Celebrate with Bubbles!

Toast the festivities this season with sparkling wine cocktails like the classic Chambord & Champagne, or stir it up with a Blackberry Cobbler made with [yellow tail] bubbles and Bulldog Gin (recipes below). 

These effervescent cocktails are sure to take you and your guests through 2012 in style.

Use the affordable and go-to bubbly, [yellow tail] bubbles, to make the cocktails. 

 While the sparkling wine is delicious and beautifully packaged, [yellow tail] thought beyond taste and appearance and created a re-sealable cork, a “zork,” to keep the wine sparkling.  

Not only does the zork "pop" but it pops every time you open it.  So if you do not use the whole bottle in one night, put the zork back in the bottle and have bubbly mimosas the next morning.

Blackberry Cobbler

5 Ripe blackberries, plus extra for Garnish

10 Ripe blueberries

1 oz. fresh lemon juice

1 oz. simple syrup

½ oz. Bulldog Gin www.bulldoggin.com/

½ oz. Crème de Cassis

Splash of [yellow tail] bubbles sparkling white

In a mixing glass, muddle five of the blackberries with the blueberries, lemon juice and simple syrup.  Add the Bulldog Gin and Crème de Cassis.  Top with ice and shake vigorously. Pour into a tall glass and top with [yellow tail] bubbles sparkling white.  Stir from the bottom up.  Garnish with remaining blackberries.

  

Chambord & Champagne
1/2 oz Chambord
Champagne

Add Chambord to bottom of flute glass and top with champagne.

www.chambordonline.com 

                           

Winter Wonderland

I'm sorry I've been MIA, it's been a busy month.  I'm soooo grateful for all the work but also very grateful to have a little break and catch up!  I have a lot of parties to show and I'll try to spread them out. First up...our Winter Wonderland Christmas party for a law firm, 

high atop the Chase Building at  D'amore.

The color scheme was silver, icy white and blues.  We used white birch trees around the tables.  For the centerpieces we used white manzanita branches dripping with glass raindrops and snowflake crystals. The panoramic view of the city is breathtaking. 

For the cocktail tables, we created mini versions of our Monument Circle Christmas Tree
(with real mini lights)

I love how all of the windows and natural light made these snowflakes look like ice!

A DOG GONE GOOD TIME!

Bob Ridge of Indy Visual did an amazing job of capturing this special night.  Check out the video below.

CLICK HERE   http://vimeo.com/  to watch the video


An excerpt from Bob's Blog:


Photographer Erin Hession pulled out all the stops to celebrate her dear Aunt Mary's surprise 50th birthday party at D'Amore Indianapolis. Because Mary, owner of Canine Retreat, has such a tremendous passion for dogs, Erin set out to create a canine-themed event, hiring her friends at A Touch of Elegance, Setting the Mood, Thomas Caterers of Distinction, Classic Cakes, DJs Direct and Strike a Pose among others to create one of the most abundantly clever implementations of a theme that I have ever seen. From the bone-shaped napkins to the two huge treat tables (only one for humans) to the "Come Sit Stay" window decals to the photo booth props (see yours truly below), not one opportunity was overlooked to make Mary feel right at home. Her reaction to every surprise that kept on coming was priceless. Everyone had a blast, and it was an honor to take part in yet another milestone in the lives of this wonderful, close-knit family.

RIBBIT!!!

Here are a few pics from one of our parties this weekend.  It was at the amazing Children's Museum.  The event was just outside of the new frog exhibit so we created 

these frog theme centerpieces for the tables.  I didn't get a chance to get photos of them in the venue because we had a limited set up time.  If you get a chance, check out the cool frogs at the Children's Museum.  It's their first ever live exhibit......ribbit!

POSH POOCH PARTY

Erin Hession...the AMAZING photographer that I'm always talking about, threw her Aunt a surprise 50th birthday party.  "Aunt Mary" owns Canine Retreat and loves, loves looooves dogs so Erin wanted to theme out her party with her favorite four legged things. It all started with this beautiful invitation.  Erin had it framed and on display at the party so Aunt Mary could see what her guests received in the mail.  

Keeping Aunt Mary out of the loop was a huge task for Erin and John but they pulled it off perfectly.  Mary had no idea what she was walking into.

 Setting the Mood was lucky enough to decorate for this special event.  We made giant "marybone" milkbones to hang from the ceiling, large dog dish centerpieces with colored milk bones in the bottom and a large tennis ball suspended atop.

 We folded the napkins to look like dog bones.  The cocktail table centerpieces were  colored mini milkbones with candles and a dog collar around the cylinder.

The sweet girls from A Touch of Elegance helped with all of the coordination for the party.

 Check out the menu!  Thomas Catering did an amazing job with the food!  The event was held at their exclusive venue D'Amore....and let me tell you, this venue is incredible!!

 We made the dog house card box for Mary's cards

 Just look for the water bowl for some yummy drinks.....

 Like...a Bailey's Irish Setter?? (aka Bailey's Irish Creme)

 Check out this cake!!!  Classic Cakes has out done themselves again!! 

A photo booth from Strike A Pose....complete with props...dog noses, rawhide, treats, toys....

 and...a Cone of Shame!  

Thanks Bob, this pic is perfect!!! 

Bob Ridge was the videographer for the evening.

 A regal dog statue ice sculpture.  

Now, this is why Erin is brilliant.....We placed vinyl stickers on the windows that said COME....SIT.....STAY and Erin found the perfect position to photograph the sitting ice dog with the SIT backdrop.  Is that girl clever or what!!

Erin also made sure that the furbabies were able to celebrate Mary too.  They were not allowed at the party but guests could visit the Dog Treat Buffet and fill a doggie bag full of goodies.

 We had to make a sign so the guests knew these were not for humans.

There was also a Sweets Station for humans!

 Even the bathrooms were decorated  

 "wipe your paws" 

 Purple fortune cookies with personalized messages.  

Happy Birthday Aunt Mary!!!!

TRICKED OUT TREATS (for little monsters)

My sweet friend Rachel Richard of Rachel Richard Photography came along with me for the Fox 59 shoot and captured the entire set up.  I am thrilled she was there because everything happened so fast.  Check out her website and blog.  She does amazing work!!