Last Minute Royal Wedding Party Ideas Using Free Party Printables

Happy Royal Wedding Eve!

Just a quick post as I set up for my mini-party tomorrow morning. I am loving these free printables from TomKat Studios and Design Editor. Thank you both SO MUCH for spending on time on these awesome and FREE paper products!

Tea Time

Make a tea and scone tray. (I made the Tyler Florence scones I talked about on yesterday's post - OMG are they good. I haven't even glazed them yet! To glaze or not to glaze...that is the question.) Use the wraparound printables from Design Editor to decorate your flower vase, their square printables for tea cup accessories and their British flag as a flower pick! TomKat's adorable party circles are perfect for adorning scones! 

And yes, this is my wedding china. If you can't break out the good china for the Royal wedding, when can you use it? I use mine any chance I get!

Champagne Set-up

Champagne and mimosas more your thing? I used Design Editor's wraparound printables to decorate the stems of the flutes and the neck of the champagne bottle. Frame the crown patter from Design Editor for simple decor as well.

Download these printables HERE and HERE. Thanks again Tomkat and Design Editor!! 

Happy Wedding Watching!!!

Royal Wedding Party Ideas!!

If you aren't into the Royal Wedding (which would be ridiculous), I would skip this post. I for one, am super excited for several reasons. Want to know why?

1) It's a wedding, and weddings are awesome

2) Someone is going to become a real-life princess. If I wasn't so jealous, I would almost be happy.

3) It's kind of a big deal, in case you hadn't noticed. I appreciate most things with this much buildup. Except for that new show "The Voice." If I see one more promotional commercial for that show I might become a non-TV watcher. Ha! As if.

4) I'm half British...Okay, those of you that know me and/or follow this blog know that I am so not British. But I do pull off a mean British accent. And by "mean", I mean terrible, and slightly Australian sounding. 

Whatever your reasons are for enjoying all this royal fanfare, I suggest getting up early with your girlfriends, putting on a pot of tea, and enjoying yourself. These events don't come around that often. Let's check out some Royal Wedding Party ideas, shall we?

Bloody Good Recipes

I am making these scones from Tyler Florence, although I can't decide between lemon glaze or orange glaze. I need to stop worrying about the glaze, and start worrying about how NOT to make the scones taste like a hockey puck. I can whip up a cupcake, but I have always heard scones are notoriously difficult to make. Please pass on any scone advice!

Bread pudding is a popular treat in Britain. Try this AMAZING looking chocolate bread pudding from Delish.com for your royal party. This looks like you could just apply it directly to your arse, because that's where it's going to end up.

From Betty Crocker, how about this adorable fruit "pizza" with the flag of Union Jack! 

Be prepared for extreme cuteness with this next one. Also from Betty Crocker, an ENGAGEMENT RING MINI CUPCAKE! Stop the presses and tell me this isn't the MOST adorable thing you have ever seen?! If you serve this at your party, you will be the talk of the town.

Make your cupcakes Royal Blue with this recipe, also from Betty Crocker.

I for one, plan to stretch out the royal wedding, beginning tomorrow night. On the menu? Fish and Chips, courtesy of this recipe from Eating Well. We are really into tots lately (that would be tater tots), so we may do Fish N' Tots. 

What about Tea and Crumpets? Well, honestly, I don't even know what a "crumpet" is. I asked Mr. Fo and he said, "Isn't it some sort of triangle shaped thing?" ...To which I replied, "Absolutely not." I thought it was a pastry of some sort. To the Google Machine we go (how did people settle arguments pre-Google?) . Below I show you...the crumpet.

Image Credit

Looks a lot like an English muffin to me, what with all those nooks and crannies. So that must be where we get the name "English" Muffin from? Honestly, all this research is exhausting me. I am happy because a) crumpets are in no way triangular, so I got to prove Mr. Fo wrong, and b) it's basically just some bread with butter, which is a delicious treat in any country.

Royal Decor

There are free royal wedding printables everywhere!! Here are a few of my faves!

From the TomKat Studios... 

Super creative printables from Design Editor...I  may just use these Union Jack Wraps for my coffee (er...tea) cup on Friday morning!

All of this stuff is SO cute! I simply can't wait. Are you curious as to how I am celebrating this joyous occasion? Well, I am lucky to be celebrating with one of my best friends Hillary. We are planning to get up at the crack of dawn, put on fabulous hats and pearls, and watch the wedding from my couch with beverages and British breakfast treats. We have been planning this for quite awhile, so I know it will be a jolly good time. In fact, we are so excited that we have been speaking in a British accent (via phone and text message) for the entire week in celebration. Will and Kate would be proud. We are watching the Today Show coverage, as of course I can't think of enjoying this moment without Matt and Meredith. (Btw - Meredith, if you are leaving, I'll be your replacement! But I just want all the fun cooking segments, okay? No serious stuff.)

For more fabulous royal wedding ideas, check out my Royal Viewing Party article on the always informative and fun site, Tablespoon.com. 

How are YOU celebrating the Royal Wedding? 

Late Night Wedding Food

Being that it's super close to wedding season, and especially, THE wedding of the season (ROYAL WEDDING DER), I thought I would share these awesome late night wedding food ideas. 

But first, a little diatribe about late night food. Are you sad, lonely, happy or had one too many cocktails? Late night food is your answer. I know that the fitness magazines don't agree, but a little late night noshing never hurt anyone. Now where is that Easter candy I hid....

...and back to the matter at hand - adorable late night wedding food. After the dinner is over and you've danced all those calories away, why not serve up some of these adorable treats? I found these gems at Delish.com, one of my favorite sites.

Individual parfaits are a great treat - any time of day! These would be perfect for a late night snack or a baby or bridal shower! Don't have enough martini glasses? Get the plastic ones from party city or rent glass ones from a local party rental store!

How about a mini milkshake...(your milkshake brings all the boys to the yard)....oh sorry about that - do you find that it's impossible to say or think the word milkshake without hearing that song in your head?

McDonald's fries your favorite? Serve them as a late night snack! I personally have always thought McDonald's fries were the superior fast food french fry. If I saw them being passed around as a late night treat, I might just Mc-Cry from happiness.

 This is quite possibly my FAVORITE idea of all ideas. Mini donuts with shots of milk?! SO CUTE and who wouldn't want a donut at 11 p.m. I mentioned this idea to a bride I am working with, and she loved it! She even suggested using chocolate milk - clearly, she's a genius.

For more glorious late night wedding treats, see the article at Delish.com.

Another special touch? Arrange for a special treat from your hometown. For my wedding, my dad wanted to get authentic Italian pastries sent down to North Carolina from his favorite bakery in New Jersey. A special and delicious touch - although I must admit, I didn't see any of these pastries. I was too busy dancing up a storm - hey-o! 

Maybe Prince Wills and Kate will be serving mini tea and crumpets for their wedding festivities...more on tea and crumpets in tomorrow's royal wedding post. In fact, for a great round-up of royal wedding ideas, recipes and general royal commentary on the whole shebang, check out the blog tomorrow night. Cheerio!

Easter Cuteness, courtesy of Miss Brooke

I hope you all had a great Easter weekend. I know I did....despite the overwhelming amount of mimosas and chocolate that almost killed me yesterday....I really can't eat chocolate bunnies and cadbury eggs like I used to. 

Here's a few photos from my Easter festivities ...basically, they are all of my adorable niece Brooke. She is SUCH a little doll!!

Full view of Miss Brooke's tutu outfit....This tutu flared out so much that I called it a petticoat; it was hilarious!

Me with my Brooke at brunch. Yes, I am 28 and I wore bunny ears in public on Easter Sunday. What can I say, I like to celebrate!

Mr. Fo and I...check out his pastels.

After brunch we had bunny cake...I had part of the bow tie, and it was delicious.

Brooke had a mid-day outfit change into a denim romper...It matched the the purse I gave her for Easter. How CUTE is this purse....it says... "MY PURSE," if you can't really see it.  Love it.

Finally, one more Brookie pic from a family photo shoot they had a few weeks ago. Tell me that this pic should not be entered into a cute kid contest!!!

Hope you had as great an Easter weekend as I did! I am planning lots of fun posts for the week, including party tips for celebrating the upcoming Royal Wedding!

Chalkboard Table Runner - Wine and Cheese Party

One of my first articles for Tablespoon.com was about how to host a wine and cheese party. It was a fantastic excuse for me to have some friends over, drink wine, have cheese and make a cute tablescape. I must say that I quite enjoy my life these days :)

If you are a follower of my blog, then it's no secret that I adore all things "chalkboard." So when I found this chalkboard contact paper on Amazon.com, I knew I could make a fabulous chalkboard runner for my table.

I cannot stress how easy this was to do. Cut the chalkboard contact paper to fit your table, and start getting your art on :) If you make a mistake..erase erase erase! The more rustic looking the better!

Read the full tablespoon post to find additional tips on hosting your own fabulous Wine Tasting Party! While you're at it, check the Tablespoon.com site - its chock full of easy and delicious time-saving recipes, plus party tips and recipes!

Check out the wine party pics!

 Finally, I hope you will "Like" my new Jackie Fogartie Events page on Facebook. With the blog, website and Twitter, its about time I got my biz on FB, don't you think?

As always, thanks for reading and thanks for your support! I love blogging and all the fabulous people I have "met" along the way. 

Martha + Easter = Eggcellent

It's less than a week until Easter, but thanks to Martha, there are plenty of last minute ways to get your Easter decorations on. Let's hop right in, shall we?

Don't you wish money grew on trees? Well, in this case, it's an egg tree - not a money tree that makes this table so delightful. Now that I think of it, when I was younger, the Easter Bunny used to put cash in my eggs from time to time. Those were the days....

(All photos are from marthastewart.com)

 

 Have you seen all these egg cups floating around? If so, are you wondering what to do with them? Martha, in her never ending quest for finding alternative uses for things, has come up with a genius idea. Use your egg cups as flower vases for a perfectly themed centerpiece. 

This idea might be favorite. Put your bunnies and colorful Easter candy on display in clear mason jars. It's a "Bunny-scape!" 

Why not use your old Easter baskets as flower vases as well? Combining tulips and wheat grass in a low arrangement makes it appear that you have a tulip patch right in the center of your table. Darling! 

Pretty centerpieces and flowers not your thing? Why not try some Peep Art? You know, Peeps, the famous Easter candy? Personally, I can't stand them, but some people are so obsessed they turn it into art. Mr. Fo and I were watching Unwrapped on the Food Network - its an excellent show that shows you how some of America's most famous processed food is made. This particular show was all about Easter candy - it was incredible! Seriously, the way they make those speckled robins eggs will blow your mind for reals. But I digress. The show opened my eyes to wonderfully wacky world of Peep Art.

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Craaaazy, right?! 

With that, I'm off to Costco to buy some Peeps in bulk. 

(Not really.)

Bunny Giveaway Winner...

...and the winner of these adorable William Sonoma bunnies IS:

Homemade Diva!  

Email me with your address to get these bunnies on your table in time for Easter! jackie@jackiefogartieevents.com

Fabulousness - Spring and Easter Edition - Part 2

Told ya there would be a sequel! I'm referring to my Spring/Easter Round Up Part 1, of course.

Honestly, there may need to be a Part Tres for these series! Folks have been BRINGIN' the SPRING in full force over the past week! So without further adieu....

Jenna from Eat, Drink, Pretty (LOVE this blog!) hosted a gorgeous spring dinner party. All of these recipes are simple and beautiful! I would like to replicate this entire party one of these days!!! As always, Jenna's photos are beautiful.

I have recently discovered a great new DIY blog, Madigan Made, and I love all of her projects! Check out this easy NO-SEW table runner she created. For non-sewers like myself, this is a great way to create your own table runner or tablecloth without learning how to sew. Pretty sure I don't have the patience for sewing, and also - I would be TERRIBLE at it! But mad props to those of you who sew. This runner is perfectly pink for spring and also made from Dollar Store items.

Love those beautiful french macarons, but too scared to try to make them (ahem, myself)? Tablespoon.com featured these macaron look-alikes that are the perfect imitation treat! And making these won't stress you out :) These are so colorful and fun!

I found another perfect item for spring from my local Pier 1. Can you guess what this is?

If you guessed a salt and pepper shaker, you would be correct my friend. I brought home this utterly unnecessary but deliciously darling item from Pier 1 and said to Mr. Fo: "We don't need this at all, but I had to buy it." You know those items? The ones you HAVE to buy because you are forced? By yourself?

How about this GORGEOUS Anthropologie apron to whip up some spring dishes? My friend Leighton sent it to me as a thank you for being part of her wedding in January. It's almost so pretty I don't want to use it! But, I plan to, don't you worry.

Set up your Easter table with bunny ear napkins from Sugar and Charm via Better Homes and Gardens.  I love the little cottontail! Instructions HERE!

Or you could replicate JC Loft's easy and affordable Easter Egg napkin ring DIY! 

I also found the latest in Easter placecards in the Family Circle magazine. And yes, I read Family Circle. Anything with cute party decorations and easy recipes is an A in my book. I LOVE these initial eggs sitting in a nest of shredded paper! So creative!

Finally, something else fabulous for spring? How about my articles on Tablespoon.com?! If you are unfamiliar with Tablespoon, its a great site for delicious recipes. When they contacted me about writing articles for their brand new page Rock UR Party, I jumped at the chance! Click on the button on my sidebar (or below) and select the Rock Ur Party tab to find my articles! The first article posted? The seasonally titled "How To Host a Spring Soiree."

Was that a fabulous roundup or what?! Hope you enjoyed :)