Purple Wedding Inspiration Board

Today's Wedding Inspiration Board features...

 the color PURPLE

Here are some ways to incorporate this beautiful color into your own wedding:

1. Have your bridesmaids wear a neutral or black bridesmaid's dress and add a pop of purple with their shoes!
2. Add a purple runner on your cake table for a splash of color
3. Add purple florals and a beautiful purple satin ribbon to the top of your cake
4. Use various shades of purple (lilac, deep purples, plums, eggplants) on your centerpieces
5. Incorporate purple lounge furniture into your reception
6. Carry a fabulous purple clutch
7. Have your bridesmaids wear a soft lilac dress
8. Incorporate purple into the font color and lining of your wedding invitation
9. Rent a fabulous purple chair cover to transform your reception!

Sources:

Shoes-Utterly Engaged
A Purple Party
Cake with Purple Ribbon
Wedding Dress
Ribbon rosette clutch
Purple Shoes
Bridesmaid's dresses J.Crew
Purple Chair linen
Lounge

Memorial Day Inspiration Board

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Summer Party Ideas - Backyard BBQ Ideas - Country Living
Found Enamel Jugs | Pottery Barn
BBQ Stripe Pitcher | Pottery Barn
Pretzel Sparklers Recipe
Stars and Stripes Forever Dessert Recipe
Drink Parasols 
Red, White, and Blue table marthastewart.com
Stick-On Stars - Perfectly Patriotic Crafts - 60 Days of Summer -...

Reese's 1st Birthday!

Last Saturday, Reese celebrated her 1st birthday.  Her parents hosted a "Our lil Cupcake is 1" party at the park.  Her mom asked me to help with some of the creative aspects of the party.  Here are some pictures from the event:

Swap-A-Dish...Chicken with Creamy Chive Sauce

So tonight I have my monthly Girl's Night.  The theme of tonight is Swap-a-Dish.  Each girl is asked to bring an easy, weeknight meal in a disposable 13*9 pan.  Each dish will be assigned a number, and we'll draw for our dish to take home!  The great thing about tonight is that not only do we get a Girl's Night, but we also get dinner already cooked and prepared for our family for tomorrow night!

Here's what I'll be bringing:

Chicken with Creamy Chive Sauce- from Betty Crocker's cookbook

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

¼ cup butter

1 0.7 oz package Italian salad dressing mix

1 10.75 can condensed golden mushroom soup

½ c. dry white wine

8 oz. tub cream cheese with chives and onion

Hot cooked pasta or hot cooked rice (I love using a package of egg noodles)

Place chicken in Crock-Pot.  In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Stir in dressing mix, soup, wine and cream cheese until combined.  Pour over chicken in Crock-Pot.  Cover and cook on low heat for 4 to 5 hours.  Serve chicken with sauce, and over pasta or rice!  Super rich and super yummy!

Art and Kim's Rehearsal Dinner

Thanks to Alicia Piper Photography for pictures from Art and Kim's Rehearsal Dinner held on April 16, 2010.  

The theme was "Eat, Drink and Be Married" and it was held at Aerial, which overlooks downtown Nashville.  

The groom wanted a sit-down, family style dinner.  The Southern-inspired menu, included:



Passed Appetizers for the Cocktail Hour:
      Truffled Mac 'n cheese
      Mini BLT’s
      Sweet corn lollipops

Salad:
      Grilled peaches beets, baby spinach, walnuts and orange/basil vinaigrette


Bread:
      Dinner rolls and cornbread with apple butter and honey butter


Main Course and sides:
      Tennesee cheddar mashed potatoes
      Green beans with lemon and garlic
      Mixed spring vegetable medley
      Roasted halibut with mango salsa or spring miso
      Roasted sirloin with pan gravy


At the end of the meal, we had a dessert bar which featured mini desserts: 
      Orange vanilla bread pudding
      Blackberry cobbler
      Chess squares
      Whiskey cake

The groom also wanted a "bourbon bar" after dinner.  

It definitely was an amazing night in Nashville for Art, Kim and all of their guests!

-Stephanie

My Favorite Things List

Many of my readers have emailed in to say they'd love to see the entire "My Favorite Things" list from the party I hosted.  There was only a snapshot of items that appeared in At Home TN magazine, so I thought I'd add the list to my blog.

Here it is:

Some of our Favorite Things Night items, included the following:

·       Lancome Juicy Tube, $5 Chick-Fil-A gift card

·       US Weekly, Atlanta Bread chocolate chip cookies

·       Gilligan O'Malley panties from Target

·       Gouguenheim Malbec 2007 Argentinian wine

·       Microplane grater, plastic bottle for dessert sauces and a recipe box

·       Covergirl Outlast lipstick (Forever Fawn)

·       Aveda-Rosemary Mint Shampoo

·       Pampered Chef ice-cream scoop

·       Alpha-Hydroxy Wal-Green's brand face cream

·       Ghiaredelli Double Chocolate Brownie Mix, Burt's Bees, and no-slip headbands

·       Krud Kutter (she could only bring ½ of a used bottle to keep it under $10), and #310 Covergirl Outlast lipstick

·       Maybelline Lash Stiletto mascara, Haribou Gummy Bears and Mentos gum

·       Amish butter and Amish Chicken Salad

·       Soycandle-Woodwick-Fireside candle

·       Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla

·       OPI-Suzi Loves Sydney nail polish

·       “Jesus Calling”-devotional book

·       Vaseline Skin Therapy Lotion-Intensive Rescue-Clinical Therapy

·       Trapp candle-mango-scented

Details from the Mother/Daughter Spa Party!

This Mother/Daughter Spa Party is the featured party in the May edition of At Home TN magazine, where I'm a monthly contributor. Here are some photos from the party that I wanted to share.Be sure to get a copy of the magazine for all the details, including what you'll need to host this party at your house (decor, food, recipes, etc).