Sunday, February 19, 2012

80th Surprise Party at Leisure World

Today was a busy day setting up for an 80th Surprise Party at Leisure World.   The party came together nicely working with a few simple colors, a few snazzy "80th" party supplies and of course, some personal touches to make the party a hit.

Party City has a wonderful assortment of party goods.  My advice is just don't overuse the printed themes.  Choose one element, such as a napkin or party plate, and use it to inspire other solids in your party.  We used mature colors of gold and green to complement and not compete with the strong decor in the room.


We used elegant golden table cloths for the main buffet table and real glassware and gold chargers to present the food.     We took photos from throughout the celebrant's life to accent our tables and buffet. 







A custom cookie cake was created and shipped to Maryland from a bakery in Atlanta, GA.   Another small detail were custom made chocolates in our color scheme with white and green chocolates with the number 80.

Here are a few more general shots from the party!




 



Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Tu B'Shevat is Tomorrow: Are you Ready?

Tu B'Shevat: The New Year of Trees

Tu B’Shevat, the 15th of Shevat on the Jewish calendar—celebrated this year on Wednesday, February 8, 2012—is the day that marks the beginning of a “New Year for Trees.” This is the season in which the earliest-blooming trees in the Land of Israel emerge from their winter sleep and begin a new fruit-bearing cycle.

With a few simple and homemade items, you can make a spledid presentation for your family for the holiday of Tu B'Shevat. 

I used one clever idea from the book Crafting Jewish.    It's a family tree made of craft paper and a few other decorative elements I found at Michael's. 

\

In order to create a festive table, I used some simple creations from my children and a few basis supplies from Michael's.  We printed coloring pages and turned them into simple decorative elements to represent the 7 foods we customarily eat on Tu B'Shevat.
  • Figs
  • Dates
  • Pomegranates
  • Olives
  • Grapes (or raisins)
  • Wheat
  • Barley (in the form of bread, cake or cereal)



Please check back later in the week to see what our table looked like with the special foods.  As you can see, it takes just a little effort to create a simple, but meaningful holiday table for your family.