A Wonderfully Fabulous Tea Party

Unexpectedly Fabulous Event: Mad Hatter Sweet Tea Vodka Party

Fairytales and bedtime stories aren’t just for kids.  They can provide some Fabulous inspiration for a spontaneous and fun “adult” party.  All you need is a Fabulous little twist to the story…and some vodka.  So look out Mad Hatter, the Unexpectedly Fabulous Hostess is serving tea with a twist!

Rapid Decor:  Print out two quick signs on your computer before leaving work – one that says “Eat Me – to grow bigger” and another that says “Drink Me.” Put them in picture frames.  Pull out one of every cup, saucer, dish, plate, and bowl you have – remember, nothing has to match at the Mad Hatter’s Sweet Tea Vodka Party!

Quick Eats:  It may be a tea party, but this isn’t the place for crumpets and scones.  After all, this is an unexpectedly Fabulous tea party.  Be sure to place your “Eat Me” sign by your tea party snacks.

Create a quick and Fabulous candy bar by filling your mismatched flower vases and candle holders with different colored candies.

 

Place crackers, pretzels, and other snacks on different platters.  If you are feeling frisky, you can stack three plates, with tea cups in the middle to create a Fabulous and perfectly themed

Cheers!:  Serve your guests up some “adult” tea – sweet tea vodka with lemonade is easy and festive.  Make jello shots the night before if you have time.  Don’t forget to place your “Drink Me” sign by your tea party beverages.

WOW Factor:  Send your guests a “Don’t Be Late for a Very Important Date” evite or invitation.  Ask them to wear their craziest hats to your soirée to add some guest-inspired fun to your Fabulous tea party.  Or have a collection of hats available for guests to choose from.  Think of the Fabulous pictures!

FAN-tastic March Madness Party!

Unexpectedly Fabulous Event: March Madness Game Stopping and Popping Party!

March Madness is just around the corner. Maybe watching college basketball isn’t your idea of a good time – but hosting a Fabulous party to watch the games can be!  Invite your friends to “pop” by to watch the games.

Quick Eats:  Set out different types of flavored popcorn – so Fabulous  and easy to pour right out of the bag!

If you don’t have time to shop around for different flavors, just pop some regular popcorn in the microwave and set out different popcorn flavorings, M&M’s, Reese's Pieces, and any other type of candy that sounds good for mixing in your buttery treat! Fabulous, fun, and tasty!

Rapid Decor:  Have five minutes and some scrapbook or construction paper?  Make Fabulous individual serving cones!  Roll a sheet of paper in the shape of a cone and glue with a hot glue gun or tape.  You can take it up a notch by printing out your favorite team’s logo and gluing or taping that over on the front of the cone.  Don’t have a favorite team?  Print out your guest’s names to individualize each cone and make them feel Fabulous.

Cheers!: What would be more  Fabulous than a Carmel Popcorn Martini?  Here’s what you need:

·         Vanilla flavored vodka

·         Butterscotch schnapps

·         A squeeze bottle of caramel-flavored ice cream topping

·         Ice

Grab your martini shaker, add ice, a shot of vanilla flavored vodka and a ½ a shot of butterscotch schnapps. Shake it!  Then take a chilled martini glass and squeeze some caramel ice cream topping in the glass (make three circles in the glass in different parts to make it look and taste Fabulous).  Strain the liquor into the glass.  Fabulous!

WOW Factor:  Help your guests get into the game (especially those who don’t even like basketball!) by placing pompoms and megaphones (you can grab these from the Dollar Store or find cheap ones to order online) throughout the room.  Have each guest pick a team.  Then let them know that their job is to cheer every time the team they picked scores a basket.  Want to up the Fabulous fun? Have each side create a half-time cheer – just don’t forget to have your phone ready to capture some great videos!

Where Are All My Peeps At???

Unexpectedly Fabulous Event: Celebrate Your Easter Peeps!

Easter is a holiday that is typically spent with family.  But if you are anything like us, then you need time with your friends either before or after to prepare yourself for another family event.  So get into the holiday spirit with some Fabulous spirits and spending time with your Fabulous  Peeps!

Quick Eats:  The great thing about Easter – lots of ready-made festive food options that you can grab, add a Fabulous touch to, and set out to enjoy!

A candy bar is an easy and Fabulous option!  Just grab different types of Easter candy, pour into different serving dishes or containers, and arrange.  Just don’t forget the Peeps! 

Try something Fabulous by making Peeps Pops.  All you need are Peeps and cake pop sticks (or you can even use straws).  So fun and quick!

Rapid Decor:  Let the treats of Easter be your Fabulous and quick décor. Unwrap a chocolate bunny to use as a centerpiece.  Arrange cookies on top of Easter grass.  How can it get any more  Fabulous or easy than that?

Cheers!: Want a Fabulous, festive, and quick way to get to Cheers?  All you need is:

·         Whipped cream flavored vodka

·         Peeps

·         Ice

Pour the vodka over ice in a tumbler cup.  Take a peep and cut a straight line from the bottom of the Peep up to the middle of its body.  Slide the peep on the side of the cup to garnish.  Fabulous!

WOW Factor:  Send your favorite Peeps home with a special gift.  Wrap a ribbon around a box of Peeps and add a quick note that says “You are one of my favorite Peeps!”  What a Fabulous way to have your Peeps remember the fun evening!

More Smores Please!

Unexpectedly Fabulous Event: August 30th - National Toasted Marshmellow Day

Let's be honest, camping for multiple days in a row is not always fun...eventually you miss your shower and your bed.  But there is one Fabulous part of camping that I have always loved: SMORES!!!  But who says you have to go camping to enjoy them?  Why not invite your friends over to celebrate National Toasted Marshmellow Day at your home?

 

Quick Eats:  Set out different types of marshmellows, graham crackers (I love the cinnamon ones!), and chocolate bars for your guests to choose from.  Serve hot chocolate, flavored coffee, or a tasty SMORES martini (see Cheers! belows) for more Fabulous fun.  For a spin on the original, offer guests different types of cookies, not just graham crackers, for their S'mores.

 

Rapid Decor:  All you need are a couple of sticks (or wire hangers tuned into sticks) and your outdoor fire pit, fireplace, or even candles to roast the marshmellows over.  Tie a cute ribbon around each stick with a tag that has the guest's name that it belongs to - this will add a special touch and help guests not to mix up their stick.  Remember citronella candles if you are enjoying your S'mores outside!

Cheers!:  Mix up this S'mores Martini for your guests to enjoy!

First crush up some graham crackers combined with sugar and cinnamon.  Take a martini glass and dip the rim in chocolate syrup and then the crushed up graham crackers.  While you are doing this, have your guests roast a marshmellow for their drink's garnish.

Then shake 1 ounce of Godiva chocolate liqueur, 1 ounce of Kahlua, and 1 ounce of Bailey’s Irish Cream in a shaker with ice.  Add a drizzle of chocolate syrup and shake again.  Pour into a martini glass and garnish with the marshmellow your guest roasted.  Fabulous!

WOW Factor:  Plan for some entertainment for your guests.  If you are enjoying your S'mores inside, have a fun camping movie, like Troop Bevely Hills or the Great Outdoors ready to watch once everyone has made their SMORE masterpieces.  For an outside event, tell scary stories around the campfire.

Hail to the Bananas!!!

Unexpectedly Fabulous Event: August 25th - Banana Split Day!

Two of my favorite things are ice cream and cocktails...that must be why I love the idea of a Banana Split Bar!  What a fun, and completely impromtu party that you can host for your friends in a matter of minutes.  Here are the quick and Fabulous details:

Quick Eats: Provide a couple varieties of ice cream and the bananas, and invite your guests to bring their favorite toppings.  Voila!  A complete bar of ice cream toppings with no effort!

Rapid Decor:  To dress up your ice cream toppings bar, use glass bowls and martini glasses to hold the different toppings.  It will make your banana split bar Fabulous and sophisticated in seconds!

Cheers!:  How about the Banana Split Cocktail!  Just mix 1/2 ounce banana liqueur with 1/2 ounce Kahlua in a shaker with ice and pour into a martini glass to serve.

WOW Factor:  Ready to make your guests go bananas?  Create a quick Ice Cream Parlor sign for the centerpiece of your banana split bar.  You can easy print one out on cardstock on your lunch break (you are reading this on your lunch break right now, aren't you? :) ), tape or hot glue gun it to a straw, and stick it in a tall glass vase in the center of your bar.

Feeling bananas yourself?  You can make topping labels for your containers in seconds - just print the topping names in color ink from that same computer you made your parlor sign from, cute them in fun and funky Fabulous shapes, and tape them onto your glass containers or martini glasses.  Instant WOW in the details!

Labor Day Fun!

According to Webster’s Dictionary, Labor Day is “a day set aside for special recognition of working people.”  According to the Unexpectedly Fabulous Hostess, however, the definition is “a day to host a Fabulous event without working hard on the party planning details!”

The easiest way to do this - why not host an end of summer bbq?  Hamburgers and hot dogs are easy to fix and don’t take much time.  Guests can bring their favorite side dishes and voila!  Instant party, no labor added!  Check out our Quick Eats link to get the full menu of Fabulously quick and easy treats.

Of course, to have a Fabulous party, you need easy and fun cocktails to toast the end of summer.  Click here ---->Cocktails to see our list of labor-free favorites.  Cheers to that!

And don't forget to set the mood with some fun, quick, and labor-free decorations.
Click here ----> Decorations for some ideas and check out our WOW factor so you can WOW your guests with your Fabulous party throwing skills in less than five minutes of your time.

Who says you can't have a Fabulous party without any labor?

Fabulously Recycled Christmas = Toasting in the New Year in Style!

Happy New Years Fabulous Hostess friends!  The good news is that another year of great memories from Christmastime with the family is complete.  The bad news is that you may need some cocktails with friends to debrief from your mother’s embarrassing stories of your youth or Aunt Agnes’ insistence that you hold her little lap dog….a Fabulous New Years Eve party with your friends is just what you need!

Now I know what you are thinking…after the Christmas holiday you are a little short on cash and New Years Eve is only a couple of days away.  But you don’t need a lot of money or time to throw a Fabulous bash for your friends!  And hey, why not put all of those leftovers your mother made you take home to good use? 

Rapid Décor:

Why not recycle Christmas decorations to make your home look festive?   You likely already have them, and if not, they are 90% off everywhere now!  Silver and blue decorations are the easiest to change from Christmas to New Years Eve Fabulous. 

Run some blue and silver garland down the center of your kitchen table.  Add a splash of color and some glam by placing silver and blue Christmas ornaments around the table. 

 

Then add some glassware and candles….quick, easy, and Fabulous!

Cheers:

Cocktails are a must, and can be Fabulously simple.  You will definitely want champagne for when the clock strikes 12, but why not wow your guests with this elegant cocktail before the new year begins?

Here’s what you need to keep “spirits” high:

• Raspberries
• Mint leaves
• Fresh lime juice
• Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water - you can make this early to save time)
• Citrus Vodka
• Champagne

Place 3-4 raspberries, a couple mint leaves, 1 oz. lime juice, and 1 oz. simple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Add the citrus vodka and fill with ice. Shake vigorously and double-strain into a chilled Martini glass. Top with Champagne.

WOW factor - Garnish with a mint leave and a raspberry.

Quick Eats:

How do you recycle mom’s leftovers into a Fabulous New Years hor'dourves?  Try these quick and simple recipes:

Leftover Recycled: Ham

Cut a slice of ham into 1 inch squares.  Add a dab of cream cheese and a piece of pickle for crunch.  Roll and hold together with a toothpick.

Leftover Recycled: Mashed Potatoes

Pour a dash of oil into a skillet and fry up some mashed potato patties.  It may sound silly, but these Fabulous patties are delicious!

Leftover Recycled: Rolls

Cut in half, sprinkle with graded cheese, toast in the toaster over or broiler for a couple of minutes until the bread is crunchy and the cheese melted. Garnish with a sprig of parshly on top.