The Results Are In...

...and the party was a success. Everyone came dressed up. We had more than enough food. We hit that ever-important critical density, in which the room is crowded enough that you have to wade through the people. By the Renee Michelle standard, that's how you know the party is working.

I've posted a lot of photos. First, the cookies: I made ginger cookies (the favorite according to my informal poll), miniature chocolate chip cookies (so buttery, but only acceptable to those in the crispy chocolate chip cookie camp), chocolate dipped pretzel sticks, biscotti (beloved by those who know to dunk, otherwise - obviously- very dry and hard), and brown butter cookies (which were carmelly and delicate, but such a pain to make that I will never bake them again). You'll also see pumpkin bread and chocolate cupcakes that people brought.

The decorations took a whole day to make and hang up, but were sufficiently cheap to make it worthwhile. We hung pine rope garland with lights and little white balls, and then I cut out snowflakes and hung them from the ceiling. All in all, including the red table cloth I bought from Goodwill ($1) , the candles and ribbon ($2), and roses($8) for the centerpieces, I think the decoration budget came in just under $25.

The dress was $7 at a thrift shop, which in my book is pretty pricey, but I had enough fun with that dress to make it worth while. I was going for the late 50's/early 60's look - I hope that comes through.

In other news, check out the hair video below. I swear, having this blog is like having my own little fan club. Who else has a friend who will spend a weekend making a video devoted to the evolution of your hairdo? If I thought anyone was actually reading this stuff, I might start to have an inflated opinion of myself.