Hostess with the Mostess®

If you’re looking for an easy & affordable way to dress up the Thanksgiving table in a pinch - just head to the scrapbooking aisle of your favorite craft store! The best thing about this concept is that you can tailor the look of the table to whatever your favorite paper pattern might be…

• This “Funky Thanksgiving” table features a fun retro-mod paper pattern and bright chipboard leaf silhouettes from American Crafts™. Read More »

Will there be pint-sized guests at your turkey day table? Big holiday meals like Thanksgiving feasts and Christmas Eve dinner often take up a lot of time, and little ones can get antsy sitting at the table for so long. Luckily, kids party planning expert Lisa Kothari has shared some fun, easy tips with us on how to keep kids entertained during special holiday meals. Head over to Entertaining 101 to check it out!

And if you’re looking for some Thanksgiving craft projects to keep kids busy, Parents.com has some fabulous ideas:

Pictured above {clockwise from upper left}: Friendly Fowl, Yarn Turkey Centerpiece, Napkin Buddy, and Turkey Sign. Read More »

I’m loving these super colorful and unique fall centerpiece ideas from BHG.com… perfect for a modern thanksgiving table.

Pictured above:

• Bountiful Basket: several colorful dried fruits and veggies displayed in a linen-lined basket

• Zen Gourds: large red mums and golden gourds displayed in modern rows on a sleek square tray

• Sunflower Runner: various sizes of red and yellow sunflower blooms really stand out on square white appetizer trays, like this set from Crate & Barrel. ($22.95/set of 12)

• Flowers & Fruit: large red mums & orange kumquats spill out from a pedestaled urn.  (For a very modern take on this concept, I like the idea of painting the urn a glossy white before creating the arrangement.)

Even though weddings are usually done on a much larger scale than at-home parties, the level of creativity that goes into the receptions makes them a wonderful resource for drawing inspiration & ideas from for everyday celebrations & holiday parties as well, even if you just emulate a few of them or modify the ideas to fit your budget.

For example, this gorgeous wedding reception, which was designed by event planner Beth Helmstetter (who you might remember from the fun & unique “Eclectic Baby Shower” we featured earlier) - has some great inspiration for fall or winter celebrations - from Thanksgiving to Christmas to bridal showers or engagement parties held this time of year.

Read on for the details, as told by Beth, as well as lots of “Style Steal Tips” at the end of the post… Read More »

This week’s wrap up is going to be short and sweet…we’re hosting a dinner party for 35 at our house tonight so I’ve gotta get moving… not sure where the day’s gone already! So I leave you with a fabulous Carmel Cake recipe from Smitten Kitchen (that looks so good I wanna grab it right out of the screen!) and a few quick highlights from the week…along with promises of lots more to come next week when the full-fledged holiday madness kicks in!

• Drink of the Week: Hot Apple Pie
• Win it: $100 Shopping Spree from betsywhite (enter by Sunday!)
• Baby Shower Inspiration: check out photos from Alison Sweeney’s Momma Bird Baby Shower
• New Holiday Drinks in the Recipe Box: Vanilla Pumpkin Pie Martini, Cran-Apple Cobbler, Spicy Cranberry Punch (mocktail), and more!
• Non-traditional Thanksgiving: Try a Blue & Gold Color Palette {via Tastefully Entertaining}
• Modern Thanksgiving: Check out this fabulous modern mood board from Tangarang!

Have a great weekend, everyone… see you soon!

The super-creative Robyn Bomar from Mix Mingle Glow recently created a fabulous “High School Musical 3” themed party that I’m sure would make lots of girls VERY HAPPY! Robyn’s party was actually held outside of a movie theater to celebrate the release of the new movie, but you could re-use these ideas anytime for a fun HSM-themed birthday party!

INVITATIONS:

For the invitations, Robyn created official “VIP Passes” with all the party details written on the back, then tucked them into tins filled with red, white, and gold m&m’s, and a small card asking guests to arrive in their “East High red and white” to show some spirit! Read More »

This post is kind of a reverse on the usual style - instead of featuring ideas, I’m hoping that you guys wouldn’t mind sending some over this way!

I’m helping some friends put together a first birthday party for their daughter on short notice, and mom is looking for a Tinkerbell-inspired “Woodland Fairy” theme. The party will be in a backyard setting and there will be both adults and kids ranging from 1-8.

I designed a digital invite for her yesterday that shows the general look & feel we’re imagining for the party (address info has been changed). If you have any fun ideas for themed activities for the kids, decorations, desserts, shopping resources for fairy themed decorations, etc - please let me know… I’m pressed for time these next few weeks and any help would be greatly appreciated!

Also - the birthday girl’s dad is a photographer, so we should be able to capture the end results and post them after the part to help inspire future “fairy party” hostesses!