Gabriel's 2nd birthday - A Night at the Movies, Hollywood Style

The little man in my life was turning two soon, and that got me thinking about a party theme... He had just started watching his first movies (I really avoided all TV-related activities until then) and with the upcoming Oscars and Golden Globe Awards, I thought it would be fun to do an "old Hollywood glam" 2nd birthday bash.

I had an idea in mind for an invitation: the Metro Goldwyn Mayer logo, but instead of the lion head, I would have my son's face in the center.  So I called my big sister Katia for help bringing to life my mental draft.  As we started brainstorming together, she had the brilliant idea of shooting Gabriel's photo dressed as a lion - perfect!!  Since it was after Halloween, I though it would be hard to find him a costume, but with a little help from the internet, I found it online at Walgreens!!

 

Then we had another idea that ended up not happening (because neither of us knew how to do it!) To film Gabi roaring in the logo photo, and add this clip to a virtual invitation to be sent via email.  The hard part was to convince a "soon-to-be" 2 year-old to do so... Here's the "making of" the video (several attempts of it) which I decided to play on a TV during the party (before and after the "feature" movie.)

I printed movie-related images (film projectors, movie reels) and placed them on top of serving dishes to accommodate the food on top

On the day before the party, we got one of the biggest snow storms in the area, and I had to call everyone rescheduling the celebration... Luckily, most of the guests could still make it, and to make the trip super-worthy (specially having to deal with the hassle of driving and trying to find parking on snowed down streets), I made some warming foods such as "white" turkey chili and hot dogs ("Brazilian-style", with a sauce made with tomatoes, garlic, onions and bell peppers.)

What movie screening (for kids, at least) would be complete without popcorn?

I used balloon weights shaped as movie cameras and clapboards to display the name of the foods.

Another warm and comforting food - roasted spiced butternut squash soup with crumbled blue cheese for sprinkling on top.  It was the hit of the evening!

Support table arranged with plates, cups, bowls, napkins and utensils

 

The "screening room" all set with top hats for each mini guest

Oh well, I meant "mini guests", but apparently the grown men were also (if not more) interested in the movie...

Which was a Brazilian computer-animated children's fantasy film called "The Happy Cricket and the Giant Bugs" You can check the trailer here and here.

I purchased red curtains specifically for the party, and then hung some string decorations from the curtain rod.

Oh yeah, and let's not forget about the "Hollywood Stars Walk of Fame".

The biggest celebrity walking down the "red carpet" with his... convertible?

Did I mention the snow?  It came in handy to chill our beverages :-)

Dressing Room, a.k.a "bathroom door"

My favorite movie star...

I made a few VIP passes for special guests...

...like dad sitting in the back

This mamma here got in the party mood dressed accordingly (I also donned long white satin gloves)

To add to the stress of the last-minute changes caused by the snow, we didn't have a birthday cake, since our local Whole Foods Market (where I had ordered the cake from) was closed due to the blizzard!! So we had to improvise and go on a cake hunt.  I "re-assigned" one of the decorations (the clapboard/movie reel combo centerpiece) and placed it on top of a plain white cake.  Not the best looking birthday cake, but it worked as an emergency solution.

To make up for the cake fiasco, we were lucky to have delicious Brazilian sweets (chocolate "brigadeiro" cups and guava marmalade-fresh cheese rolled sweets, also called "Romeo & Juliet" because this guava-cheese combination goes oh-so-well) made by my good friend Lucina :-)

I used popcorn paper bags to hold party favors such as gold award statues, hand clappers, clapboard and flashlight key chains, star stickers and sunglasses, microwavable popcorn and raisins to snack on (sorry, no "real" candy here.) I then created a "concession stand" to hold the bags, made with a large shoebox and some aluminum foil from the kitchen.

Para uma versão em português da festa, clique aqui.

For a Portuguese description of the party, you can head over to Katia's blog, "Casos & Coisas da Bonfa". 

 

That's all, folks!

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Carol's baby shower - It's a girlie girl!!

Our friend Carol wanted to get together a few of her close friends for a brunch celebrating her baby girl's upcoming arrival.  The color scheme was pink and brown, and I think we did a good job combining the pastel colors with some pop of fuchsia resulting in a serene, but also vibrant; casual, but also fancy; and most of all, a very "girlie" baby shower brunch :-) 

For the prep work for this shower, head over here.

The buffet is on! I was thinking about getting a bigger dinner table, and hosting the baby shower just gave me the extra motivation (and excuse!) to finally purchase one.  I found this great wood table at CB2, and it extends from 6 seats to 8 and then to 10 seats.  Perfect!

Even the cupcakes were dressed up in the party theme colors. Our friend Renata made these moist, delicious and nutritious carrot and walnut cupcakes.

I wasn't sure this 2-tier pastry stand from Target was going to look too bold for the delicate table décor, but I think it worked beautifully!

My vintage teapot makes its début

Sugar in every form and taste!

Greek yogurt and granola is one of my favorite breakfast combos.  The pastry stands were embellished with pink and brown polka dot ribbons and the wood trays covered with scrapbook paper cut to fit.  I liked using different patterns (stripes, dots) in the same color combination.  I think it gave a more whimsical and less formal look to the table.

My homemade orange-poppy seed mini muffins fresh from the oven. Since Thanksgiving was just around the corner, I decided to stuff some of them with the familiar flavors of this holiday: roasted turkey and cranberry jam.

I loved how our friend (and member of the "party commission") Patricia used muffin molds to shape the mini quiches.  I placed the scrapbook paper printed with the party colors under a clear textured glass plate to "break" the coldness of the metal/glass and add color to the table.

I also tried a new recipe for rosemary-roasted garlic cornbread madeleines that turned out to be divine!  The recipe is from the great chef Patrick O'Connell, from the "Inn at Little Washington."

My pregnant lady cake topper makes her second or third appearance at a baby shower

The beverage table

Photo taken by Clarissa, Carol’s multi-talented cousin

As I mentioned on the previous post, I placed a plastic pink pacifier inside each of the stemless champagne flutes.  Then I inserted pink and brown napkins to add some "drama" :-) The tray was lined with pink and white polka dot paper as well.

We asked the ladies to each bring a photo of themselves as a baby, and then place it on this tray I had by the entrance.  A note inside a picture frame served as a "friendly reminder".  Later, as the showered momma was getting ready to open the presents, we told her she would have to first guess who was in the picture, and only then she would be "allowed" to get into the paper ripping activities.  Another idea is to ask guests to attach their own baby picture to their present, and have the mom-to-be guess who's the gift giver.  Just make sure she doesn't peek at the gift "drop box" as guests arrive. Better yet, make the whole "game" a total surprise to her!

The bibs ready to be decorated by the guests

Another great shot from Clarissa...

...who also brought these charming little hand soaps set in a straw nest to hand out as party favors.

Although the shower favors were taken care of by Carol's cousin,  I wanted to send the guests home with another keepsake from the party.  So I made some extra of my homemade granola and packed individual portions into clear bags tied with the pink and brown polka dot ribbons. I have been making this recipe for years, and usually change it up a bit every time I make it (as an experiment, or simply because I lack ingredients and have to improvise and substitute).  If you want to try making it at home, here's the original recipe I got from a magazine called "Organic Style" (now extinct):

Granola

(clique aqui para a versão em português)

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking)

1 ⅓ cups flaked or shredded coconut, preferably unsweetened

1 ½ cups light brown sugar

1 cup sliced almonds

1 cup sunflower seeds (I also add pumpkin seeds)

¾ cup canola oil (I just can't get myself to use canola oil. Ever. It’s highly processed and not as natural as one might think.  My oil of choice in this recipe is grapeseed)

¾ cup cold water

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

⅓ cup dried cherries

⅓ cup dried cranberries

½ cup golden raisins (preferably organic, since conventional ones are heavily sprayed with pesticides)

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

In large bowl, combine the oats, coconut, brown sugar, almonds, and sunflower seeds. Stir well to combine. In a small bowl, whisk the oil with the water and vanilla, and pour over the dry ingredients. Stir until well coated.

Spread the mixture over the bottom of a large rimmed baking sheet or a roasting pan and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until golden brown.Remove from the oven and cool.

Transfer the granola to a large bowl and stir in the cherries, cranberries, and raisins.Store in an airtight container.

Bom Apetite!!

Para uma versão em português da festa, clique aqui e aqui.

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