Last Thursday I had a bunch of my sweet girlfriends over for a Noonday Collection Jewelry party. I shared about this company's mission in this blog post and showed you how gorgeous all their pieces are! Since I absolutely love hosting gatherings, I thought I'd share a few tips I have to make hosting stress-free.
First, I think about my week and plan when I'm going to clean what. I don't want to do it all in one day, or else I often feel really overwhelmed. A few days before, I have my husband pick up his things and put away any clothes or mail that needs to be be stowed. Usually I'll clean the bathroom a few days before a party, then just wipe the counters down again on the day of. I always vacuum and sweep quickly the day before or day of the party. I also usually turn my sofa cushions around and give them a good whack back into shape ;) Just me??
Another thing I do to decrease day-of stress is plan what I'm serving and make my grocery shopping list a week or so ahead of time.
Food and Drink Party Tips:
- Finger food works great! I still set out little appetizer plates. These are the ones I have. They were one of the best things I registered for!
- I usually stick with cheese and crackers and a bit of fruit (grapes are perfect because you can cut them into small bunches for people to take!)
- I find a mixture of salty & sweet foods are the perfect mix. For this, I did Trader Joe's caramel & cheddar popcorn, pretzels, cheese and assorted crackers, french bread (this always goes first!), grapes and my all-time favorite cream cheese with Trader Joe's pepper jelly on top. It's a crowd favorite! Then simple cookies and mini cupcakes for dessert.
- I try to vary the heights and container shapes that hold the food items. You can see I used a cake stand for desserts, a wide platter for the crackers, a taller bowl for the popcorn, and smaller platters for the other items.
- Always have a separate drink station for water and non-alcoholic drinks. I put this on the kitchen counter. See below with pink cups and sparkling pink lemonade.
- A mix of red and white wine is my go-to. Something for everyone!
- Before the party, I set out all my platters and think about what is going to go on each platter. That way, when it's time to set food out, I'm all organized and ready to go.
Before a party, I always run my diffuser with some nice smelling oils! It's a great way to refresh the smell of the place. I love mixing Fir Tree, Citrus Bliss and Grapefruit. It smells like Anthropologie-- yum! I also make sure not to light any candles near the food. Sometimes that competes with the smell of the dessert or makes it hard for people to reach across the candle to get their food ;)
In the bathroom, I do a few things:
- A fresh towel is always a must! These are the hand towels we have and I love them.
- Make sure the soap is filled
- A vase with a flower or two (I stuck three ranunculus that had broken stems in a small vase and filled the water all the way up. Viola!)
- I leave a candle lit in the bathroom during any get togethers. This is one of my favorites (love the panjore lychee, and huckleberry). I also leave out a lotion and make sure my jar with q-tips is filled. As far as I'm concerned, anything out on my counter is fair game to my guests!
- Refill the toilet paper in the rack that hangs on the bathroom wall.
Fresh blooms for a party are a no-brainer! I usually put a few stems in a bunch of different cups and vases to put around the house. I love putting the vases where our eyes rest often. For example, one by the kitchen sink, bathroom sink, the coffee table or the drink bar. These ranunculus were incredible, I just couldn't pass them up! Only $5.99 :)
Since this was a jewelry party, I cleared out the second shelf of my bookcase to use as a space for the jewelry display. Instead of bringing in an additional table and taking away valuable floor space, I made what I had work. Don't mind our thermostat on the wall ;)
earrings 1 / earrings 2 / earrings 3
Hopefully these hosting tips help you the next time you entertain! If you see something you like on Noonday's website and want to purchase it, you are joining together with me and a bunch of other women in helping give jobs to women in vulnerable countries-- so thank you! At check out, just put my name (Michaela Beel) in the hostess section so they know I sent you over :)
Happy Monday!
xoxo
First, I think about my week and plan when I'm going to clean what. I don't want to do it all in one day, or else I often feel really overwhelmed. A few days before, I have my husband pick up his things and put away any clothes or mail that needs to be be stowed. Usually I'll clean the bathroom a few days before a party, then just wipe the counters down again on the day of. I always vacuum and sweep quickly the day before or day of the party. I also usually turn my sofa cushions around and give them a good whack back into shape ;) Just me??
Another thing I do to decrease day-of stress is plan what I'm serving and make my grocery shopping list a week or so ahead of time.
Food and Drink Party Tips:
- Finger food works great! I still set out little appetizer plates. These are the ones I have. They were one of the best things I registered for!
- I usually stick with cheese and crackers and a bit of fruit (grapes are perfect because you can cut them into small bunches for people to take!)
- I find a mixture of salty & sweet foods are the perfect mix. For this, I did Trader Joe's caramel & cheddar popcorn, pretzels, cheese and assorted crackers, french bread (this always goes first!), grapes and my all-time favorite cream cheese with Trader Joe's pepper jelly on top. It's a crowd favorite! Then simple cookies and mini cupcakes for dessert.
- I try to vary the heights and container shapes that hold the food items. You can see I used a cake stand for desserts, a wide platter for the crackers, a taller bowl for the popcorn, and smaller platters for the other items.
- Always have a separate drink station for water and non-alcoholic drinks. I put this on the kitchen counter. See below with pink cups and sparkling pink lemonade.
- A mix of red and white wine is my go-to. Something for everyone!
- Before the party, I set out all my platters and think about what is going to go on each platter. That way, when it's time to set food out, I'm all organized and ready to go.
Before a party, I always run my diffuser with some nice smelling oils! It's a great way to refresh the smell of the place. I love mixing Fir Tree, Citrus Bliss and Grapefruit. It smells like Anthropologie-- yum! I also make sure not to light any candles near the food. Sometimes that competes with the smell of the dessert or makes it hard for people to reach across the candle to get their food ;)
In the bathroom, I do a few things:
- A fresh towel is always a must! These are the hand towels we have and I love them.
- Make sure the soap is filled
- A vase with a flower or two (I stuck three ranunculus that had broken stems in a small vase and filled the water all the way up. Viola!)
- I leave a candle lit in the bathroom during any get togethers. This is one of my favorites (love the panjore lychee, and huckleberry). I also leave out a lotion and make sure my jar with q-tips is filled. As far as I'm concerned, anything out on my counter is fair game to my guests!
- Refill the toilet paper in the rack that hangs on the bathroom wall.
Fresh blooms for a party are a no-brainer! I usually put a few stems in a bunch of different cups and vases to put around the house. I love putting the vases where our eyes rest often. For example, one by the kitchen sink, bathroom sink, the coffee table or the drink bar. These ranunculus were incredible, I just couldn't pass them up! Only $5.99 :)
Since this was a jewelry party, I cleared out the second shelf of my bookcase to use as a space for the jewelry display. Instead of bringing in an additional table and taking away valuable floor space, I made what I had work. Don't mind our thermostat on the wall ;)
long necklace -- LOVE this one :)
Happy Monday!
xoxo