Wine Club Evening

It's our month to host our wine club!!!  

Everyone brings an appetizer to share, which all went on the dining room table.  In the center of the table was an idea I've had for a long time.  I've stacked wooden wine crates, and placed them on a burlap runner.  I wanted to keep this earthy and rustic.

I included a couple of wine related books, corks, grapes, birch covered votives, and burlap wired ribbons.

Here it is from the other side.  I took these photos before I pulled the chairs away.

The floral wholesaler was pretty short on sunflowers and earthy colors.  Every other person there was shopping for soft, pastel colors for their Mothers' Day clients, and that's what they were stocked up on for the weekend.

To hold the flowers, I used an old wooden pedestal bowl with this interesting monogrammed badge.

 

I love this burlap ribbon I found.  It was a good way to introduce another texture and I scattered some of the blossoms here and there. 

I set the coffee and dessert up on the drop leaf table in the bar.  Centered there is an arrangement of oak leaf hydrangeas and regular mop head blue hydrangeas with a little pampas grass.

I used this two layer server for the mini desserts that I made and served in 4-oz.square plastic cups from Party City.  That little silver trophy cup holds demi-tasse spoons that are the perfect size for these little cups.

  I made four flavors of desserts: banana pudding, tiramasu, chocolate/peanutbutter, and key lime pie.  All of the recipes came from the internet, but when I make these again, I'll just use my regular recipes for these desserts.  The whole key to making these is to use disposable piping bags for each part that goes into each little cup. 

My other contribution to the evening was this marinated shrimp dish.

I worry about fish sitting out all evening, so I used a large, shallow bowl and filled it with crushed ice.

Then I lined the edge of it with hydrangea leaves......

and placed the shrimp dish on top.  Keeping it cold makes the food taste better, too.

These little booklets that I made for everyone held a sheet for each of the six wines with reviews, price, descriptions, and information on the vintners.  

Pottery Barn is selling these sets of 26 wine charms that look like typewriter keys.  I usually think that wine charms are sort of cheesey and I hate the way they clink on the stem.  I buckled and bought these for the convenience of the group and I think they're pretty cute.

As usual, few people took the time to fill these out.  Really.....I don't blame them......all you need to know is if you like it. 

These manila tags were tied around the neck of each bottle.

Each wine was well received, which pleased me.

What a nice night.  We sat outside on all three levels and laughed among the bull frogs until the rain drops chased us inside.  

I'm joining:

Let's Dish

Cuisine Kathleen

Tablescape Thursday

Between Naps On the Porch

Marty's Tabletop Tuesday

A Stroll Thru Life

Garden Club Party II

I thought I'd add another post about the luncheon I recently had for my Garden Club.  You can see the first post here.

This is the beverage area in the bar.  It photographs poorly because of all of the reflection of the lights on the granite counter and backsplash.

These coffee mugs match the garden dishes made by Essex that I used for lunch.  (Please pretend that I didn't forget to move that ice scoop.)

I prefer cloth napkins, but for a group this size, I used these paper napkins that I've had for a long time.  I don't know why I once bought about a hundred of them.

I served water flavored with oranges, cucumber and mint in these glasses.

This silverplated coffee set added to the garden theme, and I used a little terra cotta saucer for the sweetener.

Some bright pink asters in these little birdie vases were a bit of height and color.

The other side of the room has had a little freshening up for summer.

I replaced the Portmerion Birds of Britain plates with these white faux bois plates and custard pots.  I like the lack of pattern that they have here.

Old candlesticks sit on the buffalo check runner.

The edges of our woods are filled with these Oak Leaf Hydrangeas and they are just beginning to have color.

One of the guest powder rooms was given a bit of a garden wink.  

I added these mini canvas gardening gloves and a watering can candle to the simple flower arrangement and these Caspari hand towels.

The other guest powder room just got a bit of seeded flowers from some shrubs down by our gates.  Is this lacothia?

My next post will be the garden and potting shed and the way it looked for the party.  It was a bit of pressure to make it look good for these ladies, but now it is done for the season.  Well, sort of.  A living thing is never done, but, by golly, the mulching better be!!!!!