Even though the holidays are wrapping up and the new year is right around the corner, winter has actually only just begun! (on December 21st to be exact!)

I was browsing the Flickr gallery from last year’s holiday entertaining contest recently and wanted to share a couple {very pretty} parties & mood board entries that are great inspiration for winter-based bridal showers, baby shower, and other grown-up celebrations.

This first idea comes from photographer Tammy Mitchell and stars a vibrant orange hue – which probably isn’t the FIRST shade to come to mind for winter parties… but it looks fabulous when paired with festive accents of silver & white! This would also be a great look for New Year’s Eve – especially if you already have silver ball ornaments, candlestick holders, and other silver & white decor on hand from Christmas!

This next palette is a more traditional winter combo of Silver & Soft Blues – but it’s brought to life in SUCH a pretty, chic way in this inspiration board by Brenda of Brenda’s Wedding Blog.

The silver birds nest place card holders are way too cute! You can recreate a similar look yourself with some wooden craft nest & twigs + metallic silver spray paint. Then add silver & blue candies for “eggs”, tiny white birds (available at most craft stores), and a small piece of paper for guest names or a celebratory message.

I’m also loving the dainty arrangement of blue tissue paper flowers…there’s so much great inspiration in this board to kick-start a gorgeous winter bridal OR bird-themed baby shower! {Click here for the full list of image credits & resources.}

And for more festive winter party eye candy, click here to browse the entire Inspire Me! Holiday Entertaining Contest gallery.

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I’m loving this gorgeous New Year’s Eve Party theme from SocialCouture.com! The Silver, Black & Berry palette is stunning – especially with the fun zebra-print and disco ball accents!

Pictured above: Plum Rhinestone Napkin Rings ($20/set of 4), Black Acrylic Candelabra ($60), Red & Pink Feather Candle Rings ($10 each), and Silver Mirror Disco Balls ($5.50 – $6).

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SC’s elegant silver & white Winter Wonderland theme would be great for New Year’s Eve dinner parties too….

Pretty details include include things like… Silver Rhinestone Napkin Rings ($20/set of 4) & Snowflake Curios ($8/set of 4), frosted Cady Votives ($24/set of 6) and a Velvet-Trimmed Silver Sheer Table Runner ($16).

Added bonus: Get 10% off all orders at SocialCouture.com with the discount code “HWTM“!

Couldn’t resist sharing a few inspiring images from this cool “Runway to Big Day” gallery on InStyleWeddings.com…the shimmery metallics, glitzy rhinestones, bold stripes are fabulous looks for everything from glamorous weddings to New Year’s Eve parties!

The top image actually features some easy-to-recreate (& budget friendly) DIY ideas – just cut a small gold paper flower to layer over a larger silver paper flower, then top with an extra-large craft gem. All 3 materials area available at most craft stores, and you can also find similar specialty trims & ribbons to those pictured above at fabric, bead or craft stores.  (I actually have some inexpensive silver & gold flatware from Target that’s very similar to the flatware pictured above too!)

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The second image – featuring bold black and white stripes – is just great inspiration for a stylish theme in general. For a tablescape that matches this look, start with a black tablecloth, silver chargers, and black & white plates. Look for a similar fabric pattern to the one in the pillow and use it to create your own table runner and coordinating napkin rings.

Use large craft gems, black rhinestones, and textured black ribbon to embellish napkin rings, stemware, and pillar candles, and arrange tight bunches of white flowers in contemporary black vases for a chic centerpiece.

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Last but no least, colorful gemstones in pretty jewel tones make for such a pretty place card display! This idea can get a little pricey to recreate if you don’t have a wholesale license, so consider asking your wedding planner to purchase them gems for you, or recreate different versions of this concept on a smaller scale, utilizing acrylic beads and craft gems to keep costs down.

For example:

• Glue a row of large gems to a strip of satin ribbon to create colorful “napkin rings” and cool embellishment bands to wrap around cylinder vases.

• Instead of filling an entire tray with gems, hot glue a border of gems all the way around the rim, and use a less expensive filler like this acrylic sea glass for the center of the tray.

• Embellish place cards and place card holders with one large gem, but use different shapes, colors, and styles on each card to create an eclectic look.

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Brand new party theme to share with you today! This is a winter wonderland-inspired theme with a twist… pretty purple & lilac accents compliment the traditional silver and white hues to create a “Silver & Lilac Wonderland“.

In addition to Holiday and New Year’s Eve parties, I love the idea of utilizing this look for a winter bridal shower or engagement party…

This new theme features a festive dessert buffet that also takes center stage as eye-catching party decor, as well as 2 different tablescape designs.

I was asked to create this look utilizing primarily HomeGoods finds and more than happily obliged! Being a budget-conscious party shopper, HomeGoods has always been a go-to for me when it comes to parties. I found all of my candy buffet apothecary jars (which get used umpteen times!) at HG for less than half the price of anywhere else, in addition to table linens, charger plates, candle holders, and plenty of other party staples.

A few images of the dessert buffet, party favors, and table designs from this theme are featured above and below, but you can get all the detailed “how-to” info (plus coordinated drink recipes & more) on the Silver & Lilac Wonderland party theme section. Hope you see some ideas that help inspire your own celebrations!

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Can you believe that Christmas and New Year’s are right around the corner already?!

Along the lines of holiday, I have some fun news to share about a project I worked on earlier this year with Chambord that just recently hit the shelves… this year’s Chambord Holiday Gift Set: “Have a Ball This Holiday Season“.

The gift set comes with a 375ml bottle of Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur, 2 pretty flute glasses, and a holiday tips booklet filled with Peacock-themed decorating ideas from me and yummy recipes from Chambord like the “Pomegranate Sparkle” and “French Polynesian“.

I chose a “Festive Peacock Feather” theme for the booklet because it’s such a pretty color palette that works well for all sorts of holiday parties – from Christmas and New Year’s to neutral celebrations. Here’s a peek at the featured centerpiece:

More pics of the booklet and the gift box – which has a wonderfully contemporary package design – are below. (Those are my real friends with me at the table too, which made the photo shoot so much more fun!)

Back view of the box:

Top & side views if the box… featuring a fabulous new pattern that Chambord recently introduced into their branding:

The gift box sets are available at various grocery stores across the country – usually in the wine/liquor area or on special holiday end caps with similar sets. The first time I actually saw them myself was when my husband was checking out at our local VONS recently and happened to notice them along the front wall and brought one home (after first sending an iPhone pic from the store course!)… pretty exciting for us =)

This was such a fun project to work on, and I’m so grateful to Chambord for inviting us to be a part of it, and for being so wonderful to work with along the way. If you’re looking for a fun holiday hostess gift idea, or even just a treat for yourself, please check it out!

P.S. In addition to the recipes included in the booklet, here are a few more yummy ways to enjoy Chambord over the holidays:

• Chocolate Raspberry Fondue
• White Chocolate Raspberry Cocoa
• White Chocolate Raspberry Martini
• Raspberries and Cream Shooter
• French Kiss Martini
• Pour it over vanilla ice cream or blackberry sherbert!

There are tons of ways to decorate for New Year’s Eve, but shimmery gold and silver will always seem especially appropriate. Here are a few simple, sparkly ideas from Martha Stewart…It’s not too late to pull any of these ideas together tonight or tomorrow during the day before your festivities begin!

Pictured above: Countdown Decor (gather up all your clocks, hit the discount stores, or borrow from friends!), Sparkling Centerpiece (glass vases filled with shiny ball ornaments leftover from Christmas), and Countdown Champagne Flutes. Pictured below: A Metallic Serving Tray and DIY Shimmering Streamers are created from festive gift wrap.

Sometimes I get so caught up browsing all the fantastic ideas ’round the web that I forget to mention the ideas from right here at HWTM… For example, our Gold & Silver Shimmer party theme, which is full of plenty of sparkle for a New Year’s Eve bash!

And for something sparkly to sip or munch on, try a bubbly Ritz 75 or a Glitzy Chocolate Pudding!

Check out our New Year’s Eve section for more NYE party themes & ideas!

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday! I took a much-needed break from the computer for a few days, which was the best Christmas present ever – it’s amazing how different the world can look after a few good nights of sleep! Speaking of which… catch some extra zzz’s tonight and tomorrow night if you can – because we all have a good excuse to skimp on them again come Wednesday!

For the next few days we’ll be focusing on some fun ideas for ringing in the new year… starting with a few dessert recipes featuring one of the key ingredients for new year’s eve celebrations: champagne, of course!

Champagne Dessert Recipes:

1. White Peach, Cassis, and Champagne Floats – a super-easy & refreshing dessert that’s part Kir Royale, part peach parfait, and looks absolutely gorgeous!

2. Pink Grapefruit, Strawberry, and Champagne Granita with Sugared Strawberries - This granita recipe garnered rave reviews at Epicurious!

3. Champagne, Darling? Freezes – features lemon sorbet, champagne, and citrus vodka or limoncello…a true dessert cocktail!

4. Jelled Champagne Dessert – This glass of bubbly is served with a spoon!

5. Champagne Granita by Bobby Flay
(Key Ingredients: champagne, sugar & lemons)

6. Champagne Infused Strawberry Soup by Marcus Samuelson
(key ingredients: strawberries, champagne, lemon, mint leaves, & lime sorbet)

7. Non-alcoholic “Champagne” Chocolate Mousse by Rachael Ray
(Key Ingredients:  chocolate chips, sparkling white grape juice, heavy cream)

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ENJOY!

If you’re like one of the gazillions of people that got swamped with all the holiday craziness this month and didn’t quite get to that “Send out Christmas Cards” line item on your to-do list, you’re definitely not alone! I was talking to some of my friends about this recently, and every single one of us had noticed a major scale-back in the holiday mailbox greetings this year, which we concluded was probably due in part to 2 things: 1) cutbacks in holiday budgets, and 2) the fact that Christmas was so close to Thanksgiving this year, which meant it crept up on us quicker than usual.

Some good news though – if you still want to send out holiday well-wishes, it’s really not too late… because you can always opt for a “Happy New Year” message, which is actually a great way to kick off the new year on a positive note!  The New Year’s photo card, foldover note, and address label pictured above are part of the “Sparkling Start” collection from Polka Dot Design. And more good news: Polka Dot is offering HWTM readers 20% off with the promo code “HWTM1208″! (Polka Dot’s digital photo cards only take 1-2 business days to process and start at $1.19 each.)

First things first – I’d like to sincerely thank every single person that entered the Inspire Me! Holiday Entertaining Contest or passed the word on to friends and family – your efforts are truly appreciated!

Narrowing the entries down proved to be extremely difficult, so thank goodness for the talented & creative minds that graciously signed on to help with the process: Robyn Bomar from Mix Mingle Glow, Amy Belle Isle from Stem Parties, and Jen Berson from Jeneration PR. The 10 finalists are based on which entries had the most overlap from amongst the judges – but I’ll also be featuring the individual lists soon so that you can see who everyone picked…as there was definitely a great mix in the overall group!

For now, though – let’s focus on just the TOP 10 FINALISTS, which are listed below in no particular order.You can vote for YOUR favorites at the bottom of this post! (More details on the entries be found over in the flickr gallery) 

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Girls Night Cocoa Party
Submitted by: TDL (Rexburg, ID)
Judges’ comments included: “Really cute party and wonderful DIY invitation. Looks like a fun party!” / “Love the or concept, details, invitations, adorable chocolate dipped marshmallows, and favors.”

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Retro Christmas Favor / Place Card
Submitted by: Erin Godbey (Greenville, SC)
Judges’ comments included: “I just adore these place card favors. I love that they are so unique and go so perfectly with the retro feel of the entire table. Very well done!” / “love this idea!”

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Whimsical Christmas Party
by: Kendall Shiffler (Dallas, TX)
Judges’ comments included: “cute & colorful” / “creative & affordable” / “true HWTM vibe” / “I’d love to sit at this table – looks like a fun party! ”

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Swanky Snowflake Soiree
Submitted by: Celeste B. (Portland, OR)
Judges’ comments included: “Love this party b/c it’s simple and elegant.” / “Amazingly simple idea to use scrapbook stickers for glass “identifiers”!  Why didn’t I think of that??”

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“Time to Party” New Year’s Eve Bash
Submitted by: Tammy Mitchell (Southern California)
Judges’ comments included: “…the clock invitation is just a fantastic idea!” / “makes a fabulous statement” / “bold and elegant – just like New Year’s Eve should be!”

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“Joy” Digital Inspiration Board
Submitted by: gardenpartynyc (New York, NY)
Judges’ comments included: “festive and fun with a great use of color” / “I feel happy just looking at this – it makes me want to bring the concept to life!” / and “love all the reindeer elements – especially those adorable cookies!”

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Modern Chanukah Tablescape
Submitted by: Laura Gross (Milwaukee, WI)
Judges’ comments included: “…I think her novel version of a menorah is not only beautiful and sleek, but just all around fabulous and so creative!” / “a wonderfully modern take on a Chanukah table”

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Naughty or Nice Holiday Party
Submitted by: Chris Nease (Raleigh, NC)
Judges’ comments included: “…clever theme for a Holiday party. Love the idea of keeping everything from food & drinks to decor in two distinct categories.” / “Witty and so much fun, with impressive attention to detail”

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Festive Red Cocktail Party
Submitted by: head of the table (St. Louis, MO)
Judges’ comments included: “I LOVE this party.” / “Great DIY treat favors!” / “The white feathers and metallic ornaments give this party a fun, swanky vibe…like being at a cool bar, only without the $15 martinis.”

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Gingerbread House Decorating Party
Submitted by: moggiegreen
Judges’ comments included: “Creative place settings!” / “LOVE the set up for each guest (prefilled pastry bag, cookie cutter place cards, individual pieces for different types of houses(!), and cake board ‘plates’.”/ “The cookie cutter place cards are genius!”

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And now… it’s up to YOU to decide which entries will win the 3 Inspire Me! Contest Prizes – generously sponsored by VIVA® Diva Café and worth over $2500 total! You can select up to 3 favorites below.

HOW TO VOTE:
Post a comment here telling us which entries are your favorite (you can mention up to 3).
Please use or include the corresponding letter to the left of the entry titles below.

A. Girls’ Night Cocoa Party
B. Retro Christmas Favor / Place Card
C. Whimsical Christmas Party
D. Swanky Snowflake Soiree
E. Time To Party New Year’s Eve Bash
F. “Joy” Inspiration Board
G. Modern Chanukah Tablescape
H. Naughty or Nice Cocktail Party
I. Festive Red Cocktail Party
J. Gingerbread House Decorating Party

Voting closes Friday, December 19th at 11:59pm PST. Winners will be announced Monday, December 23rd. Thanks so much for participating!

UPDATE: 12/20:
Contest voting is now closed. You can still leave comments on the finalists here, but votes cast later than midnight December 19th won’t be included in the final tally. Check back Monday for the winners!

Today over at Simply Stated – brighten things up with a festive Hot Pink & Green Color Palette for the holidays!