Carnival Games

You've heard me tweeting about it and I've been pinning inspiration for it for months. Well, two weeks ago now, I through a carnival themed bash for this amazing 90 year old woman. But, let me tell you making the teal colored Jacksonville Beach Senior Center look like a  carnival was a task and a half. But, in the end everything turned out amazing! And, best of all, Bennie was beyond happy! Scroll down and enjoy some other images from all the clowning around!

 Remember that ring toss game I showed you how to make a couple weeks ago? Well here it is!

 How amazing is this photo wall? My grandmother's neighbor did this! And R and I may or may not have a picture with him posing as the bearded lady...

 Custom M&Ms adorned each table!

All photos courtesy of my amazing father Alan Ennis.

All Mixed Up {Signature Cocktails}

So, if you've been to a wedding in the past decade, you've began to realize that signature cocktails are all the rage. But here's what people haven't grasped about signature cocktails yet, they should be original. While yes, your drink of choice may be a Jack and Coke, but who's isn't? I'm thinking it would be totally amaze to go to a wedding where the couple has an original signature cocktail!  Which leads me to the purpose of this post....the Events Uncorked original signature cocktail! Trust me, I'm struggling to come up with something (which is probably why many couple do create original cocktails for their weddings...). So, I'm opening it up to all of you! Leave a comment with a recipe, and I'm going to try them all. Yep, each and every one! And the best one will be featured right here! Things could get a little crazy, but that's the sacrifice I have to make for a good cocktail.  I'm sure you'll ask what I like and what I don't so I'll just cut to the chase and leave you a list below....

{Likes} 

Gin

Rum

Vodka

Whisky

Bourbon

Champagne

Prosecco

Red Wine

Tequila

Lemonchello 

St. Germain 

Pretty much if it's a liquor, I'll drink it...

I'm good with all mixers (except those listed below)

{Dislikes}

Tomato Juice

Cucumbers

Bloody Mary's 

Peppers

Olives

Onions

Olive Juice (This is me eliminating a traditional martini. I am a fan of sweet martinis.)

Ready. Set. Mix! xo 

Delightful Dining {Stuffed Peppers}

So a couple of weeks ago I went on a little trip back home to visit my parents for the weekend. And being the good parents that they are, they sent me home with food! Namely their leftovers, but when your parents are as good of cooks as mine are, then leftovers are a delight! Anyways, they sent me home with these delicious stuffed tomatoes.  And being the food hog that I am, poor R didn't get to eat any of it. Feeling kind of bad for taking all the deliciousness to myself, I decided to try to recreate the recipe but with peppers. I had seriously thought the good cook gene had passed me by, but after this creation, maybe I do have it! Plus these are super easy, quick, and you can add whatever you have in the fridge! Here's what I did....

For the Stuffing (makes enough for 4 peppers): 

{1} 1 lb. ground beef

{2} 1 package taco seasoning

{3} 1 can Rotel tomatoes

{4} Brown rice

{5} Salt and Pepper to taste

{make it} Start your rice and cook according to box instructions. While the rice is cooking, brown your meat. When the meat is almost done cooking, add the taco seasoning and coat your meat. Once the meat is coated, add your can of Rotel tomatoes.  When the rice is done, mix that in as well. Season with salt and pepper. Stuff your peppers and put in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes or until peppers have softened. 

{additions} For those of you who don't suffer from dairy allergies, I do believe that a drizzle of queso on top would be delicious after it comes out of the oven. Or even better, right before you put it in the over, sprinkle some cheese on top and melt it in the oven! 

Get Creative...Escort Cards

Nothing makes guests want to find their seats less than some tented piece of paper with a name and table number on it. Get creative folks. Come up with something that will make guests run to their tables.  No one said you had to build a bridge for each guest, you can still write their name on a piece of paper. But, make it a pretty piece of paper. And, display it in a cool way. Like these people. I love the geometric, neon, hanging escort card. It's gorgeous!

No room to hang your escort cards? I love how these were printed on antique tags and woven through forks.  Plus, the best part is the sign.  Did you read it? How cute is that? Taking a completely different approach to escort cards by having no reserved seating! And the "Stake Your Fork" is the cutest play on words I've seen in a while!

What are some of the best escort cards you've seen? Do you prefer assigned seats or not at a wedding?

This Party Inspired By...Bars

If you don't know by now, I love bars. I think it runs in the family. But I have this new obsession of turning everything into a bar. Seriously. I'm talking champagne bar, trail mix bar, cereal bar, hamburger bar, taco bar, s'mores bar. The list could go on forever. And better yet, I have this new plan for my very distant future wedding, a bar theme. It could very well happen. Forget the passed hor d'ourves, I want the cocktail hour to be fill with a mini bar. Ha! Seriously, there was no pun intended there. I want a bar of all things mini. Fix your own mini taco, or slider, or whatever. Then when mini bar hour commences, I would like a full bar spread with who even knows what! I'm completely convinced bars are the party food of the future! Tell me. Love the bar idea or hate it?

Welcome to Fall

It is finally fall! And believe it or not, it actually feels like it! Maybe only for a week, but still. It's getting me excited for cooler, but not too cold, temperatures, pumpkin flavored anything, crisp apples, and cinnamon sugar toppings. I can't wait to throw an autumn bash, mainly because I'm really excited to make that pumpkin ice bucket. And even though I know temperature are going to reach the 90s again in a few days, for now I can get excited for shades of burgundy, gold, and oranges. And as excited as I am for fall colors to fill the air, I'm most excited about next weekend's trip to the pumpkin patch! What are you most excited about for fall? 

A Little Friday Lovin' {Let's Hang}

I'm a huge fan of hanging things from the ceiling. I don't really care what it is, but my first thought is to always hang it from the ceiling. I know it may seem a little strange, but nothing fills a space more than if there is something hanging from the ceiling. Think about it, if everything you have is the same height on tables that look the same, the room will only have one dimension. Hence why I always want to hang things from the ceiling. Plus, it will make a blah room look more festive. Take for example tomorrow's carnival. The room, which is a very nice room, is a strange shade of blue teal with a darker shade of blue teal boarder on the door frames and floor boards. Just slightly strange. But, since clearly they won't let me paint the room with red and white stripes, I'm hanging red and white pom poms from the ceiling. How do you feel about things hanging from the ceiling?