In the world of entertaining, the arrival of summer often means bringing the party outside! This fabulous Venezia Pavilion from Z Gallerie is definitely a fun excuse to do just that.

If you’ve got an extra-special celebration coming up like an engagement party, milestone birthday, or wedding – or if you just love to entertain outdoors – this super stylish striped pavilion is guaranteed to be the talk of the party! Use it for an intimate dinner party, as shown above, or as a special area to highlight the cake table, wet bar, guest(s) of honor, etc. ($599 at Z Gallerie – sold online only)

Pictured above: these cool black & white accessories look fabulous as accents to the Venezia Pavilion – or all on their own! Clockwise from top left: Venezia Umbrella ($199); Elephant Umbrella Stand ($89.95); Winslow Vase ($49.95); Winslow Canister ($49.95); and Winslow Pillar Holder ($29.95).

There’s a great feature on Brides.com titled “What’s Your Reception Style?” that highlights 3 different styles of receptions: Romantic, Modern, and Natural.

There are really so many different ways that you can interpret each of these 3 styles – and many of us might lean towards a combo of the two – but for this particular article the “Modern” example won me over, hands down! How about you?

Of course it doesn’t hurt that they used a color palette that’s always been near & dear! I love this bold look for an engagement party, rehearsal dinner, or milestone birthday party too…

P.S. Does that cake look familiar to you? You might have seen it used in this fabulous dessert buffet over at Amy Atlas Events!

{Photos by Jeff McNamara}

A pop-art/Warhol-inspired party has always sounded like so much fun to me….with all the vibrant colors and funky patterns/design elements that come with his style – it’s the perfect excuse to create a fun & genuinely “outside-the-box” experience for party guests!

There are so many directions you could take with this theme, but these cool new Warhol Quote Plates from cb2 (only $1.50 each!) inspired me to create a mini cocktail (or mocktail) party inspiration board with a few decorative ideas to kick things off. Feel free to add additional ideas in the comments! I have a feeling this concept may call for a full party theme in the near future…

Pictured above:

1. Warhol-inspired Buttons
Use these – combined with wide ribbon or strips of decorative paper – to create themed napkin rings or as vase embellishments. ($1 each at Button Bunny)

2. Whimsy Fringe Ribbon
Perfect for dressing up vases, stemware, and party favors. ($4.99 at Container Store)

3. Go Bananas!
Warhol’s “Banana” is one of his most recognizable works. Play on this fun fact with banana-inspired decor. A few ideas:
• Fill bowls with colorful paper shred then place bananas on top.
• Fill wide glass cylinder vases with bananas, then embellish the outside of the vase with colorful fringe ribbon, striped or zig-zagged all the way up the vase.
• Serve banana-themed cocktails (Funky Monkey, Banana Split, etc) – or non-alcoholic Banana Smoothies.
• Set out bowls of banana-flavored candy like Laffy Taffy or Runts and/or an ice cream bar with all the fixings for guests to create their own banana splits.

4. Decorative Paint Cans - (Available in-store at Container Store)
Create funky DIY “vases” or serving containers using decorative paint canisters and scrapbook or gift wrap paper in pop-art inspired patterns.  Or – if you’re a computer whiz – create your own Warhol-style labels and print them at home.

5. Serve up nostalgic treats that come in zany packaging – like black and yellow ABBA-ZABBA.

6. Warhol 2009 Calendar
Calendars are a great way to get inexpensive “prints” of your favorite artist to use as party decor…the price makes it okay to break out the scissors – and there are so many things you can do with a single calendar. For example: Frame the different images and display them as background decor, use them as placemats, or cut them to size for whatever you need – DIY drink coasters, vase embellishments, etc. Use wide strips of cut images to wrap soup cans (or really any canned food) that you already own – a play on Warhol’s tomato soup paintings – and an inexpensive way to create a unique decorative display!

*****

Personalize it! This theme could easily be transformed into pretty much any type of special occasion – from an adult birthday party to a kids birthday (with the banana smoothie option, of course) – to a bridal shower or engagement party. Just personalize it for the occasion/guest(s) of honor by incorporating their name(s) and photos into the decor. Try “Warholizing” their photos on your own – or have places  like allPopart.com do it for you {samples above}.

Here’s a new kind of "icing" for your wedding or party cake: butterflies, hummingbirds, and dragonflies adorned with glitzy Swarovski crystals! These sparkly creatures are part of the Swarovski Cake Jewels collection at EstiloWeddings.com, which also includes bejeweled monograms, hearts, lady bugs, and flowers in various sizes and colors…

To give you an idea of size & scale, the pink butterfly pictured above is a 5" piece. (How fun is the fondant flower design on the cake, by the way! It looks like they used a large circle-shaped crystal for the center of the flower…very pretty!)

The winged creatures and flowers would also be fun for extra-special flower bouquets and party centerpieces! Click here to view the entire collection at EstiloWeddings.com. (Prices vary)