On Saturday, August 15th, Mirror80 turned 5! To celebrate the blog’s 5th birthday, I mixed up a pitcher of fruity sangria, created a tropical party spread and celebrated with my nearest and dearest. This week at Mirror80 will be filled with fun, as I’ll be taking a look back at my 10 favorite posts, and I’ll be sharing a stellar home tour that will provide LOTS of design inspiration. I want to thank you for your support and kind words over the last five years. To say that I couldn’t do this blogging thing without all of you is an understatement! I wish I could’ve had you there with me to celebrate. Here are some photos of the festivities…
The table runner was a folded $6 tropical scarf I picked up at Sam Moon. I also found this ’80s-style heart scarf there, and let’s just say there’s no better way to spend six bucks! The flamingo napkins are by Caspari, and the others were left from some of my all-time favorite Mirror80 Retro Foodie photo shoots:
I kept the food light and refreshing. One of my favorite appetizers to serve: olives with orange or lemon zest!
And since I can’t resist the opportunity to create a pattern from food…
Other light and easy snack ideas: a cheese plate, a fresh fruit plate, a favorite nut mix, and gourmet popcorn.
The popcorn was a new find from Trader Joe’s called Popcorn in a Pickle. Yes, it’s pickle-flavored popcorn, and I’ve only known about it for a week but have somehow already managed to eat two large bags!
I displayed the popcorn in my Jadeite bowl (I’ve been amassing a collection of this vintage dishware for more than 10 years, but I’ve kept in on the small side). I have to leave room in my cabinet for my ’80s dishes as well, folks!
Let’s talk sangria! If I’m looking for a quick way to create instant flavor (you know, if I don’t have all day to let the wine soak up the flavors of the fruit), I simply add chopped citrus and strawberries to white wine, then top it off with a dash of Peach Schnapps. It’s an easy way to get a kick of flavor, and if you don’t overdo it, it’s the perfect punch and not too sweet.
The party centerpiece (shown at the left of the photo below and at the top of the post as well) was a planter of succulents given to me a year ago by my thoughtful Mom-in-Law. It’s still going strong, unlike most of the succulents I’ve tried to cultivate over the last year.
And since it was a birthday celebration, we had to have confetti! Dreamy confetti with silver stars…
Here are a couple final photos of the birthday fun. The little bowls holding the air plants are from Target. I promise to have a cake at the next birthday celebration! This one was topped off with gelato. : – )
Thank you again for all of your encouragement and messages over the last five years. I’ll do more reflecting in the next post, but I want to say that it’s an honor for me to connect with others who have a love for “recent retro” design. There’s so much from the late ’70s through the early ’90s that hasn’t yet been explored. That’s why I love writing this blog. And I love having you as readers!
YUM! 😀