January Party 2018

Hmmm, here it is the 6th of February ( I know this because I just changed the page on my wall calendar- ha!) and I haven't even shown you the pictures from my January party. Gracious, it's already time to show you my Valentine's decor! So, a bit of catch-up, my lovies..

I left the silver glittered candles on the table, but added small trees that I made from twigs that I picked up in the yard. I found ones with nice shapes and coated them with fine glitter, or clumps of white paint "snow", or crusted them with flakes of plastic snowflakes. Some of them are in a base made from a stick that I had my youngest son cut into disks and drill a hole in, so that I could insert my tree. Others are just the modified twigs set into old porcelain electrical insulators that I found for 25 cents a piece. Then I sprinkled drifts of fake snow all around.

The table setting needed to seem "frosty" as well. I used vintage glasses etched like frost, and old bubble glass plates. The blue napkins matched the paper scarves I made for each of the polar bears. They were Christmas ornaments at Hobby Lobby, six to a box, and 75% off after the holiday. I wrote my guests names on the paper scarves so they could take them home as favors. 

Do you see the shiny silver stars on the straws? I love them! No one ever really needs straws, but aren't they fun? And they were a dollar a pack at the Dollar Tree. My glasses were short so I just cut an inch off each straw to make them work.

One of the reasons I couldn't just forget about showing you my January party was because of the meringue mice. Aren't they sweet? I had so much fun making them. I had seen these made of marshmallow, but my band loves meringue. They have tiny little almond slice ears. I was a bit unsure if the licorice whip tails, and sprinkles for eyes and nose, would melt or distort in the oven.

 Here's how they baked up. I think they turned out adorable, and none of the candies melted. This is the nicest kind of rodent hoard to have perched on your dining room table ;)

I also made spice cookies from a great recipe that actually holds its shape. I did bears and trees, some with vanilla bean frosting, to go with my winter-y forest theme.

Lastly, there was something chocolate for those that don't like meringue or spice cookies. A decadent Brownie Torte with chocolate ganache. This is so moist and rich, and the frosting is heavenly; it just rolls down edges like a shiny lava flow. My youngest had two massive slices, plus half the nest of mice.

All in all, a lovely night lit with sparkling "snow" to celebrate the darkest month of the year. And now, on to Valentines!