Holidays Archives – Page 41 of 55

New Year’s Eve Party Tips for a Last Minute NYE Bash

December 30, 2012 No Comments A Well Crafted Party

There is nothing quite like a fabulous, last minute party. I love planning out a party as much as any party-obsessed person out there. But, sometimes, I decide at the last minute that I want to throw a shin-dig and I pull out some items from my party closet, print off some free printables, use my home (and holiday) decor items, and whip together a few easy recipes (or have people bring some food items). There is NO reason you can’t throw a fabulous, inexpensive New Year’s Eve bash…. even if you didn’t decide to do it until TODAY! Check out these easy tips (and beautiful photos) on how to throw a festive NYE event in just two days.

This post is super image heavy with beautiful photos from Motormouth Studios. This party was first featured on Pizzazzerie.com.

Quick New Year’s Eve Party Tip #1:

Use your home decor and your holiday decor to round out your party decor! Take out those few items that are SUPER Christmasy and leave out the pretty baubles that fit with your color scheme. All metallics work great for NYE! The lovely home decor pictured above is from the home of Adi from Garden of Edlen.

Quick New Year’s Eve Party Tip #2:

Make super easy appetizers and treats that don’t require a lot of prep time or cook time. OR have guests contribute by bringing some treats. Check out The Spicy Bee and Fork & Vine for some recipe ideas!

Quick New Year’s Eve Party Tip #3:

Glam up your service and dinnerware with some super easy DIY tricks. Check out the Festive Appetizer Plate Upgrade and the Easy DIY Food Platters tutorials for some fast and easy ways to upgrade your party!

Quick New Year’s Eve Party Tip #4:

Serve one or two signature drinks and then add in some sparkling water, soda, and champagne to even out your drink selection. The champagne ice above has frozen carnations in the ice! The Rosemary Bliss Cocktail was a fresh and delicious way to start a new year!

Quick New Year’s Eve Party Tip #5:

Use free printables to upgrade your party and set it apart! Check out my free NYE printables!

Quick New Year’s Eve Party Tip #6:

Have fun with New Year’s Eve traditions… such as, the midnight kiss! We set out a bowl of kisses and told guests “Don’t Wait for Midnight!” We also set out a bowl of chapsticks and mints for guests to get “Kiss Ready!”

Quick New Year’s Eve Party Tip #7:

Have fun!! Fun is absolutely contagious. Even if you didn’t get EVERYTHING you wanted to get done finished… enjoy your party and enjoy welcoming the New Year. Your guests will certainly enjoy themselves more if you are leading the way in having a good time!

If you liked this post then check out these posts from the same party feature!

Modern and Chic NYE Party on Pizzazzerie

FREE Modern New Years’ Eve Printables

Rosemary Bliss Cocktail

Blinis with Creme Fraiche and Caviar

Festive Appetizer Plate Upgrade

Savory Chevre Balsamic Chips

Easy DIY Food Platters

This past week I featured tons of NYE party DIYs and Tips from this mock-party,

first featured on Pizzazzerie.com!

A BIG thank you to my NYE party collaborators—

Check out their blogs!

Photography: Macey of Motormouth Studios

Event Styling: ME! of A Well Crafted Party

Menu: Bee of The Spicy Bee and Kate of Fork and Vine

Venue Styling: Adi of Garden of Edlen

Model Styling: Sarah of The Confessions of a Product Junkie

Models: Sarah, Carter, Kate, Will, Adi, Matt, Kayla of Fit Life Forward and Suzannah of Adventures in Dressmaking

Twitter @JenniBost — Facebook — Pinterest — RSS Feed

A Well Crafted Kid

Our Second Christmas: X and a flute

December 28, 2012 No Comments A Well Crafted Kid

X on Christmas evening listening to his Grandad play his flute. Photo taken by my lovely SIL.

I hope you all had a very, merry Christmas. We sure did! (I’m sure I’ll come back over the next couple of days to tell you about all the frustrating things that happened over the holidays. A toddler with a home full of visitors—while trying to adjust to a toddler bed and teething— is a story all on its own.) We had lots of fun with gifts this year because he enjoyed opening the presents and playing with them. The little man actually only got a pair of pjs (that he wore on Christmas eve) from me and his daddy. But, he opened nearly 30 gifts from his aunts, uncles, odd parents, and grandparents… they went a little crazy over him. But, we sure did appreciate it and he loved every second of it.

My absolute favorite memory of the year was the evening of our Christmas celebration when X’s grandad played Christmas music on his flute. X was SO good! He did his best not to touch the flute, only gave in to temptation once or twice. He stood right in front of his Grandad with a look of pure awe on his face. He’d clap at times. He sang. He’d sign “more” when the music stopped. And, then, he looked around and did the above expression and looked at us all like we should join in on the fun! If I had just been able to use the above image for this year’s Christmas card! It would have been PERFECT! The flute experience was amazing, and hilarious. X’s uncle shot a video of the fun as well… enjoy!

Linked up to these parties:

A Well Crafted Pantry

Recipe: Blinis with Crème Fraîche and Caviar

December 23, 2012 3 Comments A Well Crafted Pantry

This is a guest post featuring one of the delicious hors d’oeuvres that was pictured in the Chic & Modern New Year’s Eve party featured on Pizzazzerie.com. This is part of a Portland Blogger’s Collaboration photo shoot and post series. Read on to see a recipe for a delicious (and easy!) party appetizer: The Blini with Creme Fraiche and Caviar.