Celebrate! Style: A "Sweet" Table Setting

Want to add a quick splash of color to your table setting? A quick and easy way to make your table stand out is a sugar rimmed glass! Be creative and incorporate your theme colors into the table by picking a color that will pop, and maybe even a beverage that coordinates!

For instance, if your party theme colors are sage and brown, serve ice tea in a green sugar rimmed glass. Or, if your party theme colors are orange and yellow, serve lemonade in an orange sugar rimmed glass. Throwing a princess tea party for your lil’ princess? Rim tea cups in pink sugar and serve pink lemonade! (yes…it might be sugar overload BUT you should see the smiles on the kids’ faces!)

Colored sugars can be found in the cake aisle of any grocery store (near the cookie decorations) or at specialty baking, cooking and or craft stores like http://www.surlatable/ & http://www.michaels.com/. There are also a lot of privately owned cake decorating stores where you can often find more colors and lower prices. One of my favorites (if you're in the LA area) is in the City of Glendora: http://www.ajcake.com/ The owner is wonderful, and she has an entire wall of every colored sugar imaginable!

How To Rim a Glass in Sugar

1. Cover your counter with wax paper or trays that you can set your glasses on.
2. Fill a shallow dish or bowl with water, enough to submerge the rim of your glass.
   Make sure to use a dish or bowl that the entire rim of the glass will fit in.
3. Fill a bowl with colored sugar, again filling it with enough sugar to submerge
   the rim of the glass.
4. Dip the rim in water and then sugar. You can twist a bit to cover fully. Place on
   wax paper or tray to dry. Wipe any excess water off the side of the glass.
5. Let sit for at least 3-4 hours, or until the sugar hardens. This is something you
   can do the night before the party as well.
   

Celebrate! Giving - LIFT!

The dictionary defines celebrate as:

1) to observe (a day) or commemorate (an event) with ceremonies or festivities.
2) to make known publicly; proclaim:
3) to praise widely or to present to widespread and favorable public notice, as through newspapers or novels
4) to perform with appropriate rites and ceremonies; solemnize

I’m sure if we ‘googled’ the word, we’d find all types of great definitions…but one thing is clear to me: celebrate is a verb. It’s something we choose to do. And many times, it’s something we choose to do for someone or some thing important to us.

Giving is one of Celebrate!’s High Five tips (to learn more, make sure to read: http://c-e-l-e-b-r-a-t-e.blogspot.com/2010/02/become-fan-of-celebrate-on-twitter.html). What better way to celebrate than to “make known publicly; proclaim” or to “praise widely” a cause that is near and dear to your heart? Part of Celebrate! Giving is to spotlight causes, groups and businesses that are choosing to Celebrate! by giving back to the people in their world.

Today’s spotlight: LIFT (Live Inspired For Today)

LIFT encourages all people to make a positive impact in their own life and to make a difference in the lives of others. LIFT is up for a $25,000 grant from Pepsi. If awarded this grant, LIFT will have the potential to put encouraging messages in front of thousands of people by launching an inspiring website, releasing their first T-Shirt line, and by introducing the first "LIFT State Scholarship" competition.

So how can you get involved and Celebrate! this cause? Go to http://www.refresheverything.com/theLIFTproject and vote once a day, everyday until February 28, 2010. Voting only takes 30-seconds! For more information go to http://www.liveinspiredfortoday.com/ and LIFT thanks you in advance for your support!

Celebrate! Love - Valentine's Day

I thought about posting a reminder that Valentine’s Day is around the corner…but let’s face it - every store I’ve walked into has made it CLEAR that it’s coming! I think I started seeing cut out hearts with pink and red candy months ago!

I have people in my life who LOVE the day…and others who detest it. Some see it as the day to acknowledge their undying love for that someone special…while others see it as a ploy by corporate America to make an extra buck. And maybe it’s that too...but I see it as a day to Celebrate! Love.

Some of you may have read my first posting, which gave a background of why I love to do what I do (http://bit.ly/4y63Vk). That's only part of the story…the “Mom part”.

But there is a “Dad part” to the story, and I think his tradition on Valentine’s Day is a good representation of that.

Ever since I can remember, my Dad has made a big deal about Valentine’s Day. There hasn’t been a year that has gone by that he hasn’t done something for my mom and I…even the year he was recovering from open heart surgery! As the years passed, the flowers have gone from full bouquets to carefully selected cards to…sometimes…the plastic rose from the local 7-11! But what they represented to me was: 1) it was a special day, and 2) someone thought about and loved me.

So how will you Celebrate! Love? If not on February 14th…when? Start your own tradition of letting the people in your life know that you are celebrating your love for them today!

Valentine's Day ~ 1974

Celebrate! Tips

Follow us on Twitter (@Celebrate_) as we explore different tips and ideas for your next celebration. We're calling it Celebrate!'s High Five:

Celebrate! with Style: Tips & ideas to help create the perfect celebration. From the inception of a theme to the parting gift.

Celebrate! Giving: We've all heard it's better to give than receive...it's true! Celebrate! the people in your world. Whether its a new idea on a birthday gift, or incorporating a Party with A Purpose to raise money for a cause.

Celebrate! Taste: You not only want food that tastes good...but looks good and adds to the overall ambiance of your celebration. We'll share recipes here and ideas on presentation.

Celebrate! on a Dime: Having a stylish celebration doesn't mean you have to go broke! Ideas on ways to cut costs while creating a party or gift you can be proud of.

Celebrate! You: How will you celebrate today? What are some of your fondest memories of a gift received or a celebration thrown in your honor? What made it special? Celebrate! You is for ideas & suggestions on ways we can Celebrate! each other.

There's Always a Reason to Celebrate!

I think my love of a purposefully designed celebration dates back to the birthday parties my mom threw for me as a kid. Our dining room table had 4 seats around it, so I was allowed to invite 3 special friends over after school for a themed party of my choice. I remember walking in after school to find my mom had decked out the dining table with all kinds of good stuff. Streamers often adorned the hanging light above, and each place was perfectly set with matching plate, napkin, party hat…and of course…a goody bag. And it didn’t matter if I chose a “horse” theme (my favorite animal…because I was going to grow up to be a jockey!) or a “Garfield kitty cat” theme…I always chose the Mickey & Minnie cake my mom baked from scratch and decorated on her own. It made me feel special…loved…celebrated.


Throughout my high school and college years, I often found myself drawn to leadership positions, clubs, and jobs that allowed me to express my creativity in all different forms ranging from designing a program or event to creating a gift that honored fellow employees or customers. I loved coming up with an idea that had never been tried before, that uniquely reflected the person or subject being celebrated, and could be done with half the money budgeted. Ultimately, the biggest reward was seeing the looks on the faces of those on the receiving end.


Entering adulthood, I’ve had the extreme pleasure of witnessing those dearest to me celebrate milestones in their lives: birthdays, engagements, marriages, babies, anniversaries…and through it all…I’ve loved being a part of it by lending a hand in the preparation of the big celebration by tailoring the day to something special designed just for them…just like mom did for me!
So what does Celebrate! hope to accomplish?


I hope to develop a place where you can come to get or share ideas on how you decide to “Celebrate!” your special day or the people in your life. Whether its an 80th Wedding Anniversary or your child's first step...every day you can find something to Celebrate! in your life.


And for those times you need a little extra help beyond the ideas shared here – I’m also for hire! Whether it be as little as creating the perfect party favor, or as big as designing and decorating your next event…I’m here to help you remember that there’s always a reason to Celebrate!