Entertaining Archives | Page 12 of 14

A Party: Inspired by GOLD

August 28, 2013

I love creating party themes and this time around I’m inspired by the color GOLD! What I love about a party theme based on color is there are so many items you can buy to create your look or if you’re the crafty type you can pull out a can of spray paint and the hot-glue gun and go the DIY route.

The ingredients:

Gold Paper Lanterns—Party City

DIY version: Spray paint white paper lanterns gold.

Gold Flatware—West Elm

DIY version: Buy some flatware at the thrift store and paint the handles gold. Here’s a how-to!

{tip: a coat of polyurethane will make the silverware suitable for hand washing}

Paramount Dinnerware—Z Gallerie

DIY version: Spray the underside of clear glass plates to get this look.

Gold Chevron Wrapping Paper— (used as a table runner)–Paper Source

DIY version: Cover dollar store white shipping paper with Gold Chevron Washi Tape.

Gold Stripe Stemware—Bed, Bath & Beyond

DIY version: Here’s an easy tutorial on painting stripes on glass. Dollar Store wine goblets of course!

Spike Napkin Ring—Z Gallerie

DIY version: Cut a small Styrofoam fall in half, insert toothpicks and spray the entire piece gold. Glue to elastic hair bands to create your napkin ring.

Gold Mirrored Tray—World Market

DIY version: Pick up a plastic tray from the thrift store and spray it gold!

Gold Leaf Gift Box—World Market

DIY version: Wrap a plain gift box from the Container Store in decorative gold and white wrapping paper. Paper Source has lots of paper options.

If you want a super glam look for your party, this project is a fabulous way to create a gold sequin backdrop for your event.

{hint: Gold Labels from Staples would also work}

Don’t wait for a special occasion, any day is a great day to celebrate with gold!

Inspiration + Weekend Reads

August 17, 2013

So true!

Enjoy the weekend and these inspiring links!

These are some of the most beautiful wedding and party tablescapes I’ve ever seen!

I love everything about this blog especially these easy DIY place cards!

I think you’ll love this home tour as much as I did. Simple and stylish!

A really stunning dining room by one of my favorite bloggers.

Sometimes the little things make all the difference!

Entertaing Idea: Swizzle Sticks

August 14, 2013

Every great party includes fabulous cocktails (loaded or virgin) and every great cocktail deserves a fun swizzle sticks.

Did you know that swizzle sticks originated in Martinique when bartenders plucked twigs from native trees and used them to mix drinks to get them nice and cold.

Swizzle sticks are a throwback to the 60’s and 70’s cocktail culture when a gathering of friends and some libations resulted in a classic cocktail party.

After doing a little research I learned that there are three ways to mix a drink, one of which is to SWIZZLE IT!

Stirring a drink results in the liquid getting chilled and the booze being diluted without adding air.

Shaking a drink adds air to the cocktail while chilling it and diluting the booze.

And Swizzling a drink combines the juices and spirits and evenly chills the liquid without diluting the booze. Plus it looks cooler.

There are so many great swizzle sticks you can buy but I love the idea of making my own. Here’s a few of my favorite DIY Swizzle Sticks.

Gold Paper Hearts

Washi Tape Flags

Metallic Pom Poms

Toy Animals

Whatever’s in the craft drawer

Yarn Pom Poms

Ingredients to make swizzle sticks:

Wood skewers or flat wood pasty sticks

A decorative object

Glue, tape or some type of non-toxic adhesive

A cocktail to help with the creative process while you make your swizzle sticks!

Swizzle sticks are an easy way to introduce a little fun and whimsy into your party. They can also be use to help people keep track of their drinks and most importantly they will make you look like the hostess with the mostess at your next gathering!

Have I won your over yet? If not, head over to my Party Ideas pinterest board for a ton more swizzle stick ideas. All of the images above can be found there!

For more Entertaining Ideas check out this, this and this!

Inspiration + Weekend Reading

August 10, 2013

Happy Saturday! I hope your weekend is starting off great.

Now that the Nordstrom Anniversary sale is over I can’t help but feel like fall is just around the corner. During these last weeks of summer, it’s the perfect time to begin thinking about your fall wardrobe and maybe do a little organizing and styling in your closet. This image is a great example of how you can achieve both organization and style in a small closet space. It has definitely inspired me to do some purging, sorting and de-cluttering in my closet.

When you take a break from organizing, take a moment to enjoy these weekend reads….

No matter what age you are, this is sound advice for both your business and personal life. A must read!! Thanks to Mandy over at Waiting on Martha to bring it to my attention.

Want to be inspired? Check out these Top 100 Inspirational Quotes!

You’re going to love this home tour and you’ll get some great decorating tips from it too.

Beautiful inspiration if you want to decorate with black.

What a great way to inspire a table décor theme!

I love how creative Kristin used the leftover space in her laundry closet!

I found this blog post to be a great reminder that “surrounding yourself only with people who will lift you higher” is something we should all be striving for.

Party Inspiration: Pink & Green

August 5, 2013

Cheers to Monday! I hope your weekend was good. My weekend was very productive. I spent a lot of time purging my magazine collection (only 20 more to go) and have lots of new inspiration photos to file way and new DIY projects to add to the to-do list. I also cleaned the carpet, started working on some new gift wrap inspiration and an easy fashion accessory DIY project which I’ll share with you later this week. With all the time I’ve spent indoors, I’m itching to go thrifting and the timing couldn’t be any better since the Scott’s Antique Market is this weekend.

One of the other things I did this weekend was to play around with some party theme ideas. Since summer is winding down I came up with a party theme using colors that are perfect for transitioning from summer to fall. Just in cast you want to have an impromptu gathering before summers over I hope this inspires you.

A little pink and green inspiration mixing feminine details with bohemian patterns and colors. Funky and Fun!

Here’s how you can get the look:

Linley Linens

Quadra Dinnerware

Rouge Flatware

Classique Glassware

Bali Jar Candle

Agua Fresca Beverage Server

Great White Tiered Stand

Paper Lanterns

Mariko Cocktail Napkin

Satin Ribbon

Inspiration + Weekend Reads

August 3, 2013

Happy Weekend! I hope you have something fabulous planned this weekend and if not I hope you enjoy a little down time.

I thought I’d share with you today three really cool inspiring ideas that I came across recently. Nothing earth shattering but pretty brilliant at the same time. Enjoy and check out the links below.

Framed Towel Holder / Hidden Storage Under the Stairs / Hangers As Magazine Holders

Weekend Reading….

You’ll love these easy tips for turning grocery store flowers into a beautiful arrangement.

Wouldn’t you love to have a storage space like this?

I added these to my shopping list!

If you love affordable home décor, you definitely need to check out the H&M Home site. I love this, this andthis!

Sound advice on How To Be Happy!

Entertaining Idea: Embossed Napkins

July 23, 2013

I always keep my entertaining ideas folder filled with ideas for quick, easy and inexpensive ways to up-style a party or sit-down dinner. My latest fixation is Embossed Paper Napkins.

Embossing guns are used a lot as personalized address stamps but you can also get embossing plates with monograms and designs on them. With minimal investment, usually under $50 you can buy an embosser and a couple of different plates.

This classic monogram is one of my favorites and once stamped on a plain paper napkin, the napkin takes on a high-end look.

Think about using up-styled paper napkins for large parties to save on money and they can also become part of the color theme.

Single initials are always stylish! The next time you’re invited to a house-warming party think about giving a embosser as a personal and unique gift.

Embossers can also be used on gift tags, cards, gift wrap and other paper items.

Embossers are a great item to add to your party planning kit and will turn a $3.00 pack of paper napkins into the star of the party!

You can shop for embossers here:

Paper Source {great selection of embossing plates to choose from}

Williams Sonoma {nice embossing plates for food related gifts}

Expressionery {good selection of design address plates}

Happy Entertaining!

Entertaining Inspiration: Stylish Ice Cubes

June 6, 2013

The time for outdoor entertaining is upon us and with the heat soaring in many parts of the country, spending time putting up lots of decorations for a party doesn’t sound too enticing. If you want to your party to have style there are lots of quick and easy ways to do that. One of the ways to add a little punch to your outdoor soirees is by using “decorative” ice cubes. You can use an inexpensive designer ice tray or make your own fruit or flower infused cubes. Either way, the result is pretty cool!

Now that I’ve got you wanting to use cute cubes at your next party, here are a few of my favorite ice cube trays.

Ice Cube Sticks—$3.99 Bed, Bath and Beyond

Rubber Duckie —$6.99 Bed, Bath and Beyond

Stars, Fish and Flowers $0.99 Ikea

Kitty Cat $9.99 Bed, Bath and Beyond

Let the party begin!