Jack's Wife Freda Birthday Brunch

We are BACK at Jack's Wife Freda. This place is super popular. I apologize in advance but you will have to wait if you go. The food and atmosphere are usually worth it so stick it out if you can. I suggest heading there with a smaller group. I met some friends to celebrate the beautiful Meg Woods on her Birthday.

I'm always so in love with their sugar packets. I love when restaurants pay attention to the little details.

Jammed into a communal table, we all dug into a number of delicious brunch dishes. This is the Madame Freda, a play on a Croque Madame, it is a sandwich packed with duck prosciutto, gruyere, cheddar and a fried egg. 

This dish is the Mashed Avocado on Seeded Bread. Who can resist the side of fries?! 

Bit of a sweet tooth? Try the Rosewater Waffles. Topped with Lebanese yogurt, mixed berries and honey syrup.  

I decided to nosh on the Grilled Eggplant Baguette - tomato, eggplant, mozzarella, pesto...come on! 

After lunch, we wandered over to the luxurious Mondrian Soho for a little afternoon libation. A girl can't help but feel luxurious under this canopy. 

Happy Birthday Meg!

xoxo
naturally ginger

Speakeasy Themed Holiday Birthday Party

If you've been reading my blog for more than a couple months, you might have learned that the Frans love a birthday. We always go above and beyond (it can get a little bit ridiculous) to make each other feel special on our day of birth. 

Natty was next up, the baby of the bunch. With her birthday nestled in the busy holiday season, we wanted to make her feel extra incredible and luxurious. We decided on a themed apartment party. Our theme was Great Gatsby meets Speakeasy meets 1920s meets Holiday Party. It was exciting to see everyone come out dressed to impress. 

We wanted to keep quality high but budget low, so we turned to Pinterest for some ideas to give the party a unique personal touch without breaking the bank. First, I was able to find signs with quotes from the Great Gatsby error that we framed and posted throughout the apartment. 

We provided some light appetizers along with mixes for two signature party cocktails. I printed little drink cards so partygoers could follow the steps to make their drinks. The first was a Berry Gin Fizz. It was a mix of Gin, Cassis and Prosecco topped with mint and a berry of your choice. The second was a Cranberry Whiskey Cocktail. This simple drink combined Whiskey, Cranberry Juice, Ginger Ale and Cranberries. The customized cocktails gave the party an extra special little touch. 

Before me move on, we must decorate the tree. 

And then we need to take some pictures of our fabulous outfits. 

People were in and out all night, but we made sure they stopped by the Photo Booth for a party memory.  I printed a bunch of props off Pinterest onto card stock, and mounted them on wooden skewers. It was a low effort way to add another special touch to the evening.

I love Pinterest. It is an endless pit of crafty creative ideas. I highly recommend you browse when planing your next themed event. 

Gosh my Frans are gorgeous. We are ridiculous but I love us. Happiest Birthday Natalie.

Max and Meg have Birthdays

A few of the Frans had birthdays last week. Birthday celebrations in New York can get expensive very quickly. With back to back birthdays we opted for an at home party with a twist. 

A blind wine tasting contest is a great way to bring people together for a celebration. It is affordable and super easy to pull off. The requirements: 1) Everyone brings a bottle of wine wrapped in aluminum foil or a paper bag; 2) You have to number the wines as they arrive; 3) Make sure you taste them all! 4) Near the end of the night everyone votes for their favorite and the winner gets a bottle of wine to take home.

With the Frans occupying an entire apartment floor, we opened the doors and turned the celebration into an old fashion floor party.

Birthday girls.

The second night of celebration we headed out to a sort of comedy show. New York City is full of little adventures in each of its' nooks and crannies, you just have to find them. I love subscribing to Urban Daddy and Living Social for insight to the latest and greatest the city has to offer. When tickets to Drunk Shakespeare came across my inbox I had to explore more. Mer is a huge Shakespeare fan and what better way to celebrate her birthday than an interactive Shakespeare play where she gets to be "Queen". The catch is one actor takes 4 shots of alcohol before preforming.

As the "Royal Court" we played a part in the show, and that made it well worth the trip. Brace yourself for the actors to take the show to the extreme. They preformed Macbeth and were all extremely talented. We laughed our faces off and I had to close my eyes a few times due to it all just being too much...haha.

Gosh I love celebrating the people in my life. How do you love celebrating the people around you? I'd love some ideas for birthdays to come!