We had a blast. What better way to spend an afternoon than chatting with friends, eating delicious food, and digging in dirt. Of all the party ideas, I am so glad that Ari and I made this one come to life. The table was covered in brown paper and set with all the materials required to make the coolest terrariums around: tons of succulents, stones, dirt, charcoal, and of course gold dinosaurs and polymer mushrooms.
At each work station this hand-illustrated direction sheet awaited our guests, adhered to the brown paper table with washi tape. Scoops stuck out of the different jars and pails. Chopsticks, a terrarium-maker’s best friend, laid waiting.
The yard looked beautiful with hand-sewn cushions resting on benches and bright orange California poppies in full bloom. The chickens were milling about and greeted guests as they arrived.
The food was amazing. I, per the ushe, was running behind on my menu. My mom-in-law swept in for the save. She arrived early, rolled up her sleeves, and started putting together sandwiches and cutting vegetables.
I added a little spread of fig jam to these prosciutto and brie sandwiches. My favorite recipes for parties can be easily modified to accomodate the needs of guests. In this case I served some sandwiches sans prosciutto, for my vegetarian guests, as well as providing a platter of the fixin’s with gluten free crackers. No additional baking, very few additional groceries, and guests get to feel like they are sharing the same meal.
This cocktail is being added to my list of favorites. Subtle, refreshing, and scarily easy to drink. I had a pitcher of the cocktail next to a loaded ice bucket, and the bourbon out as a warning. The olive oil cake rocked my world. It was moist and filled with incredible citrus flavor. Not to mention it was served with whipped crème fraîche. Delish. You can find link to all the recipes here.
And then of course everyone got to take their terrarium home. There was something special about getting to talk while having my hands busy being creative. Looking at what each person came up with was half the fun.
Don’t miss the final post of this series next Friday! It is a video! A video! I can’t wait to share it with you.
Catch the party’s inspiration here, the printable invite here, and the menu here. Yum. You can also find the Terrarium How-To download here and see what we wore here.