{frolic!}

snippet & ink: party idea #3

Tea Party

I adore tea parties. When I was eight, my mother put together a tea party for my friends. Guests were asked to bring a doll or teddy bear, and when they arrived, the girls and their toy companions received a straw hat decorated with silk flowers. While we sat and drank tea with petits fours and cucumber sandwiches, the dolls and bears sat at their own table with a miniature tea set and treats. I never grew out of loving tea parties. One of my favorite places to go when I was at school in New York was Alice's Tea Cup with my girlfriends, and I still enjoy having tea at a hotel with my mom and sister. But traditional, formal, hot High Tea is too much for summer, so I thought I'd translate it into a rustic, laid-back, outdoor iced tea buffet.

Click here for a party plan and details.

Top row from left: pies from Brides, biscuits from Jupiter Images, flowers via Dreamhouse, photo from Country Living
Row 2: lavender in mason jar photo by Jose Villa, flavored syrups from Martha Stewart, sandwiches via Design Mom, photo from Domino via Brown Turtleneck Sweater   
Row 3: iced tea photo from Getty Images, raspberries from Jupiter Images, jam jars from Martha Stewart Weddings via Once Wed's flickr, flower photo by Kimberlee Miller
Row 4: calligraphy by Linea Carta, roses photo from Jupiter Images, books photo from iStockphoto

By Kathryn Storke of Snippet & Ink

snippet and ink: party idea #2

 
Boating Party and Picnic 

When I first saw this photo of the boating party, I immediately thought how fun it would be to have a picnic like that. Just lazily floating along, eating good food, laughing with friends. Of course, this could go any number of ways, with lunch on the grass and then boating afterwards, or lunch in the boats and then playing on the grass. Or just an entire afternoon in a rowboat. That sounds best to me.

Click here for party plan and details.

Top row from left: photo from New York Magazine, bottle wrap from Martha Stewart, picnic utensils originally seen here
Row 2: oilcloth lunch bag from Martha Stewart, gingham stickers from The Tinies, sandwiches from Domino
Row 3: photo from Country Living, picnic food from Martha Stewart Weddings via Lucky Me!, flowers from Saipua, sodas from Real Simple
Row 4: guitar photo from La Fleur, miniature pies and lined envelope both from Martha Stewart, photo from Jupiter Images

 By Kathryn Storke of Snippet & Ink

snippet and ink: party idea #1

 
 Star-Gazing Beach Cookout

I grew up spending summers in Montana, and one of my favorite things was when my whole family (that's a lot of us) piled into our ugly (no really, it has brown shag on the dash) 1985 Suburban and went out to the middle of nowhere (even more middle of nowhere than we already were in) to watch for satellites and shooting stars. Add the beach, some food, and sparklers, for an equally fun (if slightly more organized) summer get-together for everyone.

Click here for party plan and details.

Top row from left: birch utensils from Paper+Cup, blackberry hand pies via Gourmet Girl, portable grills from Pottery Barn
Row 2: photo by Timothy Lee, constellation cards from Martha Stewart, photo by One Love, cushions on beach from Todd Events
Row 3: sparklers from Country Living, patched Army blankets via Black Eiffel, driftwood and seaglass from Jupiter Images, photo by One Love
Row 4: flashlight photo from Jupiter Images, table settings by Karen Bussen, photo from Cosmos Jon's flickr

By Kathryn Storke of Snippet & Ink.