The DOT Girls — Hosted Party

At first when I applied to host this party through Crowdtap & Marc Jacobs, I had no idea what to expect and thought it would not be any fun unless I served alcohol!

When I was accepted to host and got the first shipment, I was pleasantly surprised with getting 12 samples and a 4 ml 0.13 Fl Oz tester (I think the bottle and polka dots are just adorable!) as pictured on the image to the left. I had to try it right away and really loved the scent! Not too overwhelming and I can see myself wearing this everyday.

I would have been happy to begin planning with just those things but I was amazed at the second shipment and getting everything (for free!) pictured in the second image. A full sized, 50 ml 1.7 Fl Oz DOT Marc Jacobs perfume, a DOT Marc Jacobs scarf, 20 blottercards, a polka dotted headband, 10 polka dotted nail decals for an in home manicure, black tablecloth, 6 red and black polka dotted balloons with black curling ribbon, and bright red confetti, all for showing them that I am a trendsetter!

○Just a side note that you can click on my pictures to view them in a bigger window and also any links to provide extra information or sources can be viewed with anything that is not only underlined but also in bold and italic format○

First, I must tell you about the idea behind the design & fragrance before I can continue with the fun that this very bottle of perfume created for us. You can find the info here and here but I wanted to type it in my blog to provide some fun facts, if you don't mind!

 

Bottle Design

○Polka Dots - Designed to celebrate Marc Jacobs' beloved iconic pattern, the eye-catching bottle is a cheerful composition of round shapes stylishly spotted in a polka dot motif.

○DOT - Dot makes her mark with a graphic design statement.

○The Bottle - Elegantly crafted in transparent red-tinted glass, the design channels the spirit of Marc Jacobs' trademark logo. Round-shaped butterflies of different sizes adorn the bottle. A luminous pearl at the center of the butterfly adds a polished detail.

○Cap - Happy and upbeat, the oversized butterfly-inspired cap flaunts a chic play of proportions. The collar is wrapped with a gold coil for a touch of luxe.

○The Carton - The polka dot pattern on the outer carton features a palette of red and black for a perfect balance of modern and classic. The rounded butterfly icon adds a charming touch to the gold embossed Dot Marc Jacobs logo.

Scent

○Fresh Juicy Top - The top captivates with a delectable blend of red berries, succulent dragon fruit and sweet honeysuckle.

○Beautiful Floral Heart - The signature floral note Jasmine mingles with energizing notes of coconut water and orange blossom.

○Feminine Base - The scent rounds out with a feminine dry down of creamy vanilla, driftwood and sensual musk.

I've got to tell you that I only got super excited and the creative side of me came out when I first told my friends on Facebook about how shocked I was when I got my packages. They were all letting me know how interested they would be in helping plan, attend and even some were willing to either bake or provide snacks along with coming to the party. I asked them what should I do and the responses were great! I made a public Facebook event and told more than 20 ladies about the "mock tail" dinner party and what it would be about. I made sure to discuss what date would work for everyone and planned to meet the majority. I had about 10 ladies that showed interest in possibly attending. I asked ladies to either wear little black dresses or something polka dotted and to bring along some polka dotted accessories or a fun outfit to try on in the "dressing room" I was planning on making. Who knew planning a polka dotted theme party would be so much fun?!

 I then started going through the house picking out items that would go along with the theme and I decided that I was just going to keep the colors red and black with pearl accents.
 

○I chose the tutu and wings that my 2 year old wears around the house because I thought it would be a cute decoration and fits well with the bottles.

○I had 7 see through red dinner glasses that also matched perfectly with the color of the wings and bottles.

○I later decided that I had some candles in the house that could incorporate the scents that were suggested to set the mood of the party. They were coconut, vanilla, orange blossom and red berries.

○I found a nautilus shell just taking up room in an armoire and I loved the pearlized look to it so thought I would add it as a pretty piece in the dining room away from my little ones hands.

○I never thought to look under the dining room chandelier before. When I thought I had found everything I needed to start working on decorations I realized, in a way the little rain drops looked like beautiful lit up polka dots. The best thing is I didn't need to put it there it was already a great piece to have! 

○We already had lots of silver everything so I decided we would polish some up and serve a few things on them. The tray that I put the perfume and tester dots on later was beautiful in the living room. I also served the tea we made in a crystal punch bowl with silver ladle. Another thing is I bought candy pearl cake decorations and put them in a silver bowl with the other snacks for a nice elegant touch. I wore the bracelet (in the very last picture) and a strand of small pearls, I just thought they were pretty!

 I figured I would research some ideas I had for cupcakes and incorporate some flavor ideas from the party guide into them.

○The picture to the left is mini cupcake pearls. You would use a gold foil liner to bake the white cake batter in. Afterwards making frosting (I decided to make my yummy cream cheese frosting myself but might have been better with butter cream as directed!) and frosting the cupcakes. Refrigerating them until the frosting sets. Then dusting the cupcakes with white pearlescent powder. Later it said to pierce each cupcake with needle and thread to make a strand of pearls but I will show you later what I ended up doing.

○The second picture is Raspberry Marble Cheesecakes and cheesecake is one of my weaknesses! I thought well this brings the berries and vanilla into the party but it just wasn't something I wanted for my party.

○The next photo is something you might think "Well this one would go great with your theme anyways" and I agree! I thought it was very unique and would have the coconut in it and vanilla because you would make cream cheese frosting. I just didn't think my guests would want 3 cupcakes or more at a time.

○The last photo just got me thinking that I could do this if I wanted to put in the extra work to make sure it looked great. Instead of the bee I thought why not a butterfly or ladybug on a different color flower. In the end when reading the directions there was just too much to be done and not enough time to do it. Cute idea though!

It was now time to do some shopping, one of my favorite things to do, when I can!

○I was looking for little black bags to go with our elegant theme, either of velvet material or something sheer but when it came down to it, they were just favor bags. I decided to dress them up with a dotted paperclip to close the top and dotted name labels. I wanted to decorate each party goers seat at the table with a polka dotted glittery name tag and either use the red confetti on the table or make a "curtain" with them and have a picture backdrop area. The polka dotted buttons were to decorate with too but I never used them.

○I loved the red and black with white polka dotted liners but didn't need to make more cupcakes since I decided on the pearls in the gold mini cupcake liners. I bought the candy mold in the second picture and a bag of red melting chocolate, we already had others at home. I also bought oreos to go into the center of each mold.

○Buying decorations for a red and black polka dot party was so much fun, a little too much at times! I just had to get these red glass rocks and black shiny marbles. We already had the white ones that almost looked like pearls and the cherries in the background.

○One of the many trips to different stores and I forgot to bring the original balloons to fill up so we just decided to get more while we were there.

○I fell in love with the 3 pack of red and 3 pack of black lanterns in different sizes so we ended up alternating the colors when it was time to put up decorations.

○I forgot to mention that I had a few little party helpers throughout planning and decorating, so I want to give them credit for baring with me when I gave directions. Pictured in the middle is my youngest daughter in a cave of balloons as we were bringing them back home.

○The original plan was to make Virgin Strawberry Margaritas but after seeing a fun new iced tea maker complete with a recipe book, I changed my mind and made...

Strawberry-Lime Iced Tea:

•Fill water to 3 Qt level

•5-7 black tea bags

•Ice at 3 Qt level

•1 16 Oz container of frozen sliced strawberries in syrup, thawed

•1/2 cup lime juice

•Stir into iced tea 1 1/4 cups sugar

*Garnish with lime slices, if desired

○I found a beautiful cupcake stand that we rarely use and borrowed some pearl jewelry from a family member to decorate it. After icing and dusting the cupcakes with "pearl dust," I placed them back on the cake stand. I think the pearls gave it a nice touch!

○The process of making these cute polka dotted cookies, that alternated from red and brown dots to brown and red dots, was a very tedious job but in the end paid off with a very delicious cookie! Started off melting the colors for the dots, and then using a clean paint brush to dip the chocolate into the dot part of the mold, where it would set for maybe a minute. Once set, I would have the other color ready to pour and just added enough to cover the dots up, tapping lightly to remove bubbles in the chocolate. Then I gently pressed the oreo and put a very small amount of chocolate on top. Tapping lightly I would make sure the oreo was both covered on sides and top and no air bubbles were visible. Sticking in the fridge to set the mold for a minute or two, then bringing it out, turning it over, and pushing the chocolate cookie out of the mold. Repeated for as many as would fill the dish I was using.

○My middle child decided she would help with ideas on what to do with my glass rocks I bought. I liked them the way I made them but she did it more spaced out later on to look more like a butterfly. I ended up not using them for this purpose but to just put on the mantle in a glass vase as part of the decorations in the living room.

○It was the day of the party and everything was coming together nicely. The red and black polka dotted balloons were hung from the bridge by my children and they tied the red and black balloons to the chairs in the breakfast nook. I could not find a red and black polka dotted table cloth for our round black table so I just left it as is. I also found a round vase so I put some shiny white marbles and a tea light candle inside plus 2 polka dotted pinwheels.
○I was hoping to bring a shower curtain downstairs and stick the rod in between the hallway near the bathroom to transform it into a dressing room but ended up just putting a rack on the back of the door. My friends Norma and Katrina brought some polka dotted outfits and other fun things to check out.
○At first I thought I hadn't put out enough food and appetizers, but once my guests arrived I then felt that I had too much. Oh well, my family helped clean that up!
Menu
•Carmalized Onion & Feta Appetizer Bites
•Jalapeno Poppers
•Chicken Enchiladas
•Fruit & Veggie Tray
•Raspberries & Blackberries
•Chocolate Covered Oreos
•Pearl Cupcakes
•DOT Cake
•Red & Black Licorice
•Candy Pearls & Dinner Mints
•Cocktail Classics- Cocktail Flavored Jelly Bellies (found by my daughter on accident)
•Strawberry-Lime Iced Tea
○The 2 pictures on the bottom lower corners were of our mantle. I think the glass rocks were perfect in the vase with the tea light candle, lady bug air freshener we already had and the pin wheels. The boxes of the perfumes added a nice touch too.
○I thought it would be pretty to have the sampling part of the party in the living room, so I put the silver tray on the glass coffee table along with the blottercards and perfumes.
 ○I wanted to dress up the pedestal in the foyer because I thought it would be a great place to take photos of my guests, right in front of the office french doors. I decorated it with the DOT scarf, DOT headband and black logo that resembled a black bag. I am going to re purpose the dotted scarf later on into a frilled hair bow for each of my daughters using a template that I bought and have been working with. It will be cute, so I will make sure to share those pictures then too.

Here's a closeup of some of the red and black snacks/desserts at the party, yum!

So before I go any further, I wanted to talk about some of what was said in my party guide.

DOT Girls are bold and upbeat, just like the new fragrance DOT Marc Jacobs. This exclusive opportunity will give you the chance to host a fabulous Cocktail Party centered around one unique experience!

We started the party at 6pm last Friday and the guests and I enjoyed talking, eating, trying perfume and laughing until way after 11pm! It was an awesome time and I think everyone will agree with me that it was just a great way to get everyone together by having both a cocktail and dinner party.
After my guests arrived, the rest of my family went to hide for awhile upstairs to give us ladies our space. My youngest came down a few times to say hi and steal some berries but once dinner was served, she just made herself at home at the dining room table. It was so funny! I figured since she was already wearing dots and wanted to dress up in her tutu, crown and dress heels, that she would be our "DOT Girl." Later on my other 2 children came down to have dinner once we had all eaten our appetizers and enchiladas but they stayed out of the way so they wouldn't be bothering anyone.
The party was very laid back but in my opinion very elegant. I wanted to give it sort of a boutique feel and I think I achieved that. I also wanted to incorporate as many scents/flavors/ideas from the party guide and I believe I gave that experience to my guests as well. All the work put in paid off but I always could come up with more to do if I had made more time. This really brought the creative side of me out and I hope it showed in everything I bought or made. This was a very fun party!

My friends had this to say about the perfume:

 •I love the perfume!!!! It is playful and flirty- in a grownup way!

•I like the perfume for special occasions. I think it's a little too fancy for everyday.

•I love it! Cancels out the kid smell ;) (love that one!)

 

 

This section is to help others bring polka dots into their lives. Just a quick search on Pinterest for "polka dot or marcthedot" and you will be overwhelmed with polka dot ideas!

 

○I created 2 boards on Pinterest. One was a party idea board for my party goers to share ideas with me, the other one was something of an idea put in my head from the party guide, The Great Polka Dot Hunt!

○I really love the idea of adding dots to your nails! Our party favors had some nail stickers with dots on them but if you want to make it all your own, you could make your own dotting tool.

○Polka dotted accessories like a scarf, shoes, a purse, etc. would be wonderful to spruce up your wardrobe.

○Make sure to join in on the dotted fun over on Instagram, Twitter and even on Pinterest. If you see a dot, take a picture, upload it to one of those sites and use the hastag #MARCtheDOT

 

More pictures to follow-up at another time...