party planning

We threw a little party this weekend, the first one we’ve had since moving to Houston in September — things were so busy with the holidays and then the bar exam, we kind of spent the the last few months trying to catch our breath. This weekend kind of snuck up on me, so I didn’t have time to do any actual cooking, but I spent a lot of time thinking about the decorations (again, I totally blame Pinterest)! One of the fun things about inspiration photos is how easy some of them are to put into use! My rosemary lemonade cocktail was based on this photo, and I got the idea for putting cookies with little cordial glasses of milk here. Both of these were incredibly simple and looked so pretty! I decided on a black-and-white theme, so I kind of combined food and decor by using hurricane jars as candy-holders and centerpieces for our tables! I used oreos, peppermint patties, black licorice, and Hershey’s kisses to keep the colors consistent, and used patterned paper tablecovers (I cut one in half to cover two tables), and black and white napkins, plates and cups from Walmart and Party City to complete the setting. Since we’re looking to hopefully buy a house in the next few months, I felt like it made sense to pick up glasses and serving pieces in slightly larger quantities (since hopefully we’ll have a bigger kitchen soon). On the recommendation of a friend, I found champagne and wine glasses at Ikea for under $1 each — so I don’t have to be upset when a few of them (inevitably) break. I also picked up a few trays of appetizer sets from Z Gallerie, one of my absolute favorite stores in Houston (I can’t believe there wasn’t one in New York)! I didn’t manage to get any photos of the final setup (I added balloons, lit candles, and obviously, we filled the room with guests), but it was a terrific night. Hope you guys all had a great weekend! {rosemary lemonade and champagne} {mini popcorn boxes} {black and white table setting} {oreos and peppermint patties} {m&m cookies and milk} {more table shots!}