GOIN’ COASTAL ~ A SEASIDE SOIREE!

Amy, from Amy’s Party Ideas, is back at it! This time, Amy is teaching you how to create the timeless coastal themed party. Her tips will not only inspire your appetite, but really inspire you to make the most out of what’s already in party toolbox. Just add a few signature themed items and make it a party! We hope you enjoy this special feature!

I grew up in Florida and we spent every weekend on the Gulf Coast on our boat.  We would cruise to a nearby island, and most weekends we would have the entire beach to ourselves as far as we could see.  It was such a beautiful place and when we had seafood, it was fresh off the local boats.   I have a tender spot in my heart for anything coastal.  So when I walked in to Swoozie’s and laid my eyes on their coastal line, I knew a party was in my future!  I hope you enjoy our Goin’ Coastal Seaside Soiree!

For our Seaside Soiree, we served a variety of seafood dishes.  We had Crab Salad in pastry shells (see recipe below), shrimp wrapped in bacon on top of arugula leaves, and homemade garlic butter with mini wheat crackers.  One of my favorite seafood restaurants on the Gulf Coast serves garlic butter with crackers as an appetizer, and I just had to make some for our gathering!  So good!

We also served a Crawfish Low Country Boil with fresh corn, potatoes and crawfish, and I wrapped sections of a French bread loaf in paper party bags & tied them with baker’s twine to round out our menu.  We paired our meal with a white wine served in these Govino plastic crystal wine glasses.

And to finish our meal with a sweet ending, I created donut hole skewers.  A friend made some for a dear friend’s baby shower last weekend and they were so yummy, I knew I had to make some for this gathering.  I added a candy crab to the top of each skewer to continue our theme.  Just melt the candy and pour into this mold.  Then place the mold in the freezer for 10 minutes.  When the candy has hardened, you can remove the crabs from the mold.  Then just take a little bit of melted candy and squeeze some on the top of your skewer and place the candy crab on top.  For best results, put the entire skewer into the refrigerator to harden the candy and secure the candy crab to the top of the skewer.  The kids really loved this detail!

I hope you are inspired by our Coastal gathering.  These ideas would be perfect for Labor Day or a celebration to end the summer and get ready for back to school!

As promised, here is the Crab Salad Recipe
(as shared by Rotricia Coley of CreateCookCapture.com)

Crab Salad Recipe (Makes 18 to 20)

Set the oven to 375 degrees and place wonton wrappers (brush with oil on both sides) in mini muffin pan and bake for 8 minutes. Let cool and store in air tight container if not using the same day.

Dressing: Juice from 2 regular size limes (or 1 large), grated zest from the lime. Add salt, pepper to taste.  If you like a little kick add a teaspoon of red pepper flakes, 2 tablespoons of olive or sunflower oil. I mix and shake mine in small mason jars in case I have extra and to save on dishes.

Salad: 1/2 lb of fresh lump crab meat, 1 finely diced celery stalk, finely diced mango (1 med size) or half a large, 2 to 3 scallions (white and green) and fresh chopped cilantro (2 tablespoons)

Enjoy!

Fireworks Tailgate Celebration

It’s summertime and our guest blogger, Amy, from Amy’s Party Ideas, is helping you plan the best, but most simplistic parties of the summer! Amy’s goal is to empower you to be able to create these professional, custom party looks on your own. Her latest party idea is a Fireworks Tailgate Celebration—just in time for July 4^th! Enjoy this special feature!

Every Fourth of July, we love to watch the fireworks!  In the past, we have fought the crowds to find a parking spot, haul all our stuff to the park, find a place to squeeze in and sit in the crowd and then wait in hours of traffic as everyone tries to leave at the same time.  But last year, we decided to tailgate at our parking spot and it was wonderful!  We parked, opened the back of the SUV, spread all the food out, and enjoyed a spectacular show!  So this year, I have partnered up with Swoozie’s to show you how you can create your own fireworks tailgate!

When thinking about a tailgate, you want food that’s easy to transport & will be good hot or cold.  So we kept our menu simple with hot dogs served in colorful baking trays, chips served in French Fry boxes, fresh fruit served in the most charming baking cups, cupcake pushpops, mini cherry pies & cherry strudels. I added a little chocolate candy red star to the top of the cupcake pushpops for a sweet touch! We also had a great pasta salad served up in thecutest casserole container you have ever seen!  And I love IZZE drinks!  Their packaging is the perfect color for our patriotic party!

Fun favors for our guests were red striped paper favor bags filled with blue gumballs.  We added a personalized sparkler on each bag so everyone would know which one belonged to them!  So fun and easy to do!

One of my all time favorite details for this tailgate are the personalized hand held fans!  They are actually offered in a variety of patterns and would be perfect for any summer birthday party or event but I just fell in love with the stars & chevron stripe patterns.  They are very sturdy and well made and can be used year after year…well worth the investment.

Bring a couple of chairs along & small pillows to make it extra comfy.  Add some drink holders that just stake in the ground and you have a great place to relax, enjoy some good food, friends, & fireworks this holiday!

Hosting a Confetti Inspired Celebration

We love hosting a fabulous party! Which is exactly why we are SWOOing over Amy Croushorn, from Amy’s Party Ideas. With so many fabulous themed party ideas, Amy is a professional at sharing ideas and  empowering women to create their own special memories for all of life’s celebrations–in a way that will look professional and custom made.

Recently, Amy stopped by our store and was so inspired that she put together a Swoozerific occasion. Check out some of Amy’s simple and festive tips for throwing a confetti-inspired celebration!

Choose your color scheme and keep it in mind when you are selecting your party décor, favors, & food.  In honor of Swoozie’s 12th Birthday, our color scheme was pink and orange with touches of gold.

Fresh flowers in pink make the perfect centerpiece.  I kept the flowers low and added gold sparkler letter candles to spell out Swoozie’s.  This same idea would be perfect for any sentiment or for the name of your guest of honor.

I took a store bought coconut cake and added a fresh layer of shredded coconut and some confetti sprinkles for a more festive touch.  Two orange striped straws were used to create a cake garland.  I took twine & pink sequined tulle to make a little pom garland.

I served pink Moscato wine in pink polka dot wine glasses and used Kate Spade’s Confetti Cards to create my placecards.

Add some fun favors with the Surprise Cornucopias, Sparklers, & Poof Balls to carry the theme all the way through.  And don’t forget to sprinkle your table with confetti to get everyone ready to party!

It’s our Blogger Holiday Gift Guide!

This year, we teamed up with some of our favorite brilliant bloggers to find out their favorite holiday gift picks this season! See what’s in their Santa sacks, and get a few ideas of your very own!

Guest Gifter: Courtney Dial Whitmore of Pizzazzerie: I’d pair this striped tray for holiday entertaining that also works year-round with this sign and some Christmas cookies for the perfect gift for my Mom this holiday season!

Guest Gifter: Shameeka Ayers aka The Broke Socialite – My holiday gift pick is the “Ornament Of A House” Coaster Set.
I’ve a group of 7 girlfriends with whom I’ve especially connected/reconnected via Facebook over the past year. With our beloved Florida A&M University as the initial common thread, we’ve become nearly attached at the hips. We’ve even given ourselves a name: The Starlights (don’t ask…wine was likely involved). Nearly every other weekend or so, you can find some or all of us sitting at the others’ kitchen islands or dining room tables sipping our “Grown People Drinks” (that’s what Trisha’s kids have dubbed our cocktails). These coasters for each of the Starlights will be timeless mementos that speak to our bond and can be enjoyed as we socialize with each other for years to come.

Guest Gifter: Joni Lay of Lay Baby Lay – I’d choose these tool toys for my toddler, Vivi, who loves to watch her Daddy and Grandpa fix things and always wants to “help you.”  She’d be thrilled to have some tools of her own!

Guest Gifter: Katie Rudder of Let’s Be Preppy – This is great because it can be heated up or used to cool drinks down! In a dorm room, it’s rare to have a kitchen or anything to boil water or a place to keep things cool. You can pop a Tervis into the microwave to brew your own tea or put ice in it to keep drinks cold while you pull an all-nighter at the library!

Guest Gifter: Chrissy Ott of The Perfect Palette –  When it comes to selecting the perfect gift for the ladies in your life, you can never go wrong with a pair of really fun shoes! That’s why I’m absolutely in love with Swoozie’s personalized shoe bag. Every lady needs a pair of fancy flats in their closet. Why not pair these pretty Kate Spade flats with this adorable canvas shoe bag? Plus you can personalize it with a name which makes it all the more special.

Guest Gifter: Amy Croushorn of Amy’s Party Ideas – I just adore this Snowman Punchbowl from Glitterville!  This would be perfect for my Christmas Peppermint Stick Punch

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Christmas Peppermint Stick Punch
1/2 lb. (1 c.) peppermint stick candy
2 c. cold milk + 1 qt.
1/4 tsp. salt
Crush peppermint stick candy. Add 2 cups milk and salt. Let stand in refrigerator for 2-3 hours, or until candy is dissolved – stir occasionally. Add 1 quart cold milk – stir well – let sit or serve right away in punch cups. Top each cup with 1 scoop vanilla ice cream and a “North Pole” peppermint stick stirrer.

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Do you have a blog, too? We’d love to hear from you – what are your Swoozie‘s holiday gift favorites?