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Today I'm showing you the details for the modern cocktail party set up I did with
Found Rentals. I saw the fabric for the backdrop and immediately knew that it would be perfect for a cocktail party. The color is so refreshing and the pattern, so modern. I thought it would be the perfect base. The turquoise color matched some glasses that I already had, which also had bright yellow in them, and the color scheme was born.
I sent a photo of the items that I already had to Jenny of
Hank and Hunt (on account of because I love her
blog and style) and asked her to come up with an invitation. She sent me a draft and I thought the idea was super cool and the party took off from there.
I'm going to be honest, I thought I knew what the words meant when I first read them on the invitation, but I looked them up to be sure. Since I had to do that, I figured other people might not know what they were right off the bat too and decided that would play a part in the decor. What struck me about "foibles" definition was "slight flaw" and the synonym, eccentricity. And the part of "follies" that stood out to me was "a costly undertaking, foolish." Since my husband would say that most of my parties end up being a costly undertaking I decided to really try to make sure that the cost of the party would stay low but the look would be really cool and classy, and a little bit eccentric.
I stole the water in the empty wine bottle idea straight from the
Ace Hotel in Palm Springs. That is how they serve water to the table in their King's Highway restaurant. It might not be an actual wine bottle, but close enough that when I got home after my last visit and began trying to figure out where to buy one and found myself holding an empty wine bottle over the trashcan, it made me say, "duh." The glassware and napkins came from Ikea and keep the modern feel perfectly while mixing with thrift store pieces.
I decided to use all kinds of mismatched crystal, glass and silver/pewter dishes from local thrift stores to play off the definitions and not detract from the backdrop. I didn't know what pieces Found Rentals would have me use at first so I hoped they would work well together. I was really happy when I saw the black carts in person. They were so cool. The lines of the carts worked really well with the graphic pattern of the turquoise fabric. The yellow accents are carried throught with candy and cocktail stirrers. I freaking love the color of the Lemonheads candy for this party. The yellow is the perfect brightness and, for not a lot of money, adds a huge impact. I love the mini tasting fork from Smarty Had a Party that I had in the olives. The silver color fits in perfectly with the rest of the decor and looks pretty elegant while being being plastic.
My original intent was to have a few mixers for the vodka (which is almost hidden on the top of the cart) but keep it simple. When it came right down to it, those didn't make the cut. Allison and Jeny, of
Found Rentals, really had some good direction for the styling of this set up. Jeny actually went home to get the lemons (in my opinion, made this shoot) and Allison kept the carts from getting too cluttered.
This party was planned with my friends in mind. Several of them do not drink, for various reasons, and I never want them to feel left out. These
R.W. Knudsen Sparkling Essence sodas were sent to me as a sample and I thought the mock mojito sounded too good to pass up. The cans even matched the rest of the decor just about perfectly and well, sometimes you just can't pass that up. I will review the recipe at a later date and then I will add rum to it...
Again,
Meringue Bake Shop provided sweet treats. With minimal direction from me, Kristin came up with the perfect items. She even used a blue "disco dust" on the mini red velvet cupcakes.
I love how the lit tle pops of yellow brighten the whole table up. And a party is not a party, for me, unless there is music. I wanted the vibe to be cool, but really listenable. I am a music lover, but let's face it, with two small children, I'm not up on new stuff like I should be. I am lucky enough to know a real life Greek goddess, Anita McLendon, who is cooler then cool and knew she would be perfect to put together the playlist. Anita writes a really unique blog chronicling her stair walks around Los Angeles called
21,000 Steps in 100 days, and I hoped that she would have the time to help me out too. I sent her the same photo I sent Jenny for inspiration and she sent me back exactly what I had in mind. It's beyond good.
Playlist.com did not have all the songs she sent me. Here are the rest of the suggestions:
Boy Lilikoi | Jonsi
Beautiful Day | Mellowdrone
Scream | Ima Robot
Kiss Me At the Gate | The New Monarchs
Ride The Lights | Morningwood
Cover Me Slowly | Deerhunter
Holiday | Jason Falkner
Conductor 71 | Fujiya & Miyagi
The Suburbs | Arcade Fire
On A Beach | Richard Ashcroft
Bloodbuzz Ohio | The National
M'aidez | Sneakerpimps
Song of The Birds | The Janks
I will be having this cocktail party soon. I love it. I may even rent the carts...or unless my thrift store addiction doesn't subside, I may end up with something of my own. I better start concocting my cover story for my husband now.
Sharon
All photos are mine.
