Kelly's Korner Show Us Your Life- Bridal Showers

Hi our Kelly's Korner blog hop is a couple days late! We are so sorry for that. The Swanky Blog was attending a super swanky wedding in Los Gatos CA over the weekend. We will share pictures of that real life wedding in the next couple days. So now to get on with the bridal shower theme! I have thrown a few of these however my pictures were seriously lacking, I think I was just having too much fun! So I will share some amazing inspiration for a bridal shower I came across on the Hostess Blog. This Green and Black shower theme will make you swoon. Remember ladies the key to recreating an event like this yourself is all in the details. You want to carry your theme into as many details as you can. Color is key, you will find that using the colors that coordinate with your theme in as many ways possible will make the biggest impact on your design.

The Centerpieces here are simple and budget friendly a nice runner, votives, and a few low vases. The key is to cut the flowers low and full.
Tip: To decorate your theme on a budget use disposable plates, cutlery and napkins. Set the table just as you would with real dishes for the biggest impact. To continue the black and green theme mojitos were served, as well as green and black monogrammed cookies.

DIY Wednesday

It's that time again DIY Wednesday and this week we are bringing you one very versatile swanky new idea for your next event!

The first comes to us from a few different sources and I personally just incorporated it into a benefit I hosted. To start you will need scissors, cardstock or scrapbook paper, glue, ribbon, and a printer. The project is very simple and turns out so elegant. Choose cardstock and scrapbook paper that coordinates with your event. Then use those papers to design beautiful labels for your food table. Here WeddingBee shares with us photos from a recent shower. Ribbon was used to tie the labels around apothecary jars filled with sweet treats for the guests. Notice the desert were also white, pink and black to coordinate with the theme. This is a swanky touch that really hits a homerun in the design department.

If you are not planning on using jars print your labels on cardstock. Leave the card stock extra long so you can fold it in half like you would place cards and set them out next to your drinks and dishes. This version comes to us from Our Semi Homemade Life.

Get creative and have fun with this one. I used the ribbon and label idea to creative labels for the centerpeices at a Breast Cancer Benefit I recently hosted. I printed the labels with inspirations like Faith, Hope, Love, and Courage and wrapped the vases we used as centerpieces. For a boy babyshower cut blue paper out in the shape of an anchor for a nautical theme. Have fun with this one and feel free to share your ideas with us for DIY Wednesday. Your idea could be featured!

Shrimp Ceviche Recipe

Happy Monday! Our Swanky tip for you today comes by way of a simple yet delicious shrimp ceviche recipe. Ceviche is one of those recipes that looks and tastes delicious, and makes you look like chef extraordinaire. The best part about is it doesn't take a lot and pretty much anyone can pull it off! It is guaranteed to be a hit and is light enough for a daytime shower or an appetizer at an evening event.

Shrimp Ceviche Recipe
If you find the ceviche a little too acidic, drain out some of the juices after the marinating, add a little more avocado (or some olive oil) and/or a little more salt.
Ingredients
1 pound medium-small shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 Tbsp salt
3/4 cup lime juice (juice from 4-6 limes)
3/4 cup lemon juice (juice from 2-3 lemons)
1 cup finely chopped red onion
1 serrano chile, ribs and seeds removed, minced
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 cucumber, peeled diced into 1/2-inch pieces
1 avocado, peeled, seed removed, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
Method

1 In a large pot, bring to a boil 4 quarts of water, salted with 2 Tbsp salt. Add the shrimp and cook for 1 minute to 2 minutes max, depending on size of shrimp. (Over-cooking the shrimp will turn it rubbery.) Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and place into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.
2 Drain the shrimp. Cut each piece of shrimp in half, or into inch-long pieces. Place shrimp in a glass or ceramic bowl. Mix in the lime and lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate for a half hour.
3 Mix in the chopped red onion and serrano chile. Refrigerate an additional half hour.
4 Right before serving, add the cilantro, cucumber, and avocado.
Serves 4-6.

Now that your ceviche is complete it is all about presentation! For a little Mexican flare serve the ceviche with tortilla chips in margarita glasses. Try serving in martini glasses for a more elegant touch. Get creative with your presentation and you are sure to wow your guests. If you don't have enough glasses no sweat, your local Dollar Tree has wine and martini glasses for $1 each! Or try Cost Plus World Market they always have a great deal on stem ware.

Kelly's Korner Show Us Your Life- Baby Showers

It's that time again for the Kelly's Korner Show Us Your Life Blog Hop! This weeks topic baby showers!!! I was so excited to see today's topic. For those of you new to the Swanky Blog we are a Party Planning Blog and most importantly our website Swanky Chicks is the Ultimate Baby Shower Planning Resource. From Invitations to Thank You Cards, Favors, to a unique shower gift Swanky Chicks is your one stop for baby showers. We also share DIY tips, recipes, and everything in between that you would need to complete your shower right here on the Swanky Blog. I will share with you photos from my own personal baby shower experiences. Swanky Chicks always loves to share photos from your real life baby showers, and weddings.

For This Pretty in Pink Shower we used our Lil Pink Dress baby shower invitations and favor tags. We found inexpensive favor bags at target and enclosed a purse sized bottle of lotion. We then used pink ribbon to tie our Lil Pink Dress Favor tags on the outside. It was just the pop of pink we needed to dress up these tables. Simple, inexpensive and Swanky!

This Chocolate and Blue baby shower was actually for my very own sister! We used our Chocolate and Brown Mom to Be baby shower invitations and coordinating water bottle wrappers. As favors we gave our personalized lip balms in chocolate and blue(not pictured), you can even make your mommy have black, brown or blonde hair and choose her ethnicity! My brother in law is asain so to bring in some of his heritage and the style they both love we hung paper laterns over the gift table. I also filled tall cylinder vases with orchid to continue the asain fusion

Swanky Party Tip- Signature Drinks

Hello to all my Swanky Hostesses!!!! Today I am bringing you a Swanky Party Tip. At your next party try creating a signature cocktail. Whether it be named after the guest of honor or coordinate with the occassion. My good friends Lindsay and Alexis just had a "White Hot Birthday Bash" and the venue made signature cocktails for their event. The Delicious DelChiaro, and the Naughty Neely so cute! Get creative, a pink or blue cocktail for a baby shower (just be sure to have the non alcoholic version too) Red White and Blue cocktails for a Fourth of July bash, or a Perfect Pair Martini for a wedding event.

DIY Wednesday - Cupcake Bouquet

This weeks do it yourself project comes to us compliments of Chris@ Celebrations at Home Blog, and Reynolds. These Cupcake Bouquets are a twist on the traditional cupcake tower. What a great project for the swanky hostess!

Using simple pink pastel baking cups, you can make a cupcake bouquet that is beautiful enough to serve at a wedding or shower. With a few simple ingredients and objects easily found at a craft store, you could delight 48-52 guests. You can make the piped rosebuds we've featured or do something simpler with smooth icing. And, consider a grooms "cake" using chocolate or red velvet cupcakes! 48-52 cupcakes baked in pink pastel baking cups2 containers (16 ounces each) of white frosting1 sturdy glass vase (at least 16 inches around at the top) 1 piece tissue paper (your choice of color)1 8" Styrofoam ball (purchase at your local craft store)1 glue gun and glue sticks1 piece wire ribbon, long enough to tie a bow around vase24-28 wooden Popsicle sticks, broken in half1 small paring knife

1. Bake and Frost Cupcakes using the technique and decorations of your choice
Rosebuds
Smooth Frosting & Decorations
Use tip #125 and hold decorating bag at a 90 degree angle with the wide end of the tip touching the center of the cupcake
Turn the cupcake counter clockwise, continuing to swirl and pipe frosting out of the bag.
You will need to layer the petals, just like real roses.
Green Leaves (purchased)
To get the smoothest frosting, use a hot knife or spreader. Keep a bowl of very hot water nearby your workspace and simply dip the knife in and dry it before you pick up your frosting.
Use your imagination when it comes to decorations. We used crystallized sprinkles and edible glitter.

2. Let frosting stand and harden about 1 hour before arranging into bouquet.

3. SOFTLY CRUMBLE tissue paper into a vase. More paper produces a more vibrant color. For a hint of color, use a small single sheet.

4. SECURE Styrofoam ball onto the top of the vase using glue gun and glue sticks. You should only need to put glue onto the vase and then center the Styrofoam ball. When you're done, the ball will easily pop off the vase so you can reuse the vase.

5. TIE A BOW with wire ribbon near the top of your vase.

6. STARTING at the bottom of the Styrofoam ball, insert one (1) half Popsicle stick angled 45 degrees down to hold a cupcake along the lowest layer.(Optional) Depending upon how precise you want to be with your cupcake placement, you may want to consider making a quide for positioning your cupcakes by placing a cupcake on the base of the ball.Using a pencil, trace the bottom of the cupcake on the Styrofoam ball. Repeat with the same cupcake until you have a traced pattern for the whole bouquet.

7. Using a pairing knife, MAKE a thin slit into the bottom of the decorated cupcake.

8. SLIDE decorated cupcake onto the halved Popsicle stick.

9. REPEAT these steps, one row at a time working from the bottom of the ball to the top. Placing cupcakes as close together as you can get them.

10. Finished Cupcake Bouquet

Reynolds.com has directions with pictures that make this project a snap.

Dream Wedding Reception

Happy Friday! It's that time again for the Kelly's Korner blog hop! Today is all about your dream wedding reception. My dream reception would be a hip ultra lounge, a departure from the traditional. Low clean lined couches and coffee tables. Purple lighting, with everything else white. Simple but modern table settings, the kind you get at an upscale resturant.

DIY Wednesday- On Thursday!!!

I am in Texas for the next week visiting family so I missed DIY Wednesday yesterday! SO SORRY! Here it is a day late. These DIY Directions compliments of Martha Stewart Weddings.

Tissue Paper Pom-Poms/ Flowers

How to Make the Pom-Poms
You'll need tissue paper and 24-gauge white cloth-covered floral wire.

Hanging Pom-Poms
1. Stack eight 20-by-30-inch sheets of tissue. Make 1 1/2-inchwide accordion folds, creasing with each fold.

2. Fold an 18-inch piece of floral wire in half, and slip over center of folded tissue; twist. With scissors, trim ends of tissue into rounded or pointy shapes.

3. Separate layers, pulling away from center one at a time.

4. Tie a length of monofilament to floral wire for hanging.

Napkin Rings
With just a few changes, these follow the same steps as the hanging pom-poms.

1. Stack four sheets of tissue. Cut a 10-by-5-inch rectangle, going through all layers. Make 3/8-inch-wide accordion folds.

2. Fold an 18-inch piece of floral wire in half, slip over center of tissue, and twist to secure. Trim ends of tissue.

3. Separate layers, pulling away from center one at a time.

4. Bend wire into a loop to fit around napkin, and twist end around loop to secure.