Summer Eco-taining Essentials
Memorial Day is THE party kick-off event of the summer entertaining season. Get the party started right with my Summer Entertaining Essentials for Summer entertaining on-the-go or on demand.
I will share my picks for this summer’s entertaining must-haves that will take you through every summer holiday and every day summer entertaining whenever they pop up. Also, I will ensure that you’ll be entertaining in style as he brings the latest fashions to your tabletop with his “colors of the season” entertaining décor tips… And throw away those paper plates, for good, because I have great tips on environmentally friendly, sustainable entertaining for your summer eco-taining arsenal.
https://vimeo.com/42851366
Setting the table for the perfect summer entertaining on-the-go or on demand is as simple as 1-2-3!
First, start with the perfect bag of party tricks! I believe that keeping all your Summer entertaining essentials in one convenient and easy accessible place is key. My go-to Summer tote is make of Land’s End canvas and is the perfect eco-friendly Summer carrying bag made by Lands’ End. It is water resistant with plenty of storage for all your essentials.
Beach towels do double duty as picnic blankets or tablecloths. Fun vintage inspired pattern help set the festive tone. This beach towel, provided by Lands’ End is the perfect Vintage pattern tying in the color palette from the entire table.
Second, throw away those paper plates, for good! and opt for Bamboo plates, silverware, and serving pieces. These items, made by Core Bamboo, are made from 100% organically grown bamboo. They are finished with natural oils to make them food safe and the lacquer comes from natural cashew trees. If and when you do throw them away, they are 100% biodegradable and compostable, leaving you guilt free!
Thirdly, bring the hottest fashion colors to your Summer party with re-usable and disposable napkins. MY DRAP tear-off napkins are the only 100% cotton napkins on a roll that come in a variety of colors and sizes that can be mixed and matched for a mega dose of fashion colors. Guests get the feel of cloth napkins in a disposable that are good for the environment, making you “look marvelous” (and feel marvelous too)! The best part about these napkins is they can be washed and reused up to six times!
The perfect compliment to the MY DRAP napkins is the Table Chameleon Napkin Rings, which I designed and produced and are the perfect summer entertaining essential! The Table Chameleon Napkin Rings are designed to bring a bit of character to your table in whatever way you please with a variety of colors and styles. Easy to use, the 3/4″ thick hand-cut acrylic rings are held together with magnets and feature inserts in four different designs – London, Ada, Saturn and Miami – in the colors, red blue, orange, and green. To switch out the inserts, there are four simple steps: slide, slip, snap and create! All you have to do is slide the pieces apart, slip in the insert, snap the two pieces together and create the look you want for your table! For more information or to purchase The Table Chameleon, go to my website!
To be the ULTIMATE Eco-tainer, make sure you party like a Local-vore!
A local-vore is a person dedicated to eating food grown and produced locally. There are a lot of reasons to eat locally grown and produced foods.
- Less resources (primarily fossil fuels) are expended packaging and easy transporting from Farm to Table.
- It supports the local economy – more money remains in our local community.
- It is healthier – processing and preservatives are less important since the food doesn’t have to travel so far.
- It is safer and thus local-vores are less susceptible to foodborn illnesses.
- It is more honest – honesty in terms of the food source and the growing/producing process.
- And last but not least – it tastes better!
Here are a few examples for shopping for like a local-vore that I incorporated into this segment by shopping right here in NYC:
Asparagus – NJ Native
Beef – PA Native
Mushrooms – NJ Native
Cheese – NY Native
Crab Cakes – NJ Native
Tomatoes – NJ Native
“Like Us” on Facebook and “Follow Us” on Twitter for more of Mark’s recipes, tips and tricks!
Movie, TV, and Broadway Musical Inspired Halloween Party – The Addams Family
While envisioning your next Halloween party, a great way to create a unique theme would be to get inspiration from your favorite films, TV shows, books and even Broadway musicals. Drawing inspiration from plot, theme and characters can create a clever party from food, drinks and decorations that will really give your guests something to talk about!
Create a signature drink inspired by your favorite character or for each of the characters with a fun name and special ingredients that relate to the character’s traits, appearance and likes/dislikes.
When trying to plan the menu, think of items that will pair nicely with the selected character signature cocktail and name it something specific to the character or show.
Base decorations on the environments/locations in the film, book or show. Pick one location that you can really blow out for a highly theatrical party atmosphere.
This year I am inspired by The Addams Family. As a child, I loved to sit in front of the television and watch reruns of The Addams Family TV show. The Addams Family resonates with so many generations from the original cartoons of the 40’s and 50’s, the TV show in the 60’s and 70’s, the movies in the 90’s and the recent Broadway Show of today.
I don’t know anyone who can recall the iconic theme song…
You don’t have be a good singer, just have to be able to snap!
Having recently seen the Broadway musical, I was inspired to bring the characters to life, imagining what would be their favorite cocktail to serve at one of EVENTSTYLE’s Halloween parties.
Click below for links to food and drink parings inspired by the character from The Addams Family – The Musical Comedy.
Gomez Addams
Morticia Addams
Pugsley Addams
Wednesday Addams
Uncle Fester
Lurch
Watch Better TV for Mark’s Halloween Segment featuring The Addams Family Cocktails!
Based on the iconic characters created by legendary cartoonist Charles Addams, The Addams Family is the smash hit Broadway musical now staring film, tv and stage star Brooke Shields as Morticia and Tony Award® winner Roger Rees as Gomez. THE ADDAMS FAMILY features an original story. It’s every parent’s nightmare. Your little girl has suddenly become a young woman, and what’s worse, has fallen deliriously in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family. Yes, Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has a “normal” boyfriend, and for parents Gomez and Morticia, it’s a shocking development that turns the Addams house upside down when they are forced to host a dinner for the young man and his parents.
For more information on The Addams Family Musical visit their website.
Like us on Facebook for exclusive design and entertaining tips, tricks, tactics, and more!
