October 06, 2017

TWINK + SIS HALLOWEEN DINNER PARTY

October 06, 2017/ Laurén

It's spooky season! We were so thrilled to have our Halloween dinner party featured on ELLE Decor. Today, I'm so excited to share even more images and details from our Halloween celebration with you.

THE DESIGN: We wanted to create a stylish and dramatic Halloween dinner party for the adult set. Something fun and festive, without losing the beauty of a sophisticated dinner party.

The first two key elements of our table were the black flatware and the Jarrahdale (light grey/green) pumpkins. Those two elements were actually the jumping off point for the whole design.

We purchased the pumpkins from a local pumpkin patch and they really made the table. We knew from the start that we wanted to forgo orange and do something a little more unusual. We were completely in love with these pumpkins and just wanted to cover every inch of the table in them.

Once we had settled on black and the pumpkins being key aspects, that dictated everything else as we moved forward. We added light grey plates, flowers in deep red/purples as another contrast to the lighter colors, and smokey brown (goblets) to finish it off. We also thought that using classic silver for candlesticks, vases and goblets, added a perfect moody touch.

We have a rule to always use fresh elements, wherever possible — even at our kids' parties. Whether it be pumpkins, flowers or evergreens, having an abundance of fresh, seasonal items really creates the most beautiful effect.

The plate decorations are actually chestnuts! We really wanted to have the flowers be a bit spooky and unusual. So when we came across these little brown monsters, we knew they would be the perfect unexpected addition to the table.

We loved the glass cloches. We placed some of the black birds, branches and the chestnuts under them. They created a great eerie vibe.

Make the most of your investment: Load up on heirloom pumpkins. Not only do they make great party decor, but they will keep your home festive all the way through Thanksgiving!

THE COCKTAIL: Our signature drink for the evening was “The Darkest Night.” It consisted of fresh muddled blackberries, bourbon, lemon juice and simple syrup, topped off with sparking water. It was like a Halloween soda for grown-ups.

THE DESSERT: The cake was created by Whisk & Whittle. It was a two-tierd (gluten-free) chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting. She created the spiders from marzipan and the web from spun sugar.

CREDITS:

Party Concept, Design, Cocktail & Florals: Twink + Sis

Photography: Sarina Cass of Red Anchor Photo

Cake: Whisk and Whittle

Tabletop sourced from: Borrowed Blu

Flatware: Classic Party Rentals

Candles: Yummi Candles

Skull & Blackbirds: Pottery Barn

Pumpkins: Mr. Bones Pumpkin Patch

March 09, 2016

SPRING DINNER PARTY

March 09, 2016/ Laurén

Photo by: Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

I wanted to throw an early spring dinner party for my best friend's birthday and I knew I wanted to include grey (the birthday girl's favorite color), pinks and copper in the palette. We sourced all of our tabletop items from the amazing Borrowed Blu. To create a mix of glamour and earthiness, I paired grey marble chargers with wooden plates. I love the mix of copper tumblers, milk glass and crystal cut goblets. The antique silver flatware and candlesticks, added the perfect moodiness to the dinner, representing the transition of winter to spring. We added a lot of greens to the mix of pink flowers. It was an honor to have the party featured on MyDomaine! We have included extra, never-before-seen photos of the event here. All images by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography.

A long farmhouse table and Victoria Ghost Chairs sourced from Town & Country Event Rentals set the stage for a laid-back glamour.

A single ranunculi and fern placed upon a natural linen napkin welcomed each guest to their seat.

I created the The Puckerberry Finn cocktail using muddled blackberries, fresh lemon, organic small-batch gin and elderflower liquor for the occasion. I garnished the drink with edible flowers and frozen blackberries.

In case the evening got chilly, I put together a basket of cream throws from Borrowed Blu, that guests could help themselves to.

Photos by: Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

All Table-top Items and Cream Knit Blankets: Borrowed Blu

Wire Basket (for blankets): Rejuvenation

Dining Table, Victoria Ghost Chairs and Linens Napkins: Town & Country Event Rentals

Flowers: Twink + Sis

Candles: Bed, Bath & Beyond

Milk Glass Cake Stands: Sur La Table

Mini Donuts: Donut Friend

Puckerberry Finn Cocktail: Twink + Sis

Styled, Created and Hosted by: Twink + Sis

September 04, 2015

INSIDE JULIETTE LEWIS' SUMMER SOLSTICE BIRTHDAY DINNER

September 04, 2015/ Laurén

Before the summer officially ends, I wanted to share an inside look into one of our favorite parties of the season. On the longest day of 2015, we celebrated the birth of our beautiful and talented BFF, Juliette Lewis, with an ethereal, Summer Solstice-themed dinner party. We were so unbelievably honored to have the party featured on Elle Decor and MyDomaine - two of our favorite sources for home decor and lifestyle inspiration.

This radiant birthday girl was so fun to plan a dinner for. I asked her what her favorite style was and she said "Romantic -- like Romeo and Juliette." So we put together a palette of purples, brass, vintage dishes and lacy linens to create that.

Both Sis and I love a bare, solid wood table. It's our preference for most events these days. The slotted wood bistro chairs (all from Classic Party Rentals) added a clean, European charm to the garden setting.

Most of these gorgeous tabletop items -- including the mis-matched vintage dishes, brass flatware, candlesticks, napkin rings and linens were sourced from the amazing Borrowed Blu.

I love adding other "live" elements to the table, in addition to flowers. For this one, a combination of figs, plums and lichee went perfectly with the summery, romantic vibe. We always find that guests are more than thrilled to take fresh produce home to enjoy when the party is over. I love that it doesn't go to waste!

A little secret: These gorgeous (and legit!) amethyst crystals that added such beauty to the table - they're from Amazon! They also made great parting gifts for the guests. I love decor that does double duty!

I kept driving myself crazy, laying awake a night, wanting to have another modern and interesting element included in the table design. That's when I decided to "ombré" the candles down the table. I ordered four different shades from Yummi Candles (they have the best candles) and used about 6 per color. I LOVED how it came out. I also want to say that you can almost never have enough candles. The tables that really speak to me have an abundance of candles. Go big or go home yo.

Checkin' things out. It's good to look at things through some kind of camera to see if it's making sense from a photograph's point of view. Sometimes I will realize "Whoa! That's really sparse" or "The flatware crooked!"

For the evening's signature drink, I made one of our favorites -- hibiscus cooler. It's a really refreshing drink -- great warm summer days (and nights). Pick up some organic hibiscus tea from Whole Foods or your local health food type store. Brew the tea and add raw agave (or whatever sweetener you prefer) to taste. Cool and pour over ice. Done!

I make this in huge batches for parties. It's easy to make but don't wear clothes that you care about while making it - the color is super bright and stains! To make a large batch, boil a huge pot of water, put a box or two worth of tea bags in and then sweeten with agave to taste. Then put on a ton of ice, only when you are ready to party. I serve it in one of my big drink dispensers so guests can just help themselves. Got some boozers coming? Keep a bottle of vodka or gin around for them to spike it up!

Cocktail modeling is my favorite job.

For the dessert table, I draped an antique desk, that I inherited from our Nana, with more of the vintage lace. I made the yarn backdrop from basic cream and gold colored yarn purchased at Joann Fabrics. I measured, cut and knotted rows of ten strings, making the middle row the longest and coming up bit by bit on each side to make a V shape. I liked the romantic boho vibe that it gave.

Our girl Emily from Whisk and Whittle outdid herself again with the most beautiful, and GLUTEN-FREE, confections. Her cakes are works of art. The large cake in the back is a berry shortcake and the shorter cake with the cute "Little Shop of Horrors" guy on top is some seriously relish carrot cake. To make sure the chocolate lovers got some love of their own, she made salted chocolate chip cookies and brownies. We had a lot of fun eating dessert that night!

Look at all those gorgeous goddesses!

Massive thank you to all who helped make this evening so magical! Love you, JL!!!! xoxoxo!!

---

CREDITS:

Party Design, Florals, Signature Drink + Custom Backdrop: Twink + Sis

Photography: Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Tabletop + Linens: Borrowed Blu

Misc. Tabletop: Twink + Sis' Own

Furniture Rentals: Classic Party Rents

Desserts: Whisk and Whittle

Candles: Yummi Candles

Amethyst Crystals: Amazon

Backdrop Materials: Joann

August 03, 2015

OUR 8 HOME BAR ESSENTIALS ON ELLE DECOR

August 03, 2015/ Laurén

Today we are sharing the 8 basic accessories you need to start your (fabulous) home bar on ELLE DECOR. Click HERE to see the 8 essentials and where to fine them!

June 01, 2015

BRIXTON'S FIRST BIRTHDAY

June 01, 2015/ Laurén

I can't believe it, but my baby boy just turned 2! And as Sis and I are gearing up for Brixie and Mila's rager this weekend, I'm reminiscing on his 1st birthday last year. It was one of the most fun and special days ever!

All photos by One Eleven Photography.

I wanted to create an animal-themed party with whites, light blues, mint green and silver. I took inspiration from OH HAPPY DAY and created "party animals" by making fringed party hats for each of them. They were my favorite element of the party.

I purchased plastic animal figurines from Amazon and made mini party hats from card stock and tissue paper from Paper Source, and attached them with a glue gun. I love the way they turned out! To create some height, I placed the animals on kraft paper boxes of varying sizes, that I purchased from Etsy. I also purchased the fringe banners on the main table from Etsy. The blue striped cups, napkins and plates are from Shop Sweet Lulu. The extra large white balloons are also from Shop Sweet Lulu. I used twine as balloon string and cut my own tissue fringe in sea blue and green, white and silver.

I wanted to make B's first birthday a celebration for all of our friends and family. I had to think of a location that would comfortably hold over 100 friends and their kids. The Franklin Gardens of The Manor Hotel in Hollywood, was a perfect hidden gem, with expansive grass and waterfalls.

I purchased extra large white balloons and made my own fringe by cutting tissue paper from Paper Source. I had my local balloon shop blow up all of the balloons and brought in my own twine for them to tie the balloons to.

I made my own organic, low-sugar lemonade and hibiscus iced tea and used my Pottery Barn drink dispensers for easy group serving.

I filled silver buckets from Pottery Barn with sparkling water and flat water.

It was important to me to have great food that both adults and kids would enjoy. We had ComidaLA there making their delicious South American food - arepas filled with organic meats and slaw, as well as rice, beans and quesadillas.

I like to have a lot of food and snack options! Especially with the large age range of the party. I made a huge fruit salad.

I filled treat bags from Paper Source with organic popcorn and chips and I put a variety of organic yogurts on ice for the little guys.

The birthday boy and Grampie.

Mila partying it up.

Not the prettiest ball pit ever, but I made a last minute purchase from Amazon and filled a blow-up kiddie pool with balls. I also purchased animal beach balls, from Oriental Trading Company, for the kids to throw around the large grassy area. It was a all a big hit.

The Giraffe Bouncy house, from Magic Jump, was also a hit.

The main attraction at the party was the awesome children’s music duo, The Beat Buds, who perform and engage the kids with songs and instruments that they can participate in. And their songs are really good!! Even the adults enjoyed them.

Gluten-free cupcakes and donuts were from Erin McKenna's Bakery (formerly Babycakes).

Small kraft bags, purchased from Etsy, were filled with animal sunglasses, stickers, bubbles and mini animal figurines. The sunglasses were a big hit.

Happy Birthday, Brixton!

Event Design: Twink + Sis
Photography: Jenna Elliott, One Eleven Photography
Venue: Manor Hotel, Franklin Gardens
Catering: ComidaLA
Cupcakes & Donuts: Erin McKenna's Bakery
Fruit & Yogurt: Whole Foods
Chips & Popcorn: Gelson’s
Balloons, Baker’s Twine, Cups, Plates & Napkins: Shop Sweet Lulu
Wooden Forks, Plastic Animals, Glue Gun: Amazon
DIY Tissue Fringe, Animal Hat Paper, Paper For Signs, Stencils for Sign: Paper Source
Favor Bags, Brown Twine, Fringe Banners, Kraft boxes: Etsy
Favor Bag Contents: Oriental Trading Company
Drink Bins & Dispensers: Pottery Barn
Vintage Glass Water Bottles: Sur La Table
Cupcake Stands,Large Silver Platters & Bowls: Town & Country Event Rentals
Pop-up tent rentals: AAA Rents & Events
Entertainment: The Beat Buds
Brixton’s Outfit: Muscle Tee - Nununu, Pants - Shampoodle Sweden, Moccs - Freshly Picked
Bouncy House: Magic Jump