Valentines-Day-Party... Cocktails with Friends
Ahhhh.... It's February and LOVE is in the air! This can be a great time of the year or it can really stink. You may be in love but one of your friends may have just dumped the guy from hell! Or maybe you're close to someone but your relationship hasn't quite made it to the intimate "Rendezvous for Two" stage yet. Whatever category you fall into, this Valentine's Day Party should suit you just fine. It's gonna be fun, not overly romantic and it's gonna lift your spirits. It's a cocktail party featuring Cherry Cosmopolitans and some great Valentine's day hors d'oveuvre! So invite some friends over and who knows....
A note about cocktail parties: When working on the guest list, you either want to invite enough people that everyone stands up or small enough that everyone can sit down in small groups.
The instructions below take you through a step-by-step process to make a pretty simple but fun invitation. If you'd rather buy your own invitations, try a party supply shop or Target. Target has a couple of cute invitations you can order online; Roses are Red and Kissy Kissy would work. If you want store bought personalized invitations, check out a website called Tiny Prints. They have some neat ones too.
What You'll Need:
White Cardstock Black Cardstock Red Felt Scissors Glue/double sided tape Computer
The finished size of this Valentine's Day Party invitation will be 4 3/16" x 5 1/2" with an A-2 envelope. This is a standard size and you can find the envelopes, paper and felt at your local craft store like JoAnne's Fabric and Crafts.
All that's left is to stick them in your envelopes and mail them!
We'll be using the same colors we used in our invitations: red, black and white. When I host cocktail parties for more than 8-10 people I usually set up a buffet for the food and a bar for drinks. That's what we're going to do here. We'll begin with two Table Runners (they'll run across the table instead of down the length of the table) for the buffet and one for the bar. If you don't have a suitable table to use as a bar, use a card table or even a counter. If you don't want the card table to show, use a tablecloth instead of the third runner. Depending on the size of your table the dimensions will be 18" x 52" to 60". What You'll Need: Red felt Black felt Scissors Chalk You can purchase felt by the yard at fabric stores.
* Go ahead and purchase a couple of extra yards; we're going to cover some boxes for the table.
It's a simple table runner that packs a lot of punch! And it's a great runner because you can take the black felt off and use the red for something else. Place the table runners towards each end of the table and you're well on your way towards a positively perfect party! Because there are two runners on the buffet table, we'll put two Candle Arrangements on the table as well. What You'll Need: 2 Medium size glass apothecary jars or hurricanes Sugar Red tapered candles
Make sure the candle tops are higher than the top of the jar.
For the bar, use the third table runner but put it in the middle and down the length of the bar.
After that's done, place several red votive candles in glass holders in all of the rooms. And make sure you put one in the bathroom. That way you don't have to keep the light on the entire time. And also make sure you keep an eye on them during the party. Because you can't really have a valentine's day party without roses, we'll use red roses for an arrangement in the room that most of your guests will congregate in - probably the living room or family room.
Red Roses What You'll Need: Dozen red roses * You don't need long stem roses. Purchase your roses with the thorns on. Clear glass vase Fresh cherries (It goes with the cherry cosmopolitan theme!)
The finished arrangement should be completely red and completely gorgeous!
The decorations for your valentine's day party are almost complete. The last thing to consider for the table is what you serve your hors d'oeuvres on. To complete the buffet, serve your party food on red chargers. (Most chargers are not supposed to be eaten off of so you'll actually put your food on clear glass or plastic plates first!) Using red chargers will really tie everything together and really WOW your guests. And remember the extra felt you purchased? Take your felt and cover some smallish sized boxes after you put something heavy in them. Cover each box entirely and place them in different spots on your buffet table. We'll use these covered boxes as pedestals for some of the chargers that'll showcase your appetizers. Just make sure the boxes support the chargers and food.
Use clear glass plates to serve your guests or high quality clear plastic plates. For the cosmopolitans, serve these in martini glasses from glass pitchers. If you don't have the tableware or glassware, call a local caterer; they'll usually rent them to you for a small fee. When you set up your buffet, put the plates at the end you want the line to form and your napkins and any utensils at the other end. Listed below are some of our favorite Valentine's Day Party Food Recipes.
And of course it wouldn't be Valentines day without Chocolate! When my family requests something chocolate they always ask for brownies. How simple is that! I usually use a premium brand mix with chocolate chunks and here's what makes it so great... I pour half the batter in and add Heath Bar chips to it. You can get these at the grocery store. About a half a bag should do. And I don't bake them for the exact amount of time that the box suggests. I pull them out 5 or 6 minutes early so that they are soft and chewy.
As for the drinks, Cherry Cosmopolitans are the main attraction for this Valentine's Day Party. We'll serve these festive drinks from large glass pitchers so you won't need a professioanl bartender. You will need fresh cherries to garnish the cosmopolitans with though. You should also have some beer, wine, gingerale, cranberry juice, water and maybe a dark liquor available for those not drinking cosmos. You don't need to serve different kinds - just your favorite. Stock these at the bar you've set up and take a red plastic pail to use as an ice bucket if you don't already have one. If you need something to put your drinks in, use a galvanized tin planter and fill with ice. Load your beer, wine, ect. in here. Uncork the wine and provide a bottle opener for those drinking beer. And don't forget lots of cocktail napkins. I always use solid colors because if I have any left over I can use them for something else. Your choice: red, black or white.
It's always fun to play a game at the begining of a party while you're waiting for everyone to arrive. Most party games are very simple and don't last all that long. Plus it's a good way to get guests talking, especially if there are people who don't know each other at your party. Start the game when about 2/3 of your guests have arrived. At this Valentin'es Day Party a gamed called My Better Half is most appropriate! What You'll Need: Index Cards Pen
Below we've listed some quotes you may want to use. If you don't care for these, there are websites that feature romantic quotes like yuni.com
Another game that's really fun to play is called What's the Sentence? This is good to play if you have around 12 people participating. What You'll Need: paper pen party favors for everyone
Even if you don't end up playing What's the Sentence?, it's always nice to have party favors for your guests. Of course anything heart shaped or chocolate would work great as a party favor - Hershey's Kisses, Heart shaped cookies or even key rings with hearts on them. Another idea is Valentine's Day Soap. This is an easy favor to make - at least a lot easier than you probably think. What You'll Need: Glycerin soap Heart soap mold Old wooden spoon Microwavable measuring cup with a spout for pouring. Cooking spray Valentine motiff tissue paper Ribbon
*There are many perfumes, oils and colors you can add to your soap. You can find all the supplies in the soap making section of your local craft store. You can really make some beautiful and distinctive soaps. We'll leave the details to you.
One more thing - before you open the door for your first guest, turn off the overhead lights, turn on your lamps and light your candles. Softer lighting always sets the mood for a party. The only other consideration is the music. You probably don't want too many sappy love songs playing but plenty of upbeat love songs. Also, don't crank it up loud - just loud enough to be background music. And remember, when it comes down to it, the reason for the party is to have fun with your friends. Prepare as much as you can ahead of time and enjoy your own party - your guests are at your home to see you and if you are relaxed and in a great mood they will be too. Have a great Valentine's Day Party!
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