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Homeschooled Hostess: Garnish made easy!

By Shannon Ayers

Step 1

Okay, so cutting a lime may seem like a very simple task but there really is a correct way to cut a lime so it can easily hang on the edge of a cocktail glass.

Bartenders know this trick and I wanted to share it with all of you! Trust me, these simple cuts will change your cocktail parties forever!

Step 1: Hold the lime in your hand. Cut either end off with a sharp knife.

Step 2

Step 2: Place one of the now cut ends flat on your cutting board and cut down the middle so you have two halves.

Step 3: With the two halves slice down the inside of the lime (but don’t cut down to the rind) This cut will help the lime wedges rest on your cocktail glass.

Step 4: Now turn the lime over and slice into wedges for your drinks. (Serve them in their own martini glass for added sophistication!)

Step 3

Enjoy!!!

Step 4

Finished!

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Tags: Beverages, Business, Cocktail, Cocktail glass, Cooking, Cutting board, Home, Lime

This entry was posted on March 2nd, 2010 under columns, home-schooled hostess.

Gown Guru: Spotlight on Pnina Tornai

By Liza Treyger

Pnina Tornai is a nutcase and I love it. You have to be a little bit crazy to put out the over the top creations she is able to make look oh so good. It’s like the old Dolly Parton saying, “You’d be surprised to know how much it costs to look this cheap.”

She is so extravagant and yet so confused. She talks like she is a fairy and I know she is foreign I’m just not sure from where (Edior’s note: Israel). I do know that she is 44 years old and bangin’.

Her website (http://www.pninatornai.co.il) is full of grammatical errors and loony philosophies (see sidebar). But you can do whatever you want when you create dreams out of fabric. Her dresses are for anyone who is having a party – a massive party with luscious décor, hundreds of guests, tons of drinking, dancing, embarrassment, dessert tables, ice sculptures, and a bride with an attitude.

“Working with my feelings and intuitions only I trust my heart to lead me, never my logic because creation comes from love and love is the most wonderful feeling in the universe,” the designer said on her website.

This is how I would sum up Pnina Tornai’s designs; a place you get to only from feeling because there is nothing logical about her dresses. By definitions, her designs should be gaudy, trashy and way too wacky, but somehow, she pulls it off with every dress. She transcends consistency and puts her energy into making every dress unique and special for the bride.

If you wear a Pnina gown there is no way to hold yourself back from acting like a super model. Her corsets give a woman the perfect feminine form and all of her dresses are hand sewn with the principle of Haute Couture.

Of course, that means that most of us can’t afford her dresses. They start at around $7000 and just keeps going up from there. But a girl can dream…. and start saving for that special dress.

I hope to one day be married in a Pnina gown. I love this woman and all her work. She loves to meet with brides before starting to work with them. So, if you are chill, she can go chill; don’t doubt Pnina.

Check out a few of my favorites on the following pages!

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Tags: bridal fashion, Clothing, design, Dress, Fashion, Formal wear, Haute couture, Klinefeld, Klinefeld Bridal, Pnina Tornai, wedding gown

This entry was posted on March 1st, 2010 under columns, gown guru.

The Memory Lapse Proposal

By Tia Ayers

Craig and Nicole had been together for three years when he decided to pop the question. To do it, he opted to recreate their first date.

So on a Saturday afternoon, Craig picked Nicole up at her apartment and took her to a nice park for a romantic picnic lunch. He had filled his picnic basket with gourmet sandwiches and a bottle of wine.

They sat on a blanket and enjoyed their surroundings — the green grass, the blue sky and crisp clouds floating by.

“This is so romantic,” Nicole said.

“I know,” Craig said. “Just like our first date.”

Nicole raised her eyebrows.

“Not exactly,” she said.

This didn’t phase Craig.

“Yeah, it’s a much nicer day than it was back then,” he said, looking up at the sky.

The two continued eating and finally it was time for Craig to propose.

“Nicole,” he said mustering up the courage. “I brought you here for a reason. I’ve loved you ever since our first date. That’s why I brought you on this picnic… to recreate our first date. And now I’d like to know, if you’ll be my wife?”

He pulled the ring box out of his pocket and held it out for her.

Nicole was speechless.

“Um,” Nicole said after a long beat of silence. “Craig, I love you too. But I have to tell you something. This is not where we had our first date.”

“What? Yeah it is,” he insisted.

“No, it isn’t. We went to dinner at a seafood restaurant and I ended up with food poisoning.”

Craig scratched his head with a confused look.

“But, I could have sworn…” he said racking his brain trying to remember.

“Nope. I’ve never been here before.”

It was then that Craig remembered that this wasn’t the location of their first date after all. It was actually the location of the first date he had with his previous girlfriend, Monica.

Embarrassment overcame him. Nicole recognized that look.

“What? Wait, don’t tell me. This is where you took Monica on your first date?”

“Um, yeah,” he admitted sheepishly.

“I can’t believe this,” Nicole replied.

What do you think? Should Nicole forgive him or is this mistake inexcusable?

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Tags: mistake, Picnic basket, Proposal, Relationships, worst proposal

This entry was posted on February 24th, 2010 under best of the worst, columns.

Homeschooled Hostess: A Website is Celebrated!

By Shannon Ayers

As far as the world-wide web is concerned, Proposal Magazine, is just a baby. Because we are growing up quick, and making friends it was time to thank those friends that have been instrumental in getting us off the ground. What better way to thank them than with a Launch Party!!! As Proposal’s signature hostess, I was fortunate enough to take charge over a few of the tasks for this shin-dig.

Task 1: The cake! Of course, because I’d never baked a coconut cake, I decided to bake this particular dessert for the first time… the day of the event! Why would I do such a thing? Because I love a good challenge. For the record, I didn’t wake up that morning and decide; I had my recipe planned, my

My Challenge: the Coconut Cake

ingredients purchased and my pans/ equipment ready!

I’m not posting the recipe because it was not an original, however, I will give you a few quick tips: you most likely don’t need as much Coconut Flakes as you think; recipes with Creme of Coconut tend to taste better and bake more consistent than those with Coconut Milk & if possible purchase Natural Coconut Extract. I used imitation coconut flavor because that is all my local store had; although this tasted nice, it was a bit strong and I’ve heard that natural coconut tends to be a little more subtle and have an overall more appealing taste.

Task 2: The flowers! It was important to me that we were able to have flowers at our event, because, they really do brighten up a space. The best thing about our Launch Party being on the small side was that we could pay close attention to detail on the centerpieces we created and we didn’t have to purchase too many flowers!

Rosemary Spark's creativity in flowers.

My right hand lady Rosemary Sparks created these absolutely beautiful arrangements using grocery store bouquets. I repeat, GROCERY STORE BOUQUETS! No paying per stem, no high prices. This is remarkably simple because the flowers are already bundled for you, all we had to do was pick the color palette that we needed and Rosemary worked her magic at the event location. Rosemary took three grocery bouquets and opened them all up, getting rid of the greenery the stores use as filler and focusing just on the flowers she had on hand.

Of course, in planning any occasion there was much more that went into it than just cake & flowers, but for the sake of not boring anyone, I’ll end here…and give you more details later!

Thanks for reading & thanks again to Rosemary who really is such a creative lady!

Happy Hostessing!!!

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Tags: Cake, Coconut, Coconut Milk, Cooking, dessert., Flower, Launch Party

This entry was posted on February 23rd, 2010 under columns, home-schooled hostess.

Gown Guru: My favorite dress

By Liza Treyger

As I’ve been pouring over dresses and designers to discuss with you as the Gown Guru, I thought I’d reflect on that one dress that sticks in my mind, even two years after seeing it.

Olivia Wilde in Reem Acra.

This is Olivia Wilde (I thought she was the queen from the movie 300, but she’s not). She is still an absolute vision in a Reem Acra gown from the 2008 Emmy Awards. Was it made for the red carpet or for a walk down the aisle? Who cares? This is a perfect dress for anybody that wants to look glamorous and sexy but be super comfortable. The worst thing to see is a bride stuffed into a dress that limits her movement. If you are not dancing or getting silly at your wedding then don’t have a wedding because you are boring. If you want to have fun this is the perfect blend of silk and chiffon giving a bride class and comfort.

"Was it made for the red carpet or for a walk down the aisle? Who cares?"

Top Qualities:

1. The ruching and high waist make it perfect if you want to show off how skinny you are or hide a little belly or big butt.

2. The low-cut either shows off collarbones or breasts and for some lucky ladies both.

3. Can you say diamond-encrusted sleeves? A great way to show off how much money you have is by putting jewels on a simple design. Pretend that you don’t need to prove how much money you have (or pretend you have more than you really do) by wowing your guests with this elegant touch.

4. If you wear a gown that’s not meant for a wedding, you prove to everyone just how cool you really are.

What’s the most beautiful dress you’ve ever seen? Share with us and our gown guru will feature it in an upcoming article!

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Tags: celebrity, Dress, Gown, gown guru, Olivia Wilde, red carpet, Reem Acra, Wedding, Wedding dress, wedding gown, Weddings

This entry was posted on February 22nd, 2010 under columns, gown guru.

Garbage Disposal Proposal

By Tia Ayers

Mandy and Rex had an agreement in their relationship. She did the dishes and he took out the garbage.

But when she came home from a relaxing manicure one Saturday afternoon to a kitchen full of dishes, she reconsidered the deal.

“I just did the dishes this morning,” Mandy said. “What the heck did you make for lunch?”

Rex just shrugged sheepishly.

“Well, I’m not doing them now. I just got my nails done,” she continued.

“But honey, you got to. We’re having your parents over for dinner.”

Mandy sighed. Rex was right.

“Well, I really don’t want to ruin my manicure. Can you do the dishes?” She asked.

“That’s not our deal. Besides the game’s on,” Rex replied.

“I can’t believe you won’t just do the dishes this once.”

But Rex was already out of the room, back to watching his football game.

Luckily, Mandy had a pair of rubber gloves in the cabinet. She grabbed the neon yellow gloves and hoped that they helped preserve her nails.

The entire time she scrubbed the dishes, Mandy cursed Rex for being such a jerk.

“What is his problem? … I’ll remember this the next time he wants to fool around!”

As she put the last dish on the drying rack, she flipped the switch on the garbage disposal.

Rat-a-tat-tat-a-tat-tat! The garbage disposal rattled. She flipped the switch off.

“Darnit, Rex! I told you not to put your bottle caps in the sink. There’s one stuck in the disposal again!” She yelled towards the living room.

Rex re-entered the kitchen.

“You need to get this out,” Mandy said.

“But you got smaller hands,” he replied.

Shaking her head with anger, Mandy reached her hand into the disposal to retrieve the bottle cap.

The last thing she expected was to pull out a ring.

“What the–?”

Mandy was speechless. Now she knew why Rex was so insistent on her doing the dishes. He took her hand and looked her in the eyes.

“I love you so much, Mandy. When I think of the future, I can’t imagine anyone else doing my dishes. Will you please be my wife?” He asked.

Mandy was so overcome with emotion, she ignored his odd choice of words.

“I love you! Yes!” She exclaimed.

What a sight it was.

They were so wrapped up in the moment, both forgot to remove her rubber gloves before Rex placed the ring on her finger.

So Mandy gazed down at the ringed glove with tears of happiness in her eyes and noticed that the garbage disposal had only caused minimal damage to the diamond.

What do you think? Should Mandy have said yes?

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Tags: dishes, fiction, Garbage disposal, Marriage, Proposal, Wedding, worst proposal imaginable

This entry was posted on February 17th, 2010 under best of the worst, columns.

Homeschooled Hostess: A Sweet Engagement

By Shannon Ayers

While looking through an old issue of Martha Stewart Weddings I came across this great cupcake design that is the perfect treat for an Engagement Party. Of course, Martha’s cupcakes are stunning, so I wanted to challenge myself and try and create them for myself.

The instructions in the magazine said to cover the cupcakes with fondant however I don’t like the taste of fondant so I used just traditional vanilla frosting. The ring on top is easier to make than you think: you just need fondant (a little bit isn’t too bad) and some fun edible embellishments!

Don’t worry if you have never worked with fondant; just treat it like edible play-doh. Roll the fondant into very small lines that you can mold into a ring shape. Then roll a small ball of fondant and secure on top of your ring shape with a bit of vanilla frosting to act as the glue. Push your sprinkles or “jewels” (I used pearl sprinkles) into the ball of fondant.

As you can see… mine aren’t nearly as perfect as Martha’s!! But they are definitely yummy and they are a very fun and cute way to add a little bit of extra sweetness to your Engagement Party!

This is my very first attempt so I will be trying these again for sure very soon. Hope you are able to try some for yourself! Let me know how they turn out!!

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Tags: Cupcake, Home, Magazine, Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart Weddings, Sprinkles, Vanilla, Weddings

This entry was posted on February 16th, 2010 under columns, home-schooled hostess.

What to Wear When You’re Expecting

By Liza Treyger

Can you still wear white?

A few years back, celebrities started getting knocked up before their wedding days and it has become the latest rage. These days, nearly every bridal shop has a maternity section.

My mother was way ahead of the trend and she got married when she was eight and a half months pregnant with me (her second child) in a blue and white polka dotted dress in communist Russia in 1987. Sad thing is that there are no pictures because my mom felt ugly, but she also had a moustache so I can’t be blamed entirely.

Pregnant brides don’t have to feel ugly anymore with all the options out there today. Staying sober at my wedding is not an option, but if you’re okay with not getting drunk at your party (READ: you don’t have a choice!), then let the planning begin…

Just make sure to follow these fashion tips:

1. Can you still wear white? Of course! If everyone followed the rule that only virgins can wear “the color of purity”, there wouldn’t be any white weddings anymore. You’re a lady who plays by her own rules and that means any color goes.

2. Fittings, fittings, fittings. Be aware that your body will be changing all the way down to the wire and you need to get a dress that will work with you. Your boobs will grow, a lot; get a dress that will support them.

3. Yeah, you need support, but show off your big boobs. They will never look this good again.

4. Going along with fit, make sure the dress is empire waist or very formfitting or you will look like a tent.

5. NO A-line or princess dresses.

6. NO Mermaid dresses…you will look like a Russian nesting doll.

7. NO dropped or natural-waisted dresses.

8. Be inventive with bling accessories like a brooch or innovative headpiece to move people’s eyes.

On the following pages, I’ve picked out my do’s and dont’s.

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Tags: Gown, maternity, pregnant, Wedding, Wedding dress

This entry was posted on February 15th, 2010 under columns, gown guru.

Tattoo Parlor Proposal

By Tia Ayers

Penny was a little nervous getting her first tattoo. She had always liked tattoos but was afraid to get one. Over the last year, she had met and fallen in love with Travis, who was a tattoo artist, and she finally knew someone she could trust in giving her her first tattoo.

Travis had also fallen head over heels in love with Penny. From the moment he met her, he knew there was something different about her. He was honored to be giving her the tattoo and decided he wanted to make it extra special.

After some deliberation, Penny decided on the design of a one-cent piece inside a heart, on her upper back. She sat in the chair, as Travis worked on the tattoo behind her.

To her surprise, other than the initial needle, Penny didn’t feel pain. She actually felt very calm and having Travis there definitely helped.

For an hour Travis worked on the tattoo. Finally, he was done. He wiped it down with a towel.

“Are you ready to see it, Penny?” Travis asked.

“Yes,” Penny replied with excitement.

He turned her chair towards a wall mirror. Then he picked up another mirror so that she could see it on her back.

When she saw the ink on her back, it wasn’t what she expected. Instead of the penny/heart design there was a message.

“‘Will you marry me?’” she read with confusion.

“What do you think?” Travis asked.

“But, what about the–?” she asked.

“Penny, I’m in love with you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, if you’ll have me.”

She was starting to feel woozy. Whether it was from the procedure or the proposal she wasn’t sure.

“I don’t feel so well,” she said as she blacked out.

A few minutes later, she woke up on a bench with Travis holding her hand. When he saw that she had opened her eyes, he gave a look of such relief and love that Penny knew her answer.

“Travis, I wish you would have done the tattoo that I picked out.”

His face fell.

“But, I love you and I will absolutely marry you.”

He looked up.

“Really?”

“Yes,” she said.

They hugged and she let out a grunt of pain when he grazed the fresh tattoo.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry, baby,” he said.

He pulled out a simple silver ring and placed it on her finger and they kissed for the first time as an engaged couple.

What do you think?
Should Penny have accepted or did he break her trust beyond repair?

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Tags: bad proposal, deception, engagement, Proposal, Relationships, tattoo, tattoo parlor

This entry was posted on February 10th, 2010 under best of the worst.

Home-Schooled Hostess: A Heartless Valentine’s

By Shannon Ayers

correctcookiephoto

Last night, as I worked on this blog & indulged in my love/hate relationship with The Bachelor, I had an epiphany. The fascination with hearts on Valentine’s Day is purely a lady thing. My boyfriend doesn’t care if his pancakes are heart-shaped or if I wear red. I do those things because of my own love for Valentine’s Day.

I’m not an expert on men, but I do know one thing: men love peanut butter. Peanut butter toast, peanut butter sandwich, peanut butter on a spoon… So this Valentine’s Day I decided to make my man peanut butter cookie sandwiches and I thought outside the heart and kept them their usual circle shape.

Now for the cookie recipe (makes about 12):

1 stick of unsalted butter, softened (I set mine on the stove while the oven pre-heats)

1 cup of creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup of brown sugar (I used dark although light is preferred)

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup of all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1.) Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees

2.) Beat together butter, peanut butter & brown sugar. After they are mostly mixed add the granulated sugar. Beat until creamy. Add egg & vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Now combine flour & baking soda together in a separate bowl. Slowly beat it into peanut butter/ butter mixture.

3.) Put a rounded scoop of cookie dough onto greased cookie sheet. Use a fork to press down on the cookies to flatten and add some texture to the dough. Sprinkle with granulated sugar.

6.) Bake for 10-12 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool! Once they are cooled put the filling (see recipe for filling below) in between the two cookies to make a sandwich and enjoy!!

Recipe for Filling:

6 ounces of cream cheese

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

6 tablespoons powdered sugar

1.) Beat all ingredients together until they are smooth.

I had originally seen a recipe like this in an issue of Cottage Living from 2008 (I was able to find a photo from the article, because my own photo didn’t do the cookies justice!) but I’ve altered it to fit my own taste, alter it to fit yours and please feel free to share your changes with me!

Happy Valentines Day!!!

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Tags: Brown sugar, Butter, Cooking, Flour, Home, recipe, Sodium bicarbonate, Sugar, Valentine's Day, Vanilla extract

This entry was posted on February 9th, 2010 under home-schooled hostess.

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