Black Cat, Nine Lives

October was the month I started having monthly dinners for my group of friends, so each year I try to come up with a theme that represents the anniversary year.  This October marks 9 years I've been hosting monthly dinners for these amazing ladies.  That's 108 dinner themes over the years!  For this year, I decided on Black Cat, Nine Lives for my theme.  I thought it was appropriate with Halloween coming soon as well.  One funny note is that I absolutely HATE cats, and I am allergic to them! They did make for a fun theme though.

Invite: I found this background image online and just added text using Photoshop.  I liked the image because the cat was prominent, but it also had the Halloween look and party colors I decided to go with.

Entry Decor:  As a high school teacher, I have access to an overhead projector, so I projected cat images up on my walls to trace on black card stock and use for my entry.  I put two cat silhouettes in my windows and one on my door poster.  Love the MD (Monthly Dinner) collar I added at the last minute.

Inside Decor: I used a black tablecloth and placed 12x12 orange scrapbook paper down the center for a table runner.  My centerpiece was small pumpkins I made to look like cats placed inside a larger pumpkin.  I saw this idea on Pinterest, and decided to try it out.  Here's a larger photo...

To make this fun centerpiece:

1. Cut the top off an artificial large pumpkin. (You can use a real pumpkin if you want, but I really wanted mine to serve as a decoration for the entire month.)  Fill the large pumpkin with enough newspaper and tissue paper to hold your small pumpkins.
2. Glue ribbon along the rib parts of the pumpkin.  I used craft glue and then a thumb tack on the inside at the top to secure it.
3. For the pumpkin cats, I used real pumpkins because I couldn't find fake ones easily.  I cut cardstock to make ears, whiskers, and a nose. I adhered them to the pumpkin with hot glue.  I used black scrapbook brads I found at Michaels for the eyes and just stuck them in the pumpkin.
4. I then used a thin Sharpie to make the mouth.

I also made black cats out of cardstock to add to the table decor.

I had an extra mini pumpkin, so I used it as a separate side decoration adding large yarn balls for added fun.

For place cards, I made cats out of toilet paper rolls, cut a slit in the top, and inserted a place card.  These were actually very easy to make.

1. Cut a toilet paper roll the height that you want your cat.  I cut my about 1 1/2 inches.  Then paint it the color you want your cat.
2.  Once dry, paint the stripes on the side with a thin brush.  Lighten your body color a little with white paint and paint on the cheeks. Use the end of your paintbrush for a pink nose.
3. Cut a thin section of the remaining toilet paper roll for the tail.  Paint it your body color and then add stripes.  Make sure you paint both sides as they both will show.
4. For the ears, cut a chenille stem 4".  Then cut it in half again.  Fold those two halves into a point and glue them to the inside as the ears.
5. Cut the remaining chenille stem in half.  Wrap each piece around your paintbrush (or a pencil) to coil it.  Then attach each to the underside of the toilet roll body for the feet.
6. Glue the tail to the back and use a sharpie to add whiskers, eyes, and eyebrows to the face.

For the napkin rings, I made small yarn balls using remnants of yarn I already had.  Super easy and cute.

I made wine charms to look like cat collars.  I bought large metal brads from Michaels and wrote popular cat names on the front in Sharpie.  I used black card stock to cover the back and to add a slight border.  I folded half of the brad in half on the back to secure the ribbon like a hoop before tying them onto the wine glasses.

The wine labels I designed were simple. I just found images on Google that I liked and designed the labels with them.

Oh...and don't forget the silly sign on the bathroom door!

Menu:  I bought cat bowls from the dollar store to fill with small appetizers before the party.  In one, I put goldfish, and the other I cut cubes of cheese.

For the side salad, I made a simple green salad, but instead of regular croutons, I bought Parmesan cheese fish crackers.  (These are super yummy by the way!).  On the salad, I put tomatoes, shredded cheese, and corn.

For the main dish, I served Blackened Catfish which was amazing! I followed this recipe found on Never Enough Thyme. One of my guests doesn't like fish, but I used the same rub as the catfish recipe and put it on a chicken breast for her.  Still delicious.  Along with the catfish, I made mashed potatoes and called them PURR-fect Potatoes and a medley of mixed veggies I called Veggie Meow Mix.

For dessert, I made a black cat cake.  I used a boxed cake mix (Devil's food cake) to make two 9" cakes.  One was the body, and the other I cut to make the head, tail, and ears.  For the sake of time, I used pre-made frosting which is not as amazing as my mom's recipe, but still good.  The eyes I made with red lifesavers and yellow skittles.  The nose is a pink Starburst cut into a triangle.  The whiskers are chocolate licorice that I sliced smaller.

Favor:  The first idea I had for this party theme was to incorporate Kit Kat bars into my favor.  Wasn't sure how I was going to do it, but after making the centerpiece pumpkins, I decided they were so cute, I wanted to incorporate them into my favor.  I made the pumpkins the same way I made the centerpiece, but spray painted them black so that they were a little different. I bought green googly eyes from Michaels and the whiskers were white cardstock.  I hot glued them to the top of mason jars filled with mini Kit Kats.

Can't believe it has been 9 years of hosting these monthly dinners, but I am so grateful to have such amazing women in my life.  Can't wait for another PURR-fect year!

Monday is "Booked"

Since it is Back-to-School season, and I am an English teacher, I decided to have our monthly dinner themed around classic literature. I absolutely love all the details of this party (yes...I am tooting my own horn just a bit), and I definitely recommend this theme for those of you in a book club or other reading-based gathering.
 

Invite: I know our libraries don't use card catalogs anymore, but they make for such a cute invite! I found an image of a card on Google, and then just added text on Photoshop.  I used two different fonts: AA Typewriter for the bolder font and Traveling Typewriter for the thinner one.  Both are free downloads online. To make the envelope, I cut a large manila envelope the width of my card plus two flaps to fold back. I glued a black ribbon along the front and cut a page from a book before adding my "You're Invited" text.

By the way...only one book was harmed in the making of all these party details! It was a book I purchased at the dollar store, so I apologize to the author for not actually reading the book before cutting it up into pieces.  On the bright side, the pages received many a compliment at the party!

Entry Decor: The first thing I did for this party was look up the top 100 classic novels of all time.  I went through the list writing down titles that I thought I could work into my menu or other decor items. I thought Great Expectations was perfect for my entry as I hope my guests walk in with a positive attitude and expect to enjoy the evening.  I found an image of the book cover online and imitated it as best I could.  The drawing isn't great, but it worked since the original book cover was sketch-like. I added a few other classic books to the entry table as well.

Decor:  I made a table runner out of pages from the book I bought at the dollar store. This was really simple to make and only took about 10 minutes. After ripping out the pages, I used my paper cutter to trim the rough edge.  I glued the pages together with a glue stick and was done.

As centerpieces, I printed classic book covers and taped them around dollar store vases I already had. I filled them with some simple flowers.  I didn't want colorful flowers because I wanted the focus to be on the book covers.  I used classic novels I already had on my home bookshelf to elevate each vase.

In the very center of the table, I made a book topiary out of pages of the same dollar store book. I love how this turned out and took it to my classroom after the dinner, but just to warn you...it took me 2 hours to make!  I bought the candle holder at the dollar store along with a fake orange. I went to the store looking for a foam ball, but couldn't find one.  The closest round object I could find was a fake orange, but it did the job. I cut rectangles (four to a page) out of each page in the book and used decorative scissors to trim the edges.  Then folded the paper and used a straight pin to secure each square into the orange.  The entire thing I hot glued to the candle holder.  Here's a close up of the topiary...

Since it took me 2 hours to make, I thought it deserved two photos on this post!!

For place cards, I stuck with the card catalog theme. I made the envelopes and added the ribbon and the first initial of the guest.

I found images of classic book covers online to use as napkin rings.

I used these same images to make wine charms.

I created wine labels with another classic book War and Peace.  For the red wine, I used a dark red cover of the novel, and for the white wine, I used a light blue cover.

Besides wine, I also served margaritas.  I didn't serve any Mexican food that evening, but I thought of "tequila" to replace "to kill a" in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird and I couldn't resist.  It's such a great novel, that I had to find some way to fit it into my evening.

For each menu item I served, I made these card catalog inspired signs as labels. The initial image I found online and then just added text in the same fonts as I used on the invite.
I placed the classic novel that matched the dish next to each food label.  The novels I didn't already own or find at school, I checked out from the local library.

Chapter One - Appetizers:  One of the appetizers I served, was shrimp cocktail to go with the novel The Old Man and the Sea.

A second appetizer was individual servings of vegetables and dip. This went to with novel Moby Dick. (Moby DIP).

Chapter 2 - Salad:  When we sat down at the table, I served a green salad first.  The salad had tomatoes, cucumbers, and cheese cut into flowers.  This represented the novel The Secret Garden.

Chapter 3 - The Main Course: For the main course, I served Monte Cristo sandwiches.  I had never made these before, but I've had them once at Disneyland.  When I saw The Count of Monte Cristo on the top 100 novel list, I really wanted to try them out.  The only problem is that I did not want to spend a ton of party time at the stove top. I wanted to spend time with my guests. After finding a recipe on Pinterest that bakes them like a casserole in the oven, I knew I just had to try it.  They were delicious!  The only additions I made to this recipe was adding Dijon mustard to the bread, and I served it with both ham and turkey slices.  I served the sandwiches with a side of strawberry jelly so guests could control how much they wanted.

I served french fries to go alongside the Monte Cristo sandwiches. This became my Lord of the Flies (Fries) inspired dish.

I also served fruit kabobs.  I used two types of grapes, so that they would represent the novel The Grapes of Wrath.

Chapter 4 - Dessert:  Looking back on this meal, I served some very rich foods.  The Monte Cristo sandwiches themselves are very filling and dessert-like, so I really didn't need a dessert, but I made one anyway not paying attention to that.  I decided to make a dessert out of Three Musketeer bars.  My kiddos loved this dessert, but it is VERY rich and has lots of chocolate! I found the recipe here.

I asked each of the girls to bring a wrapped, used book for a book exchange.  We had some great books exchanged, and I am excited to read the one I received. I included this photo to show the wrapping job one of my friends did.  She used wrapping paper to fold into a bow -- genius!  It looked so good, I had to include a photo.

Favor: My parting gift was inspired by the novel, The Great Gatsby. I gave each guest chocolate coins I bought at the dollar store with a tag that read "Spending time with you is better than all the riches of West End."  If you've read the novel, you understand.  I designed the label on Photoshop.

I had a great time with this theme, and I think it would be great for a book club gathering, school party, or even a baby shower theme if the mother-to-be loves books.  There is just so much to do with all the amazing book titles out there.

Thanks for reading!

End of Summer POOL Party

I decided to do a little twist on the typical end of the summer POOL party as my August theme this year.  I went with a billiards theme as my "pool".

Invite: I designed the invite in PhotoShop.  As is typical, I did not decide on my theme until the last minute, so the invite had to be quick and easy to throw together.

Entry Decor:  I made this sign for my front door with foam board, card stock, and a wooden dowel rod.  Would have loved to have had a mini pool table out front, but I don't know anyone who has one to be able to borrow it.

Inside Decor:  I tried to craft my dining room table to look like a pool table.  I used a green plastic tablecloth and cut black card stock to put on the corners/sides to look like pockets.  I used black yarn to create pretend baskets on each pocket.  As a centerpiece, I borrowed billiard balls to fill a fish bowl and placed a black billiard triangle around it.  I bought blue pool chalk to glue to each rolled napkin for added pool-themed decor.

As a place card, I painted billiard balls.  To make these, I bought 2" wooden ball knobs from Joann's Fabric Store.  I painted them the various colors of billiard balls and used a Sharpie to write the number on it.  With my husband's help, I used a saw to slice a slit at the top low enough to hold a piece of card stock with the guest's name on it. Painting the stripes was definitely a challenge as I had to do it by hand, so they aren't perfect, but I love how they turned out.

I made simple wine bottle labels using a white ball and a red ball image to distinguish the chardonnay from the Cabernet. 

I used scrapbook paper to make miniature billiard balls for wine charms. I made these to match with the guest's place card.

Menu: For an appetizer, I made these super yummy cheese balls that look like a billiard ball set.  Just as a warning if you are thinking about making this...it take A LOT of time to prep it all, but I do think it is worth the effort.  I would suggest slicing the peppers, olives, green onions, etc. ahead of time to save you some time the day of.  It is also fairly expensive as there are a lot of items to purchase, so keep that in mind.  The top is sliced water chestnuts and a black food coloring pen.  I served this with crackers and bread sticks.  If you want to make this cute appetizer, I found the recipe on Taste of Home here.

For a salad, I served watermelon cubes carved out of an 8-ball.  I was short on time, so I ended up just drawing the 8 ball on the watermelon with a Sharpie.  The original plan was to carve it. (The Sharpie was much easier!)

For the main dish, I served teriyaki meat balls, puff pastry, and asparagus.  My original plan was to cut the puff pastry in a large triangle and then set the meatballs in a triangle on top as if it was the "triangle" holding the balls together. I changed my mind last minute when I saw how much the pastry shrunk when baked.  The asparagus is meant to be the pool sticks.  I served additional spears in a bowl to be passed around.

For dessert, I used a butter scoop to create balls in various flavors of ice cream.  I drizzled chocolate around the edge like a triangle, and added two wafer cookies as the sticks.  The ice cream flavors I used were: strawberry, chocolate, lemon cake (this flavor is AMAZING!), mint chip, cookie dough, and orange sherbet. 

Favor:  This favor I actually invented by accident.  I ordered small billiard balls off of Amazon to use in my centerpiece, but I didn't really pay attention to how small I was ordering.  When they came and I opened them, I realized they wouldn't work for my fish bowl centerpiece and thought I would just return them.  I made cupcakes that I was planning to decorate like billiard balls and use as my favor, but the day before the party, I realized I just had too much still to do and wouldn't have time after work to decorate them.  That is where this idea of wine stoppers came about, and I decided just to try it.  Wow...it was easy!  I bought corks from the store and just hot glued a ball to the top.  That was it!!  They turned out so cute and were a huge hit with the girls.

As usual, we had a great time! A fun idea for an End-of-Summer "Pool" Party!