place card holder + appetizer in one. and a giveaway!
giveaway ended 4.9.13. but read on for a fun diy!
one of my favorite things to create when entertaining is an interesting table scape. there are so many different ways to add fun into your table. you have centerpieces, pretty plates and flatware, napkins, and place cards just to name a few. so when i was challenged to come up with a unique idea for entertaining with avocados from mexico, i new this was exactly the area i would use them in. here's how to turn your avocados into place cards + appetizers mixed into one.
supplies: spray adhesive, gold leaf, business card size cards, long white strips of paper, wire, floral tape, short candle stick holders, wooden skewers cut to size, painters tape and your avocados.
first lets tackle making your avocado a piece of art. tape off the area you don't want gold leaf applied to (i chose a diagonal "color blocked" design) and spray with your adhesive. let the adhesive dry for a minute and get tacky, then carefully lay your gold leaf over the exposed avocado skin and smooth over to edges of tape.
wait for the glue to dry, then remove the tape slowly to reveal your design.
next, we'll make the flag that you will write your guests names on. tape a short piece of wire, half of the length of your paper strip, to the inside of the flag. spray the inside of the paper flag with a light coat of your adhesive and fold over the top of your skewer
finish end of flag by cutting in at the center and creating a triangle shape, then repeat for each guest and add their names. the wire will allow for you to shape your fag and make it have a little wave rather than being flat.
next find a bloom or some sort of embellishment to add to your second skewer. i picked a few roses from our yard and rinsed those. use the floral tape to attach the flower to your skewer. now you are ready to assemble!
insert rose completely and angle each flag slightly higher. place avocado onto your small candle stick holder and these are all set for your place settings.
now here is the part where you can get really creative based on your menu or your favorite flavors. i created 3 additions, like a little spice bar, for each guest. one was sweet, one had italian flavor and one had mexican flair. fold your business card size pieces of paper in half to create mini tent cards and label with each flavor, or even the ingredients you used. these mini bowls from ikea were the perfect size to hold just a small amount of the add ons for each guest.
for the mexican addition, i served a wedge of lime and some sea salt. i have to give credit to my husband for this one, it was all his idea! for the italian spices, i served 2 small cherry tomatoes with a mix of crushed red pepper, basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary. and last, for the sweet addition, i simply served some agave nectar for dipping. my favorite was, by far, the italian version. you could really taste all of the different flavors that were mixed in.
so what do you think? do you like the idea of using your appetizer as the place card holder? what other appetizers do you think could be displayed in the same way?
Avocados from Mexico has also offered up a few goodies for me to give away to you guys so you can get cooking as well! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post and you will be entered to win an Avocados from Mexico Prize Pack (retail value $50) which will include the following:
a copy of Truly Mexican, Chef Roberto Santibanez' cookbook
" I 'heart' Avocado" t-shirt
avocado slicer (SO handy!!)
and a $10 gift card to an area retailer where Avocados from Mexico are sold
I received my own gift pack and can truly say i cannot wait to dig into the cookbook this weekend. fresh peach salsa anyone?! not only are the recipes delicious looking, the food styling is inspiration to say the least.
UPDATE! WINNER IS AMANDA, COMMENT #4, THANKS FOR ENTERING!
[this is a sponsored post from One2One Network and Avocados from Mexico. All opinions and ideas are my own. all images by and for a fabulous fete]