Dia de los Muertos Party

With our monthly dinner falling on the Day of the Dead holiday, I chose Dia de los Muertos as my November theme. I love this holiday because of the bright colors, the focus on culture and tradition, and the idea of honoring the spirits of the dead. Oh...and I love Mexican food.

Invite: I designed the invite around an image I found online.  Since most of my guests were coming straight from work, I didn't mention dressing up or wearing makeup.  I did pull in the traditional aspect a bit asking guests to bring a photo or decoration in memory of a lost loved one to place on the alter.

Entry Decor:  I made this sign for my entryway.  I drew the skull (with a little help from my overhead projector) and colored it in with marker.  I made the tissue paper flowers and cut the lettering on my Cricut.  The font is Matador, and it can be downloaded for free online.

For the "alter, " I borrowed skulls, candles, and some of the other items from friends of mine.  These items really added to the cultural aspect of the party and saved me money in attempting to purchase decorations.  I also made candle favors for each guest which I placed on the "alter."

Table Decor:  I set my table with a black tablecloth and placed colorful serapes to add a festive flare.  The amazing centerpiece of the skeleton with a top hat I borrowed from a friend.  It was perfect!  The brightly colored candles were also borrowed. I bought colorful vases from the dollar store and made tissue paper flowers to add to the table.

In front of the flowers, I painted sugar skulls.  I found these orange Halloween skulls at Michaels at 75% off and just painted them to look like sugar skulls.

For a place card, I bought mini blue and green margarita glasses from Party City and mini bottles of tequila from BevMo.  I carved the guest's initial out of a lime, cut the slice out, and placed it on the rim of the glass.   Carving was a bit difficult in that I couldn't find a good tool to help me do it. I ended up using a small flat-head screwdriver, so they didn't come out as perfectly as I'd hoped, but they were still cute.  I also did these last minute to avoid the limes drying out.

I bought these napkins at Target and then made the skull rings around them.  The pink and blue skulls I found at Michaels in the bead section.  The skulls were expensive, but luckily they were on sale and I had a coupon.

I made labels for my wines that went with the theme. They were made from images I found online and just created a label around them.

For wine charms, I used these colorful mini rubber skeletons I found at Target.  There were 8 in a package for only $1!!  I picked them up originally not sure what I would use them for, but decided they were perfect for wine charms.

Behind the table, I added a collage of tissue paper flowers.

Menu: We started off with chips, salsa, and guacamole as an appetizer.  For the main meal, I created a Taco Bar.

I made this banner with scrapbook paper and real tacos.  Don't you just love it?

I decorated the Taco Bar with candles and more of the items I had borrowed from my friend. I just love how these additions bring out the festive nature of this party.

For the Taco Bar, I had both hard and soft shell tacos as well as mini tortilla bowls I made.  For the meat, I made shredded chicken in the crock pot and cooked carne asada on the grill.  The chicken is only 3 ingredients - one jar of salsa, one packet of taco seasoning, and your chicken.  Cook it on low for 6-8 hours and enjoy!  All the fixings made for a super yummy meal.

We also had Mexican corn, rice, and beans.

For dessert, we had "fried" ice cream and churros.  The churros I bought already made from Costco on my way home for work.  I warmed them in the oven and cut them in half.  The "fried" ice cream is not really fried at all, but was very tasty.  I started by making round balls of vanilla ice cream.  While these were hardening, I made the mix.  It is just corn flakes, butter, cinnamon, and sugar.  I baked it for a bit in the oven.  An hour before the party, I rolled the ice cream balls in the mixture and placed them back in the freezer until serving time.  I chose to garnish them with a dollop and whip cream and a cherry.

Favor:  I made these super easy candles for my favor.  I bought the candles at the dollar store.  The sugar skulls I cut out of my Cricut and then used Mod Podge to adhere them to the glass.  I used leftover beads from my napkin rings to string on the end of ribbon and tied this around the top. Cheap and easy!

We had so much fun at our Dia de los Muertos dinner.  Thank you ladies for coming!

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!