Glitzmas Party

A true glitzmas would not be complete without gold glitter, sweet treats and pink roses. 

This year's party was seriously one of the best yet, and although all the glitter and cookies contribute, it's really because I have an amazing group of girlfriends that are not only hilarious and incredibly generous, but are beautiful inside and out and loving beyond words.

Keep reading for tips on throwing an affordable but fabulous Christmas party!

DECOR 

Plan: First thing's first- you need to pick a theme, or colour scheme, or establish some guidelines for the event. It really helps to narrow down choices while shopping, and it helps to focus in on your ideas. I always sit down with my notebook and make lists of all my ideas- everything I want to serve and bake, and just go from there. This year I went with a pink and gold glitter theme (for obvious reasons). Naturally I began with the dessert buffet; not only are they for indulging purposes, but they are also creative masterpieces! 

Table runner: No, I wasn't going to spend $30 on sequin fabric to put on the dessert buffet. It would have been lovely, but so not in my budget. I picked up some gold chevron wrapping paper from Target for under $5 and taped it down to act as a table runner. Très chic, non? 

Wall art: I like to have some element of decoration above the dessert table. It pulls the look together and creates a focal point in the room. I attached pink and gold ornaments to gold string and hung them from the ceiling at different lengths.  Also, I purchased a "Happy Holidays" banner from Target to match the glitter theme. The gold ball banner is from Michaels, and I scored it at half price. Always print a coupon before going to Michaels, people! 

Extras: It's the little extras that pull the theme together. Pink and red straws, pink napkins, red berries, mini glitter Christmas trees, and these DIY gold vases and candlesticks.  I even tried to stick with similar serving ware to maintain the look throughout the rooms. And never forget the flowers! They add a touch of elegance and freshen up the room. 

DESSERTS

My girlfriends know anytime they are coming over desserts will be had. I get a lot of requests for certain desserts (hem… peanut butter balls) throughout the year, but refuse to make them any other time than the holidays. It makes it more special since it's a little tradition we have.

This year the dessert buffet was stocked with White Chocolate Stuffed Ginger Molasses cookies, Hello Dollies, Secret Kisses, Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Squares, homemade Turtles, candied pecans,  and massive dipped marshmallows for the hot chocolate bar. Don't worry if you don't have time to bake.; bakery goods are just as delicious and chances are someone will bring dessert. 

Bar: Drinks are essential, and sweets and cocktails go hand in hand. I finally put my vintage champagne coupes to use and had a little bar tray at the ready, with some berries to garnish. We also had a winter white sangria and a continuous flow of wine. 

ACTIVITIES 

This is not a necessity, but it's nice to have a distraction from all the eating. 

In between the presents and girl talk, we treated ourselves at the DIY {alcoholic} Hot Chocolate station (with all the fixings), and a cookie decorating station. The hot chocolate station was delicious… I mean, who doesn't love vodka infused whipped cream? The girls also loved the cookie decorating station and it acted as a party favor (more on that here). As the night dwindled down we put on Love Actually and moved the party to the couch. 

 As you can see, for me it's all about incorporating little elements together that have a large impact.  I hope these simple yet valuable tips will help you throw the ultimate girls Glitzmas!

Cookie Decorating Party

This weekend my girlfriends and I had our ninth annual christmas party (ninth!!!). Since last year my hostess duties were revoked due to the ice storm, I was extra excited to be hosting again this year. The colour theme was pink and gold,  glitzy and girly was the main focus, and the night was filled with tons of laughter, and bottles of red wine.  There is nothing better than spending time with people who have been by your side through literally everything- the awkward elementary days to the high school craze to even graduating university. 

The fabulous evening started with appetizers and eventually led into one activity which will kick off the glitzmas series (and I can't believe we've never done)- cookie decorating. 

During the week I made a batch of my aunt's sugar cookies, and the night before I whipped up some royal icing and put them in squeeze bottles for us to decorate.  The cookies tasted delicious and looked amazing if you take into account all the vino and the jug of winter sangria we consumed prior to decorating, or pretend a two year old did them.

Each girly had a paper place mat to ice on and a paper bag and twine to seal and take the cookies home. We decorated earlier on so they would have a chance to dry.

Since no party table is complete without snacks I made some "moose crunch" and chocolate potato chips. I know what you're thinking... moose crunch (see recipe below), and chocolate potato chips?? Earlier in the week I used some leftover melting chocolate from another holiday cookie to dip some Wavy Lays, and what a brilliant idea it was. Best snack ever! Extremely addicting though. The moose crunch was equally as good, mixing peppermint, peanut butter and chocolate all into one crunchy bite. 

Take a peak into our cookie decorating fiesta. And better yet,  get your girlfriends together for a night of festive fun! 

Moose Crunch:

1. Pop popcorn kernels on stove in pot (1 tablespoon of oil for 1/2 cup kernels)

2. Lay out popped corn on parchment lined baking sheet

3. Melt 1/2 chocolate chippits in microwave and drizzle over popcorn

4. Before chocolate cools, top with candy cane chunks, peppermint chippits, peanut butter chip pits, and any additional extras 

5. Let dry and devour (store in airtight container for up to 1 week)

Stay tuned for much more from a P&P glitzmas!

more from #glitzmas

{placemats and red stripe bags from Target}

Sugar Cookies and Royal Icing

 A few years ago I asked my aunt for her famous sugar cookie recipe and now every time I make them my mind becomes flooded with childhood memories. Her cookies were always baked to perfection, iced in pretty colours, cut into fun shapes and I could not wait to dive into them at any chance I could get! This year I decided to put a pastel spin on the classic Christmas shapes and I'm so excited to bring them out on Christmas day where she can give mine a taste. Follow the recipe below and make these for any occasion, I promise you won't be disappointed!

Sugar Cookie:

3/4 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 TSP vanilla
2 1/2 cups four
1 TSP baking powder
1 TSP salt

1. Thoroughly mix butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla.
2. Blend in flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Cover dough at least 1 hour to chill in refrigerator.
4. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
5. Roll dough 1/8 inch thick on  floured board.
6. Cut our shapes and place on ungreased cookie sheet.
7. Bake 6-8 minutes. (makes about 4 dozen)

Royal Icing:

4 cups sifted powered sugar

3 tablespoons meringue powder

8-10 tablespoons of warm water

1. On a medium speed, beat powered sugar and meringue powder together.
2. Gradually add in the warm water- 1 TSP at a time (you may find you don't need all 10).
3. Stop beating when icing is texture of toothpaste (not too runny, not too thick). 
4. Separate into bowls and add desired food colouring.
5. Put icing into squeeze bottles or icing bags and pipe away (I start by outlining the cookie and then flood the inside adding more as necessary). 

I usually ice the cookies the day after I bake them because the process tends to be long. Don't let this discourage you! They are the cutest little cookies and are just as delicious as they look.