Fri-DIY - Tissue Paper Flowers

I am in the midst of planning an engagement party for some very dear friends. As such, I have been happily sequestered in my craft room for many hours working on decorations, invitations, and plans in general. These are some flowers I created that will be gracing the entry walls en masse the evening of the party.

The flowers are super quick to make, about 5 minutes per flower, and don't require any special crafting tools. What you do need is:

Tissue paper in the color of your choice
Scissors
Hot glue gun

Cut out 6 inch circles from the tissue, scalloping the edges slightly as you cut. You will need 11 circles per flower.

Once you've got a nice stack, crumple them all up and gently smooth back out. This step is important so the flowers have some nice volume and texture and don't end up looking flat.

Heat up the hot glue gun. Lay one circle flat on your work space. Fold another circle in half, then in half again to make a wedge shape. Put a dab of hot glue at the point end of the wedge and glue to the flat circle. Repeat with 3 more circles to make the first layer.

Then do it again with 4 more circles but glue so they overlap the spaces between the wedges of the first layer.

Finally, take 2 more circles. Fold each in half, add a dab of glue at the middle of the fold and glue each to the flower. All done!

Along with party wall decorations, I have also used these to finish off a wrapped gift and as napkin holders for parties. I am sure you can come up with many more uses for them, too!

Parties - Book Club Party

Just a few pics from the book club party I hosted last weekend. Lots of food, fun, and literary conversation (and crafts!) had by all.

How To - Write a Thank You Note

Floating Dandelions Note Card from etsy seller pinklilypress

With the holiday season nearly upon us, again, I thought a refresher in the art of writing a thank you note might be timely.

Thank you notes are dear to my heart. Growing up in my family, every gift received required a written thank you. Nothing else was done until the note was written, addressed, stamped, and mailed. Christmas mornings found my siblings and I crowded around the kitchen table scribbling out our thanks. Our poor toys spilled half opened from their boxes, just waiting for us to play...after the notes, of course.

Hummingbird thank you note via Kate's Paperie

I have proudly carried the tradition into adulthood. However, among the 30 and under age group, I have found proper thank you notes are not always a given. With the popularity of email and text messaging, it's easy to zip out a quick 'Thx 4 gift.' I am firmly of the opinion that taking the time and effort to write a real note is the only polite way to respond to a gift. Anything less, even if more convenient, is frankly rude.

The great thing is, writing a thank you note is EASY! A few quick lines, a stamp, and all done, politeness upheld. Plus, the amount of really beautiful, charming, even amusing note cards available is staggering. So grab a stack and a nice pen and let's get started.

Green Hummingbird notecards from etsy seller enfinlavoila

First, when is a written thank you necessary? A thousand etiquette books will yield a thousand different answers. This is the rule I personally adhere to: If someone has gone out of their way to do something specifically for ME and spent time or money, I write a thank you note.

Now, there are a few exceptions. Thank you notes to significant others are not always required. I am not advocating taking gifts from husbands, wives, or boyfriends for granted, but those relationships are very intimate and I assume thanks are being given in different ways.

Tree Swing notecard from etsy seller sweetbellacards

Host or hostess gifts do not require a thank you note. Every bottle of wine or bouquet of flowers received in exchange for a meal or party can be properly accepted and thanks given verbally on the spot. However, a guest at a party or meal should send a thank you to the host afterwards IF no small gift was brought to the gathering for the host. Or, just send one anyway because every host would love getting a note after a party expressing thanks. It's a nice thing to do.

At work, yearly bonuses do not require thank you notes. Tins of cookies or popcorn, especially if everyone gets one, do not require thank you notes. Gift cards, personal checks, tickets to a show or dinner out DO require a written thank you.

Dear Friend blank card from etsy seller farouche

A thank you note should be written in ink, preferably in cursive, on a new card. A 'new' card may seem like a given, but I once received a thank you written on the back of another card that had been torn in half. Seriously. And don't use pencil, it shows a weakness of will.

Keep it short and sweet. I usually stick to the following template:

That's it! Here's a sample thank you for a gift of a scarf from a friend.

So now you are prepared to go forth and protect one bastion of politeness from being overrun and forgotten in our technology driven society. Pens and note cards at the ready!

Parties - Easy Ideas from Real Simple

Real Simple has an informative slideshow about using 50 ordinary items in new ways. Normally I skip right over things like that, but this one is beautifully photographed and actually has some original tips. Some of them are kind of dumb (plastic bags around the knees while gardening?), but there were several helpful ideas for entertaining and decorating.

Pictured above it a 6-pack holder transformed into a picnic caddy for utensils and napkins. Cute idea for a picnic or barbecue. I could see taking this one step farther and gluing pretty paper to the sides and top.


Another great idea for a drink station at a party or barbecue. Put a colander filled with ice over a bowl to catch the water as the ice melts. I would probably use a wider more shallow bowl than pictured above as it looks a little precarious to have the colander floating mid-air.


This tip was to use rubber bands to keep cold glasses with condensation slipping out of your hand. Is this really a big enough problem that a helpful hint needed to be thought up? I like this idea for marking glasses at a party. A big bag of colored rubber bands would last a few parties at least!


I really liked this idea of using window clings for marking glasses as well. Normally, I tie pretty ribbons or paper cut outs to glasses to mark them, but what to do when using glasses without stems? One of these two tips will be put to good use at my next party!

Parties - Pink and White Bridal Shower

Here are some pics from the bridal shower I hosted for my wonderful friend. All she said was she wanted something 'girly.' The main inspiration came from my vintage linen collection - florals, pinks, and very girly. I re-purposed the linens into cloth napkins, wraps for vases, basket liners, pillows, and some fabric flowers. Other DIY projects included tissue paper flowers (the bride-to-be is allergic to most real flowers), the invitations, and the hanging advice cards. We had the most perfect spring day for the shower and it was truly a pleasure to host for my friend.

Parties - After Holiday-Holiday Party

My local group of good friends normally has our own holiday celebration each year. This year, though, we couldn't make it happen before New Year's. So last Saturday, I hosted our 'After Holiday - Holiday Party.' I wanted to beef up my skills by doing a real sit-down 4 course supper, so I strong-armed them into agreeing to be my guinea pigs. I also used it as an excuse to use my pretty china and crystal.

I chose a white, black, and silver theme for the table. I pulled together some ornaments that hadn't made it back to storage yet and filled up a few glass pieces with them for an easy centerpiece. I also tossed a few votive candles around for good measure.

Some ribbon and paper scraps joined together made a quick napkin ring that doubled as a seating place card.

I set out olives, nuts, and marinated mushrooms to snack on while we waited for everyone to arrive and I finished up the last items for supper.

I started the meal with a creamy butternut squash soup. I love it's pretty color, and with the help of an immersion blender, it could not be easier to make. I tossed a few roasted pecans on top for garnish.

The second course was a simple chopped vegetable salad dressed with just a little oil and vinegar. The main course was a leg of lamb roasted with fennel butter and a red wine sauce. I also made individual portions of goat cheese potatoes au gratin in ramekins. However, it was all so good, that by the time I remembered I need to take a picture, this was all that was left!

Most of my guests are not big on sweets, so I kept it simple for dessert with an apple cider granita and homemade whipped cream. I had also planned on a cheese course, but we were all so stuffed that we agreed to pass on the cheese, which nearly never happens! We ended the evening by burning off some of the calories from dinner with a competetive Wii bowling tournament.

Parties - Last Minute New Year's Eve Party

Epicurious has a VERY in depth cocktail party guide up. Frankly, I find it pretty intimidating and misleading. Throwing a party shouldn't be THAT hard. Mix some drinks, invite a few amusing people, and serve them some food. This is not rocket science. So, if you don't feel like braving the bar scene tomorrow evening to celebrate the New Year, here is my guide for a fun, easy, last minute New Year's Eve cocktail party. You can download a shopping list based on 10 guests here and a pre-party time line here.

Let's start with the cocktails. Nothing says New Year's Eve like champagne, so how about a champagne cocktail bar. Put out the champagne with some peach puree for Bellinis, orange juice for mimosas, and cranberry juice. I don't know if the cranberry and champagne combo has a name, I just call it tasty. You can substitute any sparkling wine you like for the champagne, try cava from Spain or prosecco from Italy.

For the non-champagne drinkers, pick up some beer, a lager and a dark beer, and a few bottles of wine.

Moving on to decor. Go to any local hardware or grocery store and buy up the leftover poinsettias en masse. They'll be super cheap now that Christmas has passed, and you can give them one last hurrah. Group them around the house in visible areas, and throw one in the bathroom if there is space.

While you are at the grocery store, pick up some pretty Christmas paper plates and napkins in a white theme. Again, they should be marked waayy down.

If you have time, run some of those pretty twinkly Christmas lights around the house.

Cocktail party nibbles can be as simple or complicated as the host chooses to make them. For a last minute party, it's best to keep it simple. Some nuts and olives, a cheese board, simple veggies and dip, and mini sandwiches will fill your guests up and allow easy prep before they arrive.

So, if you feel the itch to host, try out this simple party. Once you've thrown a great basic bash, you'll feel empowered to plan something bigger and better next time!

Parties - The Bar Cart

I love the idea of having a bar station out during a party so guests can help themselves. It's sets a retro laid-back vibe for a party. No need to put out anything too fancy, just enough for a couple of classic cocktails that guests can make just to their liking. We had one out at our last party, and it just had the staples on it - gin, vodka, bourbon, tequila, orange and tomato juice, cola, ginger ale, tonic water, lemons and limes. And ice. Lots and lots of ice. A whole party on a cart. Domino has a great slide show up right now with some nicely styled carts to get those ideas flowing.

All images from Domino

Parties - Holiday Cocktails (from Sam's Club, of all places!)

Berry Berry Christmas

Say what you will about the super LARGE company Sam's Club is associated with, I don't really like them either, but their most recent catalog/publication had me drooling all over the pages. The styling is gorgeous and showcases great ideas for their products. They have a whole spread with different ideas for rotisserie chicken. It also has cool and totally do-able entertaining tips, like these fun holiday cocktail recipes. You can view the entire catalog page by page online here. Here are a few of the jewel hued cocktails to salivate over.

Cinnamon Stacker

For another yummy recipe with Bailey's and Kahlua, check out the Golden Flake's recipe for Baby Guinness.

Pama Bellini

Peppermint Patty