40 and Fabulous - How to throw a party while traveling

“How to throw a party while traveling”

Cocktails in Charleston!

I dedicate this entry to my dear, dear friend . . . well, best friend, Cindy G.
Cindy (a.k.a. Spendy), recently turned the big 4-0! My other girlfriends and I brainstormed together for months on what to get the person who truly has everything!

So we decided that presenting her with a “Memory” was ever-lasting . . . versus a traditional store purchased gift.

Being that I live in the south now, what better place to wine & dine our fabulous friend, but in Charleston, SC. (the second best city in the country . . . NYC being the first!)

My girlfriend Jaci, found the most incredible hotel: Restoration on King
A charming little boutique hotel, that was essentially a furnished apartment, hand-picked and delivered, straight out of Manhattan.
{If any of you readers ever have a chance to splurge on a hotel . . . this is the one!}
http://www.restorationonking.com/

It was perfect. Cindy was turning “40 AND FABULOUS” . . . and our trip itinerary went a little something like this:

Day 1 – A night of surprises

1. Surprise Cindy by not telling her the hotel
2. Send Cindy for a drink at a local bar upon arrival so we could set up before she entered the room
3. Set up Decorations, Music, Italian Tapas & Spirits
4. Invite her back for an intimate dinner party in our Charleston Apartment
5. Eat, Drink & Be Merry… then onto the Charleston nightlife!
6. Transportation: RICKSHAWS . . . seriously fun!
(That night, our favorite spot we randomly found . . . Halls Chophouse – both owners were there, they were so much fun and their customer service was impeccable!)
http://hallschophouse.com/

The night was perfect . . . but we had a Day 2 since that was Cindy’s actual birthday.

Day 2 – A day of Cindy

1. We woke up to the hotel’s continental breakfast (custom ordered by us), delivered in a picnic basket at our door.
2. We told Cindy that our actual present was to wine & dine her ALL DAY . . . We would do whatever SHE WANTED and pay for all meals & drinks.
3. Shopping on King Street prevailed
4. Stopping for lunch at a rooftop bar drinking margaritas in the sun was next
5. Going back to the apartment for showers came later
6. Arriving at our last surprise (Cypress) for an elegant dinner was at 8pm (best oysters EVER)
http://www.magnolias-blossom-cypress.com/
7. Eat, Drink & Be Merry
8. And onto more Charleston nightlife!

Day 3 – checkout day
(included: packing, going to lunch, walking along Bay Street/Battery park and our farewells)

I hope all of you have a chance in life to experience love, laughter & friendships the way I did for Cindy’s 40 AND FABULOUS birthday celebration.
Here’s a glimpse of our great memories . . . Enjoy!

Inside our apartment (hotel) . . . I made a personalized banner that said “40 & Fabulous” with funny photos of Cindy wearing “40 glasses” from my husband’s 40th birthday last year . . . (I knew those photos would come in handy)

I cut out patterned cardstock squares, and then printed the letters/photos separately, (cut them into circles) and taped them to the squares. I punched holes through the squares and strung them together with twine.

Next we set up the “Goody Bar” that included the following:

Lollipop plants; Popcorn Cones; Organic Chocolate Cookies; Organic Chocolate Truffles & Chocolate Pearls; Organic Cupcakes (our only travel casualty . . . the cupcakes got crushed in the car, so the icing was a wreck!); Wine, wine & more wine; Champagne Toast (we even brought in our own champagne glasses that Cindy had given us as New Year’s Eve presents)

Last – we set up the Italian Tapas which included:

Various meats & specialty cheeses; fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries); grapes; fresh carrot & celery sticks; olives; nuts; crackers; flat breads; fresh pesto sauces (classic basil, red pepper, calamata olive); fresh guacamole; various pasta noodles (gnocchi, ravioli, spiral) and freshly baked mini-lasagnas

I made food labels to stick in all the “important” food items . . .

The guest of honor arrived:

In the following order: Jaci, Erin G, Me (Adria), Cindy (and this was the best one out of several shots . . . someone is always doing something crazy!)

What we do best: Drinking . . . talking . . . laughing

So here are some close-ups of the party details:

I packaged cookies in clear bags, cut out printed cardstock, stapled it on, printed out party logos and attached them with ribbon & tape

This was the Lollipop Plant: In lieu of fresh flowers, I stuck lollipops in a small pot (put lolliwrappers on the lollipops), and wrapped the pot in vintage McCall’s pattern paper with a ribbon – Cindy is an amazing seamstress . . . that’s why I used pattern paper instead of tissue paper.

Popcorn Cones adorned with custom party logos:

This entailed making cones out of patterned cardstock paper (hot-gluing them sealed shut), printing out the party logos and sticking them on with ribbon and tape. Then I took a green foam rectangle (what florists use), wrapped it in the McCall’s pattern paper and stuck little holes in the foam to hold the cones.

Packaged Chocolate Truffles & Chocolate Pearls adorned with party logos

Since these bags were smaller, I just used pattern cardstock and a logo to package them . . . I didn’t want to take-aways from the scrumptious yummies inside!

Party Logos used for finger food toothpicks: