The season of entertaining is upon us, and since there’s no place like home for the holidays, the spotlight’s on you.
So why not embrace this opportunity to show off your creativity, and prove your skills as a superior host! All its takes is cocktails and candlelight, and a simple craft that will have everyone celebrating your artistry…
Perfect for any celebration, this modern tray will add simple elegance to any soirée, and a touch of sophistication to any room. Embrace the spirit of giving, and gift it to other holiday hosts, or just use it to serve friends and family at your next feast.
Make my Mulled Pomegranate Martini’s (recipe bellow), whip out the tray, and serve and you’ll be the hostess everyone wants the most-est this season!
So here’s how you do it:
The Tippler’s Tray
After covering my living room fireplace with this amazing chocolate faux skin wall-covering from Ralph Lauren Home I was left with an extra yard of this luxury leather. So when life leaves you lemons, or rather leather, make leather trays! I found these great acrylic trays from CB2 and with a pair of scissors and some crazy glue, set to work on making a little holiday masterpiece.
What you’ll need:
1 yard textured wall covering
(you can use any print you like but I used Ralph Lauren’s Yacare Crocodile in Mahagony)
1 acrylic tray (like CB2’s Format Tray)
Scissors
Crazy Glue (the brush bottle is easiest)
pencil
* Acrylic cleaner from The Container Store try Novus Plastic Polish Trio
Directions
1. With a pencil place the tray on the back side of the wall covering. Draw an outline of the tray and with scissors cut inside the pencil markings. You will likely have to keep going back and trimming the four lengths of the square until it fits snugly inside the tray.
2. Use the plastic polish cleaner to clean the acrylic tray with a paper towel over a sink or a kitchen or bath room surface as the cleaner can damage wood or other delicate surface. Let dry.
3. Apply crazy glue with the brush carefully to the back of the wall covering- being to sure to only cover 1/3 of the surface is it dry quickly. Immediate press the wall covering, glue side down into the tray and hold, pushing down for 45 seconds to a minute to let the glue adhere. Place a small heavy book on top of the covering to continue to let the wall covering adhere.
4. Lift up the opposite side of the covering carefully brush the glue over the remaining surface and press down again adding pressure for about 1 minute. Place a large book over the entire surface leave preferably overnight to seal the covering to the acrylic and flesh out any buckling from the wall covering.
5. Remove the books and you should have a lovely leather-lined tray ready to aid you at cocktail hour or admire on a shelf.
** the wall covering is easily cleaned by taking a damp sponge and wiping it clean with water and a little soap. To clean the acrylic sides and base- spray cleaner onto a towel and clean carefully ensuring it does not get on the leather
Mulled Pomegranate Martini
Serves 1 (easily doubled if you have a large martini shaker)
Ingredients
2 ounces Gin (you can also use vodka or even a citrus vodka)
1 ounce Pomegranate juice
splash or two cranberry juice
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 ounce Mulled Spice Simple Syrup*
(2 star anise, broken, 1 cinnamon stick, broken, 1/2 vanilla bean, split, 2 cloves, 1 orange peel)
1 egg white
ice
Star anise to garnish
Method
1. Make the Mulled Spice Simple Syrup by placing 2 cups of sugar and 2 cups of water in small sauce pan. Heat on low to dissolve the sugar and then add the star anise, cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, cloves, and orange peel. Keep heating for 2-3 minutes and let the mixture thicken a reduce a bit. Turn the heat off and let cool completely. When cool, strain liquid through a sieve and discard the solids, unless using the anise for garnish. Can be kept refrigerated for 1 week.
2. To make the cocktail, place a few cubes of ice in a cocktail shaker fitted with a tight lid and sieve top. Add the gin, pomegranate juice, cranberry juice, fresh lemon juice, and mulled spice simple syrup to the shaker. Then add the egg white. Seal the lid and shake vigorously for 10 seconds.
3. Remove the cap and pour the drink into a martini glass (chilled if possible), garnish with a star anise and serve on your homemade leather tray.
Because when it comes to cocktails, crafts, and crazy nights The Supper Model knows where the party’s at…
Darcy Jones
