“she had a cocktail in her hand and confetti in her hair.” Sounds delightful!
There is just something about Kate Spade’s “Twirl” that makes me want to plan a party.

Invite you to join your friends and neighbors at the fifth annual

Irmo Community Prayer Breakfast

Thursday, September 23, 2010 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.

First Baptist Church of Irmo

7068 Nursery Road

Columbia, SC 29212

Adrian Despres

Vice President, Kingdom Building Ministries

Chaplain, University of South Carolina Football

Itinerant Evangelist

Dr. Clark McCrary, First Baptist Church of Irmo

Dr. Bill Barton, Bill Barton Ministries

Rev. Julie Walkup Bird, McGregor Presbyterian Church

Rev. Kenneth E. Spry, Sr., Teen Spirit Forum of the Midlands

Rev. Dr. Franklin Fant, Seven Oaks Presbyterian Church

Music by: Laine Huggins

Presentation of Colors by: Irmo High School, JRAFROTC

FREE to the public. A light breakfast is available beginning at 7:30 a.m.

Program starts at 8:00 a.m.

Please RSVP by September 16 to Elizabeth Donehue (843) 864-9414 or elizabethdonehue@gmail.com

As a strict traditionalist  I am inclined to follow tradition at most costs. That being said, I would be remiss to have not noticed recent skepticism of the Labor Day law and more people than ever breaking the rule.

I consulted Emily Post for her guidance on the matter as I do when questions of etiquette arise. I was a bit disappointed because while she usually lays down the law, she seems to leave this one up to individual discretion. The 2004, Emily Post’s Etiquette, 17th Edition alludes to the old rule about wearing white only between Memorial Day and Labor Day being a thing of the past.

So Emily Post, gives the go-ahead for wearing white after Labor Day. While you won’t find me wearing it, this may explain why some who would typically abide by the custom are now willing to compromise.

With experts telling us that the rule is passé, I can’t help but ponder, perhaps they aren’t necessarily saying that wearing white after Labor Day IS appropriate, but rather that it CAN BE appropriate. As for me and my house, the white will be put away along with the linen and seersucker. We will look forward to bringing it out again at Easter.

“Preppies have known it for years: who needs LV or YSL when you can lay claim to a discreet EBW III? In fact, most Preppies are so proud of their monograms that they put it on virtually everything in sight.” -The Official Preppy Handbook

In the South, monograms abound. One can look almost anywhere and find a monogram. What many people do not know is how the monogram came to be used and the proper way to create or read one.

Historically, a monogram was used as a royal signature.  Romans and Greeks used them on coins to identify their rulers. Then, in the Middle Ages, artisans began to use them to sign their work.  Victorian-period high-class persons adapted the monogram for personal use as a symbol of their place in society.  Now, monograms can be seen on just about anything.

In the Victorian era, rules for monograms were quite simple and few.  Female monograms had the first initial on the left, middle initial on the right, and last initial embroidered larger in the middle.  But the rules are hardly simple anymore.  A monogram can be playful, whimsical, flamboyant, traditional, elegant, or understated;   the number of choices today is almost infinite.  Many still choose to use the traditional Victorian female model. www.articlesbase.com

Rules are now flexible, but for the purist, there are a few standards:

The Traditional (Victorian Female) Monogram: A three letter monogram with the middle letter largest and the two side letters the same size should be written in the following order: first name initial, last name initial, middle name initial.
Example: Elizabeth Hosftadt Draper  should be EDH (with D in the center & largest)

The Victorian Male Monogram : A three letter monogram with all letters the exact same size should be written in the following order: first name initial, middle name initial, last name initial.
Example: Donald Francis Draper should be DFD.

The Married Monogram: A married monogram is a modern design in which a husband and wife combine their monograms into one. This should only be used when a couple is married, not engaged. The order of initials should be as follows: wife’s first name, last name of couple, husband’s first name.
Example: Elizabeth Draper who is married to Donald Draper should be EDD (with D in the center & largest)

What is your favorite or least favorite use of the monogram?

Here’s the stuff. Happy yet?

Looking for an excuse to sip wine and feast on Gruyere? Follow these guidelines next time you are planning a cheese course for your party.

choosing the cheese.

• Plan on serving from three to five cheeses. Anything additional is overwhelming to the palate. For each type of cheese, buy one ounce per person.

• Aim for variety in taste, texture and appearance. An interesting selection might include a soft, mild cheese like a Camembert, a sharp nutty cheese such as Parmigiano- Reggiano, a blue like Gorgonzola, a pungent (a.k.a. stinky) cheese like Taleggio,  and a semi-firm, Manchego.

appropriate accompaniments.

• Serve with with crackers and bread that don’t have very strong flavors that would detract from the flavor of the cheeses.

• Snip a bunch of grapes into small clusters and pile them together to create easy-to-grab portions. Apples, pears or figs also pair nicely.

• In separate dishes, you might also offer olives (kalamata, Nicoise, Spanish), pickled vegetables (gherkins, artichoke hearts, peppers), and lightly roasted nuts (walnuts, macadamias, almonds).

• Offer guests a hearty snack to round out the food- a dried sausage like saucisson or sopresatta.

• As for beverages, wine is a classic accompaniment. In general, fresh cheeses pair well with Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Noir, blue cheeses with Sauternes and Port, and aged cheeses with Zinfandel or Burgundy.

serving suggestions.

• Serve the cheeses on a tray or platter that is large enough to keep them from touching and has a contrasting background color.

• Remove the wrapping from the cheeses, but leave on the rinds.

• Serve each cheese with its own knife to avoid mixing flavors.

• Bring cheeses to room temperature for optimal flavor – take out of the refrigerator up to two hours before serving.

• Identify the cheeses. Note each variety.

The next time you plan a dinner party, try this on for fun: place cards with adjectives that describe your friends in attendance.  Kate Spade recommends putting a spin on traditional seating cards. Who needs place cards marked with proper names when a well-aimed adjective will do? Write out cards with coy, funny, nosy, flirtatious, bachelor, cunning, and quiet. Let your guests select their own places at the table.

What adjective would best mark your seat?

{image: martha stewart weddings }

I organized a cocktail party for friends and was determined to send out handwritten invitations to each of them. I decided to use classic white paper cocktail napkins. On the front, I sketched the event details. They were mailed in recycled brown kraft envelopes.

It was a hit! People seemed delighted to receive these invites. Writing on napkins seems like a great DIY option that could be used in so many different ways.

Sidewalk directions.

Keeping in character with the atmosphere of this shindig, we used chalk directions on the sidewalk to let guests know to come on in and join the fun there.

Instant Hors d’oeuvres.
These store-bought morsels go from package to plate in mere minutes. A few items on our menu: Grissini with Parmigiano-Reggiano, Sopressata with grainy mustard, Pâté with cornichons and sliced baguette. Voila!

{Food images: Real Simple}