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DIY

DIY Friend Gift Perfect for Coffee & Tea Lovers from Fancy That Shop

July 14, 2014 1 Comment DIY

The Portland Bloggers group recently had the opportunity to visit local party and craft shop Fancy That for a fun crafting event. Lisa, owner of Fancy That, prepped a great customizable craft that each of the bloggers in attendance were able to make for the coffee or tea lover in their lives. Many people talked about giving to friends or teachers. I personally wanted to keep mine for myself! 🙂 This is a really easy and fun DIY friend gift idea that you can completely customize for the gift recipient.

This isn’t your typical tutorial. It is completely adjustable to your style and materials. Nearly all of the materials can be found at the Fancy That shop who has both an online and brick-and-mortar store.

The picture above shows what each attendee to the craft event received at their table. The tables were also covered with party circles, double sided tape, washi tape, bakers twine, and hole punches. Nearly all items below can be purchased through the Fancy That shop!

Supplies:

1 drink carrier
wooden spoons
Tea packets or instant coffee packages
Sugar or other sweetener packages
cellophane baggies for decorating and/or packaging
White cups with lids & sleeves

Optional items used for decorating and customizing your gift:

Custom printed party circles (can be anything really!)
Washi Tape
Double Sided Tape
Scissors
Bakers Twine
Markers/pens
Hole punch
Stapler

Directions for your DIY Coffee (or Tea) Lover Friend Gift

Decorate your supplies as you like, put everything in the drink carrier, and deliver to your friend!

I hate to be so simple on a tutorial’s directions… but, this craft was THAT EASY. You can decorate as little or as much as you want. Placing custom tags or printables on items or just labeling with your pen. You can even just put everything in the drink carrier with some napkins and a sweet note and call it good. But, here are some ideas for further inspiration:

Use washi tape and wrap around the box, spoon handles, or cups to give your gift a fun, decorative touch.
Fill one of the cellophane bags with tea packages, fold the bag to resemble a tea bag, affix a string of bakers twine with a staple, affix a small heart or tag at the other end of the string with a staple– you then have a giant tea bag as a container for your tea packages!
Use bakers twine and washi tape to crate a cute little bunting for the container!

PS National Friendship Day is August 3rd!

PPS Love this idea, but aren’t really into crafting? Fancy that is selling an adorable Tea for Two drink carrier with fixins on the website!

** I attended a free craft event put on by Fancy That for Portland Bloggers. Portland Bloggers is a product of my company Jenni Bost Creative Services LLC. This event was a break out event with no promise of posting or review. I just enjoyed my time and thought the craft would fit nicely on my blog. I also believe in supporting local businesses when possible. I hope you enjoyed the craft as much as I did!**

Portland

Great Date Night Dinner in Portland: Serratto Restaurant and Bar

March 5, 2014 5 Comments Portland

A few years ago, when I was very pregnant with my son, my husband planned an elaborate night out for the two of us. It began with appetizers and drinks at a little art bar in Portland (no longer open) and then went on to dinner at a new-to-me restaurant called Serratto Restaurant and Bar. The date ended with dessert and drinks at a third destination that I can’t even remember now. While the whole date was amazing, and huge deal for the husband that never plans anything, the highlight of the evening was our dinner at Serratto. I had the most amazing Pork Ragu that I have tried to recreate a thousand times to no avail.

This past Fall I was invited to a blogger dinner to try out several of Serratto’s many different dishes. I jumped at the opportunity to try out the restaurant again. My evening did not disappoint! I can’t wait for my next date night at Serratto, but it sure did make for the perfect Girls’ Night venue as well.

Any meal that begins with a good, dry sparkling wine is my kind of dinner. We started the meal with a delicious prosecco and caught up on everyone’s busy lives. This meal was about two weeks into me starting my new full-time job… the glass of prosecco was just the thing to end a busy work day!

Our Bloggers’ Dinner at Serratto Menu:

WINE FLIGHT:

Mandrarossa “Bonera” Sicilia ’09 NERO D’AVOLA/CAB/CAB FRANC

Els Guiamets “Isis” Montsant ’06 CARIGNAN/GRENACHE/SYRAH

Fidélitas “M100” Columbia Valley ’11 CABERNET/MERLOT/MALBEC

AHI TUNA TARTARE “NIÇOISE” chopped egg, capers, olives, housemade potato chips, tarragon aioli

KALE SALAD pine nuts, honey crisp apple, sour cherries, Grana Padano, apple cider vinaigrette

SEARED SEA SCALLOP roasted butternut squash, brussels sprouts, apple butter

MARGHERITA PIZZA & PIZZA DEL GIORNO

BRAISED TAILS & TROTTERS PORK SHANK RAVIOLI caramelized onion, baby arugula, stone-ground mustard cream sauce

MUSCOVY DUCK

PAINTED HILLS BURGER brioche, white cheddar, bacon, aioli, bbq sauce, crispy onions, pommes frites

DESSERT & COFFEE

The meal that followed included a multi-course menu and wine flight. My favorite parts of the meal? Well, it was all pretty great (just how I had remembered it) but, my favorites were:

The seared sea scallop with roasted butternut squash, brussels sprouts, apple butter was an inspired combination. I would have NEVER have thought to put apple butter with a scallop… but, it worked! It was actually my motivation to try making Bacon Wrapped Scallops with Fig Butter.
The Painted Hills Burger with brioche bun, white cheddar, bacon, aioli, BBQ sauce, crispy onions, and pommes frites… probably the BEST burger I’ve eaten in a long, long time. The restaurant smartly cut the burger into quarters. Several of the bloggers (including myself) went in for seconds!

Want to try Serratto? There is no better time than this month, March 2014! It is Portland Dining month and Serratto is participating.

Enjoy three courses for $29.

FIRST COURSE
Beet salad with shaved fennel, orange supremes, Portland Creamery chevre and lemon-tarragon vinaigrette
SECOND COURSE
Braised Carlton Farms beef cheek with porcini-potato gnocchi, smoked cipollini onions, braised leeks and carrots
-OR-
Ravioli with forest mushroom, caramelized onion and goat cheese filling, grilled asparagus and preserved lemon cream
DESSERT
Vanilla Crème brûlée with candied pecans and fresh berries

A Well Crafted Party was invited to a complementary tasting dinner at Serratto with purpose of review. All thoughts and opinions belong to Jenni Bost of A Well Crafted Party.

More about Serratto: Serratto is a lively and elegant neighborhood restaurant serving authentic and innovative dishes from Italy, France and the greater Mediterranean region. The menu, which changes seasonally, is built around a commitment to using hand-made pastas, natural meats, the freshest seafood, and locally grown fruits and vegetables. Serratto is located at 2112 NW Kearny Street (at 21st) in Portland, OR. Visit Serratto on Facebook and Twitter.

Portland

Hand Crafted Ice Cream in Portland, Oregon: Fifty Licks

February 25, 2014 No Comments Portland

awcp-portland-icecream-50-licks-01 — Fifty Licks owner Chad Draizin sharing about his packaging choices for the ice cream cartons they sell in store. I’m in love with the clean design and square packaging.

awcp-portland-icecream-50-licks-02 — Bee Pollen as an ice cream topping? Yep, I tried it. I even liked it. Other toppings include potato chips and ghost pepper salt (which by the by is amazing if you like spicy and sweet!)

awcp-portland-icecream-50-licks-03 — You read that right….cocktails at an ice cream shop. Fifty Licks has cocktails developed to enhance the flavors of their sorbets. I was completely wowed by the complexity of a couple of the cocktails.

awcp-portland-icecream-50-licks-06 — The cuban coffee is another speciality of Fifty Licks. Coffee cans line one of the walls and a cuban coffee order includes getting to watch the process of making the sweet, sweet coffee.

Sometimes I struggle with putting way too much in a post. I try to get down EVERY little thought I had about a place that I’ve visited, an experience I’ve had, or item I love. I thought that for Fifty Licks the photos above spoke volumes. I had the fortunate opportunity to join several other bloggers in trying out Fifty Licks, a Portland small-batch ice cream shop, for a tasting last November. Since then I’ve been back to share the adorable little shop with friends and family on several occasions. Both the ambiance and the flavor deliver each time I’ve gone.

If you’re looking for some great combo ideas for ordering at Fifty Licks, please let me recommend:

A scoop of Passionfruit with Sichuan Peppercorn sorbet sprinkled with the Ghost Pepper Salt (WOW)
An order of cuban coffee with a scoop of Toasted Milk ice cream on the side (heck, I think it would make a pretty amazing affagato as well!)
Want your ice cream to remind you of the best part of the holidays? Try one scoop each of Candied Yam with Toasted Marshmallow Swirl & Butternut Squash with Spiced Apple Swirl.
Need something to make you look forward to Summer? Try the Nordic Palmer cocktail with a Rhode Island style Frozen Lemonade and Sparkling Iced Tea Mead.

Flavors and toppings may change on a seasonal basis. If you’ve tried Fifty Licks I’d love to read (and try) your favorite flavor or order. Comment your suggestions below!

A Well Crafted Party received a complimentary tasting for the purposes of review. All opinions and thoughts are those of Jenni Bost of A Well Crafted Party.

More about Fifty Licks: Fifty Licks began in 2010, as an innovative ice cream company, in a mobile food cart. Today Fifty Licks has a mobile cart available for events and catering, a stationary cart at the Good Food Here Pod at SE Belmont & 43rd, and scoop shop at 2021 SE Clinton in Portland, Oregon. Visit Fifty Licks on social media: Twitter, Facebook, & Instagram.