EventTrender

Easter Eggs Dyed Naturally with EventTrender!

Getting ready for Easter this year has been natural! E-Trender's Sue and Angela experimented with dyeing eggs naturally with common items that you can find right in your kitchen pantry! Some of the natural ingredients used in this vibrant Easter display were coffee, tea, beet juice, saffron powder and grape juice!

ET Tip ~ Before dyeing the eggs, start with clean, cool hard boiled eggs!

For eggs dyed in a natural light brown color, pour 3/4 cup of coffee into a mug and add 3 tablespoons of vinegar to the mixture.

ET Tip ~ The soak time is up to you, however, the longer the soak time, the more vibrant and intense the color will be!

Add 3/4 cup of water and just a pinch of saffron powder to your water mixture for a vibrant yellow color! Saffron powder is commonly used to color white rice yellow.

For pink eggs, pour the juice from one can of sliced beets into your mug. Add 3 tablespoons of vinegar for a more vibrant color.

Pretty Pink!

E-Trender Angela's favorite egg color was the caramel brown finish that was achieved using a 3/4 cup of boiling water and one Lipton orange and spice flavored black tea bag!

A very pretty lilac purple was achieved by having the egg soak in 3/4 cup of purple grape juice at room temperature.

ET Tip ~ Place eggs safely in your mixture using a spoon!

Conveniently dry your eggs in an empty egg carton!

Once the eggs are dry, get them ready to display by adding decorations to them! Use hand stamped images like this bunny!

Use scrapbook stickers, jewels, ribbon, fabric flowers and more to decorate your eggs! Try new things, get creative and have fun with it!

Once your eggs are decorated you want to display them beautifully for everyone to enjoy!

The EventTrender gals placed some of their natually dyed eggs on a cupcake tree nestled in Easter grass filled, flower-shaped cupcake liners by Wilton! The rest were displayed in vintage port glasses!

Stay tuned for our next post to see how we incorporate this adorable cupcake tree filled with Easter Eggs into our Easter Dinner Tablescape!

E-Trenders do you have a fun and unique way of dyeing eggs, perhaps an old family tradition? We want to hear about it, please feel free to comment and share your ideas with our followers!

Have an Eggstra fun time dyeing your eggs this year!

~ Angela & Sue

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Leprechauns Gather Here!

E-Trenders - check out these festive St. Patrick's Day ideas, too great not to share, they will leave you feeling...LUCKY!

Warm up with an Original Irish Coffee!  

Recipe From the Food Network:
Ingredients

• 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 jigger Irish whiskey (1 1/2 ounces or 3 tablespoons)
• Heavy cream slightly whipped

Directions

Fill footed mug or a mug with hot water to preheat it, then empty. Pour piping hot coffee into a warmed glass until it is about 3/4 full. Add the brown sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Blend in Irish Whiskey. Top with a collar of the whipped heavy cream by pouring gently over back of spoon. Serve hot.

ET Tip~ Garnish with a shamrock or your favorite green sprinkles!

Check out these Lucky Little Leprechaun Hats by Full House

A super cute DIY, the hats are made from empty yogurt containers!

EventTrender loves these Fudge Mint Brownies featured on Glorious Treats

Cut this sweet treat into squares and serve them on your St. Patrick's Day dessert table!

How about a Beer Tasting Happy Hour for an Adult St. Patty's Day party?

E-Trender's Angela & Sue love this idea by Sandra Downie featured on her blog The White Library! Perfect size samplings so your guests can enjoy a little taste of everything!

Guests recieved beer rating cards to score their favorites! Sandra coordinated the look with party printable labels from Green Apple Paperie and is offering the free download with St. Patrick's Day circles and flags on her blog! Click here to get the look!

Now, who doesn't love a a little luck? And who doesn't love Lucky Charms?

Here is a creative give-away bag perfect for the little Leprechauns in your life...and maybe the big ones too! Super fun idea by eighteen25!

Top o' the Evening to you with this chic and simple to make Shamrock Sparkler! Drink featured on the Second City Soiree!

Ingredients

3/4 oz. of Midori

Fill Champagne Flute with Dry Sparkling Wine

Enjoy!

E-Trenders...may the luck of the Irish be with you throughout your St. Patrick's Day Celebrations!

Cheers,

Angela & Sue

Valentine's Love Bugs

Make Some Little Love Bugs for Your Love Bug this Valentine's Day!

 
Here is how we created these little Love Bugs:

For the bug's body, bake a batch of mini cupcakes using Betty Crocker's Red Velvet Cake Mix.

 
While your cupcakes are cooling on the rack start working on the head..

To create the Love Bug's head, fill a truffle candy mold with melted chocolate, Ang & Sue used pink and chocolate brown candy melts. Place the mold in the refrigerator to harden for about five minutes, while you dip your cupcake body in the next step (below). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While the chocolates are setting in the refrigerator, hold the cupcakes upside down and dip the bottom of them into your melted chocolate.

ET Tip~ Only dip them half way down, to keep a touch of the rich red color of your cupcake visible. When your chocolate Love Bug heads have hardened, take them out of the refrigerator and attach them to one end of your cupcake body using a mini spatula and a small dab of your melted chocolate as adhesive.

 
Next, to create your Love Bug's eyes...grab some vintage candy dots and dab the back of them with   melted chocolate then stick them on your Love Bug's head.
 
 
 
Using a Wilton Food Writer, draw small dots on your candy for your Love Bug's eyes!

 

Take some candy heart sprinkles (another Wilton product) and use melted chocolate to stick them down to decorate your Love Bug's body...

 
Place your Love Bugs in a cupcake wrapper like Ang & Sue did with these red foil wraps and share these adorable Love Bugs with your loved ones.

Don't You Just Love These Little...

Create a cute sign with scrapbook letters to display next to your sweet treats!

Love wasn't put in your heart to stay...love isn't love until you give it away!  ~Michael W. Smith

Become an E-Trender and Subscribe to EventTrender!  ET subscribers take advantage of our fabulous contests and giveaways, a perfect way to stay connected with their Invitation to Inspiration!

Simply add your email address to the upper right corner of our blog and you will be the first to receive our updated blog posts filled with entertaining inspiration.  We hope to see you soon.

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MORE for New Year's

....And They Say Less is More...but Maybe More is Really MORE

Why not make a New Year's Resolution for 2011 to:

DO a Little More

SAY a Little More

GIVE a Little More

BELIEVE a Little More

LOVE a Little More

E-Trender Angela wanted to incorporate the "MORE" theme into a tablescape for a New Year's Eve party. She and Sue worked on infusing the theme into a buffet that sparkles with "MORE"! Check it out...

 

Create your own New Year's Eve elevated buffet by using mirrors! These curvy mirrors came from Ikea and come in a two pack for $14.99.  Check out this cost effective fab find here.  Place your mirrors on something sturdy and heavy to elevate them, we used lighted Ikea vases in the back and shorter silver vases for the front elevated buffet.

 
Accent your buffet with a beautiful linen like this one in bright white with iridescent silver sequins from Affordable Elegance Chair Covers & Linens! The sequins compliment our mirror buffet and add sparkle to all of the accents!

ET Tip:   Renting linen is cost effective and you can change colors, textures and styles every time you entertain.  Don't be caught using the same linen over and over again E-Trenders!  Affordable Elegance Chair Covers & Linens offers a wide selection of linen and chair coverings - this sequin linen is available in several glam colors!  Love it Crystal & Colleen!

Embellish! 

Angela hand stamped and embossed these decorative cards and layered them on metallic silver card stock with a sparkly silver and gold snowflake scrapbook embellishment to carry the "MORE" message throughout the NYE buffet!

 Make sure your champagne is ready for toasting with embellished stirs like these with silver metallic fringe, or make your own like we did with the snowflake scrapbook stickers on skewer sticks!  Sue & Angela filled martini glasses with dried fruit and nuts and placed a sparkly skewer in them!

 
Serve your guests cheese and breadsticks on a sleek white party plate and embellish it with a cut out silver snowflake! 

 

Snowflake votive candles placed on top of the mirrors add a glimmering reflection to the NYE scape. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

E-Trenders, thank you for all of your support in 2010!

And, thanks for making EventTrender your invitation for inspiration!

We look forward to providing you with even "MORE" inventive EventTrender entertaining ideas in 2011!

Cheers and Have a Safe and Happy New Year!

Angela & Sue

PS:  Find us on facebook here!

Merry Mitten-Scape!

Check out this tablescape created by E-Trender Sue Keels for her recent "Holiday Catering Tricks and Tips" presentation at the Royal Park Hotel...

Merry Mitten-Scape!

The inspiration for this whimsical tablescape are these adorable mitten ornaments Sue found at Target.  Pastry Chef, Catie Dietz created cookie mittens that replicated the mitten ornaments using a Wilton Cookie Cutter.

 
Two red coffee mugs filled with plaster and a dowel placed in the center of the mug set the stage for a unique way to display the mitten cookies and take-away ornament favors.  The mugs were glued to a piece of plywood and fluffy snow was added to cover the plaster.  Sue used a colorful ribbon which was perfect to hang the mittens.  Small clothespins purchased at a local craft store were used to secure the mittens in place.

 
E-Trender Angela suggested stacking spools of decorative ribbon in a glass vase to enhance the festive theme.  The ribbon is stacked and secured with double-stick tape and topped with a scrapbook paper circle cut-out.  This DIY idea is very easy and also cost effective.  The spools of ribbon cost about .50 cents each at your local craft supply store.

  
When you think of a mitten theme - what comes to mind E-Trenders? 

Knitting needles!

Rice Krispie Treat skewers were added to the table.  The treats were presented using metal knitting needles and placed in a glass vase filled with chocolate malt balls.  Round balls of yarn were placed in a vase which adds an extra touch of holiday to this mitten theme scape.

A glass jar filled with Ribbon Candy adds another festive touch!

An interactive smore station creates an element of action and captivates guests.

Small green bags with scrapbook embellishments were filled with chocolate coated popcorn in holiday colors.  Dipped pretzels and fresh baked biscotti were featured as another sweet treat and presented on a vintage sleigh!

 
ET Tip: We love this product by Williams-Sonoma.  It's seriously some of the best hot chocolate ever and comes in two flavors, a classic rich & creamy cocoa or sassy peppermint!  The picture of the sleigh on the vintage can works well with the theme.  This hot chocolate is a must-have not only for the holiday season but all winter long!

One final food for thought...

EventTrender was recently featured in the online magazine Chic Galleria for "Grandma Rizzo's" vintage scotch fudgie cookies.

 
For the sweet story behind this cookie and the "how to" check out the link here.

E-Trenders...We wish you a joyful holiday season and thank you for all the EventTrender support this year!  We can't wait to share more entertaining inspiration with you in 2011.  

Thank you for helping us grow this year - it has been very exciting!

Cheers to a happy and healthy New Year,

Angela & Sue
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Salvation Swag and Milk Glass Giveaway!

Happy Holidays E-Trenders! 

We wanted to share an easy DIY tablescape idea with you!  It's amazing what you can find at your local  Salvation Army and Thrift Shop!  We love to "up-cycle" items, creating "salvation swag" for entertaining and tabletop wow!  We found some lovely milk glass and gave it a hot, soapy bath!

 

The white, pure and pristine look of milk glass evokes memories of a Victorian Parlor or a retro kitchen from the 1950s.  Milk glass was used in the 1900s as an inexpensive alternative to porcelain and now has become a vintage element in modern design.  The crisp milky color provides the perfect backdrop or vessel for bright colored elements and makes a statement.  A collection of milk glass swag sprawled on a dining table sets the scene and creates a cost effective tablescape. 

Keep reading this post E-Trenders we are giving away three fabulous pieces of milk glass!

Fill the milk glass with faux snow and pinecones...

 

A simple red cardinal perched on the milk glass and filled with berries adds a festive winter touch!

 

 

Add bright red roses and shiny ornaments to the milk glass collection which completes the salvation swag scape!

 
Love it!

E-Trenders what about a milk glass candyscape?

 
Add candy canes!

 
Swedish fish anyone?

Let's take it to the next level and top the candyscape with a whimsical elf (we found him at Home Goods)!

 

We know you want some milk glass swag E-Trenders! Just post a comment (see below).  Tell us what you think of this DIY idea.  If you are not already subscribed to our blog, it's easy! Simply add your email address to the subscribe box (upper right corner). We will select one random comment (number) and one lucky E-Trender will win a collection of three milk glass pieces!  Good luck...

 

PS:  Find us on Facebook

 

 

Make a Scene this Christmas!

Angela's beautiful bright white bird cage became her inspiration piece for a cheerful holiday scene!

Angela used cinnamon sticks and natural pine branches trimmed from the pine tree in her yard to cover the bottom of the cage.

Bright red bulbs and pine cones from her lawn were placed in a bowl lined with wispy white feathers.

A whimsical bird sparkling in irridescence perches proudly inside.

A candy cane tree adds an additional splash of Christmas red!

Top it off with a red bow and a sparkling B for bird cage glam!

The Swarovski crystal "B" was Angela and her husband Anthony's wedding cake topper!

In years past, Angela & Anthony have topped their Christmas tree with this sparkling "B", a great way to get more use out of a special symbol from their wedding!

Decorating with fresh greenery gives you the additional pleasure of wonderful holiday scents...

Loving her natural pine branches Angela found another simple and festive way to use them. She took an empty vegetable can, rinsed it out and once it dried, wrapped the can with Christmas scrapbook paper. 

Arrange pine branches in the can and layer cranberries on skewer sticks; place them in and around the pine branches.

Adorn the homemade vase with a ribbon. Angela placed the vase on a wrought iron Longaberger candle holder.

ET Tip ~ Instead of using a candle holder or bird cage, create a scene in a lantern, trifle bowl, or under the lid of a cake pedestal!

~It truly is a wonderful time of year~

Subscribe to EventTrender and recieve our latest blog posts - simply add your email to the subscribe box on the top right corner of our blog!  We look forward to seeing you soon and can't wait to share more creative holiday entertaining ideas with you!

P.S.  Here is a sneak peek of our next EventTrender blog post!  Stay tuned we have a fun milk glass giveaway for our E-Trenders!

 

In Town "Setting the Perfect Table" photo shoot

Sue Keels was recently featured in the Rochester DDA "In Town" Magazine. 

 
 

 

Check out Sue Keels, Director of Sales & Marketing at the fabulous Royal Park Hotel article and sugar plum tablescape photo shoot...

 "Setting the Perfect Holiday Table"

Thank you to the Rochester DDA for such a wonderful opportunity!

 
The holiday season is such a magical time of year for entertaining.  Colorful and creative tabletops set the scene and captivate your guests. 

An unforgettable dining experience plays a starring role during this spirited time of the year.  When planning your tablescape, be sure to identify your inspiration and color story.

Inspiration comes in many shapes and sizes such as a simple piece of vintage china or silver passed down through generations and enjoyed during many holiday seasons. An element of nostalgia is a popular and memorable addition to your tabletop.

Selecting a color story creates a cohesive look and overall holiday feel.  Consider bold, alternative colors that share the same holiday hues of red and green.  The combination of moss and sugar plum is an example of fashionable jewel tone trends.  Incorporate these colors by layering linens and adding elements with the same color story to the overall design of the table.

Centerpiece collections are very popular and create dimension to the middle of the table.  Five or six groupings of vases, candle holders and other swag decorative items gathered together add interest to the center of the tabletop.  Incorporate fresh fruit accompanied by flowers and glowing candles.  Fruit is festive, enhances the color story and adds an organic flavor to the table.

 

When setting the perfect holiday dinner table don’t be afraid to breakout out the good china that sits in your cabinet all year long!  The elegance of fine china, sterling silver and crystal adds a stately sparkle to any table.

Table Setting Tricks and Tips

• Chargers continue to be very popular and add a finished and layered look to the place setting.  They are available in many colors and sizes.
• Place a charger followed by a china dinner plate in the middle of each positioned chair around the table.
• Fold napkins in a sleek rectangle shape on top of the dinner plate.  The touch of fabric adds texture and color, creating a focal point on each plate.
• On the right side of the plate, position two knives with the blade facing toward the plate (one for salad and one for the main entrée).
• On the left side of the plate set a dinner fork and place an additional salad fork just outside the dinner fork.
• Place a spoon and dessert fork directly above the top of the dinner plate.
• Bread and butter plates are always positioned to the left of the dinner plate with a small bread knife resting at the top of the plate.  Individual molded butter and a sprig of rosemary enhance the butter plate presentation.
• Place a stemmed water glass directly across from the bread plate, slightly to the right of the dinner plate and above the knives.  If you are serving wine, place the wine glass to the right of the water glass.

Adding a favor take-away sharing the same color story and inspiration enhances the evening.  Favors offer a lasting memory of a special holiday dinner shared with family and friends. A vibrant ornament sitting on a votive candle holder completes a festive place setting. 

Consider offering decorative to-go bags, carry-out containers and small tins filled with homemade desserts for guests to enjoy and savor.  Keep the flavors of the season lingering after the gathering and most of all enjoy creating magic and spending time with loved ones during the holiday season.

 

Linen showcased in the photo shoot is from Chair Covers & Linens

Flowers from Design Works Flowers

Enjoy the spirit of the season and stay tuned for many more creative holiday entertaining ideas!

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Our very own E-Trender Sue Keels featured in BIZBASH! Check it out...

 

Susan Keels switches pumpkins for candles on candlesticks to create a pretty table. See more images by clicking here.

Whether fall inspires special event designers to go spooky with Halloween ghouls or gorgeous with autumn's hues, the season is rich with design opportunities.

PUMPKIN POWER

Susan Keels, director of catering at the Royal Park Hotel in Rochester, Mich., lets the rich color of pumpkins inspire her buffet and tabletop decor. "Color trends are very similar to the [fashion] runway in New York,” she says. She turns to popular colors including burnt orange, copper, moss green and shades of plum for her autumn tablescapes. "When planning an event, it's important to select an inspiration piece, identify your color story and select elements that share a common thread during the entire dining experience," she says.

Keels lets pumpkins stand in for candles on candlesticks, and recommends giving the gourds a quick spray of Armor All—"It gives them a wax coat and makes them shine," she says.

 

Hour Glass Inspiration!

 Love this HOUR GLASS inspiration piece from Pottery Barn!