Wedding Paper Divas Contest Winner!

Thank you everyone for participating in the Wedding Paper Divas Giveaway. The lucky winner of the $100 gift card chosen at random is:

Jade said...
I would love to have a wedding at a castle in Scotland. The Tartan invitations would be great! It would match all the kilts I would make everyone wear. It would set the mood for the candlelight ceremony, bagpipes and drinking beer out of chalices at the reception.

http://www.weddingpaperdivas.com/products/ProductView_1385.htm
December 14, 2008 8:26 PM

To claim your prize, please email us at : Amber@hiphostessny.com Thanks again everyone for participating… and don’t forget to check back after the first of the year when we will have a new giveaway from M. Flynn.

Last Minute Centerpiece Solution

Decor.

With the holidays fast approaching and time slipping away like it usually does this time of year, you might find yourself in a last minute pinch for holiday décor. Normally in this situation I would pull something from the Hip Hostess “bag of tricks”. However, while visiting Jessica Jones’ blog, How about Orange, I saw an idea that was so brilliant, easy and economical that I would feel guilty not sharing the wealth.

I ran across Jessica’s website while researching fabrics to use at some of our events. As most of you know it is difficult to find fun, modern fabrics at a decent price. So when I ran across Jessica’s line, the happy dance was done more than once.

This project will take minimal time at an economical price and make a fabulous impression. Jessica definitely gets a Hip Hostess seal of approval for this one! Below she’ll show you how to make easy fabric covers for vases or even shot glasses.

1. Cut a piece of fabric large enough to wrap around your glass or vase once, plus about an inch of overlap. Make it as tall as your vase is, plus an extra half inch. (Of course, vary this depending on how much glass you want to show at the top.)
2. Fold over and press a half inch at the top and bottom of the fabric; then sew a seam across it to hold it down.
3. Wrap the fabric around your vase, right side to the inside, and pin it exactly where you'd like your seam to go. Slide the vase out and draw a line along the pins to help you sew where you need to.
4. Sew the tube along the line and press the seam open.
5. Flip the tube right side out and put it on your vase.

Last Reminder - Wedding Paper Divas Contest

Before you completely settle into another December weekend of libations, cookies, and appetizers, don't forget to sign up for our amazing contest with Wedding Paper Divas. The winner will receive a $100 gift certificate for products from this amazing stationary company...and they do everything from bridal & wedding invitations to holiday cards to karaoke party invites!

And for anyone that has not been to the WPD website or seen their final products I have a first-hand review for you. First of all, the website is VERY user friendly. Once you choose the invitation style that you prefer, you simply follow the guided steps to personalize the invitation wording, colors, etc. There is even the option to use custom colors for many of the invitations if you so choose. Once you have made all of the modifications...voila!...you are shown a preview of your future invitations.

And WPD's were kind enough to send us many samples of their work. I was impressed. The offset printing was very clean and crisp. The color quality was also very nice. And with options ranging from traditional to more adventurous, there's something to suit every style of event. And as a recent penny-pinching bride, I was also struck by how affordable the options are. You really don't have to sacrifice quality for cost. But don't just take my word for it, check it out for yourself! --a

Toasting the Holidays.

Fun Facts.

A raise of the hand and a clink of the glass never cease to bring on a quick dose of cheer. There are many theories about why we toast—beginning with the ‘clinking’ of the glass, this was believed to ward off evil spirits. Another tale claims that by crashing glasses together, the libations in each glass would slosh into the other person’s cup, proving that neither was poisoned. Most commonly the toast translates to ‘good health and good fortune’.




“Cheers!” is a word you will hear many times in the coming weeks, as well, it should be. It is the perfect time of year to look back and toast your accomplishments, say good riddance to your surpassed hurdles and look forward to a New Year. My personal theory is that each time you Cheers you are bumped up on the Good Health and Good Fortune list. So, I am going to provide you with a list of many different ways to say “Cheers”. Go Clink and Prosper. --b

Danish – Skaal (skawl)

Dutch – Proost (proast)

Finnish – Kippis (kip’ pis)

French – A votre santé (ah vo’ tra san’ tay)

German – Prost (proast)

Hebrew – Le’chaim (leh khy’ yim)

Ireland – Slainte’ (slahn cha’)

Italian – Salute (sah loo’ tay)

Japanese – Kanpai (kahn pay)

Portugese – Saude (ser oo’ dher)

My Big Fat REAL Wedding - Favors

Lesson #6

DIY's take time...do as many things as possible in advance.

I'm here to tell you that even the most prepared bride can become overwhelmed during the last 2 weeks before the wedding. When you look at the checklists from magazines, you will notice that the responsibilities during the last month jump up to a dizzingly high amount. It's really easy to just run out of time to do all of the DIY projects that you wanted to incorporate. So it is my opinion that it's never too early to start on those projects. A perfect example of this was our wedding favors.

In keeping with our desire to make every detail very personal, we decided to do miniature banana breads (my husband's favorite snack since he was a kid) in bakery boxes. Now at first glance this may seem like it must be done towards the end...but there was plenty of room for advance work.

First, I purchased the banana bread boxes and coordinating sized baking tins at least 9 months before the wedding. Then I had the joy of assembling 125 of these boxes...like most of my DIY projects I did this leisurely while watching quality shows like Rock of Love with Bret Michaels. The next step was adhering ribbon to those boxes for a decorative element. Then...I created laminated recipe cards to place inside the boxes with the banana breads. I used the same design that I created for our invitations. That's when I shipped all of the boxes to my in-laws outside of Chicago, where they sat for 7 months in sealed boxes in their basement - aka. Amber's wedding basement.

About a month before our wedding, we were in Chicago for our shower. So we took advantage of this time to bake all 125 banana breads. We then individually wrapped them all in plastic wrap and froze them. So all that was left the weekend of our wedding was to put our little banana bread bundles in the boxes with the recipe cards. I think it took us a total of 5 minutes with the help of 2 friends.

So what's the point of this long-winded story? If I had waited until the last month to complete this project I may have just scrapped it and gone with something else...or had to pay someone 3-4 times as much to create my vision. Instead, we ended up with delicious & adorable favors that everyone devoured on our way to our wedding after-party. --a

Dish. Drink. Dice.

Hip Hostess Resolution Idea.

Nobody thinks about New Year’s Resolutions before December 31st at 11:00pm. However Hip Hostess has come up with a 2009 New Year’s Resolution that is fun, economical, and educational. Learn to cook delicious meals and hang out with friends! That translates into the first New Years resolution you actually want to keep.

At Hip Hostess we are always keeping our eyes open for great venues that will exceed our client’s expectations and bring a Hip Hostess quality to any event. Recently we ran across the perfect kitchen space for cooking classes in NYC. The venue holds up to 12 people and is perfect for an intimate gathering with friends, couples or even clients. The level of culinary expertise can be tailored to your group and can range from easy to expert. The cost runs about $130 per person (based on a group of 12) and includes cooking demonstration, 3-4 course meal and of course plenty of wine.

If you are located in New York and this sounds like a New Year’s Resolution that you would be happy to make and keep, please contact us at brandi@hiphostessny.com. If you live outside of the city, we will be happy to do some investigative work and find the perfect venue for you to keep your resolution in 2009. Just shoot us a note and we’ll get right on it.

The invitation below was created for an upcoming event, using Jessica Jones’ fabulous Calliope designs. Hip Hostess is going to incorporate a couple of surprises for the guests using fabric with the same designs. Don’t miss out!

Hit me with your best shot!

Drink.

Tis the season to party, party, party. And if you are throwing a fete for your friends, you probably want to watch your wallet yet still create a buzz. One way to kick-start a party is to have a fun drink. The only problem is that many "fun" drinks require you to purchase a lot of different kinds of alcohol & juices...and then who wants to stand by the bar all night mixing up those complicated concoctions? No thanks.

Luckily the people at DeKuyper created a solution - Burst Bar Shots. They are offered in 3 very familiar options: Red-Headed, Kamikaze, and Washington Apple. And no worries about these guys tasting too saccharin sweet...they are just as good as any shot that might be prepared by your favorite bartender at the local pub. What I might recommend is decanting the pre-mixed shots in a fun container - and then shake in a cocktail shaker with ice as needed. Your friends need never know that you didn't break the bank on 80 kinds of schnapps. --a

We're not slackers...we promise!

Hip Hostess is taking a Monday hiatus to recover from a weekend filled with Holiday parties. We'll be back tomorrow to tell you all about our newest discoveries, last minute holiday ideas, more wedding info.

And don't forget to sign up for our Wedding Paper Divas Contest!!

Easy and Impressive Entertaining

Food.

We are getting close to the end of the year which means the predictions for 2009 are running rampant. I read an article in Epicurious written by James Oliver Curry that predicted Peruvian is the new Thai.

Peruvian cuisine is considered one of the most diverse in the world and is on par with French, Chinese and Indian Cuisine. Thanks to its pre-Incas and Inca heritage and to Spanish, Basque, African, Sino-Cantonese, Japanese and finally Italian, French and British immigration, Peruvian cuisine combines the flavors of four continents. Along the Peruvian coast alone there are more than two thousand different types of soups and more than 250 traditional desserts.

Although I am not one to get carried away with trends, this is a good one. Anything that combines many different regional flavors and can be made ahead of time is the perfect entertaining solution. The recipe I chose, Smoked Chicken in a Banana Leaf, not only tastes delicious but is super easy to prepare. And for the finishing touch it is steamed in a banana leaf which is a beautiful exotic presentation. If you don’t live in an area with Latin or Asian supermarkets you can purchase banana leaves online at gourmetsleuth.com.

Pair the main course with one of many Peruvian side dishes and serve the traditional Pisco Sour which is a cocktail containing Pisco (a regional Brandy), lime juice, egg whites, simple syrup and bitters. You will score major points with your guests for being original and creative and little will they know it only takes 30 minutes to prepare. --b

Smoked Chicken in a Banana Leaf
Serves 4.
Ingredients:

Marinade
· 2 fresh red hot chili pepper, chopped
· 1/4 cup lime, juice
· 2 tbsp olive oil
· 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
· 2 tsp minced garlic
· 1 tsp paprika
· 1 tsp salt
· 1 tsp dried oregano
· 2 lime leaf, finely chopped
· 1/4 cup chicken stock
· 1/4 cup coconut milk

Chicken
· 1 smoked chicken, (about 1 1/2 lbs), meat removed from the bones and shredded Plantain
· 2 tbsp olive oil
· 1 1 large plantain, peeled and sliced on the diagonal, 1/2-inch thick
· 1 tbsp sugar

Assembly
· 4 banana leaves
· 4 sprigs fresh coriander

Directions:

Marinade
1. Combine the marinade ingredients in a food processor and blend into a smooth paste.
2. Put the chicken in a non-reactive bowl and rub the marinade all over.
3. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Plantain
1. The next day, remove chicken from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium nonstick saucepan.
3. Sprinkle the plantain with sugar and fry until golden and softened, about 2 minutes per side. 4. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Assembly
1. Heat a grill on medium-high heat.
2. Divide the chicken among the banana leaves
3. Top with the plantains and the coriander sprigs.
4. Tie the banana leaves with kitchen twine, or a banana leaf torn into strips.
5. Put the packages on the top shelf of the barbecue for 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is hot.

My Big Fat REAL Wedding - The Flowers.

Lesson #5
Trust the professionals.

So I'm going to jump right into the the Lesson that I learned on this subject. It is so important that you choose professionals that you trust for your wedding. Every vendor is going to have their strengths and weaknesses, so you must learn to work with what they do best...or better yet, chooose a vendor that does best what you want. And then if this trusted, hired vendor gives you their professional opinion...take it very much to heart.

I placed a lot of trust in my wonderful florist, A New Leaf. When I did all of my wedding research, I had one flower that I was enamored with - the white anemone. Of course the white anemone is pretty puny-looking at the end of August, so my one true flower love was completely out of the question. What's a girl to do?

Rather than pin-pointing the exact flowers that I definitely had to have, I constructed a concept for the overall look. Then I used my florist as a consultant in making the best final decisions. As long as they understood my concept, I would be fine with them making judgement calls based on what flowers looked best for our day. Our floral concept was "organic." Rather than heavily structured flower compositions, we wanted to achieve something that looked like it might have been picked from a garden.

So for the boutineers, we did different variations with mixed wildflowers, orchids, and even hops (the grooms request).



My bridesmaids carried an assortment of ranunculus, roses, wildflowers, orchids...you name it.

And since I am...err..."pigment challenged," I wanted a prodominately white/cream bouquet but with pops of black and green to set it off from the whiteness of me and my dress. We used scabiosa, ranunculus, black elderberries, and others.

(BTW...those of you brides wth champagne/ivory dresses, don't fear pure white flowers. They look lovely next to your non-white dress.)

And for the centerpieces, I lovingly purchased urns in a couple of different styles. Each was filled with different combinations of roses, several kinds of orchids, lemons, ranunculus, hosta and more. Each centerpiece had its own unique, but similar look.

I ended up with the most wonderful flowers...half of which I had never even heard of before. With trust in my florist, I was able to reap the rewards of her interpretation of my vision. --a