a backyard party... wishing Ellis a Buon Viaggio...

 To wish my darling daughter Ellis a great voyage

as she leaves to study abroad in Italy this week...

we celebrated with an August summer backyard party...

and wished her and her boyfriend Elliot....

Buon Viaggio!

 as with all great parties...

this one began with invites 

that captured the mood....

clad in yellow envelopes and tied with the parties signature red check....

 Ellis found moped embossed cards at Paper Source...

to which we added the party name...

and backed the graphic with red.

turning the card over...

all the pertinent info was added.

Ellis's dress was the perfect pick for our Italian inspired theme..

This dress is going with her....

as a base for so many perfect traveling outfits...

especially adding the black leather jacket purchased today.

Ellis will be blogging here while living in Italy.

Like any room....

 Any great party decor needs

 an inspiration piece....

mine were these lovely tea towels depicting the pasta regions of Italy...

 we found them at our local antique market here.

 I simply clothes pinned the tea towels

 laundry style to the fence vines

for a quick and easy party graphic.

a trip to Ikea

provided 4 yards of fabric for a tablecloth 

for our outdoor farm table that seats 9.

This table is another fabulous handiwork of my husband's.

Adding color and visual flavor...

yellow daisies in recycled jars....

and my favorite part...

tomatoes!!!

Working them into the center piece

elevated the vegetable...

to perfect sculpture....

with a nod to Italian cuisine.

 To add more drama and color 

I simply covered my cream seats...

with Bandanas...

Such an easy, easy color addition!

As the sun began to set...

I switched out the tomatoes for candles...

It was in the twinkling evening candles and white lights ...

that cloaked the party in a magical intimacy....

a moment in time shared by family and friends....

in the evening light...

the party was everything....

and more....

than I had even hoped.

 Our round table was dressed

with a tablecloth.....

daisies, candles

and

 finished off with 

Tomatoes!

 I spent the week prior to the party...

trimming and 'fluffing the yard...

I added Pow Wow daisies to my French urns...

to bring a touch of the party decor into the neighboring planters.

 I collected all of my red linens...

and

 filled a basket for quick and handy napkins.

 Glasses of Sangria 

and Italian beer..

greeted the guests on arrival.

 Ellis and I perused the World Market...

for all things imported from Italy...

to add a touch of Italian realism.

 I draped the buffet table with a quilt from Anthropologie...

and

 masses of colorful produce.

Produce as party decor is SO easy to work with....

simply drop it in place....

as long as there is plenty of it...

produce always looks fabulous.

A trip to the likes of Costco...

makes it a very affordable alternative to flowers...

with an added freshness.

 Pellegrino and citrus...

such an easy and successful nod to Italy.

 On outdoor parties I find

  serving buffet style 

so easy and enjoyable for all.

I put all the silver out in containers...

as well as cloth napkins....

I never use paper....inside or out.

To me...the simple luxury of cloth...

elevates even the most mundane of meals....

Not being a chef...or a cook...or proficient in all things cuisine...

I need all the styling props I can find to raise  plenty of mundane :)

 Luckily for parties here...

not only is Ellis skilled in making all things food...

but she learned from her Dad...

So the food is always great...

(it's just not my specialty...)

The menu consisted of 

a pasta bar...

with all the fixens...

I pulled out my silk 'patio dress' for the occasion.

It worked perfectly for a warm summer night in the backyard

Such a wonderful and enchanted evening....

only added to my love of this DKNY dress.

as always dear friends

I wish you love and joy

as you style your life