Sunday Southern Days

We had the honor of hosting Arianna and Ryan's rustic-and-vintage inspired wedding at the Chicago Marriott Naperville on July 12. Arianna and her team of family and friends had some beautiful DIY projects with their burlap-wrapped centerpieces, expansive candy buffet, and hand-crafted shutters to frame their dessert buffet. Here are some of our favorite pictures from their special day: Inspirational sayings greeted guests on their escort cards, nestled onto pine cones. Guests were invited to "sign a leaf" in lieu of a traditional guest book. Tiny, hand-wrapped burlap roses add great touches on centerpieces of smooth stones and pine cones. The bride's father created the shutters as a custom backdrop to their dessert buffet. He also created the multi-tier cake stands for the cupcakes. Gray paper straws stayed with the vintage theme.  

  Katie had a great vision of a dramatic black and red wedding with modern touches for her July 6 wedding to Mike. Here are some of our favorite details from the day: Katie's beautiful red rose bouque with small framed photos of passed guests Placecards sat atop small bells to encourage the newlyweds to kiss.   Regal, two-tiered head table with luxurious, swagged draping in red satin, enhanced with pops of red uplighting.   A four tiered square wedding cake with off-set tiers makes a simple, classsic cake with a modern touch. Fresh red roses, black satin ribbon, and sequined trim tie in all of the colors.   Long, "community" tables have been increasingly popular lately. They seat up to 28 guests, allowing big groups of friends to enjoy their meal together.   A wider shot of the Grand Ballroom, showing the mix of community, round, and square dining tables. Another view of a round dining table with tall, ...

Key Party Ingredient: Paper Doilies Anyone who knows me well, knows that doilies just happen in my life. Doilies aren't just for lining cookie platters anymore. This post has some of my favorite ways to incorporate these elegant little papers is mounted behind an invitation. I love the doilies used at place cards. Scrawl your guests' names with a pretty metallic pen and sit at each place setting. Glue a doily onto the bottom of a tag and trim away the excess doily. Tape a doily onto a pumpkin and spray a light mist of black spray paint. Where to find: check the baking section at Wal-Mart or the party section of the Dollar Tree to find! A pack of 20/40 is usually $1-$2. Use doilies in a fun way? Email photos to use at kyra@thesundaypaperie.com or post a link in the comments so we can feature it in a future post party.

Yes, that's a "Top Secret" box you see welcoming guests to this "InSPYered" spy-themed birthday party. We love this for all ages -- it's more "Spy Kids" for a children's birthday, or a bit more "007" for an adult party. Black and White Chevron fabric makes great runners for the food and dining tables with all black candles, candle holders, and white or glass platters for the snacks. The same Black and White Chevron wrapping paper was spray-mounted on foam boards to create a back drop, with pops of red throughout the room. I love the red and black paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling (pretty inexpensive at save-on-crafts.com). Encourage guests to 007-themselves out in attire to keep the theme throughout the party!

Chances are, the majority of you have not heard of koulakia before. They are a dumpling stuffed with feta cheese, typically found in Greek cuisine. My mom made these growing up from my great-grandmother's recipe, and I'm here to share it with you. Warning: This is not an exact measurement kind of recipe. We're going to make it like yiayia made it, eye-balling it. So know that you may need to adjust flour and water ratios along the way. Starting off: 2 c white all-purpose flour 3/4 c water (add slowly 1/4 c at a time, kneading into the flour to make the pasta dough) 2 t salt I toss this all into the Kitchen Aid with the dough hook on a low setting as I add the water so I can see how it's coming together. Set a large pot of water to boil on the stovetop while we make the dough. Once you've achieved a ball of dough (you're shooting for no crumbles and not too sticky), flour a surface and roll out flat. You may need to do this in batches dependin...