Sip Happens Party Archives - Detroit Duchess

Sip Happens Party Recap

February 3, 2014 by DetroitDuchess 6 Comments

A month ago, I wrote my Sip Happens Party post about an awesome wine party link up I was planning with Val from Chicken Scratch, Eva Marie Taylor and Erin from Living in Yellow. Well the time has finally come for me to share all of the details with you!

A quick recap of what this is all about:

Open the Google Doc here to sign up to be a part of the Pay Pal Cash Giveaway.

Because the featured wine was 14 Hands Hot to Trot Red Blend, which is inspired by the wild horses that roamed Washington State, I decided that my Sip Happens Party would have an equestrian theme. We had a fantastic time and I can’t wait to host another one!

Here is my table setup, I decided to feature all 14 Hands Wine so we had Chardonnay, White Blend, Pinot Grigio, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and the Red Blend.

Table Setup

I also visited DeVries Cheese Shop in Eastern Market to procure all of my cheeses. We had Gouda, Manchengo, Brie and Cheddar. I have a horseshoe shaped cake pan that I used to make the bread. Here is the recipe from Wilton. I did end up making the roast that I mentioned in my previous post and it was delicious! It went great with the red wine.

Cheese Tray

For dessert, I got to try out my new fondue pot and had all sorts of dippers (marshmallows, apples, strawberries and rice krispie treats).

Dessert Station

I also found these cute chocolate horseshoes on A Taste of Kentucky’s website.

Chocolate Horseshoes

I also asked all of the women to wear their cutest riding boots and equestrian themed outfits. Everyone looked super cute!

My guests

We were pretty informal about tasting the wines, everyone could try and pair the wine at their leisure and when they were done I had them rank their favorites from 1-6. My wine glass writer metallic pens came in handy because people could keep notes on their wine glasses. I seriously LOVED these pens! They were so much fun and came right off in the dishwasher.

Wine Glass Writer Pens

I had to get this picture of everyone in their riding boots!

Riding Boots!

The final wine ranking for the night was:

Red Blend
Pinot Grigio
White Blend
Chardonnay
Tie between the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Merlot

The Red Blend was a big hit! We crowned the winners:

Sip Happens Party Winners!

For party favors, I gave out these adorable Forever 21 horseshoe necklaces. I got little burlap bags from Michael’s and used a red fabric pen to write FEED on them (like a horse’s feed bag). I think this was my favorite detail:

FEED Bags

Forever 21 Horseshoe Necklace

I had SO much fun hosting this Sip Happens Party! I cannot wait to do this again! I would love to hear how your Sip Happens Parties went and I can’t wait to check them out on the link up!

If you didn’t get a chance to host a party this time around you can check out Val’s post about how you can still link up. The link up will be live from Monday, February 3 at 12:00am and close Friday, February 7th at 11:59pm, so you have this whole week to link up. The hosts will feature their favorite post on all three blogs on Monday, February 10th. Make sure to come back on the 10th because they will also kick off the giveaway and announce their new Guest Host for the next Sip Happens Party link up!

For more Wine related posts, click here.

Filed Under: Wine of the Week Tagged With: 14 Hands Winery, Equestrian Theme, Hot to Trot Red Blend, Red Wine, Sip Happens Party, Wine Tasting

5 on Friday: Cute Butt Edition

January 24, 2014 by DetroitDuchess 3 Comments

It’s time for another edition of Five on Friday with A Liz Adventures, The Good Life Blog, Hello Happiness and Carolina Charm.

I haven’t posted much this week because school is back in session and I have been adjusting to my new teaching schedule. Juggling work, teaching and blogging along with my home life is a delicate balance 🙂

1. Row House 14 Valentine’s Day Cards

I saw these adorable cards and had to snatch them up for my husband. The sayings are totally something I would say to him. These two are my favorite:

2. Paris Themed Toms

I saw these on Pinterest the other day, then when I went back to find them the pin didn’t connect, so I had to hunt them down myself. They are so cute!

3. Wedding Cake Ornament

Another great Pinterest find. You send pictures of your wedding cake to Aberrant Ornaments and they turn it into an ornament! How darling! I can’t wait to get this done for our cake!
Here is a picture of our wedding cake – it would look so cute as an ornament. I wonder if we could even get it to light up!

4. Xhilaration Sequin Skirt ($29.99)

This skirt is a great Target find. I think it would be great for a night out or Valentine’s Dinner with the hubby.

5. sip happens party

I am excited to be part of the Sip Happens Party with Val from Chicken Scratch, Eva Marie Taylor and Erin from Living in Yellow. My party is scheduled for Saturday and I am really excited to share it with you. There is still time for you to host your own party. You can read more below and check out my Sip Happens Party post here.

For more 5 on Friday posts, click here.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Paris, Sip Happens Party, Target, Toms, Valentine's Day, Xhilaration

5 on Friday: I Love My Husband Edition

January 17, 2014 by DetroitDuchess 4 Comments

It’s time for another edition of Five on Friday with A Liz Adventures, The Good Life Blog, Hello Happiness and Carolina Charm.

So, I stayed up super late to finish this and for some reason the internet disconnected and none of it saved, ugh! So you, lovely readers, are getting the second version of my Five on Friday, hopefully it is still just as good as the first one. 🙂

1. I Love My Husband T-Shirt ($24.99)

I am loving my Wife After God 30-Day Devotional. My husband loves it to because of all the extra attention he is getting. Both of us have had very busy weeks and it is so awesome to have a reminder to pay extra attention to your marriage. If you are interested in joining me in the devotional, check out my post here. The Unveiled Wife (the woman behind Wife After God) also promotes these great shirts, which I think is the perfect purchase after I finish my 30 days.

2. Kate Spade Kick Up Your Heels iPhone Case ($35.99)

For Christmas, my husband got me a new iPhone 5s (see point 1, lol) and I got the perfect phone case to celebrate getting back in heels.

3. Lilly Pullitzer Tusk in Sun iPad Case

My husband won his fantasy football league and he decided to treat himself to a new iPad with his winnings. After he got his new toy, he gave me his old iPad and I am really excited to have it! (See back to point 1, the hubby is awesome!) I have been eyeing this elephant case with the keyboard – it is so cute! The case is sold out, but you can still find them here on eBay.

4. Good Friends & Good Wine Tray ($29.95)

I am collecting items for my Sip Happens Party next weekend and came across this adorable wine tray from Pier 1 Imports.

5. Cranky Pants ($30)

So after staying up late to work on this and then having to redo it, I almost changed this post to the Cranky Pants edition, so I had to add these. I thought this were hilarious and have to get them!

What are your favorites this week?

For more 5 on Friday posts, click here.

Filed Under: Five on Friday, Uncategorized Tagged With: 5 on Friday, Cranky Pants, Kate Spade, Kick Up Your Heels, Lilly Pulitzer, Sip Happens Party, Tusk in Sun, Wife After God, Wine Tray

5 on Friday: Wife After God Edition

January 10, 2014 by DetroitDuchess 2 Comments

It’s time for another edition of Five on Friday with A Liz Adventures, The Good Life Blog, Hello Happiness and Carolina Charm.

I have some fun and exciting news this week – a new giveaway!

1. Wife After God Giveaway

My new Be the Best You in 2014 series is off to a great start. I started with the Wife After God 30-day devotional and I am loving it! My husband is really responding to the challenges each day. It was such a busy week for both of us and this was the perfect thing for me to keep him top priority. As part of the devotional, I found an amazing prayer journal, which I just got in the mail from Integrity Graphics. Jennifer from Integrity Graphics has generously offered to giveaway a custom prayer journal to one of my lucky readers.

Mine is below, which is customized for my husband and I. I can’t wait to use it during my next devotional! The giveaway will stay open for a week, make sure to enter here or at the bottom of this post.

2. Bauble Bar Twitter Nameplate Necklace

One of my favorites, Eliza Dushku, recently tweeted about her new Bauble Bar Twitter necklace and I can’t wait to get a Detroit Duchess one. This is so adorable! You can customize them to any name or hashtag for $100 in silver or yellow gold:

3. Erin Condren Phi Sigma Sigma Planner

I have mentioned in the past how much I wanted to get an Eric Condren planner and I’m so glad I waited! I just found out that she does custom sorority items including her famous planner! I am a Phi Sigma Sigma and still very active as an alumna. This is just gorgeous and I can’t wait to get it! There are also phone cases, notepads, clipboards and more! She does work for a few sororities, you can check to see if yours is on the list here.

4. Necessary Roughness Costume Liquidation

For those of you that watched Necessary Roughness this summer, I have some fun news for you. We are all sad that the show got cancelled, but I was recently contacted by the costume department and they are selling a lot of pieces from the show, some of them were even featured here on my blog. There are a lot more items to come, but the first piece is from Karissa Lee Staples character, Paloma. If you wear a 8.5 show, then you are in luck! The bid price is starting at $29.99, you can check it out here:

These are Screen used shoes worn by Karissa Lee Staples playing the character “Paloma” in the show Necessary Roughness. They are the JCrew Everly Pump. The black pad and rubber tip over the heel can easily be peeled off but they left it on to show you a little behind the scenes magic. These shoes would have caused too much noise walking around the set. This method of silencing the shoes is commonly done in Hollywood. These shoes cost the production $264.60. A certificate of authenticity is available upon request.

5. Sip Happens Party

I am excited to be part of the Sip Happens Party with Val from Chicken Scratch, Eva Marie Taylor and Erin from Living in Yellow. I have been collecting items for my party and have already purchased the wine. I send out my invitations this week and can’t wait to share everything with you. You can read more below and check out my Sip Happens Party post here.