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Archive for the ‘Entertaining Ideas’ Category

Welcoming Overnight Guests

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas on May 19, 2009| 2 Comments »

Making an overnight guest feel warmly welcomed is a simple art that anyone can master. While you most certainly cannot be expected to entertain an overnight guest non-stop, you do need to make the stay a pleasant one. Your duties as host begins and ends with their comfort.

Step into your role  as host as soon as plans are made for the overnight stay. Start by finding out some important information from your guests such as:

• How many nights will they be staying?

• Do they have any allergies – food, pet, etc? This is very important to know!

• What are their favorite foods, beverages, magazines, books?

• What activities interest them?

Once your guests arrive, encourage them to feel at home by showing them where the necessities can be found. Stock their favorite snacks and beverages.

In the guest room, provide a few of their favorite magazines or a book by their favorite author. You may also want to have a tray with a note of welcome, some bottled water, mints or chocolates,  and a few pieces of whole fruit. Fresh flowers are also a welcome touch.

The guest bath should be stocked  with plenty of  fluffy towels. It is a nice touch to put out a tray or basket with sample sized toothpaste, cotton swabs, new toothbrushes, shampoo and conditioner for any of those items your guest may have forgotten.

Provide adequate lighting at night in hallways with nightlights.

Make sure you are available to your guests without smothering them.  With a little pre-planning, you can relax and enjoy your time together!

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Begin Your Welcome at the Front Door

Posted in Desserts, Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, Quick and Easy, tagged , , , on May 15, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Have you ever gone up to front door and while you were waiting for someone to answer, had a feeling of not being welcomed? You don’t know what it was, exactly, but you just had a sense of that front door space not being inviting.

One of the most important things we can do when we are having guests is to make sure the front door area is inviting.  The front entry to your home is really a reflection of you, so make it as warm and welcoming as possible.

Even if you don’t have much time or money to invest, you can still create a feeling of welcome by keeping the space neat and clean.

Unless it is a spooky Halloween party, make sure all cobwebs are brushed down. Sweep away any leaves and dirt.  Wash the windows and any glass in the entry area. Make it sparkle!

Shake or brush off the welcome mat – and yes you should have one! The mat should reflect your interior decorating style so if you have a country theme, try a heart-shaped welcome mat.

Rotate seasonal decorations. Even if you hang a simple grape-vine wreath on your door, you can dress it up by season with sunflowers or seashells for summer, leaves or pumpkins for fall, greenery and berries for the holidays.

Accessorize with plants and greenery whenever possible. Add decorative pots or urns leading to your door or on either side of the door and fill them with colorful seasonal  plants. Well-maintained plants add their own sense of welcome.

If it is time for some updating, think about repainting the door in a fresh on-trend color. Add a new door handle and be prepared for the amazing transformation! If your screen door is hanging by a thread, take it down. Nothing is more awkward than the greeting of a screen door opening out toward you while trying to get in the door.

Make sure your doorbell functions. If you don’t have one, then install a door knocker. It is uncomfortable to pound on someone’s door with your knuckles while hoping they’ll hear you knocking.

Keep your  front door light fixture clean and updated. You may want to consider lighting along the walkway to the door. Solor lights are a fun way to add spots of light. A well-lit path to the door definitely conveys a sense of welcome.

If there is room, have a bench, chair or garden seat close to the door.  If it is on a porch, a big, fluffy cushion will be a point of welcome.

You don’t have to invest a lot of money or time. Just some quick basic cleaning can make all the difference and offer the message of  “Welcome to my home!”

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Add Frogs to Your Flowers

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, Quick and Easy, tagged , , , on May 13, 2009| Leave a Comment »

gramercy vase fall 08gramercy vase spring 09If creating floral arrangements is not your cup of tea, think about using flower frogs. These great inserts make it so simple to create a stunning arrangement with little effort.

Flower frogs sit inside your container and have pre-made holes where you place the stems. Those holes hold the stems upright and make putting together a centerpiece a breeze.  One of my favorite containers  is this crème colored vase that has a frog insert. It is so versatile and fits in well with most seasons and themes.

You can see from the photos you can make the look informal with a garden-like bouquet or very formal with some outstanding stems.

To use the frog, place into your container. If it is loose, anchor it with a bit of floral adhesive (look in your local craft store in the floral section). Add enough water to completely cover the frog and start arranging from the middle of the frog outward.

When you are making an arrangement plan to use an odd number of stems, especially if it is a small grouping.  Remember your flowers should be about one and a half times as tall as your container.

Keep your flowers in water – whether purchased from a store or cut from your garden. Each time you expose them to air, be sure to recut the stems on an angle under lukewarm water. If you will be storing the flowers before making the arrangement, put them somewhere cool and dark in a clean bucket with lukewarm water.
If you don’t have a frog, you can always use floral tape (available at the craft store) to support your stems. Just criss-cross the tape over the top of your container to create a frame for your flowers. Remember to add plenty of greenery to the arrangement to hide the tape.
 You can also use floral foam to keep your stems upright and in place. Floral foam (again, look at your craft store) should be soaked in water until there are no air bubbles and then placed in the container. Trim the foam with a serrated knife, leaving about one-inch above your container. Use the trimmed off pieces to stuff down the sides of your container, filling in gaps to hold the foam in place. If it still feels wobbly, use some floral tape across the top of the container to anchor the foam. Arrange your flowers and greenery in the foam, making sure you stick some in the sides and all around the top to conceal the foam.

Have fun with your flowers and they will not only be a welcome touch of color to your home, but also a reflection of your personality!

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Crowd Pleasing BLT Dip

Posted in Easy Recipes, Entertaining at Home, Fast Recipes, Quick and Easy, tagged , , , , , , on May 11, 2009| 3 Comments »

Here is a quick and easy dip recipe that has generated a following in our group of friends. Whenever we all get together, someone has to bring this dip. It is so yummy and fast to make.

BLT DIP

1 cup Sour Cream

1 cup Mayo

1 cup Shredded Colby-Jack Cheese

1 cup Chopped Tomatoes

1/2 cup Crumbled  Cooked Bacon (I use the pre-packaged real bacon crumbles to save time)

2 heaping teaspoons Parmesan Peppercorn Herb dip mix*

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Serve with warmed crostini or baguette bread or crackers of your choice. Mix this up the night before your party to give the flavors time to blend. Don’t be surprised if the bowl is scraped clean!

*For details on where to find Parmesan Peppercorn Herb Dip Mix, post a comment or subscribe to my newsletter. Ranch Dip Mix may also be substituted.

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