Hostess with the Mostess®

Update 11/26: This giveaway is now closed. Thanks so much to everyone that participated - I wish there were enough prizes for all of you!

The lucky person that did win the random drawing is: Comment #253, Tara N, who said “So I stop into my favorite entertaining site to look for announcements for our pending arrival and just like that I’m in LOVE with the flutter keepsake photo announcement!”  Congrats, Tara!

This NEW Surprise Giveaway comes from the fabulous betsywhite stationery boutique, which is chock full of gorgeous paper eye candy! Their designs have a wonderful contemporary-meets-feminine style to them, and you’ll find everything from chic wedding invitations and custom wedding logos to colorful party invitations, baby announcements, and personalized stationery!

This week, betsywhite is offering up a $100 Shopping Spree to a lucky HWTM reader! The winner can spend the winnings however they like at betsywhite.com. Here some examples of what you’ll find there:

Fabulous Party Invitations…

Personalized Stationery…like this mod floral Bahama Note Set (available in 2 colorways):

(See more designs & details for HOW TO ENTER after the jump…) Read More »

Martha Stewart is never short on fall decorating concepts, but what I especially ideas pictured here is that while they look festive and pretty, they also seem relatively easy to put together…which means less stress for you!

Pictured above {clockwise from top left}: Ceramic Bowls & Dried Gourds, Cornhusk Votives, Leaf Plates, and quick & easy Fall Centerpiece.

Pictured above: Leaf Hurricanes, Quick Place Card, and a fun Radishes & Turnips centerpiece.

The graphic designer in me is loving the simple, yet striking leaf silhouette graphics on West Elm’s Organic Shaped Serveware. 13.5″ platter and 11″ serving bowl - both on sale for $19.99 each! (regularly $35)

Can you believe we’re already mid-November?! Thanksgiving and Christmas are only weeks away! We’re working on a bunch of holiday content at HWTM right now… new Christmas/Holiday and New Year’s party themes, recipes, and gift guides are in the works… stay tuned!

One thing I’m especially excited about is an extensive new Holiday Drink Guide that will launch on our website next week… complete with photos for every recipe! Sonny {a.k.a. husband} has been busy playing bartender in our kitchen, and my simple role as official taste-tester has been oh-so-fine with me! One of the cocktails is pictured above… a rich & creamy Caramel Apple Martini. {full recipe after the jump}

And now on to a recap of what’s been happening here and around the web this week:

• Thanksgiving Inspiration: Festive Florals & Colorful Details
• Win it: $100 Shopping Spree at Charming Cards!
• Smart Thinking: Entertaining on a Budget - Part 2… over at Simply Stated
• Holiday Decorating: fun & modern Ribbon-inspired Decor
• Real Party Feature: Retro-Chic Bridal Shower
• New from InStyle Weddings: first edition of What’s Hot in Weddings on the Web
• Gift Guide: Cool Gift Ideas for The Wine Lover {by Kim Vallee}
• Shout-out: Congrats to Jane of This Week for Dinner on her first guest post over at RealSimple.com: 5 Steps to Planning Thanksgiving Dinner
• Save the Date(s): Dates for the Boston and L.A. Hip Hostess events are tentatively set: January 15 for Boston and February 5th for L.A. (Boston was originally planned for December, but everything just got too hectic! We have something cool planned for January though!)

Coming up next week: New Real Party Features - (including one that should appeal to High School Musical fans!), fabulous (and long overdue!) guest posts by Project Nursery, Houses, Couches & Babies, and Joy by Mel Lim, the Holiday Drink Guide, Thanksgiving recipes, and more. Stay tuned!

{Get the Caramel Apple Recipe after the jump…!} Read More »

Recycled gift wrap has sure come a long way! Here’s another super stylish example: the eco-friendly Reminisce Recycled Wrap collection, available at RadiantIdeas.net. The Chilly Dogs design (below, upper left) is just way too cute!

Here’s another super cute idea from the brides.com Orange Crush wedding gallery, perfect for personalizing fall & winter weddings or showers: hot apple cider dressed up with personalized drink stirrers and a cinnamon stick. Serve this up in see-through coffee mugs, like these cool Irish Coffee Glasses from Crate & Barrel. ($2.95 each)

To make the drink stirrers, print a bunch of initials on a sheet of paper on your computer, reversed out in white on a background color, then use a circular craft punch to cut them out. If you want to get super crafty, you could also paint the letters onto colored paper or use a silver, gold or opaque white marker.

To use this idea for a holiday event or Thanksgiving dinner, instead of using initials, try lining the cups up on fun serving trays or a counter top before guests arrive, and have the drink stirrers spell out a phrase like “Happy Thanksgiving” or “Merry Christmas”.

Signature cocktail more your style? Instead of regular cider, try this yummy Spiked Apple Cider recipe from Rachael Ray: (full recipe after the jump) Read More »

Going green never looked so good! These super stylish, eco-friendly designs by Whimsy Press are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and printed on 100% recycled paper with soy-based inks.

The Proud Peacock design (pictured at top) is so super cute… I think we’re going to have to design an entire party theme around it…what do you think? Of course the other designs are pretty fabulous as well…

Pictured above: D-vine Inspiration. Pictured below: Madame Butterfly and Mod Floral. Which one is your favorite? Read More »