Monday, May 11, 2009

Second Course

Claudia, here.  Prepare for a some fun today, but don't peter out early.  Today's post is capped off with Summer 2009 Highlowaha Challenge.  You won't want to miss it!

Those of you around last year probably remember one of our most acclaimed posts, titled a Feast for Your Eyes.  It was an unbelievable display of creativity, featuring a ballroom of 50+ dinner tables - each table with their own theme and table scape.  This year was no different as I, Scoop Beeny, hit the beat in order to bring you highlights from this year's annual event.  

The event, titled Dine By Design, is a fundraiser for the church a friend of mine attends.  Women volunteer to "sponsor" a table and, in turn, develop a theme, decorate the table accordingly, and then sell tickets to seven other girl friends who will join them for an evening of fun.  Elaborately decorated tables are the stars of the night - not the food (which is spaghetti donated by a local restaurant), nor the service (which is provided by husbands dressed up in black and white).

For people like me who love details and ascribe to the belief that packaging is everything, this event truly is a feast for the eyes.  Each table takes on a life of it's own.  Each theme tells an elaborate story using props for centerpieces; carefully selected plates, chargers, and cutlery; thoughtfully packaged gifts on each woman's plate; bolts of all sorts of material wrapping the backs of chairs; clever napkin rings; and in some cases even canopies constructed above tables.  No detail is to small and no amount of effort is too big for these women.  It is a truly remarkable sight.

Let me tell you what else I love.  I love what this event stands for.  It is a grand gesture bringing together large groups of women talented women and giving them a platform to do what they do best - create!  It is everything we at Highlowaha stand for - people using their creativity to help community.  The fact that it is so well done, with such an impressive number of participants, and a following so far-reaching, that people from all over the metroplex come to take photographs, is just icing on the cake!  The event works, because it is the perfect marriage between talents (planning events/parties), interests (socializing with friends), and need (fundraising for the church)

Take a look at just a few of the tables...

Hog Wild

Aloha

Because I Said Sew

Garden Party

Treasures

Going on Safari

Birds of a Feather

Start your Engines

Sugar and Spice

Yee Haw

Highlowaha Summer 2009 Challenge:  Commit to hosting a Highlowaha Dine By Design event (dinner, brunch, coffee, happy hour) at your house sometime between now and Monday, August 31.  Claim your theme, get busy developing your table scape, invite your friends, and help us raise money for the Gift of #218 Fund (remember, every $200.00 we raise allows us to provide another family a Gift of #218 experience).  Soon after Labor Day, we will feature photographs of each of your table scapes.  Charge $20.00 a person, $10.00, or $5.00.  We don't care.  The idea is to challenge your creativity while helping us help community. 

So what do you think?  Are you in?  Want to claim your theme today?  Safari? Nautical? Ship wrecked? Hollywood?  Board Games? Wild, Wild, West?  The possibilities are endless!  As for me.... Mine is going to be a murder mystery dinner based in the 50's.  Picture the scene of the crime (my dinning room) as the quintessential 50's soda shop.

In days to come we hope to create a link on our site that helps us keep track of which of our readers is planning to host a Dine By Design event, the date, and your theme.   Until then, DIG IN! 

Signing off until tomorrow...

16 comments:

Heather said...

Oooh...I love Dine by Design. I'm not the big idea person but once given the big idea I can pull all the details together and REALLY appreciate every last one. That's what I like about Dine by Design they give the big idea (dinner party with friends) and you just worry about the details of your table and your friends...LOVE IT!

Cheryl Houston said...

Just barely up and running late...

POLLS ARE OPEN FOR TASTE OF USA.

Happy Monday.

Peggy said...

Cool, can't wait to see what y'all come up with!!

eknoxuk said...

I did a table at a similar event last year with a cowgirl theme. I had a checkered table cloth, kids cowboy boots, a kid's train track with trains and animals, animal plates, a cowboy cookbook and adult cowboy hats. I'm too tired now with these babies to plan a party, but I'd be up for attending one!

Claudia @ Highlowaha said...

So far four posts and no commitments to host a Dine by Design event. It's a good thing my job isn't in sales, huh?

This is a slow start to Monday morning. Who will be the reader to help turn it around?!??!

Heather said...

Oh Claudia...You know I'm up for hosting!

Now, who to put on the invite list...that's the question?!?

Cheryl Houston said...

Okay, you can't really count that first post from me because I didn't read your post and I was barely alive.

I am up for hosting and I will be doing an Under the Sea theme with fish and sharks and jelly fish and, and, and.... I don't think I'll do a sit down dinner but more of a cocktails/snacking pool party. It will have to be in August. It's more about the decorations and less about the food, right? I'm thinking sushi and shrimp and seafood eats...

Cheryl Houston said...

OMG! I just remembered I have my ex-MIL's recipe for Gumbo! Too hot for in August? It's so yummy and can be made the day before...

Claudia @ Highlowaha said...

Now that's the spirit! We up to three tables at 11:00. This is the beginning of our campaign, but I would love it if we could get to 6 tables by the end of the day.

Takers? Takers?

Katie said...

Hey, everyone! Just checking in really quickly (and going to head over to VOTE, of course).

While I don't think I can commit to host a party of my own, I can do something to help out. I will offer my services to babysit for anyone's party that is hosted in DFW this summer (assuming I don't have to work that night!). That way, anyone who wants to attend the party and donate to Gift of 218, but doesn't want to have to pay for a babysitter can still come! I will babysit all the little ones as my "gift" to the event! We can work out logistics later.

Anonymous said...

I've got a headache so I'm a bit unclear - do we do a party and have one table or a party and have multiple tables?

Heather said...

Robin,
I think it is your choice...one table is FANTASTIC but...one party with MULTIPLE tables would raise even more money for 218...but I'll let Claudia be the final verdict.

Claudia @ Highlowaha said...

Robin and others...

The idea is that willing Highlowaha readers would host ONE table - in all likelihood your dining room table. You prepare to host an event and then develop your theme and all the table decorations that go along with it.

If each willing reader hosts just one table then by the end of the summer we will have collectively hosted enough tables to rival the event I photographed this weekend.

One table per willing reader is what we are asking. Anybody? Anybody?

Cheryl Houston said...

Okay~ but do I have to have a dinner/lunch/coffee actually eaten around the table? I can invite 20 people to come over and not have "sit down" right?

Claudia @ Highlowaha said...

Cheryl and others...

Yes... take whatever creative liberties you want. That will be part of the fun.

The ultimate goal... use your creativity to host a Dine By Design event that will help Highlowaha raise money for Gift of 218

Cheryl Houston said...

So working on my theme of Under the Sea... I could either transform my dining room are or the patio area out by my pool... I'm thinking streamers of blue hanging down with white paper lanterns strung across the area with lots of fish decorations...

I got it... how about everyone else?