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March Madness
March 2007

March Madness!?! No, I'm not referring to basketball, though I'm sure there will be many parties - or at least a lot of eating, drinking and merriment as the NCAA winds down to the Final Four (go GWU!). For this publication, March Madness is the countdown to many spring events - Easter, Passover and Mother's Day, as well as bridal and baby showers (June is still the most popular month for weddings and July, August and September hold the record for most babies born).

With so many special occasions coming up, entertaining is a must! I did some quick research on tableware. I consulted my favorite stores - Crate and Barrel, Target and Wegmans to name a few - to see what's new for spring. Below are a few suggestions. Perhaps my research will inspire you to create a posh tablescape for your next party.

New Tabletop Items for Spring

China, Glassware and Linens
If you like one-stop shopping, Crate and Barrel has the best tabletop collection this spring. I have two favorites. I like the
Flower Buffet Plate with the Kira Lilac Wine Glass and Linden Tablecloth (lavender), as well as the Akina Square Plate on either the Linden Tablecloth (aloe) or the Umbrella Tablecloth (mango).

High Grade Disposables
If you dislike washing dishes, then check out the plates, cups, cutlery and napkins made by Casperi. Wegmans has a great collection of Casperi goods but I also like www.plumparty.com . For baby showers, I suggest the Fuchsia Grosgrain Set or the Meditteranean Blue Grosgrain Set or perhaps one of the pink or blue polka dot sets. For Mother's Day, I like the Dahlias Set; it's so bright and vibrant. But the best disposable plate, in my opinion, is the clear diamond pattern plastic plate. Perfect for any special occasion, just add fancy paper napkins!

For the Kids (Easter) Table
Hands-down, Pottery Barn Kids has the best collection of kid's stuff. Each season, they offer clever items to enhance the holidays. This spring, they offer cute Easter Vinyl Place Mats and Easter Egg Plates - not to mention, table runners, personalized baskets, etc.

Other options, perhaps for the kid in most of us, are the Hand-Painted Ceramic Bunny Plates and Peep Ceramic Platter from Sur La Table. Both items have a vintage design and are cute without being over-the-top cute.

Mother's Day Brunch Menu

This 'Sunday Breakfast' menu is taken directly from the Barefoot Contessa Parties! cookbook by Ina Gartner. While it can be served for any special occasion, I think ithis menu looks yummy for Mother's Day. Enjoy!

Roasted Asparagus with Scrambled Eggs
Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Tropical Smoothies
Health Bread
Raspberry Bread
Cinnamon Honey Butter
Fresh Fruit
Coffee

Floral Arrangements

I recently read an article in Real Simple magazine that I want to share. It's entitled, "The Only Glass Vases You'll Ever Need". The article suggests that you only need three vases: 1) a tall, wide cylinder vase, 2) a square vase, and 3) a cylindrical bud vase.

May this article inspire and empower you to clean out your closet and reclaim storage space!

Holiday dinners are fun to plan on your own but when your next special occasion requires more creativity, patience and time than you have to spare, please contact posh parties, LLC. With over 10 years of party planning experience, we make entertaining effortless and enjoyable for our clients!


Ashleigh Dorfman, CSEP
posh parties, LLC
phone: 703.476.6530