Jennifer Carroll Events Blog

Celebrating Everyday Life :: July 2011 is here!

Hello, hello, hello! I apologize for the few months of radio silence as I adjusted to life as a new mommy! Emma and I are doing great and I am easing back into a little bit of designing with my paper line and the e-glossy. I had a lot of fun pulling together the July issue of Celebrating Everyday Life with Jennifer Carroll and I hope you get a fun tid-bit or two out of it.

 

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Happy Thursday!

Jennifer

{On stands now} March/April Victoria

It's already March, and that means spring is sneaking up on us! Here at Jennifer Carroll Events, we are so inspired by the changing of the seasons-- especially when it means that flowers are pink and the world is green. For the second issue of Victoria Magazine, the March/April edition, Jennifer and the fantastic team of Jen Fariello Photography and Pat's Floral Designs created a tablescape inspired by the beauty of Virginia's outdoor spaces.

Jennifer and the fabulous Victoria Artist-in-Residence team created an outdoors luncheon tablescape with a pretty pastel palette and a dainty, mis-matched vintage aesthetic. Vintage tableware, soft fabrics, and patterned china complete the look-- transporting you to an almost other-wordly space.

Use the look for your first outdoor celebration of the spring season-- whether that be a birthday party, bridal shower, or just a book club gathering. Garner inspiration from the upcoming Cherry Blossom Festival {held in Washington, D.C. March 26 - April 10!} or your own growing garden!

Happy Thursday!

-Jennifer & Stephanie

Super Bowl Snack Time!

It's football time! Friends and family might not hear those words from the girls here at Jennifer Carroll Events often, but even we don our favorite team's jersey or start spouting stats when Super Bowl fever comes around. Throwing a game-watching soiree this year? Jazz up your usual gridiron grub with some delicious-- but simple-- snacks!

One of our new favorite goodies to munch on comes from the darling food blog, Love and Butter. Cake pops are a growing trend and, besides being delectable, are super simple to make! Check out the latest issue of Celebrating Everyday Life with Jennifer Carroll for more Super Bowl tips here!

Ingredients (to make 50 pops):

1 box cake mix OR 1 store-bought pound cake

{if you choose to make your own cake, you'll need the ingredients listed on the box as well}

1 can frosting

1 pkg. chocolate candy bark for dipping

Paper lollypop sticks

Styrofoam block

White icing and tips for piping

 

Step One:

Prepare cake according to package. Let cake cool completely. {If using a store-bought cake, skip to step two.}

Step Two:

In a large bowl, finely crumble cake. Add 1/2 of the frosting {you can add more if needed, but start with 1/2}. Using a spoon, gently combine mix and frosting until it's well blended like cookie dough.

Step Three:

Scoop dough into balls and roll into football shapes. Place on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Once all dough is rolled, place sheet in fridge to set.

Step Four:

Meanwhile, melt chocolate candy bark in the microwave. Be careful not to overheat it. Remove footballs from fridge and grab your sticks. Dip end of stick into melted chocolate no more than 1/2". Then stick the chocolate dipped end into the football. Repeat until all footballs are on sticks. Let chocolate set.

Step Five:

Get your styrofoam block out. Dip entire football into melted chocolate to cover. Gently tap the football to allow excess chocolate to run off. Stick football into styrofoam block to allow it to dry.

Step Six:

Once footballs are dry, lay them on your baking sheet and prepare your white icing for piping the laces. Pipe the long vertical lines first, then pipe your short horizontals "laces". Serve and enjoy!

 

Happy Friday! Go team!

-Jennifer & Stephanie

{Get the look} Lori & Nick's Veritas Wedding

It might have been months ago, but here at Jennifer Carroll Events, we're still swooning over Lori & Nick's summer wedding at Veritas Vineyard! We're so excited that The Knot is currently featuring this couple's rustic nuptials in their Spring issue and we just posted a larger peek at the entire day on our Facebook page. Lori and Nick really embraced their wedding's vineyard setting and, inspired by their enthusiasm, we intertwined their love for Virginia and each other into all the day's rustic details. Love this look, but aren't quite sure how to get it? Here are a few tips for bringing Lori and Nick's Big Day into your every day:

This wine cork place holder is super easy to re-create for any event-- from a wedding for 200 to a casual dinner party for 20! The key is ensuring that the cork doesn't roll. After slicing the cork top, to place the card in, shave the bottom to create a flat edge for the cork to rest on. If you're using a tent card (like Lori and Nick did, above), you don't have to shave the bottom-- just insert only the front flap of the card into the cork and allow the back flap to stablize the cork. Don't have a huge collection of corks at home? Your local winery will usually give their used corks away for free-- so be sure to ask!

{photos by Jen Fariello}

Another detail we loved was the cider plank menu cards-- the look and feel of the wood added an extra jolt of "Wow" factor as soon as guests sat down. For this design element, visit your local builder's supply company and ask if they have any extra cedar plank shingles. Cut the shingles down to size, then sand everything-- you don't want anyone getting a splinter when they pick up their menus!

A vineyard theme can be incorporated into any event, whether it be a cozy dinner for two or a large corporate luncheon. Lori and Nick really emphasized the natural summer colors of Veritas-- lavendars, greens, browns-- and by incorporating those into your space, you'll invoke a summery, wine-soaked scene.

Happy Wednesday!

-Jennifer & Stephanie

{Sneak Peek} Baby Shower Glamour

Wow-- December is flying by! We're coming off a busy, but exciting weekend here at Jennifer Carroll Events. Sunday morning saw us team up with our lovely friends from Pat's Floral Designs and Jen Fariello Photography to throw a glamorous baby shower soiree for our very own Jennifer!

We took over the Jefferson Room at Farmington Country Club and transformed the space into a luscious pink-and-green fête. Inspired by all things dainty and feminine, the shower incorporated textured fabrics, vintage baby details {think prams and cradles}, and a sophisticated biscuit bar luncheon, as well as traditional shower festivities {games such as baby bingo and "Guess the Celebrity Mommy" were a huge hit}. Family and friends gathered to celebrate the newest member of the community in style!

{gifts were scattered throughout the room in prams and cradles to add an element of surprise}

{chair backs herald the impending arrival of Baby Girl Carroll}

Check back in soon for a full post {with Jen Fariello photos!} of Jennifer's shower. You don't have to wait until your next wedding to attend a fabulous event! There's always a chance to add a hint of glamour to everyday celebration-- and that's what we love here at Jennifer Carroll Events!

Happy Monday!

-Jennifer & Stephanie

Introducing the December Issue!

It's December-- already! How the time flies during the holidays! We here at Jennifer Carroll Events hope you've had a fabulous, fun, and relaxing Thanksgiving week. But now that it's mid-way through the work week and memories of pecan pie and juicy turkey are beginning to fade, it's easy to let the bustle of office stress make you say "Bah Humbug!". Cheer up! We have just the trick to turn any Scrooge into a Santa. We're releasing the December Issue of our monthly newsletter ezine-- and it is packed with holiday tips, tricks, and inspiration to put you back in the holiday spirit.

 
{One of our favorite December features-- how cute is this sparkly card?}

In this month's issue of Celebrating Everyday Life, we bring you page after page of holiday goodies, from gift-wrapping ideas to DIY presents, a glamorous New Year's Eve wedding to scrumptous recipes for a winter cookie swap! Click here to open the ezine, grab a mug of peppermint white chocolate coffee {we have a fantastic recipe inside!} and enjoy!

We love all our fans and readers-- and if you like what you see in this issue, sign up to recieve each monthly issue straight to your inbox! Drop us a line with comments, questions, or compliments at jennifer@jennifercarrollevents.com and let us know what you'd love to see more of!

Happy Wednesday and Happy December! The countdown to Christmas begins...

-Jennifer & Stephanie

Jennifer's Top Thanksgiving Tips

It's Monday, which means we are just over a week away from every foodie's favorite festivity-- Thanksgiving! Whether you are single-handledly trimming the turkey, peeling potatoes, and baking the pies or just traveling to relax with family and friends, Thanksgiving doesn't have to be the stressful, bustling day it's sometimes made out to be. As event planners, we at Jennifer Carroll Events have found several ways to keep the day running smoothly, the food cooked to perfection, and everyone focused on giving thanks. Jennifer offered her top tips for keeping Thanksgiving stress-free in our November newsletter; here, we've compiled a few of them below!

First things first: plan out your menu well in advance! Once you have all your dishes lined up, you can pinpoint which ingredients you need to buy, which is especially important if you want to buy locally!

After you have your menu planned, you can strategize about your time. Space out each dish evenly, leaving enough time (and space in your kitchen) to let things cool. Make sure you plan your turkey first-- occasionally the turkey will cook at hotter temperatures than other dishes, monopolizing your oven! Once you know how much time you need to dedicate to the turkey, you can plan out the rest of the cooking time accordingly. Jennifer recommends using a cooking bag for your turkey to reduce the need for constant basting and to save time.

If possible, make your desserts the day before the big feast. Most pies and cakes actually taste more delicious when the flavors have been allowed to meld together overnight.If you've prepared pies as part of your menu, pop them in a warm oven right before serving to ensure they're warm and gooey!

It's all about time management! Once you sit down and plan out your day, you can ease stress and approach Thanksgiving with a plan of attack.

Check back in later this week for more of Jennifer's Thanksgiving tips and tricks! If you missed the November issue of our montly e-zine, head here to check it out-- and make sure you sign up to receive each issue straight to your inbox each month!

Happy Monday!

-Jennifer & Stephanie

{Friday Sneak Peek}

Wow, the week has flown by! We've been hard at work on some exciting new projects here at Jennifer Carroll Events, where the holidays are taking over our subconsiousness. One of our recent endeavours includes prepping for our upcoming December e-zine-- think holiday entertaining, tips on crafting a winter wonderland ambiance for any event, and gift ideas galore! Here's a sneak peek at one of our e-zine inspirations:

We love creating new ways to spice up the holiday season-- elegant touches in decor or crafty ways to glam up gift-giving! Whether you're a low-key holiday planner or you love to host family and friends throughout the season, you won't want to miss our December newsletter, which is packed with seasonal inspirations. If you haven't signed up for our monthly e-zine, head here to subscribe!

Have you "liked" us on Facebook yet? We post all our blog posts straight to our Facebook page, so they show up automatically in your newsfeed! We love all the support we get from friends, family, and the community-- so if you like what we're doing here at Jennifer Carroll Events, be our Facebook fan!

Happy Friday! Enjoy a gorgeous fall weekend!

-Jennifer & Stephanie

{Inspiring Ideas} Vintage World Travel

The week is off to a whirlwind start here at Jennifer Carroll Events-- but really, we wouldn't have it any other way! It's only Monday, and we're hard at work prepping for a travel-inspired photo shoot later this week. While we can't reveal all the details right now, suffice it to say you can make any occasion an Event {with capital letters} with the addition of dainty details and customized design elements. Today we're inspired by antique maps and vintage travel elements.

{photo courtesy Keur maps}

{photo courtesy World Globes}

The faded map colors, intersecting lines, scripty font, dark, mahogany elements-- swoon! What's inspiring you this week?

Happy Monday!

-Jennifer & Stephanie

Elegant {& Feathery} November Inspiration

 

 

Happy November! Can you believe how close we are to the holiday season? In case you haven't been eagerly counting down the hours until you can stuff the turkey and hang the trimmings, never fear-- we've created a set of glamorous and elegant Thanksgiving inspirations from Polyvore.

Thanksgiving doesn't have to scream "kitschy" if you don't want it to! The combination of robin's egg blue and chocolate are seasonally appropriate without straying too far from the traditional feel of Turkey Day. Add in some creams and taupes to create a color scheme that will soothe and delight your guests, or throw in a punchy orange or green for an extra pop. Spice up your dining room decor with rustic touches-- such as wooden serving bowls, distressed birdhouses as centerpieces, or non-scented candles in pretty wire holders (don't use scented candles-- it will take away from the delicious smells of your dinner!).

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching! And while these design elements are perfect for the holidays, they'll be sure to glam up any event you host.

Happy Wednesday!

-Jennifer & Stephanie