Hosting Tips

The Happiest Spring Brunch Ever

By Chanel Dror
the happiest spring brunch ever

Why does the color yellow get such a bad rap? Most of us don’t think we have the right complexion to wear it, and when it comes to designing a table, well, even we’ll admit it’s never the first (or third) hue we turn to. Even in our color-driven Monochromatic Monday series, yellow appears least frequently of all. Well today that all changes, as we make the case for yellow and share a vibrant daisy-inspired girls’ brunch.

Of course, this party concept is doubly sweet. Not only does it signify one of our first spring gatherings of the season, but it also serves as a souvenir commemorating one of the most fun afternoons we’ve had in a while, with Houston-based blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth. We’d been dying to collaborate with Ashley for a while, and when she came to us with this insanely fun idea we finally had an excuse. We brought the food, Ashley brought the crafts, and the rest is history…

*photography by Jared Smith; location at SHDW Studios; flowers by Margot Blair Floral; rug courtesy of Birch & Brass

Our brunch took place at SHDW Studios — a naturally-lit space on the East Side and one of our new favorite places in town. As if the studio itself isn’t enough of a draw, its owners Dagny and Taylor are two of the sweetest (and best looking) people we know.

We kicked things off with glasses of fresh squeezed lemonade, infused with fresh herbs (tarragon and mint) and garnished with a lemon wheel. Easy and refreshing.

For this mid-day get together, we kept the menu light and vibrant so that guests didn’t feel too weighed down to head back to work afterward. By sticking to finger foods that require just a few ingredients, we were able to keep things super simple but still flavorful.

How great is this rug from Birch & Brass? We almost opted to style this table without a rug altogether, but quickly realized it was so necessary to making the overall scene feel anchored. Plus, the colors in it were absolutely perfect.

We asked our bestie Carly of Margot Blair Floral to put together a centerpiece that screamed, “Spring!” and as always, she didn’t disappoint. Lush with wildflowers in our cheery palette, it totally brought our vision to life.

Click here to get the recipe for these Prosciutto & Melon Skewers!

Leave it to Ashley to turn some classic white dinner napkins into the cutest daisy-inspired tabletop detail ever. Click over to see how she made these DIY napkins!

We can’t decide what we love more: Dagny’s apropos vintage Moschino daisy print blazer, or the daisy crowns Margot Blair made for us all to play dress-up with.

Click here to get the recipe for these Golden Beet & Goat Cheese Toasts!

Isn’t it amazing how color can affect your mood? The weather outside on the day of our brunch was actually cold and windy, but once we walked into our happy yellow party scene, our moods were instantly lifted. As far as we were concerned, spring had arrived!

I loved the combination of this black rim enamelware dinner plate with a round rattan charger. They were quite the unexpected pair, but ended up making for a perfectly poppy, neutral place setting.

We couldn’t get enough of the bite-sized snacks, so the plates just kept going around, and around, and around…

Once we finished our savory course, it was time to break out the real feature attraction: the sweets. Between this incredible blood orange cake and some french macarons, there was no question every sweet tooth in the house would be satisfied.

Click here to get the recipe for this Blood Orange Upside Down Cake!

Ashley is known for her hand decorated macarons, so we insisted she share some of her expertise with us. She brought a dozen of her own on-theme macarons for us to enjoy, then gave us all pointers for how to make our own!

Click here to get the DIY instructions for these Easter Wildflower Macarons!

Our designs didn’t quite measure up to Ashley’s… guess that just means we need to keep decorating (and eating) macarons until we perfect our skills!