Farewell Cocktail Hour: Blackberry & Thyme Sparkler

If you’ve been a regular reader of A Feteful Life, I’m sure you’ve noticed that we love a good cocktail. So, we couldn’t think of a better final send-off than a killer champagne cocktail to toast all of the possibilities the future holds. Champagne (or any sparkling wine for that matter) is a must for any celebration whether it be for a new beginning or for the close of a chapter in your life. We’ll definitely miss A Feteful Life but we’re sure you’ll be hearing more from us in the future. In the meantime, Fete on!

Blackberry & Thyme Sparkler (from A Feteful Life)

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup blackberries (extras for garnish – 2 per glass)
3 sprigs of fresh thyme (extra for garnish – 1 sprig per glass)
Chilled sparkling wine

Directions

Place the sugar, water, blackberries, and thyme into a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Let the mixture simmer for 5-10 minutes to let the berries and thyme release their flavor. Strain the mixture into a glass bowl and let cool completely.

Pour 1/2 ounce of the blackberry mixture into the bottom of a champagne flute. Then top off with sparkling wine. Garnish with the remaining blackberries and thyme.

DIY Dip-Dyed Drink Stirrers

Earlier this week I showed you the lovely dip-dyed birthday dinner I threw for my sister. Well, today we’re getting our DIY on and showing you how to make the drink stirrers from the party. They are so easy and festive, and can be the perfect addition to any celebration.

1. Supplies needed – white tissue paper, gel food coloring, wooden skewers, glue stick and scissors.
2. Cut a strip of tissue paper about 1.5″ x 6″.
3. Make the dye using 2-3 drops of gel food coloring and about a cup or two of water.
4. Loosely roll the tissue paper.
5. Dip 1/4 to 1/3 of the roll into the dye and leave it there for 1-2 seconds. Let the excess dye drip into the bowl and then dry on a drying rack. Feel free to repeat the dipping steps several times (allowing the dye to dry in-between) to achieve the color you desire.
6. All the dye to fully dry before moving on to the next step.

1. Fold the strip of dipped tissue paper in half.
2. Cut fringes into the tissue about 1/3 – 1/2 down. Then add a little glue on one end and place the skewer on the glued area.
3. Roll the tissue paper around the skewer, adding glue as you go and being sure to keep the roll tight.

Finally, tassel the fringed area a bit and get ready to party!

 

 

DIY Geo Craft Party

It’s no secret that we are obsessed with all things geometric right now. I’ve had my eye on so many different geo projects, I can hardly keep track and I’ve been going back and forth about what kind of party I wanted to have to incorporate them. Then it hit me: why not just have a party about the crafts themselves?! A group of friends + a few geo crafts + some little bites to eat + a great cocktail = DIY geo craft party (plus a little present to take home).

Here’s what we used to pull our bright crafty party together:

1. A Feteful Life’s “Get Crafty” double-sided invite — you can find it in our Etsy store right here.

2. DIY Geometric Party Favor Boxes — I printed Minico’s awesome templates onto brightly colored paper, and folded and glued them together. I also added a little sparkle with Martha Stewart’s fabulous glitter. To use them as favor boxes, simply leave one side unglued, add party shred inside, and glue a few strands of shred to the open flap. When dry, tuck the flap in, but don’t glue it. You can then open the box by pulling on the strands.

3. DIY Geometric Wooden Bead Necklaces — I purchased two sizes (large and small) of wooden beads and painted them with coordinating colors of acrylic paint (leaving some sides blank and glittering others). String a few on a waxed cord and you’ve got a cute accessory that fits right inside the geometric party favor box.

4. Easy DIY Hexagonal Garland — As if I didn’t already have a problem collecting crafting supplies, I found Fiskar’s hexagon hole punch and I’m never looking back. It’s love. I punched a whole mess of hexagons and taped them onto gold and white baker’s twine to make garlands, which we then ran down the center of our crafting table to make a runner.

5. Drink + DIY Geometric Drink Stirrers — This yummy, fizzy cocktail (we also added a bit of sparkling water) was delicious and matched the colors of our craft party perfectly. To make the drink stirrers, I hot-glued a large and small painted wooden bead (see 3 above) to the end of a 10″ bamboo skewer. I love them.

6. Food! — Last, but not least, I pulled together a few geometrically-inspired bites to nosh while crafting: pretty macarons; a few little chocolate and caramel treats; and a selection of tea sandwiches arranged geometrically, including:

• cream cheese + smoked salmon + baby cucumbers
• curried chicken salad
• goat cheese + chives + corned beef
• sharp cheddar + tomato + watercress
• prosciutto + brie + apple

There you have it. Until Studio Fete is up and running, you’ll have to host your own craft parties. But at least we’ve given you everything you need to pull it off. Fete on!