Spring is almost here...hopefully :)

 

With the bright, sunny, warmer weather we've been having this week, today excluded, I thought I'd talk about the seasons changing and how that affects us.  When the sun shines longer people are happier, relaxed and refreshed. Some of my favourite things to do in the spring are go for walks and spring cleaning. What are all of you doing to enjoy the beginning of spring?

With spring comes summer, and outdoor parties. Last July my parents hosted a fabulous engagement party for Michael and I in their backyard. Everything was beyond lovely, we couldn't have asked for more. I thought I'd share some pictures for backyard party, decor inspiration.

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)

Throwing a party for no reason...

Are you in the mood to throw a party but you're not sure what for? Why not throw a theme party....they're fun, different and unique. 

Here are some theme party ideas to help spice up any party.

• Martini Party: Suggest that each of your guests provide the ingredients to a martini and shake them up at the party.
• Wine & Cheese Party: Instead of just having the people over for dinner why not add some flare? I'm a big fan of wine and cheese parties. Pick up some of your favourite wine, crackers and cheese and have a great time.
• English Tea Party: Having the ladies over and don't want to have a typical evening or afternoon? Why not whip up some fabulous sandwiches (crusts cut off of course) and different types of hot and cold tea. Try cold raspberry iced tea, hot blueberry tea and long island iced tea!
• BBQ Party: Why not have a BBQ party in January? It will give everyone a kick of "vitamin D" and help with the winter blues. Put the BBQ in your garage, stick your hubby outside and enjoy!
• Sunday Panini Party: Instead of a big Sunday afternoon family lunch why not stop off at your favourite Italian bakery, plug in your panini maker and have a great afternoon. Lay everything out and let everyone take turns toasting their paninis.

 

Let me know what party idea is your favourite!

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)

A look into what we have planned, so far, for the summer!

Hello friends!

I thought I'd share some of the event details we're planning this spring/summer. From big backyard parties to quaint 50th birthday dinners, we're helping out everywhere.

This Saturday we're hosting a 50th birthday party. Lipstik will take care of the bartending, serving the appetizers, serving the plated dinner and clean up from start to finish. I'll be sure to post pictures of the event on Monday.

Some of the other events we're working on are a 50th birthday party at the end of the month, a 60th backyard Margarita-Villa birthday party and a second annual backyard bash in June.  Stay tuned for more information as all the events start coming together.

I thought I'd post a video of my favourite song right now from Adele. If you were listening closely to the music on Thursday's episode of Grey's Anatomy you would have heard this song at the end of the episode. Listening to Adele always puts me in a great mood so I hope it will do the same for you!

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)

What's your bridal shower taste?

Happy sunny Monday!

I hope everyone had as great a weekend as I did. Saturday I had a lovely day at Elmwood Spa thanks to my dear friend Kiira and her family. Back in February Kiira's sister was married and Lipstik Events helped out with the day of tasks. As a thank you I received a gift certificate to Elmwood. It was such a lovely mental health day, I strongly suggest taking mental health days! Saturday night Michael and two of our friends, Joe and Sarah, had a delicious dinner at a fabulous new restaurant in Stouffville, Fishbone Bistro. The food and service were equally amazing, I highly recommend this restaurant! Yesterday, I was at the first of many bridal showers this wedding season, which has given me the inspiration for today's post... What's Your Bridal Shower Taste?

I'm getting married on December 10th and have recently started thinking about my bridal showers (yes, I said showers). The shower I went to yesterday was in a banquet hall in Mississauga and there were about 100 ladies present.  It was a lovely shower which now has me thinking about my bridal showers and what I'm hoping for.  I have been told that two of my aunts are throwing me a shower as is Michael's mother!

My initial thoughts are these: Intimate, fun, girlie, bright, enjoyable!

I'd love to hear what you did for your bridal shower or what you'd like for your own shower and what games you like or don't like.

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)

Something New to Try

Happy Friday!

I've decided that every Friday I'm going to post a recipe I love or a new recipe I've stumbled upon.  Since it's sunny and warm weather should be right around the corner, the recipe I'm posting today is the Berry Blast cocktail from the Women's Health Mag post I mentioned earlier this week.

Pour 1 1/2oz berry acai vodka over ice
Add 1oz selter and your choice of fresh berries (I'd use raspberries and black berries)
Mix all ingredients... and magic, you have a delicious summery cocktail! I'd serve this cocktail in a martini glass or pretty rocks glass, your choice.  This would be a great addition to a ladies night, wedding shower or backyard bbq. Let me know if you try it, I'd love to hear some feedback.

Have a great weekend, hopefully the weather warms up a bit.

Enjoy the party,

Nicole :)

Learning to cook & hosting a dinner party...at the same time

Learning to cook and hosting your first dinner party for your brand new boyfriend (now fiancee) and another couple is a daunting experience to say the very least. Three years ago I decided to step up to the plate and give it a go, I mean how hard could this be, I've seen my mom do it a million times. I decided I would make baked rigatoni for the main course (I'm half Italian, can you tell) and an angel food cake (boyfriend's favourite) for desert. With some much needed help from my parents the entree turned out delicious; the cake, not so much. My mom, God love her, is not a baker which means I have not picked up any baking skills over the last 25 years. She told me once the cake is cooked you need to flip it over a pop bottle so it settles and cools. Well I didn't have a 2 litre pop bottle laying around so I used the next best thing, a Perrier bottle. Warning, do not do this at home! The cake fell to the counter crumbling into a million pieces. Needless to say, Michael (fiancee) is not marrying me for my baking abilities!

The moral of this story, no matter how lousy of a cook you may be and how daunting the experience is, people notice your efforts and appreciate them!

Stay tuned for the baked rigatoni recipe in a future post.

I don't have a picture of us from that night so I thought I'd post another of Michael and I to introduce you all to him!

Side note, who was your favourite on Idol last night? I have such a tough time picking a favourite, they're all great. My top 3 favourites are Paul, Casey and Scotty.... Pia too!

Enjoy the Party :)

Drink up

As I sit here enjoying a bowl of soup and try to stay warm on this yucky day I find myself thinking about what one of my favourite aspects of a party is. I've come to the conclusion, it's signature drinks! Whether you're having dinner with the girls or your hunny, throwing a big bbq or a wedding shower, a signature drink really spices up the menu!

I hope you enjoy some of these drink ideas:
1) Dinner with your hunny: Pick up your favourite bottle of vino from your local LCBO and enjoy.
2) Dinner with the ladies: How about a martini or colourful mixed drink. Yesterday Women's Health posted some great drink recipes on their site and I suggest you check them out.
3) Throwing a big bash: How about a spicy caesar or a unique beer like the new Molson M.
4) Wedding or Baby Shower: Depending on your theme you could pop your favourite bottle of bubbly or how about a tea party with different tea flavours.  What's Up Whimsy did a great post today about china for a tea party that would give anyone some great inspiration to throw a tea party.

If you'd like some recipe ideas please shoot me an email and I'll send some to you!

Last night I had a delicious dinner at Sugo Trattoria on Church Street with my sister and aunt. If you haven't already been I definitely suggested it. The Calabria Pizza was to die for! Before dinner I stopped off at Clarity MedSpa to see where my sister, Stephanie, works. Check out these pictures. The space is gorgeous!

Enjoy the Party!

Nicole :)

I have to start somewhere!

There's no place like the present, right? Over the last while I've been thinking about starting this blog to capture a few aspects of my life, mostly my passion for Lipstik Events. While most of you are probably wondering what the heck Lipstik Events is, here's the readers digest version...An at home event service which helps the average person host a party, small or large. My goal is to make the home owner, the true host of the party, feel like a guest in their own home.

For those of you who know me, you know that my lips are always red, hence the name Lipstik Events. Lipstick or lip gloss, whichever you prefer, is always adding the finishing touch!

Now that we've covered what Lipstik Events aims to do let's get down to what this blog is, I hope, going to be about.  I want to share neat party planning tips and ideas, post the odd recipe (as I learn them myself), chat about my upcoming nuptials, decorating my new house and well, life!
Enjoy the party!