Tuesday, May 26, 2009

A Cup Of Glee - Weekly Newsletter - The Details...Napkin Rings, Croquet and Grace Ormonde

Welcome to the Blog for Fancy That!
We happily call our blog “A Cup of Glee.”
Thank you for stopping by. Enjoy!

This week, we will again mention the most important thing: it’s about the details. Of course, details can weigh you down as much as they can free you. Hopefully to give you some additional ideas to “free you” we will look at a few fun details to make all of your entertaining a wonderful time and f-u-n!

Table Talk

(Manners and TableTop Tips)

Have you noticed the one thing on each and every table that gets woefully ignored? What is it? The salt and pepper shakers. All too often you see those little cardboard ones sitting at the table or the ones that are from the kitchen that possible could use a little cleaning (eeeeooooooooow!). Instead of fretting about it, consider the detail of salt and pepper shakers when planning you event. If you are having an informal affair, buying the salt and pepper in the cardboard dispensers is ok, but take it up a notch – buy the sea salt and organic pepper. Your guests WILL notice! You will be applauded by your guests for “thinking of everything.”

You could also use some whimsical salt and pepper shakers like these that are available from Fancy That! (Every once in a while, I have to make a plug for the wonderful inventory we have to rent!)
The Butler
(Host and Hostess tips and Helpful Hints for planning your event)

Lost for ideas what to entertain your guests with when the garden party starts to wind down in the late afternoon? Why not offer a yard game that is full of fun, and can be a great conversation starter! I am talking about the wonderful old-world game of croquet!

Your yard does not have to be the regulation 50 feet by 100 feet. If you have a fairly level stretch of grass that is cut below the ankles, you can set up the game and have your friends and guests be in the field for hours on end. You will hear the screams of joy and the laughter raising and sinking with each ball that careens its way along your yard. And if you are already wringing your hands about rules, here is a link to make that nasty rule-thing a little easier to understand. Consider sending abbreviated croquet rules with a save-the-date card so your guests know that you will be offering yard fun at your next garden party!

Wedding Bells

(Tips for planning your Wedding)

While mentioning details and planning, I could not let this post go without mentioning the directory of Grace Ormonde’s web site – weddingstylemagazine. Give the link a click, and get lost in the planning offered by Grace Ormonde. But remember how you got there, and stop back to A Cup Of Glee often!

The Flying Saucer

(What’s new at Fancy That!)

We are so pleased to announce a new addition to our offering. Napkins ring holders have had a love-hate relationship in the world of manners and etiquette. In the late 1800s the napkin ring holder was considered gauche to use. He late 1800 hostesses and hosts believed that the napkin ring showed clearly that you were using the napkin over and over again. In the more practical 1940s, coffee tables came into use and so did napkin ring holders. The hostess and host were making a statement that they were “bringing out the good linen” for their guests. How times change. To help in your decision to use a napkin ring holder, Fancy That! is offering the teapot or bow (my personal fav) for rent. From our web site, we say:

porcelain napkin rings
we're smitten with these charming porcelain napkin rings and think you will be too!
choose the teapot (3.75" tall) or bow (2" wide)
rental price: 1.00 each

Until my next post, please remember:
Suggestions tolerated, compliments always welcomed. Tell your friends, and visit often.
acupofglee.blogspot.com

Monday, May 18, 2009

A Cup Of Glee - Weekly Newletter - The Dinner Party and Jam Servers

Welcome to the Blog for Fancy That!
We happily call our blog “A Cup of Glee.”
Thank you for stopping by. Enjoy!

This week, we are talking about the Dinner Party.

Taken from “Twentieth Century Etiquette – A Ready Manual for all Occasions” by Annie Randall White © 1900, page 178, “Were the dinner party abolished, how much would be lost to civilization! How many great plans have been discussed, how many friendships have been formed, and how many bright sayings and sparkling thoughts have had their birth in the fostering influence of the dinner table.

The great Talleyrand declared the dinner the best meal for transacting business. Campaigns have been mapped out, and alliances between nations cemented through these sociable gatherings of society.”

Right then! Let’s move on!

Table Talk
(Manners and TableTop Tips)

The fine dinner party has a jam or relish server. Did you know there is a jam/relish “fork”?

Jam/Relish ForkOur Piece Code: JAFS(5-6” in length)
Jam/relish forks, like the ice cream fork, the bowl of this piece is shaped like a teaspoon. The piece is used to serve jams or relishes that need to be drained.

So don’t forget to include the jam or relish “fork” when setting your table for the dinner party. After all, it is an important factor in civilization!


The Butler

(Host and Hostess tips and Helpful Hints for planning your event)
Taken from the same book, planning a dinner party is simple: “neatness and promptness.”

Ensure your guest list is planned, then the menu, then seating, then serving of the aperitifs and food, then dessert. After all, it is only about the ceremonious dinner.

If your invitees have not answered the invitation by accepting or declining (remember NEVER to put “Please RSVP” on your invitation since RSVP has the word “please” contained in it!), feel free to contact them before purchasing the amount of food necessary for the day.

Neatness, and promptness. And enjoy throwing your dinner party!

Wedding Bells
(Tips for planning your Wedding)
After all, what is a wedding? I mean, of course, after the ceremony and planning? It is a dinner party! But not all weddings have to seat 200 at the table, although we would all like to attend such a wedding. Consider a wonderfully intimate dinner party to celebrate your wedding – a High Tea done in the afternoon with a harpist or four piece. It is all about NOT losing everything about civilization. If you absolutely MUST have an event with dancing and loud music, it is ok, but do that when you return from your Honeymoon and keep the intimate dinner party for the day-you-will-remember-the-rest-of-your-life!

The Flying Saucer
(What’s new at Fancy That!)

Back to the Relish Fork for a moment, we at Fancy That! have just started collecting vintage Relish and Jam servers. If you are interested in renting one (or several?!) of these wonderful additions to your table, call or email for our availability. Thanks for stopping by!


Until my next post, please remember:
Suggestions tolerated, compliments always welcomed. Tell your friends, and visit often.
acupofglee.blogspot.com

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Weekly Newsletter Returns Monday May 18th

Greetings! Thank you all for your patience, and your kind words about our blog we call "A Cup Of Glee."

Due to the amazing popular demand, we are starting the weekly newsletter again, in the format as before including the sections like "The Flying Saucer" which detail new things at Fancy That!, "The Butler" to assist in your party planning, manners, and much, much more!

So dear readers, in celebration of Victoria Day (for our Canadian Readers!), Monday May 18th will be a new weekly post.

Thanks again for all of your kind comments! Stay tuned, and see you Monday May 18th!