Why did I not know that Philippe Starck had a line of divine plastic party ware? I mean, it’s gorgeous! When I did a little research, I found out that it is pretty much only available through Unica Home. Do you want the good news or the bad news first? Ok, good news is it is all 50% off. Bad news, they don’t have the whole collection (many colors and several products and combos) and have only limited amounts of what is left available. And I didn’t want to have to tell you this but I did buy some for myself before I blogged about it. Yeah, that’s how I roll. Some may call it selfish but I call it ready for a lux picnic. I can’t wait to use it! Those little espresso/coffee cups and saucers are so sleek and cool. It is doubtful that I will serve straight coffee in them, but I have been dying to try an affogato. This could be my perfect opportunity. But if you happen to be one of my lucky guests who gets to enjoy the use of this set be sure not to go at it heavy handed. I will stab you with a perfectly designed plastic fork. I wonder if the hospital has designer stitches…
De-Lux Plastic Designer Cutlery
Is that a polo on my animal crackers?!?
From the outside, I may not look preppy. But I am totally preppy at heart. While I haven’t donned a polo shirt since forced to for a family Christmas card in 2006, my heart races a little when I pass the tiny Ralph Lauren’s at Macy’s. So color me surprised when whilst luxuriating in Target (is that weird? Target comforts me. Hullo, how genius is Starbucks, underwear and gardening supplies all in one place?) and I happened upon boxes of Nabisco Animal Crackers designed by Lilly Pulitzer!!!! To horrified stares, I began piling the cookie boxes in to my cart. Who knows how long they will be around! My husband was not pleased that I seemed to be feeding my two sons “girly” cookies but the kids certainly don’t seem to mind. And quite frankly I think they classed us up a bit. And as any good party enthralled woman would do, I immediately planned a party in my head around the cookies. It really isn’t that inspired since I went straight to the Lilly Pulitzer party supplies. But since I haven’t gotten a chance to do a girly party in some time, I felt a full on pink and green assault exploding out of me.
Could these Lilly Pulitzer Animal Crackers invites from FineStationery.com match any better? Seriously.
And although it looks like she doesn’t have all her party goods available in the same Animal Crackers pattern as the invite, these in the Taboo collection are pretty darn perfect (also available from FineStationery.com). Add in the specialty boxes of Animal Crackers as place cards and favor. Boom. Party planning done. I should also mention that the boxes were done as a way to raise money and awareness for the World Wildlife Fund. Yes, um, very important stuff. But aren’t they adorable!! And now if you’ll excuse me, there is a box of animal crackers begging me to eat them. I don’t want to disappoint.
My cupcake dreams have been answered
I came across this blog called The Cupcake Activist recently. This is a girl after my own heart. To say she enjoys cupcakes would probably be an understatement. If you look at her blog, you will see that she has visited a ton of shops and taken the time to review a bunch of them for you. I have not gotten through all her reviews as of yet, but it will certainly help me map out a birthday cupcake crawl (similar to a bar crawl but we’ll still be able to drive).
Spoon me
Some of you have seen Eat Drink Chic. It is my new favorite. I think Australians are so super cool and have a ton of amazing products that seem to be really hard to find here. The ice cream parlour feature on Eat Drink Chic has been all over the blogs and again, they feature some amazing party products. So inspired by the sweet party, I set out to find the perfect ice cream spoons for my next ice cream social (I don’t have one planned, but these spoons won’t take up much room to store and will make a big impact on the party guests). I came across what I think is a great deal. 100 multi-colored gelato spoons for $4.99. Word. In the past it seems like I could only find great spoons available wholesale or in massive amounts. So this was a pleasant surprise. I really think the cuteness of the spoon will make the ice cream taste even better. 
And they also have something called a party pack that includes 15 spoons and 15 (5 each of three different sizes) square gelato cups for $5.99. Now, what excuse can I find to host an ice cream party…
A little bit of a lot
I don’t even know where to start. My mother in law got a Kitchen Krafts catalog in the mail recently and told me that I HAD to see it. And she was right. The design of the catalog is a bit hokey, but if you really take a look through their items (and there are a lot of items) you can find a ton of gems. My favorite is the Square Cupcake Pan. You may know I am a fan of the cupcake (perfect ratio of cake to frosting) but who knew there was a way to make them different and cooler. I love square cakes and the idea of a square cupcake is so fun to me. What a dork, I know. Another cool product is the Multi Tier Cake Pan. When my sister was getting married, I tried to make mini tiered cakes for her shower. Turns out I am exactly as baking and mathematically challenged as I always thought I was. But with this pan, all you have to do is pour. It’s perfect. Just imagine each guest having their own mini tiered cake for dessert. Who doesn’t like a mini cake? And have you ever seen these Cupcake Stackers before? They won’t work for everyone, but I see sooo many uses for these in a party set up. When planning out the food and favors for a party, sometimes you have to repackage things to make them perfect. This catalog has Waxed Twist Papers (you know, like the kinds you put taffy in). Again, so many uses for this!!! Check out the Gourmet Glass Jars. On a buffet, for decor, for drinks, what can’t you do with these glasses. And the price is totally reasonable. I couldn’t possibly touch on all the other items they sell. They have a ton of products for canning, dehydrating (a favorite product is a book called “Food Drying with Attitude”) so browse around when you have a chance. And since I am currently (and constantly) making baby food for my son, a Soft Skin Fruit Peeler is something that I will be purchasing as soon as this post is finished. Have you ever tried to peel a boiled peach? I don’t recommend it.
