Fabulous Divas

Hello, Viewers!

It was the party of the decade! And it took place in my home a couple of days ago! 

The Faeries had been scheduled for a get-together, but at the last minute it was discovered that three (out of seven) would be unable to attend, so there was wide-spread panic; four people, however delightful, do not a party make. Six is a minimum. In my opinion, the absolutely ideal number of guests is six to eight - enough to make it lively and party-like, but small enough to make it intimate and interesting; everyone can be part of the conversation rather than having the gathering split up into sub-groups.

But now we had a dilemma to resolve. Intense phone consultations between Faeries took place, with the resulting decision to invite a few more guests, but call it a non-Faerie event. Ergo, this was not a Faerie Convocation, but rather a Fabulous Diva Soirée, with the sub-title A Hot Pink Mess. The color scheme was, not surprisingly, hot pink with accents of black and flashes of white and silver. And diamonds, of course.

The basis for the table was a correctly-colored curtain, edged with a table skirt made from 12 yards of tulle, that I spent a considerable amount of time ruching and sewing and attaching with big stitches, so it can be removed, reused and recycled for other spectacular events.

I also spent a good bit of quality time cutting apart gift bags (pink/silver and black/white), and taping them together to form place mats, then further embellishing them with diamond trim to hide the handle holes. In any case, a bit of jazzing up never hurts!

The octagonal mirrors came out again, to serve as foundation for the center piece: a large crystal candle holder holding hot pink ostrich feathers, and two smaller ones, holding silk rose pompoms. Into the candle holders I inserted battery-operated pink LED lights, which gave a stunning effect. 

A crystal rope and a couple of large prisms increased the sparkle quotient quite considerably, and a black feather boa added that little extra bit of glamour...

The plates were black - not normally a choice I would make for tableware, but this time it was just SO right! - embellished with a hot pink jewel. The napkin treatment consisted of a solid pink one, rolled up with a pink-and-zebra-garnished one, held with a rather impressive (if I say so myself) diamond napkin ring.

Our Champagne glasses were embellished with more pink jewels and feathers. This is very simply done with a hot glue gun, and the decorations are easily removable when you have had enough and wish to return to normalcy - that is the beauty of hot glue! If, by any chance, you have difficulty removing the glue, just leave the item in the freezer for a few hours, and it pops right off.

Also, let me add a little note regarding these "Svalka" champagne glasses from IKEA: at $4.79 for half a dozen, they are cheaper than most plastic disposables (viz. the martini glasses below at $0.99 each), but much nicer to drink from. If you can bear the idea of the next-day clean-up, it is definitely worth it! BUT, then again - and here's the beauty of it - at that price you could even use them as disposables! No clean-up - just a large recycling bag! The best of both worlds! Unfortunately, IKEA's cocktail glasses are a little bit too expensive to be used as disposables, but "Optimal" for $2.99 is still cheaper than most, of course, and I may get some of those for the future. I have the Svalka red wine glasses, which are really superb - especially for that price!

At the last moment I had the impulse to add a few sparkly silver fronds to the feathers, and a gang of pink table diamonds to the black boa (which you can see in the picture below) - because less is very seldom more. Otherwise, I would say that the table decorations were unusually restrained - for me.

The disposable martini glasses - for our introductory Pomegranate Martinis - were embellished with Marabou feather trim and pink sugar rims, and set up on the rolling kitchen cart for a nice little cocktail bar experience. 

The cart - draped in pink - also held appetizer plates, coffee tray, cake platter, and so on, safely hidden away from view, and conveniently available as needed.

The black-and-hot-pink pomegranate tea bags were a felicitously color-coordinated find in the tea drawer...

The sugar trick came about originally by a happy accident: a couple of white crafting pearls fell into the sugar bowl and the effect was too pretty for words! The pink pearls here work almost as well...

The cake stand was enhanced with a black grosgrain ribbon and a pink rose.

As the Diva guests arrived they were led to a little dressing-up station with feather boas and tiaras to borrow for a glamorous evening. Do notice, please, how even the boxes tie in with the color scheme!

But the highlight of all my arrangements, though, the feature that elicited the shrillest screeches of delight and the most gushing expressions of enthusiasm, was probably the little Nail Polish Boudoir that I installed in an unused doorway, between the foyer and the office. And if you knew how tiny the space is, how everything in my apartment is calculated by the half-inch, you would be impressed too!

Two pink curtains were hung on the office side of the doorway as background, and two sheer ones on the foyer side, garnished with some diamond trim and held back with pearl bracelets. And a rose.

A small folding table was placed half-way across the threshold and covered with another pink curtain. Then I assembled a few boudoir things from around the house: the lamp came out from its storage closet; the mirror usually sits on my desk; a few shades of sparkly nail polish, remover, and cotton balls were served in footed bowls. The pink chair came from the office, and just barely squeezed in.

Feathered Divas are going nuts with the nail polish!

Even though this was not a Faerie event, there had to be a little crafting. I had been lucky enough to stumble on a 90% off sale of self-adhesive crystals, so I bought "a few" and offered them to the Divas. The simple, yet inspiring task, was to attach them to our cell phones. Personally, I have had a whole different level of telephoning experience ever since!
(No, that is not supposed to be orange jewels - in reality they are iridescent and gorgeous!)

And finally a few words about:
The MENU
Pink Champagne is obviously a necessity in this type of context!
Deviled eggs with smoked salmon was the appetizer, followed by:
Baby chicken kebabs with rice; and a light green salad, garnished with pink grapefruit, pomegranate seeds, and infinitesimal slivers of red onion.
The dessert was basically chocolate, described in detail below; and later, to finish the evening, coffee, tea and macaroons.

Obviously, the dessert would have looked more attractive
 in a glass coupe, or even a pink bowl - but black plates
were the order of the day! Sorry!
(If the surface looks strange, it is because the pink sugar
crystals that I had sprinkled on for fun have started to melt...)

Chocolate Lover's Diva Dream Dessert

This is a very easy-to-make, yet elegant, recipe that is GUARANTEED to be a great hit with the chocolate-lovers in your midst! Somewhat resembling chocolate mousse, it is yet much denser and creamier.

12 oz chocolate*
1½ cup vanilla soy milk 

(or regular milk)

6 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp salt

1. Separate yolks; set aside
2. Break up chocolate into pieces; place in food processor (fitted with blade); chop for 1 minute
3. Heat soy milk to boiling point; pour over processed chocolate; pulse for 30 seconds, until chocolate melts and mixture cools slightly
4. Add yolks, vanilla, salt; pulse until smooth
5. Divide into cups; chill for a few hours or over night.  NOTE:  The mixture is quite thin and runny, but do not be alarmed - it will solidify very satisfactorily!

Serves: 8

* As always, we are talking quality here! The better the chocolate, the more delicious the dessert. The recipe calls for bitter-sweet chocolate, but I imagine you could try other varieties as well. I used a Swiss bitter-sweet, dairy-free, kosher variety, called Schmerling Noblesse, with 55% cocoa (comes in 3½ oz bars). Having tried other varieties I warmly recommend this one - but if you have other preferences, go right ahead! Also, be careful when measuring - it is tempting to add a little extra, but you really need exactly 12 oz!

Oh my, I am still dizzy with the fabulousness of it all!

Regards from your Diva Rosebud!

Fairy Garden Party

Hello, Viewers!

How about a little spring in the air? It would have to be last year's spring, to be sure, since there is nothing but snow in the air right now. 

Springtime is particularly suited to us Fairies, and last April (or was it May?) I invited my Fairy court to a Garden Party. Unfortunately, we did not have access to a garden to be in - instead I brought the garden inside, and placed it in the middle of the dining table.

The base was a large terracotta planter "saucer", covered with a little artificial grass mat. eFairies.com provided the pond, filled with water of course, and floating a few shimmery leaves. I used some moss from a florist supplies store, and also, from the same source, little moss-accented "boulders", to create some landscaping around the pond.

All additional items were stuff that I found around the house, scouring my cabinets and drawers, but for the future, I am planning to get a few more specialized things - eFairies has a lot of inspiration to offer!

This Fairy Garden was the centerpiece for an exuberant floral extravagance, which also included gazebo candle lanterns, floating rose candles, rose figurines, flower-shaped candlesticks - and pretty much anything floral, pink or green, that I could lay my hands on. And glittery butterflies, of course!

Small silk flowers in pastel colors were sprinkled over the layered tablecloth. Additionally, each guest had a mini floral arrangement in a ceramic basket by her plate, to take home as a favor.

In one of my local discount places I found these rather crazy floral chargers - too fun (and too cheap!) to pass up, so that became the place settings, with clear plastic plates on top so as not to hide the rosy glory.

The napkins were pink and green - rolled up to resemble a rose among leaves.

I think "profusion" pretty much covers it! Not so much aiming for sophistication, but rather running rampant with the rose theme...

The chandelier was decorated as well, with tulle streamers, birds and butterflies, a rose pom-pom, and a particularly fetching lilac flower fairy...

The craft project of the day was one of the most popular yet - Fairy Paraphernalia Boxes. I had bought pink-and-white striped cardboard boxes at IKEA (where else?), that the Fairies could decorate with fairy stickers, jewels, decorative papers, old-fashioned flower die cuts, and glitter. Lots and lots of glitter.

 Some of the remarkable creations...

The Menu

Obviously, the food was partly flower-inspired. Pink and green were heavily featured. Thus, we  opened the proceedings with a newly-invented (by me):

Pinque Drinque: Pink Champagne, enhanced with Pomegranate juice (approximately 1 part juice to 3 parts champagne), a splash of Cointreau, and some Pomegranate seeds 

Avocado salad with Smoked Salmon Roses and Radish Flowers made a fitting appetizer.

The main course was not floral at all: Mushroom/Onion-stuffed Kapons in Calvados gravy, roasted Baby Potatoes, Baby Carrots, Baby Patty Squashes & Sugar Snaps

But then, for the dessert, we were right back in the floral garden: Pink Princess Ice Cream Rose Mold - previously described in detail here

And finally, after all the crafting had renewed our appetite, this very pretty Almond Cake with Kiwi & Cointreau Topping, which unfortunately turned out so disappointingly lousy, that I cannot share the recipe until I have figured out what went wrong. (I know how it was supposed to have tasted, and this was not it!) But I am happy to share the picture!

Now you know how the Fairies fare - stay tuned for more updates!

Regards from Rosebud!

Snow Glitz Fairies

Hello Viewers,

Having moved through the seasons with lightning speed, we now get to the Grand Fairy Extravaganza of 2013 - the Snow Glitz Fairies! Almost exactly one year ago, the Fairy Friends gathered for a revelry in Winter White:

A silver tablecloth, with a white, lace-edged underlay, was covered with white, sparkly tulle that I had scrunched up a bit between settings to create a reference to snowdrifts. 

The base for the centerpiece consisted of one large and two small octagonal mirrors, on top of which I placed mercury silver votive holders, white pillar candles with "diamond" trim, so-called "table diamonds", and a long sparkly, silvery, flower garland.

The trumpet vase is a mirror mosaic - a mixture of rectangular mirror tiles and crushed mirror slivers - and holds white branches, to which I added a little extra glitter and snow spray. Some white butterflies with silver glitter on their wings are perching among the branches; there are also some hanging crystal prisms to catch the light and create more sparkle.

On to the place settings: white disposable plastic plates were given a diamond trim as well (the same that I used for the candles). The trim is really a kind of ribbon, with plastic bits shaped to reflect light and give a sparkly effect. It comes in several different widths, and can be found in florist supplies stores. It is extremely useful for many purposes, and adheres easily with glue. I used adhesive spray, which, admittedly, gets all over you, but works wonders for this type of projects.

The napkin was rolled up with a paper doily and held together with a rather smashing diamond napkin ring. Small, square mirrors were used as coasters.

All is ready for the Faeries to arrive! The main wine glass has an etched flower shape where the cup meets the stem, if you can discern it in this picture; its icy snow flower look made it particularly suitable for this event.

The festivities progressed, with Snowball Cookies and the customary craft project: Fairy Necklaces. We use special crafting place mats - lilac, with a fairy motif - to protect the table setting and keep our stuff gathered.

The Meeting of the Wands of the Snow Fairies...

And then the food:

The (almost) all-white Snow Glitz Winter White Menu consisted of

Kani (kosher fake crab sticks) Salad on Endive Lettuce

Zingy Tilapia, Baked Cauliflower, Yellow Summer Squash, Jasmine Rice with Slivered Blanched Almonds

Pavlova w Kiwi & Pomegranate

Coffee & Snowball Cookies

Pavlova

The simple meringue formula is as follows - you can easily do your own math:

1/4 cup sugar per egg white

1 egg white serves two persons

(This Pavlova for seven voracious Fairies was consequently made from 4 egg whites and 1 cup of sugar.)

Also needed:
Heavy cream
Fresh berries or sliced fruit - whichever kinds you like, but for best results, use fruits or berries that are somewhat tangy

There are two schools of thought when it comes to meringue: crisp and dry throughout, or soft and chewy like a marshmallow in the center. Depending on your preference you can fiddle around with vinegar and corn starch, but since I am too lazy to bother, I worked out my own compromise meringue which is crisp almost throughout, but has a hint of chewiness if you eat enough of it to actually reach the center. 

1. Beat egg whites with mixer on highest speed until stiff peaks form
2. Slowly add sugar, 2-3 Tbsps at a time, while continuing to beat, until all sugar has been incorporated and meringue is very, very stiff and shiny
3. Spread in big circle on cookie sheet covered with parchment (you can draw a circle with a pencil on the back/underside of the parchment in advance if you like, as a guide) -shape with a spatula or large spoon and create a slight bowl formation
4. Bake at 300° for 1/2 hour or until lightly golden; turn off heat and let meringue remain in oven over night. I have an old-fashioned pilot-light gas oven, and the slight warmth in the oven is perfect for drying/crisping the meringue over night; it will be crisp, but still retain a slight chewiness in the middle. Even if you have a different kind of oven, this method still works well; there is always some residual heat, and the closed oven will keep the meringue dry. If your oven cools extremely fast, let the meringue sit at 100° for an hour before switching the heat off. If the meringue should crack a little don't worry about it; the cream will hide any imperfections
5. Whip heavy cream lightly, until very soft peaks form (do not over-whip!); there is no need to add sugar or anything else - in fact, the delight of this dessert is the contrast of flavors: sweet meringue and tangy fruits, with the non-sweetened cream acting like a heavenly cloud, enveloping and emphasizing the flavors...
6. Scoop cream into the meringue; sprinkle generously with fruit

PLEASE NOTE: The dessert must be assembled at the last minute - if you let it sit around, the meringue will get soggy and depressed. The fruit/berries can be readied in advance, and whipping the cream (with an electric mixer) is done in the blink of an eye; it is well worth the few minutes of waiting time.

Enjoy - it is impossible not to!

Regards from Rosebud!

Chanukah Party

Hello Viewers!

… and here we go - it is party time again! But this time it is no ordinary festivity – it is a holy celebration: Chanukah, the holiday of miracles, gratitude, hope and lights.

Now, I ask you, who in the world came up with the notion that the “Chanukah colors” are blue and white, with some silver thrown in by the bold for a bit of glamour? Blue and white are the colors of the Israeli flag – and there it ends. There is no such thing (and there never has been such a thing) as Chanukah colors – not even in our over-commercialized universe. And if there were, why would they be blue and white? So un-party-like.

Therefore, I am setting up for the family dinner this year in shocking pink and gold – gold being a much more Chanukah-compatible metallic accent color than silver, since it recalls the gold of the Menorah itself, as well as many of the other Temple accoutrements; the Chanukah “gelt” (money, but literally meaning gold) that is traditionally given out during the holiday; and maybe even the golden sheen of the olive oil that we burn. Shocking pink is an obvious choice that needs no further explanation!

So, let's start at the very beginning (a very good place to start)...

The tablecloth is one that I dyed with Rit in the washing machine – rather nifty, I think. On top of that, a slightly tacky gold runner - but used the right way, some tacky things can actually look fantastic. A tall, hot pink Indian candle lantern takes center place.

Next, I added roses in small, hot pink bud vases. You will not be surprised to hear I found them at IKEA.

The roses were enhanced with floral glitter spray - it comes in gold and silver and is safe to use on live flowers. On the whole, I find that glitter - whether sprayed or sprinkled - is a great enhancer of life in general! I often scatter some on the staircase when I am expecting guests.

(Unfortunately, I find it very difficult to get the right color tones in my photos - with flash or without, there are shifts in color that are inaccurate. Some of these photos look rather more reddish than they should; some a little too garish. The first picture is probably the one closest to reality.)

This year, there was an unprecedented convergence of Chanukah and Thanksgiving, and I allowed myself to allude to this fact with some gold-sprayed mini pumpkins – some of you may recognize them from an earlier event, when they were bright white; they had kept fresh all these weeks so this was a great opportunity for recycling.

Finally, I added some votive candles, pink, semi-transparent glass pebbles (from a florist supplies store), and some real pebbles that have been spray painted in gold.

Then for the place settings. Gold chargers were a given, and after a little experimenting I settled for my scalloped, violently floral dinner plates of English design, and rosy appetizer plates with a raspberry pink rim. The napkins were dyed together with the tablecloth, and the napkin rings were a discount store find; they are cheap plastic - another example of tacky things that can look wonderful in the right context.

Table setting for the grandchildren...

...and an overview of the table. Below, the full effect at night, with all the candles lit.

It has been my tradition every Chanukah for at least twenty-five years to fill a decorated basket with clementines, chocolate gold coins, prettily wrapped candies, and small gifts for everyone at the table (in addition to the “real” gifts for the offspring). 

By necessity, these party favors are quite inexpensive, but I try to find a theme each year that can be personalized for all the recipients.

Obviously, it has to be something that works both for men and women, and for most ages. 


Last year it was socks, carefully selected according to personalities - from distinguished argyle to fuzzy with purple pompoms. Once it was various bookmarks – romantic, intellectual, playful, businesslike. This year it was note pads - pretty, jokey, floral, and - yes, covered in pink fluff. 

And finally, a glimpse of Chanukah atmosphere...

Regards from Rosebud!