The summer just keeps chugging along. How is it August already, y'all? I feel like I'm getting ready for the fourth of July and it's almost back to school time (not that that has any effect on my life, thank god). However, August does mean one good thing, and that is the onset of several of my very good friends' birthdays. Only one of these good friends lives in my area however, so only one of them benefited from the beauty of... the PINK PARTY.
Somehow I got a bee in my bonnet that caused me to obsess over and subsequently host, a party with a pink theme. Well, it started when my birthday-having friend Tifa wanted to do in-home manicures and pedicures at her house. You're not supposed to host on your bday people, lets get that straight! So the party moved to my house and I went overboard. I mean duh, have you met me? Actually scratch that, you probably haven't...
At any rate, I decided to imbue dear Tifa's birthday with a most girlish hue, and everything just went from there. Snacks, beverages and decorations became pink, pink, pink! The main raison d'etre of this birthday party was so that we could have manicures and pedicures administered in the comfort of my home, while drinking and snacking to our little hearts' content. We found this incredible service called Celebrating You. Spa technicians come to your house, set everything up and do your nails. InCREDible, let me tell you.
The pink theme was derived from several sources of inspiration. One being Amy Atlas because she. is. amazing. I want to live underneath the dessert tables she creates. Go there, experience the beauty of her DESSERT TABLES, PEOPLE! Recession be DAMNED!!! Ahem... the other inspiration was from a blog I admire, Bread and Honey. This is three degrees of inspiration, since I believe their pink party table was also inspired by the general loveliness of Amy's designs and mixed with their natural creative awesomeness.
Above are some rough plans I sketched out so I could get an idea of what I needed/wanted on the table. This all changed around a bit, but helped me figure out which dishes to serve and what kind of decorations I needed. I planned a week ahead and started collecting the decorations and ingredients during the week (the party was a Saturday).
Here is what I decided to serve...
Summer Pink Menu
Pink Champagne Punch
Agua Fresca (water with mint, lemon and cucumber)
White-chocolate dipped strawberries
Pink Marshmallows
Radish sandwichesPink jordan almonds
Pink and white m&m's
And a cake in the shape of an Octopus (for which I used Funfetti. Don't judge me.)
(additionally there were all kind of more substantial snacks- hummus/pita, goat cheese and crackers, chips and salsa and some interesting chocolate-jalpeno sorbet for the cake). To explain, the octopus cake is a mold I bought for Tifa's bday several years ago, because of our shared love of Cephalopods. It's from Williams-Sonoma, and I suspect that it was intended for a child's ocean themed bday. However, now it is doomed to spend eternity churning out hideously decorated cakes for my amusement.
And here is the lovely table!
Now finally, a recipe. However, it's hardly a recipe b/c I sort of mixed it on the fly...the following are suggested measurements, but just taste it as you go along...you'll know when it's ready...
Pink Champagne Punch1 can frozen pink lemonade
1 bottle pink grapefruit juice (use Ocean Spray...in this case fresh is too tart and also not pink...)
5 oz St. Germaine Elderflower liqueur (taste as you go, this can be very sweet and overpowering)
Copious amounts of Gin
1 bottle sparkling wine
Slices of grapefruit and lemon
Spring of mint for garnish
Block of Punch Bowl ice
First prepare the ice. This must be done the night before. In a smallish cake pan, lay one layer of lemon slices and cover with water. Cover top of pan with cling wrap and freeze until solid. This way, you will have one large block of ice that will float in your punch, cooling it evenly and not watering it down.Next mix together all ingredients. Serve! Replenish as you go along.
OVERALL, I had so much planning, decorating and hosting. My favorite thing to construct were these darling Pom-Poms (learn how to make them here!). Try a pink party yourself! Or a blue party, orange party...whatever. Just snag a fun theme and stick with it. To end with, here is Tifa's adorable dog named Sookie, eating a treat from Dogma Dog Bakery.
