I used this funfetti cake mix cookie sandwich recipe using light cream cheese. The batter was super sweet so instead of making them sandwiches, I made little bites. I rolled about an inch wide dough ball then flattened it with a fork (next time I would have refrigerated the dough a bit to make flattening them easier). For the frosting, I used half of this buttercream recipe substituting almond extract for vanilla and 1% milk for the cream.

The cookies came out a bit like cake with a toasted crust (yum). The almond frosting was airy and oh, so delicious. Funfetti and sprinkles is always a birthday party favorite so expect people to reach for more than one bite. Thankfully this recipe made a bunch!

We’ve been busy and unfortunately haven’t had the bandwidth to maintain our blog daily. We’re working on getting back up to speed, until then we’re more active in Pinterest (time commitment is way lower) and will post here when we can.

Thank  you for following along, we appreciate it.

Love,

fêtette

Our Drunken Fish Jello shots were a huge hit. We used blue jello plus a mix of vodka and coconut rum for the cold water in the regular recipe. When the Jello was soft set, we peeked a Swedish Fish out the top. Mini plastic containers with lids meant we could make the shots days ahead and stack them in the fridge.

Check out the Island Vacation Party details or the Island themed dessert tablescape if you haven’t!

{xo celine}

Enjoy! {xo celine}

Guests were greeted at the door with a lei, pair of sunglasses, and a Drunken Fish jello shot (blue jello with vodka, coconut rum, and a Swedish Fish). Decorations were a mix of purchases and pulling out vacation things the Schriefers already owned (such as the over-sized margarita glass and coconut bowl above).

When curating the decorations for your party have a budget and know where you will put everything you buy. My aunt always says bigger is better when it comes to decorations, so we gravitated towards things that helped transform the space such as lit palm trees and tiki hut printed on a roll of plastic (it transformed the bar space as well as the dessert tablescape). We also had some fun little things like extra long drinking straws and mini pails to hold cutlery and veggies.

The big hit at the party was our DIY photo booth. We ordered the background pictured above as well as the plastic cut out featured below. My uncle bought a bunch of Rasta hats with fake dreadlocks, I ordered a grass skirt and coconut bra, and we pulled out some sarongs, a bathing suit and Hawaiian shirt. Ashley’s old Roxy luggage was the perfect thing to hold the Polaroid film and props. We took over 100 Polaroid photos!

When throwing a house party, remember to think about the flow of your guests and ways you can utilize the space you have. The photo booth was in the guest room that also housed the dessert tablescape and coat closet. This way guests would see everything coming in and have a chance to grab dessert or snap a photo at the end of the night if they hadn’t made their way back to the room during the party (though most everyone meandered back to the photo booth during the party!).

The Schriefer’s basement was a perfect getaway for a more intimate party space. Ashley, Adrien and some of his great friends took over basement decorating. It’s like the drop ceiling was made for helium balloons. Plastic buckets full of candy completed the bright island look and was the perfect takeaway for guests.

I knew from the beginning that leis would be part of our decorations so I looked through lots of different options before I landed on these. I pulled our color palate from these by using the color dropper tool in Photoshop Elements. The best thing about an island party is that bright colors all come together in a fun vacation way! We used these colors on the tablescapes as well as throughout the house.

Add in island vacation drinks, an appetizer tablescape, barbecue for dinner, an iPod filled with party music and guests excited for a mini vacation in the comfort of your own home. It was absolutely a night to remember.

Cheers! {xo celine}

Happy Valentine’s Day from fêtette!

Edit: Since writing this post I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with MTA’s Arts for Transit team and Herman from Spank! Here is updated information from them:

Spank is Reginal Rowson, Herman Seay, Lee Ford and David Colding. You can email hermanherman58 {at} aol {dot} com for booking inquiries.

Spank appears in Union Square as part of the Music Under New York Program, a division of the Arts for Transit that coordinates over 7,000 performances underground. More info on Arts for Transit.

Info on Spank from their Music Under New York page:
Spank was formed by Reggie, Raisin, Herman, and Bernard in Washington Square Park more than 23 years ago. While their inspirations were The Temptations, The Platters, and The Drifters, they sing Doo Wop with a twist called “New-Wop.” Spank has sung almost everywhere, parties, birthday celebrations, weddings, and on the stage in a lengthy run of the musical “Madhattan” in Las Vegas. They are one of the hardest working Doo Wop groups around!

When asked what he wanted to do for his 50th birthday, my uncle declared he wanted an island themed house party. This was awesome for several reasons: 1) my uncle has never wanted a party for himself, 2) February is generally a cold and awful month so the thought of pretending we’re in a warmer place was great, 3) I lived in Hawaii for three years so any excuse to do it island style makes me happy, and 4) my aunt asked me to help project manage the party which was SURE to be an incredible event. Whoo hoo!

Aside from the rocking party (which I’ll talk about another time – a definite must do house party!), I was really excited to create island themed tablescapes after my cousin Ashley and I discovered some beachy themes floating around the internet.

The dessert table featured Magnolia banana pudding, mini Kahlua and rum cakes made by my mom, cakepops made by my aunt and Ashley, and flip flop cookies decorated by yours truly.

The banana pudding was served with Mini Nilla Wafers and mini spoons, the mini Kahlua and rum cakes were made in mini muffin tins, the flip flop cookies are Nutter Butters decorated with tinted white frosting on a bed of brown sugar sand, and the cakepops were dipped in candy chocolate then rolled in sprinkles.

I created the printed materials using the color palate we chose for the party. I love the mix of soft and vibrant colors against the green jungle background. The best thing about island colors is that most anything goes!

Big thanks to Wade for his printing help, Ashley and my aunt for all their help in putting the desserts together, my mom for making many mini cakes, and Adrien for help with setting up the background and table. It was a true collaborative project – all for a deserving 50 year old Birthday Boy. Stay tuned for another tablescape as well as more about the party.

Aloha! {xo celine}

Without further ado, her first fêtette post:

If you hang around the blogosphere as much as I do, you may have already seen this DIY bird mobile from spool sewing probably nearly fourty nine times or so. There are almost too many DIY’ers posting about their handmade mobiles. But it’s so darn cute and EASY to craft yourself that I couldn’t resist! Gather up your favorite fabrics and head on over to spool sewing to download the free pattern.

I found that a sewing machine is much easier to use than sewing by hand and it speeds up production time to about 10 minutes each. To turn the birds right side out, I used needle nose pliers to pinch the beak of the bird and slip the fabric over. Once you have stuffed them and sewn up the tail, it’s time to start adding elements that will make them unique to you. I’ve added coordinating and contrasting ribbon to each bird for tail and wing decoration. Use your imagination here! These birdies are like blank canvases.

Strategically arrange your birds, screw in the eye hooks, attach with clean line and voila! Fixing the mobile together and hanging it from the ceiling was the most time consuming part of the process. The sticks and birds turn upside down until there is a counter weight pulling it right side up, so be patient and good luck!

Check out Colleen on Pinterest and her nursery story here!

The Fall 2012 Menswear shows recently wrapped up in Milan and Paris and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m already looking forward to next Fall! There were some seriously amazing jackets and sweaters that came down the runway and it kills me to have to wait another 7 months for them to hit stores! (At least I’ll have time to save up!)

I’ve combed through the shows via style.com and put together a little visual recap of some of my favorite looks and trends.

Blue Men:

The color blue was very prominent on the runway for Fall 2012, and not just your basic men’s staple navy, but a much more vibrant shade. Think imperial, sapphire and cerulean.

L-R: Fendi, Adam Kimmel, Gucci, Paul Smith, Fendi, Versace, Versace

Blood Diamonds:

Another common color the designers gravitated toward for next fall can only be described as oxblood. This deep, dark, reddish-brown showed up in all categories. My favorite are the patent shoes from Mugler.

L-R: Mugler, Louis Vuitton, Neil Barrett, Victor and Rolf, Mugler, Mugler, Alexander McQueen

Sunny Days:

Have no fear, next fall as the leaves begin to change and the days get shorter, we can all hang on to that summer sun for a bit longer by injecting a pop of yellow into our wardrobes!

L-R: Jonathan Saunders, Raf Simons, Marc Jacobs, Neil Barrett, Agnes B., Dsquared2,  Roberto Cavalli, Marc Jacobs

Graphic Content:

From colorblocked circles to pixelated knits, this trend of using graphic line, shape and pattern emerged in many of the collections. My faves are the sweaters from Burberry Prorsum.

L-R: T by Alexander Wang, Mugler, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Burberry Prorsum, Etro, Burberry Prorsum, Bottega Veneta, Rick Owens, 3.1 Phillip Lim

Well Polished:

Listen up guys- if you don’t already have one, find a good tailor. The quickest way to look and feel stylish is to wear clothes that fit. Period.

L-R: Alexander McQueen, Hermes, Lanvin, Burberry Prorsum, Alexander McQueen, Burberry Prorsum, Dsquared2, Dolce and Gabbana

Martha Stewart Weddings: Program Fans.

Since my ceremony will be held outside in July—and my future mother-in-law is known to overheat even in January – I couldn’t think of a better way to kill two birds with one stone.   Not only are they pretty and practical, but they can be displayed in rustic baskets, cute boxes and/or handed by Ushers for your guests.

I have found different sites where you can order these fans, such as Daisy Days who assembles the fans for you….

Or you can find them on the one-stop-shop-for-everything, Etsy…

But for you crafty DIY ladies…. there a ton of templates available which allow you to pick your own heavy-stock paper (nothing less than 100-lb card stock, from what I’ve learned) and print them at home (ssshhh…or at your office… we won’t tell.)

Grab some supplies at Michaels, or any other craft store (you will need glue, ribbons and/or wooden sticks) and make sure to check out sites like Beau-Coup to get more inspiration like this:

You & I will have some very cooled-off & well-informed guests!

Et voilà ~ j