With summer winding down, it's not too late to get in one or two more bbq's before the colder Fall weather official sets in! While I often enjoy being the hostess who creates and executes the full party menu from start to finish, it can also be a lot of fun to let friends show off their culinary talents by organizing a potluck event. My partner in crime over at The Sequin Notebook recently held a barbecue where she provided the basic barbecue essentials (meat, buns, condiments, and adult beverages) and asked each guest to bring an appetizer, side, or dessert to share.
Spreading the tasks out among the group made this event very easy to plan, which allowed her to take a little extra time developing a signature cocktail and to work on a few crafts!
She found inspiration by the marvelous Sara of Confetti Sunshine, where she discovered these adorable "Pig Out" printables that she had created for her husband's birthday party (check out the party here) - it was the perfect theme for a Sunday barbecue for friends with big appetites! The adorable food tents were cut out (seriously, how cute are those pigs?!) and mounted on glittery cardstock to display the menu items. You'd be surprised how many resources you can find for free on the internet, so don't be afraid to do a little searching! And of course, Pinterest is a great resource - for more party ideas, check out our page and follow us here.
Guests' names were typed onto the food signs then used as drink tags and cut out using a circle puncher to make drink tags that were placed on the mason jars full of our signature cocktail, a low calorie raspberry lemonade.
Confetti Sunshine also designed a great Pig Out flag and cute pig placemats - she printed these out and used them as decor on the appetizer table and the utensil station.
She then wrapped up some quick utensil packs with the same raffia that was used to tie the name tags on the mason jars (crafty, but also functional!). It turns out that the name tags were much needed, as everyone really loved the signature cocktail so everyone's drinks looks identical.
We definitely took the Pig Out theme to heart and had a blast sampling each other's offerings.
Which kind of entertaining do you prefer - potluck-style, or planning it out entirely on your own?
