At Mitchell Clemons Events, we try to always give back to our local community. We have had the privilege of helping out with this year’s Oxford University School Auction, and we have loved every minute of it. It’s nice knowing that all of your hard work will go towards helping deserving students receive a quality education. 
If you are in the Oxford area, you should consider purchasing a ticket (or a table!) and enjoying all of the fun next Saturday night. It is going to be a great evening full of delicious food, live music, and amazing auction items.
Turning Thirty-Two with Tory
At Mitchell Clemons events, we believe you need a fabulous birthday celebration at any age. Right now we are working on a 32nd birthday for one of our favorite clients. She loves Tory Burch, so we wanted to use Tory’s T logo as the inspiration for our “Thirty-Two” birthday party. We are basing the color scheme around Tory Burch’s signature colors of hot pink, orange, and gold.
{ Mannequin image from Village Tailor, Monogram, Glittered wine glasses available from Dawlens, Pink Tory bag image from Village Tailor, Champagne with rock candy image from Camille Styles, Pink polish available at Essie, Custom designed Tory Burch style invite,Peony image from House Beautiful, Tissue Garland available from Flair Exchange, Tory Burch cake available from Erin Hurt, Leopard wallet and Tory logo earrings available at Tory Burch }
Our plan is to make this the ultimate girls’ day. Everyone will meet at her house for some appetizers, birthday cake, champagne, and mimosas. Then everyone is headed to the Nail Shoppe to get their nails done (with some roadie cocktails). After their fingers and toes are looking good, they plan to hit the square to do some shopping. The birthday girl wants to find the perfect outfit for her big day. After going home to change into their purchases, everyone will meet up with their husbands and boyfriends for a fun birthday dinner. We are coordinating her a Tory Burch-inspired invitation and birthday cake, beautiful decorations for the early morning party (definitely adding in some of her favorite peonies), favors for her favorite girls (check out those fantastic monogrammed, glittered wine glasses), as well a few decorations for the birthday dinner. This is going to be a fantastic day for a fantastic lady! We can’t wait to show you pictures of the actual event.
p.s. If you haven’t seen this hilarious 32 parody of Taylor Swift’s 22, please check it out. Some days this is exactly how we feel about turning older:
Let the Good Times Roll!
Involvement is the key to throwing a good party, period. Parties that stand out in your guest’s minds are those at which they got to participate in the event. Coming up with activities that will involve them isn’t always so easy, but we have a great idea for you. We all love a little DIY, so why not try your hand at rolling sushi! A sushi rolling party involves everyone and let’s them try something out of their normal comfort zone and get creative. 
A sushi party is best to do with smaller groups, as sushi is considered a communal, yet intimate dining occasion. Invite 6 – 12 or so of your closest friends and get the party started. This is also a great party for couples, because sometimes it takes teamwork to get everything right.
Getting all of the supplies and materials together isn’t as difficult as you would think. Most of these ingredients can be found at your local farmer’s market, local asian restaurant, or even at Kroger. Here are your steps to get your party going:
1) Use a table that is low to the ground, like a coffee table or two.
2) Provide pillows as chairs.
3) For each person, set out a large plate, a small plate such as a saucer, a steamed facecloth and chopsticks.
4) Set out two to three plates of prepared wasabi and vinegared ginger.
5) Provide one or two bottles of soy sauce (we prefer low sodium soy, generally with a green top).
6) Get your protein ready. You will want to cut your sashimi, or raw fish, into small slices. Fresh selections of fish can usually be found at your local supermarket. Our favorites are tuna, salmon, yellowtail, and crab. If you are worried about working with the raw fish, boiled or tempura shrimp or fish can be used as protein fillers as well. Remember, you can never undercook fish.
7) Provide other fillings, such as cucumber slices, avocado slices, bell pepper, cream cheese, and crunchies.
8) Cut nori (seaweed) into 4-by-4-inch squares and stack onto two plates.
9) Provide shari (sushi rice) in a large wooden bowl.
10) Pass around the nori, rice and fish and have each person assemble his or her own sushi rolls
11) Great side dishes to offer with your sushi rolls are pork gyoza (steamed dumplings), edamame, and miso soup. These really finish off your asian experience.
12) Don’t forget the sake and Japanese beer. Our favorite beer is Sapporo.
Here are a few simple combinations for your group to try:
California Roll: crab, cucumber, and avocado
Smoked Salmon: smoked salmon, cucumber, wasabi and avocado
Crunchy Shrimp: fried shrimp, avocado, cucumber, and wasabi
Yellow Tail Roll: yellow tail and green onion
Spicty Tuna Roll: tuna, Sriracha, and green onion
If you don’t think you can do this all on your own, don’t fret. We will be happy to help you host a sushi rolling party. We often work with Allison Borders, owner of the famous Two Stick in Oxford, MS. She will demonstrate in an at home sushi rolling event, exactly what you need to do. Your group can learn from an expert, while enjoying some cocktails. Who could ask for a better evening? Good friends. Good food. Good wine (or sake in this case). That’s what we’re always looking for in a good party.
Give us a call if we can help you host your next sushi rolling party (or any party– from grand openings to kids’ birthdays)!
Winner, Winner, Whiskey Birthday Dinner
We are still trying to decide on the celebration for the Birthday Boy that doesn’t like birthday parties. Our first idea was the Baseball Birthday Bash. We are now considering a simple birthday dinner at one of his favorite locations, Boure. We want to keep the festive birthday balloons, but there wouldn’t be many other decorations. We want to have it in the semi-private wine room of the restaurant, which will give just the intimate feel we are going for. I found this creative “Party-In-a-Box” online while hunting for inspiration online. I love the idea of doing something similar as favors for everyone who attends, with birthday buttons (based on a label of one of his favorite whiskeys, Old Charter), straws, and maybe a mini bottle of whiskey. We can finish everything off with a simple birthday cake. 
{ Balcony image from Boure, Jumbe Number Balloons available at BargainBalloons.com, Boure Crawfish Tails image from Yelp, Custom designed birthday button, Party In A Box image from Amanda Jane Jones, Maker’s Mark image from Brides, Birthday Cake image from Cooking Channel, Red Striped Straws available at Shop Sweet Lulu’s }
Ballpark Birthday Bash
Planning a birthday party for an adult male can sometimes be a challenge. It can easily fall into kiddie party territory or feel cheesy. To complicate matters, this birthday boy isn’t even a fan of having parties (but his wife is fond of throwing them). We are trying to come up with ideas that are still fun, but don’t make him uncomfortable with all of the attention. Our first idea is to celebrate at the Ole Miss baseball game on his birthday. They are at every game already, but we would add some fun number balloons to indicate his age and offer his friends the traditional “popcorn, peanuts, and Cracker Jacks,” along with some festive desserts. Here is our inspiration board for the Ballpark Birthday Bash: 
{ Large 32 balloons available at BargainBalloons.com, Cracker Jack image from Paper Treats and Other Sweets, Peanut image from Two Plus Us, Vintage Popcorn Bags available at Shop Sweet Lulu, Chocolate covered Oreo baseball image from Yummy Serving, Baseball Tablescape image from Kara’s Party Ideas, Ole Miss Cookies available at Parties and Pastries, Peanut centerpiece image from Paper Treats and Other Sweets }
Light It Up!
I love the look of marquee lights right now. They can add the perfect dose of rustic chic + whimsy to create a statement at a party.
{ Images Courtesy of Vintage Marquee Lights }
When used on a large scale, they don’t require a lot of other decorations, because they become the focal point.
{ Images courtesy of 100 Layer Cake }
When used with a carnival, circus, or movie theme, they can reinforce your theme with your other decorations.
{ Image Courtesy of Hostess with the Mostess }
If you invest in the vintage metal version, they could easily be recycled to become party of your home decor, especially if you use your initials.
{ Image Courtesy of Project Decor }
We are currently working on a party that I would love to see the Birthday Boy’s age up in lights. The budget won’t allow for actual metal marquee lights, but I think I have found a great solution. Fiskars has a great tutorial on creating the same effect with paper mache letters!
All you do is cut the front face off of the letters, paint and add light yellow circles for lights. I think that you could also cut holes and add Christmas lights if you wanted them to light up.
I also found a similar take on it the involves painting the outside gold and the inside bright colors. It really makes the letters pop.
{ Image Courtesy of Young House Love }
What kind of party can you see these Marquee Light Letters being used for?
Academy Award Fun
I always get excited about the Oscars, but this year I don’t plan on throwing an Academy Awards party (unless sitting in your PJ’s on the couch watching counts as a party). I keep seeing great party ideas pop up online. They almost make me want to change my mind. Check these out that I have found:
{ Image Courtesy of We Heart Parties }
{ Image Courtesy of We Heart Parties }
{ Image Courtesy of Hostess with the Mostess }
These images are almost enough to make me want to break out the spray glue and glitter again for Champagne bottles.
What I will be doing on Sunday is checking out what everyone is wearing. The last few years my friends and I have selected our best-dressed winner through a bracket. I guess it’s our version of March February Madness. I thought I would share this year’s bracket with you, so you can join in on the fun.
I included all of the ladies that are nominated for an acting award, as well as most of the presenters. I am sure that I left someone off, so there is a write-in candidate as well. Work your way through to determine who you think is best dressed. Come back and let us know who you picked! Be sure to print out two copies. After you have selected your best dressed, you can play again to select your worst dressed. Who needs Joan Rivers? We’ve got our own Fashion Police.
Team America Sausage Balls
I had quite a few other ideas in mind to represent America at our Winter Olympic party, but I had to make a last minute change because two of our guest refuse to eat cheese (I KNOW. What is wrong with them?!). Luckily they haven’t yet figured out that sausage balls actually contain cheese. Let’s just keep that our little secret.
These sausage balls are something that I make constantly for football and baseball games. They are delicious whether they are served piping hot or have cooled off some. There are never any leftovers. Luckily, these are also super easy. The key ingredient is to use cream cheese to keep them super moist. I also add a little Tony Chachere’s to add a little spice. I’m sure any Cajun seasoning/BBQ rub would work.
1 lb. sausage (I use regular vs. hot)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened (buy a tub over a brick)
1 ¼ cups Bisquick
4 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded (or more)
1 Tablespoon Tony Chachere’s Cajun seasoning
I put all of these ingredients in my Kitchenaid mixer, using the dough hook attachment, and mix until everything is combined. Once everything looks every throughout, roll into balls about the size of ping-pong balls. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 400F.
There are a lot of times that I will make these the night before for early football games. They work just fine if you freeze the balls ahead of time. I would leave them in the oven a few more minutes than normal.
Cheesy Guacamole
If you saw yesterday’s post, you noticed we served food from different countries to represent all the athletes from different countries coming together for the Olympics. We promised you the recipes from that party this week, and here is the first one. For Mexico we served guacamole, cheese dip, and salsa. The salsa and cheese dip were store bought (Jack’s Special Salsa and Pancho’s Cheese Dip), but we went homemade with the guacamole. I had never had guacamole with cheese in it before, but I generally think just about everything is better with cheese. I was excited when I came across Chrissy Teigen’s Easy Cheesy Guacamole recipe a little while ago and got the idea to add cheese to guacamole. I combined hers with the sun-dried tomatoes from my previous favorite guacamole recipe from Babalu Tacos & Tapas. Both of these are great recipes, but I love the spiciness of the sun-dried tomatoes versus regular tomatoes and really enjoyed the cheese and spices she used. I’m also not an onion fan, so I omitted the onions of both recipes in my final concoction. The result was an absolute crowd pleaser.
The bowl was scraped clean by the end of the party. I had several people call or text for the recipe the next day. Without further ado, here is what you will need to make the best guacamole you’ve ever had:
3 ripe avocados
Juice from 1 lime
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbs chopped cilantro
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tbs sun dried tomatoes, minced
Dash of garlic powder
1 cup shredded cheddar
1. Begin by shredding your cheddar cheese. It’s easier to buy pre-shredded, but the flavor is not the same. Continue by mincing your garlic cloves and sun-dried tomatoes.
2. Slice the avocados in half and remove the meat. Cover with the lime juice.
3. Mash with potato masher or fork. Don’t get overzealous. You still want it to be chunky.
4. Add the next four ingredients: salt, cumin, pepper, and cayenne, and fold into avocado with a fork.
5. Add cilantro, garlic and sun dried tomatoes and combine with fork.
6. Throw in the dash of garlic powder and the 1 cup freshly shredded cheese.
7. Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!
Winter Olympics Party
Every time the Winter Olympics roll around, we get really excited for two weeks of figure skating, skiing, and hockey. This year we decided to commemorate the occasion with a party at our house for the Opening Ceremonies. We wanted to give it an international feel, so we tried to incorporate as many countries as possible in the food and drinks. Guests were asked to arrive representing different countries. Later this week, we can go through the recipes for all of the delicious food and drinks served. Today let’s take a look at the decorations.
For the main centerpiece, I covered my tall glass cylinder vases with construction paper making “Olympic Rings” around the vases. This added a much needed splash of color. It also tied in nicely with the various countries’ flags that I added into ostrich feather toppers for the vases. The colors really popped against the white feathers.
On our buffet I created an Olympic flame from a planter urn and red & yellow tissue paper. I created the back drop by reusing the white big fringe garland from our 1920’s housewarming party and twirling it behind the buffet. We topped it off with a few paper chains in Olympic Ring colors and a flag banner to continue the international theme. Globes were used as an appropriate accent.
For each food dish, we decorated with something to try to symbolize that nation. I grabbed knick knacks from around the house. Some of them work a little better than other. They Chrysler Building is my favorite building in the world. I’m a little obsessed. You will see various statuettes and framed prints of the building at my house. I used some of these Chrysler Buildings to symbolize America (even though Sausage Balls have little to do with New York City).
China was represented by Crab Rangoon bites and Foo Dog statues.
Next we move around the Globe to Mexico. I used store-bought salsa and Pancho’s dip with homemade guacamole that was incredible (I wish I had a better picture of it– it was starting to brown here, but spoiler alert: there is CHEESE in this guacamole). The recipe will be up later this week.
Finally we move to Italy. I put the marinated cheese on a serving tray on top of several cutting boards with some wine bottles (not actually from Italy) and corks.
Most of the decorations were in the dining room, but I did put a few in the living room where the actual Olympic watching would take place. I used another of my big fringe garlands up above to add some height. The Olympic rings I cut out of posterboard and framed in a 24×36 frame, to make an Olympic flag. I finished it off with some pennants that I found at Dollar Tree in the Olympic colors.
Mitchell Clemons Events 