Sip & Style Recap
Summer party season is here, and if you’re in need of help to make yours a success, Union Furniture & Flooring has it covered! We held a Sip & Style event earlier this month and shared our best tips and trips for hosting everything from a small dinner party to a large-scale graduation party. The free reservations-only event included cocktails and shopping, a quick presentation on how to create a beautiful summer tablescape, how to style a fruit charcuterie board, and how to style a kimono from dressy to casual. The event was fully booked, and we had a waitlist, but we don’t want to exclude anyone, so we are sharing all of our How-To expertise with you here.
Summer Dinner Party Tablescape
We used layers to create this lush green spread, and even though it looks intimidating, it’s pretty simple to pull together by following these simple steps:
1. Decide if you are going to use a table cloth or maybe a runner to anchor the tablescape. If you don’t have either of these on hand, don’t fret. We love the idea of using a scarf, a throw or even a small (clean) rug. We actually used a piece of greenery as a runner.
2. Next are the place settings. Layer the different sized plates that will be used for each course on top of a placemat. Again, if you don’t have placemats, you can get creative.
3. Top the place setting with a uniquely folded napkin. You can find ideas online through a quick search. We went with a flower shape.
4. As an added touch, we added a mini boxwood wreath at a couple of the place settings. Another idea is to use ribbon to hang a mini wreath from the back of each dining chair.
5. For the centerpiece, we used faux lemon tree stems, but added water to the vase to help create an illusion of reality, and we inserted some real lemons in the water to carry the yellow color downward and also add interest.
Large Party Tablescape
Again, we used layers to build our table.
1. We used a small, narrow piece of turf as a table runner down the center. You can find artificial turf at lots of garden or outdoor centers. If it’s not the size you need, you can cut it to fit. Another idea is to use a beach towel as a tablecloth or runner.
2. The trick to creating a food service table that looks inviting and interesting is height — you need service pieces of varying heights. Mudpie has some of our favorites, including a couple of adjustable height pedestal servers and a galvanized metal three-tier server.
3. Add interesting details, like this pineapple palm tree that we built using a dowel rod in the center to hold the pineapples in place and topped off with the tropical stem, or this salsa serving dish that we created by cutting a pineapple in half and digging out the center. We also painted the crowns of a few whole pineapples and just placed them on the table as is.
4. We created some “cup-cuterie” grab-and-go snack cups with pretzels, fruit, crackers, cheese cubes and meat.
5. Create a fruit charcuterie board that features a variety of colors and shapes. Begin by placing bigger items on the board first (this could be a bunch of grapes still on the stem). Next, as you add more fruit, be mindful of color. Putting space between foods of the same color creates movement. Finally, add interest with fancy cuts and folds, like an orange cut and shaped to look like a flower. For the kiwi slices, we used a cookie cutter.
Dragon fruit is a great option because the outside of the fruit is pretty and the speckled inside offers a nice contrast. We cut it in half and scooped out the fruit on one half and turned it upside down to lean the other half of the fruit on.
6. Serve a signature drink or cocktail. We created our own summer sipper featuring a scoop of vanilla ice cream, lemonade (fill glass about halfway full), Prosecco (for bubbles), a shot of Limon Rum Chata and a lemon (or any fruit) garnish. To make serving quick and easy, we recommend pre-scooping the ice cream onto a cookie sheet and keeping it in the freezer so when you’re ready to make the drinks, you can easily grab a single scoop and drop it in the glass. This is also a great tip when serving ice cream along with cake at a party.
7. Finally, we hung folded beach towels off the backs of the chairs at the head of our table to add fun, color and texture.
Be The Hostess With The Mostest
We styled a galvanized bin with all the necessities our partygoers might have forgotten, like sunscreen, beach towels, sunglasses, and cup cozies. Don't forget about those picky eaters! Who can pass up a popcorn bar? We purchased a big bag of popcorn from our local movie theatre, the Great 8 Cinema. We placed a colorful variety of toppings in these adorable miniature buckets and tied hand-written tags to the handles. A popcorn bar covers all the bases – salty, sweet, savory, sour.
Top It Off With a Kimono
If you’ve never tried on a kimono, you may be surprised at their power and versatility. These long, flowy, layering tops can be worn with just about any clothing combo — jeans and a T-shirt, shorts and a tank top, short dresses, long dresses, swim suit cover-up, over leggings . . . .
What’s great about a kimono is it creates a fun and flirty look while providing coverage for both your bum and upper arms (win, win!) at the same time. And because kimonos are typically made of lightweight material, they are perfect for all of your summer outfits, when your jean jacket or cardigan is too hot. Wear them to work, the winery, date night, Sunday brunch, church, bridal shower, bachelorette party, outdoor wedding, the lake or beach . . . really anytime you want to kick your style up a notch.
If you need help in pulling together specific outfits, we have a few suggestions to keep it simple:
1. For patterned kimonos, keep the clothes underneath a solid color.
2. Try wearing colorful jeans or pants, preferably a slim fit to balance out the flowiness of the kimono.
3. If you have a solid or color block kimono, wear a fun print on your top, bottom or dress to add interest.
4. If the flowiness of the kimono is too much for you, try tying or knotting the sides.
5. Add accessories to match the event — a wide brim hat or straw handbag for a day at the winery or beach, long necklaces for a wedding or dressy event, strappy sandals for your date night or Sunday brunch.
