Goodness ME!: In the SPAtlight

I've blogged about ME! Bath products in the past here and here, and will again ( just wait until this month's spa party of the month). Recently, ME! Bath has made it even easier for you to incorporate their products into your own spa party with their new Ice Cream Social packages. These package allow party hosts and guests to recreate a version of the very popular ME! Bath Ice Cream Pedicure that has been featured in magazines and is offered in some of the best spas throughout the country. The Ice Cream Social takes some of the guess work and leg work out of throwing a spa party, by offering great products at a great price. The basic package is only $25 per person and includes a ME Bath! Ice Cream, their Ice Cream Sandwich pumice stone, a Nailtini polish, and coupon for future purchases from ME! Bath's online store. The hostess also receives ME! Bath's Shower Sherbet, and Body Icing to share, along with stationary and a how to guide to deliver the perfect Ice Cream Pedicure. While your at it, grab a pack of ME! Bath's Mini Bath Ice Cream for manicures or favors.

For an extra special Lazy Sundae treat, you can offer additional spa treatments that fit well with the ice cream theme. Facials are easy enough to administer and don't require complex equipment. Strawberries and bananas which are often associated with ice cream sundaes make exellent face masks when mashed with a bit of honey. For something a bit more decadent, how about a fudge facial... try using this recipe from Spa Index:

Chocolate Facial Mask

This decadent mask is actually an excellent moisturizer -- it leaves your skin baby soft. Recommended for normal skin.

1/3 cup cocoa powder
3 tbsp. heavy cream
2 tsp. cottage cheese
¼ cup honey
3 tsp. oatmeal

Mix all ingredients together (a bullet blender is ideal) and smooth onto face. Relax for ten 10 minutes, then wash off with warm water.

What to Eat?
Serving actual ice cream at your party is a MUST. In order to avoid serving ice cream soup, and to keep from pulling cartons in and out of the freezer, some people opt to use dry ice. The dry ice can be set in a larger decorative container, wrapped in foil and covered with a decorative cloth. One thing to be careful of when using dry ice is that your ice cream doesn't get too hard to scoop out.

If your looking for an alternative to cones, or bowls you can easily serve your ice cream in edible dishes. To do so, melt chocolate chips (or peanut butter, yogurt or caramel chips) over a double boiler, if the consistency is still too thick to spread easily add some butter, use a pastry brush to generously paint candy into large paper muffin cups, freeze long enough for them to set. Carefully peel back muffin paper to reveal your edible serving dishes, which can be served atop of chilled tile coasters.


For more inspiration for your ice cream party click on the Polyvore set below:

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Hippie Luxe: Sights

Hippie Luxe: Sights by Hennergy on Polyvore.com

Note: If you click on the photo above you'll be taken to the Polyvore set, where all items are listed and hyperlinked to their original site.

The color palette for this party was originally inspired by Hendrix's Purple Haze. Purple is associated with both nobility and spirituality. It's deep jewel tones lend itself to a sophisticated and "luxe" take on hippie decor. Green is also an element in this party, whereby I tried to incorporate recycled and sustainable materials for the dinner and serveware; and even the bamboo hand towels for spa treatments.

Hippie is the perfect theme to accommodate an eclectic mix and match of serving platters. If you have any silver platters or chargers laying around now is the time to pull them out. Recycled materials, such as the recycled wine bottle platter pictured above also lend themselves to the overall hippie vibe. Instead of often flimsy, and rarely cute paper plates, use disposable bamboo plates, which are nicer looking, more sturdy, biodegradable and made from sustainable material, disposable bamboo utensils are also available.

To add to the luxe and sophisticated feel of a spa party silver is also used as an accent color. One way to mix earthy and silver is to use sliver leaf to decorate river rocks using this tutorial by poopscape . Download a free hippie font and number rocks so that guests can pick them to determine in what order they'll receive their "stoned" massage treatments. Rocks can also be adorned with other symbols of the day such as peace signs and hearts to be used throughout the party.

One of the elements definitely drawn from the hippie era is the beaded curtain. I opted for a single shade for a more modern feel. The curtain can be used either to define spaces, separating treatment areas from social areas or hung on the wall behind the buffet table to create a focal point. If the color/print on the wall clashes with the beads try draping a black or metallic fabric behind them. Another more subtle way to incorporate beads into your decor is to use beaded wine bottle covers/skirts (as pictured above), even if you aren't serving alcohol it is a way to jazz up your sparkling lemonade or cider bottles, hurricane lamps or pillar candles.

Another item drawn straight from that period is this lava lamp which fits nicely with the other metallic elements. Also check out the iLava ipod docking station pictured above.

Even if you weren't a Dead Head, try incorporating the bandana featuring the band's dancing bear in a mandala pattern, into your tablescape. They can be used to line the dish in which you serve your granola or set them under some of your platters. If you are the crafty type sew a few together to make a table runner.

Mandalas often find their way into hippie decor from this bandana, to t-shirts or wall tapestries. This mandala design kit makes it easy for anyone over 6 to create their own mandala pattern. Use your artwork throughout your party, as laminated coasters, invites, and more.


















In fact, paper is a wonderfully versatile and inexpensive decorative tool. Fish Lips, whose Purple Haze recycled wrapping paper is featured in the photo above, provides a list of ways to reuse their wrapping paper instead of disposing it after used for gifts. Some of their ideas include framing it for use as a wall hanging, or using it to mat photographs, especially black and white ones. A bold printed paper is perfect for use as a mat when using a floating photo frame (also pictured above). If your hippie spa party is being thrown in someone's honor as a 50th, 60th or over the hill birthday party print out photographs of the honoree in varying sizes and use inexpensive photo frames. The photo display can be set up on a table or hung on a wall, or done as a collage on a sign in board.

Mini photo frames, like the one with pressed flowers in the picture above, can also be used to label the food at the buffet table.

There are plenty of ways to bring a hippie feel to your party decor, be creative and above all have fun.

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Tweet of the Week (June 22nd)

After barely using Twitter for two weeks, I'm back. In fact, I've posted so many updates on Twitter this week that it was difficult for me to choose just one for Tweet of the Week. So this time around there are two Tweets of the week, while yet another Tweet is my inspiration for my upcoming Dear Blogary entry.

#1 Glad I found @OurBestBites in addition to recipes they had spa in the kitchen http://bit.ly/WcaWt http://bit.ly/nKEBC http://bit.ly/h3fJX 9:34 AM Jun 20th from web

If you've seen my Hippie Luxe Party Menu you'll notice that three of the recipes are from Our Best Bites. I just recently came across this blog while surfing for recipes that would fit the hippie theme and stumbled onto a jackpot. A few days later I was browsing over some of the blog's older entries when I came across a Spa in the Kitchen Week feature where they featured homemade recipes for facials, sugar scrubs and hair potions. I knew there was a reason I loved these gals.

On another note. I found another recipe blog that I'm now following Cara's Cravings

#2 I've started a new hashtag. For those who are unfamiliar with Twitter, a hashtag (#) is a way to sort of bookmark your updates so to speak so that related posts can be tied together. For instance, popular hashtags of late have been #iranelection, #inaperfectworld, #irememberwhen. There are also weekly hashtags like #musicmonday, and #followfriday. People can use the search bar within Twitter to find all the results for the hashtag they are looking for, and see all the users who are participating in that particular conversation.

So anywho, thus far I'm the only one who has used my hashtag #polyinspire but maybe it'll catch on. I started it because I wanted to share inspiration boards from polyvore like the ones below. I love seeing other peoples inspiration boards and the different thematic or color elements that they pull together.

a rock 'n roll way... by bubbatea (BUSY) featuring Converse shoes

To see some of the other polyvore sets I've shared enter #polyinspire in the Twitter search bar. If you come across event inspiration boards that you like whether on polyvore or on another site and your a Twitter user, share them.

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