I've been running into this problem recently that people keep telling me that cards are arriving at their houses that have fallen apart.
I first heard from my dad's cousin in California that a card that she got was in pieces. So I figured that cards travelling across the country need to be glued extra well. So I went out and I bought an "embellsihments gluestick" and I've been using that on the cards that I've been sending across the country. The cost of one of these gluesticks is approximately $2, where as in back to school season, Elmer's gluesticks are only 20 cents.
So, that problem is solved until further notice.
Now, I got a phonecall from my mother the other day who told me that the thank you card that I sent to my grandfather (Philadelphia to Connecticut) fell apart and that she needed to glue it back together for him. So maybe it's an issue with the fact that it's summer? Either way, if I have to change from Elmers glue to Embellishment glue - my costs are going to sky rocket quickly.
Then, TODAY - I got a Facebook message from Aubrey (who lives in California) saying that what I sent her was not in the envelope when it got to her and the post office lost its contents. This now means that the envelopes that I have aren't sticky enough to make their way across the country. At least I only put a pack of tissues in that envelope. Granted - I think I opened and closed her envelope multiple times before sending it, but that makes me nervous. What if there had been a check in there?
Does anybody have any thoughts that are practical, economical and easy?
Monday, August 22, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
flash parties
So, my parents just got back from Canada. I heard all about their vacation - the ice wine that they drank, the wine tasting that they went on, the steak dinner that they got and they couldn't WAIT to tell me about the flash party that they had witnessed. (And still can't wait to show me the pictures of...)
That's right. Philadelphia has flash mobs right now, Canada has flash parties. Clearly, we're doing something wrong.
So, here's the premise. Apparently the invitation stated that at 8:30pm they were going to block off a certain street and everybody had to show up wearing all white (so that you knew who was at the party) and you had to bring and decorate your own table (and whoever decorated their table the best won a prize) and you had to bring your own food - but live music was provided.
Apparently, my parents happened to be in the middle of this street at 8:30pm. (Lucky them!)
This sounds - awesome. Seriously, why didn't I think of this sooner? The ideas are stirring in my head.... Rittenhouse anyone?
That's right. Philadelphia has flash mobs right now, Canada has flash parties. Clearly, we're doing something wrong.
So, here's the premise. Apparently the invitation stated that at 8:30pm they were going to block off a certain street and everybody had to show up wearing all white (so that you knew who was at the party) and you had to bring and decorate your own table (and whoever decorated their table the best won a prize) and you had to bring your own food - but live music was provided.
Apparently, my parents happened to be in the middle of this street at 8:30pm. (Lucky them!)
This sounds - awesome. Seriously, why didn't I think of this sooner? The ideas are stirring in my head.... Rittenhouse anyone?
external networking
I'm half writing this blog post as a review and I'm half writing this blog post to teach myself a lesson - again. I just thought you all should know.
Tonight I went to my first external networking event in Philadelphia, well, my first external networking event anywhere that just happened to be in Philadelphia. It was approximately 100 times easier than I thought it was going to be. I was nervous. I didn't know anybody. I still don't really know anything about my job or what I'm going to be doing - but I just kept telling myself this was a good chance to practice my "elevator pitch". By the time I was talking to the third person, I had finally figured out the best order for the words to come out of my mouth. (It's the little things in life...)
So here was the scene - swanky location in Philadelphia, big open bar - everyone was given two free drink tickets and pretty much no other instruction or direction. I was surprised how many people there came alone (just like me!) and I was surprised for how many people that was their first event (also, just like me!). The point of everybody being there is to meet people - so everybody's really friendly and willing to talk - or just wanting to give you a business card, in which case, you really don't need to make conversation very long at all. It definitely seems rude to go up and intrude on a conversation, but it wasn't as awkward standing alone in the corner with a drink as you think it would be. Because within 2 to 3 minutes, somebody else would be passing by that didn't have anybody to talk to either. So then comes the conversation - what's your name, what do you do, where do you work.... and I kept trying to pull in other conversations such as are you from Philly, what else do you do besides work, talking about the Philadelphia restaurant scene and planning parties - you know, things I feel like I actually know about. And I told people I had just started my job - and instead of that being weird, it was a great segway into, well, what did you do before that, where did you graduate from, etc, etc. (Aside: Blogger is telling me that "segway" is not a word - so please excuse my possible misconception of a word? Just like I learned the phrase "for all intents and purposes" - sorry, sidetracked)
Anyway, I'd say every conversation lasted on average seven minutes (except for the guy that I stood waiting to get my free drink with - that was closer to a fifteen minute conversation) - which is just enough to get to know something about each other and get past the basics.
I talked to two gentlemen and three ladies and then I decided to leave. Why did I decide to leave? I ran out of business cards - I had only had three. (I'd forgotten to pack any of the 150 sitting at my desk. Again.) So after the second time of saying - "oh, I'm sorry, I don't have a card, let me write down my information for you" (luckily one of the ladies didn't have business cards either so that made the exchange less awkward) - I decided it was time to pack up. Five business cards - that sounds like a success for my first external networking event. I'm excited for the next one :) AND it's definitely not as scary as it sounds. The hardest part is walking in the door.
four cards + the free drink ticket I didn't use + one lady's information in my phone
SO - IN CONCLUSION.
Dear Chrystina -
Please, PLEASE remember your business cards at the next networking event. PLEASE. It will make things a lot less awkward. Third time's a charm, right?
with love, Chrystina
Tonight I went to my first external networking event in Philadelphia, well, my first external networking event anywhere that just happened to be in Philadelphia. It was approximately 100 times easier than I thought it was going to be. I was nervous. I didn't know anybody. I still don't really know anything about my job or what I'm going to be doing - but I just kept telling myself this was a good chance to practice my "elevator pitch". By the time I was talking to the third person, I had finally figured out the best order for the words to come out of my mouth. (It's the little things in life...)
So here was the scene - swanky location in Philadelphia, big open bar - everyone was given two free drink tickets and pretty much no other instruction or direction. I was surprised how many people there came alone (just like me!) and I was surprised for how many people that was their first event (also, just like me!). The point of everybody being there is to meet people - so everybody's really friendly and willing to talk - or just wanting to give you a business card, in which case, you really don't need to make conversation very long at all. It definitely seems rude to go up and intrude on a conversation, but it wasn't as awkward standing alone in the corner with a drink as you think it would be. Because within 2 to 3 minutes, somebody else would be passing by that didn't have anybody to talk to either. So then comes the conversation - what's your name, what do you do, where do you work.... and I kept trying to pull in other conversations such as are you from Philly, what else do you do besides work, talking about the Philadelphia restaurant scene and planning parties - you know, things I feel like I actually know about. And I told people I had just started my job - and instead of that being weird, it was a great segway into, well, what did you do before that, where did you graduate from, etc, etc. (Aside: Blogger is telling me that "segway" is not a word - so please excuse my possible misconception of a word? Just like I learned the phrase "for all intents and purposes" - sorry, sidetracked)
Anyway, I'd say every conversation lasted on average seven minutes (except for the guy that I stood waiting to get my free drink with - that was closer to a fifteen minute conversation) - which is just enough to get to know something about each other and get past the basics.
I talked to two gentlemen and three ladies and then I decided to leave. Why did I decide to leave? I ran out of business cards - I had only had three. (I'd forgotten to pack any of the 150 sitting at my desk. Again.) So after the second time of saying - "oh, I'm sorry, I don't have a card, let me write down my information for you" (luckily one of the ladies didn't have business cards either so that made the exchange less awkward) - I decided it was time to pack up. Five business cards - that sounds like a success for my first external networking event. I'm excited for the next one :) AND it's definitely not as scary as it sounds. The hardest part is walking in the door.
four cards + the free drink ticket I didn't use + one lady's information in my phone
SO - IN CONCLUSION.
Dear Chrystina -
Please, PLEASE remember your business cards at the next networking event. PLEASE. It will make things a lot less awkward. Third time's a charm, right?
with love, Chrystina
Saturday, August 13, 2011
iron chef potluck
You may be thinking to yourself what is an iron chef potluck?
Well, it's your lucky day, I'm going to tell you.
Two years ago I had an idea to have themed potlucks. This must have been right after the office of residential living had me do some type of iron chef get to know people better. (Wait, it's all coming together now, right? That's right, ladies and gentlemen, I was an RA.) So I decided that "key ingredient" potluck dinners would be an AWESOME idea. Who better to try it out with than the church choir? (After all, they put up with my crazy ideas. They once agreed to sing at a fake wedding I was planning I throwing. But that's a story for another day...)
Well, we've tried this
twice previously in the past two years. We had an avocado themed party. This was a learning experience. We tried some awesome foods - great salads, guacamole (of course) - and then things got a little stranger - fried avocado with dipping sauce, lasagna with avocado in it, avocado ice cream - and then things got very weird - avocado soup, avocado milkshakes, and to top it off - avocado daiquiris. I didn't eat avocado for 4 months after that. And there was no air conditioning in my apartment. In the middle of summer. However, it was a blast, and the food was great.
Next we tried it with strawberries. That made much more sense. The drinks also made much more sense this time - strawberry daiquiris. Strawberries were used as glazes on meats, in salads and of course in desserts. This party was thrown at somebody's house that actually HAD air conditioning.
Well, guess what. Now I have air conditioning. Henceforth, it's time to kick off the themed potlucks again. Today's potluck? Zucchini. There was ratatouille, meatloaf, pizza, cobbler, cookies and cake! Check it out - http://ironchefsummerpotluck.blogspot.com/
Now, where does the hostess part of this entry come in? I'll tell you that too. (Clearly, because as previously stated, it's your lucky day.) This was the first party that I've ever thrown that the age ranges spanned approximately 33 years? There were 9 adults (clearly I was the youngest, as always), 3 (almost?) teenagers and 3 infants under the age of 19 months. I was nervous. I was very nervous.
Here's what I learned. Baby's parents seem to take care of the babies and the teenagers either get involved in conversation or politely excuse themselves to another room or just play with their phones. What did I have to do differently? I needed to make sure that there was something plain enough that I knew everybody would eat - so I made a box of macaroni and cheese (no zucchini) and pulled out some sprinkles to go with the vanilla ice cream (which was meant to accompany the cobbler). I also put additional board games under my coffee table that I thought might be of interest to people - and Mancala was pulled out at some point during the event.
The next theme? Either peaches or tomatoes. And either way Matt M. is convinced he's going to be able to make a cobbler :)
[because you add enough sugar and lemon juice that it doesn't matter what's in the middle]
Well, it's your lucky day, I'm going to tell you.
Two years ago I had an idea to have themed potlucks. This must have been right after the office of residential living had me do some type of iron chef get to know people better. (Wait, it's all coming together now, right? That's right, ladies and gentlemen, I was an RA.) So I decided that "key ingredient" potluck dinners would be an AWESOME idea. Who better to try it out with than the church choir? (After all, they put up with my crazy ideas. They once agreed to sing at a fake wedding I was planning I throwing. But that's a story for another day...)
Well, we've tried this
twice previously in the past two years. We had an avocado themed party. This was a learning experience. We tried some awesome foods - great salads, guacamole (of course) - and then things got a little stranger - fried avocado with dipping sauce, lasagna with avocado in it, avocado ice cream - and then things got very weird - avocado soup, avocado milkshakes, and to top it off - avocado daiquiris. I didn't eat avocado for 4 months after that. And there was no air conditioning in my apartment. In the middle of summer. However, it was a blast, and the food was great.
Next we tried it with strawberries. That made much more sense. The drinks also made much more sense this time - strawberry daiquiris. Strawberries were used as glazes on meats, in salads and of course in desserts. This party was thrown at somebody's house that actually HAD air conditioning.
Well, guess what. Now I have air conditioning. Henceforth, it's time to kick off the themed potlucks again. Today's potluck? Zucchini. There was ratatouille, meatloaf, pizza, cobbler, cookies and cake! Check it out - http://ironchefsummerpotluck.blogspot.com/
Now, where does the hostess part of this entry come in? I'll tell you that too. (Clearly, because as previously stated, it's your lucky day.) This was the first party that I've ever thrown that the age ranges spanned approximately 33 years? There were 9 adults (clearly I was the youngest, as always), 3 (almost?) teenagers and 3 infants under the age of 19 months. I was nervous. I was very nervous.
Here's what I learned. Baby's parents seem to take care of the babies and the teenagers either get involved in conversation or politely excuse themselves to another room or just play with their phones. What did I have to do differently? I needed to make sure that there was something plain enough that I knew everybody would eat - so I made a box of macaroni and cheese (no zucchini) and pulled out some sprinkles to go with the vanilla ice cream (which was meant to accompany the cobbler). I also put additional board games under my coffee table that I thought might be of interest to people - and Mancala was pulled out at some point during the event.
The next theme? Either peaches or tomatoes. And either way Matt M. is convinced he's going to be able to make a cobbler :)
[because you add enough sugar and lemon juice that it doesn't matter what's in the middle]
Friday, August 12, 2011
internal networking
Today was a day of internal networking. I was at work for 10 hours (including lunch) and I think I spent 4 of those hours doing internal networking. Now let me tell you - I thought this was absolutely awesome. I love meeting people. Here's how it was done -
About two weeks ago, I decided that there had to be more people around the age of 22 in my entire company than just me. So, I decided to e-mail HR and ask for a list of names of everybody who had been a campus hire in the past few months. I got a list of 20 names or so, and so I e-mailed them. What it the e-mail say? Well, I introduced myself, explained the story and invited everybody to join me for lunch. Luckily there were other people crazy enough to respond yes. :) We ended up with a group of five of us and we went to Marathon Grill. The conversation spanned from traveling for work to college life to absinthe (I really want to spell that word with a 'y'...). I've got to tell you, I'm really glad that I did it. And we all had a pretty good time. My next idea? A pancake lunch. Now I just need to figure out how to make this happen.
The next networking event was speed networking - a lot like the concept of speed dating. Here's a note to everybody out there: bring business cards to this event. I thought of it probably 3 or 4 times that morning and somehow, I walked down stairs to the event without business cards. (Not surprised.) Instead of male/female we divided it up by two different halves of the company. Being forced to talk to people for 4 minutes is kind of awesome - it's just enough time that you can find out some cool things, but not enough time that there's awkward pauses. Now the question is will I remember all of their names on Monday to actually stay in touch with some of them. We'll see...
About two weeks ago, I decided that there had to be more people around the age of 22 in my entire company than just me. So, I decided to e-mail HR and ask for a list of names of everybody who had been a campus hire in the past few months. I got a list of 20 names or so, and so I e-mailed them. What it the e-mail say? Well, I introduced myself, explained the story and invited everybody to join me for lunch. Luckily there were other people crazy enough to respond yes. :) We ended up with a group of five of us and we went to Marathon Grill. The conversation spanned from traveling for work to college life to absinthe (I really want to spell that word with a 'y'...). I've got to tell you, I'm really glad that I did it. And we all had a pretty good time. My next idea? A pancake lunch. Now I just need to figure out how to make this happen.
The next networking event was speed networking - a lot like the concept of speed dating. Here's a note to everybody out there: bring business cards to this event. I thought of it probably 3 or 4 times that morning and somehow, I walked down stairs to the event without business cards. (Not surprised.) Instead of male/female we divided it up by two different halves of the company. Being forced to talk to people for 4 minutes is kind of awesome - it's just enough time that you can find out some cool things, but not enough time that there's awkward pauses. Now the question is will I remember all of their names on Monday to actually stay in touch with some of them. We'll see...
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
so, you want to own your own greeting card shoppe?
Yes, it's definitely a shoppe with two p's and an e. A greeting card shoppe.
I made a New Year's Resolution this year on July 1st. (Better late than never?) My goal is to send a homemade greeting card to all of my close acquaintances on or before their birthdays. It's been over a month of greeting card fun at this point and I thought maybe the world might like to see the highlights. If you'd like to be on the list - or double check that you're on the list, just let me know.
Now it's not that these cards are the best of the best, or any of the cards that don't make it online aren't special or weren't made from the heart, I promise. Maybe one day I'll talk about the process I go through to decide how to make each card, but as I said, I promise - every card is made special. It's just that with each one of these there was something out of the ordinary about them. Maybe next time it will be your card that ends up on here.
this idea was inspired by wedding invitations,
two thank you cards for a wonderful trip to Los Angeles and Las Vegas
-my favorite part: the fact that it folds up into its own envelope-
-the challenge: making sure it doesn't come apart in the mail, aka choosing the right adhesive-
-note: I was informed that last time I sent something to Cali, the pieces fell apart before arriving-
a 30th birthday card
-my favorite part: I've been looking for a good place to use that sticker for four years (not kidding)-
-the challenge: getting the ribbon to stay-
my mother's birthday card
-my favorite part: um, it's a lady bug?-
-the challenge: deciding whether or not to make the wings open, ultimate decision was no-
-note: my mother tried to open the wings for a few seconds when she got the card-
a graduation card
-my favorite part: the picture on the cover-
-the challenge: cutting around the edge of the picture-
a 23rd birthday card
-my favorite part: the colors and the writing on the left-hand side-
-the challenge: deciding whether to put the polka dots on the top or bottom of the cover-
a thank you card
-my favorite part: the flower-
-the challenge: not breaking the flower before I glued it on-
graduation party thank you cards
-my favorite part: the sayings on the front-
-the challenge: making them all in a week-
a bridal shower card
-my favorite part: the flower on the front-
-the challenge: not overdoing the flower colors on the front-
an envelope
-my favorite part: the color scheme-
-the challenge: making sure it doesn't fall apart in the mail, I ended up taping it-
I currently don't own any envelopes that are over 5.75" x 8.75", so if I accidentally make a card that is bigger than that in either direction, I end up making my own envelopes too. Also, if you go over 6" in the shorter direction and you're mailing it, you have to double the postage.
And last but not least is the logo variations.
I made a New Year's Resolution this year on July 1st. (Better late than never?) My goal is to send a homemade greeting card to all of my close acquaintances on or before their birthdays. It's been over a month of greeting card fun at this point and I thought maybe the world might like to see the highlights. If you'd like to be on the list - or double check that you're on the list, just let me know.
Now it's not that these cards are the best of the best, or any of the cards that don't make it online aren't special or weren't made from the heart, I promise. Maybe one day I'll talk about the process I go through to decide how to make each card, but as I said, I promise - every card is made special. It's just that with each one of these there was something out of the ordinary about them. Maybe next time it will be your card that ends up on here.
this idea was inspired by wedding invitations,
two thank you cards for a wonderful trip to Los Angeles and Las Vegas
-my favorite part: the fact that it folds up into its own envelope-
-the challenge: making sure it doesn't come apart in the mail, aka choosing the right adhesive-
-note: I was informed that last time I sent something to Cali, the pieces fell apart before arriving-
a 30th birthday card
-my favorite part: I've been looking for a good place to use that sticker for four years (not kidding)-
-the challenge: getting the ribbon to stay-
my mother's birthday card
-my favorite part: um, it's a lady bug?-
-the challenge: deciding whether or not to make the wings open, ultimate decision was no-
-note: my mother tried to open the wings for a few seconds when she got the card-
a graduation card
-my favorite part: the picture on the cover-
-the challenge: cutting around the edge of the picture-
a 23rd birthday card
-my favorite part: the colors and the writing on the left-hand side-
-the challenge: deciding whether to put the polka dots on the top or bottom of the cover-
a thank you card
-my favorite part: the flower-
-the challenge: not breaking the flower before I glued it on-
graduation party thank you cards
-my favorite part: the sayings on the front-
-the challenge: making them all in a week-
a bridal shower card
-my favorite part: the flower on the front-
-the challenge: not overdoing the flower colors on the front-
an envelope
-my favorite part: the color scheme-
-the challenge: making sure it doesn't fall apart in the mail, I ended up taping it-
I currently don't own any envelopes that are over 5.75" x 8.75", so if I accidentally make a card that is bigger than that in either direction, I end up making my own envelopes too. Also, if you go over 6" in the shorter direction and you're mailing it, you have to double the postage.
And last but not least is the logo variations.
Maybe one day I'll own a greeting card shoppe. But for now, I'll just keep blogging about it :)
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
wine and cheese
This weekend I hosted a wine and cheese party. This was probably my fifth wine and cheese party that I've ever hosted. Last time that I threw a party I finally got smart and started writing down the numbers - how many people came, how much they ate, how much of everything to buy.
This might sound ridiculous - but do you know why I do it? Because the WORST part about throwing a big party is the amount of money you spend. The problem actually isn't even really spending the money so much as wasting the money. It's so frustrating. So if it's something that you can easily perfect, why waste the cash?
I'm going to share with you all what I've learned along the way.
I've got to tell you, unless you know somebody who really knows what they're talking about when it comes to wine and cheese and is going to teach a class - nobody really cares about the pairings. They're going to drink whichever color wine that they like and they're going to have it with whichever cheeses don't scare them. If the point of your party is to learn about wine and cheese - fabulous, put it all out, pair it up really nice and have somebody give a 20 second spiel about each wine and cheese pairing, otherwise, it's not worth your time.
The crowd I'm dealing with: 10-15 people ages 21-30
The Invites
Evite had an awesome wine invite. It was easy, simple and to the point. It was also really easy to get in contact with people. Save money on the invitations (and time if you don't have it) and put a little bit of extra money towards party favors.
The Evite
The Wine
Assume that everybody will drink 1/2 a bottle of wine for quantities sake. Don't open every bottle of wine right away, start with two or three and then keep opening from there, otherwise you will end up with a lot of open bottles. Don't buy any bottles of port unless you're dealing with sophisticated drinkers. Do have a non-alcoholic option for those people who just don't drink, are pregnant or are the ones driving home. The best option for fun beverages for them is probably Trader Joes.
Why you don't open every bottle of wine
The Cheese
If you're not buying cheese from the "deli counter" - assume each precut piece of cheese counts as 1 cheese (including a small brie wheel, the large counts as about 3). If you are buying cheese from the "deli counter" - you'll probably be okay with 1/2 pound of cheese. Assume that each person will eat 1/2 of "a cheese". Now, if you read the websites - they tell you to stick with four cheese or so, in which case you'll need to increase the quantities of everything, but really, why complicate things? Also, don't bother buying cheddar or swiss, it's not fancy enough (seriously, guests just kind of avoid it).
Things To Eat With The Cheese
1 Baguette, 1 box of crackers (people tend to like the Ritz simply social crackers), 6 apples, & 2 bunches of grapes (one red, one green)
Things That Are Cool If You Have, But Not Worth Buying
Almonds, Honey, Dried Fruit
Dessert
It's a wine and cheese party, why would you need dessert? Well, here's the thought process - you need something a little bit more substantial to soak up the alcohol for people AND it's a nice way to bring the evening to a close. What do I recommend? Anything. I made strawberry shortcake, brownies, fruit salad and cupcakes. They were all delicious - but only about 5% of each was gone. Make ONE dessert. Just one. That's all you need. One cupcake for everybody or one (probably larger) brownie for everybody or one piece of strawberry shortcake or one bowl of fruit salad (etc).
Fun Ideas
The Cost
Wine and Cheese parties are probably the most expensive type of party you can throw. I'll tell you what I did and what I'd do next time.
The second(ish) party - I had everybody bring a bottle of wine or $5 - the money didn't cover the cost of the cheese, but it was nice to have some compensation.
The fourth(ish) party- I paid for everything. My grand total came close to $180. That's too much for a college student.
This past party- I had everybody bring a bottle of wine. This would have worked had I not bought four bottles of wine. My original idea was to pair my four bottles with specific cheeses, but that got too complicated too quickly. I also now have approximately 7 half-open bottles of wine in my kitchen. (As I said, do not open them all at the same time.)
Next time- Ask 10 people to bring a bottle of wine (and I don't buy any) and ask 2 or 3 of the people closest to me that I think know something about cheese to bring a type of cheese. I would then buy a few cheeses as well as all of the extras (bread, apples, dessert, non-alcoholic beverages, etc). It might not be the classiest way to do things - but for somebody just out of college with lots of friends willing to help - I think that's the way to go.
This might sound ridiculous - but do you know why I do it? Because the WORST part about throwing a big party is the amount of money you spend. The problem actually isn't even really spending the money so much as wasting the money. It's so frustrating. So if it's something that you can easily perfect, why waste the cash?
I'm going to share with you all what I've learned along the way.
I've got to tell you, unless you know somebody who really knows what they're talking about when it comes to wine and cheese and is going to teach a class - nobody really cares about the pairings. They're going to drink whichever color wine that they like and they're going to have it with whichever cheeses don't scare them. If the point of your party is to learn about wine and cheese - fabulous, put it all out, pair it up really nice and have somebody give a 20 second spiel about each wine and cheese pairing, otherwise, it's not worth your time.
The crowd I'm dealing with: 10-15 people ages 21-30
The Invites
Evite had an awesome wine invite. It was easy, simple and to the point. It was also really easy to get in contact with people. Save money on the invitations (and time if you don't have it) and put a little bit of extra money towards party favors.
The Evite
The Wine
Assume that everybody will drink 1/2 a bottle of wine for quantities sake. Don't open every bottle of wine right away, start with two or three and then keep opening from there, otherwise you will end up with a lot of open bottles. Don't buy any bottles of port unless you're dealing with sophisticated drinkers. Do have a non-alcoholic option for those people who just don't drink, are pregnant or are the ones driving home. The best option for fun beverages for them is probably Trader Joes.
Why you don't open every bottle of wine
The Cheese
If you're not buying cheese from the "deli counter" - assume each precut piece of cheese counts as 1 cheese (including a small brie wheel, the large counts as about 3). If you are buying cheese from the "deli counter" - you'll probably be okay with 1/2 pound of cheese. Assume that each person will eat 1/2 of "a cheese". Now, if you read the websites - they tell you to stick with four cheese or so, in which case you'll need to increase the quantities of everything, but really, why complicate things? Also, don't bother buying cheddar or swiss, it's not fancy enough (seriously, guests just kind of avoid it).
Things To Eat With The Cheese
1 Baguette, 1 box of crackers (people tend to like the Ritz simply social crackers), 6 apples, & 2 bunches of grapes (one red, one green)
Things That Are Cool If You Have, But Not Worth Buying
Almonds, Honey, Dried Fruit
Dessert
It's a wine and cheese party, why would you need dessert? Well, here's the thought process - you need something a little bit more substantial to soak up the alcohol for people AND it's a nice way to bring the evening to a close. What do I recommend? Anything. I made strawberry shortcake, brownies, fruit salad and cupcakes. They were all delicious - but only about 5% of each was gone. Make ONE dessert. Just one. That's all you need. One cupcake for everybody or one (probably larger) brownie for everybody or one piece of strawberry shortcake or one bowl of fruit salad (etc).
Fun Ideas
- I bought shooter shot glasses from Walmart ($4.50 for 6) and bought Puff Paint and my friend Tina and I decorated them before the party. (Note: Puff Paint takes 4 hours to dry.) As everybody left I told them to be sure to take a shot glass and everybody was thrilled. I also got to keep the extras and ended up with my own personalized shot glasses which is pretty cool.
Party Favors
- I labeled the cheeses and wrote which wines they should try to pair them with. I'm not sure anybody even read it, but I think it's the first step towards having a real wine tasting
- I made homemade cheese and asparagus puffs (recipe courtesy of Chef Darin) right before everybody came and served them steaming hot out of the oven. They were a big hit and the apartment smelled wonderful as everybody walked in (not my original intent, but it was a nice mood-setter).
Cheese and Spinach Puffs made in my Kitchen at Home
The Cost
Wine and Cheese parties are probably the most expensive type of party you can throw. I'll tell you what I did and what I'd do next time.
The second(ish) party - I had everybody bring a bottle of wine or $5 - the money didn't cover the cost of the cheese, but it was nice to have some compensation.
The fourth(ish) party- I paid for everything. My grand total came close to $180. That's too much for a college student.
This past party- I had everybody bring a bottle of wine. This would have worked had I not bought four bottles of wine. My original idea was to pair my four bottles with specific cheeses, but that got too complicated too quickly. I also now have approximately 7 half-open bottles of wine in my kitchen. (As I said, do not open them all at the same time.)
Next time- Ask 10 people to bring a bottle of wine (and I don't buy any) and ask 2 or 3 of the people closest to me that I think know something about cheese to bring a type of cheese. I would then buy a few cheeses as well as all of the extras (bread, apples, dessert, non-alcoholic beverages, etc). It might not be the classiest way to do things - but for somebody just out of college with lots of friends willing to help - I think that's the way to go.
allow me to introduce myself
I've been talking about this for so long - my first post as Chrystina Noel. Let me tell you a little bit about myself. I just graduated from college with a degree in Architectural Engineering. I went through not four, but five years of college studying something that - I hate to tell you, I don't really enjoy at all. It really is kind of a shame. However, one thing that I did do throughout my college career is move my craft supplies around with me - all 7 times.
My craft supplies include 11 plastic containers of various sizes, ranging from about 1.5' x 1' x 8" to 1.5' x 1.5' x 5'.... (alright, fine fine fine - every so often I do understand how I ended up with an engineering degree) and I love them. My collection of, well, collectables extends to the kitchen as well, with an entire kitchen, 2 counters and a buffet full of baking trays, serving trays, wine glasses (martini glasses, beer steins, etc) and assorted napkins.
Why am I telling you all of this? I'm trying to prove my point before I even say it. Some people are jocks, some people are readers, some people are musicians (that one I dabble in), some people are gamers... well, I am a hostess.
In between working and traveling and churching and visiting with friends and family I am planning, creating, designing, decorating, and scheming my next party - my next greeting card - my next big idea. I love ideas.
So stay tuned for some hostess musician card making party hosting shenanigans. I should be a good time.
My craft supplies include 11 plastic containers of various sizes, ranging from about 1.5' x 1' x 8" to 1.5' x 1.5' x 5'.... (alright, fine fine fine - every so often I do understand how I ended up with an engineering degree) and I love them. My collection of, well, collectables extends to the kitchen as well, with an entire kitchen, 2 counters and a buffet full of baking trays, serving trays, wine glasses (martini glasses, beer steins, etc) and assorted napkins.
Why am I telling you all of this? I'm trying to prove my point before I even say it. Some people are jocks, some people are readers, some people are musicians (that one I dabble in), some people are gamers... well, I am a hostess.
In between working and traveling and churching and visiting with friends and family I am planning, creating, designing, decorating, and scheming my next party - my next greeting card - my next big idea. I love ideas.
So stay tuned for some hostess musician card making party hosting shenanigans. I should be a good time.
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