Showing posts with label entertaining. Show all posts
Showing posts with label entertaining. Show all posts

Friday, December 10, 2010

COCKTAILS, ANYONE?

I just finished my final project for the semester yesterday (yay!), so now I can get back to doing the things I love during the holidays like spending time with friends, baking (and eating!) cookies and drinking festive cocktails!
On Wednesday night, I invited some friends over for  a holiday cocktail party at my apartment.  I skipped the plastic plates and cups and served drinks in vintage glasses and food on vintage trays. To save on time, I picked up some fantastic cheeses, fresh bread, almonds, cookies and truffles. Here are a few items I'd use for a classic cocktail party.

 This vintage art deco chrome tray would be perfect for serving grapes or truffles.

These vintage punch cups would be great for a signature cocktail.

 This vintage chrome and glass cocktail set is perfect for guests to help themseleves. 

 I'd add some winterberry branches in these black glass vases for a pop of color.

This vintage chrome and bakelite tray would be perfect for a trio of olives, almonds and spicy walnuts.



These vintage gold rimmed glasses are just perfect for champagne. Enough said.

These vintage gold rimmed glasses are classic for a signature cocktail.

Monday, November 1, 2010

PURPLE HAZE...

This weekend I grabbed some flowers from a few local street stands and put together a quick fall arrangement. Cabbages, ornamental kale and grapes help make a fabulous arrangement this time of year. Here's a quick how-to on creating a beautiful fall bouquet in greens, purples and whites.

1. Choose an interesting container that's big enough to hold your flowers.
2. Start by placing your greenery in first. These add structure to your arrangement and help support the other flowers.  In this case, I started with the hypericum berry and cabbage first.
3. Next start adding some of your larger flowers. (Tip: If you place the star of bethleham in warm water overnight, the bottom blooms will pop open.) 
 4. Next start layering in some of the color. Try to place around the arrangement to create little pockets of color. Make sure to vary the height of your flowers to add visual interest.
5. Continue to add flowers and start to add grapes and hypericum berry around the top of your container (Don't forget that most people see arrangements at eye level on a table.)
6. Continue to layer flowers with varying heights. You can also use greenery to help fill in some of the holes. Make sure to turn your arrangement around 360 degrees to make sure you have all sides covered. 


7. Sit back and enjoy your lovely flowers!

Flowers used in this arrangement (most can be found at a local grocery store or florist)
Star of Bethlehem (white flowers)
Hypericum Berry (green berries)
Small purple grapes (you could also use any purple grapes from the grocery store)
Purple Calla Lilies (this is the only thing that might be harder to find. Substitute a different color)
Lavender roses
Oregano
Dill
Ornamental cabbage

Friday, October 29, 2010

A SPECIAL INVITE...

Had to share this adorable 1st birthday party invite I ran across the other day on the Happiness Is blog. Not sure how well this would work in reality, as the packages would have to be hand delivered in a matter of hours, but a cute idea none the less...

What is the most creative invite you've sent?

Monday, October 25, 2010

AND THE WINNER IS...

(Image pinned by Dana from YellowTrace Blog on Pinterest)
And the winner of the first Octavia & Brown giveaway is Paola. Congratulations!

Thank you everyone for your comments. I plan on doing another giveaway soon, so be sure to check back!

(Paola- Send me an email with your shipping address and I'll send these off to you: shopoctaviabrown@gmail.com)

Monday, October 18, 2010

It's Giveaway Time...

With holiday parties just around the corner and to get your entertaining arsenal in order, I'm giving away a pair of black glass urns from Octavia & Brown.

To win these gorgeous urns, simply leave a comment telling me how you might use them for entertaining, or just around your home during the Holidays.

I will select a random winner on Sunday night (October 25th, 6pm EST) and mail these out to you on Monday morning.

Can't wait to hear your ideas. Good luck!

(Please only enter once. No purchase from Octavia & Brown is necessary to win. Thanks!)

Friday, May 21, 2010

Friday Obsession- Vintage Champagne Glasses

I have to admit, I never really need a special occasion to break out a bottle of champagne. Like using good china for a weeknight meal, I think champagne should be enjoyed whenever the mood strikes...

That being said, drinking champagne out of a nice glass is essential. I have been more than a little obsessed with finding vintage champagne glasses. I love the wide brim and the classic, refined look of these glasses. They're perfect for summer entertaining. Here are a few of my favs...


(Photos: Octavia & Brown, Shorely Chic, EthanOllie, Rustbelt Threads, AttysVintage, Diantiques, Octavia & Brown. All shops are on Etsy.com)

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Feelin' Thrifty...

Last week, I took a day off from Brimfields to explore the thrift shops of Cape Cod. I was amazed to find a huge network of thrift shops that spans every church, breakfast mission and small town on the Cape. 

While thrift stores on the Cape carry books, clothes, music, furniture and a whole bunch of other stuff, I found that they're great for picking up smaller items such as glassware, candlestick holders, vases, etc to decorate and entertain on a budget. People usually drop off full sets of glassware and plates, as opposed to the miscellenous one or two glasses that you normally get in the larger cities. Be prepared to dig for treasures, as most thrift stores are packed with donations.

Additionally, people that rent out houses on the Cape for the season, as well as year-round residents, will usually drop off donations prior to and at the end of the summer season. These are the best times to score some larger finds such as couches, dressers, etc.

A few of my favorites finds from the day included several sets of vintage champagne glasses, a black and white fish-eye photo from the 50s, a Dorothy Thorpe creamer and sugar bowl, and a silver plate flower frog.

* A side note, thrift stores are also a way to meet some very interesting people from the Cape and get a few great stories, as most employees are part-time volunteers. 

To check out a list of thrift shops on Cape Cod, click here.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Stripey Straws...

Having people over in the summer is one of my favorite things to do. I can't wait to mix drinks with these adorable paper straws from Anthropologie. Bring on summer!

P.S. If you're in New York City, one of my favorite West Village stores, Greenwich Letterpress sells similar straws in gray and light blue.

(Photo: Anthropologie)

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