I’m up in Northern California visiting family this week and had the opportunity to share a some Labor Day party ideas on Sacramento’s KCRA News this morning, which was so much fun! The focus of the segment was ideas for throwing a stylish & creative Labor Day party without spending a ton of money or “laboring” for hours in the kitchen…

I took a few pictures of the recording on my parents’ TV screen so that you can see the details a little better.(Yes, these are literally shots of the TV screen…taken with an iPhone nonetheless…so not exactly stellar quality but hey – it does the job!)

Pictured above: Quick & easy bites with a focus on presentation… beef sliders made with Hawaiian Sweet Rolls (use your favorite gourmet burger recipe or just keep is simple), individual crudités served in glass votive holders that make it easy for guests to munch & mingle at the same time, and gourmet kettle chips served in mini takeout containers adorned with scrapbook embellishments.

Pictured above: Since we were totally pressed for time yesterday, my mom & I created these cute little hamburger cupcakes the fastest way we could think of: by using all ready-made ingredients.  I bought white cupcakes from the store, cut them in half horizontally, then removed a little more from the bottom of the top half so that it looked more like the top part of a hamburger bun.

For the “beef patties”,  we cut circular brownies from a pre-made brownie tray and perfected the patty shape by hand – just like you would do with a regular hamburger patty.

Red, green, and yellow decorator icing was used for ketchup, mustard, and lettuce… and the finishing touch was a sprinkle of real sesame seeds on top of the bun. To get the seeds to stick, rub a little bit of white frosting on to the top of the “bun” first.

Happy Labor Day, Everyone! Have a wonderful, safe, LONG holiday weekend!

Shopping Resources:

• Scrapbook paper (placemats, napking “rings”, and vase wraps): Metropolitan Series by American Crafts™ in Deli, Studio, Manhattan, and Paparazzi
• Melamine Plates & Acrylic Wine Glasses: Target (both sold individually in-store or in sets online)
• Townhouse Chipboard Embellishments: (used as wine charms, table confetti, and to adorn napkin rings, takeout containers, and vases).
• Napkins & utensils: Target
• 3-Tier Cake Stand: Michael’s
• Translucent Takeout Containers: Michael’s
• Bubble Votive candle holders: IKEA