“There are exactly as many special occasions in life as we choose to celebrate.”― Robert Brault.

As a Lover of Life and all things to celebrate life, of course this quote when I first saw it and every time I see it strikes a deep chord within. For some innate reason I have always lived life, fully, knowing there is an expiration date. This sentiment has always permeated my life especially when I am planning a celebration. “Go Big or Go Home” has always been another motto of mine. So with those mottos/quotes in mind and with the busy party planning season coming up—graduations, weddings and as always birthdays, let’s get planning. Life’s next Celebration awaits!  😀

1. Set a budget. I know the sentiment “Go Big or Go Home” isn’t exactly synonymous with budget. And I will be the first to admit, I set a budget then sometimes forget it. I am not advocating this for you, I am just keeping it real that it does happen. With that in mind I still consider it the #1 rule of party planning. After you set your budget amount, break it down further into percentages. Here is how I normally breakdown my party budget:

• 50%—Food, right off the bat, take it right off the top! Especially if you are serving alcohol, believe me the costs add up fast.
• 25%—Decorations—including but not limited to: custom invitations; backdrops for photo ops; customized plates; cups; balloons and streamers. The following pictures are just a few ideas of how to really personalize your event decor.

  

  

  

  

• 25%—Party Essentials—including but not limited to: tents/shelter if you are holding your event outside; extra chairs; any special feature items such as a tiki bar, chocolate fountain or popcorn machine.

  

  

  

  

  Note: The 50% allocated to decorations and party essentials can be allocated 10/40, 20/30 or any percentage combination as your party needs dictate. You will find that as you acquire more party essentials over time, less has to be allocated to this category which will leave more room in the budget for food or decorations or for savings. 

2. Theme, theme, it’s all about the theme. Some themes automatically come built in when you are planning a party. For example: graduations, bridal/baby showers and weddings. With birthday themes, the sky’s the limit! I always find picking a theme lends itself to the whole party planning process going that much more smoothly. You have a starting point and can plan everything around it from there. Here are a few tips to picking a theme:

• Choose a theme based on the likes of the guest of honor. I can’t think of any easier way to pick a theme. If your 9 yr old likes trains-there you go, if your husband likes golf-there you go. The possibilities are endless!
• Create a primary theme based on a previously used theme. Let that absorb in for a minute, then I will explain.  😉 One of my themes over the years was a Martini themed party. I love standees and recycle them in different themes over and over again. When planning my daughter’s 21st birthday party I inventoried my collection of party essentials and when I came upon my Martini standees (pic to follow), I jumped off from there to create different party zones in my home and the previously used theme of Martini Lounge, led me to the primary theme of Red Carpet Magic, I combined them and the rest was history.

  

• Let the holiday dictate the theme. If you are having a Halloween party, there is your theme. Valentine’s Day Mixer, there is your theme. There are so many ways to customize within holiday themes the only limitation is your imagination!  🙂

  

3. What’s on the Menu? You already have a healthy budget set so here comes all of the fun! Separate your food & beverages into these three main components:

• Appetizers—Appetizers are a must! They can range from the simple-chip and dip, cheese and crackers, cut up veggies and dip to a little more such as stuffed mushrooms, hot spinach artichoke dip all the way up to hot hors d’oeuvres served by waiters if your budget allows. The point I am trying to make is  allocate at least 10% of your food budget to appetizers so that guests can come in, relax and get in the party mood right from the start. Have you ever gone to a party, starving only to come find out there are no appetizers, I know it has happened but you will never allow that to happen at your party, right?  😀
• Main Course—Depending on your theme, the main course again can run the gamut. If you are having a barbeque-hot dogs, hamburgs and steaks will fit the bill nicely. If you are having a tapas style event, small plates are the way to go. I like to do a lot of family style entertaining, serve a big bowl and let the guests help themselves. Keeping in mind, some guests may want a little more, some a little less, family style lets them choose, keeps it simple and running smoothly.

  

  

  

• Signature Cocktail—This is my all time favorite part of planning any party. The Signature Cocktail! I think I personally spend more time on Pinterest, Facebook, and the Internet collectively planning the signature cocktail than the rest of the whole entire planning of a party (that may be a teensy bit of an exaggeration but believe me to those that know me, it is not) combined. I usually limit my signature cocktail to 3 ingredients. An alcohol, a juice or simple syrup and a bubbly soda. Here is my number 1 secret to create the most magnificent signature cocktail—are you ready, really ready—CREATE YOUR OWN FLAVORED VODKA—Yes! I have done this for 3 parties so far and if I had known about this sooner believe me that number would be a lot higher. I know vodkas come in many flavors these days and I take advantage of that often. But for the A List events there is no substitute than making your own. In a follow up article I will explain how to steep your own vodka. The following pictures are just a few examples of the Signature Cocktails I have made over the years with my homemade flavored vodkas.

  

  

  

  

  

  There really are endless possibilities for food, decorations and party essentials when you are planning a party. My final piece of advice is just let your imagination run wild and most of all have fun with it! Your next occasion is waiting to be planned, what are you waiting for!  😀

Photo Op  & More Fun Ideas Gallery

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1. Butter your favorite bread, laying one buttered side down on a baking sheet.
2. Top the buttered sided down with a piece of your desired cheese. Add your favorite filling, caramelized onions for example, on top of the cheese. Top the filling with another piece of cheese and put the other piece of buttered bread on top, buttered side up.

   

   

3. Bake on one side for 8-10 minutes, flip and bake for another 8 or so more minutes.

   

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   I know 20 minutes may seem long for a prep time for grilled cheese but believe me once you try this for the first time it will become your “go to” preparation method every time!  🙂

   

Signature Cocktail—This is my all time favorite part of planning any party. The Signature Cocktail! I think I personally spend more time on Pinterest, Facebook, and the Internet collectively planning the signature cocktail than the rest of the whole entire planning of a party (that may be a teensy bit of an exaggeration but believe me to those that know me, it is not) combined. I usually limit my signature cocktail to 3 ingredients. An alcohol, a juice or simple syrup and a bubbly soda. Here is my number 1 secret to create the most magnificent signature cocktail—are you ready, really ready—CREATE YOUR OWN FLAVORED VODKA—Yes! I have done this for 3 parties so far and if I had known about this sooner believe me that number would be a lot higher. I know vodkas come in many flavors these days and I take advantage of that often. But for the A List events there is no substitute than making your own. The possibilities are virtually endless!  🙂

Making Your Own Flavored Vodkas in 5 Easy Steps

1. Start with your favorite brand of plain vodka (my recommendation is the one that does not have you waking up with a headache). 😉 Pick the size bottle you need based on the number of attendees for your occasion. For example, if you are going to have 10 people drinking your signature cocktail, plan on 2-4 oz of vodka per drink, per person based on how strong or light you like to make them. So in this equation, that would be a 40 oz or so bottle.

   

   

2. Pick your infusing ingredient. For example: jelly beans, gumballs or marshmallows. Make sure to buy enough of one color of the ingredient to infuse with the vodka. For the example in number one that would be 20-25 pieces of whatever single color you decide you want your vodka to be.

   

   

   

3. In a glass container (I have only used glass for non-staining purposes) add your vodka then add your infusing ingredient. When you add the vodka first then the infusion ingredient the activation starts almost immediately with the infusion ingredient flavoring the vodka on its way down.

   

4. Stir the ingredients together, it is instant gratification as the vodka almost starts to infuse immediately and starts to take on the color you picked. Place plastic wrap over the top of your container. Steep for 48 hours on the counter, stirring once or twice a day or more as you have time.

   

5. When ready to use, strain the infusion ingredient out, and pour the now infused vodka back into the original bottle if you wish and set in the refrigerator to chill for a few hours.

   

As I stated earlier, there really are endless possibilities to making your own flavored vodkas. And you are not limited to buying only what is available when you create your own. It’s so easy, fun and versatile. Bonus tip: use the extras from your infusion ingredients to make your cocktail garnish. Without having to tell your guests, they will know what the signature cocktail ingredients are just by looking at the glass.  😀

Enjoy!

Friends, Grilled Cheese & Martinis are the Trifecta of Perfection! In this day and age when our lives are so centered around work, kids, home and whatever else life throws at us, a night in with the ladies—sharing stories, providing guidance and most importantly supporting each other, is a reason to really celebrate and go all out for. As with planning any gathering it all starts with the master list: Who, What, When & Where.

1. Who-is your Ladies VIP guest list of course.
2. What-is the deliciousness you will have on your menu.
3. When-will determine what you serve on your menu. For example, an evening gathering, after dinner time might lend itself to a more casual tapas style menu. On this occasion that was different grilled cheeses’ & martinis. 
4. Where-“in” of course to create an atmosphere of cozy togetherness and camaraderie. Maybe you can rotate or take turns hosting to truly let your hosting style shine.

Ok, so let’s get back to the “what“, from number 2, this article is dedicated to: Grilled Cheese & Martinis. At the end of this article I have included my recipe for The Perfect “Grilled Cheese”. The beauty of this recipe is it can really be customized to so many individual tastes. I am going to let the visuals do the talking for me.

Recipe Note: The Grilled Cheese Pound Cake with Cheesecake Filling is prepared by buttering the sliced poundcake, adding softened cheesecake between two slices and broiling on high for 1-2 minutes per side, watching them closely so they don’t burn.

Martini Note: Martinis come in all different varieties. For this occasion I made my version of the Lemondrop Martini: 2-4 ounces of citrus vodka; 2-4 ounces of fresh squeezed lemon juice; a splash of gingerale or sprite. Yellow sprinkles and lemon wedge to garnish. This is another way to really be able to customize to your guest’s tastes. Have fun with it! I love to make my own homemade flavored vodkas, click on hyperlink for my how to’s.

Well there you have it! A great time was had by all on this Ladies Grilled Cheese & Martini Night and we all agreed what was talked about at Ladies Grilled Cheese & Martini Night stays at Ladies Grilled Cheese & Martini Night. Trifecta of Perfection.  😉