Feb 8, 2017
For this semester’s Barque Team get-together, I thought it might be fun to have “Brunch for Dinner”. The benefits would be twofold – a great way for my girls to sample a few of our food products (like buttermilk biscuit mix and local jams)… and second, I thought it would be easy to cook on a weeknight!
In this post, you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at the invitation, party details, decorations, menu and party favors – plus an idea you can borrow to spark great conversation at your own Valentine’s Day gathering!
Since I love Valentine’s Day, I thought that would be an easy theme to work with. I utilized my collection of vintage Valentines to add a little interest to my mantle.
For the table, I used lots of layering – starting with a simple white tablecloth, then adding a length of sheer pink fabric (on clearance at Joann’s), followed by heart-shaped cut outs and doilies. To finish it off, more vintage valentines strewn about (some on tiny easels) and a sprinkling of conversation heart candies. For added ambiance, I combined a few tall white candles with strings of battery-operated, mini copper lights (a new arrival at the store).
For each place setting, alternating pink and red napkins (folded in the shape of a heart) were adorned with a hand-lettered doily as a place card. The talented @kelseylaineholt (check her out on Instagram!) made them for us – as well as the food/drink labels – and they really made the tablescape swoon-worthy, don’t you think?
Before guests got settled in, everyone was asked fill out 2 “Conversation Hearts”. This idea was inspired by Darcy Miller’s new book, Celebrate Everything – and it ended up being one of the favorite parts of the evening for all of us. HERE is a link to a free printable with the instructions, which can easily be displayed in a basic 4×6 frame.
You can download the conversation heart templates HERE and HERE – just print them out on pastel colored cardstock and cut out by hand.
We collected the completed hearts in a fish bowl, and they later became our dinner conversation starters! It was really fun to try to guess who each heart belonged to – and it sparked great conversation! We learned a lot about one another (and laughed a lot too).
The menu consisted of traditional breakfast food – eggs (heart-shaped of course), bacon, sausage, turkey bacon, buttermilk biscuits (see our tips for those here), local jams from Kelle B, fruit, yogurt (with heart sprinkles), and a modified version of Bobby Flay’s Rosemary and Pancetta Home Fries (from the cookbook Brunch at Bobby’s). To be honest, I’ve made this recipe before and it was delicious, but I must have done something wrong this time – oops! It didn’t work out as I had planned, so it became mashed the potatoes with rosemary and pancetta mixed in – sometimes you have to improvise!
We tested out a recipe from the Forest Feast Gatherings Cookbook for the bar – Ruby Mimosa Punch – and it was quite tasty!
I think a party always needs a favor, and for this one, each of the girls received a ball cap (monogrammed with the Barque logo), a box of conversation hearts, a mini jar of Kelle B Jam, and a Butter London nail polish. I love how the personalized tags turned out too!
Corny or not, the tags are true – I really do love these girls! They’re a great bunch, and I’m so blessed to have each one of them working with me. The best part is I think they genuinely enjoy one other too – It’s not often you can work and play together and enjoy so much laughter.
Aren’t they they cutest?
I hope our Team “Dinner” inspires a few ideas for your own Valentine’s (or Galentine’s) Brunch, and if it does, we’d love to know about it! Tag us on Instagram (@barquegifts) or email us photos – we love to see how our friends and customers throw a party!
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Sep 26, 2016
Decorating for Halloween is a highlight of the season – it means that fall is officially here and I can get geared up for my favorite season. I don’t do anything super scary or gruesome because… well, I’m a wimp and can’t take it. ha! (Truth is I’ve never even been in a haunted house because I’m certain it would give me a heart attack.) The past few years I’ve used books and birds to decorate, and this year I did the same – with a twist. To keep the color palette more neutral, I only used white pumpkins, and I turned the books around so the pages faced forward. The bird cage I use year-round but in another location and the “mirror” is one that I made look old in this DIY. A few cobwebs and plastic spiders complete the look.
If I have a Halloween party, I hang the “Come In My Little Pretties” sign on the front door. And plug in the ampersand metal light.
I use a garden gate panel in my hallway to create a witch hat rack. Several years ago, in a magazine (I can’t even remember which one), I had seen a “witch hat check” that featured tags on the hats – so I printed up some of my own.
Happy Halloween!
Aug 18, 2016
This past weekend the Barque team said “aloha” (goodbye) to summer AND “aloha” (hello) to a great fall ahead! It was the second annual End of Summer Party for us, and it really was a lot of fun. For me, it’s a wonderful way to connect with my team on a social level, and it’s also the perfect opportunity to incorporate products that we sell in a “real life” setting so my gals can see how people use our stuff outside of the store.
A colorful chalkboard sign on the front door was a great way to welcome the girls – and check out the FAB lettering skills of our very own @kelseylainee (go find her out on Instagram now)!
Once they walked through the door, the girls were greeted by our store mannequin, Manny, dressed in a sarong and coconut bra with plastic leis. Quite festive.
This casual soiree incorporated a lot of color, from the DIY Tassel Garland to the painted pineapples… and everything in between…
Including a little island flair on the bar cart… (key limes, a painted pineapple, tropical postcards, tiny drink umbrellas and more plastic leis)
Of course I had custom beverage napkins made, and I decided to spruce up some gold striped paper straws with cupcake liners to make them look more floral – aren’t they fun? The used this tutorial.
The idea of adding edible flowers to the drink bucket was an inspiration from Pinterest – it added great color and made it more festive!
Now isn’t that the prettiest drink you’ve ever seen?
As a centerpiece for the table, I used a combination of painted pineapples, fresh palm leaves from my local florist, coconut bowls with greenery, plastic leis and drink umbrellas.
We were lucky enough to have Kelsey also hand paint our place cards too – aren’t they perfect? LOVING the hombre effect, and it was fun that everyone’s name was different!
For the meal – which might be my favorite part of the entire evening – I created a menu using recipes out of cookbooks that we carry in the store. It gives all of us the chance to try something new, and it gives my team the opportunity to experience some of the selections we offer our customers – even if they don’t cook much themselves! This year’s selections came from four books – Lighten Up Ya’ll, Southern Cooking Family Style, Up South, and Boozy Shakes…
Menu cards were made using the same pineapple icon as the beverage napkins, because making coordinating party elements is what we DO!
TO START
watermelon bites + lime salt*
grilled shrimp skewers
SOUPS + SALAD
peach + tomato gazpacho ( for the record, this was my favorite dish, but it wasn’t a crowd favorite)
kale + dandelion + orange salad
MAIN
bbq pulled pork tacos + cilantro cabbage slaw* (using Kelle B BBQ Sauce, recipe coming soon)
DESSERT
key lime pie boozy milkshakes*
*these were the crowd faves!
For party favors, I had custom koozies and gift tags made. Paired with some personalized folded notes and fruity candy, they made a pretty nice and colorful take away.
All in all, it was a great time, and it only makes me excited about the year we have ahead with this team. ALOHA to a great year ahead, ladies!
#teambarque
{if you want to check out my inspiration for the party, take a look at this Pinterest Board for more ideas}
Aug 16, 2016
For our Barque Team Dinner this summer, I had decided on a tropical theme, so I knew that PINEAPPLES would be the way to go for decorations.
Ultimately I decided that painting only the tops would be easiest – and since I had less than a week to plan the entire party and menu – that sounded like a good plan.
If you’re going to paint your own pineapples like I did, you’ll need:
- pineapples with pretty crowns (that’s the green part on top) – not too bent or torn up
- cans of colorful spray paint
- a few plastic tablecloths ( I got mine from the Dollar store)
First, spread out the tablecloth on a table or flat surface, leaving enough room to cover for overspray at the top but plenty of extra tablecloth on the bottom.
Place the pineapple on the tablecloth.
Bring up the loose tablecloth from the bottom to cover the base of the pineapple. Just tuck it in and carefully wrap it around the sides so it’s nice and snug and protected from the paint.
Lightly spray the crown of the pineapple with your desired paint color. If you’re going for an hombre effect, use the lighter color first. Be sure to move quickly and make several passes at different angles. You’ll also want to make sure you get it from the “top” angle…
You can let it dry and then do the other side, or gently roll the pineapple over inside it’s little tablecloth to get to the opposite side to pain – totally depends on how much time or patience you have to sit and wait for paint to dry. ( I had none.)
After you have your base coat, use a darker color in the same color scheme (or a coordinating color) to lightly spray just the edges of the crown. You don’t want too much paint or it will cover up your first coat – you just want enough to give the color a little depth.
Untuck the pineapple from the tablecloth and allow it to dry completely. Then marvel at your handiwork.
(colors shown in this photo from left to right: yellow + orange, hot pink + red, aqua + royal blue, orange + pink)
These colorful and festive pineapples make a great centerpiece together or a fun addition to a bar cart or entry table. They’re perfect for a tropical soiree – and they’re so darn easy, they’ll probably become your go-to summer party decoration.
May 15, 2016
For Shannon’s garden-themed bridal shower, the floral arrangements were one of my favorite details, so I thought I would share a few tips for creating your own.
To start, you’ll want plenty of fresh flowers in the color scheme of your choice. I got these beauties from Box of Rain – a fun mix of roses, lilies, hydrangeas and greenery.
You’ll also need some gorgeous root vegetables for color like these – carrots, turnips, radishes, artichokes, asparagus, brussels sprouts, etc. – whatever looks beautiful at your grocery will be stunning in this arrangement. You can also throw in a few different types of greens like kale, Swiss chard or collard greens – a variety of textures will really look nice.
You’ll also need wooden kabab sticks and a good pair of heavy duty scissors to cut them to your desired length.
First, wash and dry all of the veggies.
You’ll also need a pre-made Oasis “caged foam base” from your local florist or craft store. I cut a hole in the bottom of the plastic on mine so I could insert the carrots from below and leave room for the flowers on top. Before you get started arranging, be sure to soak the Oasis foam until it’s nice and absorbed.
Start by gathering the carrots by their stems and tying them about 1-2 inches above the tops with either twine or wire. You want it to be tight so you can strip off the ends of the stems and they will still stay bundled together. Place the carrot bundle in your desired glass vase and fill with water. From the top, insert a wooden skewer into the carrot bundle. You want it to stick up a little so that you can secure it in the foam.
After cutting a hole in the oasis cage, you should be able to set it on top of the carrot bundle/skewer.
I secured mine in place with a little duct tape (only because I was out of floral tape), but don’t worry – you won’t be able to see it once the arrangement is complete.
Start with the larger flowers cutting their stems on the diagonal as you insert them into the Oasis foam, then slowly go back and fill in the vegetables, using the sharp end of the skewer to pierce the “base” of the vegetable and cutting the length of the skewer to fit as needed. Keep adding flowers, vegetables and greenery – regularly turning the arrangement so you can make sure it’s even all the way around. (Don’t forget to add a little more water once you’re done – you don’t want those flowers to wilt!)
When you’re finished, you’ll have this fun and unique floral arrangement that’s perfect for showers, garden parties, an elegant summer dinner or Easter lunch!
For more photos of arrangements like this, see the full post about Shannon’s Shower here.
Save
May 2, 2016
Over the past three years, we’ve had the pleasure of working this pretty special girl right here —> Shannon. She’s always got a smile on her face and our customers love her as much as we do!
She’s a great student, a hard worker, a thoughtful friend, and now – a beautiful Bride-to-Be. Our team has watched Shannon’s relationship with Austin blossom from the beginning, and even though we’re sad to see her move on (we don’t want her to leave!!!!)… we ARE excited for this next chapter in her life! So naturally, the Barque team wanted to send her off in style with a Bridal Shower. I mean, parties are what we DO – of course we wanted to throw one for one for her!
The fantastic hand-lettering details were created by another talented Barque team member – Kelsey. {find her on Instagram @kelseylainee}. Don’t you love this chalk sign? She also did all the mini signs for our snacks.
The gorgeous strawberries were handmade by our resident Party Queen, Suzanne. She’s pretty much a pro when it comes to party mechanics and details. She was also kind enough to host the shower in her home – and it served as the perfect backdrop!
We purchased the bride’s favorite thumbprint cookies from Simply Decadent Bakery, and the Keesha made the Artichoke Lemon Pesto Dip (we carry it in the store and it’s a crowd favorite at parties).
For the floral arrangements, we decided on a combination of simple white flowers and vegetable garden accents. I had seen one similar to this from Southern Living awhile back, so I was anxious to try it for myself. I made a few modifications to their tutorial here, but I love how it turned out!
The larger arrangement also had hints from the garden with various pops of color from carrots, brussels sprouts, orange beets, artichokes, kale, collard greens and radishes.
Shannon’s guests showered her with so many great things!
Do you recognize any of these pretty ladies from the shop? 🙂
None of us wanted to play cliche “Bridal Shower Games”, so instead we opted for something PAPER related (shocking) – Milestone Mail for the happy couple! Guests were asked to choose a milestone event, write it on the front of the envelope, then write them a blessing or word of encouragement to read when that milestone occurs. It should be a fun way for her to remember these guests and how much they care for her – even years down the road!
The hostesses of the shower gifted Shannon a big basket of kitchen goodies – and we made each item special with words of well wishes.
We ended the shower with a sweet photo of our “Barque twins” – aren’t they the cutest? {By the way, Emory and Kelsey did some serious wrestling to get those balloons to cooperate – it was a windy day!}
Shannon, we are proud that you’ve spent the last three years working for us and we wish you nothing but happiness in this new chapter of your life!
Love, the Barque Team
[ If you’re planning a Shower soon, you might want to download our Shower Planning Sheet – this idea came from a customer who has throwing showers down pat! Thank you for the great idea Tomi!]
I think a party always needs a favor, and for this one, each of the girls received a ball cap (monogrammed with the Barque logo), a box of conversation hearts, a mini jar of Kelle B Jam, and a Butter London nail polish. I love how the personalized tags turned out too!
Corny or not, the tags are true – I really do love these girls! They’re a great bunch, and I’m so blessed to have each one of them working with me. The best part is I think they genuinely enjoy one other too – It’s not often you can work and play together and enjoy so much laughter.
Aren’t they they cutest?
I hope our Team “Dinner” inspires a few ideas for your own Valentine’s (or Galentine’s) Brunch, and if it does, we’d love to know about it! Tag us on Instagram (@barquegifts) or email us photos – we love to see how our friends and customers throw a party!