Celebrate Everyday

Kids Birthday Ideas to Heat Up the Winter!

2012-01-08T23:55:00.000-05:00

Are you looking for a few inspiring ideas for a kids birthday this year? Event planner and mom blogger Cathy Riva shows us how to turn a few trends onto super fun, affordable, and low stress birthday bashes.

Bringing celebrity trends and turning them into party ideas...

Iron Chef/Master Chef Party Mexican Theme Birthday

If you, and your little one, are a fan of cooking shows, then this idea is for you. This is our own version of "Iron Chef” that is birthday party and kid friendly.

*First, give your child choices of food options, that can be pre-cooked and just assembled at the party- such as tacos, burritos, burgers, cupcakes or cookies. Then provide one magic ingredient they have to use.

Here we have Master Chefs, and birthday boys, Michael and Eitan. They are making soft tacos. The goal is for the kids to have a fun with their food and use their imagination. The magic ingredient here is home made sauces, that they must use in their creation- sour cream and tomatoes, chipolte queso and a mole (or chocolate sauce).

* Each child has his own food station, where they have key ingredients to make the most creative dish possible. If you want to make it a competition, like iron chef, (And, we all know Kathie Lee and Hoda love competition) the food can also be judged by the grown ups. And, one chef be crowned the true “Iron Chef”.

Some tips on planning this party!

*save time on food shopping - order these ingredients and some prepared foods from a direct-to-home food delivery site, like Schwans.

*keep it simple and affordable, use disposable paper items from a party supply store, like these paper cupcake holders. This keeps clean up easy too!

*choose bright colors for this Mexican Fiesta, you can find colorful serving bowls at your dollar store, and Sur La Table has these cute colanders we re-purposed as bowls to hold our cheese.

*use everyday items such as cutting boards for place mats and as serving dishes.

*have the kids personalize their own aprons, like these from oriental trading company- and they can also make their own chef hat. These make great souvenirs from the party.

*Cinnamon and Sugar Churros are a popular dessert in Mexico, so our twist, instead of a birthday cake, serve a mini cinnamon and sugar doughnut cake, like this with a Mexican flair (they could also be chocolate too) yum.

Rachel’s Glam Princess Spa Party

If you love to pamper yourself, and find it fun to primp, then this party is for you. A spa party that is fit for a glamour queen, with nails, facials, and a braid bar.

This is Rachel and her friend Rachel. Each girl has her own station, with a personalized laminated place mat we made from felt letters and stickers, then laminated. They can take turns doing each other’s nails, and if they are a little older- their hair. A parent can accomplish these simple braids or girls 9 years old can master these fun styles with the help of Cozy’s braid book. The birthday girl, now, is working on the latest trend in Nail Polish the two tone color change polish from Disney’s princess collection.

*From celebrities to celebrity kids, braids were the rage this season. We have provide the basics to make your own braid bar like feathers, hair extensions, headbands and of course braids! The girls both have great hair-dos and accessories inspired by Cozy’s Braid Book.

*In addition, fingernail art is super popular now, and you can find fun nail accessories - such as these stickers from Disney, that take the nail salon to a whole new cool factor.

*use affordable items, and just present them in a fun way like mud masks, or scrubs you can make at home with ingredients from your pantry.

*keep the spa theme going with fresh infused juices for the kids. This is my favorite pink hued juice, called Ruby Red, made with pineapples, apples and beets.

*Use sale items as accessories! These holiday paper flowers are lapel pins from Michaels. And, the tablecloth is paper: we added a little fun with tulle as a side skirt. Tulle is less than $2.00, a yard. It’s affordable and reusable!

*as a ”goody“ in the goody bag hand out cookies baked in the shape of sleep masks as favors that read "calm” or “relax”.

ADD:

GOODY BAG TABLE

Birthday party favors are sometimes the most stressful party of planning. For these two ideas we have kept it simple and affordable. The kids go home with personalized aprons and homemade chef hats.

And, for the spa party we used the holiday clearance rack to stock up on a few colorful bags that work for any occasion. Inside we added the personalized place mat and a few accessories from the party (Claire’s Accessory store sells bows, headbands and hair extensions for $1 each) and everyone walks out with a sweet treat of home made themed cookies!

My resource list is:

Master Chef Birthday Mexican theme

www.Schwans.com

www.Surlatable.com

www.Orientaltrading.com

www.michaels.com

Resource list for Rachel’s Princess spa party is

www.Disney,com

www.CozyCutsforKids.com braid book

Holiday Table Ideas

2011-12-04T21:01:00.000-05:00

I hope these tips inspire you to have a fun and affordable holiday entertaining season.

Here are "A Few of my Favorite Things"

Décor Tips
1. Use everyday items to make a great party table for buffet or sit down dinner. Table “cloth” or covering: brown Kraft paper "tied" with string. We fashioned it to look like a present. This makes for great clean up too!

2.Create a centerpiece of edible goodies. We have created a dipping station in this red Jonathan Adler hexagon tray filled with pita chips made from holiday cookie cutters. Partner sweet cocktails with savory hors d'oeurves such as these bite site spaghetti and meatballs on a skewer and gorgeres wrapped in bacon.

3. Keep your bar simple with a few go-to signature cocktails. I partnered with Sauza to share a few of my favorite specialty cocktails for soirees this season.

Sauza Sparkling Apple Margarita
Ingredients:
2 parts tequila
1 part agave
1 lime
1/2 lemon
1 glass of sparkling apple juice
Directions:
Pour sparkling apple juice in a glass over ice to chill it. Mix tequila, agave and squeezed lime and lemon into a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake. Pour into new tall, skinny, 8 oz glass top off remaining glass with chilled sparking apple juice. Makes one glass. Rim with salt or sugar.

For a festive red holiday color you can also serve a Sauza pomegranate margarita rimmed with a chili pepper salt.

4. Add a conversation sparker to desserts this season with desserts you can drink.. such as a Sauza mini cocoa station.

Sauza Butterscotch White Cocoa
Ingredients:
1/2 part Sauza Silver Tequila
1/4 part Butterscotch schnapps
1 package of white cocoa mix or 1/2 a bar of white chocolate
6 oz of whole milk
Whipped cream
Grated cinnamon
Directions:
Use 1 package of white cocoa or melt half a bar of white chocolate into a pan filled with 6 oz of whole milk. Wisk mixture until frothy, just before a boil. (steam will start to rise from inside pan). Use a jigger to measure your next ingredients. In espresso cups pour 1/2 a small jigger of Sauza and 1/4 a small jigger of butterscotch schnapps each glass. Use a funnel and fill remaining with steaming white cocoa. Top with your choice of grated cinnamon, grated dark chocolate or whipped cream. Serves 6.
Garnish:
Mini peppermint stick or candy cane

The Sauza S’mores Candy Kiss
Serves 4
Ingredients:
6 ounces Sauza® Silver Tequila
1/2 cup chocolate syrup
4 ounces chocolate liqueur
1/3 cup cream
Ice
Garnish:
Mini Marshmallows
Toothpicks
Chocolate-Marshmallow Creme Sauce
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Pour into prepared glasses rimmed with Chocolate-Marshmallow Creme Sauce. Garnish with a skewer of mini marshmallows.

Additional fun desserts on table- cake snowmen made from Dunkin doughnut rounds.

5. Add a personalized touch to your party by allowing guests to decorate their own tree/ Hanukkah bush.

For more entertaining tips check out www.rivaevents.com and for more drink recipes go to Sauza's facebook page! Happy Holidays.

Family Fun Holiday Entertaining Ideas from two Pros!

2011-12-01T00:40:00.003-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving Recipe and Gratitude

2011-11-24T13:06:00.002-05:00

Here's a last minute favorite Thanksgiving gift, that you can make in 15 minutes, and bring to your host's home tonight!

Blackberry Cranberry Sauce

1-16oz package of local or fresh cranberries
3/4 cup water
The juice of 4 clementines or 1/2 a cup of orange juice
1/4 cup Cassis or Chambord (blackberry or black raspberry liquor)
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup refined sugar or honey
add a handful of blackberries or raisins for texture
Add all together in a medium size pan and boil for 12-15 minutes, til sauce thickens. Pour into a ball mason jar. I added a ribbon and a note. Garnish with orange zest or blackberries.

I am grateful for my family, always growing, being inspired by the amazing and wonderful women in my life, love, my daughters laughter, my husbands patience, and everyone who celebrates joy!

photo credit: Marc Bloomgarden

Santa's Helper!

2011-11-21T18:24:00.001-05:00

Santa's Hideout is here! I am so proud to play a tiny part in helping with this super fun site. You'll find me, along with a team of very amazing moms, on the advisory board.

So, mom's let your fingers do the walking straight to Santa's Hideout. This magical new site is a dream for parents and kids to help create holiday gift giving lists for the whole family! My loved ones are so spread out and gift giving communication is never cohesive. This new site gives my family a chance to be on the same page, literally. It also is going to help me organize my daughter's wish list efficiently in one spot.

How it Works:
Step 1: In just a few simple steps, parents can create a private, password-protected account and set up individual lists for each child to fill. Lists can be controlled and customized by setting parameters that include gender, number of gifts, price range, types of gifts, quantity and more. Group lists can also be created for those gifts the whole household might share.

Step 2: Under the guise of Santa, parents can send an email to their kids inviting them to add items to their personalized holiday wish list, or the family can walk through the process together.

Step 3: The child can respond by adding gifts, using a fun, easy-to-use drag and drop interface, and parents are alerted when updates have been made to a list. That’s it―set-up is complete!

Check out the video on you tube for the full explanation.

A Treat for Halloween... Spider Web Pizza Cookie

2011-10-30T22:42:00.000-04:00

My 4-year-old and I enjoyed making a giant sugar cookie in the shape of a pizza this weekend for Halloween. We made a white cream cheese frosting and decorated it like a spider web with Wilton's thin tip black icing. We made pink "pepperoni" with fondant and topped it off with swedish fish. You could also use gummy worms and frogs. Happy Halloween!

Planning a Hurricane Party? And, Weather Sites for Kids...

2011-08-27T07:30:00.000-04:00

If you live in the northeast United States right now then perhaps you are gearing up for Hurricane Irene.

The devastation of hurricanes is nothing to be taken lightly. As a child, on the Gulf Coast of Mexico in Mobile, Alabama, we often had hurricanes during the summer and fall months. My mom, a teacher, would remove a little of the "scare factor" by making hurricane preparations a "party". The family would all get together in one home and work together to make the house safe and supplied. When I was a little girl I enjoyed this process of coming together. I never dreamed in moving to NYC I'd have the opportunity to do this type of planning with my own little girl. Hurricane Irene will probably not be a full hurricane when it reaches New York, but I think it is best to be over prepared. Here are a few terrific websites for kids that explain weather, hurricanes and how to prep your home to be safe in almost any natural disaster.

Scholastic Weather for Kids (this site has an interactive weather maker)

Weather Wiz Kids (created by meteorologist Crystal Wicker)

I hope everyone has a safe weekend.

Balloons for your birthday!

2011-08-23T21:54:00.000-04:00

I love these balloon ideas from an old Martha Stewart post!

Martha Stewart Kids, Volume 17 2005
Invite a few lofty friends to your bash. Some may say this bear, chick, and pig have inflated egos; that's probably because they're helium-filled balloons.

Cut features and legs out of tissue paper, which won't weigh down balloons; cut ears out of a lightweight paper that won't flop, such as vellum. Affix with double-sided tape (ears should have tabs). Click here for more Animal Party ideas.

36 Seconds of the ‘Wonder Woman’ Pilot

2011-07-26T15:10:00.001-04:00

I feel very luck to have a ton of "Wonder Women" in my life. My friends and family are full of amazing females who inspire me daily.

And, Wonder Woman will always hold a special place in my heart. Back in the 1990's, just out of college and fresh off the train from Alabama to NYC, I lived with a fabulous actress and once went with her on a “Wonder Woman” open casting. I had no acting resume, no photo, no story... so I invented a few key parts I knew my talents would allow me to reenact if asked; such as…street urchin. My Diana Prince reading was a hit and shockingly I received a call back. Maybe the movie/TV show part was not for me, but it was such a wonderful, fun experience. It gave me such confidence that I could do anything if I really wanted. Even now, on good days I really do feel like “Wonder Woman”. I dedicate this to all the other “Wonder Woman” moms out there!

Here is this year's attempt at a Wonder Woman TV series by David E. Kelley (married to another fabulous, inspiring mom, Michelle Pfeiffer).

36 Seconds of the ‘Wonder Woman’ Pilot

ps MAC Cosmetics also has a line of Wonder Woman make up. I especially like the lipsticks and lip glass!

2011-07-14T13:11:00.000-04:00

I love books. When Barnes and Noble stores first opened I dreamed of sleeping over in a big comfy sleeping bag. My books are like friends and they show it with their worn jackets and gently used edges, especially my favorite cookbooks. I came across this cool blog today called SpaceCoolHunting and saw this inventive design for displaying books.

I think I'm going to try it and maybe have my 4-year-old do a few for her favorite books too. She can spell out L-O-V-E on the jackets. I'll post photos when we are done.

In the meantime, if you like these professional looking, stylish jackets you can order them from the source:
Juniper Books
Thatcher Wine
Boulder, Colorado | U.S.A.
Tel 303 946 1494

Bucket of Love (reposted from Moomah Journal)

2011-07-11T15:15:00.004-04:00

Bucket of Love: Teaching the Golden Rule

(I am re-posting this online journal from one of my favorite NYC spots for kids and parents called Moomah. It is a art studio, restaurant and for me, a magical spot to connect with my child.)

-----As a parent I love when I find opportunities that help illustrate the beauty of “The Golden Rule.” It’s for this reason that I love the book, “Fill A Bucket: A Guide to Daily Happiness for the Young Child” by Carol McCloud, Katherine Martin & David Messing. I designed a craft project to do with my kids that I thought was a nice complement to the book. It was really sweet to see how excited my kids got about the idea of sharing love, and watching them hand out their hearts to their loved ones (their classmates, their babysitter, the family dog).

How to do the project at home:

1: Read your child the "Fill A Bucket" book or our text below.
2: Find a bucket. (We found ours in the gardening section of our local hardware store).
3: Decorate the outside of the bucket with hearts (you could use heart stencils, free-form hearts or even cool anatomical hearts from online printouts or old books. Use Mod Podge to collage paper onto your bucket.
4: Cut out hearts from colored construction paper to fill your Bucket of Love.
5: Color, paint and decorate your hearts however you please.
6: If your child can write they can write messages to the recipient of the heart or you can always help them.
7: After all the decorating is done, tell the kids that now it’s time to go out and give out the hearts from their Bucket of Love so that they can fill other people's buckets.

Imagine we all have a bucket inside of us that holds all our feelings. When our bucket is full of good feelings, we feel great. When our bucket is empty or has bad feelings we feel sad. We can fill someone’s bucket with good feelings when we say or do nice things. We can empty someone’s bucket when we do or say mean things. Decorate your bucket and the hearts and go out and share your love with others.

Here’s some examples of things you can say to fill someone’s bucket with good feelings:
“I love you”
“Would you like to play with me?”
“I really like your drawing”
“You make me laugh”
“Thank you!"

Here’s some examples of things you can do to fill someone’s bucket:
Give someone a hug.
Help someone clean up.
Make someone a card.
Make someone laugh.

This idea was inspired by the book Fill A Bucket: A Guide to Daily Happiness For Kids

By Tracey Stewart-----------------

I will just add one more book that is great for families "SIMPLE FUN for BUSY PEOPLE". As a parent myself I think connection with our families and friends is the most important thing in our lives. I am not always successful in this endeavor and am always searching for new ways to connect. This blog is a mirror of my successes and struggles; dedicated to helping inspire ways to help people connect daily for a happier life. Thank you for all the new ideas I find by other moms, like Tracey Stewart above.

Cathy Riva

Who Wore it Best? Julia Roberts, Michelle Obama, Cathy Riva and the Perfect Party Cardigan

2011-07-05T20:48:00.032-04:00

What do Julia Roberts and Michelle Obama have in common? Besides being fabulous? They also have the same eye for fashion. I love this embroidered peonies cardigan. It is by designer L'Wren Scott.

I was watching one of the last Oprah episodes, with Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks, and first saw this sweater in May 2011. I could not find it anywhere online. Well, it turns out this sweater keeps good company. First Lady Obama wore it first! I stumbled upon one of my talented photographer's blogs, Donna Newman and Ian McGaffic, about working behind the scenes on Martha Stewart Presents: A Hallmark Special "America's Moms- A Celebration for Military Families" with Michelle Obama in April and low and behold, the sweater AGAIN. I had to track it down.

It really is a work of art with the embroidered red peonies in the perfect spots. I googled Michelle Obama, Julia Roberts and the word "designer". L'Wren Scott, stylist, luxury designer and longtime girlfriend of Mick Jagger, was the link between the two. It sells online in black, but for those who want this perfect party cardigan in beige the NYC Barneys only has the one I'm modeling below at this posting time.

Who Wore It Best? You decide. Leave a comment here or facebook mention at Cathy Riva of Riva Events.

photo credits: Oprah Winfrey Website, Donna Newman and my blackberry.

Happy Fourth of July

2011-07-04T22:06:00.004-04:00

I am grateful for family, love, and life in all its ups and downs. I am so happy I live in NY, NY USA. Happy Birthday United States of America.
Photo Credit: My talented husband, Marc Bloomgarden (Macy's fireworks 2010 from a New Jersey view compliments of our brother and sister-in-law)

Hostess Gifts for Fourth of July & Summer

2011-06-24T10:31:00.007-04:00

These fun stripped paper straws are affordable and are a great gift. Pair them with your favorite drink mix and a pitcher and you have a great gift. Kikkerland makes the blue and white stripes and for other amazing straw designs (including stars and polka dots) check out The Sugar Diva.

If you enjoy baking, try these mini pies. They make a nice homemade hostess gift too.
Pillsbury makes an unroll pie crust. Cut out your mini dough crust shapes that fit in a mini muffin pan and use your favorite apple pie recipe to make a yummy treat.

I like a good gadget. This festive ANT watermelon holder, from Terry's Village, is adorable and sure to spark conversation at your next bash. Just add the watermelon and it makes a great affordable gift!

Festive Fourth of July Party Ideas (set up for TV)

2011-06-21T15:02:00.016-04:00

Fireworks, Food, Family and Friends, that’s what I love about the 4th of July. I am a huge fan of a great outdoor bbq so fire up the grill and get your sparkle on with these simple fresh and tasty tips;

Lets face it the food and drinks are the stars of this party, so let me start you off with an easy to make cocktail recipe to keep you cool four your 4th of July bash.

Create a D-I-Y Bar and pre mix this festive red, white and Sauza blue margarita. It is refreshing, and easy to make. For this drink use 1 parts Sauza Blue, 2 parts cran raspberry juice, 1 part lemon lime soda. Combine all in a pitcher and garnish with red white and blue sugar or a raspberry skewer. Serve it cold or on the rocks.

Another reason to love Sauza is that is its price makes entertaining at home fun and affordable.

Menu
Keep the party fired up with these terrific treats from the grill. Don’t feel limited to burgers and franks try grilling Salmon kabobs, veggie kabobs and for you vegetarians try bbq’d tofu. Use this handy Kabob Holder from Sur La Table to create your own Skewer Station!

Salmon Skewer Recipe
6 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
3 tbsp honey
3 tbsp olive oil
1 1lb skinned wild salmon fillets
6 skewers (these are cast iron from Sur La Table)

In a mixing bowl combine all the ingredients except Salmon, set aside. Cube Salmon fillets then marinate for at least an hour. Thread salmon on skewers and grill for about 10 minutes, turning so each side gets browned. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This year’s summer salad is one of my personal favorites, Heirloom Tomato Salad. It is fresh, and again you notice a theme, easy to make. It also adds a nice pop of red to your table. If you can’t find heirloom tomatoes beefsteak tomatoes work too.

8-10 small heirloom tomatoes cut into wedges
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
1 tbsp fresh basil (tear, don’t chop)
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Feta Cheese (optional)
Toss all together and top with Cheese, if desired.

If you often have unexpected guests to your bbq as my family always does, then extend your menu by adding last minute affordable sides, like mesquite corn on the cob- grill the corn, break it half, then squeeze lime juice, a few dashes of chili pepper and Parmesan cheese. This will be a huge hit with guests and also will taste great with your red white and blue Sauza Margarita.

I love dessert so this year, I decided I can have my cake and eat it too… well apple pie that is. I created this mini apple pie a la mode’s so you get a delicious bite of your favorite pie, but you don’t over indulge. To create these we used a mini muffin pan. I suggest doing this the night before your party. They are great hot or cold. You can bring out your inner child with these other fun treats… red velvet whoopie pies, snow cones and frozen watermelon scoops.

(these in the photo are from an amazing bakery in Brooklyn, NY One Girl Cookies)
Red Velvet Whoopie Pies
Ingredients:
For the cookies:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 oz. red food coloring (use 1-2 drops more for 4th of July red)

For the frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
21/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. Use the whoppie pie mold from Wilton.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Blend in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, beat in about a third of the dry ingredients, followed by half of the buttermilk, beating each addition just until incorporated. Repeat so that all the buttermilk has been added and then mix in the final third of dry ingredients. Do not over beat. Blend in the food coloring.

Bake 7-9 minutes or until the tops are set, rotating the baking sheets halfway through. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets at least 10 minutes, until they can be easily transferred to a cooling rack. Allow cookies to cool completely before proceeding.

To make the cream cheese frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla extract. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth.

Transfer the frosting to a clean pastry bag fitted with a plain, round tip. Pair the cookies up by shape and size. Flip one cookie of each pair over so that the flat side is facing up. Pipe frosting onto the flat-sided cookie of each pair, leaving the edges clear. Sandwich the cookies together so the flat sides are facing each other and press gently to help the filling reach the edges. To store, refrigerate in an airtight container.

Decor
Your food can really be your décor for this holiday, but when choosing other decorative items choose one main color like blue and use the others as accents. Also, look around your house, use items you own in a new way, for example this is a drink dispenser I’m using to hold flowers. I’m using sand pails as risers for my bar. You can use a colorful sheet as a tablecloth.

And, keep the bugs away from your outdoor bbq with decorative citronella candles. Place them around your table, light them about half an hour before all the guests show up to avoid any mosquito mishaps.

For more great margarita recipes and party tips check out facebook.com/sauzamargaritas

Happy Summer!

2011-06-19T22:18:00.009-04:00

These are a few items that inspired me for my upcoming summer entertaining. I hope these resources can come in handy when you are hosting a party this season.

Top L photo from Verterra dinnerware from fallen leaves
Top middle photo of a sandwich from a party I did with kid friendly ideas
Top R photo yellow straws are from The Sugar Diva
Middle L photo of lemonade is from the drinkinventor.com
Middle R photo from flicker
Bottom L photo from Avocado Central
Bottom R snow cones from Scharlack.com

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T14:02:00.003-04:00

Happy Father's Day to all of the wonderful men who help make this world a better place, by supporting their family and being a part of a team.

Check out my friend Monica's article on the new Macaroni Kid Eats site for a few of my Dad day ideas you can create in your own kitchen this morning!

Macaroni Kid Eats

Bridal Shower, Mother's Day and Wedding Decor Ideas

2011-04-28T17:36:00.013-04:00

I hope these ideas add a spark to your next party and help you enjoy time with your friends and family.

Place cards:
Place cards are especially important when you gather a group of your friends together who may not all know each other. By providing everyone with names, a creative place card gives someone an opportunity to reach out and begin a conversation without waiting on an introduction from you. They also can double as décor for your special party.

Here are three place card ideas:
1: Lemons or limes
First slice a think piece off the bottom of the lemon or lime so it stand up straight. Then slice off about a half an inch off the top. Use a pairing knife and carve out half of the inside of the fruit. Add name holder stick (found at arts and craft stores) Choose your favorite small bud flowers, like hydrangea, violets, pansies and insert into fruit. Add moss or a green leaf to cover the base. I like to use Crane’s dinner name cards, but you can even make your own.

2. Macaroon Mania
I love almost anything edible so that is what the next two place cards are, yummy!
For the Macaroon place card you will need to order French Macaroons. You can find them online or in some bakeries. They come in great spring colors like purple, green and pink. All you need is stand the macaroon on its edge and gently insert the name cardholder and name card.

3. Start with Dessert (Cupcakes)
For the cupcake place card holder I choose these petal baking cups from Sur La Table. Bake your favorite cupcake; add your favorite color icing, top with a raspberry, name cardholder and name card. Enjoy.

How to create your own bud vase:

I love tulips. In our search for the perfect bud vase, we realized as we were working on the place card holders our extra limes would add a pop of color to this white entry way and hold these festive yellow tulips too!
To make, just cut a slice off the bottom so it sits flat and then slice about an inch off the top and carve about half out.

Centerpiece Topiary
You will need: Tangelos or kumquats, any green leaves, these are Israeli Ruscus leaves, 18” Styrofoam cones and any orange flower.
First attach tangelos to the Styrofoam cone with bamboo forks (these are like sturdy toothpicks). Then fill in any white holes with green leaves and flowers. Trim the flowers so there is a little stem left. You can use wire on the leaves and flowers to make it very secure, however the leaves and flowers can also just be stuck into the Styrofoam by their stems.

Here is my secret with flowers. Carnations are an amazing and affordable addition to any party IF you use them wisely. I suggest when using carnations choose one or two main colors, like below all pinks. Clean the flowers by taking off all the leaves prior to making the bouquet. I use rubber bands, tied tight near the head of the flower to hold them so close together.

For more tips and festive at home party plans click on www.rivaevents.com

Fun Cocktail Ideas for Your Next Brunch!

2011-04-28T10:23:00.011-04:00

There are a million great reasons to get your girls together for a party, but one of my favorites happens to be brunch! I love that brunch can be formal, like a bridal shower or Mother’s Day event, or casual, like a lazy Sunday morning. Sauza Tequila and I teamed up to create some new decor and cocktail ideas to help you toast your next occasion together with friends and family!

We created a twist on a traditional brunch drink...instead of the Mimosa we would like to introduce the Pear Ginger Fizz.

Glass: Champagne Flute
1 oz Sauza® Silver Tequila
2tsp ginger liqueur
1 oz pear nectar- (Looza brand is the best or you could juice a 2 fresh pears)
Top with champagne
You can pre-batch this the day before and just add champagne the day of or you can make each one individually.
Shake and strain silver tequila, ginger liqueur, and pear nectar into a champagne flute and top with champagne. Garnish with sugar coated pansy or your favorite colored sugar like above.

This next drink was the HIT of the party. It is a wonderful conversation sparker too, because it is so unique!

The Mama Rita
1 1/2 Parts Sauza® Silver Tequila
1/2Part Cabernet Sauvignon
1 Part DeKuyper Triple Sec
1 Part Agave Nectar
1 Part Fresh Lime juice

Pour all ingredients over ice in mixing glass. Shake and strain into a martini glass and garnish with a lime slice.

This is a great, new twist on a Margarita
Cadillac Rio Margarita
Ingredients:
2 parts Sauza® Blue Silver Tequila
1 part JDK & Sons™ O3 Premium Orange Liqueur
1 part lime juice
1/2part agave nectar

Directions:
Shake all the ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange on the rim.

Bloody MARIA- like a Bloody Mary, but even better.
In a high ball glass combine the following:
2oz Sauza® Silver Tequila
2 tsp horseradish (if you like it hot)
3 dashes of Tabasco sauce
3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
Dash of lime juice
3 dashes celery salt
Fill rest of glass with tomato juice
Garnish with celery stalk

Special thanks to all the wonderful folks who attended the Tuesday party and also to all those who helped make it happen.

Cheers to making memories and spending time with friends!

(photo credit: Zach Hyman) (dress Eliza J)

Toast for Mom

2011-04-28T10:19:00.011-04:00

Toast for Mom
Add a nice touch to your Mom’s morning with a helping of MOM toast. For this edible treat we used a MOM cookie cutter, whole grain bread and our broiler to toast. Press the cookie cutter (which we found at Copper Gifts online) into the wide- sliced, whole grain bread and then place in broiler for about 30 seconds on each side. Add your favorite topping (I like butter, cinnamon and sugar -hint, hint ). This is an affordable, simple and family friendly gift for Mom I hope she likes. I am grateful to my mom, mother-in-law and the other 80 million moms around the world who give of their time and love everyday.

(photo credit Zach Hyman) plate Sur La Table

The Royal Event

2011-04-24T21:16:00.007-04:00

Prince William and soon-to-be Princess, Kate Middleton, are not the only one's celebrating a royal event. We tore a page out of the princess book and created a magical birthday for a few 4-year-olds worthy of the Queen.

I just recently read "Cinderella Ate My Daughter" and can really relate to the title, as I have a wonderful 4-year-old daughter who loves all things princess. This year we decided to create a party that incorporated a princess theme (at my daughter's insistence) and also a little more equally balanced for the boys. So thus was born the Royal Magical Birthday Party. We hired the Amazing Max and his partner Princess Snow White as a face painter.

We served royal items such as princess and prince water. These labels were made from card stock and attached with double stick poster tape squares. We used magical apples in the decor, as a nod to snow white, and all the kids took them home in their goody bags.

Finding food that is healthy and kid friendly is always a fun challenge for me. This year we had platters of veggies and dip, assorted seasonal fruit and guacamole made by the kids. My mom also made pigs n a blanket, which were a real crowd pleaser.

My little one requested a strawberry castle cake. This one above was made from a sand castle mold and was the hit of the party!

Thank you to everyone who helped and attended! It was a fairy tale perfect party.

For more fun ideas check out Celebrate Everyday TV and Riva Events.

A Berry D-I-Y Centerpiece Idea

2011-04-10T11:26:00.007-04:00

Driscoll's was looking for a family friendly craft idea for a recent event. We created these berry topiaries that work as decor and are also a nice D-I-Y activity. We used glass candle holders from a wonderful shop with a philanthropic mission, called Glassy Baby.

Instructions here

Spring in Bloom

2011-03-11T10:13:00.015-05:00

(Three-year-olds smelling the tulips at the Central Park Conservatory Garden)

I recently came across a really helpful flower book "A Passion for Flowers". Here are some tips to care and extend the life of my favorite spring flower...tulips!

Care of Tulips
Cut away any white portion of the stems, as tulips (along with hyacinths and daffodils) cannot absorb water through this barrier.

You can control the look of the tulip by the amount of water it is given. For arching, dancing, moving tulips, place a small amount of water in the bottom of the vase. For a straighter, more uniform look, fill the container full of water--the stems will absorb the water and stiffen.

To perk up drooping tulip heads, make a tiny incision in the stem of the tulip just beneath the part where the petals attach. This releases any air locked in the neck of the flower.

To resurrect limp tulips, cut the stems (preferably under water) and roll the bunch within a column of paper. Place them in a bucketful of room temperature water for a few hours. They will absorb the water and become little tin soldiers.

Childhood Fun Does Not Have To End!

2011-02-01T13:23:00.014-05:00

Get in touch with your inner child and take a bite out of life! Host a party and allow all of your grown up (and not so grown up) friends to decorate cupcakes. I recently threw a party for Driscoll's Berries where we decorated my 3-D strawberry cupcakes with fresh berries, icing and a sprinkle of powdered sugar. A few of the creative cupcakes are below. Yum and Fun!

Special thanks to Glassybaby for their beautiful hand blown glassware votive holders I used as vases for fresh tulips and my berry trees!

Valentine's Day Ideas

2011-01-31T22:25:00.005-05:00

With the official celebration of "Love" just weeks away everyone needs a cupid in their corner. I have two tasty treats that will sweep anyone off their feet. Warning: berries and chocolate may incite true love forever. Enjoy and Happy Valentine's Day!

FRESH STRAWBERRY 3D CUPCAKES

2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup fresh crushed Driscoll’s strawberries, unsweetened

Also needed,

1 Wilton Dimensions Mini heart shaped pan

1-12 cup cupcake pan

Or, if you are a busy mom, like me, and pressed for time use two boxes of Pillsbury’s Moist Supreme Cake Mix Strawberry and add 3/4 cup crushed fresh Driscoll’s strawberries to the mix.

Directions:

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hr

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2 FOR CAKE: Sift together: flour, salt, and baking powder.

3 In a separate bowl, combine butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.

4 Beat for a total of 3 minutes, scrapping the sides of the bowl.

5 Then add flour mixture to creamed mixture, alternating with fresh Driscoll’s strawberries.

6 Beat for two minutes.

7 Pour batter into two Wilton Dimensions 6 heart pan and one 12-cup cupcake pan greased and floured.

8 Bake in pre-heated oven for 30 minutes, or until cake tests done.

9 Turn out on to wire cooling racks to cool.

10 When cool assemble heart cupcakes with round cupcakes

ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS

Needed:

Cupcakes

Betty Crocker Easy Flow Decorating Icing Red

Confectioner’s sugar

Cocktail picks

Driscoll's Raspberries

Confectioners sugar sprinkler

Assembly

Cut off the top of the round cupcakes. Then slice a slight angle to the remaining cake.

Use a quarter size dollop of red icing on round cupcake top to attach heart cupcake (see photo)

Sprinkle heavily with confectioner’s sugar

Spear center with three 4 3/4” Paddle Bamboo Picks, paddle side up. Attach three Driscoll's raspberries. (Or any cocktail pick with a topper that will allow the Driscoll's raspberries to fit securely on top.)

Here is my second "sweet heart" recipe:

Use Wilton's 10 inch heart shaped cake pan to make the perfect dessert for your sweet heart. We suggest a chocolate pudding cake as it is a bit more dense to hold the berries, but any cake mix recipe should work.

Chocolate Pudding cake
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use wilton heart pan to bake. In bowl, stir together flower, white sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Mix in milk oil vanilla with a fork until smooth.Spread batter evenly into heart pan. This batter should be thick. Sprinkle with brown sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa. Pour boiling water over batter.Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes.Remove cake from pan and invert so your bottom is now the top. Once cooled ice with pink or red icing.Use Driscoll's berries as the topping. We used about 28 raspberries to make the inside of the heart. You need about 40 blueberries to make the outline of the raspberries. (Optional) to create this side look, You'll need 16 strawberries and 16 more blueberries for the side decor. We skewered the strawberries with wooden skewers and inserted them into the iced cake. The cake is beautiful with just the berry top also.

Here are a few more ways to send your love...
Tips:1. Spread the love: Valentine's Day is not just for couples. Surprise someone you know with kind words or anonymously pay for a small treat.

2.Made with Love: take time to make your loved one something home made this year. Involve the kids and make a fun treat everyone can enjoy.

3. Even Cupid cuts costs: Start planning your Valentine's day gifts now so you don't waste money on last minute gifts.

4. Love showers: (sounds fun right) my communication skills and connection with friends are my favorite gifts. Transform Valentine's Day into an opportunity to shower the important people in your life with gratitude and happiness. (And, the first thing that comes to your mind at Love showers, works too:)

5. Love Notes: send someone a hand written note. It can be a favorite quote or something silly. Here is one of my favorites riddles.
Read And That And
Up You I You
And Will Love Love
Down See You Me

For more tips and fun Valentine’s Day ideas click on www.rivaevents.com

Make Your Own Taco Night

2011-01-16T01:16:00.004-05:00

We decided to bring a little heat to our NYC frozen winter with a festive, family friendly "make your own taco night" which we also topped off with a Mexican milkshake standoff. Yum.

The decor needed to be easy, so I used VerTerra disposable plates, made from pressed leaves. Tulips are one of my favorite ways to add a splash of color and we used the limes in the food and as decor! Our sombrero made a great chip holder and I think the kids liked the added star fruit garnish the best.

I hope these ideas help you add a little "heat" to your winter!

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T07:40:00.002-05:00

I hope 2011 is filled with LOVE for everyone.

"Project Party" on the Today Show

2010-12-20T11:11:00.001-05:00

I was asked to participate in this fun idea, kind of like Project Runway, but for party planning to be shown on the "Today Show". Two event designers, myself and David Monn, had less than 12 hours to pull off a fabulous, festive dinner for 8 for less than $150. Even though I often say that a last minute party is sometimes the best party, I have never planned such an event with these strict conditions. I totally felt stressed. Luckily I have an amazing partner and friend, Sisi Soestrisno, who really helped me pull it all together.

The Today Show chose two families that were neighbors and friends who often entertain and assigned us each a group. And, we found out later B. Smith, the fabulous style and food guru was going to be our celebrity judge.

Lynn, Ray, Michael and Matthew Quartarano were my amazing family. David Monn designed his evening for Steve, Jenny, Mike and Brian Margolis.

Below are our two ideas. B. Smith declared mine the champion, but I personally think they were both so different that we were both winners. My goal in planning private events is to hopefully inspire people to do a little something with their family together to help provide connection and fun. With that in mind here are my tips and ideas:

1. Shop at home
2. Develop a plan
3. Make a list of what you need
4. Be creative and have FUN!
5. Stick to only two decor colors, keep it simple

The idea I presented my family was to use paper items to add to the table as a festive and colorful centerpiece. We re purposed items the family had to create a beautiful candlelight centerpiece. For food we served Italian. We did a little research prior to meeting the family and here is what we prepared for them with their approval:

Cauliflower and Potato Soup

Deconstructed or Open Lasagna

And for dessert Lynn, Matthew and Michael made and decorated sugar cookies that we also used as place cards on the table.

We got really lucky. Lynn had a Shop Rite card, so in addition to discounted items

David Monn and his family created a mystical table made with organic products such as recycled cardboard. He used quilt batting as a table cloth with white Christmas lights under the batting to create a warm glow. The centerpiece was fresh fruit, green apples, green grapes all dusted with sugar. He added a few rose cones and babies breath also.

His menu:
A Chestnut soup
A Twice Baked Potato with a Hearty Chili topping
and mint chocolate chip ice cream with crushed vanilla meranges
for more on his design and dinner check out www.davidmonn.com

My next post will be recipes and "how to" make these fun crafts for your family any time of the year!

Click here for video

Forest Green and Ruby Red for the Holidays

2010-12-07T14:32:00.008-05:00

My three-year-old and I often go to a really wonderful upper west side cafe in New York City, Blossom. They have fresh juice everyday, we always order the Ruby Red and Forest. It so inspired me to ask my secret Santa for a juicer this holiday. Now my family can juice at home.
I know toddlers can be picky and the Ruby Red is an amazing juice. Every little one I've let try it loves it. First, it is a reddish pink color, which is fun and second, it is made from beets which are sweet. Beets also happen to be why a red velvet cake is red. Beet sugar was originally used during WWII as a sweetener as there was a ration on refined sugar. So, beets are really really sweet. Combine them with carrots, green apple slices and a little pineapple and WOW you have a new treat that is good for you. I also happen to love the Forest juice. It is a green juice with ginger that is yummy. Plus the colors are nice for the holidays. I hope we can inspire you to try a fresh juice too!

Here's a little more about the menu at Blossom and other juice ideas. http://menupages.com/restaurants/cafe-blossom/menu

New "Holiday" Song

2010-11-28T22:23:00.004-05:00

I am always excited when holiday music begins playing to herald in the season. However, I think a few new songs could be added to the collection. This song "Holiday" is used in a Tommy Hilfiger commercial and it is so catchy. The group is Vampire Weekend, but don't let that name distract you from the upbeat, fun tune. Check it out.

ps My husband shot this AOL Sessions. I'm so proud.

Gratitude and Chugging into the Holiday Season

2010-11-25T00:39:00.010-05:00

I am so grateful for many things this Thanksgiving. Most importantly, I am thankful for the people in my life, my family and friends. Marc, Riley and I are spending the entire holiday weekend together doing fun "family" activities.

The New York Botanical Gardens Holiday Train Show is on our list. It is an event not to miss if you are in the big apple for the holidays.

It is fun for adults and children. Though it is a train show, the setting is New York City around the late 1800's. It is like a walk through history. Every building was meticulously created by using twigs, leaves, birch and other natural elements. Attached here are a few photos.

I wish everyone a happy holiday!

Haunted Halloween Dinner Party Decor

2010-10-26T08:32:00.011-04:00

For this ghoul fest our team went with a black and white dinner party theme. It is a little known secret in party planning to keep colors simple (and white is the most affordable color to use for decoration) Hey, even celebrities like to save money.

For the tablecloth you can use a basic white cloth. Top it with a 10' spider web as an overlay. We found this one online at Grandin Road. Use black string or ribbon and tie tiny plastic spiders from web that drape down at various heights on the sides.

For our centerpiece we have either a bubbly skull or a witches brew cauldron. To make your own haze freeze ice in a bowl and pour with boiling water over it right before guests arrive. Dry ice also works.

This is a great time to break out those silver candlesticks, trays and vases that have gone unpolished! Add a ton of mix matched black candles to the table. We found these at Michaels. Lighting is a key element to create a spooky environment. Party tip trick-- Just make sure the candle sticks are no higher than you elbow to fist ratio, so you can still chat with guests across the table.

If you have white plates those are great. Find black chargers or spidery black placemats work to place under the plates.

I love these Martha Stewart crows with LED eyes. Super spooky.

Serve water out of goblet glasses and stuff them with white napkins adorned with googley eyes. Use martini glasses to serve your wickedly fun cocktails that are orange and black. Garnishes are key. Eyeballs from Lychee nuts and fingers from the grave are what we have here.

Serve a devilish first course which also doubles as decor...
We have carved out white ghost pumpkins into soup tureens. I love the jack o ripper scraper. It makes cleaning pumpkins easy. You can use any soup; we are serving a butternut squash.
Choose an 8-inch pumpkin
Carve pumpkins
Bake for half an hour
Heat ready-made soup, pour into pumpkin. Garnish with a spider or corn syrup blood droplets.

The famed NYC restaurant, The Four Seasons, made this dish popular and every celebrity from Martha Stewart, George Clooney and Halloween temptress Heidi Klum has been transported by their
seasonal food.

Maybe dessert is a dish best served cold, but I suggest serve it on a spider web... This funky cake plate from Sur La Table holds devilish cupcakes Sweet Revenge.

Use tons of fake spider webs to add to the decor. This is the one time you almost can't go overboard in the creepy decor department!

My favorite touch on the decor is the R.I.P or V.I.P name card tombstone for the back of your chairs. My neighbor, who is a professor at FIT in NYC, had her students add an extra cool factor to this spooky idea. It is one piece of silver grey fabric, which I measured on the chairs, cut into a tombstone shape, then sewed up the sides. Add felt letters and fabulous skulls to complete the chair cover.

Spooktacular Halloween Dinner Menu

2010-10-26T07:47:00.011-04:00

Here is my suggested dinner menu for this spooky night. My next blog will be scary decor, decor, decor!

Guests can munch on a few fingers while they wait for the main dinner...
Serve Smoked Salmon Tartare in purple fingerling potatoes
Items needed
(makes 12)
6 Peruvian fingerling potatos
1oz smoked salmon
1 tbl finely minced red onion
1tsp crème fraiche
chives

6 purple Peruvian fingerlings (found at food stores like Whole Foods or request your local grocer to carry)
Boil for 7 minutes.
Remove from water. Place in the refrigerator to cool.
Cut potatoes in half and use a melon scoop or knife tip to scoop out the inside to make a cup.

To make the smoked salmon tartare combine the smoked salmon, red onion, crème fraiche and chives. Mix well.

Assemble with your hands to make small smoked salmon tartare balls to place in potato cup.

Serve a ghoulish first course:
We have carved out white pumpkins, called ghost pumpkins, into soup tureens. You can use any soup; we are serving a ghoulish butternut squash. This is a simple element that also adds to the décor.
Choose an 8-inch ghost pumpkin
Cut off the top, just like you were making a jack-o-lantern
scoop and clean pumpkins
Heat ready-made soup, pour into pumpkin. Garnish with a spider or crème fraishe blood droplets.

The famed NYC restaurant The Four Seasons made this dish popular and every celebrity from Martha Stewart, George Clooney and Halloween temptress Heidi Klum has been transported by their seasonal food.

Our main dish is a page straight off the table from famed chef Mario Batali's restaurant Babbo. I'm calling it -brain food a la Pasta Nera. It is black squid ink spaghetti served with sautéed shrimp. Click link above for Mario's recipe.

I've heard revenge is a dish best served cold...well I suggest serving these devilish "Sweet Revenge" "Dirty" cupcakes made with a dark chocolate truffle ganache on a Valrhona cupcake... served on a spider web cake platter from Sur la Table.
Marlo Scott, owner of Sweet Revenge suggests pairing the cupcakes with a bloody good rioja wine from Spain, the Marques de Solariego. The spices and cherry notes in this wine make the "Dirty" extra wicked. Their beer pairing is a Koppaberg pear cider.

This is a true "treat" for your guests to end your Halloween evening.

Happy Halloween Cocktails

2010-10-22T00:31:00.013-04:00

Heidi Klum isn't the only fabulous person hosting a Halloween party this season. I have a few tricks up my sleeve to help you create a dinner bash that your ghouls won't want to miss! My next few blogs contain a few fun dinner party tips from cocktails to a little "sweet revenge" dessert. Enjoy and Happy Halloween.

Greet your guests with eerie cocktails from the grave.

Spooky, Spicy Mango Margarita
(makes one cocktail)
2 parts mango puree
1 part tequila
3/4 part triple sec
1 slice of seeded jalapeño (if you like it hot keep the seeds)
1/2 oz of roses lime juice
shake over ice serve in a martini glass rimmed with orange sugar and garnish with a lychee "eyeball" and black jellybean or blueberry

The Graveyard Martini, it is my twist on a black Russian
Starbucks Coffee Liquor
Vodka
Garnish with a chocolate cookie rim and marzipan fingers from the grave.

Great Teachers Inspire Amazing Things

2010-10-13T14:09:00.016-04:00

Teachers have been on my mind a lot recently, probably because of the movie "Waiting for Superman". So here is my own personal ode to those who continue to educate myself and others everyday.

I come from a family of teachers. My mom, my aunt, my cousin and countless friends are all in the business of educating our children. Recently my young daughter had the pleasure of being in a class with the passionate teachers pictured above, Matthew Wagner and Monica from Kidville. It was in this moment, as she became eager to attend class; I realized again exactly how powerful an amazing teacher is. Teachers have the ability to command attention and impart learning as if it is a gift.

Creativity expert, Sir Ken Robinson, says school should be children's bliss; a place to discover your passion. I wish that for this next generation. For a while, school was that for me. One of my favorite teachers was Mrs. Dixon. She taught my eighth grade history class. Her balance of compassion and love of her subject translated into a safe and fun place for me to shine.

I recently read an article by Tony Schwartz, President of The Energy Project, that listed four qualities great leaders have in regard to business but I think every great teacher has mastered these amazing gifts too. These are his words:

1.Great leaders recognize strengths in us that we don't always yet fully see in ourselves.
2.Rather than try to get more out of us, great leaders seek to understand and meet our needs, above all compelling mission beyond our immediate self-interest, or theirs.
3.Great leaders take the time to clearly define what success looks like, and then empower and trust us to figures out the best way to achieve it
4.The best of all leaders-a tiny fraction- have the capacity to embrace their own opposites, most notably vulnerability alongside strength, and confidence balanced by humility.

I've had other terrific teachers, including my mom, my friends, many co-workers and employees. I'm always eager to learn what life has to offer and I'd like to take this time to THANK all of the amazing teachers out there who inspire me and countless others all over the world to find their bliss.

Here are a few teaching websites I'm learning from now;
Teacher Christy Crawford's Top Teaching blog on Scholastic's website about technology in schools.
Jeffrey Bussgang and Dina Kaplan introduced me to DonorsChoose.org, an online charity connecting you to classrooms in need. You can donate money to help teachers right now!
And, the article that gives a personal experience regarding learning leadership skills I quoted above is here from the Harvard Business Review.

Thank you teachers!

Super Party Games

2010-10-07T20:25:00.011-04:00

You’ve heard a million times “ it’s all fun and games” well tonight it can be! Here are my game winning rules for a fun and affordable family party.

Rule number one. Keep the food simple and mini sized.

Small bites are key for game night. Choose food that allows you to focus on the play, not juggling plates and flatware.

Here are a few ideas for things you can make yourself in minutes or find at wholesale stores like Costco or Sam’s Club.

Cheesy beanie bites
Use mini fillo shells and fill them with a spoonful of refried black beans, and white shredded cheese. Bake at 350 until the filling is hot and the cheese is melted, about 8-10 minutes. Add finely grated red pepper as topping.

Mini chicken nuggets with individual dipping sauces. You can make or buy nuggets. For dipping sauces use mini ramekins or bathroom size paper cups cut down, use pinking sheers for a nice finish on your paper cup. The sauces can be purchased or home made. Mix it up by including a chili pepper salt mixture and Thai lemon grass spicy mustard.

Endive leaves are perfect bite size scoops. Instead of chips, use these with a festive mango salsa or a warm blue cheese artichoke dip.

BBQ meatballs on a skewer are always a huge hit. For game night, up the ante and add an egg noodle, a sprig of basil and a grape tomato and turn your dish into a mini spaghetti and meatballs.

Bite size pieces of garlic bread are filling and simple to prepare! Buy frozen garlic bread. Chop into squares and bake.

It is fall so serve your dessert in a mini pumpkin...pumpkin crème brule is so easy to make and just bake it in the mini pumpkins. Use white gourds if you are going with a theme of black, white and red for game night.

I suggest you serve 6 different food options with at least one sweet option. Since you are not serving a full dinner guests will need a little more food. The smaller they are the more you need. Calculate about 10-12 hors d’oeuvres per person for the first hour. Then after the first hour only you need 4 per person. Serve 1 mini pumpkin per person for dessert.

Rule two. Game on! Be creative with your food presentation.
If you decor is your thing, bring your A Game to the table and I guarantee it will inspire your guests to do the same. Use game boards to serve hors d’oeuvres, decorate platters with poker chips and playing cards. Clean old board game pieces and toys like the Rubik cube and domino's to use as props on platters. Most of all have fun!

Rule three. Original games are winners!
Don’t worry if you don’t have a ton of board games. There are some fun games that you can play using items you probably already own. Here are a few below and check out one of my go to game books “Super Party Games” by John Chaneski for more fun ideas.

News Clips
Items needed
News papers, magazines, catalogs, tape, copy paper

Give players or teams words to find such as “a palindromic word” like madam. When the team or players find all the items they tape them onto a piece of paper and then create a sentence from their word pile. Make it challenging by having players make a news headline from recent events. The team that finishes first is the winner. Points can also be assigned on how hard the word is to find.

Will Shortz from the New York Times created a version of this game.

ABC – VIP
Items needed
3x5 cards, markers

This is a variation of the old TV game show Password.
Pairs of clue givers try to get their teams to guess the identity of a famous person by giving one-word descriptions…in alphabetical order.

Both clue givers are given the same celebrity. Team A goes first and their team gets one guess from the one clue given out loud. For example; if the celebrity is Donald Trump. The first clue giver gives his team the word “affluent”. Team B could clue giver could use the word “building”… and so on until the celebrity is guessed.

Celebrity
Card stock, duck tape, paper tape, or safety pins (something that will stick to clothes), computer printer

Print out a ton of celebrity names, dead, living, esoteric etc…
The host pins a celebrity name on each guests back. The guest does not know who his/her celebrity is. They have to ask a series of yes or no questions to find out which celebrity they are.

Strange but True
Items needed
Pens/pencils, index cards, tags, markers

For this game folks have to guess each other’s secrets.
To prepare the host needs to call your guests and find out a little secret or unusual trivial from each person. Like a shy woman could give this trivia“In grade school I was a bully.” Gather about 6 secrets. During game night call three people to front of the room for each secret. Prepare trivia cards to give to each of the three people. One of the people is the actual secret holder the other two are extras and have made up secrets/trivia. The guests get to write down whom they think the secret belongs to. The person who guesses the most secret keepers correctly is the winner.

Rule four. Dare to laugh. If you are looking to roll the dice and go board game crazy here are a few favorite games that are popular with my family.

Trivial Pursuit BET YOU KNOW IT (NEW)
You can buy your way to the winners circle with this new version of Trivial Pursuit! This brand new game offers a whole new way to play where you bet if your opponents actually know the answer. Guess correctly and players will earn chips
that can be used to buy wedges -- or they can earn wedges by answering questions correctly on their turn. On each turn players are able to choose their favorite from one of four rotating topic
cards in the specially designed “Mixologist” envelope. So, players may answer a GEOGRAPHY question about Dogs, Breakfast, Broadway, or Jingles. TRIVIAL PURSUIT “Bet You Know It” cards have 1,800 fresh questions which also feature a variety of new styles including images and multiple choice. With a chance to earn a wedge on every turn – victory is that much closer

TABOO
Your teammate has to guess the word you are describing, but you can not use the TABOO words on the list or you are out.

ELECTRONIC CATCH PHRASE
Players have to guess all the catch phrases/words before the timer runs out. Features and Benefits: 2 Teams alternate turns guessing the answers to clues in 11 categories, including
Entertainment, Sci-Tech, Sports & Games and more, to keep things interesting. Unit's clock counts down and buzzes when time is out.

Loaded Questions
The family/party game tests players on how well they know each other with more than 1,000 questions designed to spark laughter, creative discussion and lasting memories. Players are asked a series of questions they have to write an answer to. Then one "reader" collects the answers and reads them out loud. Players have to guess who said what. It is a great way to get to know people. Questions include Who is your favorite author?

Loopz (NEW)
This is the next generation in electronic interactive games that combines the power
of music, motion and memory. The game gets players moving as they are challenged to
match the patterns of light and sound by quickly motioning their hands through the Loopz™
rings. Players must showcase quickness and skill to keep the music sequence going, while an
internal counter keeps track of time completed levels and overall performance.

Pictionary
Players draw pictures based on words drawn from a deck. The audience/teams have to guess correctly.

Scattergories
A creative-thinking category-based party game produced by Hasbro through the Milton Bradley Company and published in 1988. The objective of the 2-to-6-player game is to score points by uniquely naming objects within a set of categories, given an initial letter, within a time limit.

Balderdash
From the game fictionary or dictionary.
An actual word is given to players and they have to define it with either the actual definition or something made up (I prefer making things up,shhhh). Players then turn in their answers anonymously and take turns voting on the best one. Points are assigned on various levels with the player whose definition accrues the most points wins.

Bezzerwizzer (NEW)
Think you know it all? Bezzerwizzer® is a new twist on trivia with 20 categories of questions, plus stealing and tile-swapping for fast-paced game play. As players make their way around the board, they must rely on both strategy and knowing all the answers, as opponents can steal points or categories away from them! For up to four players.

Clue
Clue originates from the United Kingdom, where it's known by its original name - Cluedo. The popular murder mystery board game was originally named Murder!, but had its name changed when the Waddingtons game company picked it up. The name Cluedo is a mixture of the words "clue" and "ludo" - ludo being the name of another board game, which most closely resembles Sorry! or Parcheesi. In North America, the game's host and victim is known as Mr. Boddy. In other parts of the world, including the game's native UK, he's referred to as Dr. Black. This name seems to make more sense, as the guests are also named for colors (Miss White, Colonel Mustard, etc.). Clue has had video games devoted to it since the days of the Commodore 64, and has also had its own feature film.

The thing I love most about game night is that is really invites laughter and conversation at any party. I hope these tips help inspire you to create your own winning bash! For more fun event ideas you can also check out www.rivaevents.com.

4th of July tips- The video

2010-06-30T13:19:00.000-04:00

Fourth of July Party Table and Tips (set-up)

2010-06-25T10:27:00.011-04:00

Here are a few of my suggestions for a festive and fun Fourth of July BBQ this year! I hope you enjoy, relax and connect with your family and friends this summer.
My next post will have the info for where you can view the finished decor online or on a TV channel near you!

DECOR TIPS

It is the Fourth of July, so planning a color scheme is pretty much a no brainier right? Red, white and blue all the way…

My number one tip with décor and color, choose one main color and then sprinkle in a few accent colors. This monochromatic color scheme really unifies your theme and is soothing to the eye. Here I used blue as my main color and accented with red and white.

I used a water resistant blue and white tablecloth from Target. It originally had orange fish, in the design too, but to stick with our patriotic theme, we found red star stickers to cover them up;. The festive glasses are from Pier 1.

Incorporate your food into your décor too, by plating it on all white or clear platters. Add a few American Flags into your flatware holder; I, also, found some American Flag pinwheels that look nice in a tall clear vase. I love Hydrangea’s and their white color accents the table beautifully. This leads to my next tip: Shop at home.

I highly recommend saving money by shopping at home. Use things you already have on hand. If you have flowers in your garden, use those, then fill in with inexpensive melamine or plastic wear, plus dollar store décor for fun accents and right now all fourth of July décor is on sale everywhere!

THE MENU

BEVERAGE STATION

Start by setting up a D-I-Y bar …you don’t have to stock an expensive bar…I like to mix up pitchers of margaritas using Sauza tequila. It’s so easy and affordable. You can make fresh-tasting margaritas with a few simple ingredients…frozen limeade, light beer, tequila, water, and ice. No blender necessary! Add fresh lime slices in the pitcher for an added visual splash!

Another tasty and patriotic color drink is my Rock Out Raspberry Margarita
Enjoy the refreshing taste of raspberries with this delicious cocktail. It is a sweet addition to you summer BBQ.
1 can of frozen limeade
1 bottle of light beer
2/3 can of Sauza Blanco tequila
1/3 can of Dekuyper raspberry liqueur
1 can of water
Pour limeade into pitcher with ice. Fill limeade can with Sauza Blanco and Dekuyper raspberry liqueur pour into pitcher. Fill limeade can with water pour into pitcher. Add fresh raspberries. Stir and enjoy. Makes 9 servings. Drink responsibly.
Pour them into gorgeous pitchers and use any glassware. Also stock your D-I-Y bar with colorful sugars and salts to rim glasses, and other great garnishes. I found these blue star bowls at Target on clearance. They are great for holding fresh raspberries and other garnishes.

Also, have plenty of other beverages on hand for guests that don’t drink. And, don’t forget the ICE.

FOOD

For the food, serve it family style---use big, white or clear platters and keep the menu simple. Here I’ve cooked up some inside out burgers, mesquite chicken, and yummy side dishes.

Recipes
4-inside out burgers - 4 big Kaiser rolls
Shape ground beef into patties. I season my organic 1 and half pounds of meat with a little garlic salt, pepper and a few shakes of A-1. You will need a top patty and a bottom patty. In the center of the bottom patty add your favorite burger ingredients. I like cheddar cheese, red or green peppers, and onions. Place top patty onto bottom patty with ingredients. Pinch sides closed gently. Drizzle with oil or butter. Place on grill.

6 breasts-honey lime mesquite chicken

Mesquite wood as firewood burns slowly and very hot. When used to barbecue, the smoke from the wood adds a distinct flavor to the food. This is common in the southwest and Texas-style barbecues,
I love this slow cook grilling method, but you can also make your own special marinade.

Serves 4 (change servings and units)
Ingredients
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Directions
1mix first three ingredients in a plastic bag or shallow dish.
2marinate chicken at least 45 minutes before grilling or baking.

Hot dogs and buns
Slice open jumbo hot dogs; and add cheese and ketchup, bake or grill on top rack. Yum.

Use grilled vegetables as garnish on plates, such as red peppers and onions.

Sides
Red and white cabbage cole slaw
Corn bread in a small cast iron pan

GUEST TAKE AWAY FAVORS and GOOD MUSIC

I like to add a conversation piece to all my parties. Check these out -- funny fly swatters that are made from inexpensive flip-flops. These can also serve as a great center piece in lieu of flowers… also make sure you have good tunes…create a summer sound track with a mix of songs so everyone get a taste of what they like!

For these tips and more great drink recipes click on FACEBOOK.COM/SAUZAMARGARITAS

Let me know what your plans are for this Fourth!

Jack Johnson: Behind the Sessions

2010-05-27T19:39:00.001-04:00

Almost every day for the first two years of my daughter's life we had "dance party" around 5pm in our home. Her favorite songs to dance to were from the Curious George Soundtrack. My wonderful husband is a part of the team that creates AOL's music show Sessions. He invited us to stop by the day Jack Johnson played. I am such a proud mama. Riley and her new friend Jack are caught on tape about :40 seconds into this promotional video.

We still dance almost every day and Jack Johnson is always in the rotation. Please share your child's favorite dance tunes too, we'll add them to our list!

And, check out AOL Sessions and my husband's work!

Jack Johnson: Behind the Sessions

Happy Memorial Day- Last Minute Party Ideas

2010-05-25T21:11:00.006-04:00

To find these fabulous things online go to Kohl's!

Flowers for Mom

2010-05-08T16:44:00.006-04:00

I have always been a huge fan of carnations. I think they add color to any party and, when properly displayed, they look as rich as any flower. I also love history, so I was thrilled to discover carnations are considered the flower of Mother's Day. It turns out Anna Jarvis, the "mother" of Mother's Day created the U.S. observance of mom's in 1908 to honor her mother, also named Anna. Carnations were her favorite flower.

Flowers are nice for Mother's Day, but so are hugs and phone calls. As a mom, I love just being thought of so to all the mom's out there I'm grateful for you. Thanks to my mom and mom-in-law, especially, for all you do.

Happy Mother's Day!

GOAL! World Cup inspired Soccer Birthday Party for kids

2010-04-29T14:43:00.014-04:00

I recently held a Soccer Birthday Party for my daughter's third birthday. This is a great idea for children ages three-seven years. 32 soccer whistles, 21 children, 19 soccer jerseys, six soccer balls, lots of bubbles, and one amazing face painter equals a fun party for all. The day was planned to be simple and enjoyable for all; lunch, soccer, face painting and birthday cupcakes.
If you'd like my resource guide, send a comment! I'm happy to send everyone all the where-to-find info on everything!

The Hot Mom to Be Handbook

2010-04-08T21:34:00.006-04:00

The Hot Mom to Be Handbook is an awesome book, not just for expecting mothers, but for anyone who has kids. The author, Jessica Denay, is a charming, witty and wonderful woman, who writes about life as a mom. One story she shares is from Elyse Wilk who happened to be 20-years-old and still in college when she had her baby. Instead of making lemons, she truly made the best lemonade ever. There are also great quotes sprinkled throughout the book, one of my favorites is " The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new".-- Rajneesh.

Her previous book "The Hot Mom's Handbook" is hugely successful and her company's website are amazing. She is a true dynamo. This new book is a pleasure to read, and if you are having a baby it is filled with amazing tips and treats you'll love. Chapters include fun tips for Dad's too.

Download it now on your kindle or buy it on amazon.com!

Let me know what you think!

Spring is almost here, but if showers have you stuck inside, use some flower power to bring spring indoors.

2010-03-12T15:12:00.020-05:00

Ah, spring fever. It seems to be everywhere. I know Riley and I have it. We are so ready for sun, except, well, it is raining, again. No green, no spring flowers...yet. So, we cooked up an idea to bring spring indoors. With the help of our friends Courtney and Lydia, we made flower cookie bouquets. Yummy and fun.
Here is what you need:
An old fashioned sugar cookie recipe (make and refrigerate overnight)
Flower cookie cutters
I found some ceramic pots, half price, at Michaels Arts and Crafts store
Baking sticks
Roll out the dough, use the cookie mold, three or four large cookies fit on one baking tray. Place cut out cookies on baking sticks, which are on the tray.
To finish the bouquet, we added Mallomars, Oreo's and Graham cracker crumbs as soil.
This makes a great centerpiece for an upcoming birthday or spring party.

Happy spring and happy friends and family time.

And the Oscar goes to... Family

2010-03-08T22:16:00.007-05:00

Maybe every year Oscar winners show overwhelming thanks for their family, but this year it really seemed like a theme. I was excited to hear how inspired each of the above actors were by their family support. If the best things in life really are free, these talented people were winners before the Acadamy granted them the award. Congratulations to all the winners and behind the scenes crew and talent for such a great show.

The Blind Side Party-To-Go from my Oscar Series as seen on E! (Part 4 of 4)

2010-03-03T15:11:00.017-05:00

The Blind Side Party Suggestions as featured on E! News Wednesday, March 3rd 7:00PM EST and 11:30PM EST.

Décor Tips:
Mini footballs made from rice krispies and a rice krispy football field. I ordered from Lady Fortunes. It is not to late. The turn around time is next day to your home. Ask for Alex, tell her you saw it on E! News.

Serve food on wheat grass squares, to imitate the real feel of a football field.
Food on the field: skewers of meatballs, bow tie pasta and a cherry tomato.
And, you can't leave Ole Miss with out trying Shrimp and Cheese Grits. No really, it is great! And, totally a conversation sparker!

Duke on the Rocks Bulleit Bourbon Punch (It is like an Arnold Palmer with liquor- yummy)
I suggest a very southern style punch created by my talented friend and mixologist Elayne Duke. She plans parties for tons of celebrities, including some you’ll see Sunday on the red carpet. You can check out more drinks at www.dukeontherocks.com.

Make this in a punch bowl and serve in Mason Jars.
You need:
Bulleit Boubon
Iced tea
15 lemons quartered
Three to four times the amount of sugar for each lemon depending on how sweet you like it. Basically it is about 1/4- 1/2 lb of sugar
Muddle to squeeze the lemons in the base of the punch bowl. Add the sugar. Muddle some more. This is like making fresh lemonade.
Then, fill the rest of the punch bowl with equal parts bullet bourbon and iced tea. It is that simple.
For a fun party trick you can make an ice floater to top off the punch and keep it cold. Freeze water in a metal mixing bowl for about five hours. Remove from freezer and take the ice out of the bowl and gently float into your Duke on the Rocks Bulleit Bourbon Punch.

Up In The Air Party-To-Go from my Oscar Series (Part 3 of 4)

2010-03-02T17:41:00.019-05:00

Here's a party even George Clooney would like to attend. Welcome to our Up In The Air eco-friendly party. Thank you for flying with us today. See video here.

The idea here is to create the "scene". Set up stations around your home that are signature items you would find when flying in first class (as George Clooney does) or coach (an area I'm very familiar with).

First, add a personalized touch to your Oscar party with custom made paper luggage tags to hang on your glass or mini Moet champagne party pleaser. These were created by my talented friend Valisa Tate at Valisa Tate Design. You can create your own with card stock or heavy copy paper and use an office program like Microsoft Word. We choose the Los Angeles airport code LAX and used all the folks from Up In The Air (hoping maybe they could attend), but you could type your friends names on each one.

Create stations of food around your home that resemble First Class food trays and Coach servings (you can seat your guests into these sections too, for fun)

Have Coach serving items as pictured below. Where everything is in individual serving packages, like terra chips (the official chip of Jet Blue airlines), Annie's bunnies, peanuts, crackers. Use a cardboard box found at the container store to place these items in. Use bamboo flatware and include a package disposable sani-hands wipes under the flatware. Again these can just be props around the house to create an environment.

Have a First Class section. This should be where your heavy hors d' oeuvres are. I served mini burgers (compliments of my friends at Prohibition in NYC) and a large cheese and fruit bowl on my first class trays from Verterra. Verterra produces dinnerware all made from fallen leaves, so very eco-friendly. Also in this area, have ramekins filled with warm nuts.

If you have great luggage use it as props around your home.

Have travel hotel soaps in the bathroom.

Instead of paper towels roll up napkins or washcloths on trays to pass around, like you would find on some flights.

Find a few mini bottles of liquor for your bar display. Here is a bit of trivia. Moet was the only champagne seen in the Up In The Air Movie. So I suggest buying their Mini Moet Oscar Pack, created just for Sunday! The top of the package is just like a film canister. This makes a genius gift also!

Give guests a gift to take away that even George Clooney would love, an environmentally friendly travel kit from Eco-Tools www.eco-tools.com. Green, Clean, Go!

Thank you for flying the Celebrate Everyday skies. Please visit again soon.

Avatar Oscar Party-To-Go Idea from my Oscar Series (Part 2 of 4)

2010-03-02T17:22:00.020-05:00

The next few blogs will contain what I call "Party-to-go" info. All the resources and ideas you need to plan a fast, affordable, but FABULOUS Oscar bash at home.

If you love Avatar (as I did) this party is for you! See video here.

Every theme party needs a GREAT cocktail.
Are looking to shake things up with your own Oscar themed party this Sunday? Why not try an original Absolut Avatar Cocktail? District Bar in Chicago, IL teamed up with champion mixologist Bridget Albert, author of Market Fresh Mixology, to create an out of this world cocktail inspired by James Cameron’s masterpiece and Oscar nominee, Avatar. Serve in Champagne glass (rim in blue sugar).
1 oz Absolut Berri Acai
1/2 oz St Germaine
3/4 oz Pineapple juice
1/2 oz Fresh sour (Lemons, Limes, Simple Syrup)
Top with Moet Champagne or Prosecco
Add all ingredients, except champagne, into cocktail shaker. Add ice. Shake. My friend and master mixologist Elayne Duke gave me this Party-to-go tip. Rim the glass in sugar with no mess. Here's how: cut a slice into a lemon just wide enough for the rim of your champagne glass to fit. Twist the lemon around the glass rim a few times. Then dip glass in sugar! 1, 2, 3 so EASY and no mess!

Food suggestions:
Terra Blue Potato and Stripes and Blues Vegetable Chips
An all green crudites- on a three tiered trey you can create your own tree of life from your favourite raw, green vegetables.
Organic salsa
Guacamole

Food and Decor
Suspend mini frozen potato puffs from miniature toy trees. I found this amazing acacia tree from Schleich at Moomah in NYC. It looks like Target carries them too. I used clam shells I found online at Delta Shells to rest the potato puffs and nestle in the tree branches.

I suggest serving Wolf Gang Puck’s Salmon Blinis on clear glass tray's covered with a blue stone, like these found at Michaels . The pirogues or blinis are from the freezer. I just make a sauce of sour cream, smoked salmon and topped with chopped chives.

Set the food a top glowing blue rope lights to set the scene. I used an old round vase that was about 21 inches high and wrapped this Hampton Bay Blue Rope Light found at Home Depot. You don't even need a vase, you could just rest your bowl right on top of the coiled lights.

For more every day ideas check out my new site www.celebrateeveryday.tv

Party like an Oscar nominee with these "INSIDER" OSCAR Party tips (Part 1 of 4)

2010-02-27T14:50:00.019-05:00

Here are some “official” Oscar tips from the party pros who plan Oscar Night. And, check back to this blog for my three "Party-to-go" ideas using themes based on the Best Picture Nominees; Avatar, The Blind Side and Up In The Air, so you can have your own fabulous bash. See video here.

This year the florals for the official Oscar after party, The Governor’s Ball, are all shades of purple. Cool water lavender roses- Deep purple calla lilies- Purple Orchids. You can substitute that look at home with purple hyacinth and tulips.

Maybe you don't have an invite to the Vanity Fair party, but who says you can’t have the inside scoop? You can sip at home like the celebrities with the official Oscar cocktail and Moet and Chandon champagne featured at this HOT post-Oscar bash.

The Moet and Chandon Golden Glamour
4oz Moet Imperial
.25oz Navan
1.5oz Passion Fruit Juice
Served in a coupe or Martini Glass with sprig of mint

Oscars.org has a fantastic website with some at home tips too:
Hosts print you’re your Oscar ballots from the official party site
http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/82/partykit/index.html
I recommend printing on nice card stock and having plenty of pens around for your guests!

Wolfgang Puck is the official caterer of the OSCARS and he has some tasty recipes he’ll serve the celebs Sunday. I tried out the Smoked Salmon Bilini's and added my own twist. If you are tight on time you can subsitute home made Bilini's with frozen ones or frozen perogies. It is all about presentation. I chose to serve mine on blue polished sea glass and square Hoya Crystal plates.

The best gift to bring to an Oscar Party, this year, is the Moet Party Pack. Created just for the Oscars, it is four mini Moet Imperials, 4 toppers (you can drink right from their cleaverly provided topper, no glass needed). No mess party planning may not exactly be a celebrity tip, but is sure is one of mine!

Stay online as my Avatar Inspired Party Ideas are next, tomorrow.

And, tune in. You can watch the Riva Events OSCAR Party E! News Segment at 7:00PM Eastern March 3, 2010

Mooooove on down to Moomah Cafe a new, hip, kid restaurant and art center in New York City

2010-02-23T16:00:00.011-05:00

Moomah Cafe is my discovery of the week. Thanks to my new, talented friend, Lara Paul, who created a really helpful i phone app called ikidny, that allows you to find any NYC kid friendly spot (including subways with elevators), I found a wonderful, inventive restaurant for my daughter and me on this rainy Tuesday in New York City.

Moomah is a delight for adults and children. The cafe features kid friendly foods like the Froggy Dipper and the seasonal Super Tryer. The Froggy Dipper is guacamole decorated as a frog face and served with blue corn tortilla chips. The Super Tryer features any 6 awesome offerings such as: chicken, cheddar cheese, Greek yogurt, cucumbers, dates, apples, bananas... the list goes on and on.

In addition to being a cafe, it is also a great spot to do arts and crafts. You can choose from a variety of art offerings to create at their mini art stations. Riley liked making the placemat and tiger out of construction paper! Next time we go back we'll find out more about the name Moomah too. Riley and I did buy a small cow, and now its name is Moomah...

My favorite part was the high tech Funky Forrest! Every Friday and Saturday kids can learn about how to make a forest grow by actually doing it themselves via a giant computer projected wall that responds to heat and movement. Kids have to water the trees to make them grow. The cool water, which is actually light projected onto the floor, actually moves when kids scoop it towards the tree roots. This is super high tech and LOADS of fun!

Moomah Cafe is located at 161 Hudson in New York City. It is open 7 days a week and the hours are online. I recommended mooooving it to the top of your NYC to-do list!

Looking for a Wedding Gift? Colin Cowie, Jeff Leatham and Daniel Boulud team up to launch Dom Perignon's new "Wedding Case" today in NYC

2010-02-18T16:27:00.016-05:00

Today I had the pleasure of attending a launch party for a genius wedding gift. Dom Perignon designed a bottle that can be personalized with your friends names, for any occasion. The DP unique and famous shield is engravable, something never before done, with the exception of Prince Charles and Lady Diana's wedding. Good company to be in, if you ask me.

The PR force, Nadine Johnson, along with DP communications director, Nicole Ruvo, pulled together a dream team of designers to launch the delicious gift. Colin Cowie created a bubbly, beautiful table with vases of mirror, inspired by the DP bottle itself. Floral designer, Jeff Leatham, dreamed up gorgeous calla lilies and Chef Daniel Boulud designed a menu paired with the champagne to bring delight to all guests.

Jeff Leatham (look for his show Flowers Un Cut on TLC March 5)

Daniel Boulud's amazing wedding cake dessert

Colin Cowie was a true gentleman and gracious host

The table had clear glass "bubbles". The details were perfect.

The case of champagne is only available at select stores. It can be found at Crush Wine and Spirits. Click to purchase. The special bottle takes about two weeks to engrave. This gift is great if you decide to go in with another couple to afford. It is a little over $160 a bottle for a full case, including an additional bottle with the special engraving on the the iconic shield.

D-I-Y Indoor Fun with kids of all ages

2010-02-14T22:23:00.005-05:00

D-I-Y Stay at Home Fun
For more info and other kid friendly ideas go to www.celebrateeveryday.tv

As featured on GOOD DAY NY Monday, February 14th around 9:40 AM EST

http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/good_day_ny/fun-kid-crafts-100215

Activities
AGES:
3-5
Indoor Picnic Puppet Theatre
Items needed for picnic:
Picnic blanket, old sheet or large towel
Snack items: Popcorn, Annie’s bunnies, carrot sticks and veggie dip, homemade cookies and Zen Soy pudding www.zensoy.com
Recycled utensils/plates/cups
Puppet Show Items:
Socks
Paper bags
Construction paper
Yarn
Self-adhesive Googley eyes
Glue
Scissors

Inspiration:
You will need a few books. Use a book about Presidents or story from one of your favorite bedtime books. Since it is President’s Day we decided to take a trip thru history and make Abe and Mary Todd Lincoln puppets.
Make the puppets together with the stories in mind. Create characters that your kids really enjoy reading about. Have the puppets act out a story line in the book.

Serve snacks at this festive, indoor picnic show hosted in your own living room!

6-8
Hands on activities

Make your own hot chocolate stand-indoors
Using boxes or pre-made stand from cardboard design www.cardboarddesign.com you can create your very own hot chocolate stand.
Items needed:
Stickers
(We used dot stickers from www.giggle.com)
Acrylic Paint
Brushes
Cardboard boxes or design from Cardboard design
Hot chocolate
Cups/mugs
Fake money and a shoebox cash register

How to Make A Recycled Shoe Box Cash Register
Paint the shoebox desired color, and let dry or cover with a large sheet of construction paper found at www.Michaels.com
If covering with construction paper, use a ruler and pencil, measure and trace a gray piece of paper to fit the sides, top and bottom of the box. Use a piece of card stock and create a triangle to fit on top of the shoe box. Attach with double stick tape. Cut out the cash register numbers by tracing a circle. (Use the bottom of a small glass to trace perfect circles). Write in your numbers 0-9 and glue onto the box.
Cut letters to spell cash register from magazines and glue to these letters next to the opening of the shoebox
Use crayons to draw dollar signs on the top center of the shoebox.
For this activity kids can learn about the exchange of goods and services and denominations of money.

Activities 9-12

Science experiment--LED Flowers
Compliments of Sony Wonder Lab
http://wondertechlab.sony.com/

Items needed (found at hardware store)
High intensity LEDs (one per project)
6-8 fiber plastic cable (mimcs fiber optics) shrink tubed to each LED
Colored cellophane sheets
Scotch tape
3V battery holder and connector
Wire strippers and wire cutters
Pipe cleaners (preferably green)
Scissors
Plastic cups with precut hole in center of bottom base
Electrical tape

Begin project by having kids choose which color flowers they’d like to make. Cut 8x 10 sheet in half-length wise into 4x5 sheets. Fold 4x5 sheets in 4 and snip the corner edge to reveal a hole in the center when the cellophane is unfolded. Children may also opt to add leave on the base using the same process with green cellophane.
Explain the structure of the LED/ fiber optic assembly. LEDs are an energy efficient and “green” light source lasting infinitely longer than incandescent light and requiring far less energy to power. Electricity in an LED flows from the anode (positive end) to the cathode (negative end)- the longer leg of the LED is usually the anode making the shorter leg the cathode. You can use this configuration to connect the power source accurately. Red wire is anode while black is cathode.
Have kids carefully slip LEDs into the hole at the base of the cup. LED leads should be positioned straight down neatly so as to slide easily into the hole. Put the cup aside.
Have kids take a wire stripper to strip the battery connector wires and wind them around the appropriate legs of the LED. Before wrapping ensure the LED leads are spread far apart from each other and that the battery wires are not touching- or the circuit may short and burn out the LED. Make sure kids work neatly and carefully here as the LED leads can snap off easily if they are bent back and forth too frequently.
Give each kid 2 AA batteries and have them insert them into the battery holder. Be sure they follow the indications for positive and negative terminal placement.
Connect the battery holder to the LED to see if it works and the light turns on. If there are issues- check to make sure the connection is correct and that the wires are making good contact with the LED leads. Sometimes the wires are marked incorrectly on the battery connectors so try switching the connections. Other issues may be that the batteries are dead or improperly placed in holder. Also damage may have occurred to the LED leads or the LED itself may have shorted or malfunctioned.
Once the LED is connected and lit properly- tape the battery holder with the connector side facing down to the inside of the cup using electrical tape. Cover the base of the cup with a piece of cardboard or poster board cut in a circle and tape to the sides of the cup.
After the base is properly positioned you may want to wind a piece of pipe cleaner around the base to keep the fiber optics from falling over. Tape can also be used in place of pipe cleaners. If leaves are desired thread them through the top of the fiber optic cables to the base and then wind pipe cleaners around to hold them in place.
Now to make the flowers- choose two fiber optic threads and slip the cellophane pieces over to the desired spot. Have some scotch tape strips ready and tape the base of the cellophane to the fiber optics. Cellophane can be folded any way desired. Repeat for all fiber optic cables using 2 per flower.
The final step is to clip the ends of the fiber optics per flower. One suggestion is to make them varying lengths. Kids can also take their scissors and gently press the cables in varying spots (without fully cutting them) to allow light to pass. In essence this is “damaging” the cable allowing light to escape before it reaches the tip. TIP: When cutting tips of cable- try to create a clean flat cut (no angles) so light passes through easily.

Eat Your Heart Out...

2010-02-09T00:00:00.011-05:00

Here are a few crafty edibles that you can make this weekend with your honey, sweet child or best friend in celebration of Valentine's Day and the Chinese New Year.
As seen on WNBC's LXTV Monday Segment

Gifts don’t always have to be expensive, just thoughtful. And, with these crafts I encourage you to partner with a friend or your child to create. Sometimes the true gift is time spent together one-on-one. Food for thought...

Heart Shaped Brownie or chocolate cookie pops on a "bed of roses". Take brownie mix and use a cupcake mold. Once cupcakes are cooled and taken out of mold add baker sticks and that's all you need for this quick indoor treat.

Roses Picture Frame- hand made using an old frame and dried flowers left over from Valentine's Day. I took a hot glue gun, and after I trimmed the rose heads off the stems, I attached them to the frame.

Crazyoleez heart crayons- This is great new gift idea instead of a cards. It is multi purpose and super fun. It is all the colors of a crayon box in one crayon. We used it to make our hand made cards. www.gocrazyoleez.com

Pink and Red Mini Heart Shaped Sugar Cookies in a mason jar (great for a gift to give to teachers). I found a super tiny heart mold and we made sugar cookies and sprinkled them with red and pink sugar crystals. We placed them in a mason jar and tied a red and white ribbon around the lid.

Hand Made Cards from ribbon and paper. We used the 3-D foam tape to give our hearts a true lift. Also, we took some left over holiday decor and made new cards for this Valentine's Day.

The Be Mine Card is a heart collage of family photos –it is so easy now to print out your digital photos and this is a great gift for the grandparents and friends.

Personalized photo stamps from www.zazzle.com add a nice finished touch. They have Chinese New Year Heart stamps too. Zazzle also creates almost anything in a personalized form. Check out the iphone cases! Super cool.

Michaels Arts and Crafts sells the Frog mail box for cards.

A rock and roll heart bedazzled jacket that kids and moms can do as a fun craft together with just beads and glue and an old jean jacket. The one here is from Nimbus Nine Fashions in Long Island.

Heart Sandwiches with heart healthy bread- Williams Sonoma makes a heart shaped sandwich cutter that is a treat! We used Spelt and walnut, cranberry bread.

And, as we celebrate our love for family this Valentine’s Day, send some love to others in need:
in the spirit of love I thought I'd mention some really awesome local things kids can do to give back more love to their community.

The comedy hall of fame is based in Long Island and teaches laughter in underprivileged schools, they need donations.
http://www.comedyhalloffame.com

Www.MaxCure.org based in New Jersey- Their mission is to underwrite a one of its kind cell therapy lab at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center dedicated to treating and researching pediatric cancers. The Max Cure Foundation was established in honor of their then four year old son Max who was diagnosed with cancer in 2007. Thankfully, Max is in remission today, but the crusade of The Max Cure Foundation has just begun. If you would like to donate to Team Max Cure, please go to Maxcure.org.

And to find out some places your children can volunteer please check out

http://mommypoppins.com/ny-kids/how-to-volunteer-with-your-children-in-nyc
http://www.volunteermatch.org/volunteers/resources/
http://www.newyorkcares.org/ (they are a great organization!)

(Almost guilt free) Valentine's Day Desserts

2010-02-05T19:19:00.013-05:00

Make me a great dessert and I’ll show you the way to my heart! Here we have a decadent dessert list that will steal your heart, but not your waistline this Valentine’s Day.
Decadent Desserts (that are not so decadent) as featured on E! News.

Two Layer Chocolate Pudding Cake with Zen Soy Pudding Icing
(125 calories per slice or if you use a pudding layer between each cake 135 calories) VS 235 per average chocolate cake with chocolate icing

The SECRET:
There is no dairy in the recipe, this cuts calories. And, we used zen soy pudding to ice and layer the cake.

Ingredients
1 1/2 Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon vinegar
6 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup cold water
6 four packs of ZenSoy Organic Chocolate Pudding for layers and on top of cake.

Preheat your oven to 350°F.__Measure all the dry ingredients into an 8 or 9-inch round or square cake pan. Blend these together thoroughly with a fork and scoop out three holes, or indentations.__Pour the vanilla into the first hole, the vinegar into the second, and the vegetable oil into the third.__Take the cup of cold water and pour it directly over everything in the pan. Stir all the ingredients together with your fork until they are well blended.__Bake for 30 to 40 minutes.
Once cooled, Use 6 four-packs of super-rich, low-fat ZenSoy Organic Chocolate Soy Pudding to create dramatic layers & ice the deceptively sinful cake!

Irresistible Dulce de Leche Cheesecake
200 calories per slice vs range of 257-582 calories for regular cheesecake

The SECRET:
We used Reduced Fat Cream Cheese and Splenda instead of sugar.

Ingredients
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3 (8 ounce) packages reduced fat cheese
1 cup SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
1/2 cup reduced fat milk
1/2 cup dulce de leche

Serves: 1 (9 inch) cheesecake
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour 5 Minutes

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Mix crust ingredients together, and press into a 9-inch springform pan. Place pan on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.
Reset oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
Beat cream cheese, SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener and flour together until well mixed and smooth. Add vanilla and mix until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix until smooth. Add milk and mix until well blended.
Measure _ cup of the cheesecake batter and pour into a small bowl. Add dulce de leche and stir until well combined.
Pour plain batter over crust. Top with dulce de leche batter by placing rounded spoonfuls over the cheesecake batter and gently swirl into plain batter with the tip of knife or spatula.
Bake 45-55 minutes or until center is almost set. Remove from oven and gently run metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cheesecake (this helps prevent cracking). Let cool 20-25 minutes before covering and placing in the refrigerator. Refrigerate 4- 6 hours or overnight before serving.

Almost No Fat Tiramisu
265 calories per serving vs 602 in a normal tiramisu

The SECRET:
Coffee and Vanilla yogurt are used in place of the traditional recipe's egg yolks.

Ingredients
Coffee Low Fat Yogurt, 8-ounce container
Vanilla Low Fat Yogurt, 8-ounce container
Whipped Cream Cheese, 2 ounces (half of a 4-ounce container)
Confectioners' Sugar, 1 tbs
Sponge type Ladyfingers, 3-to 4 (1/2 ounce package)
Coffee Flavor Liquor (optional), 2 tbs
Instant Espresso Coffee Powder, 2 tsp
AMARETTI Cookies, 3/4 cup (6 pairs of cookies) coarsely crushed
Frozen light whipped topping, 1-1/2 cups thawed (about _ of an 8-ounce container)
Unsweetened cocoa for garnish

Directions
In small bowl, with rubber spatula, mix coffee and vanilla yogurts.
Place large paper coffee filter in small metal strainer set over small bowl.
Spoon yogurt mixture into coffee filter; place in refrigerator.
Let yogurt mixture stand 2 hours (whey will drip into bowl and yogurt will be slightly thickened).
Remove yogurt mixture from refrigerator and discard liquid in bowl.
Spoon yogurt mixture into bowl.
Stir in whipped cream cheese and 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar until well blended. Set aside.
Separate ladyfingers into halves.
Cut each half crosswise in half and place in jelly-roll pan.
In small bowl, stir together coffee-flavor liqueur, instant espresso-coffee powder, 1/4 cup hot tap water, and 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar (if not using coffee-flavor liqueur, increase hot tap water to 1/3 cup and espresso-coffee powder to 1 tablespoon).
Brush ladyfingers on both sides with espresso mixture.
In each of six 8-ounce parfait glasses, layer 4 pieces of ladyfinger, 1 scant tablespoon crushed amoretti cookies, 2 tablespoons yogurt mixture, and 1 heaping tablespoon whipped topping.
Repeat layering one more time.
Sprinkle with cocoa if you like.
Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve.

Banana Delight
140 calories per serving vs Bananas Foster at 355 calories
Ingredients:

The SECRET:
Portion size. We used half a banana and kept it simple. This is a big favorite from the Weight Watchers Diet Plan used by big name celebrities.

1/2 Banana
1 Tablespoon of your favorite light butter
1 Teaspoon of Sugar
Vanilla, caramel or rum
Melt the butter and sugar in a fry pan until blended (but not burnt).
Cut the banana in half long way and sauté each side until just light brown.
Put the sautéed bananas on a plate.
In another plate mix the sauce and add 3 drops of vanilla (or caramel, or rum) to the sauce.
Pour the sauce over the banana.

If you can, this Valentine's Day, give your loved ones the gift of a home made dessert. It is thoughtful, often less processed and can be heart healthy, especially if you make it with your kids!

Please share your favorite Valentine's Day food stories with me, both past and present! I'd love to hear them. Bon Appetit!

Backwards Birthday Idea

2010-01-05T00:17:00.007-05:00

Start the party in your PJ’s. Guests get a wake up call to arrive for this early party. And, you don't have to actually sleep over. I suggest a 10am beginning, so you can end by 1pm!
On your special day, have your cake and eat it too--first! This is a chocolate butterfly pudding cake (recipe compliments of Susan Howard, my down south aunt) It is a Devils Food Cake Mix Box –1 cup water, half a cup oil and add a small package of instant chocolate pudding. It makes the cake very moist. Here I'm serving it with mini puddings and whipped cream. It is a great way to start your day once a year:)
For our mini moguls we have some fun activities like “decorate your own airplane” or “make your own rocket”. These are environmentally friendly cardboard toys you can put together then personalize just for you. Sisi, my designer, painted the airplane, I have stickers for the rocket. You can find these items at cardboard design.com or at giggle in NYC. Anytime you can encourage a child to create or express themselves with art it empowers them and helps their self esteem.
What would a reverse sleepover be without pillows? So, I have a few pillow cases some glitter, felt, fabric glue, stencils, and fabric markers for everyone to make their own personalized pillowcase. No snoozers here at this party!
The movie of the day is... (choose your child's favorite) and everyone gets gourmet popcorn. I have truffle oil, chocolate, Italian, Parmesan cheese, and nacho cheddar. Something for everyone!
And, last but not least, we will end the day with a mini breakfast pizza. I’ve taken frozen mini pizzas baked them with potatoes, eggs and bacon bits and a little extra cheddar cheese for a yummy way to finish off this backwards day:)

This was shown on NBC's LX TV Live on their Mommy Monday section.

Let me know your favorite children's birthday ideas!

Keep it SIMPLE this New Year

2010-01-01T21:28:00.002-05:00

If you are like me and try to squeeze every last drop of time out of the day then let me give you one more thing to make life easier in this new year. When I entertain I pre-batch my cocktails. I try to make them earlier in the day or the evening before my parties, but that's not my secret. My secret is Stirrings Simple Syrup. I discovered it at Fairway this holiday season, and WOW, is it awesome. Sure, simple syrup is just sugar and water, but the time it takes for me to make it on the stove adds up. I also squeeze my limes with a citrus press. My fresh pomegranate Margarita's are now even better, because they take less time to make.

1 1/2 oz Tequila
2oz Pomegranate liquor
1/2oz Grand Marnier
2-4 limes for fresh squeezed lime juice
1 1/2oz simple syrup

My tip for this New Year is to keep it simple in every area of your life!

Cheers and Happy New Year!

Send me your "MOM" time saving tips for me to share on LXTV's Mommy Mondays segment!

New Year's Party Style

2009-12-29T10:12:00.008-05:00

Do you ever find yourself in search of the perfect dress or blouse to wear? Well, I want to share my new discovery for "instant party style" compliments of designer Rickie Freeman for Teri Jon.

From day...

to night...

Her versatile styles are fashionable, functional, affordable, and most of all comfortable! I had the great pleasure to wear these fun and festive looks for my WNBC LXTV segment during the Rockefeller Tree lighting ( a personal dream come true, so thank you LXTV team), the Inside Edition segment on holiday office parties, the Better TV episode on cost saving tips for home entertaining and the Riva Events' produced bash on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange for the Founders Club. Thank you Ms. Freeman for helping me look and feel so fabulous from day to night!

Last Minute Holiday Entertaining Tips

2009-12-16T12:15:00.003-05:00

35 Christmas Money Saving Ideas For Moms

2009-12-15T11:26:00.003-05:00

Happy holidays everyone! Melissa Chapman-Mushnick wrote an article on a few money saving tips for moms, so please check out www.SheKnows.com

You’ve got just a few days left to pull together stocking stuffers for the family, decorate your lackluster home with some festive trimmings and cook up some sanat-licious dishes. Instead you’re hyperventilating because frankly you’ve been too busy with your day-to-day mommy obligations to tackle your holiday ones! That being said we’re intent on helping you cut through the circulars and have put together a list of some last-minute budget friendly stocking stuffers, toys, food dishes and decorating tips so you can focus on keeping the holiday spirit alive and well!

COST-CUTTING FOOD PREP
Splenda (www.splenda.com) offers these tips for stress-free, easy on your budget holiday cooking and baking:

Be organized and plan ahead. Sit down for 30 minutes and think through all the aspects of your party. Make shopping lists and create to-do lists. By creating a successful routine and sticking to it you will avoid impulse purchases
Accept help from family and friends. Organize your tasks and when a friend or family member asks what they can do to help in preparation of a party or meal – let them be responsible for a project or dish.
Prepare foods ahead of time that can be warmed. Many appetizers, entrees and desserts can be pre-made, which will save you time and stress.
Simplify holiday beverage offerings to include coffee and apple cider as after-dinner drinks. Add a tray with creamer, SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener and cinnamon to allow guests to customize.
Use those holiday leftovers. Make a great appetizer spread – little tea sandwiches with turkey or ham are always a hit.
BUDGET FRIENDLY DECORATIONS
NYC-based event planner Cathy Riva (www.rivaevents.com) offers these tips for stress-free holiday entertaining:

Use materials you have around the house. There is no need to run out and purchase decorations. Get creative and use what you’ve got. This year’s trends include neutral and wood tones with items such as pine cones and pine needles. Consider incorporating these into the centerpiece you create.
Instead of involving kids with polishing the silver or something mundane, offer them a chance to own a project, such as setting the table or making homemade centerpieces. When guests arrive, highlight your children’s work so they feel appreciated.
Now is the time to recycle. Get rid of old holiday cards you have been saving for years, but use them in a special way. Cut place cards out of them so you will have one white side and one side with your card décor. You can also use scraps of gift-wrap to make place cards too.
Lisa Reynolds, RedPlum’s Mom Saver-in-Chief, recommends borrowing from friends. Instead of buying enough place settings for your party, borrow extra plates from parents or a friend. In need of a specialty serving dish? Ask if anyone you know has one.
Create a pleasing aroma without the expensive potpourri. Put a pot of water on the stove and add cinnamon, lemon, orange rinds or ginger. Simmer on low heat throughout the day, suggests Reynolds.
Wedding and event consultant Cheryl Jablow of Social Frog Designs suggests using candles of all sizes or colors to add elegance and a festive look and feel to a home. For safety, place candles in glass containers such as drinking glasses, flower vases, or even glass jars and keep them out of reach from children. Fill larger containers with holiday ornaments, balls, or pinecones.
Add a bit of texture and additional color by gathering small branches and twigs that have fallen to the ground or ask your local Christmas tree selling stand if you can have, free or at a small price, loose evergreen branches and scatter them around the base of your glass containers, suggests Jablow.

KIDS TABLE THANKSGIVING IDEAS

2009-11-17T10:23:00.008-05:00

I hope you can use one or all of these ideas to connect to your child this Thanksgiving. My two-year-old and I made the hand print, turkey tablecloth together and we had such a blast! It was fun to release my inner child and get messy with finger paints.

My team prepped the table on Sunday and we used all the ideas for LX TV, the new LIVE show on WNBC Monday. I hope they can help you have a little more joy this Turkey Day too. Thanks Jackie and Sam for your help.

-KID HAND PRINT TURKEY TABLE CLOTH OR RUNNER
Craft paper table runner or cloth. Use finger paint to create orange hands for turkey’s and glue feathers and googley eyes on for fun. They key is to stick to one or two colors that match your grown up decor to keep it looking complimentary.

-FELT PLACE MATS
Use pre-cut felt squares found at www.michaels.com . Make thanksgiving themes with ric rak, fall leaves, turkeys stickers, so your kids can make their own design. Another idea for place mats is to use construction paper and real photographs of your guests and laminate them for use year after year.

-FALL CENTERPIECE
The centerpiece is made from fall leaves. This can be a fun family activity if you plan in advance. We went to central park and gathered leaves and then pressed them overnight in a book or magazine. Add the leaves branches or add the fallen leaves to floral wire and stick in floral foam, those green bricks you can find at any most craft stores.

-PINE CONE PLACE CARDS
We glittered pine cones in a ziplock with glitter and glue and added a personalized card with every child’s name for the place card. These pine cone place cards can be used for the grown up table too and are great for family gatherings because they allow you to mix up your guests who always are used to sitting in the same places every year. And, when the kids see their crafts at the adult table they will gain self esteem when everyone comes in and says oh wow these are great!

-CANDY APPLE STATION
The candy apple station is just a fun way to keep kids occupied while you enjoy a quick bite. Take slices of apples place in a small bowl, then place caramel dipping sauce in a matching bowl next to the apples. Add a buffet of choices for dunking, such as candy sprinkles, coconut, mini m&m’s, whipped cream etc. The secret to great apples is coating them with LIME juice (not lemon) for a delicious tangy taste that works well with the caramel.

-VERTERRA PLATES
The kids table is set with environmentally friendly Verterra plates made from pressed leaves you can find them Whole Foods or Fairway or online at Verterra.com. The great thing about these plates is if you do not have enough plates to accommodate all of your guests for the holidays these look stylish and sophisticated, but are just a little more than the cost of plastic disposable.

-VOTIVE HOLDERS
I added votive holders we covered with burlap and raffia and filled with battery powered votives for an added touch.

-CORNUCOPIA BASKET
And, for additional décor I found this great cornucopia basket which I filled with fresh fruit and vegetables and mixed in my leftover leaves.

-TURKEY PUMPKIN
I have an orange pumpkin left over from Halloween I make a Thanksgiving Turkey out of a wooden kit I found online at Etsy.

-HARVEST FRIENDS PUPPETS
We also made a few felt harvest friends puppets. These we found half off at Michaels! Thanksgiving items are on sale so its not to late to grab a few great finds for less.

-TO SUM UP THE SPIRIT OF THANKSGIVING: GRATITUDE BUCKET
And, finally to sum up the spirit of thanksgiving I suggest a gratitude bucket. Allow the kids to go around and ask every adult to place what they are grateful for in the bucket and have the kids do this too.

THE BEST PART IS YOUR CHILDREN CAN HELP MAKE THEIR OWN SPECIAL TABLE FOR TURKEY DAY AND AS A PARENT YOU CAN SPEND SOME QUALITY TIME WITH YOUR KIDS AND GET SOME WORK DONE TOO.

Last Minute Family Fun Halloween Ideas

2009-10-28T23:59:00.006-04:00

Here are a few of the Family Fun Halloween ideas I presented on WNBC's LX TV this week. My designer Sisi Soestrisno created the delicious brain gelatin and place cards shown here.

Napkin ghosts with googly eyes
Mini pumpkin candle
Personalized bat place cards
Brain Jell-o with pomegranate blood
Bloody finger painted doilies

Serve up Monster Sandwiches, Scary Pizza and, cut down on sugar by serving Graveyard Cupcakes made with Splenda.

Chocolate-Chocolate Graveyard Cupcakes Serves: 18
Preparation Time: 15 Minutes
Total Time: 37 Minutes
Ingredients
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 cup SPLENDA® Sugar Blend
1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine cocoa and boiling water, whisking until blended. Set aside.
3. Combine flour, SPLENDA® Sugar Blend, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut butter into flour mixture with a fork or a pastry blender until crumbly. (This procedure may be done with a mixer at the lowest speed. Cover mixing bowl with a clean tea towel to prevent spattering).
4. Combine eggs, milk, cocoa mixture and vanilla in a small mixing bowl; add 1/3 of the egg mixture to flour mixture. Beat at low speed of an electric mixer until blended. Beat at medium speed for 30 seconds or until batter is smooth, stopping to scrape down sides of the bowl. Repeat procedure 2 times.
5. Spoon batter into paper lined muffin tins.
6. Bake 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan; cool completely on a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar or frost with Rich Chocolate Frosting.
Submitted by: Maker of SPLENDA® Sweetener Products
Nutrition Info (per serving)
Calories 180 | Calories from Fat 80 | Fat 9g (sat 5g) | Cholesterol 45mg | Sodium 160mg | Carbohydrate 21g | Fiber 1g | Sugar 11g | Protein 2g
Note
Serving Size: 1 cupcake
Nutrition information does not include frosting.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Just In Time For The Holidays... An Apron We Can All LOVE!

2009-10-28T13:21:00.010-04:00

Finally, someone has created aprons worthy of a modern 2010 woman with a retro feel. Sophisticated, Flirty, Fun and Fabulous! Check out www.SusanandVeronica.com. Their slogan, "Style Begins at Home", is so true. When I wear the Sugar Bomb apron, my personal favorite, it makes me happy to be in the kitchen. Bring on the holiday dinner parties. In fact Riley, my two-year-old, and I had a little fun mixing up some winter recipes together in our aprons. You can view below. This is the PERFECT holiday gift for any woman who has a zest for life, both in and out of the kitchen!

Family Fun with a Mouse!

2009-10-06T14:50:00.003-04:00

This weekend we were in San Francisco for my cousin's wonderful wedding. My two-year-old was a rock star! She enjoyed both flights-to and from. She adjusted to the time difference and approached all of our scheduled activities with joy. Our last day, we went out for brunch to a wonderful diner in Sausalito, Lighthouse Cafe, we ordered the Mickey Mouse pancake for Rye as a treat. I love this photo because her expression. She had no idea what to think about the pancake, was it a toy or was it food? It was just one of many great family moments we had this weekend that I wanted to share. You'll be seeing this pancake concoction made soon on www.celebrateeveryday.tv !

Many thanks to my husband who played an equal part in making this a wonderful family weekend.

Next, I'll blog about travelling tips with Riley on an airplane! I'd love to hear your special tricks to entertain your children on long trips too! Please send your comments.

David Stark's Inventive Event Idea...Post-Its

2009-09-22T23:28:00.012-04:00

Tonight I had the honor of accompanying my friend and colleague Selda Bensusan, of DeBeers, to the New Yorkers for Children benefit in NYC. This benefit raises money to support and educate the 17,000+ foster children living in New York. David Stark was again the event designer. He is famous for his inventive ideas and creative masterpieces disguised as events. Tonight he and his team did a spectacular job. The slogan of the evening was MAKE IT HAPPEN. As you can see by the photos. The New Yorkers for Children's event did just that. David Stark re-purposed Post-Its as event decor. He created a MAKE IT HAPPEN tree in Cipriani's famous Bellini Bar and adorned walls with the slogan, all made out of Post-Its. Bravo. I've been inspired to MAKE IT HAPPEN. Thank you Selda for including me in the festivities.

Today Show Labor Day Party Ideas

2009-08-31T00:00:00.006-04:00

Click on the title to be directed to my last minute Labor Day party tips as shown on the Today Show. I want to send a special thanks to my husband Marc for taking these photos and my team of talented, hard working staff, especially Sisi! Happy Labor Day!

The Last Hurrah of the Summer! Here is a Great "Oh Wow" Factor to Add to Your Labor Day Party.

2009-08-09T23:07:00.004-04:00

Kick this Labor Day off with a BBQ to end all BBQ's. If you are looking for an "oh wow" factor -I have it... or if you need a gift to bring to a Labor Day bash...look no further...

I just discovered this amazing "Pickle Guy". Horman's Pickles make every kind of pickle you can imagine, southern cajun, the new dill, honey mustard, horseradish, red flannel...well you get the pickle (I mean picture).

My favorite is the southern cajun and the kids will love the pickle on a stick (see video). These slices will surely spice up any burger you'll serve! I'm sure if you ask nicely Nick can ship you some before your sizzle hits the grill. nick@hormansbestpickles.com

Stroller Traffic: Me, Me, Me

2009-07-29T22:54:00.001-04:00

Stroller Traffic: Me, Me, Me

Shared via AddThis

Summer Birthday Card/Gift Idea

2009-07-08T13:03:00.009-04:00

You don't have to spend a lot of money to make your parents proud! In fact, for a recent birthday gift to my mother-in-law, my daughter and I created a fun family card that doubles as a gift she can display. We designed a homemade accordion card using 5x7 photos. We chose a photo of my husband and his mom when they were toddlers and I added photos of my daughter who is two. We used double stick tape and poster board, which I just folded accordion style at the edge of each 5x7 photo. My husband came up with the clever sayings that matched the photos. For the front; the line reads "You are one cool birthday girl" and the back card reads "Setting the bar high for generations to follow". We developed the photos at CVS and you can add type on the photos in the store. It cost about $9.00 for the 5- 5x7 pictures. Voila we made a thoughtful gift and it can be displayed in her office for all of her friends to see. I hope this can inspire you to create something meaningful as a gift for someone you love.

Rainy Day Fun

2009-06-05T15:15:00.012-04:00

Today in New York City it was a very rainy day. The kind of rain that soaks through your raincoat and whips past your umbrella. I know because I walked in it for an hour with my two-year-old.

To avoid the day being a complete washout we created a fun, indoor activity that would make both of us happy! I must give credit to my friend Jen Macaluso-Gilmore for the inspiration for our arts and crafts extravaganza.

When you have a small space sometimes you have to re purpose items, so I transformed my NYC convertible coffee table into a large drawing area. here are photos of my activity for this Rainy Day Friday!

I used craft paper to cover my table- one roll was about $2.50 at my local drug store
Crayola new washable kids' paint- the 6 pack was 4.99
Crayola washable markers (I already own)
Colored pencils (I already own)
and assorted crayons

For less $8 dollars we had an afternoon of fun.

Family FunTastic Weekend and My Summer Essentials

2009-05-26T16:25:00.008-04:00

Happy almost summer! I am so happy warm weather is here. Pool fun, barbecues, even more reasons to celebrate everyday.

This weekend I celebrated family time with 5 full days of sailing, swimming, reading and relaxing with my husband, daughter and in- laws. My father-in-law is a volunteer firefighter and on Memorial Day my two-year-old enjoyed watching him drive a fire truck in their Memorial Day Parade. It was a nice way to honor the memory of true heroes.

My favorite weekend moments are being with my family. We have a small, blow up bounce house in the back yard and it provides hours of jumping fun and laughter. Its one of the items on my summer essential list below!

Here are a few things that I love during the summer that I want to share with you!

Kid friendly sunscreen that's great for adults too
Bug repellent
essential fold up bag from patagonia
Snacks- carrot chips, blueberries, watermelon, yogurt smoothies
Thank you notes
Portable, inflatable bounce house
Kid's clothing with UVA/UVB protection
Bubbles
Sunflowers all summer- these are great gifts and brighten up your own home.

Thank you David Monn for introducing me to the JOYFUL REVOLUTION

2009-05-06T11:32:00.009-04:00

Last night I attended the most amazing event in NYC, The Joyful Heart Revolution Gala. Thank you to David Monn, Lifestyle Authority, for including me in the joy. I was inspired by the stories of abused women who have been helped by the Joyful Heart Foundation, founded by Mariska Hargitay. The evening honored Dick Wolf, creator of Law & Order; a show that investigates crimes of abuse, shedding light on a serious problem that affects one out of every four women. As the economy spirals down, the domestic violence cases increase. The event was hosted by Debra Messing and Chris Meloni. There was a special performance by Lupe Fiasco, Paula Fuga, and Sheryl Crow. I am grateful for my new awareness of a huge problem in our society and the people who are trying to solve it. It is exciting to discover a charity dedicated to helping all victims of abuse, especially women and children, to heal their spirit. I hope you now will join me in the Joyful Revolution-to learn more click here.

A lot of amazing folks donated their time and products for the event including event designer David Monn and his team, led by Lisa Archambault. Below are a few photos from the evening.

Three Everyday Family Activities Turned Into Celebrations!

2009-05-04T10:24:00.015-04:00

Celebrate Living!

Activity to transform: rainy day lunch
Transformation: Indoor picnic- take an old sheet and place it in your living room, or move your dining room table out of the way, and transform your indoor space into a fun, outdoor picnic. Serve finger foods like funny monster shaped sandwiches, veggie booty, ants on a log, and carrot sticks with guacamole dip. For dessert, pile blueberries and strawberries in mini filo dough baskets.

Activity to transform: exercise with kids
Transformation: Dance Party- choose a time to stop everything and put on music that will make you and your little ones move. I have a two year old and my family playlist includes favorites such as Jack Johnson, Beyonce, Reggae Randi, and Lori Berkner.

Activity to transform: laundry
Transformation: the Great Laundry Adventure- inspire your children to help out with chores like folding clothes, by turning them into stories. This weekend Riley and I went on a Great Sock Adventure. She helped me find all the matching socks from the laundry and mate them. We had a blast. She tried on all of mom and dad's socks and laughed her head off. It took a little longer yes, but seriously I felt so great from our laughing I wanted to find other fun ways to do laundry!

Dish and Dine -new video cooking website

2009-05-01T07:45:00.006-04:00

My friends at Stone House Productions have created the most amazing cooking website called Dish and Dine.

It is like having your grandmother's best recipes in one spot. Folks from all over the world load their favorite dishes and how to make them. Its a community too, so you can let people know why you love to Dish and Dine!

In this video I am cooking with my 20 month old. She's now two and she LOVES to help out in the kitchen. I give her lots of responsibility, like rinsing all the vegetables and setting the table. She is a huge help and it boosts her self esteem. I hope you find Dish and Dine a great spot for your family!

April Birthdays

2009-04-29T09:55:00.005-04:00

I love birthdays. I'm lucky to have to share my birthday month with so many awesome people, including my daughter. I spent all of last week at party after party...

It was such a fun time! We started off celebrating April 6th at the Metropolitan Museum off Central Park for my brother-in-law's birthday and didn't stop until yesterday at a new restaurant Fishtail. Somewhere in between I created a party for my daughter in central park with less than a week's planning time and no budget. We also attended a wonderful family fun party in Great Neck. Sometimes last minute parties are the BEST.

Happy Birthday to all of you fellow Taurus's (and Aries too).

Baby Shower Decor Ideas

2009-03-07T16:39:00.007-05:00

I sit here typing this with my own 22-month-old in my lap and, honestly, babies are such fun! The best way to celebrate an upcoming birth is with an affordable, creative party. My own baby shower was co-ed, thrown by a team of friends led by Elayne Duke, and it was one of the most fabulous parties I had attended! I keep that feeling in mind as a guest for every bash I create. Recently, I was hired by Hot Moms Club to help design a baby shower for Charlie and Brook Sheen in LA. Whether you have a small budget or big, my tips below still remain the same.

The most important ingredient to any party is great, happy guests. For a baby shower its the best time for your friends and family to shower you and you husband with LOVE! I recommend choosing a cost effective location, such as someone' home or outdoor area. To create color and set the theme fill apothecary jars or candy jars full of jelly beans, Jordan almonds, and fun colored candy from Oriental Trading and Economy Candy. I found amazing table cloths to rent online at Total Table. Accent with rental chairs in this fruit wood brown. Add your ipod music with some Motown mellow grooves and voila you have simple effective decor for your next family party.

For more photos check out US Weekly the March 14 issue and coming soon, the May issue of Pregnancy Magazine!

Gratitude List, Family First

2009-02-24T13:46:00.005-05:00

I was a busy lady last week and could not have pulled off my super-human efforts without a ton of help. Thank you to my husband and my in-laws for watching Riley while I was in Los Angeles. My team who helped me design and lay out all of the decor for Hot Moms Charlie and Brooke Sheen's baby shower deserve a standing ovation. Sisi Soestrisno and Berly Ellis are two of the most talented, hard working women who I love dearly.

It was wonderful to work with Natalie Klein and Jessica Denay of the Hot Moms Club too. I also had the pleasure of meeting a top notch team of west-coast caterer's Paola and Craig Petrella from Two Peas and Samantha Barnes from the Kitchen Kid. Total Table and Classic Party Rentals also rock!

One of my dear friends had a baby girl, Sunday, while I was in town, so I got to meet Maximilliane! Congratulations Vic & Tom. And, a big shout out to Nick and Jerianne for their generous hospitality, too.

I had such a wonderful weekend in Los Angeles that was topped off by an unusually pleasant airport experience. I'd like to thank the Delta Airlines Staff, the porter, Kamal, who has a baby about 2-years-old, JP the manager and the wonderful woman behind the counter who found me a first class seat on the first flight back to NYC!

Photos from the event are coming soon! And, send me what you are grateful for in your life!

Craft project for Valentine's Day

2009-01-18T22:08:00.011-05:00

One of the most creative people on earth, Darcy Miller, sent out a Valentine's day box last year that was the cutest thing I had ever seen. It inspired me to create my own little personalized box greeting. Here are the supplies you need.
Craft Scissors (I used the Majestic pattern), Elmer's Glue, a fine point red pen, 2 style of boxes from papermart.com; a 31/8x21/16x11/4 slide box and a 4x3x2 white tuck box, craft paper shred, $1.68 stamp, Hershey's kisses, shiny card stock or photo paper, velum and label paper. A paper cutter is a huge help also.
I'll confess for an over-achiever, time-stressed, business woman, with child this was a challenge to complete quickly. I would rate it a code red on the crafty time scale. I have to give a big THANK YOU to Julianne Austin, Laura Irizarry and Caitlin McGettigan. Without my co-workers I would have not pulled this off.

Print 2 different photos on glossy card stock, cut with craft scissors- the corners take a little work (thanks Julianne), glue on front and back of slide box. Create vellumn artwork - I just drew mine on plain paper- print on vellumn. I recommend using an inexpensive paper cutter to cut these sheets. Add Hershey's kisses and place vellum on top. Volia instant message Kisses from Cathy and family.

For the outer box, again, I did original artwork and made copies on label paper. Stuff with paper shred, I used red foil shred that I found at Lee's Art Supply in NYC for $3.99 a bag. You only need 1 or 2 bags - I sent out 75 boxes and 2 bags were perfect.

Add stamps and mail!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Connection through celebration

2009-01-06T20:47:00.007-05:00

I would like to help guide people to become more connected to each other. I believe connection through celebration is one way to a better life, cultivating your relationships and connection to family and friends. A vital part of a healthy lifestyle is the act of celebrating the everyday rituals of life; meals, games, story time, relaxing on weekends, that we have pushed aside in recent years. Carving time out of our busy schedules is essential to our long term happiness, something that is not found through instant gratification. So the next time you sit down for breakfast, lunch or dinner make it a celebration. Create a fun theme or turn an idea upside down, like a a breakfast picnic in your living room, Involve your family to help prepare the meal, set the table, don't be afraid to ask for help or offer to teach a new skill and open your mind to a new way of doing things.

I teach a class "How to Become an Event Planner" and I often tell a story about how I got into party planning as a career. It was because of the sense of control and instant gratification I felt once a successful event was completed. Now that I have a young daughter, it has made me reflect on "instant gratification" a little more deeply. We are in an age where almost everything can be "On Demand" your music, your TV, your video games. Is having such easy access to these things eroding our sense of patience and perserverance? So for my belated New Year's resolution I'm dedicating a day every week to celebrate, in my own way, my family. I hope I can inspire you to do the same.

Alpine Creative Invitations

2009-01-04T21:48:00.006-05:00

For the Engagement Party and my Mother's surprise 60th Birthday I went to one of the BEST invitation spots in the country. Alpine Creative, based in NYC. Here is what we created for the celebration. Its a 2-ply, square, two color invite. I ordered personalized stamps and extra postage was needed because I chose a square shaped card. They were a hit!

Surprise 60th Birthday Party Plan

2008-12-30T20:38:00.012-05:00

Over the holiday's I also squeezed in a little surprise party for my mom's 60th birthday. It was also an engagement party for my cousin Tim and soon to be cousin-in-law Jamie. Here is my party plan and a few photos. You can check out my Riva Events facebook link too for more photos.

My mom has worked in the Mobile, Alabama school system for years. She was a teacher and now she is a media specialist. She is selfless and very giving, so I wanted the party to really honor that. Because she does not like too much attention thrown her way my aunt and cousin's devised the perfect cover plan -another party, an engagement- so she could also HELP me plan the bash.

The two things I think are most important in planning an event are knowing your audience, providing fabulous music and quality food. That's where I spend most of my budget. The rest goes to decor.

The time was set for a 3pm party so folks could just drop by and be home by dark. (Its also a money saver so you don't have to provide a full meal) I wanted it to be somewhat casual since folks would be coming from other holiday parties. We chose a great seafood spot on the bay called Blue Gill. The buffet menu was crafted from their favorite foods crab claws, boiled shrimp, catfish bites and grilled chicken.

I hired an old friend, Lonn Spencer, who owns a FANTASTIC DJ business Azalea City DJs. Seriously, if you are planning an event on the Gulf Coast his team is the best.

The cake was so DELICIOUS from Butter Cream Dreams. I always buy a cake to feed half the number of guests I have coming. Most folks don't eat huge pieces of cake. We had about 80 people attend this party and the sheet cake fed 40 and we still had leftovers.

We had about 12 young children, ages 15 months-6 -years-old so i created a kids station. I bought a roll of white butcher paper to create a paper table cloth kids could draw on. i went to the dollar store and purchased crayons, stickers, activity books and markers. the kids loved it!

The decor was simple. The restaurant had a very rustic outdoor deck that we turned into a nice red and white cafe. I rented 15 gingham clothes from Port City Rentals, what a great resource to have in Mobile. I bought 40 balloons from Party City. I used galvanized buckets as my centerpieces filled with napkins, flatware and condiments for the food. I made composition books as an homage to my mom's years as a teacher and from oriental trading we had a few engagement items.

The most loved element of this party was a slide show that ran continuously throughout the party filled with photos of Jane, Tim and Jamie from all eras in their life. It was a fun way to ring in 2009. If you'd like more tips please leave a comment and I'll be happy to send you the budget and other ideas!

Happy New Year!

A celebration of the history of cocktails

2008-12-06T09:56:00.010-05:00

Last night I had the pleasure of a NYC night out on the town with my friend and mixologist Elayne Duke to celebrate the 75th year of the repeal of Prohibition, also our 21st amendment of the Constitution.

We began at Devin Tavern on Greenwich street. I had the honor of meeting Jill DeGroff, an amazing artist and wife of the legendary cocktail creator Dale DeGroff. Above are some images from her Cocktaillian Calendar. I was lucky to have my friend Simon Ford and new acquaintance, Brian Van Flanderan, autograph the libatious creation too. You can catch them on the new reality show "On the Rocks". And, if you have never been to Tales of the Cocktail, a week long festival, July 8-12th, in New Orleans, celebrating the history and culture of cocktails- don't miss it!

Handmade gifts can be the BEST!

2008-12-04T18:05:00.006-05:00

Thank you to the students of the Fashion Institue of Technology! I was a guest speaker at Professor Karen Middleton's fashion club this week. It was such a pleasure to meet students with passion and excitement for their upcoming event in April. I really love this handmade card. And, I hope it can inspire you to do more homemade gifts this year, I know I will! Thank you.

Gift Wrap Ideas (on the cheap)

2008-11-30T16:16:00.008-05:00

I find the easiest way to save money for is to plan in advance, be creative and re-use what you already own. Since most folks don't have a ton of time, I thought I'd help out with a few ideas for the holiday's that I hope save you stress. This week I'll show you some creative ways to wrap gifts. Thank you to Sisi Soestrisno for these great gifts used at the My Great Gatherings entertaining store.

Items you'll need:
Glue Gun
Newspaper
Dollar store wrapping paper
Old Christmas Ornaments
Packaging Paper
Scotch Tape
Pine Cones from your yard or Bed Bath and Beyond sells them for .99 a bag
Birch Bark or Tree bark from outdoors
Cinnamon Sticks also from Bed Bath and Beyond

NEWSPAPER CHIC-Wrapping gifts in newspaper can be cool. As a nod to our economic woe's, Sisi used the "Financial Times" a newspaper that has a nice pinkish hue. You can use your hometown newspaper too. They key with newspaper is to embrace it and make it look crafty. Once the package is wrapped instead of a traditional bow, add an accordion folded fan out of paper or cut snowflakes out of newspaper and add on top. You can also add pine cones with a glue gun for a few pennies more.

DON'T HAVE ENOUGH PAPER- Don't fret if you have swatch of paper that does not fit the gift, you can still use it. The present in the photo covered with a strip of birch bark is used to mask the two inches where the paper ran short. The present with the brown packaging material is also used to hide the lack of paper.

NEED RIBBON?- Use newspaper instead of ribbon this year. Strips of newspaper make for great decoration on your gift!

INSTEAD OF BOWS- Pine cones, Cinnamon sticks, newspaper, old ribbon from years past, old ornaments or dollar store ornaments look terrific on presents and your recipient will rave over how creative you are!

DOLLAR STORE DECOR- I love Jack's .99 store in NYC, but any Dollar Store has gift wrap, tissue paper and bags. So in a pinch you can always find inexpensive ideas right in your own home town!

If you have great money saving gift wrap ideas please comment on this blog for all to use!

Spinach and Artichoke Frittata Reciepe

2008-11-26T10:34:00.004-05:00

On Saturday I hosted a holiday party at My Great Gatherings in Annapolis, MD. I shared my favorite tips for celebrating an economical Thanksgiving and a festive Christmas! The caterer was The Main Ingredient. They supplied terrific food, including a wonderful recipe for a Spinach and Artichoke Frittata. I've had a lot of requests for the recipe below. They also had a FANTASTIC server, Connie King, who was a great help and a wonderful person.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and don't forget to take time to be grateful for the family, love and support you have in your life!

This makes enough for about 40 bite size triangles, hors d'oeuvres size.

Spinach and Artichoke Frittata
12 Eggs
6 cups of Cheddar Cheese
3/4 cups of Bread Crumbs
1 cup of melted Butter
3 #'s of Artichoke Hearts
3#'s of Spinach, frozen chopped is best
1-1 1/2 cups of chopped Onion
1 1/2 tsp. fresh Garlic
1 1/2 tsp. Oregano
1 1/2 tsp. Tabasco
Salt and Pepper to taste

Grease a 9X13' baking pan. Bake at 375 until firm.

MY GREAT GATHERINGS Holiday Drink and Receipes

2008-11-23T07:26:00.012-05:00

Yesterday I had the pleasure of hosting an event at My Great Gatherings. This is an amazing entertaining store with a location in Annapolis, MD. We had such a great time I wanted to share all of our holiday tips with you including my favorite holiday cocktail and my "Leftover Makeover" ideas for what to do with your delicious holiday food after the celebration ends.

My friend Elayne Duke, a fabulous NYC mixologist, created a special cocktail that we enjoyed. Its a fantastic drink made with clear ingredients that won't stain the rugs or carpet. And, an amazing catering company called the "THE MAIN INGREDIENT" helped me create all of the "Leftover" recipes below. I hope you enjoy for your upcoming celebrations

White Frost

1.5 oz Ciroc Vodka

1/2 oz Cantonne Ginger Liqueur (you could use Ginger Brandy also)

1/2 oz Fresh Lime Juice

1 oz White Cranberry Juice

1/2 oz Simple Syrup

Served chilled in a sugar rimmed martini glass

Garnish with Cranberries floating on top

Cathy's "Leftover Makeover"
compliments of the The Main Ingredient Caterer.

Mini turkey, cranberry, green leaf lettuce sandwiches served on a mini potato roll

Mini honey baked ham sandwiches served with honey mustard on The Main Ingredient's famous Pumpkin Rolls

Small baked Fingerling potato's stuffed with sour cream and chives

Sweet potato croquet's topped with a cinnamon and sugar dipping sauce

Artichoke and Spinach Frittata

Three easy, affordable, ideas for your holiday table

2008-11-10T07:49:00.008-05:00

Below are three fun and inexpensive table ideas for your holiday entertaining.

Table one:
Here I have a simple, white plate on a sparkly gold place mat. I've rolled my napkin and wrapped it with raffia and cinnamon sticks, which smell amazing! For my name card I've taken a snow flake stencil and spray painted it gold to keep with the burgundy, brown and gold color scheme.

Table two:
The "oh wow" factor for this table is that my place card is on a pine cone. Use natural elements for your decor and save money!

Table three:
I've used a burgundy or red place mat or table runner. I have a bowl of pine cones and a beautiful apothecary jar filled with holiday ornaments. The place card is an old Christmas tag on a brown "pope folded" napkin with a few dried leaves.

Holiday Decor made Simple

2008-11-10T07:36:00.010-05:00

This week, I created a big holiday presentation for a Live Webinar, my first ever. You can click on the link above to see part of it. I love sharing information that helps make people's entertaining lives easier. For your own celebrations this season here are a few tips; choose two colors, like burgundy and gold, and build from there. I made a centerpiece from Pomegranates, evergreens, leaves and cinnamon sticks. And, you can have your kids help make a centerpiece too, mold and bake chocolate chip cookies on a skewer add them to an arrangement of brown leaves. To make your own centerpiece you will need floral foam or oasis, floral sticks with wire (to attach leaves, which then get placed in the oasis) pomegranates and leaves from your yard. You could also use Christmas ornaments instead of pomegranates. Happy Holidays!

Fall Check List for Entertaining with Families

2008-10-03T17:52:00.011-04:00

Hi guys! It's almost holiday time and I am so excited! I love celebrating Thanksgiving, Hannukah and Christmas with my family in New York and in Mobile. Actually my in-laws came up with a new holiday Thanks-annukah, which combines Thanksgiving and Hannukah together. Its the only time the entire family comes in to town and sits down at one big meal. This year will be especially exciting as it's the first year my 17 month old will join us for the feast. My Christmas celebrations take place down South, and that's a whole different world of entertaining. So since I was just preparing myself for the upcoming celebrations I thought I'd share my preparations with you!

First, I pack up all of my spring and summer items -ugh my least favorite thing. Then I start thinking about what I want to do for the next upcoming season of events. I think for fall I'm going to jazz up my traditional brown and orange theme with accents of gold. I'll probably also use gold and white this December too.

I turn to some trusty sources to refresh my staples like:
Mashed potato smasher- Sur la Table has a great one.
This year I'm trying out a new three tier oven trey (and this makes a great hostess gift if you are dining as a guest) -Sur la Table also.
Wilton's mini pumpkin mold is a great thing if you love pumpkin as much as I do!
Bed, Bath and Beyond has a good selection of chargers- I use the dollar plastic ones, this year in gold. They also carry a variety of table cloths.
I'm still working on my centerpiece ideas, but maybe fresh fruit crystallized with gold sugar or a bouquet of leaves.
I'm obsessed with cheese this month. Check out www.artisanalcheese.com for some great ideas on serving cheese, as with anything presentation is key!
For the kids table, find an age appropriate activity that everyone can enjoy. I personally like giving all the kids aprons and letting them make their own fun at the table. More details to follow.

Ok, I'll add more to the check list as I continue to plan my own holiday adventures!

Cathy Riva appearances for September, October, November

2008-09-17T22:22:00.003-04:00

Hi if you are in New York City, Ulster, New York or Annapolis, Maryland please stop by:

"How to Become An Event Planner"
Learning Annex
New York City
www.learningannex.com
Monday, September 22, 2008

"Event Planning 101"
Suny Ulster
Ulster, New York
Sunday, October 5, 2008

"How to Become An Event Planner"
Learning Annex
New York City
Tuesday, October 14, 2008

"Last Minute Thanksgiving Tips and Creative ways to Entertain for the Holidays"
Great Gatherings
Annapolis, Maryland
http://www.mygreatgatherings.com/find/annapolis.aspx
Saturday, November 22, 2008

CelebrateWithStyle.com

2008-08-26T22:40:00.004-04:00

Check out tips from the experts on Celebrate with Style's website this month! I offer family friendly party planning advice for end of summer and the holidays!

http://www.celebratewithstyle.com/site/tips-from-the-experts-cathy-riva or click on the title link above!

Cathy Riva Plans for Everyday Celebrations

2008-08-19T16:14:00.002-04:00

Happy end of summer everyone. I hope your time was filled with fun moments and celebrations. I find that it all goes by too fast. In fact, now that I have a little girl, Riley, I think time has gone into overdrive. So, one of my goals for 2009 is to give time back to busy families and working moms that, like me, are trying to balance it all. Wish me luck as I pitch a new television show that hopefully will help spark the imagination of every parent out there and give back time to celebrate everyday with your children.

Summer BBQ Tips from the Today Show

2008-07-16T17:14:00.002-04:00

(CLICK ON THE TITLE TO SEE THE TODAY SHOW BBQ SEGMENT)
Here are all the tips you need to plan a fantastic, last minute barbeque. Save time and create a yummy, family friendly celebration with these summer entertaining ideas! Keep it simple. Stick with what you know- use seasonal foods, flowers and décor! Involve the family-delegate age appropriate responsibilities for the kids so they are involved in creating the party too.

Food:
Barbecues are the official past time of summer. Flavor is key to a good bbq, marinating and tenderizing are essential. I love a great marinade and I’ve found an instant easy way to throw together a last minute bbq. I use the VaccuVin Instant Marinater. It tenderizes and marinades any delicious recipe in less than 10 minutes! And, to keep your food from wilting in the summer heat use the Vacu Vin Barbeque Cooler Plate. You can find these online at sites like KitchenCoture.net.

Watermelon is a quintessential summer fruit- Use a melon scoop and create watermelon balls and freeze. Serve the frozen scooped Watermelon in paper cones and “voila” an iced watermelon snow cone treat that kids and adults will love! Serve these in an ice filled sand pail. Another fun way to serve this old summer stand by is to use it in a salsa;
You’ll need:
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup fresh chopped scallions
• 1 clove fresh minced garlic
• 1 or 2 minced seeded jalapeño pepper, or to taste
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 1/2 cup organic sugar
• 1 cup minced watermelon
• 8 ounces light cream cheese
• Whole grain crisp flatbreads or crackers
1. Heat the oil in a 3 quart saucepan over medium high heat
2. Sauté the scallions, garlic and jalapeños until toasted.
3. Reduce heat to low and add the raspberries and sugar to the pan.
4. Bring to a slow simmer and stir occasionally, for about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat to cool.
5. Refrigerate until chilled.
6. Stir in watermelon.
Serve
1. Place the cream cheese on a platter.
2. Pour some salsa over the cream cheese.
3. Serve with flatbreads or crackers.
4. Serve chips with the remaining salsa.
5. Makes about 3 cups of salsa. Serve it in an eco friendly TruBamboo bowl.

Bring summer to your back yard with this fun cake that you and your kids can make together and decorate! Choose a sandcastle mold with a vanilla cake mix and use your imagination for your décor!

Beverage:
A summer drink is key for your bbq, always have plenty of water on hand, and serve lemonade infused with mint, strawberries or raspberries. Save calories and instead of sugar use a sweetener such as Splenda. Use a festive pitcher for a stylish presentation! Also, have a couple bottles of white wine and a few cases of beer on hand as well.

Décor:
Presentation is a key way to make a simple party look impressive. Summer is the best time for Yellows- Marigolds and sunflowers are gorgeous and inexpensive. You can pull a bunch from your garden or local nursery such as plantnj.com Place them in a homemade watermelon vase for an “oh-wow” factor.

Serve pineapple pieces on skewers toped with mint and balsamic vinegar. Insert skewers in carved out watermelon rinds, trays of wheat grass or sand buckets!

Environmentally friendly is chic and hot this summer. Bamboo is the big serving ware item. Use bamboo plates, bowls, serving platters and flatware. Mason jars or cups tied with raffia can be re-purposed and filled with napkins and flatware.
The key to a great bbq napkin is size. The bigger the better. And always have handy wipes available too. To find eco -friendly napkins you can personalize go foryourparty.com

Keep the bugs away with these attractive rope votive citronella candles found at UncommonGoods.com or amazing anti mosquito lavender scented incense sticks by Artcade found at generalhomestore.com.

When attending a summer bbq its always nice to bring a little something. Any of these gadgets help put the sizzle in your friend’s bbq…Here are my favorite summer gift suggestions:

OutSet Magnetic Light for BBQ Tools This great new gadget is perfect for those who like to barbecue well into the night, as it functions like a mini-flashlight, found at KitchenCoture.net.
Folding Grill Tongs- great for the grill prep master! You can find it online at surlatable.com

The Metrokane Vertical Rabbit opens wine in seconds. It is truly an amazing gift. Perfect to bring with a bottle of wine to your barbeque! You can find it online at KitchenCouture.net

You can never have enough trivets! The Table Talk Trivet inspires conversation at your table! Uncommon Goods online has a great selection of all kinds of quirky fun tabletop helpers!

Happy summer! For more entertaining tips please Visit on www.rivaevents.com

For my Learning Annex Class the Celb website you requested

2008-07-16T17:12:00.001-04:00

Hi guys! Here is the link to the website that gives you a look at celbrity homes.

http://realestalker.blogspot.com/

Summer BBQ tips on the Today Show this week

2008-07-13T09:55:00.003-04:00

Hi! I'm excited to be back on the Today Show with some fun BBQ tips this Wednesday, July 16th in the 10am-11am (EST) hour.
Now that I have a one-year-old daughter I am including family friendly ideas with all of my event tips. For this upcoming segment I'm making a sand castle cake that your whole family can have fun decorating. And, I'm "late to the party" with my new favorite fresh multi purpose ingredient, but stay tuned on my summer citrus ideas!

Tea Party Ideas (part 2) with Tracy Stern from SalonTea

2008-07-13T09:54:00.000-04:00

Tea Party Ideas with Tracy Stern of SalonTea

2008-07-13T09:52:00.001-04:00

Cathy Riva Summer Tips on the Tyra Banks Show

2008-05-28T23:51:00.009-04:00

Cathy Riva gives Summer dessert tips on the Tyra Banks Show. Air date May 22, 2008.

Birthday Week

2008-04-24T20:09:00.003-04:00

Birthday's are my favorite day and my favorite celebration. This year was the first year I enjoyed the day with just family. In years past I would create lavish gatherings of people near and far, but it was really wonderful to take time out to celebrate with just the people in my life, who will be in my life forever. Now that I have my own family I realize the importance, meaning and responsiblity it takes to keep it "all in the family". I am blessed by all of the people in my life, but this year I took one day just to celebrate what makes me, me.

Cathy Riva at UCLA with Professor Marc Stern

2008-02-28T18:33:00.004-05:00

I was the guest speaker for a class at UCLA yesterday and it was amazing. I loved the students and learned a lot from them. I wish them all the best.

If you are interested in having me speak at a college near you please email me at

info@Rivaevents.com

Re-create one of your happiest moments at the dinner table

2008-02-14T20:33:00.006-05:00

In today’s fast paced culture our lives are so connected to technology we don’t take enough time to really connect -in person- with one another. Take this day as an opportunity to share laughter and conversation at the dinner table with someone you love; it can be your significant other, family member or best friend.

My first tip is to unplug. Turn off your televisions, blackberries, video games, and cell phones- anything that distracts you from one-on-one conversation.

Transport yourself out of your environment by recreating one of your happiest moments, or take tonight to create a new adventure, with these simple tips using household items, a quick trip to the grocery store and a stop at a kitchen accessory store like Kitchen Couture www.kitchencouture.net or Bed Bath and Beyond www.bedbathandbeyond.com.

Did you spend your honeymoon on a beach? Have fond memories of a fabulous ski vacation? Or do you dream of traveling to Italy? Here are three themed table ideas I hope you can use to create an impromptu thoughtful Valentine’s celebration.

Tropical Beach Theme
To recreate the beach feel play music that fits your own personal experience: For example, Reggae for a Caribbean feel. Something classic like Mozart’s “Forever by the Sea” also conjures up a beach feeling. Set the stage with a great smelling aromatherapy candle like ZiaSleep.com’s Aroma Natural Relaxing with hints of tangerine.

To transform your table choose a fun tablecloth in a yellow or a sand color. Paper clothes from the grocery store work great here, because it’s a “one time use” event and you can throw them away.

On top of the table create a beach scene. Build a mountain of sand by using household table salt. Two containers of Morton’s salt work perfectly.

Place one or two pineapples on top of the sand.

Use limes as tea light candleholders. Carve out the inside of a lime and insert a tea light. Then place four or five of these on the sand.

Roll up white paper towels or napkins and tie off with a piece of raffia or twine.

Concoct a specialty tropical drink like Pineapple Nutmeg Punch (1 part Cruzan Estate Dark Rum, 2 parts pineapple juice, 1/2 part lemon juice, 1 part simple syrup, 1/4 part ground nutmeg. Garnish with a festive drink umbrella, colorful straw and tropical fruit.)

Use your own flatware, plates and glassware.

For an added twist I suggest ladies wear something exciting that you wore on vacation and men wear a Hawaiian shirt.

Bring out photos from your trip and spend a little time on memory lane.

Winter Escape

For an Après Ski theme table start with a simple solid tablecloth like dark grey or white. Use candles and candlesticks for your centerpiece-finally a time to get out those wedding gifts!!! Keep the taper candles (the tall ones) a single color that compliments your tablecloth. In this case, white or silver work really well.

You can find plastic charges at your kitchen supply store- I recommend choosing the silver colored ones they really look great when you have a white plate to place on top.

For this meal, mix things up by serving bite size portions in mini spoons that you can eat yourself or feed to your partner.

Pull the outdoors inside, use bark from a tree to lend to your winter table.

Uncork a great bottle of wine, or open up a rich bottle of scotch, served in a Ridel stemless glass.

Put some relaxing music, on and -voila- you’ve checked in to your new favorite ski lodge.

Italian Getaway

Looking for an Italian Getaway? Start by creating the dream at home.
Your base tablecloth should be a nice medium color red. Stop by your local mom-and-pop Italian restaurant and offer a few dollars for a sheet of their restaurant paper to place on top of your red tablecloth for an authentic Italian feel.

Use a cutting board as your centerpiece topped with cheeses, grapes and bread.

Mix things up by serving dessert first. A yummy Tiramisu is a great way to start the night, if the dessert idea doesn’t work I have an amazing recipe for a Tiramisu cocktail that is divine: The Ultimate Tirimisu 1 part Starbucks Coffee Liqueur, 2 parts Absolut Vanilla Vodka, 1 part Almond-Flavored Liqueur. Serve in a rocks glass and top with whipped cream. For more great drink recipes go to www.4cocktails.com

I hope these ideas inspire you to create your own personalized holiday to share with the people you love.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Cathy Riva