101 Party Do's and Don'ts

This time of year is all about the parties. Whether you are throwing one or attending four, here are some great tips from House Beautiful to help you along the way. (Warning: It is a loooong slide show. Use it as a nice break from Holiday madness, while enjoying a cocktail.)

**Above image: Hubs and I on our way to his work Holiday party.

Cabin Fever Party

New Year, new parties to plan! With all this cold weather, I am planning a Cabin Fever party for later this month. I know by then everyone will be tired of staying inside and ready for some good old fashioned board game playing!

Going along with the Cabin Fever idea, I am encouraging invitees to drag out their flannel shirts (easy to find in stores this year!) and bring over their favorite games.

I probably won't do much in the way of decor, since we will need the table for our competitive game playing, but I thought this tablescape from Southern Living was both rustic and charming.

Love the wooden rings as risers for a decorate-your-own-cupcake stand. The plaid tablecloth would also fit right in with my flannel theme!

1-And a Cocktail in a Pear Tree....

So the 12 days comes to an end with a delish drink for all you lovely followers! I have served this at many parties and it is always a HUGE hit. Better triple the batch for a crowd though, I always do!

Sangria

1 750ml dry red wine (a dry "box" wine works just fine!)

1 cup orange juice-I prefer pulp free

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup triple sec

Chill overnight.

Before serving add ice, orange, lime and lemon slices. I also like to put whole, fresh cranberries in around the holidays.

Cheers to all of you! Thanks so much for following The Gifted Life. I enjoy sharing my ideas with you. Have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year!

Bean There

Here is an easy transition centerpiece from Halloween to Thanksgiving from Everyday with Rachael Ray. Pick up a bag of lentils and grab some juice glasses, filling each about 1/2 full. Nestle orange votive candles inside and tie it all together with raffia from the craft store.

Murder Mystery Party

Last Halloween, we had a "killer" bash for my birthday! We hosted a Murder Mystery party where each of our guests played a character in the mystery. Everyone completely got into their roles and came dressed in character, including props! My dear husband emailed the guests their roles and backgrounds a couple of weeks prior to the party, so everyone could prepare accordingly. Best of all, it was all kept a secret from me, so I could play along all night. When everyone arrived for the party, Sherlock Holmes (AKA my hubs) gave everyone a brief synopsis of what had happened prior to their arrival, detailing out that the murder had already been committed. Each guest was then introduced as their character and a motive for the murder was announced for each. After much mingling, interrogating, snacking and drinking we gathered again and everyone shared the information they had gathered with the group. After a who-done-it vote from everyone, the murderer was finally revealed!
The tablescape for this party was super fun, as was the food.

Beverage Jar

This 3 gallon beverage jar from amazon.com is perfect for lemonade, iced tea or even sangria. Order it now for your 4th of July party! Pink lemonade would look great in here with floating raspberries and blueberries for a red, white and blue twist.

Food for Thought

Searching for some yummy breakfast recipe ideas for this weekend?
Check out foodgawker.com The photography is amazing and guaranteed to make you hungry!

Summer Glow

These fabulous tealight glass garden stakes from jcp.com just inspired my next party! Aren't the colors so summery? Perfect for lining a pool patio too. They would cast a lovely glow on the water. On sale for 1/2 off too! Snatch them up today, I have a feeling they won't stick around long!

Quick Cover Up

There's no reason to hide your mismatched stemware in the back of the cabinet anymore! With just a few flips of the glass, designer Annie Selke—owner of home furnishings company Pine Cone Hill (pineconehill.com)—created a modern candle-and-flower arrangement for Everyday with Rachael Ray. Her idea: Place your goblets upside down on a table, tuck large blooms underneath and top with colorful votives. It may only take a few seconds to pull together, but the elegant impact will last all night. How perfect is this centerpiece idea, now that your garden roses and peonies are in bloom?!? Set your table for an elegant (and easy!) Memorial Day party.

Memorial Day Fun

Just came across a couple fun items that would be great for the official start of summer next weekend!

First, what Memorial Day party is complete with out Ice Shot Glass Molds from Bed Bath & Beyond. You'll be pouring the coolest shots when you create ice shot glasses with this mold set. Simply fill the mold with water--or your favorite beverage if you want to add a little flavor to the mix--and pop them in the freezer until they solidify into glasses. Serving tray included. Includes 12 molds. Only $9.99. Start making them next week and re-freezing so you will have enough stockpiled in time for your BBQ.

For those of you lucky enough to be spending Memorial Day around some sort of water, pick up the Ultimate Chaise Lounge Cover, also from BB&B for $29.99. This chaise lounge cover attaches to lounge chair easily with ties, and the six pockets in total on both sides keep your things in easy reach. There's even a MP3 pocket and head phone loops. The hidden zipper pocket at the bottom can be turned inside out and used as a foot protector. Cover transforms easily into a convenient tote bag. This would also be fantastic to take along to one of those resorts with lots of lounge chairs around the pool. You would never have to worry about losing your chair again after a few too many shots....

Spring Bridal Shower

Last weekend my mom and I teamed up and hosted a bridal shower brunch for our good friends, Jon & Alisha. We lucked out and had gorgeous weather to accompany tasty food, and good friends.

To coordinate with the wedding colors, we chose a bright pink and light green theme.
The towel cake centerpiece pulled double duty and was also our gift to the special couple. Created using chocolate brown towels, it definitely looked good enough to eat! (Visit www.yourweddingcompany.com for project instructions.) We served simple brunch foods, including mini muffins, ham and cheese rollups, creme puffs, yogurt and granola parfaits, hashbrown potato casserole, mini quiche, fruit salad, meatballs and of course Bloody Marys and Mimosas!

My mom, creative genius that she is, came up with an adorable "chandelier" for the gift table. An inverted umbrella filled with colored tissue paper added a splash of color and floated delicately over the shower gifts.

Favor boxes were in the shape of a wedding dress, filled with pink and green Hershey's kisses and tied with ribbons. These favor boxes are a real steal at 10 for $1 at Dollar Tree. A fun shower game, that your guests don't have to become too involved in is Ring-A-Ding-Ding. Set a kitchen timer as the bride-to-be is opening gifts. When the timer goes off, the gift giver of the package she is opening at that time gets a small gift as well! This can be repeated multiple times, and the bride usually gets all the little gifts!

And last, but not least a shot of the happy couple modeling their hand sewn MU aprons! (Fantastic job, Sandy W!) We wish you many, many years of wedded bliss! Can't wait til the big day!

Motherly Love

Just a few quick ideas for your Mother's day table.

Nest a smaller vase inside a larger one, arranging flowers in the inner vase. Between the two vases, insert snapshots of things your mama loves, including pics of the two of you! Glue images to a solid sheet of paper and clip to outer vase with colorful clothes pins.

To print a menu on a cloth napkin, type the menu on your computer in a Word document as you would a printable invitation. Print out the menu using white iron-on transfer paper (easily found at any Staples or Office Max). Iron onto your selected napkin. The transfer will work best on 100 percent cotton fabric. Both ideas courtesy of www.countryliving.com
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

Girls Weekend Decor

So, I have finally recovered from our fabulous girl's weekend enough to post some pics. As you can see I went with a black, white and pink theme, and pretty much just girly-girled it up from there.

Let's start with the tablescape....


I used a shower curtain as a tablecloth, great for parties since it repels water and stains. A feather boa tops the chandelier.

The centerpiece was inspired by Celebrations at Home. An apothecary jar with the lid removed serves as the vessel. Insert a strip of scrapbook paper around the bottom, suspend a string of black beads ( I used packing tape-my new best friend!) Pink silk roses with the stems removed complete this elegant look.

Inspired by Hobby Lobby, I wrapped a couple of candles in scrapbook paper, punched holes and laced them up for a sexy look. Just be careful not to catch this hot look on fire!


On our sidebar, I used a tiered stand for serving snacks and a fun shoe pic. Votive candle holders get dressed up with ribbon and a Welcome sign greeted guests.

My obsession with feathers continues, here with pink and black. Tissue paper stuffed into the vase hides the stems. I picked up these small milk jug shaped vases from Target's $1 spot around Valentine's day and they conveniently fit my theme here. I LOVE the piece of scrapbook paper this arrangement is sitting on. I wish it came in wallpaper form!


Last but not least, a favor bag sent my guests home with a special treat and a sweet note. For the recipe for this delicious bar, check out Pillsbury http://www.pillsbury.com/Recipes/ShowRecipe.aspx?rid=44945

Candy Vase

Just in case you have some stale Peeps laying around today, a final Easter idea that you can use them up in! Use 2 similarly shaped vases, one a few inches narrower than the other. Place the small vase inside the larger and layer jelly beans in the space between the two. Arrange a row of Peeps on top of the layer of jelly beans. Then layer Easter grass on top of the Peeps. Fill the inner vase with water and fresh flowers. You could also use silk flowers if you don't have 2 vases that fit into each other. Just assemble the same way to hide the plastic stems.

Spring Place Settings

I love super simple place settings that also make your guests feel special. Who doesn't love a dinner party or luncheon where you have a gift waiting for you at the table?! In this first idea a little chocolate carrot is used to attach a placecard around a cloth napkin. You could use raffia or ribbon, whatever you have on hand will work. I picked these yummy carrots up at World Market. The second idea, features a miniature flowerpot with the attendees' name written in chalk. Fill the pot with a dyed egg and some jellybeans for an Easter twist. I also think this would make a great Mother's day favor filled with a plant that Mom can take home and enjoy throughout the summer.

Egg-cellent Centerpiece

She is one of those people who ya either love or ya hate....Well, I am on the love side. I love Rachael Ray along with Everyday, her monthly publication. When the magazine arrives, I immediately flip to the Centerpiece of the Month page. This particular one was featured last spring, and I think it is one of the magazine's best ever! Very simple to create by purchasing a flat of grass (or getting the fake stuff at Wal-Mart like I am doing) poke small holes in the ends of the eggs and drain the yokes and rinse the egg shell a little. Then fill the eggs with a little water and insert small flower bunches. If your Easter tablescape is more on the colorful side, simply dye the eggs before draining the yoke. In St. Louis, Walter Knoll Floral Shops have 1/2 off cut flowers on Saturday afternoons, so this could be a very economical centerpiece as well! Now I just have to find a Brunch recipe that calls for a whole lot of eggs....

Arrrr! A Pirate Party

My friend Brooke recently hosted a Caribbean/Pirate themed party that was adorable! The inspiration started with a Treasure Chest cake that she did a wonderful job on! This would be a perfect birthday cake idea for a Pirate themed kid's party as well. Have a treasure hunt for goodie bags and have everyone dress in pirate costumes. A few snacks like goldfish crackers, chicken nuggets "Golden Nuggets" and fruit kebobs on sword shaped toothpicks and you will have a swashbuckling good time.

Girls Weekend Invite

Just wanted to share a glimpse of a girl's weekend I am planning for April. The rhyming invite below was so much fun to come up with, and I hope it really gets my guests excited. Now I can't wait for the actual weekend to be here!

Godas Spring Fling Weekend

Mark your calendar now, don't be a bore
Can't wait to see your lovely faces at my door
Godas Goddesses head toward the 'Lou
There is no telling what we might do!

A girl's weekend full of all kinds of fun
Let's each hope we have some sun!
We will laugh, drink, dance and talk
And stuff ourselves 'til we can hardly walk!

We have lots of catching up to do
Bring an air mattress or two!
Celebrating new jobs, new baby joys
And a weekend full of no boys!