Party

I love the idea of a cute hostess gift… but with holiday festivities in full swing, sometimes it’s too much to come up with a unique gift idea.  My husband and I always buy a nice case of wine at the beginning of the year to use as “thank you/we love you/happy birthday” gifts to friends and family… but the wine bag game is not where it should be (sometimes I don’t know if it’s worse to have to walk in public with some of these or give them as actual gifts…. ek) and I was determined to figure a Plan B.

I introduce you to the closest thing I’ll get to DIY – a wine gift bag… or wine wrap I guess I should say.

Wine Wrap

• gift wrap (I also love using craft paper that I’ve written on with Sharpie)
• ribbon
• Scotch tape

1. Cut a piece of gift wrap large enough to fit around the wine bottle and fold free edges in to create a clean line.
2. Secure with tape.
3. Secure with a decorative ribbon and don’t forget to attach a note to your hostess or gift recipient (I also like to use the craft paper option to write my thank you note in large over-sized lettering).

Save yourself the $5+ per wine bag and let’s start a revolution… the wine wrap!

If your host doesn’t drink… flowers are always a no-brainer.

This Thanksgiving was a one for the books! From the food, to the decor, to (most importantly) the company – everything was perfect!  Here were some of the highlights (not limited to: maple martinis, a great seating chart and a late night round of Cards Against Humanity):

Blondes + Browns 2014

Last year’s table

While food tends to hold the visual spotlight on this holiday, we like to do a buffet set up in the kitchen and then enjoy our meal on a gorgeously set table in the dining room (there really isn’t anything appetizing about half eaten dishes piled on a table).    The big question is where to begin?  Pinterest has lent its hand at sharing many beautiful centerpiece ideas such as this one and this one, but we decided to go a more intricate route.

My family loves the little details, so we love our guests to have a lot to look at, while not being overwhelmed or feeling cluttered.  This usually results in a color palate of about 3 colors, and special little touches like place cards, handwritten menus or dainty votives.

Some things I learned from decorating the table over the years:

Our table from 2 years ago

1. Don’t wait until the day before Thanksgiving to buy your flowers.  Everyone was on the bandwagon WAY before you were… I learned this the hard way, when there were VERY slim pickings on Wednesday afternoon.
2. Don’t forget to take height into accountability. I was very happy with how the centerpieces turned out last year, but the minute we sat down to the table, half of had to be removed because we couldn’t see each other.
3. Always buy more.  I tend to underestimate a space and am scrounging around for fillers to save me from a bare looking table.  Now I always buy extra of whatever I’m working with (candles/flowers/vases), and then if there are leftovers use them to decorate your guest bathroom or entryway.

What tips do you have for prepping Thanksgiving decor?

We celebrated my sister’s birthday a few weeks ago with a relaxed weekend pool party.  Nothing gets the party started like a little tequila… so we thought a Mexican Fiesta would be the perfect way to kick off T’s quarter century!

We opted for a taco bar, which only required a little bit of prep work and self serve stations made it easy for everyone to eat when they wanted… here was our menu:

• Watermelon Coconut Cooler
• Taco Bar
  • Carne Asada, Grilled Corn Tortillas, Assorted Toppings – Shredded Cheese, Avocado, Tomatoes, Radish Slices, Cilantro, Pico de Gallo, Sour Cream, Pickled Jalapeños
• Chips, Queso and Bean Dip
  • So easy – just mix a can of refried beans, some salsa, cilantro, diced onions and hot sauce to taste

The great part of this set up is you can leave the store by 10am and be prepped and pool side by 11am.   Simple chop off the toppings, mix the cocktails, and make the bean dip and you’re good to go!  Simply cook the meat and grill the tortillas once you are ready to eat and get your fiesta on!

To add a little fiesta flair, I picked up this piñata (which we used as table decor and an after party activity – filled with the birthday girl’s favorite candy of course!), these hilarious napkins, & this festive banner.