Here are some of the "in" items you might find at posh parties this season. We've also included suggestions for a do-it-yourself version at home. We'll admit, the home versions won't make as big an impression, but they also won't make as a big a dent in your wallet.

PARTIES ON ICE: The Cuisine Unlimited party used lots of striking ice carvings, including a 10-foot-tall martini glass with the drink flowing down the center to a pouring spout. It takes six to 10 hours to create and costs $2,000, said designer Chad Swan of Swanavation Ice Sculptures.

Something smaller and less detailed costs around $500 — still pricey, some might say, for an investment that melts by night's end.

As further evidence that ice is now cool, big blocks of it, with exotic flowers frozen inside, decorated a buffet for a gathering of the nation's food editors at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Puerto Rico last month.

"Ice sculptures are back in style," said Maxine Turner, owner of Cuisine Unlimited. "They were big in the '50s and '60s and then went out. In the '70s the industry came out with pre-fab ice sculptures, but they were so passe that we didn't use them."

Today's ice carvings aren't just swans dripping over the salad bar; they're serving vessels, such as a sushi bar hollowed out and filled with crab and shrimp. This was an impressive sight at the Cuisine Unlimited party. But keep in mind that each of the large shrimp alone costs $2. "This is not an inexpensive bar to do," said Turner.

Do-it-yourself: Make an ice bowl by filling the space between two unbreakable, stackable bowls with water (weigh down the smaller bowl) and place in the freezer. Unmold your ice bowl and fill with seafood, cut veggies or other items that won't get soggy as the ice melts.

EDIBLE SPOON APPETIZERS: These items were filled with a crab and lobster mixture at the Cuisine Unlimited bash. A few years ago it became stylish to serve appetizers of caviar or other fancy filling on a silver spoon. These cornmeal spoon-shaped crusts take the idea a step further — and you don't need to find somewhere to leave the empty spoon afterward. Each go for $1.50.

Do-it-yourself: Shape pie crust dough on the bottom of mini-muffin pans or Chinese soup spoons, bake until golden and fill as desired.