Winter Flower Ideas

I have the bug. Not just the flower bug but the sickness bug going around.

So please excuse me if:

A) I've posted these before.
B) I did these last holiday season and am posting them now.
C) The pictures on the candy cane flowers are bad phonetography shots from my phone.

Now, I'm back to the couch to watch one of the any given 237 wedding planning shows you can find on tv.

St. Louis???

Do not adjust your screen. This is December and this is St. Louis.

Last weekend I coordinated a company holiday party at a very cool venue here in St. Louis. If you are in the area and haven't been to Flamingo Bowl yet then you should plan a trip now. Better yet, you should plan a private party in the Palm Room. Your guests will love you for it.

I mentioned earlier that I got busy and didn't take pictures of the actual set up. I've already kicked myself so don't worry. I recreated a centerpiece, some goody bags and a shot of some of the various printed materials, so hopefully this will give you a feel for what it was like.

Throw in good food (not your typical "bowling" menu), great staff and amazing bar service from TJ (mentioned here) and Matt, and you absolutely cannot miss by booking your next event at Flamingo Bowl. I guarantee.

some images courtesy of www.flamingobowl.net

Centerpiece for Dummies

So while I made this arrangement for office holiday decor, you could easily recreate this for your home or for a holiday party centerpiece. It wouldn't work well for a sit-down dinner centerpiece unless you are trying to avoid the people on the other side of the table, but it would work great for a buffet table!

All you need is some type of urn or base vessel, a block of Oasis floral foam in an inexpensive globe vase placed inside that, some greenery, a few hypericum berries, a few poms and some ornaments and you're ready to go. I realize now when you type that out it doesn't sound like a short list, but really, this could not be easier. Honest. I only lie about my weight.

Insert the foam block vertically into your globe vase and start cutting and placing your greenery into it. Fill in with the berries next. Attach the ornaments to some floral picks with wire and fill those in next. Lastly add in the poms or other flowers of your choice and you're done. I added the poms to pull out some of the green used in the wrapped faux presents and other furnishings in the office. What you use is completely up to your imagination!

Cheating. Totally Cheating.

I should have a couple of original photos of a corporate holiday party up this week (but I got busy and forgot to take pics of the centerpieces and need to recreate them and take pics..I know...durrrr), but until then I am cheating and pointing you back over to Tangarang. Tangarang rocks and once again has made your life easy for the seasy. Holiday Season that is.

Super cute FREE holiday cookie labels in one of my favorite color combos!


As if that wasn't enough? Check out the Paper & Cake etsy store to get your digital downloads for this gorgeous holiday table! Loves it.

Simple Indeed

Better Homes and Gardens (www.bhg.com) has an endless amount of inspiration all year long and the holidays are no exception. There are so many great ideas that anyone can recreate. Here is just a sampling of some I'm loving right now.

Aren't those gazing balls in the first picture fantastic? Cookie cutters in the kitchen...adorable. A simple table runner of these ornaments in grass would look so fresh.

Oh, and expect to see "Happy New Year" in Scrabble in the entry at our house this year as I lovingly force people to play board games with me on New Year's Eve. Yes, I'm that girl.

Peppermint Party on The Web

Just a quick couple of additional peppermint posts from the creative minds at The Finer Things and Hostess With The Mostess. Love.

via The Finer Things



via Hostess With The Mostess

Holiday Cocktail Party With A Twist {Part Three}

We have our invitations and our drinks. What else do we need? Favors, of course.

No party is complete without parting gifts. Shower your guests with any of these peppermint inspired gifts from Crate and Barrel. (With some extra touches thrown in from around the interwebs.)

These peppermint spoons would not only be great on your hot chocolate bar but would also make a simple favor for your guests. Just bag up your favorite cocoa mix, place it in an inexpensive white mug, tie on one of these spoons with some red and white striped ribbon and send your guests home with their very own treat. Bonus: Your favors will serve double duty as some seriously cute decor if you group them all together or in smaller groups throughout your party!

No time to make your own peppermint bark? No problem. Crate and Barrel has done it for you. If sending each guest home with their own box isn't in your budget, then bag some up in a cute cellophane bag (shown here from Container Store) or put some in miniature takeout boxes and tie off with red ribbon.

Serve fondue in these adorable little snowflake fondue pots and then gift your guests with some yummy fondue to use at home.

Enough of the sweet stuff? These miniature striped candles might just be your bag then. Customize the gift with some personalized matches and let your guests know you went that extra step to show how glad you are that they took the time to join you.

At the rate this season is flying by we might have this party complete by next year....