With a little embellishment

REAL SIMPLE WRAPPING: Thanks to Design*Sponge, here are some interesting and creative (and inexpensive!) wrapping ideas to make your holiday gifts that much more special. They are all made with items you have around the house, or office, or can buy uber-cheap at the dollar store!

The top, is a pom-pom made of crepe paper (for instructions, click here); the middle, simple paper with added black labels made into circles with a paper punch; and the bottom, simple metal rimmed tags in varying sizes make a cute and minimalistic snowman.

Flowering substitutions

With the economy in the shape it's in, you want to save money in every way that you can, however, that doesn't mean not having fresh flowers around! Bon Marriage talks about substitutions for your favorite over-the-top-expensive flowers. These carnations, — which look a whole lot like peonies — are adorable. Carnations are not only very inexpensive and available all year round, they are totally making a comeback. Also, I've never seen these muscari, but I really like them for their wonderful texture and unique shape. Better than hyacinths in my mind! Another great place to look for flower inspiration and advice is Bride's Flower Finder.

Free design goodies

CHIC FOR FREE: A relatively new blog on the scene has caught my eye and I wanted to share: Free Design Goodies, a side project of Summer Allen-Gibson's Design Is Mine site, is an awesome one-stop-shop to see all the clipart, stationary templates, desktop wallpapers, etc. that various sites are offering for free. I have used it a couple times already and use it a lot just for inspiration. Check it out for your next birthday cards, dinner invitations or bridesmaids gifts (the stationary is perfect for this!).

Getting fruity

LookGirl in the Kitchen posted a great recipe that would be the perfect dessert for an upcoming party, whether outdoor barbecue or Sunday brunch with the gals:

GRILLED FRUIT KABOBS
Get outside and use the grill with this seasonal favorite — mixing and matching for the best of what's at the peak of pickability. (OK, so I just made up that word, but you get the point.)

Drunk pop

Perfect for the hot days closing out the summer months, these unique twists on the frozen margarita sounds like such a fun idea for a backyard party!

Try this recipe from Bon Appétite, which couldn’t be any easier either: you basically take lime flavored ice pops or fruit bars, pour a mixture of tequila and lime juice over them, then lightly dip 1 edge of the pop into kosher salt.

Another approach could be to first mix up your own margaritas then freeze them into pops and dip in salt. Here’s a great recipe for this version from Emeril Lagassi via Food Network:

INGREDIENTS
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 2 tablespoons tequila
• 2 tablespoons orange liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)
• Kosher salt, for garnish Special Equipment:
• 4 small cups (recommended: Dixie), 4 popsicle sticks

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine sugar, lime juice, water, lemon juice and orange juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
2. Once cool transfer to a blender with tequila, orange liqueur, and lime wedge and process until smooth.
3. Pour into the cups and cover the top of each cup with foil. Place the popsicle stick in center of cup (down through foil, which will hold it in place).
4. Freeze until hard, preferably overnight.
5. Remove from freezer and run cup under warm water to loosen popsicle. Garnish with kosher salt and serve.

Carryall

A BAKER'S NEW BEST FRIEND: Bring your special-recipe pies, cupcakes or brownies to the party, and now, all in one piece with Bakers Sto 'n Go. With more than 10 groves to adjust the shelves to any height, you can take virtually any combination of treats on the road. And the all-plastic design makes it easy to wash, easy to store (the handle comes off for flat storage) and hard to break. Everyone will be asking not only for your recipe, but how you decorated such masterpieces.

Bloomin' Table

Martha Stewart's ideas for spring included these adorable rose napkins — with instructions — that are so easy to fold and so elegant for a Sunday brunch party with the gals.

Artisan baking

DYE-CUT WONDERS: Look how easy it is to go from a kid's party to a grown-up's party, still utilizing the desert of the moment, cupcakes. These chic, laser-cut wrappers come in a variety of colors, making them perfect for a cupcake tower for any type of party. They'd also be a great way to present a party favor, and you can fill them with others treats besides just cupcakes — think your favorite mini candy or a stack of some cookies.

Designs pictured above are from Estilo Weddings (But another good source for laser-cut cupcake wrappers is Paper Orchid.):
Row 1: Filigree, White Butterflies, Ivy Vine
Row 2: Teapots, Sea Shells, Palm Tree
Row 3: Happy Flowers, White Stars, Black Stars

Equal play

LookGirl in the Kitchen posted a recipe this week that could easily be multiplied for a great spring-summer get together. The recipe only makes one, but it would be really easy to make a big batch in a pitcher, just don't let them sit too long because of the soda water.

MIXED BERRY MOJITO
Ingredients:
8-12 fresh mint leaves
3-4 fresh blackberries
3-4 fresh blueberries
3-4 fresh red raspberries
1/8 cup lime juice
2-4 teaspons Equal Spoonful or 1-2 packets Equal sweetener
1/4 cup soda water
1/4 cup light rum
1 mint sprig

Directions:
1. Carefully press mint leaves into the bottom of the glass with the back of a wooden spoon to release their oils (do not tear leaves).
2. Mix mint, crushed wild berries, lime juice and Equal in a highball glass.
3. Fill glass with crushed ice (cubed ice will not work).
4. Stir well until the ice is reduced by 1/3 and then top with more crushed ice, stirring until the glass begins to frost on the outside.
5. Pour in rum and soda water and stir again. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

Two thumb for tulips

FULL BLOOM: Searching some of the recipes over at Epicurious, I came across this wonderful table setting for Easter. Now, while this is holiday inspired, what really drew me was the gorgeous bouquet of tulips that can really be used on any spring table. Just imagine having your girlfriends over for brunch and having this bunch as the centerpiece. You'll get so many compliments! It is so chic and simple with its one color — and since tulips come in so many colors, it's really your choice for the setting — and fullness. Plus the stems are so clean to finish off the look.


UPDATE: The same table setting pictorial by Epicurious also had these adorable place cards. What an easy thing to do and something I've never seen done before. Classically chic! And you can easily skip the flower and substitute the candle for even a napkin and get a different look with the same sort of impact.

Making an impression

I uncovered this photo while cleaning out my desktop folders this morning and unfortunately I have no clue where I ever got it from, but the idea is fantastic. Personally, I don't like mushrooms (it's something about that slimy fungus thing), but it's so cute that I may just touch one long enough to slice it up for these sandwiches. Perfect for entertaining, what a great way to jazz up a simple grilled cheese or, well, anything grilled or griddled. You could even do it on smaller, tea-sized sandwiches. Too cute.

Wine and dine

A CORK MENU: Thanks goes out to Miss Penguin over at Weddingbee for sharing pics (and recipes!) from her bridal shower. Beyond the delicious-looking spread, I wanted to talk about the wonderful cork signs showing the menu items that her maid of honor made for the event. These are so easy to do yourself, and customize for any event from cocktail hour to a wedding. I might just make these for my next dinner party; I definitely have enough corks laying around at home!

UPDATE: Her MOH also created cute wine charms (out of hoop earrings) and cheap, simple, but oh so chic goodie bags.

An orchard-perfect idea

APPLE CENTERPIECE: While surfing around some of my favorite blogs today, I came across this great entertaining idea courtesy of Brooklyn Bride: "These candle carvers make centerpiece possibilities endless, and I think can make a stunning statement. In my head, I see a rectangular table covered in a pure white tablecloth, with a single row of green apples all the way down the center, and then just 1 yellow apple for interest." I think, "simply genius."

Open That Bottle the right way

Enjoy Open That Bottle Night on Saturday with some of these fun new wine accessories. They can make any night a special night to open that celebratory bottle.

Crate and Barrel Mara wine glasses ($12.95 each) with dramatic angles and V-shaped bowls

CB2 Ada Smoke stemware ($3.95 each) for that sultry night, a bit of a smoky haze

Sur La Table V1 Vacuum Decanter by Metrokane ($79.95) preserves that special wine that you let "breathe" last just a few days longer, without breathing

CB2 Beaker Glass decanters and funnel ($2.50 - $14.95) help solve that scientific equation that is the right amount to air out a bottle

Sur La Table Riedel O ‘Thumbs Up’ Decanter ($159.95) is a hand-blown, no-drip, safe 'n' secure masterpiece

Open That Bottle

WINE CELEBRATED: Open That Bottle Night, started in 2000 by two wine writers for the Wall Street Journal, is a fantastic idea to make any day a celebration. Wine lovers and amateurs alike save bottles to drink "later" for a special occasion, but when is that time? And why shouldn't you enjoy a good glass of wine on a typical day? So this Saturday, uncork a cherished bottle and enjoy the contents as Open That Bottle Night gives you that special occasion. The writers argue:

These dear bottles have a special way of retrieving warm and often-forgotten memories, but you have to pop the cork to release them. That's why we invented Open That Bottle Night. So very many of us have that special bottle — from a departed loved one, from a visit to a winery, from a vacation — that we're always going to open for just the right moment, but, of course, that moment never comes.

So, as a treat for that special night, buy yourself some special wine accouterments to help you enjoy the wine. Here is a page that appeared last year in The Examiner for the same occurrence. In just a few minutes, I'll post some updates with brand new products on the market that would make any sip one to remember.

Way to remember

BE YOUR OWN PUBLISHER: I am sure this isn't new, but it's new to me, and it could easily be the coolest idea I've come across in a long time; it's definitely the best idea I've ever seen for a photo album I've seen in a long time — and it is so amazingly reasonably priced! With Blurb's Photo Books you can basically publish your own book with whatever combination of photos and text your mind can dream up (or if it can't, there are experts on hand). The books can have from 40 to 440 glossy pages bound in either a soft cover ($12.95 and up) or hard cover with dust jackets ($22.95 and up). And, it's all really easy to design yourself with their free software. A must have for a wedding album, honeymoon keepsake or even to make as a gift for someone's upcoming milestone.

Making life Real Simple

Real Simple, my favorite magazine on the shelves today, has updated it's Web site recently, making it one of my favorite sites, too. The staff updates it everyday with new ideas and advice from recipes to their infamous checklists, and of course what makes this product better than most home/entertaining/cooking mags: solutions to help make life easier everyday. While the homepage is a little overwhelming to begin with, it grows on you as you spend hours just clicking away. They expanded the Beauty & Style "channel," which now features tips on everything you need from finding the best fitting dress to soothing your dry skin with the perfect lotion. And, they just added a new Celebrations section with tips and advice on how to plan everything from a dinner party to a wedding party. (Plus, it's much better than the overwhelming flashiness, but underwhelming content of this similar site.)

Cooking for a crowd

Williams-Sonoma has a new feature on its Web site, Entertaining: Cooking for a Crowd. The section isn't so bulked up, yet, but does showcase several recipes designed to feed the numbers — with how-to videos — as well as good cookware, serving suggestions, and tips on everything from iced beverages to spices. This is a great addition to the Entertaining section, which is always updating, and has more great menus and ideas for party food, holiday meals and, well, just about everything (even bridal occasions!)

Cool as ice

Throw a blingin' diva cocktail party for your friends with the Cool Jewels Ice Cube Tray ($5.95) available Feb. 15 at Sur la Table and "on backorder" at CB2. Amazon has had them on the site since September, supposedly, but they are new to me. Anyway, to have a super party, fill them with water, sparkling water, colored water — maybe with juice, a floating piece of fruit or even Jello — and you get six unique fab faux jewels. How fun!

Creating a party around the menu

Barilla wrangled up some famous faces — Chris Daughtry, Debra Messing, Natalie Portman, Stanley Tucci and Marisa Tomei — for their annual "The Celebrity Italian Table" cookbook. The quintet contributed their favorite pasta dishes, which Mario Batali umphed up a bit. Party planner David Tutera then took the delicious menus and created a stunning whole dinner party for of them, complete with theme, music, lighting and decor. It's a tad cheesy, but isn't that what you love about Italian cooking? The best part about the book, though, is that it's free, available for download at BarillaUS.com — and, for each copy downloaded, Barilla will donate $1, up to $100,000, to America's Second Harvest.