Endless Summer!

Sometimes with the kids out of school it can feel like an endless summer. This week on the jesGORDON blog we will be giving you four ideas for great kids parties to keep them busy an happy before school starts back up again. There are certain fail-safe things that can make kids happy, such as candy, games, colors, sounds, and security. These theme sugJEStions combine these elements to create out of the box parties that kids will enjoy and parents will remember.

Pillow Party

For the ultimate pillow party, move everything out of a room and padding all surfaces and floors with pillows. Use oversize floor pillows for seating for adult guardians (and for kids to flop on). Make multicolored pillowcases by quick stitching fabric together, or just buy pillowcases with fun themes on them – superheroes, dolls, whatever the fads are. Send out pillowcases as invitations, decorated with those laundry-friendly fabric pens or paints from any art supply or hobby store. The guests can draw and write messages on plain pillowcases with fabric marker so they have a cool camp-like keepsake to bring home. A good snack to fit with the pillow concept is a simple sheet cake cushioned with tons of marshmallows. Keep the cushiony texture going with individual angel food or sponge cakes, Mallomars, and Rice Krispie treats. And obviously, the party game is… a pillow fight!

Come back tomorrow for the next theme sugJEStion!

Jes' tips on Glamour Magazine Website

This week on Glamour.com Jes shares her fabulous drink tips. Glamour's blogger takes Jes' tips on the road to a friend's bachelorette party where they use Southern Comfort to make a fabulous specialty drink with Jes' recipe!

Check out the link below to read the entire entry!

http://www.glamour.com/weddings/blogs/save-the-date/2010/07/8-ideas-to-steal-from-my-amazi.html

What to wear?

With wedding and event season in full swing many of you are probably dealing with the common question of what the appropriate attire for the occasion will be. Summer adds even more of a dilemma because the weather widens your options. This post today is about how to make the right decision if you are a guest and keep it simple if you are the host.

Terms like black tie seem obvious, but people often wonder, "Does that mean I have to wear a black tie?" It is confusing these days: Men can wear a gorgeous black suit with a monochromatic shirt and tie, or a single breasted black suit with a bow or straight tie. Both are acceptable at a black-tie event, as is the more traditional tuxedo. With women, I have noticed that black tie conjures up one thing: a black dress. This is disappointing because formal attire is a lot broader than we have been conditioned to think. It just means dress nicely as you can. Black tie is a more conservative atmosphere - therefore, shoes not sneakers, boobs should be kept under wraps, and hair and makeup should not be too over the top. But that doesn't mean that you can't bring a little bit of your personal style to the outfit. Guys can wear outrageous cufflinks or funky striped socks that peek out only when they are seated. Men's fashion designer Paul Smith offers amazing accessories for this purpose. Women have more choices: a fabulous broach, cool hair accessories, and of course great shoes and clutches. A moisturizer with a bit of sparkle in it across the upper chest and neck can look quite magical.

When you're inviting people you know well, you can create your own attire. I've seen casual chic used a lot in regard to dress. Simply, casual chic for men means that it's fine to wear a coat, no tie, an open collar, and a great pair of jeans - but no flip flops. Flip-flops are casual but not chic! The same rules apply for women, but if the flip-flops happen to have grown a nice wedge heel, I will lay down my sword. Girls can get away with a lot more in the dress code arena simply because we have so many options. We can wear a cotton halter dress with some chandelier earrings, but if a guy wears a simple cotton shirt, he needs to at least accessorize with a good pair of shoes. Casual chic also does not give you license to dress like a slut. We have thrown events ranging from Bohemian Chic to Cocktail Fabulous to Simply White. On that note, you can demand that your guests wear one color to your party, but keep in mind that at least half the people might not be so happy to comply. Guys find it relieving to be told what to wear, but women think that being forced to wear white on a fat day is the kiss of death.

Oh, Oh, Summer Nights!

Today we have two ideas for raising the bar on your typical summer night soirées. These sugJEStions for summertime bashes are great places to start when looking for something familiar yet unique.

Recently there has been a retro-resurgence of parties like game nights; so why not mix in the recent warm weather? Summer is a perfect time to take this from cozy board-games to the great outdoors. Guests of all ages enjoy games like Bocce Ball and Croquet. If you have more active participants set-up a temporary volleyball net, but use a beach-ball to keep the game light. If the party is geared toward kids, scavenger hunts are a wonderful way to keep the little ones occupied in the yard. You could even create a European outdoor Chess area for a more sophisticated party. Be sure to keep the food light and use mini-portions that guests can munch on between competitions. As the evening winds down you can keep the retro coming with a modern version of a drive in movie. Rent a screen from a local company or use the white wall of a garage to project your favorite classics. Toss a collection of throws and floor cushions on the ground to keep guests comfy as they wind down from the day's activities.

A fiesta theme is always popular in the summer. raise the bar on yours by foregoing the typical elements and focus on what really makes Mexican and Spanish culture so unique. You could have a tequila bar that serves specialty tequila with different infusions and spins on the typical margaritas and mojitos. Be sure to have plenty of fresh ingredients on hand to keep everything authentic. If you can, hire a mixologist to turn the bar into a real experience. They can create fresh syrups and mixers from the ingredients and will teach your guests about cultural ingredients and drinks. With the menu embrace the family culture; have people seated at tables with lazy-susans full of toppings and fillers for tacos and fajitas. Serving family style encourages different guests at the tables to get to know each other and share. For entertainment hire Flamenco dancers to put on a show and then teach guests to dance as well.

The main goal with a summer party is to embrace the beautiful weather, extra daylight and fresh food options. With any event idea you can incorporate some of the above suggestions, tailor them to your theme and raise the bar!

Happier Hours

Last Wednesday at The Azure, a luxury apartment on the upper East Side, Jes co-hosted Happier Hour with Aidan Donnelley Rowley, the author of the book LIFE AFTER YES! Also, Aidan was previously one of Jes' Brides!

WHAT is HAPPIER HOURS?

If you are asking your self, "What is a Happier Hours?" Happier Hour does NOT stand for an extended Happy Hours at the Hog Pit nor a special Happy Hour that starts at 8am in the morning. Happier Hours is a gathering of intellectual, social, political, and cultural women who gather to sip words and wine.

Aidan launched her first Happier Hours in March 2010. She quoted on her blog, "It occurred to me that a simple way to be happier is to have happier hours, more minutes and moments where we do things that make us smile and celebrate and savor existence. Okay, fine. But what do we do? How do we do this? We talk. We Question. We Imagine. We Dream. WE have conversations with other people - interesting and interested people - about things that matter to us. ALL OF US." So that is how it all began...

Aidan Donnelley Rowley?

We should briefly introduce Aidan for those whom have not met this special lady. Aidan was born and raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. She is the middle of five sisters, all graduated from Yale. After graduating from college, she continued her schooling at Columbia Law School and became a lawyer. One ordinary day standing in front of the desk covered in piles of papers in the office, Aidan had a light bulb moment. "I don't want to do this. I want to write," said Aidan as she walked out the office. She is now the professor/confessor of insecurities at her blog IVY LEAGUE INSECURITY, a mom of two BEAUTIFUL children, a wife, and a NOVELIST!

HAPPIER HOURS with little bit of ROCK STAR FLARE

Gloriosa Lilies

- Gloriosa Lilies are definitely not your friendly neighborhood flowers. They come from tropical Africa and Asia and they definitely brought a fierce look to the tables. Showy flowers have reflexed petal in colors from yellow, orange, and red. To compliment the striking color in flowers, we used neutral based sand blasted glass vases.

LED Uplight

We always put great emphasis on the lighting because lighting can add so much to the space. Hosting a party at your own space is great, but you don't want your guests to feel like they are at an ordinary home. We want to make our guests feel special and as if they were at a hip yet cosy lounge. That is when we pop battery operated LED lights through out the place. There are 12 color options controlled with an easy to use remote controller. NOW how cool is that?

NIbbles & Wine + friendly bartender

A good friend of Jes's, who owns her own catering business, generously donated food for the event and provided us an AMAZING bartender, Thomas. Yes, it is important to keep the BALANCE of girls and boys in the room, though this time it was sixty or so women vs. one boy. Another generous donation was made by an Argentinian wine label; they donated one of the most important elements to the party, a wine called LA Linda. Abundant wine kept the guests HAPPY!

What an amazing night we had, if you want to find out what really went down at the HAPPIER HOURS, check out Aidan's Blog! www.ivyleagueinsecurities.com

"This is about the Happiness of our hours.

This is about the happiness of our lives. oh and WINE"

- Aidan Donnelley Rowley-

THE NEXT BEST THING TO HIT CHELSEA!

The San Francisco based boutique hotel, Kimpton Hotels, opened its 50^th property and its fourth in New York last week. The new hotel is called Eventi and located on the Avenue of the Americas between 29^th and 30^th streets. This luxury boutique hotel features 292 guestrooms, including 53 suites. The hotel features over 10,000 square feet of meeting space and an additional 5,000 square feet of outdoor space!

We first heard about Eventi from Jennifer Flaherty, the catering Sales Manager at Eventi Hotel. She kindly reached out to us in April and invited us to check out “the next best thing to hit Chelsea.” When we saw some 3D graphic photos of the hotel interior, we knew we had to check it out!

The first thing we noticed when we walked into the lobby was both the painting on the ceiling and the infinity mirror closet near the elevator. Every detail was decorated with eclectic and unique taste.

The pre-Function Space, located on the third floor, was stunning. When we stepped out of the elevator, we knew right away, this is where we want to bring our PARTY!! The space didn’t need much, it is already party read. If you ever have a chance to see the space, don’t forget to check out the floor to ceiling artwork by Barbara Nessim!

The Ventana Ballroom has floor to ceiling windows and LED lights lit on the ceiling that twinkle like stars.

The Boardroom has chic décor all around. A few key items that we loved were the unique, textured wallpaper and large windows that give you the view of the future public garden. * Don’t forget to feel the wallpaper in the building!

Terrace: It is LUXURY to have an outdoor space in the middle of the city. The day we were at Eventi Hotel, it was sunny and beautiful out! The Terrace comes with outdoor lounge furniture and planters.

The hotel is already becoming a hot place to be, they were sold out for opening night and the entire weekend! Jennifer explained the naming of the hotel as well, “The name is Eventi because we want the hotel to be an Events Heaven and we are willing to work with events planners/designers to create great events.” Best wishes to our new neighbor hotel Eventi, and special thanks to Jennifer for giving us a ROCK STAR tour of the hotel!

Form the Ground Up!

When working on your party decor, you can't forget to look at the broader aspects of the space - the floors, ceilings, and walls. For this post we will be discussing ways to use the floor of your space to accent the decor and not just as an eye-sore that you hope people don't notice.

For a child's party recently, we covered the floor in plush carpet to warm the space up a bit. Any kind of carpet will always soften the space and aid acoustics as well. Carpeting is a real back saver too. Hard surfaces can really break the spine of your guests over the age of twenty-five after standing around socializing and dancing all evening. Warning: Carpet ain't cheap, but there are a few things you can do to mitigate costs. Have a carpet provider measure the space and give you an estimate for a temporary carpet. This means it doesn't have to be bound, just cut to size and taped down at the edges to get through the event.

Choose carpeting that won't catch in women's heels and can take foot traffic and wine spills - that is, carpet that is lower grade and cheaper. Shag carpet is gorgeous, but it's a major tripping hazard; instead, use shag as an accent under a coffee table but not for the entire floor. Ideally, you want to go as ghetto as you can with carpeting: good old synthetic cut pile carpet. Light colors, like white or ivory, create a lovely ethereal look, but in my experience it's best to go with a dark hue, like black, navy, or chocolate brown, so the floor simply disappears. Black carpeting is also the cheapest option.

Throw rugs are another way to add dimension and interest to your floors. We once did a party in a large loft that had this pukey gray carpet. The party was at night so no one was really going to notice it, but I thought it would be fun to break up the floor space into different seating groups. We found faux animal print rugs at rugsdirect.com, overstock.com and a West Elm furniture store, and grouped them with lounge furniture and threw in some matching animal print accent pillows to boot.

A brilliant new company that has changed the floor landscape is FLOR (flor.com), which makes cool carpet tiles in a variety os styles and materials. You buy FLOR per tile so you can create any size design you want by mixing and matching.

Floor mats or low-tack vinyl appliques are another alternative to rugs. At a wedding, a couple wanted to use a family crest as a design motif. Instead of carpets under the coffee tables, we had cool floor vinyls are made by 3M (the tape people) and any print store can look into this option for you.

Lighting tricks are another way to rock out your floors. Instead of floor graphics on vinyls or creative carpeting, you can project shapes and colors directly onto an open floor space. We did a party in a beautiful outdoor location with tons of plush furniture rentals, but we didn't have any rugs to use. Our lighting designer used a gobo with a beautiful branch pattern on it that he used to project onto the floors where the seating was arranged - it was gorgeous!

Jes' Invites to Remember

This was a doggie vest Save the Date, so obviously Jes loved it!

With Spring in full bloom and Summer just around the corner parities and entertaining is at the front of everyone's mind. The first impression guests get of your party is the invitation so unique ideas are the best way to show the events style from the very beginning. Below are some of Jes's Favorite and most memorable invites from events she has designed and produced!

- We designed a great invitation for the launch of a new razor. Instead of paper invitations, we sent out gorgeous girls with long legs in short shorts who rode around Manhattan on pink Vespa scooters, personally delivering an invitation to each guest in the form of a razor with the details printed on it. The idea made quite an impression - the attendance rate was phenomenal, thanks to those leggy girls!

- For a one-year-old's birthday party invitation, we created a simple iMovie on a Mac mode from baby pictures and a soundtrack of "When I'm 64" by the Beatles. After the thirty-second slideshow came a page with the party specs. this type of things can be done with PowerPoint too - just e-mail it, send out a flash drive, or burn it onto a DVD.

- For a vodka launch, we sent out carved potatoes. Most people go the super-sexy model route with alcohol, but we had an artist carve the details into an actual potato, as one would using a lino block. You could even make potato prints this way if you ink them up. We sent the potato out in a box with scruffy tissue strands, much like a pet rock.

- There is nothing lovelier than using a child's piece of art as an invitation. To me, this is the most personal, charming invitation one can receive, because after the wow factor dies down from receiving a potato in the mail, all you are left with is the gimmick itself and not a treasured piece of original art.

- if you want your guests to remember your event, you could send out conceptual thank-you cards. We once did an urban awareness event for young twenty-somethings with a sex-ed expert on deck talking about safe sex. To thank them for coming, we sent a replica of a condom package with a real condom inside - hopefully one they added to their already existing collection.

There are more fabulous invite ideas and tips in Jes' book Party Like a Rock Star.

Heavenly Flowers

This weekend was the launch of the new Victoria's Secret fragrance Heavenly Flowers. This launch was a lot of fun for us because we got to create a flower shop in the new Soho store. We set-up a working shop for models Alessandra Ambrosio, Candice Swanepoel and Miranda Kerr and we showed them how to use the tools we use everyday. (Some how we don't look like this while designing, Weird?!)

The event gave customers a chance to meet the models and get autographs, they also got a real bouquet made by jesGORDON/properFUN! The Shabby-Chic, floral theme continued into the autograph table where customers had a meet and greet with the models.

The VS Street Team drew in customers passing by with single roses handed out from a flower cart we designed and styled. Tall arches of yellow forsythia, apple blossoms, and pussy willow drew guests through the doors.

The main, center display was styled and stayed through the weekend for other customers to enjoy.

After the event, the models were interviewed for TV in a mini vignette we set-up.

The event was very successful with hundreds of customers coming out to see the models and enjoy the flower-shop atmosphere for the Heavenly Flowers launch. There is an entire album of photos up on our facebook page, search jesGORDON/properFUN.

Jesse's Resort

JG team had one of the most anticipated events of the YEAR this weekend! We had the pleasure of putting together a super-fun resort themed Bat Mitzvah for a very sweet young lady named Jesse. The family loves everything about luxury resorts so we brought the five-star feeling to them in a New York City Venue.

We had so much fun with her theme!

There can never be enough pillows and paper lanterns.

Check out the back of our new t-shirts!

Here's a glimpse of Jesse-s Resort

Directional signs with fun names that the family came up with.

We brought in wicker furniture, daybeds, and plenty of glow furniture to transform into a luxury resort!

Volleyball Court & Smoothie Bar

Before & After

We loved working with the beautiful family with a GREAT THEME! WHAT a WEEKEND!