cariño!

cariño just sounds like a fun word, doesn't it? so yesterday i shared some pictures from the screening i planned, and today i wanted to share the afterparty. with only two weeks notice, i was able to find a terrific venue - a new restaurant called cariño (which means love or dear in spanish, fyi), just a few blocks away from indiescreen. they were the only place in the area i found that was willing to section off some space for a group of 75-100 and not charge a rental fee, and once dani and i visited and met with the lovely owner, it was a done deal.

another one of their owners who also wears the mixologist hat made two special drinks for us as a nod to the film's title - one was called "lady," a hibiscus-infused margarita, and the other was called "lily," a cucumber mint agua fresca. they also brought out chips and salsa for everyone when they arrived. it turned out to be a huge crowd, much larger than expected, and as they all walked up the street together, the evening kicked off with a champagne toast that dani treated everyone to, and everyone had a great time.

budgetarily, i had $80 to spend on everything i bought, for the screening as well as the party. the popcorn, popcorn bags and lollipops came to exactly $40, so i had $40 left for flowers and i was careful to spend it wisely. originally dani wanted to do lilies, as another nod to the title, but regular lilies smell too strong and callas are too expensive, so i went another way. for $40 exactly, i got a dozen cream roses, 2 small bunches of cream gerbera daisies and three big bunches of baby's breath.

as i often do, i grouped them into a bunch of small arrangements in my footed glasses and was excited that i got to try out something i'd been wanting to - tying the stems nice and tight with twine so it's visible in the glass. love that!

then i drove to brooklyn with them very sloooowly with only a little water in each vase so they wouldn't spill. they spilled. just a little. i pulled over to the side of the road to move the boxes around and almost left my handbag on the side of the grand central parkway.

once i arrived - with flowers and bag in tow - i was really happy with the way the flowers looked lining the tables carino had arranged for us. each table had a single arrangement, and no two were exactly alike. the tables were covered in craft paper (love!) and there were white tealights all over, as well as green glass bottles filled with water - i always like guests to have unlimited access to water at parties. it's nice to not have to ask for just a glass of water, and carino believes the same thing - it's standard procedure for them, so that was great. i loved the fact that so many of the things i would have requested were par for the course with carino, and i look forward to planning another event there at some point.

i love the way all the glass looks - the glasses, the bottles, the votive holders and the vases - so shiny and glimmery.

love! or should i say cariño!