The two oldest have recently become aficionados of Star Wars — particularly the Star Wars Lego video game. I’ve played it with them a few times, leaving each game with my tail between my legs, duly humiliated by my lack of hand-eye coordination. My husband, on the other hand, is a worthy opponent for them.

When I spotted these Star Wars cookie cutters from Williams-Sonoma I instantly thought of the kids. How perfect would these be for a birthday party or play date?

To my little friends across the street: may the Force (and yummy cookies) be with you!

Star Wars cookies (cutters available at Williams-Sonoma)

set of four Star Wars cookie cutters from Williams-Sonoma

E-Save-the-Date from Cocodot

Save-the-Dates have become almost an obligatory part of the wedding planning process. Shortly after one’s engagement, as key details of the wedding have come together, a bride and groom send word of their wedding and ask guests to mark their calendars. I generally encourage brides to keep the Save-the-Date consistent with the rest of the wedding stationery, as it is the first impression and taste guests will have of their event and it helps to set the tone for the wedding.

Recently, I have found that more and more brides are turning to electronic Save-the-Dates — something I used to cringe at. E-Save-the-Dates make sense for many brides for a lot of reasons:

• E-Save-the-Dates can point guests seamlessly to your wedding website, if you have one.
• They are a green alternative to mailing out paper Save-the-Dates.
• If you are pressed for time, you can prepare and send out E-Save-the-Dates relatively quickly.
• It saves on postage — particularly if you have a lot of international guests — and is more economical all-around.
• It allows guests to more readily reach out to you with congratulations or questions.
• New E-Save-the-Date companies are a radical departure in quality and aesthetics from E-vite and what we are used to seeing with respect to electronic invitations.

I am still an old-fashioned gal when it comes to wedding stationery and almost always prefer to send out paper Save-the-Dates, but with this laundry list of pros for the electronic version, I might be convinced that it could be appropriate in certain circumstances.

If you are doing an E-Save-the-Date for your wedding, PLEASE, PLEASE do not use E-vite. The ad-laden, clunky, outdated site is not the first impression you want to give your guests. Further, there are so many competitors to E-vite now — many with more modern template options and user-friendly features — that it is worth going with one of them over ubiquitous E-vite.

Two of my favorite E-invitation sites are Paperless Post and Cocodot. Both offer a great selection of modern, cleanly-designed options and are sure to impress guests as they click to open them given their significant departure to what they are used to seeing with E-vite.

Classic Save-the-Date from Paperless Post

Other alternatives for E-Save-the-Dates (some are definitely better than others…) are Socializr, anyvite, pingg, Purple Trail, and mypunchbowl. Yes, some of these sites charge, but in comparison to what you would spend on paper Save-the-Dates, it is worth it. Even if you don’t use these sites for your wedding Save-the-Dates, you may want to keep them in mind for invitations to informal parties you might be hosting.

Mark your calendar to check out some of these E-Save-the-Date sources!

I love this idea from Martha Stewart, which allows a bride to organize her wedding planning materials just the way she wants them. These decorative folders can be customized with fabric matching the color scheme of the wedding.

The folder facades would be helpful for any party, not just weddings. Get organized today!

Martha Stewart's Folder Facades

We came up with a vintage French market theme, evoking strolls through an outdoor market in France — with old world finds, rustic elegance, and a touch of “chic.” Burlap, accented with light pink and grey tones along with pewter and silver serving pieces, created a cohesive design.

custom-made burlap "baby girl" banner

shower invitation, designed by SugarB Designs

table setting

One of the hosts made extraordinary lemon-lime shortbread cookies and expertly decorated them. Custom tags coordinating with the stationery suite were attached to each cookie, serving as place cards.

place setting; custom cookie and tag serve as place cards

French macarons were the centerpiece of the event. Caramel and raspberry macarons from Adour were showcased on a silver three-tiered tray for guests to enjoy.

French macarons: the inspiration for the party

The menu was entirely homemade (with the exception of the macarons!) and included petit fours with pink flourishes, chocolate truffles, tuna-stuffed baguette, miniature quiches in pate brisee, black forest ham and brie tea sandwiches, and other delights.

assorted savory bites

miniature quiche

chocolate and buttercream petit fours

Each menu item was labeled with a tag to help guests more easily identify what they wanted.

custom food labels

As guests made their way around the buffet table, a pianist played children’s nursery songs softly in the background — how appropriate!

entertainment during the party

A small book that matched the theme was created so that the gifts could be recorded during the party. The guest of honor was given a gift bag at the end of the party that contained the record, additional macarons, custom thank you notes matching the stationery suite, and a special hand-decorated cookie.

record of gifts

Pink. Pink. And more pink! Pink floral arrangements anchored the tables and even the sparkling lemonade was pink! The arrangements included French tulips and the lemonade was… yes… French!

pink floral arrangements anchored the tables

tulips and other pink flowers

Sparkling pink lemonade

Countless thanks to SugarB Studio, who created the fabulous stationery suite, and to Katie McMurry, photographer, for the amazing photos! Tres bien!

Congratulations, again, to our dear friend and her new family!

So as you are watch the painstakingly long and often nail-biting process, you may want to invite your friends over to enjoy another kind of “draft”… of the “hops” persuasion.

Instead of bottles and cans at your Draft Day party, why not try a beverage dispenser (or, using a term I haven’t heard since college, a kegerator)?!

The Krups Beertender at $99.00 is a nice, entry level, accessible model. It’s small enough to fit on your countertop and can be easily stored away when you aren’t using it. One downside is that you can only use it with Heineken 5L DraughtKegs. But if you like Heineken, you can’t go wrong. It’s an easy way for guests to serve themselves and it is likely to be a good conversation piece!

Krups Beertender

If this model is too “pedestrian” for you, you can always go for the cadillac of kegerators: Viking’s 24″ Built-in Beverage Dispenser. It can accommodate a half barrel of whatever beer you can order.

Viking's Built-in Beverage Dispenser

After you’ve setup your beverage dispenser, you’ll want to set out some glassware for your guests. Chilled mugs are always appreciated. I particularly love these pint glasses from Sur La Table.

Pallino Ottimista/Pessimista Beer Glasses from Sur La Table

Baccarat and beer seem like an unlikely pairing to me … but, nonetheless, these Baccarat Oenology Pilsner-style beer mugs are beautiful.

Baccarat Oenology Beer Mug, available through Geary's

Finally, I remember traveling in Belgium years ago and being amazed at how each brand and type of beer was served in its own special glass designed specifically by the brewery to ensure optimal flavor.  While not quite to that extent, this collection of glasses follows that line of thinking. The set includes a glass each for pilsners, wheats, ales, and stouts.

Mikasa "Brewmaster's Collection" Varietal Glasses, Set of 4, available at Macy's

With all of our “Draught Day” equipment, I think we are ready to watch Round One and hope for the best for our teams…

Go Patriots! (Skins fans, no taunts or jibes, please!)

It’s really no surprise, then, that Maria C. Hunt‘s The Bubbly Bar: Champagne and Sparkling Wine Cocktails for Every Occasion is very likely to be the next book added to my library. Hunt has designed custom champagne cocktails for Preston Bailey, Alicia Silverstone, Hall & Oates, and countless brides and grooms — each using fresh ingredients combined in sophisticated ways.

The Bubbly Bar, available at Amazon.com

Specialty cocktails and signature drinks are a great way to personalize a party. Serving them as guests arrive, along with sparkling water for those who may not wish to partake, is a welcoming touch.

Champagne Bars are another stylish way to serve the bubbly beverage. Offering fresh fruit juices, herbs, and speciality liqueurs to complement the champagne adds a creative and interactive element to a party.

At the Washingtonian Bride & Groom’s Unveiled event recently, Design Cuisine offered a version of a Champagne Bar and included herbs in their list of ingredients. I love how they displayed them — a great focal point for the Bar. (Forgive the iPhone photo!)

Herb "tree" from Design Cuisine

Try a Champagne Bar at your next gathering. Let me know how it goes!

Cheers!

The newest entertaining book in my library, thanks to a dear friend, is Entertaining Simple, by Matthew Mead, who hits the nail on the head when it comes to simple, easy ways to dress an impactful table. Mead reviews the elements of the basic table “wardrobe;” offers clever ways to reuse the same serving piece in multiple, stylish ways; provides clever decor ideas; and caps it all off with delicious recipes.

I particularly appreciated his focus on how to use the ordinary elements in one’s home — egg cups, glass votive holders, cake stands — and turn them into extraordinary focal points on table.

Looking for a gift for your favorite entertainer? Look no further!

Entertaining Simple, available from Amazon