Thanksfeast Inspiration
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In between my part-time work at DMARC, getting all things Socialize lined up and ready to bring to the public; I try to find a few minutes each day to dream about Thanksfeast. I’ll be honest, the next couple weeks will be a mad dash to pull it all together. Fortunately, I have a couple things going for me. 1) My husband is in charge of the turkey. 2) I did find my tablescape inspiriation a while ago. Actually, on October 11th to be exact – when I saw the Thanksgiving table that Eddie Ross created for Lonny. This. Is what I want.
I love the colors and the mix of patterns. But I especially love how the table manages to be glamorous and warm at the same time. On my budget, an exact copy isn’t happening (I won’t be buying a new chandelier or buying new china and GORGEOUS cobalt blue glasses) but hopefully I can come close to achieving a similar look and feel.
Blue taper candles and a mix of gold candleholders can easily be tracked down. And some of the rest of it may just come down to some gold spray paint!
Using ribbon, material or scrabook paper with a great graphic pattern is how I hope to incorporate that element without expensive linens. Pizzazzerie did a great job of this with their Ellen Allen inspired tablescape (which will serve as a secondary source of inspiration for me!).
Of course, I have been struggling to find that perfect patterned paper, ribbon or material to bring everything all together but I’m still on the hunt!
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Thanksfeast!
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Does anyone else crave Thanksgiving dishes before Turkey Day actually rolls around? Several years ago some friends (including my husband to be) and I decided that we just couldn’t wait for the holiday and we better just hold a pre-Thanksgiving training meal. With that, our what-would-become annual “Thanksfeast” was born.
Our Thanksfeast event is essentially an orphan Thanksgiving. However, since all of our friends travel home for the holiday it’s never held on Thanksgiving. Instead, we gather before the holiday to kick off the holiday season together. Here are some shots of last year’s event:
My husband and I handle most of the food; including freezing sweet corn from the summer and saving it for the occasion. Our dear friends that we started the annual event with (our guest list has grown since then) always contribute a dish or two. Typically it’s a traditional Thanksgiving menu- turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, etc. But this year; I would like to throw in some of Real Simple magazines Scene-Stealing Thanksgiving Side Dishes for a little twist. Yum! Which ones would you choose?
Due to some scheduling conflicts; Thanksfeast will actually be POST-holiday this year – which gives me a couple extra (much needed!!) weeks to prepare! Keep watching for posts on this year’s decor inspiration, invitations and menu planning.
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New Post
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Check out Socialize’s first post debut on the Cafe di Scala blog.
I’ve created a list of the aspects of an event you need to consider for planning. Some of these are pretty basic but putting all of them together will create a foundation for a well-organized, successful event.
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Wino Wit
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You can’t host every party. So when you attend one, you still want your hostess gift to have a little bit of your party flair, right? Enter these beautifully letterpressed and fantastically witty goodies I came across on the Hostess With the Mostess blog. Now, I’m smitten with popptags! The perfect way to make your gift of wine even better.
As if wine could get any better? I would love any wine that showed up at my door with one of these:
Or any of the 12 designs that are currently available at 3 for $9.95 (minimum order) and $3.30 for each additional tag. That’s less than most Hallmark cards! The ribbon is already attached so all you have to do is sign the back of the tag and slip it over your carefully chosen bottle.
Custom orders are also available and perfect for weddings, party favors and the holidays. I think I need to find a reason to make one that says, “Would you like fries with that?”
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Pumpkin Carving Party
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For the last few years, my husband and I have gotten together with friends a couple weeks before Halloween to embrace some pumpkin carving fun! None of us have kids (or much artistic ability) but it’s still a great reason to get together and an easy gathering to plan. Here is what you’ll want to do:
Pre-determine a location. You are probably not going to want to do this in your house. The grown-ups I know are just as messy as most 5-year-olds and you’ll be sweeping up pumpkin seeds on Labor Day. The backyard works well if the weather is still pleasant enough. You can use the garage as shelter from the elements if there’s a chill in the air. Wherever you are; clear enough space to give everyone plenty of room to work.
Gather supplies and prepare the space. Pull out your folding tables if you have them.
Collect newspapers to cover everyone’s carving space. Make sure you have enough to give everyone a couple layers.
Put an empty trash can in a central location for most* of the pumpkin seeds. Use a heavy duty trash bag or double up on the household kind. Those seeds get heavy!
Print and set out pumpkin stencils for those who don’t want to freehand. Better Homes & Gardens has a huge (and free!) selection here. For some tips on carving with stencils, check out Pumpkin Carving 101.
Have a sharpie and a pumpkin carving kit for everyone or ask them bring their own. This way, you don’t have to sacrifice your good steak knives to a jack-o-lantern.
Have a lot of rags or paper towels on hand.
Finally – have tea lights for each pumpkin!
Find your perfect pumpkin. We like to make this part of the event for the whole group. Head to your local pumpkin patch so everyone can select their canvas.
And a couple suggestions for easy, festive additions!
You can’t beat hot spiked apple cider to keep everyone warm. Use fresh apple cider, spiced rum and some cinnamon sticks and whole cloves (to taste)
Heat apple cider in a saucepan over medium heat. Add cinnamon sticks and cloves. Stir occasionally. When cider is heated, remove cinnamon sticks and cloves with a slotted spoon.
Pour a shot of rum into a mug, then pour cider over to fill mug. Add a cinnamon stick to stir drink.
To keep things easy, hold your pumpkin carving party in the evening, post dinner. This way, some light snacks will be sufficient (remember – this is supposed to be an easy one!). Last year, I had some candy corn, Halloween-theme Oreos and some popcorn for guests to snack on. You can also *save the seeds from the first few pumpkins to be gutted. Roast some up using butter/olive oil and salt or this recipe from Fabulous Foods. By the time the carving has ended you’ll have a seasonal snack ready for your guests.
Let the fun begin!
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Local Love: Mark Kegans
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I thought it would be nice to sprinkle around some Local Love* posts for the some of the fabulous vendors Socialize has had the opportunity to work with and probably some of those we hope to work with in Central Iowa!
For the inaugural Local Love post – I am actually going with someone I worked with on a more personal level – my wedding photographer, Mark Kegans. But don’t worry -I had already been in the event biz for three years by the time I worked with him so he was carefully evaluated with my already developed event planning eye!
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Halloween Color Scheme
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For whatever reason, I struggle with transitioning my home decorations to Halloween before October. September just doesn’t feel right to me – not quite summer but not ready to be fall. It’s kind of a month of limbo in our house. But this weekend I’ll make the switch. Fortunately there are a lot of great Halloween party and home decor ideas out there already! Enough that the main challenge may be just to pick a color scheme.
You can go with the traditional black and orange:
Throw in some silver to glam it up a bit:
So what’s your plan for Halloween party decorations?
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