InStyle Magazine named Social Couture as one of their favorite website in this year's "Best of the Web" list. The magazine selected Social Couture as the best party decor & favors site. Check out the full list in the November 2009 issue.
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October 2009
October 29, 2009
October 28, 2009
Halloween Etiquette
Halloween can be a wonderful and fun-filled time not only for the little ones, but also for adults. There are some basic etiquette rules however, that we all need to observe to ensure the safety and enjoyment of everyone. Here are a few essential tips on how to survive the night of fright!
Trick-or-Treating. This is truly a tradition reserved for younger children who look forward each year to dressing up in their favorite costumes and going door to door to receive unlimited amounts of sugary treats. A child who has reached the age of sixteen or seventeen should retire their pumpkin candy bag for good. Begin trick or treating at dusk while their is still some light for safety. Try not to crowd or stampede the doorways for candy. Teach your children to be patient and polite and to remember the all important "please" when they ask for a treat and "thank you" when they receive it. There is nothing like seeing a ghost or goblin at your front door with impeccable manners.
Neighborhoods. It is perfectly acceptable to travel outside one’s own neighborhood, particularly, for children who live in a hillside neighborhood without sidewalks or for children who may be living in a neighborhood that is less than child-friendly. However, if you do decide to leave your neighborhood, the next best thing is to trick-or-treat in a neighborhood that you are familiar with or that is the neighborhood of a friend. If a house is dark and all the lights are turned off, this is the unwritten signal that the family is not participating in the ritual or may not even be at home.
Costumes. As far as costumes for children, the general rule is that they be kid-friendly. Politically incorrect outfits or very scary horror costumes are not considered appropriate. Older teens and adults may choose to let their wild imagination get the best of them, however, etiquette dictates that whatever they choose, they should try to be considerate of others and their environment. Ask yourself one simple question, "Is my costume disrespectful or would it offend or scare another person at the party"? If the answer is yes, then find an alternate choice. Oftentimes, we think only about ourselves and not of others.
General Halloween Etiquette Tips. Halloween is a perfect “training” time to teach your children to take only one candy and be sure to say “thank you”. After just a few visits, your two year old will be an expert! At least one parent should accompany children up to at least the age of twelve. Make sure to speak with children about general safety rules, staying with their group, and if older, curfew time. Parents should check the treats of the younger children before they eat them. Children should never eat anything that is handmade or specially prepared (unless you know the family).
Lisa Gaché is the President and Co-Founder of Beverly Hills Manners™, an education and entertainment company which promotes a “new school” approach to manners and etiquette for both children and adults. Lisa is passionate that good manners can be natural, spontaneous and fun. Her company has partnered with leading brand names to spread the word from American Girl Place and McCormick & Schmick’s to the famed Hotel Bel-Air and Hillcrest Country Club and a host of other Los Angeles-based private schools and social organizations. She is a sought-after lecturer and modern manners maven whose work has been covered everywhere from National Public Radio to the Huffington Post.
October 26, 2009
Halloween Party Ideas
Halloween is almost here and I can't wait!!! If I didn't say it before I will say it again, "I Love Halloween!" Fall is my favorite time of year and my favorite time of year to throw a party - I love the autumn chill and the smell of chimneys burning - it just seems so festive. So, if you haven't decided on your decor for your Halloween Party here are a few last minute ideas. The image above comes from Pottery Barn's Halloween Party - the great thing about Pottery Barn is that you can get good staples that you can reuse for many other events to come.
Bring a little glitz to your holiday gathering with this Halloween Party by All You Magazine. I love how they added the Halloween crafts and decorations. How great is the centerpiece?! Which is simple to make; Spray silk flowers then dust with glitter. Whatever you decide have fun with these devilishly clever decorations that can be used year after year.
This one comes from Better Homes & Garden - so fun!
Make a batch of spooktacular cocktails with Pottery Barn's Skull collection cocktail partyware.
I hope you enjoy these fantastic Halloween Tablescapes as much as I did. We would love to see (and post) some of your Halloween decorations.
October 22, 2009
So What Will You Wear to the Halloween Party?
This year for our annual Halloween party we decided to do something different instead of having everyone come in traditional Halloween costumes. These are a few of the ideas we have been kicking around. We would love to get your thoughts on your favorite.
Masquerade
This is a great alternative if you prefer to dress up not down.
Hats
Choose this if you prefer simple fun to silly traditions. It’s a no-pressure party atmosphere, where the only things required are hats. So unless your friends have fangs or are prefer to parade around in glittery or ghoulish garb, this is more of a good ole party than a Halloween affair.
Paparazzi
Dress as your favorite red carpet celebrity like Lady Gaga, Beyonce or Brad & Angelina (plus 6). Make your guests feel like stars when they arrive and roll out the red carpet. Keep the cameras clicking as guests arrive. Create your own step and repeat wall for guests to stand in front and take pose for the photographers. Applaud and clamor as each guest makes an appearance. You can use the shots to create a mock gossip rag that will serve as next year’s invite.
TV Land
Dress as your favorite TV Characters like Gossip Girl, Mad Men or Grey’s Anatomy. If you and your friends are tv junkies like I am then this is a really fun one; it’s definitely one of my favorites. Decorate the house in the themes or eras from this year's hottest tv shows. For Mad Men go with the early 60’s feel and for Gossip Girl - of course Upper East Side Manhattan and Ivy League all the way. For Grey’s anatomy in keeping with the hospital theme serve a signature cocktail out of an IV drip bag and jello shots. Play famous tv shows themed songs this inevitably gets everyone talking.
Trick or Treat!
October 21, 2009
Social Couture's Halloween Top Picks
1. Spider Placecard Holders - Have a haunting good time finding your spot at the table with these furry little black spider place card holders. Comes in a set of 6.
2. Witch's Black Hat - These adorable black witch hats make the perfect decoration whether by themselves or lined up. Use them to top each place setting for a spooktacular table set up. They are made of woven straw and come with an orange organza ribbon. Comes in a Set of 4.
3. Orange Paper Lantern - Fill the room with paper lanterns. Add your own black bat embellishments or creepy spiders. Indoor or outdoors, blowing in the wind or hanging over the table. Stack them up or hang them from a fishing pole. Nothing says party like paper lanterns. They really are today's version of streamers.
4. Black Candelabra - Just add cobwebs and dripping candles for the perfect Halloween centerpiece. All you need now is a little spooky music. Oh so eeerrrieeee!
October 20, 2009
Creepy Halloween Cocktails
1. Eyeball Highball
14 medium radishes
7 pimiento-stuffed olives, halved crosswise
16 ounces gin or vodka
1 ounce vermouth
Directions
Trim stem and root ends of radish. Use a paring knife to scrape red skin from radish, leaving just enough to give a veiny appearance. With a small melon baller, cut a hole in radish, about 1/2 inch in diameter. Fit an olive half, cut-side facing out, into hole. Place radish in ice-cube tray. Repeat with remaining radishes. Fill tray with water; freeze.
Mix vodka or gin with vermouth; stir with ice. Divide eyeball ice cubes among four glasses. Strain martini; pour into glasses, and serve.
2. Black Widow
Cream de Cassis
Vodka
triple sec
fresh lemon juice
Pomegranate juice
licorice strings
From Talk of Tomatoes: “For two cocktails (or one cocktail shaker): 2 parts cassis, 3 parts vodka, 1 part triple sec, 1 part lemon juice, 1 part pomegranate. Sorry, even though I bought a little measuring glass for shots, I never seem to use it. I make cocktails with ratios. If I were over my skillet, each ‘part’ would translate to a ‘glugg’ of olive oil. Just think in fractions: for the Black Widow, your shaker is 8 parts. Go from there. Too much of this, too little of that: trust me, the spider really won’t care one way or another.”
Really, the key here is using the black liquorish strings as a garnish.
3. Jack-O-Lantern
Ingredients:
1 oz Hennessy VSOP Cognac
1.5 oz orange juice
.5 oz ginger ale
.5 oz Grand Marnier
orange wheel and lime twist for garnish
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Strain into a lowball glass over ice. Float an orange wheel topped with a lime twist on top.
4. Ghoul-Ade Punch Recipe
1 quart bottle sparkling apple cider
1 quart bottle cranberry juice cocktail
1 liter bottle ginger ale
2 cups pineapple juice
750ml of Vodka or Rum of choice
Ice cubes
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl or jar.
October 19, 2009
International Birthday Fun
Here in the good ole US of A we pretty much do the same song, cake and candles routine for all our birthdays but have you ever wondered what they do in other countries for birthdays. So, why not incorporate some other cultures traditions into your next birthday bash. Here are a few unique ways that other countries celebrate birthdays...
In Germany, German children play a super easy but noisy party game called pot hunting. One at a time each guest is blindfolded and given a wooden spoon, then he crawls around the room banging on the floor until he hits a metal pot. A little prize is hidden underneath for each round. (My 1 1/2 year old son would go crazy over this game).
In Israel, kids don't just say, "Happy Birthday." Instead they offer creative blessings such as, "May you have a year filled with lots of fun and laughter" and "Wishing you lots of cake!" Another custom: the birthday child sits in a chair and the adults lift them overhead one time for every year of their life and an extra one for good luck.
In Scandinavia (also in Norway, Sweden & Denmark) the national flag is hung prominently from a window of the birthday child's house to mark their special day. When neighbors see it, they stop by and offer their congratulations.
I am sure we all know the Mexican birthday tradition of breaking the pinata. This is one tradition that has been integrated pretty well into American culture. I don't know of any kid that doesn't love this Mexican tradition.
No matter where you are from or what your traditions are there is one thing for sure - everyone loves a birthday party.
October 15, 2009
Mini Meditation
I know we normally talk about entertaining ideas but as we enter into the busy holiday season I thought we could talk about what comes after the party or during the preparation of the party - STRESS! Yikes! What a buzz kill that can be. So, if you're like me and you've been burning the candle on both ends for way too long then this blog's for you!!
It's time to stop, drop and breathe. This will help you to go from feeling like your head's about to explode to feeling like you are in control again. Start by sitting in a quiet place in front of a lit candle. Lisa Druxman, founder of Stroller Strides, recommends watching the flame flicker, and imagine that you can steady it by making your breath smooth and even, breathing softly in through the nose and out through the mouth (trust me I've been doing a lot of this). Act as if the more peaceful your body, the more peaceful the flame. If a draft moves it, simply focus on bringing the flame back to stillness again.
October 13, 2009
Bow-Wow Birthday Cake
This one's for the pooch. I love my pets and every year we make just as big of a deal over their birthdays as we do for everyone else in the family. So, in honor of Puppy Dog's Birthday we are baking a cake. This is a particularly toothsome recipe, and it's all vegan, in case your pooch observes a vegetarian diet.
Ingredients:
- 3 1/2 cups whole wheat or unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cup carob powder
- 1/2 cup arrowroot
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 ½ cups maple syrup
- 2 cups soy milk
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 ½ cups canola oil
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Place the flour, carob, arrowroot, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl and mix to combine.
Place the maple syrup, soy milk, vinegar, and oil in a large bowl and whisk until combined.
Add the maple syrup mixture to the flour mixture and mix well until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Set aside until cool. Cut into 24 squares. Cover and refrigerate up to 5 days or freeze up to one month.
Happy Birthday, Puppy Dog! Ruff, Ruff!
For more recipes like this one for your bff be sure and pick-up a copy of Throw Me A Bone by Sally Sampson.
October 08, 2009
Mini Meatloaves
I just arrived in Hot-Lanta to visit my BFF and she made the best meatloaf ever; not only was it incredible but it was served in these perfect little mini meatloaves so after much arm twisting I convinced her to give me her recipe and she confessed that it came from the Deen Brothers (Paula Deen's sons) cookbook. So here it is. It really is the perfect fall party dish.
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Moderate
Cook Time: 30-60 min
Jamie's favorite meal in the world is his wife Brooke's meat loaf. Making meat loaf in muffin pans means everyone gets his or her own, which kids always love. Of course if you're a fan of meat loaf like Jamie is, it means you have to admit to eating two--or more--at a time.
We glaze the tops with a mixture of ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard for extra flavor, but for kids, you can also serve ketchup alongside or as "frosting" on top after it comes out of the oven.
Recipe and introduction from The Deen Bros. Take it Easy; Ballantine Books 2009.
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 cup plain unseasoned bread crumbs
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons milk
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease the cups of a 12-cup muffin pan.
In a large bowl, combine the beef, bread crumbs, eggs, milk, garlic, onion, salt, thyme, and pepper. Divide the meat mixture among the 12 muffin cups, pressing the meat firmly into the pan.
Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the meat is almost cooked through—the "loaves" will be firm when pressed lightly in the center, but not set.
While the meat loaves are baking, whisk together the ketchup, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. After baking for 20 to 25 minutes, remove the pan from the oven. Brush the tops of the loaves with the glaze, using it all up, and return the pan to the oven. Bake for 10 minutes more, or until the glaze has thickened and the meat is completely cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes total. Run an offset spatula or butter knife around the edges of the muffin cups and pop out the meat loaves. Serve hot.
