To wrap up the summer, I thought it might be fun to throw an End of Summer Fiesta for the entire Barque team. We’ve never had an official “office party” or anything, so this was new – but definitely fun and we will do it again!
A good fiesta has to start with colorful decorations, so I knew paper fans and tissue honeycomb would be an easy option to hang between the dining room and front door.
To start building the tablescape early in the week of the party, I layered a black tablecloth with a white knitted one on top. Once I added a serape runner, it started to take on the festive vibe I was going for. With the addition of a few chile/salsa cans from the grocery store, it really started to take shape.
A few days before the party, I made tissue paper napkin rings and menus. You can see the tutorial for those here.
The day before the party, I emptied the cans and filled them with flowers – spray roses, dahlias, spider mums, stock, Billy balls and such.
For place cards, I printed the guest names on colored cardstock, cut them out, and used a scalloped Martha Stewart punch from Michael’s to create the lace detail at the bottom.
For the Fiesta Menu, I decided to prepare dishes from cookbooks we sell in the store. That way, my entire team could have first hand experience with some of the recipes.
Starters – Tortilla Chips, Salsa, Guacamole and Pico de Gallo
Soup & Salad – Green Chile Corn Chowder (Pioneer Woman) and Orange Cabbage Salad (The Forest Feast)
Main – Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish Sauce (Perini Ranch Cookbook) and Chimichurri, plus a Tomato, Corn and Avocado Salad
Dessert – Dutch Oven Blackberry Cobbler with Buttermilk Lime Ice Cream (Sweet on Texas)
I’m not sure why the only photo I got was of the dessert, but it sure was tasty, so here ya go. And I have to say that the Buttermilk Lime Ice Cream was worth the extra effort. It was delicious!
Of course the bar cart was stocked with Citrus Water (water with lemons and limes), 3-Step Margaritas (they’re SO easy) and Corona.
{The decorative flags on the bar cart were made with my Silhouette Cameo, but that was kind of a disaster. One would cut perfectly and the next would be a train wreck – no reason why – so I’m kind of mad at my machine at the moment.}
As a party favor, guests received tiny bottles of hot sauce with a fun gift tag.
All in all, we had a great time – we had great conversation, enjoyed the food, and had such a good time. Definitely going to do more of this “office party” thing in the future!
{If you want to see the inspiration behind this party, check out the Pinterest board here.}
