Happy New Year! Dirty Laundry Kitchen is now about a year old. I want to take a moment to thank you all so much for reading the blog and sharing 2013 with me. There’s no place I’d rather be than in my home, cooking and sharing my passion for life with friends and family. This blog is all about that passion. You’ve all made that possible. So thanks. A new year calls for reflection and celebration. And lots and lots of sparkles. You can see how I decorated for New Year’s Eve below, and check out my Happy New Year Party.

Here’s a closeup of the glittered pom poms and holly leaves next to the gold candles with silver candlesticks. I think they came out great. Here you can see that I put glue all over some of the leaves, but others I painted just the edges. This way there was lots of contrast on the leaves.  The glittered holly leaves looked amazing.Using skewers and styrofoam balls, I made the glittery pom poms. I just dipped them in glue and rolled them in glitter. It was really fun, but I totally forgot how messy glitter is! I wrapped some of the flutes and coupes in sparkly pipe cleaners. Not only did it add the the overall festiveness, but it helped people remember which glass was theirs. I re-purposed large and small St. Germain bottles. They were perfect for a gilded cocktail party.  A cake pedestal was perfect to display the star cookies. I hope you enjoy the whole New Year’s menu all year long. I think it’s perfect for any cocktail party. Here’s to a wonderful 2014. Thanks so much for all of your support. You can’t imagine how much I value each comment on the blog, each phone call, text, each “share” on facebook. The blog is growing quickly and it’s because of you and those with whom you share. So cheers!