It’s Party Time A Bridal Shower Becomes Even More Festive - And A Lot Easier To Plan - When It’s Built Around A Certain Theme
Q. I enjoyed your article on party themes for children. Could you write something on themes for bridal showers? I have done quite a few and, to be honest, I’m running out of ideas. - Judy Borovich, Strongsville, Ohio
A: The tradition of “showering” the bride with gifts for the home is hundreds of years old. A bridal shower is always a happy, festive occasion, but it’s even more enjoyable - for the host, guests and the bride-to-be - if the party revolves around a creative theme.
Choose a theme that reflects the bride’s interests.
If she loves to cook, have a kitchen shower. Ask each guest to bring an unusual ingredient, cookbook or kitchen tool that the bride will not have registered for.
If she loves tea, host an elegant tea party and ask that each guest bring a beautiful cup and saucer or teapot.
Or you might have a garden shower, a wine shower, a linens shower, a library shower, a sports shower, a pet shower or a travel shower.
Be inventive; the celebration can focus on almost anything. And once the theme is established, your planning becomes much easier. The invitations, menu, decorations and favors can all reflect the theme.
Q: We just purchased a wooden trellis to put by the front walkway entrance. Should we paint or stain it? Also, what kind of flower or vine should we get to grow over it? - Carol Miethe, Yaphank, N.Y.
A: The trellis can be stained or painted with all-weather paint. If you use a subtle stain or neutral paint, it will blend in with the landscape. You may prefer to show off the architecture of the trellis. If so, use a brighter color or white, or match the trellis to your house trim.
The classic climbing flower is the rose. However, roses are best suited to a sturdy metal trellis or a reinforced, heavyweight wooden one, since they can pull down anything else. It is always important to choose plants that are well suited to your structure.
Other pretty perennials include clematis, which is frequently paired with roses but also looks beautiful on its own, and honeysuckle, which attracts hummingbirds. Two nice varieties of honeysuckle are the hybrid Lonicera x heckrottii “Goldflame,” whose blooms are purple outside and yellow inside, and L. sempervirens, whose tubular flowers are scarlet or orange.
Vines alone can also look lovely. For example, the male plant of Actinidia kolomikta, the hardy kiwi vine, doesn’t bear fruit, but its leaves are stunning: green with splashes of pink and white.
With perennials, it can take a few years to achieve the effect you desire. Annuals provide quicker results, and you can plant different ones each year, varying the look of your landscape.
Here are a few annual climbers:
Morning glories (Ipomoea purpurea) and moonflowers (I. alba) are among the easiest to grow. Once the soil has warmed, simply nick the seeds with a razor and soak them for two days; sow them right where you want them to grow.
The climbing variety of nasturtium, called the canarybird vine, is also easy to grow.
Climbing snapdragon (Asarina antirrhinifolia), with its delicate-looking vine and tubular flowers, and cup-and-saucer vine (Cobaea scandens), with its purple or white blooms, are both good choices. However, they should be started indoors in late winter.
Consult your local nursery for more suggestions. The staff there will know the best plants for your area and can offer specific advice for your trellis.
Q: I have been trying to find out what clotted cream is. Can you tell me what it is and how it is used? - Jeanette Macaluso, Rio Rancho, N.M.
A: Clotted cream is an English delicacy. It is also called Devonshire cream and Devon cream, after the county in England where it originated.
The process of making clotted cream involves slowly heating, then cooling milk. The thick layer of cream that forms on top is the clotted cream. It is very thick and spreadable, with a distinctive, delicious flavor that is rich and just a bit tangy.
In England, clotted cream is served with scones at teatime. The scones are split in half and topped with a generous layer of clotted cream and jam. This traditional cream tea is a wonderful indulgence.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a good substitute for clotted cream. Whipped cream and creme fraiche do not approximate the texture or the flavor. Clotted cream is available at some specialty food stores in the United States.
The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Martha Stewart New York Times Syndicate