Design Archives • Page 2 of 2 • Vix Venture Design

True Blood Supper Party Crafts

With True Blood nearing its season finale, I thought a little Sookie Stackhouse Supper was in order. Since my Dexter party theme was based on the show’s dark horror vibe, I wanted to do something a little different for True Blood. Using the Bon Temps Cemetery and Sookie’s fairy world as inspiration, I created a setup that’s all about southern comfort.

Placecards + Grave Stands

My first order of business was making placecards and holders. For the cards, I created little 2×4.5″ photo collages that with illustrations to frame each character name. Each doodle contains icons representative of the characters, some icons are repeated (like the Tru Blood bottles for vampires) while some are specific to the character (such as the Piña Colada for Sookie).

The placecard holders are mini gravestones made from craft foam (for the top of the headstone) and 2x4x2″ wood blocks (for the base). For the detailing, I etched out RIP letters for each headstone top and painted both the tops and bases with different shades of gray, using a paper towel to get a nice texture going. After that I added some craft store artificial grass for another layer of texture, as well as a pop of color.

Party Tablescape

I found a great source for the Tru Blood beverage label (thanks to pixelworlds on deviantART) and slapped those babies onto some good ol’ Jones Soda bottles of the berry variety. To finish off the country spread, I included Mason jars and red checkered tablecloth.

A view of the scene once it got a little darker outside:

Dinner consisted of fried chicken on the grill (yup I said it!), grilled green beans, and mashed potatoes. To accompany a Southern-inspired dinner, what better dessert than a trifle! (For those unfamiliar with trifles, it’s a combo of cake, custard, whipped cream, jelly, fruit, and liquor. In other words, a very intimidating cake.)

Cheers to the vampires, fairies, and supernatural creatures alike!

Dexter Dinner Party

Sadly the days of Dexter on Showtime are drawing to a close. In order to give the show a proper send-off, I darkly dreamed up a “kill room” dinner party theme and got to work on some graphic placecards and holders, blood slide candy from Instructables, and of course, maniacally wrapping everything in plastic.

Placecard Design

The placecard holders are composed of craft foam balls cut in half, plastic wrap, acrylic paint, and 16 gauge black flexible wire. I also needed something to hold a little weight at the bottom of the foam, and through MacGyver techniques a friend and I discovered that a quarter or two would work swimmingly.

Blood Slide Candies

“What’s a Dexter party without blood slides?” one of my friends remarked earlier in the week, so the over-achiever in me had to try the blood slide candy recipe. I made a quick addition to the original recipe by adding a teaspoon of fruit extracts to the mixture after taking it off the stove and before spreading it out on a sheet pan. The slicing of the slides was definitely a trial and error process, but so glad they made it to the table.

Tablescape

The details include blood spattered Hydrangea, red goblets and napkins, and some vintage clear dinner plates that made me think of sterile surgeon’s trays.

After much hustle and bustle, the kill room was finally ready to be a stuff-your-face room.

Game of Thrones Party: A Dinner of Ice and Fire

I am one of the many fans of the Game of Thrones series on HBO, and to commemorate its 3rd season premiere, I threw together a themed dinner party for a few close friends. I love to make crafty things for special occasions and thought this was a fun opportunity to nerd out while awaiting one of my favorite shows to come back on air. Below is the process I went through and the end results.

Party Elements

Using a few of the house sigils, I created some toothpick flags and napkin rings. The designs for each are pretty simple; the napkin holders were 7.5×2″ rectangles and the toothpick flags were 4.5×1.5″ rectangles, which would be folded in half and secured with glue. For the mass army of other flags, I cut out different textures from magazine spreads that matched the color schemes of each house.

Dinnerware & Decorations

We had some turquoise glassware on hand from the 1960s, passed down from my great auntie (known to be a fabulous party hostess in her social circles). I chose a few different gold textures for the napkins, tablecloths, and placemats to make everything feel rich and royal.

A Feast Begins

Back in the kitchen, I feverishly prepped some of the dishes for the dinner. I love this really simple recipe for mini cheesecakes (using Girl Scout cookies of course). Also on the menu was bruschetta, roasted turkey, mashed taters, and some lovely corn we’re lucky enough to nab from my grandfather’s farm in Ohio.

A Westeros Family Meal

Finally everything came together, and I was super proud to see how cute everything turned out!

Stuffed with dinner, beer, and a lot of those tiny cheesecakes, we all sat comfortably like Kings on their Iron Thrones and welcomed the start of the premiere episode.