Caution: Dip Ahead

 

Hello again everyone!  It's Elizabeth here. So a few years ago I had the pleasure of writing a party themed blog for the company I work with.  I had a lot of fun staging hosting parties and thankfully my awesome girlfriends were always willing to come over and “party” with me ... even if they were belligerent shy about being photographed ... ahem ... I won’t mention names ... they know who they are ... Jane, Polley, Leslie, Kay ... oops ... my bad (insert wicked laugh). Anywho, one day as I was driving around town I came up with a very random party theme ... DIPS.  All dips. All the time. Nothin’ but dips.  So a few weeks later, the girls were back over at my house for another round of festivities. The pix below show off the details.

But before we start ... a caution and a disclosure. First, my food photography skills are non-existent so no judging on how bad the pix are. My new camera lens will make a huge improvement next time for that reason alone, but I promise for future posts to work on gaining some actual photography how-to knowledge. Second, these pix were never used for the above mentioned blog. This content is all new just for you dear reader!  I was released from my blogging duties before I had the chance to share this “party” so these pix have been collecting digital dust for over two years just waiting for a reason to be posted. Yay for today!

 

Naturally the word “DIP” lead me to think of street signs (work with me ... my brain tangents quickly) so of course I had to use yellow caution signs as the primary party décor element. Guests were greeted at the front door with an introduction to this theme and the mantle got a simple banner further cautioning guests to be ready for deliciousness.

The color scheme of black, white and yellow carried through all the other party elements and makes for a very high contrast and graphic statement.  Love it!  Now ... before you ask ... yes ... I can do parties in other color schemes. Just because the only two you’ve seen here just happen to be black, white and yellow, doesn’t mean I can’t do other colors.  I like pink, black and white too. LOL.

Muti-tiered serving pieces add visual interest and help to save space.  If you don’t have some, make some.  I. Do. All. The. Time. I layer cakes stands. I put platters on top of upside down bowls.  Get creative ... layers make a huge difference in your tablescapes.  If nothing else they give you more surface space and table top real estate is always at a premium.

One of my most favorite party décor tricks comes in a roll. A gift wrap roll. Unroll gift wrap down the center of your table for an easy table runner.  Great way to add color and to cover up those cheap, thin dollar store plastic tablecloths I always use ... yes,  I’m cheap that way. 

Napkin wraps were the perfect place to add more yellow caution signs and have a little fun with a pun ... heeheehee.  The “centerpiece” was actually three elements ... two handmade signs (“One Way To Yum”) and an apothecary jar (another must have in your party serving ware stash) filled with yellow (um, duh!)  lemons.  

 

So by now you are probably wondering what was served at this “DIPS. All dips. All the time. Nothin’ but dips.” party.  Well ... there were ... wait for it ... dips! Surprise!  There were sweet dips: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip with Graham Crackers; Coconut Drizzle Cupcakes ... what?  Kay ... did you bring those? ... always a rebel bucking up against the “rules”; Yogurt Dipped Pretzels (see what I did there ... dipped pretzels ... l know, it’s a stretch); and Fruit Salsa Dip with Cinnamon Sugar Tortilla Chips (pictured below).  Seriously, why didn’t I have breakfast before I started writing?  Sigh.

There were also savory dips: Loaded Baked Potato Dip with Oven Fries; Spinach Artichoke Dip with Tortilla Chips; and Cheesey Garlic  Dip with Chips (not pictured).  Yum. Garlic. 

Now ... If I were a better blogger, I’d have links to recipes ... but alas, I am not that organized.   If I remember correctly, these dips weren’t that obscure to find on the big wide web, so I’m sure a quick search will yield plenty of options.  Get it? Yield. Hahahaha.  Ok, I’ll stop with the bad puns now.

Well, I hope you’ve found some inspiration here! Enjoy indulging in an evening of dips with friends ... it’s sure to be all the talk on the street : ).

Ok ... seriously ... why can't I get those three above paragraphs left-justified? Ugh. I'm just so technologically inept.  Well ... I tried ... just love me for my flaws and all : ).