My love affair with World Market started when I was just a kid. I think I was in 6th grade when my friend and I would sometimes get dropped off at the mall to hang out and we’d always walk over to World Market. They used to sell the most amazing little rose-flavored candies. Yes, roses- as in the flowers. They were so so good. To this day every time I walk into a World Market store, I keep my eye out for them. Now that I’m grown up and actually have use for the amazing household items in the store, I buy more than candy! I buy much more than candy. I love World Market like Kate loves Target. We’re talking serious business here. Some might classify it as an obsessive relationship. I mentioned in a photography post that I did a while back that a huge number of the dishes and table linens you see in my food photographs, including the photos in our cookbook, have come from World Market. They sell an amazing selection of cookware, dishes, and specialty items. Remember the adorable little mugs you all were raving about in my hot chocolate post? Yep. World Market. They also sell a great selection of furniture, housewares, gifts, jewelry, accessories (see the cute floral headband I’m wearing in the next pic? World Market!), over 500 international wines, gourmet foods and specialty drinks imported from more than 50 countries. It’s seriously one of my most favorite places, which is why I jumped at the chance to host a party compliments of World Market and Foodbuzz. I had the perfect occasion this past weekend while I was in my home town of Seattle; my favorite sister (okay, she’s my only sister, but for reals, she’s my favorite) was having a birthday!
That’s my sister Becca. She’s awesome. She’s an amazing cook (I actually photographed her making something this weekend that I’m going to post soon) She’s insanely creative (we’re talking like, she built a to-scale replica of my parents house in gingerbread last Christmas. Okay, and she has a college minor in art, but seriously the gingerbread was sweet) and she does crazy cool stuff like rescue orphaned animals and train them to release them back into the wild. No joke. She taught a half-dead bird how to eat. And then fly. She’s like an animal whisperer. She’s also single. In case you know someone. Just sayin…
I had a perfectly lovely backyard meal in my mind and I found everything I needed at World Market. Sometimes when you envision outdoor entertaining you immediately think of paper plates and plastic tablecloths. I love to mix and match and bring some of my indoor things out. I started out with a crisp white tablecloth, and added a bamboo table runner. I love how the bamboo is kind of rustic and fits in with an outdoor theme.
Then I used some plain white plates. This is a fabulous thing to have. World Market sells a lot of these buffet sets; plain white dishes in all sizes that come in these nice holders. They’re affordable, and great to have on hand for big group meals.
I didn’t want them to get lost on the white tablecloth though so I used these awesome chargers. Aren’t they fantastic? This is my most favorite color so I couldn’t resist. They’re a heavy duty plastic so they’re super easy to clean too. I love these.
On top of the white plates, I placed these fun melamine dessert plates. They’re light weight and inexpensive; perfect for outdoor entertaining! I love the colors in them, and found cloth napkins in a matching color too.
One of my favorite things to do on an outdoor table is light candles. There’s something about a breeze, and summer weather, and flickering candles, that makes you want to stay at that table for hours. I LOVE these purple glass lanterns. Those things are big, and only 8 bucks! They matched the purple in the plates perfectly.
World Market has a gazillion different styles of little votive holders. I’m madly in love with these blue square ones. I grabbed a bunch of different styles and colors and scattered them around. All the colors tied into the plates so they all matched when put together.
See those cute drinks? One of my favorite things.
World Market Italian Sodas. They have a bunch of flavors; my family loves the Blood Orange. The Mango Passion Fruit is yummy too.
The personal sized bottles look so cute on a dinner table. Sort of casual-chic.
My sister bought her own flowers (okay, and she made half of this meal herself too. She’s rad like that.) How crazy beautiful are these peonies??
Seriously I couldn’t stop staring at them. I love fresh flowers on a dinner table, especially an outdoor one.
Just make sure when you’re entertaining that you use shallow vases or bowls so you don’t block people’s faces.
Okay I’ll stop swooning over the flowers. Back to food. For an appetizer, I grabbed a great pesto, and also a Piquillo and Artichoke Bruschetta spread. Both were amazing. I could eat that artichoke stuff with a spoon. Okay I sort of did. Both came from World Market. Did I mention they have food there? Food from all around the world? Ya, they do. And lots and lots of chocolate and treats too.
I need to make a knock-off of that artichoke spread asap.
My family also loves these chips. They taste similar to those Pop Chips that are popular right now.
My kiddos love ’em! They also have lots of fun trinkets, toys, and novelty items at World Market. My kids beg for stuff every time we go there and I usually say no, so this time I grabbed a bunch of toys to keep them busy while the grown-ups ate. It worked brilliantly.
We also grilled up (and by we I mean my husband) one of my all-time-favorite summer meals, Italian Chicken and Vegetable Skewers. Per my sister’s request we (and by we I mean my sister) also made Caramel Toffee Fruit Dip. (Are you starting to wonder if I cooked anything at all??) And a yummy Pear and Gorgonzola Salad.
My sister also made an awesome Orange-Teriyaki Steelhead, which I’m going to share her recipe for soon! Heaven knows our Seafood Section can use all the help it can get. I’m thinking I should have her do a monthly fish feature!
For dessert (seriously I made this one myself. I mean, I bought this one myself. It counts, I swear.) I picked up some Seattle-famed Trophy Cupcakes. I have to be honest and say that when it comes to gourmet cupcake shops, I’ve been disappointed way more times than I’ve been pleased. But Trophy came through! These babies were amazing.
All in all it was a gorgeous night with fantastic company. Nothing better than friends and family on a beautiful summer night at a beautiful summer table!
Questions & Reviews
Oh…a little bit of everything!!! 🙂
I would totally spend it on food! Or some pretty dishes. . .
I echo your love of World Market! I love their outdoor furniture, indoor furniture, great prices on jewelry, holiday trinkets, etc., etc., etc. Thanks for offering this contest!
I love World Market!!! Sadly the closest one to me is 100 miles away in my home town. Thankfully I visit family and World Market often. I love their different kinds of pasta. I love their home decor. It is a great place to find stocking stuffers at Christmas, too!
That table is adorable!! I also love World Market. I’d plan to spend the gift card on new dishes, and I’m sure I’d find a bunch of other cute decorations while I’m there.
I would definitely use it on the white buffet plates and some awesome accessories!
Your spread is beautiful! I would have to get some dishes or decor, I think.
I’d definitely use the gift card to get some outdoor entertaining items! We are about to move to a bigger place that has a wonderful patio and I’d love to host a party out there! I’m lacking in the deco and dish area though!
Pick me!!
I am crazy about pans, dishes, serving pieces, & linens plus the gadgets that simplify the cooking process & make it more fun. I could spend $100 in World Market in a heartbeat! Some of my favorite pieces have been purchased there. Since I have three daughters who love to cook, I suppose I’d have to do some sharing & pick up some treasures for them, too.
I love Cost Plus! I don’t get in there as much as I’d like because it’s not a very kid-friendly store, but most of our yearly Christmas ornaments come from there. And, I love finding some of the chocolate and cookies I loved in Portugal!
If I were chosen to win a $100 gift certificate to World Market, I would probably search every product in their e-catalog, and dream a lot about how much they would improve our home visually. But in the end, I would probably use it to give my daughter, or any of my 3 daughter-in-laws, a wonderful gift. They are all such hard working mothers and each one deserves a lovely thank you from me. I am just so grateful that they are the mothers of my 10 special grandchildren and do their very best to raise them all to be beautiful, happy people. Any gift from World Market could express my gratitude.
I love their tortilla chips! They are super thin and crunchy!! They have great household accessories too.
I’d use the GC for new dishes for the patio
I was dying over how cute that amazing spread was – nice work. I’d love to win that gift card – how fantastic!
Happy Birthday to Becca!
The whole outdoor party looked amazing!
We just moved to an area that has a World Market, but we have yet to go in it!! Who knows what I would get! Looking at everything in your pics, I would be stuck in the store for hours! I would love to have a shopping spree there!
p.s. please send some of those amazing peonies my way 😉
I would buy plates and dishes! 🙂
I have always wanted to go to World Market but never had any extra money to spend. I would love to just browse and choose. It would be so fun to have a pretty table for the 4th of July as well as maybe some fun food.
I would buy everything summery. I love summer decor!
More dishes! A girl can NEVER have too many dishes.
I just love visiting your blog site. I also just love the World Market! It would be fabulous to win the gift card and I would spend it all on my favorite and only sister. My sister is the wife and care giver for her husband (my wonderful brother-in-law) who is severely disabled. She is such a great gal and
loves to shop when she can. It would certainly be fun for all of us.
Keep up the wonderful blog site and I will continue to visit.
Thank you…….
If I were the lucky winner I would buy different sizes of the white plates! I’ve been wanting some for awhile for just the reasons you mentioned. Thanks
I, too, have a love affair with World Market … it also has great, affordable furniture that looks much more expensive than it actually is. Great post today!
The chargers and dessert plates are SO cute and the votives…beautiful! I’d definitely use the money for dishes or votives. 🙂
New summer dishes!
Furniture. Definitely furniture. Our patio table blew over in a windstorm and shattered into a million different pieces. Now that’s it is summer, I’m mourning the loss of it. A gift card would go towards a replacement!
I absolutely LOVE World Market! I would buy a little of everything, but probably mostly dishes and decor. I need both very badly! My baby’s first birthday is also coming up, and it would be fun to get some stuff for that. Love the table spread you did. Gorgeous!
I would LOVE some awesome new dishes! And maybe some fun new food to try too!
I would use it on dishes. I am now sadly down to a bunch of mismatched dishes since some of my sets have broken pieces. Just getting started in the hosting department so I’d love something to give me a great kick-start!
Please enter me in the drawing for the World Market gift card. I also love WM, and actually just hosted a Graduation Party for our eldest daughter last weekend and much of the patio decor was from WM. My birthday is this week and I really want to get new dishes for our family , and this gift card would help us to get more place settings (we have a large immediate family, and a very large extended family, whom we host often).