new years eve | TORIE & TRISTAN

Happy New Year, everyone!

Thought I’d share some pics of the NYE Smorgasbord Pre-Funk last night before the Three Crowns Gala at the Swedish Club. In case you missed it, here was my round-up of inspiration pictures.

I had the day off, so I was able to putz around all day and decorate. I put together some signage, made stir sticks, and tinseled everything. It was really fun to get to finally use some of the platters we received as wedding presents… but there was one casualty in the dish-washing process :(. Here some set-up shots:

It wouldn’t be a party post without pictures of the bar! Normally, we are more beer/wine folk, however we have a fully stocked bar right now thanks to some Christmas presents from work vendors.

We had eight friends over, though some of them managed to dodge the camera. Say hi!

NYE Smorgasbord Party - TorieandTristan.com

After some light imbibing and bites, it was off to the Three Crown Ball to watch fireworks at the Space Needle, and rock out to some ABBA –

They even had a Swedish pancake breakfast at 12:15 a.m. to cap the evening off.

And that’s a wrap!

It’s been a year of major milestones, both good and bad, giving me the sense that 2014 is bound to be less stressful than 2013. In the coming days, I’ll share some of the organization ideas I’m hoping will jump-start a less stressful lifestyle. But we are off to Lake Chelan this weekend, so I’m putting off re-entering the real world just a bit longer :).

-t&T

New Year’s Eve is generally annoying in the Seattle area. This is my blog, so my opinion is fact. You can either spend $100+ per ticket to attend a gala with hundreds of ostentatiously dressed drunk people, or buy your way into a private, deluxe dinner at a restaurant. Or, one of your friends can host a party, which gives you an excuse to dress up in a far more low key environment, with people you actually like.

This year, Tristan and I discovered that the Swedish Club behind our apartment building is hosting a mid-century NYE “ball” with live ABBA music and Swedish pancake breakfast at 12:15 a.m. for a mere $25 per ticket. SIGN. US. UP.

We have put together a group of friends to go with us, and are hosting a prefunk party at our house just in case our destination is filled with 400 old people. The prefunk party will be Smorgasbord themed in honor of our Swedish destination. Not literally (no herring and beet salad), just in the fact that I’m throwing everything together and hoping it works, both in decor and menu. I don’t have time to go unearth my gold shimmery tablecloth or striped runners from the storage unit, nor do I feel like spending a ton of money on creating some perfectly paired menu with signature cocktails. We bought chips and guac (the essentials), some mixers, and I made fudge. My friend – bless her heart – informed me that she’s bringing cheese…YAY! I bought a really cute garland and hats from Metropolitan Market yesterday. But other than that, we are using what we already have (including a very well stocked bar, thanks to some of Tristan’s work vendors!).

Here is the garland I purchased, to give you an idea of the color scheme I’m locked to, seeing as I have no color in my apartment (unless you count leopard).

NYE Garland

It’s by Meri Meri, a super cute vintage-style party supplies company.

I don’t want the look to be a tidy tablescape; I want it to be jam packed with knick-knacks, sparkles, festive-ness and yummy treats. I love this bubbly bar from La Mia Vita:

I love this tablescape from Tiffany Pratt in Rue Magazine:

And tell me you don’t love this party hat from A Subtle Revelry:

Here are some other “crowded” tablescape pics that tickle my fancy…

Studio DIY:

Green Wedding Shoes:

Kelly Lee for Rue Magazine:

Also Rue Magazine:

If I’m lucky, I’ll figure out a way to create cute stir sticks for this party in the next 8 hours! 🙂 As mentioned on this post, I get such fulfillment from re-purposing items and materials I already have. And I’m CONVINCED I won’t be running around stressing out all day. If I can prove to myself (and Tristan, ha!) that I am capable of a low-cost, low-stress party, then it is sure to be a happy new year, filled with lots more parties. 🙂

-t&T

header image via Studio DIY