Housewarming Party

Quite a bit belated but last September we threw a little housewarming brunch. It was so nice to have all of our friends & family come by to support us in our new venture. Here are some photos (from almost half a year ago... sorry I've neglected this space for so long). 

goat cheese & pistachio filled dates

I feel like I'm always looking for easy appetizers to take to get togethers, especially around the holidays. I want something easy to make, that I can assemble ahead of time, without a lot of ingredients that still tastes really delicious. these goat cheese filled dates fulfill all my requirements. I had these dates at my friend heather's baby shower & the hostess was kind enough to give me the recipe. they are so delicious I could sit down & eat the entire plate. I promise, your guests will love them! 

goat cheese & pistachio filled dates

4 oz soft goat cheese (I used the kind with honey!)
3 tbsp shelled, salted pistachios, lightly toasted & chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives
fresh ground pepper
10 medjool dates, pitted & halved lengthwise

in a small bowl, combine cheese, 2 tbsp pistachios & 1 tbsp chives until smooth. season with a little pepper. spoon cheese mixture into each date half to cover. garnish dates with remaining pistachios & more chives. cover in the refrigerator until ready to serve (I usually pull them out about 15 minutes before my guests arrive so they aren't too cold). 

diy succulent place cards + favors

succulents are all the rage these days & it's easy to see why. they are gorgeous & practically indestructible (which is great for people like me, who can't even manage to keep herbs alive).  follow these simple instructions for making mini potted succulents to serve as place cards + favors for your next event. dinner parties, weddings, birthdays, you name it. they're easy to make & your guests will love taking them home at the end of the evening. 

here's what you'll need:

 step 1: line the bottom of the container with a thin layer of gravel (this will help with drainage).

step 2: add a layer of soil.

step 3: carefully loosen the roots of your succulent & add to the pot. the succulent should be placed at least 1-inch deep in the soil.

step 4: pack the succulent down & add another thin layer of gravel to the top.

step 5: cut & label the scrapbook paper with your guest’s name or a sweet message & glue it to the wooden skewer.

 step 6: place the skewer into each pot & use them to decorate each guest’s place setting.  

*you only need to water your succulent once a week, if not less. they also like bright, indirect light.

breaking bad: season five

robert & I got hooked on (or should I say, addicted to) breaking bad really late in the game (why hadn't anyone told me about this show before?!). we started watching them early this year on netflix &  got through all 46 episodes in an embarrassingly short amount of time.  we then spent the rest of the year anxiously waiting season five to make its debut on tv. so when the time finally rolled around, we figured we should celebrate in a big way. luckily, there are a few other nerds out there like ourselves who got dressed up for the occasion too. plus blue meth (rock candy), wads of (fake) cash and a delicious dinner catered by none other than los pollos hermanos, "yo."

{fat stacks + blue}

{breaking bad bingo inspired by this website}

{jesse + walk + tio salamanca}

{the bear from the plane crash + heisenberg}

 {the bear from the plane crash + heisenberg + pregnant skylar}

  {in our storyline, tio is holly's real baby daddy}

ombré cake pops

a few weekends ago we celebrated my dear friend heather's second baby, due next month. for the shower, her friends decided to make all of her favorite foods that she's been craving during her pregnancy. and one of them is cake pops (which I happen to crave every day of my life). so I was stoked about making them. I decided to go with the ever-popular ombré motif. it's really easy to do. you just make cake pops the normal way (see bakerella's post on that) but just add a drop or two of food coloring to the melted chocolate, dip a few pops, add more color, dip a few more. you get the picture. I stuck mine into styrofoam that I had covered with kraft paper. they look like art & are such a pretty display (although they don't last long!).

1950's murder mystery party

my sister kara recently threw the cutest murder mystery party. she found this unopened game (from the 80s) at an estate sale. the game theme was "high school reunion 1954". it came with the invites & each person's character, so that they could come dressed the part. her friends really got into their roles: the three-sport letterman jock, the malt shop waitress, the prom queen, the straight-a valedictorian, the goodie-goodie (hmm... sounds like a season of the real world). kara gave everyone vintage broaches to hold their name cards so they knew who was playing which character. she also served old school appetizers & drinks & had a make your own sundae station. oh, and juke box music playing in the background, of course. don't all her friends look so adorable? I wish I could have been there!
(photos courtesy of kara's friends, lee & matt)

mad men: season five

eeek! I am so giddy that mad men is finally starting again. I've been watching it since the very beginning, but last season was just so good, it made the wait for season five so much harder. in honor of the season premiere, I thought I'd post some very old photos of the mad men christmas party my agency threw back in 2008. this was seriously the most fun I've ever had at a work event (and we had lots of parties at this place). 

{photo credit: amc}

{robert channeling pete campbell}

{a christmas smooch}

 {there were lots of inappropriate things done to the peggy & don cutouts. and I'm pretty sure a few girls actually made out with don. can you blame them?}

{amanda looking hot with her candy cig}

{I wish I remember what song they were signing}

{did they know how to do the soulja boy in the 60s?}

30th birthday party

and as part of "treat yo self 2012", robert threw me the sweetest dinner party with some of my favorite people at a local wood fire pizza restaurant. it made me feel awfully blessed to have so many special people in my life to celebrate with. I'm a lucky girl.

 {invite designed by robert. a compilation of all my birthday pics. in case you didn't notice, I'm kinda into birthdays}

 {robert surprised me with these cute buttons he designed with fun quotes on the sides}

 {vanilla cake with chocolate buttercream frosting}

 {robert ordered a bunch of different wood fired pizzas for everyone}

 {bob + reba}

{kristy}

{bill + debbie}

{troy + jenny}

{monica}

{my parents}

{my amazing husband. thanks for an incredible 30th}