And The Oscar Goes To...

Last year Jeff & I were invited to an Oscar Party hosted by our neighbors Kathleen & Derek. Every year they throw this huge, glamorous costume bash, line their driveway with a red carpet & paparazzi, and cater it with amazing food & libations. All for about 150 people. It was truly one of the most incredible parties we've ever attended. Well this year they've got their hands full with their 3rd child (2 month old precious Spencer) so the shindig of the year is on hold until 2013. 

Since we, and many of our friends included, have been so spoiled by Kathleen's party, it would be a tall order to just watch the show alone at home. With the dog. And no costumes. Or confetti. Or fancy cocktails... So with the help of 3 wonderful neighbors we're hosting a little party at our house Sunday night for the big show! This was so last minute and only for about 20 people, but I was amazed at how quickly we planned this party  aided by some fabulous resources online! Seriously, we pulled all the details together in an hour and here are some of the best tips & tools we found:

There was no time for fancy invitations, so we scoured the web and found these darling evites from Postmark. Their Oscar Collection for this year is designed by Marc Friedland and boasts

10 different free options, including the ones you see above. Aren't they gorgeous?!

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Free Oscar Printables!! Holy moly there is a plethora of fantastically creative bloggers on the intertubes that love to give their wares away for free. And evidently these creative geniuses love them some Academy Awards because I've found printables for place cards, food & cocktail labels, drink charms, ballots, party games and tons more! And if you're watching away from home, there's a Vanity Fair app for that.

Our fave printable finds: Twig & Thistle, Hostess With The Mostess, How About Orange and Pizzazzerie

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To glam up the decor we looked for easy, inexpensive diy crafts that 3 non-Martha Stewarts could put together in a jiffy. And we hit the jackpot with the Ladies of Everyday Celebrating and Namesake Design.  I can't decide which I love more, the foam director's clap board, the spray-painted Ken dolls on a tuna can

or the glitterati Oscar statue cupcake toppers. How cool are all of these!

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The food, glorious food! Since we're only hosting about 20 people and it's on a Sunday night, we wanted to keep it simple, but also kick it up a notch from our typical party fare. Here's what made the final cut:
Prosciutto-wrapped Mac & Cheese Cups, Southern Shrimp Cocktails, Black Olive Penguins,

Lobster Newburg Dip, Mini Potato Latkes with Smoked Salmon & Dill,

and Goat Cheese with Pistachios & Cranberries

And of course we're serving popcorn in these cute tubs. You can't have a movie party without popcorn!

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When I think of the Oscar's I think of vintage tuxedos and classic black & white palette with pops of sparkle. So we wanted our dessert table to follow that color scheme as well. Not all of them will be making an appearance at our party, but these sweet treats are my best performance nominees:
Mini White Chocolate Tuxedo Cheesecakes, a simple Oreo Cake, Oscar Statue Cookies,
Chocolate Pinot-Noir Fondue, Sparkling Champagne Cupcakes, Popcorn Bag Brownies, and
Red Velvet Black & White Cookies. Watch out Queen City, we're coming for all your oreos!

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It may be a Sunday night party, but you must have red carpet cocktails, no? There are endless options available for elegant libations, but my top picks are these lovelies: Red Carpet Cosmo, Golden Truffle, Silver Screen Punch, Red Carpet Fizz, the Hummingbird, Sparkling Pear, and my personal favorite,
a cocktail named after an Academy Award winning diva - the Dorothy Dandridge. Fabulous.



So tell me about your plans for Sunday night's Academy Awards show. Are y'all hosting or stopping by an Oscar bash? If not, as you can see, it's not too late to plan something fun! Btw, for the pre-show red carpet you can bet I'll be gabbing on twitter about all the gorgeous gowns & dapper gentlemen. Give me a holla!
Happy Tuesday y'all :)