Summer Floral Fest

I love planning parties, being crafty and bringing friends together, and I get inspiration for these things in the weirdest places. What actually made me want to do this, was finding a set of blue floral fabric napkins at the vintage market.  From there, I set the date, sent out invites and made a menu into what became a beautiful night.

 

It was a wonderful night filled with people I love, wine and lots of laughter - and surprisingly good food for not having to cook for the past five months.

 Yeah, I'm pretty excited to be getting a niece soon.

 I wanted to have an activity for my guests to do while we mingled and waited for dinner. I love the look of big floral wreaths from these past seasons - especially gaining inspiration from Dolce and Gabanna. It was a great idea, and made the event even more special to have something for my guests to wear for the night and take home to remember.

 #whitefloralfest

 Appetizer: Bruschetta - slice up fresh french bread; chop tomatoes and dice fresh mozzarella. Spray bread with olive oil, place in oven to toast, and for the last few minutes melt mozzarella and tomato, then crumbling basil on top.

I think they think I'm the weird one in our group.

 Strawberry, blue cheese, and candied walnut salad. I candied the walnuts myself, and it was surprisingly easy! Take one cup of chopped walnuts and place in skillet with 2 tbsp of butter and 1/2 cup of white sugar, and just keep mixing till the sugar caramelizes around the walnut - takes about five minutes of continual stirring.
Not pictured is Fettecini Alfredo with grilled chicken, and for dessert I made mini mud pies - they were definitely a hit!