Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Entertaining Ideas’ Category

Traditional Green Wreath

Yesterday’s blog was about welcome mats and how they set the tone of greeting for your holiday guests. Another way to say welcome at your door without saying a word is a wreath. These come in literally all shapes, sizes and colors, so find something that matches your unique personality, your home, or the type of welcome you want to extend.

My recommendation is to have fun with this!

If you don’t have a wreath hanger on your door, you can buy inexpensive hangers that hook over the top of your door.  Just make sure your door will close with one on. I like the metal hangers because they are relatively flat and work with most doors.

Traditioanl Fresh Green Wreath with Berries

This time of year a lot of service organizations and clubs also sell fresh green wreaths to raise funds. You can get a very nice wreath and contribute to a good cause at the same time.

Boxwood Wreath

Boxwood Wreaths are fun and can come in some interesting shapes and styles. The greens are always vibrant and look great with nothing more than a simple red or plaid bow.

Cedar Wreath

Cedar Wreaths are another fun, fresh alternative that runs toward the classic holiday look. The best thing about these wreaths are the fragrance. If you’ve never smelled fresh cedar – you must sniff some this holiday season. It is divine.

If you are concerned about getting sap on your door, I’d steer away from fresh greens and go toward something a bit more out-of-the-box.

Pinecone Wreath

A pinecone wreath is a fun, woodsy way to say welcome. Just gather an assortment of pinecones and glue to a styrofoam form or wire to a wire form. You can get creative and add in different accents like nuts, twigs, cinnamon sticks, etc. If you wanted to stretch your effort to last a bit longer, you could use this wreath for Thanksgiving and right on through the holiday season.

Red Berry Wreath

Red Berry Wreaths are guaranteed to grab some attention with their bright red pop of color. You can purchase these wreaths pre-made or make one yourself by hot-gluing berries onto a grapevine or evergreen wreath form.

Candy Wreath

Candy wreaths are super easy (just time consuming) and make a whimsical splash at your entry. Don’t be surprised if you find a few missing as people pass by and can’t stop themselves from grabbing one. You simply hot glue the candy onto a styrofoam wreath form and finish with a bow.

My niece and I decided to make one years ago. After multiple burns, much grumbling, several pieces of eaten candy and possibly a few tears along with an annoying whiny-pants who kept asking “can’t we quit now?” she finished up the wreath while I ate another piece of candy and we hung it on the front door. Neither one of us has been up to the challenge of repeating the process. But it did look great!

Traditional Green Wreath

I think my favorite wreath, though, is one of traditional mixed greens finished with a plaid bow. Boring? Maybe. But to me that circle of green with the bright plaid bow says “holidays” like few things can.

You can decorate your wreaths as elaborate or as plain as you like. Most wreaths look nice finished with a bow – how much easier can it be than that?

So go hang a wreath, pat yourself on the back for adding some holiday cheer outside your door and go eat a sugar cookie for me.

Happy Holiday Entertaining!

The Traditionalist

Read Full Post »

Happy December!

Starting today running right through to Christmas, I will be posting a daily holiday tip, idea, how-to or recipe. You don’t want to miss out on any of the fun!

So today, in honor of Day 1 of our Holiday Hoopla, here is our first holiday tip.

Start your welcome to holiday guests at the front door. There is nothing quite like a cheery welcome mat to say “thank you for coming to our home” as your guest walks up to your door.

I like to buy a new one every year because let’s face it, no matter how much you scrub on these after a season out in the weather they just never look very spiffy when you unpack them the next year. I cheat and buy a couple on the after Christmas clearance sales.

If you live in an area where you are going to get a lot of snow, slush and gunk tracked in your house, I highly recommend having a sturdier rubber-type mat outside your front door with a fabric mat inside the door. This will help cut down on the mess.

What type of mat you put outside should reflect your personality or the feeling you want to convey. It can be traditional, elegant, whimsical. Find what speaks to you and run with it!

Here are a few ideas:

Traditional

 

Elegant

Fun and whimsical (I am digging the word whimsical today. See how many times you can work it into a conversation!).

 

Scenic

 

Contemporary

Check back tomorrow for ideas on wreaths!

Happy Entertaining and Happy Holidays!

Shanna

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

The holidays season is here. Are you ready? Organized? Have everything under control and well in-hand?

Me either!

I decided the best way to get through the next month is to get myself organized. So here is an easy game plan designed to help keep you on track, cut down on stress and get you through the holidays with a little more order and a little less fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants.

Let’s start by looking at your calendar, organizer or day planner. Pull out all those post-it notes with dates and appointments scribbled on them and start entering them into your calendar. The idea is to get everything into one calendar so you can see at a glance what days you have appointments and commitments and what days you have open. Think about everything coming up in the next month like church programs, rehearsals, the kids’ school concerts, any parties or gatherings you will be attending, any doctor appointments, hair appointments, manicures and pedicures (if you are so lucky!) and so on. Get all those dates entered into your calendar.

Now, make a list of all the things you want to accomplish before Christmas. Are you planning to send out holiday cards? Will you be doing holiday baking? Hosting a party? Making ornaments? Having the best outdoor light display on your block?  Write down everything you would like to do this holiday season.

Once your list is complete, compare it to your  calendar. What dates are open? You will probably find that your want-to-do list is far longer than the dates you have open. So be realistic.

What can you cut out or cut down on? Instead of baking yourself silly for two days straight, why not invite over a few friends for an afternoon, bake together, share the spoils and call it good. Do you really need to make 14 different kinds of Christmas cookies?

What can you delegate? Your spouse and kids can certainly put up outdoor lights. The kids can make ornaments.  Don’t be afraid to spread around the chores. You don’t have to do it all yourself. Really!

Take another look at that want-to-do list. Circle the top five things you absolutely want to happen and choose dates to enter them on your calendar. Look at the rest of your list and decide what other things could be delegated or could be optional. And when I say optional, I mean that if they happen, that is great, but if they don’t you will not allow yourself to stress or fuss because they didn’t. That is why they are optional. Get it? Great!

Choose one day on your calendar between now and Christmas that is just for you. That’s right! A day just for you. Whether you spend it getting a massage, reading a good book by the fire, or at the spa with a friend (oh, sign me up for that one!), carve out one day for you to rest and recharge. You’ll be glad you did and so will your family. You’ll feel refreshed and ready to tackle all the jolly holiday fun you can handle.

And please remember, at the center of all the holiday hub-bub, no one cares if your house is perfectly decorated, if your cookies came from the store or your holiday greetings weren’t the first out this year. What people care about are the relationships, spending time enjoying one another and sharing from the heart.

If you focus on that, I guarantee you’ll have a very Happy Holiday season.

Happy Entertaining!

Shanna

 

 

Read Full Post »

In the past few weeks, I’ve posted a Thanksgiving Countdown, Thanksgiving Tablescape Ideas, a variety of suggestions for using up Pumpkin, and Handy Hotlines in case your turkey bursts into flames or some such tragedy (just kidding, people! I’ve been up since 4 a.m. you have to cut me some slack today. Please!).

So today’s post isn’t about being a hostess. Today’s post is for anyone who will be attending Thanksgiving (or any celebration this holiday season) at someone else’s home.

Having been a hostess more times than I can count, I for one am here to tell you anytime someone brings me a hostess gift, it nearly melts me in a puddle. It means so much to know that person appreciated the invitation into our home and wanted to bring a token of that appreciation to share with us.

A lot of people avoid giving hostess gifts because they don’t have any idea what to give. Here are a few “safe” bets that are sure to be welcomed by most any hostess.

Monogrammed Napkins

Most  hostesses would be thrilled to receive monogrammed napkins. Did you know monograms are widely popular right now? I found some really cute napkins at Tuesday Morning a few weeks ago and gave as hostess gifts. The three hostesses all seemed to enjoy them immensely!

Good Chocolate

Make sure the hostess has the opportunity to hide the candy away from the pack of ravenous wolves gathered in her home. You want her to be able to enjoy it all she wants! Really, you do. Trust me on this!

An Apron

A funny one for a host, or a pretty one for a hostess. I  seem to never have enough aprons when we host a big gathering. I found some cute ones at Kmart not too long ago.

Coasters

Who couldn’t use a few extra coasters? If you know something your host is fond of or collects, see if you can find a few coasters that fit that theme. Otherwise, look for something unique and memorable. If you are feeling a bit crafty, you could make your own coasters using tile. You can find small tile squares at home-supply stores like Home Depot. Just add a bit of felt to the bottom to keep the tiles from scratching surfaces (if you have five minutes and a glue gun, you can do this!).

Tea or Dish Towels

What host or hostess wouldn’t appreciate a few new towels for their kitchen. These are some seasonally appropriate ones found at Macy’s.

Hand Soap

A bottle of nice, fragrant hand soap is a great gift. If you don’t know what scents the hostess likes, go for something simple. One of my favorites for gift-giving is Kitchen Spice from Bath and Body Works.

Recipe Journal

If your host or hostess likes to cook, a recipe journal would be a great gift and give them somewhere to tuck all those loose recipes floating around their kitchen. (Not that anyone has that problem.) You can find these at most any kitchen supply store and often at bookstores.

Bottle of Beverage

See, you thought I was going to say wine. If you aren’t sure if your host drinks wine, purchase a higher end bottle of sparkling cider. Believe you me, it tastes a whole lot different than Martinelli’s. If your host is a wine lover, then by all means, pick up a bottle and take.

Bottle Caddy

Go one step better and purchase a fun Wine Bottle Caddy and insert a bottle to give as a gift. These are super handy for carrying all sorts of bottles, but especially if they have wine and will travel.

Perfectly Pleasant Potted Plant

Say that fast five times. Seriously, though, a beautiful potted plant is always a lovely gift. Now would be a great time to gift your hostess with a poinsettia. Not only is it seasonally appropriate, but every time she sees it though the holidays, she’ll be reminded of your thoughtfulness.

These are all easy to find gifts that can fit into most any budget. So when you knock on that door Thanksgiving Day, think about having a little something special to say thank you to your host. You’ll be so glad you did!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Shanna

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »