credit for :-)

Besides not having our beloved "stuff" and furniture with us yet (again, we are still in transition...) I managed to organize and style a few simple and yet beautiful parties that I'm now happy to share with you.  I'll start with a baby shower I styled for one of my oldest and closest friends here in the US.

This baby shower was a joint effort of a few friends to celebrate and cherish our dear friends' baby on the way. I was in charge of the decoration and party favors, and inspired by the tastefully decorated nursery, I set the tone with yellow and grey colors. One of my favorite pieces from the baby's room is a lovely blanket with birds imprinted on one side and stripes on the other, so a "nesting love birds" concept immediately came to mind. 

This charming baby blanket was my inspiration for this party

I used bird references throughout the party - yellow and white ostrich feathers as a table centerpiece, mini bird's nests holding Jordan almonds and yellow-coated chocolate, ceramic egg crates, bird houses, wood branches and distressed bird cages.

Here's the party "mise en place": food cards attached on absolutely adorable metal bird place card holders...

 ...wine charm markers to identify each guest's glass. This is a great concept if you are like me and keep forgetting where you left your drink... If you think you won't be able to remember your chosen pattern by the end of the night, you can always write your name on the marker as well :-)

I took my yellow console table to the host's place and set the water bottles there. For decoration I added grapewood branches, wood and metal birds from Michael's (which I adorned with a polka dot patter patina), dotted yellow and grey drinking paper straws, customized water bottle labels and pennant flags (both available at my shop.) Above it all, I hung a large ornate frame from Ikea that I spray-painted in white (which was such a challenge, since our small rental apartment has only a tiny balcony area that I could work at without intoxicating the whole family with paint fumes...) Inside I framed a piece of grey and white dot fabric and added felt cutouts of birds and hearts. This project took way more time than I ever expected, but it was all very worthy at the end. I simply love, love, love the result!

I included some "Baby Facts" on the water label, a play on the nutritional facts box :-)

A closer look at the patina birds. I used the same easy technique for the wooden letter "K" I used at this vintage baby shower. I painted the birds in grey and yellow and let them dry completely. Then I traced their shape on the polka dot paper from my collection, cut around and glued on the birds with mod podge. 

I offered a fun and whimsical welcome drink - I put pieces of pink cotton candy (it's a girl!) inside glass flutes and poured champagne over, melting and blending the candy with the bubbly. 

I stuck wooden skewers on the cotton candy inside the champagne flutes.  I adorned the sticks with little birds I punched out of glittery silver and metallic gold craft paper.

Note cards for guests to leave baby and parents-to-be a message.  Holding them on the "birdcage" are mini clothespins embellished with grey and yellow washi tape.

I baked these chewy and moist brownie bites (recipe at the end of this post) and used my cutout birds again on top of the toothpicks.

This event was an evening affair, so we had lots of delicious savory treats to please every palate :-)

Ostrich feathers, straw nests holding candy coated chocolate and Jordan almonds, a custom "welcome sign" and a couple of painted wood "love birds" with polka dot heart "wings"

The centerpiece - a framed "welcome sign" leaning against a vase with yellow and white ostrich feathers. I added pieces of yellow and grey lace to the sign, as I did "digitally" with the shower invitation.  The glass candle holders (found at a Goodwill store) got a band of lace as well.

A white tablecloth is a great blank "canvas" to any party, and a timeless piece that you can reuse over and over. Just add your colorful décor elements to bring the party theme to life.

An overview of the main table

I cut and glued silver and golden glittery tape on the handle of wood ice cream spoons and we used it to serve the passion fruit mousse, a very common (and yummy!!) Brazilian dessert.

Framed graphic art displayed throughout the main table, plus a painted wood bird house and an adorable yellow ceramic egg crate.

Party circles glued to toothpicks

Another friend made this beautiful cake sprinkled with silver and yellow sugar pearls. I made a mini pennant bunting out of the straw flags from my collection, twine and wooden skewers and used it as a cake topper.

I was lucky to find these beautiful distressed metal birdcages in the party colors.

Polka dot paper rosettes/pinwheels with a party circle from my party kit in the center. It was a little challenging to style a party that wasn't hosted at my own place. I wasn't sure about the space I had for the decorations (I usually set up the table at least the night before a party, sometimes a week or a couple of days before the event!) or what I could do for backgrounds.  At home, I will hang decorations on the wall using tape or nails, but at my friend's house I knew she probably wouldn't appreciate it :-) So to make sure I wouldn't damage her walls or windows, I figured out a nice way to display my paper rosettes: I hot glued a bread twist/tie behind each one of them and secured them onto a vintage framed piece of chicken wire.

 

For the party favors, I put a single cupcake inside mini birdcages (from Michael's) for guests to take home and enjoy for dessert or breakfast the next morning. 

It was a lovely evening among much loved friends and I feel blessed that I could be part of this celebration and make it a bit more special for the happy couple.

 Cherry Walnut Brownie Bites

yields approximately 16-20 mini brownies

(I adapted this recipe from another one I found online. Unfortunately, I lost the source to give its proper credit...)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped
• 1 tablespoon Amaretto liqueur  (or apple juice, for a non-alcoholic version)
• 3/4 cup chopped unsweetened baking chocolate
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (I prefer European-style butter, such as Plugra or Kerrygold)
• 1 cup raw sugar (demerara, muscovado)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
• 1 15-ounce can pitted dark, sweet cherries, drained (chop them if you want smaller pieces in your brownie)
• 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips 

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2.  Generously butter/oil a mini muffin tin and set aside.

3. In a small saucepan, combine the dried chopped cherries and the Amaretto and simmer for a couple of minutes (you want to infuse the cherries with the liqueur)  Set aside to cool.

4. In a saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring frequently until smooth.

5.  Add the sugar and salt, whisking continuously.  Set aside and cool to room temperature (about 10 minutes) 

6.  Once cooled, transfer the chocolate mixture to your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or do it by hand as I did, since we don't have our beloved stand mixer with us yet...)

7. Add the eggs, one at a time, to the chocolate mixture.

8. Add the flour, baking powder, soaked cherries, toasted almonds, canned dark sweet cherries and chocolate chips. Mix well.

9. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan.

10. Bake the brownies for 20-25 minutes, or until a cake tester (or knife) inserted into the center comes out clean.

11.  Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature before removing them from the pan.

12. Dust them with 10x powdered sugar or coat with dark chocolate ganache on top.

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