Pepper Design Blog

Event Inspiration Board: {St. Patty’s Day}

Today’s event decor inspiration board challenge is inspired by St. Patty’s Day! Trish, from San Diego, requested ideas for a fun, casual get-together for friends this weekend.

{Here’s the breakdown for today’s challenge}

EVENT: St. Patrick’s Day BBQ

THEME: Every shade of green (of course!) and a few delicious holiday recipes

BUDGET: Under $150 for 25 guests (not including the BYOB)

My suggestions:

DECOR: Since the party is casual with an emphasis on good food and drink, let’s keep the decor just as stress-free. My favorite centerpiece options? Vintage green bottles on a simple tray, clean vases (the basic wood box is simple and stunning, as well as the white ceramic table vases below) filled with wheat grass, or how about the Irish favorite - Bells of Ireland? These green flower stalks (below collage, top left) are cost-effective and perfect for the holiday. They look wonderful with a few calla lilies and green kermit mums.

Another easy option? take advantage of stored Christmas ornaments in bright green, they would look lovely clustered in a bowl or hung from branches in the backyard. Better Homes and Gardens gives easy directions for sprucing up a standard tablecloth with Celtic designs (via stamps and stencils). I really love the look of these green apples cored out to hold small white votive candles by BHG – genius! And Green poms (very top) are always a winner.

WHAT TO SERVE: Save the corned beef and cabbage for another night, opt instead for potato pizza and green beer! Give this tasty flat pizza recipe a try, you’re sure to amaze guests (potatoes on pizza?) but I promise it’s so good you’ll use the idea again and again.

And for dessert, fill up on a hearty dessert buffet complete with slice-and-bake Shamrock Cookies and Chocolate Stout Shakes (yum!). This should be the attention getting decor item of the evening, so feel free to use green scrapbooking paper, crepe paper and ribbon to really bring it to life. (Amy Atlas dessert bar for inspiration, via Style Me Pretty, below).

And there you have it, a fun and easy St. Patty’s Day celebration with friends and family. Here’s the rough breakdown to make sure we’re in budget:

Cost breakdown:

-Food (plenty of potato pizza appetizer ingredients) for 25 people: $40
-Dessert Bar (slice-and-bake cookies, stout milkshakes, candy and paper products – like tissue poms, buffet labels and patterned paper to line display dishes – to decorate): $75
-Centerpieces/table decorations (wheat grass, bells of Ireland, vintage bottles and vases from thrift store): $25
-Handmade Celtic tablecloth (modifying an old tablecloth with a new stencil): $10

GRAND TOTAL: $150

Still looking for more St. Patty’s Day inspiration? HWTM and Celebrations at Home have recently shared a few easy and fun St. Patty’s Day decor ideas – check them out here and here!

To peruse through PDB’s Event Decor Inspiration Board Challenges, click here. If you’d like to submit an inspiration board party request, visit the About PDB page for email information. Happy Tuesday!

Event Inspiration Board: {Teal, Fuchsia & Lemon}

Welcome back to PDB’s second event decor inspiration board challenge. This is a little opportunity to share my favorite ideas for events emailed in by PDB readers! See round one (delightful green & grey bridal shower) for the start of it all. If you’d like to submit a party request – check out the About PDB page for email information! With so much going on over here in blogland, I’m hoping to step it up a notch to feature several more reader inspiration boards each month.

{Here’s the breakdown for today’s challenge}

EVENT: Bridal shower in April

THEME: Teal, fuchsia & lemon yellow

BUDGET: Under $200 for 20 guests

This shower was especially fun to pull together – my only criteria was to involve rich and colorful shades that made for a light-hearted and fun palette. With oh-so-many colors that fit that description, it was difficult to narrow down the choices… but I kept gravitating back towards a teal, fuchsia and lemon theme that at first glance appeared too bold and drastic… but I love the end result!

My suggestions:

DECOR: I love the look of these simple teal vintage vases featured on Style Me Pretty {you’re sure to find a thrift store similar look, even in a clear or white variety} filled with single bunches of tulips and roses. The yellow poms are perfect as well! These raffia drink stirrers by Martha are the perfect addition to a signature pink grapefruit cocktail {see below}. While Lollipop Events & Designs has nailed an ideal pattern for chair covers (it fits each of our colors!) I would be equally happy tying in a similar remnant strip as a table runner. I love Amy Butler’s coreopsis pattern {bottom of post} as another option.

WHAT TO SERVE: With our budget in mind, let’s keep it simple! Scheduling a shower at 3pm, for example, implies that you’re serving appetizers only and that guests should eat lunch prior to arriving. Give these Honey Fruit Tartletts and Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms a try, along with a fruit and aged cheese tray with labels that match your raffia drink poms. A dessert bar is sure to win the hearts of all – these cupcakes by April Reed are pure eye-candy, but also offer delicious diy inspiration. Rock candy, lemon drops and homemade sugar cookies are dessert buffet options that fit within the color scheme. Use your extra vintage thrift store finds as containers or simple white platters and plates. A small and classy buffet is perfect for a shower!

Oh that was easy! I hope you enjoyed this quick breakdown and that the next time you’re looking for great baby or bridal shower ideas, you’ll give teal, fuchsia and yellow a try. Can’t wait to see the final event!

Cost breakdown:

-Table linens: $40 (neutral table cloths and remnant diy runners – no need to sew! try an ironed hem – in a patterned fabric)
-Centerpieces: $40 (vintage vases with mini bouquets of fresh flowers)
-Appetizers: $50 (tartletts, stuffed mushrooms with a fruit & aged cheese platter)
-Signature drink: $30 (pink grapefruit cocktail with handmade raffia poms)
-Dessert bar: $40 (candy, cupcakes and cookies)

GRAND TOTAL: $200

For more shower inspiration check out the ‘Entertaining’ button up there in the left hand sidebar, or click here. Happy Tuesday!

Event Decor Challenge: {April Bridal Shower}

I’ve recently received a few requests for custom party decor suggestions and I thought it might be fun to share some of my finds & details here instead of just one-on-one.

{Here’s the breakdown for today’s challenge}

EVENT: Bridal shower in April

THEME: Greens and pinks

BUDGET: $250/25 guests + $8/pp each for brunch, cocktails & dessert (doesn’t include optional rental of tables & chairs)

Neat challenge, especially considering the budget (events can be so costly once you really break them down… added bonus that most showers are hosted by multiple friends or family members and decor $ can be split up accordingly). Here are my final event suggestions for this April Shower (hopefully not the, um, rainy version): Read more »