Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Entertaining Ideas’ Category

Synergy

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Success Tips, tagged , , on July 22, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I absolutely promise this is the last post I’ll make (at least this week) about the Willow House Conference. Really, I promise!

But I had to share this thought about synergy. Have you ever been in a group that is excited about something and you can just feel the energy in the air? It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?

Websters defines synergy as “the interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects.”

Do you have any idea how much synergy is created by a group of 1,500 people (98% of them sleep-deprived, caffeine loaded, excited beyond reason women)? A whole lot. So much, in fact, if you could capture it, you could power a small city.

These women (and few men) were so pumped up, so thrilled, so anxious to jump into the new business model announced last week, the room wasn’t enough to keep it contained. It spilled out in text messages, in phone calls, and onto the poor sales people and waitstaff with the misfortune of working within walking distance of the conference center.

It was awesome! Not only do I love seeing that excitement, I love being in the midst of it all and feeling the energy. It is like having the ability to take your worn-down battery and plug it into the energizer bunny. Wow! You are recharged and ready to go faster, better and longer than you’ve ever gone before.

Synergy is a fabulous thing. If you’ve never experienced it, I highly encourage you to get yourself into the place you can.

My thanks to Bill and Robin Shaw and all the staff at Willow House for making the event possible. For giving us stepping stones to reach for the stars and a road map for the journey ahead. For being visionaries, for being innovative and for believing in us! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Shanna

Read Full Post »

Welcome to Willow House

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, tagged , , , , on July 20, 2010| 2 Comments »

Last week, I traveled to Milwaukee for the first-ever Willow House National Conference.

To say it was amazing, fantastic, inspiring and fabulous doesn’t even do it justice.

Conference is a place to plug in and recharge, to network with great people who understand the concept of building relationships and helping one another, and to get great ideas to jump-start our businesses for the fall season.

While I was at conference, I noticed that what was offered by the corporate staff and other consultants was basically the same things we want to offer guests in our home.

A Warm Welcome

I don’t know about you, but I like to feel welcomed when I am visiting someone. A genuine smile and a warm hug or handshake goes a long way in making someone feel welcome. Even a  “hello, I’m so glad to see you,” when said honestly makes you feel all warm and fuzzy. Acknowledge people in a way that says “I remember you, my friend.”

Servant Mentality

“Won’t you come in and make yourself at home?”

“How can I best assist you?”

“Is there anything I can offer you?”

All those questions, whether spoken or implied, mean that you are there to provide assistance and help to someone. I can’t tell you how many times I was offered care and support through similar words. When people come to your home, offer them no less. Let them know you are there in the moment to make them feel at home.

Encouragement and Acceptance

We all need encouragement and acceptance. Even if the words aren’t spoken, we need to know that other people accept us for who we are and support us in our pursuits. It is human nature. The people at conference have this down to an art. We can take a lesson from them. When people come to your home are they accepted and encouraged? Your job as a host is to make sure they are. A few words  spoken from the heart offering encouragement or acceptance can mean the world to someone.

Joy

These conference attendees know how to have fun. In class, at general session or even celebrating to a 1950s themed party, they celebrate, embrace joy and have a great time. When you  entertain guests, do you have a go-with-the-flow and enjoy the moment attitude or are you flustered and frustrated that things didn’t follow your perfect party plan? Learn to let go and enjoy the guests in your home at the moment they are there. They won’t remember if the bread got a little too toasty or the punch wasn’t the exact shade of pink you wanted or if the centerpiece candle refuses to stay lit. What they will remember is if you set the tone for a fun evening by surrendering your plans and just enjoying the evening and them.

Entertaining your Heart Out

Give it your best and then enjoy the results, whatever they may be. Laugh, hug, cry, smile, be present in the moment, dream for the future and celebrate what makes each person unique and special.

Happy Entertaining!

Shanna

Read Full Post »

Evites are inviting!

Posted in Entertaining Ideas, Referrals, tagged , , , on July 14, 2010| Leave a Comment »

You're Invited!

The other day I received an Evite invitation for my cousin’s virtual baby shower. I thought it was such a cute and clever idea. My cousin lives across the country, it is her first baby, and she’ll be home in a few months for her younger sister’s wedding, so her older sister is throwing her a virtual baby shower.

Not that you needed all those details, but the point of all my rambling is that Evites are a fun way to invite people to an event and that is why they receive my Wednesday shout-out.

You can check out their very fun and clever website here.

Once you register, which is free, you have access to hundreds of invitations (which are free) and you can click, create and send an invitation in just a few minutes to a group of friends. You can track your guest responses and, here is the part I get really excited about, it sends a reminder for you just before the party, so you don’t have to remember to call and remind everyone to show up. Did I mention it is free? Yep, free.

Check it out and have fun with it. You can get a variety of great party tips, ideas and more!

Happy Entertaining!

Shanna

Read Full Post »

Creating a Summer Beverage Station

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, tagged , , on July 13, 2010| Leave a Comment »

“Summertime
And the living is easy
Fish are jumping
The cotton is high…”
When George Gershwin penned those words so many years ago, do you suppose he knew we’d still appreciate them today?
Summertime is all about living with ease and simplicity, particularly when we entertain. It is hot, backyards and pools call out to us and the last thing we want is to be tied down to a stuffy kitchen.

Make things easy on yourself when you entertain by making it easy for your guests to self-serve.

One really simple thing you can do is create an outdoor beverage station.


Start with the one thing you will need in outrageously plentiful amounts – ice. I can’t stress this enough, but have twice as much ice as you think you will need. Running out of ice is like a death sentence to your gathering. No one wants to sit around and drink luke-warm or hot beverages when it is 90 degrees outside. So buy ice, lots of it!

Have a party bucket or container that you can fill with ice and put in individual-sized bottles, like pop, water or juice,  or keep larger bottles chilled.

For a pre-mixed beverage, serve it in a pretty glass beverage server so guests can see of what delicious drink they are about to partake.

Always, always, always have water available. Serve it in icy cold pitchers or have individual bottles, but make sure you have it out and available.

Set up an area at the station with glasses. If you have a variety of different drinks that require a variety of glasses, set the glassware next to the beverage. If it is one-size-fits-all, place all glasses together. Offer charms or cute little stickers to put on glasses so each person’s glass is easily identified.

A tray set with fun little extras like fruit or olive accents on picks, little umbrellas, swizzle sticks and more can add a fun finish to most any beverage.

Remember to relax and have fun and connect with your guests. That is what savvy entertaining is truly all about!

Happy Entertaining!

Shanna

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »