Posted in Christmas, Entertaining at Home, tagged holiday ideas, Savvy Entertaining, Shanna Hatfield on December 16, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Most of you already know I’m obsessed with Pinterest.
There is so much cool stuff there, just waiting to be pinned! How can you not love it?
Anyway, here are some of the fun Christmas things I recently discovered and had to share. Click on the photos and check them out!
Happy Holidays!
She Who Loves this Season
Posted in Christmas, Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, Holidays, Success Tips, tagged holiday ideas, Holiday Organization, Stress-Free holidays on December 27, 2010| 1 Comment »
Well, if you are like me, you are in a state somewhere between joy over the wonderful Christmas celebrated Saturday and sadness that it is over for another year.
To get yourself over the post holiday doldrums, find a fun project to work on.
One that is perfect to start this week is a Holiday Idea folder. I like to use red file folders and hide them at the back of my filing cabinet. Believe me, no one ever looks in there!
Things you can put in your folder (or binder) include gift ideas, decorating ideas, recipes you’d like to try. Then add to the folder all year. If you are a hyper-organized kind of person, you might want to have several folders or divided sections in your binder with titles like “Gifts,” “Decor,” “Recipes,” “Traditions.”
As you browse through magazines and catalogs, pull out the pages that capture your interest and add to your supply. If you are pulling out gift ideas, make sure you label them somehow or come October when you get out your files, you’ll have a bunch of pages and no idea what you intended to purchase for whom (not that I’ve ever done that before).
Now is the perfect time to get cracking on this project because the ideas are all fresh in your head. As you gathered with family and friends during the weekend, you probably had several ideas for “perfect gifts,” tasted a few recipes you’d like to add to your own collection for next year and thought of at least two fantastic decorating ideas or fun things that might make great future traditions.
Capture all that info now and you’ll be so glad you did!
Happy Holiday Entertaining!
Shanna
Posted in entertain, Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, Quick and Easy, tagged easy entertaining, Holiday Entertaining, holiday ideas on December 1, 2009| Leave a Comment »
In case you missed it, we are officially into the holiday season which means ample opportunities to entertain and be entertained. If you have never hosted a gathering in your home before, don’t know the difference between and frying pan and a fondue pot, and have no idea where to begin, I have three little words for you: Keep It Simple!
Entertaining, particularly during the holiday season, should be as stress-free as possible and that is why keeping things simple is a must.
If you can’t cook or don’t have time, a great and easy rule of thumb is to serve something salty, something sweet and something to sip. Now, that doesn’t sound so hard, does it? You could serve something as simple as a meat and cheese tray with crackers, some holiday cookies and hot chocolate.
If decorating isn’t your cup of tea, keep your focus on a few simple things that can bring a festive atmosphere to your home. Put a red or green cloth on your table. You can pick these up fairly inexpensively this time of year. If you are on a really tight budget, buy a flat red or green sheet at a discount store. No one will ever know the difference. Fill a basket or bowl with gold, silver, red or green Christmas balls or pinecones and use as a centerpiece. Purchase a few inexpensive poinsettias and place around your home. Hang a wreath on the door with a red bow, and you are set!
If you avoid entertaining because you hate to clean, get over it! Focus on cleaning just three rooms: the living room, the kitchen and the guest bathroom. Guests really aren’t going to be wandering through your home, so clean those three areas and call it good enough. Make sure the guest bathroom is shiny and spotless. This is one room that people will notice if it is less than pristine!
Light a few holiday scented candles or put a pan on low on the stove with a couple cups of water, some cinnamon sticks and whole cloves. The house will have a warm, welcoming aroma as guests come in the door.
Pinecones and greenery are inexpensive (or free, depending on what is growing in your yard) and can quickly and easily be whipped into festive decorations. Just add some red ribbon and you are set!
Remember, the most important part of entertaining is to connect with your guests, be gracious and make them feel welcome in your home.
Happy Entertaining!
Savvy Entertaining 