This year we decided to serve our Thanksgiving dinner buffet style. This means the whole table is left for beautification - center pieces, candles, flowers, fruits, objects of love. But, where to start?!? We've gathered some tabletop ideas to pull from.
You can find photo credits, design details and more Thanksgiving Table Top inspiration on our Thanksgiving Tabletop Pinterest Board.
Also, don't forget to send guests a special Thanksgiving Online Invitation.
It's the time of year where cold winter weather is approaching. While many of us are fortunate enough to drink a hot coco or coffee and snuggle up with the heater on, there are many who are not as fortunate. Luckily, there are several ways to help your local homeless community. Coming together and holding a donation party is effective and can teach the importance of giving.
Hosting this event is fairly simple. Invite your neighbors to a luncheon with food, drinks, and celebration. Suggest a list of donation items that your local shelters are in need of and add incentive by making a donation item the key to your event. Not all homeless individuals can reach shelters, however and some are too crowded. Another option is to have everyone bring supplies for blessing bags.
Blessing bags are a collection of necessities usually found in homeless shelters that one may give to a homeless individual asking for help. Usually these bags would include a combination of these items:
These are usually placed in a plastic zip bag, but if you are against plastic, we suggest a reusable waterproof bag. When giving a blessing bag, don't be afraid of starting a conversation and remember that assuming someone's situation is condescending, so if a homeless individual does not want a blessing bag, don't force them to take it.
For more inspiration, follow us on Pinterest!
Want to make these lovely painted antlers? You can at DIY Wildwood Boutique. Mount your painted masterpieces to an old piece of barn wood or use them as a centerpiece.
The holiday season is the perfect time to connect or reconnect with the people around you. Sending them a home made treat basket as a warm greeting shows you really care and that you're thinking of them. This may seem like a big project, but it's easier if you do it in steps:
1) Start with a homemade card. The difference between a store bought card and a home made card can go a long way for many people. Write a small description of the items in the basket and how they remind you of the recipient, it'll make them realize how unique and special they are to you. Then, start filling the basket with a layer of cloth, tissue paper, or something else that will help cushion the items.
2) An assortment of the recipients favorite foods and drinks such as cookies, shortbread, fruit, nuts, alcoholic and/or non-alcoholic beverages like sodas, juices, etc should be included. If you don't know many of them, make and educated guess, but keep any dietary restrictions and allergies in mind.
3) Balance out the food and drink items with something else they like. For example, lotions, cooking utensils, or coffee mugs. To go the extra mile, have a few of the items monogrammed with their initials. Happy holidays!
For more inspiration for the holiday season, follow us on Pinterest!
Sendo Invitations announces their 2015 Holiday Invitation Collection. Rustic Barnwood, Gold Foil Deer, Modern Christmas Tree, Holiday Floral, Winter Wear & Olive Wreath. Track RSVPs, post to social media, poll your guests, sell event tickets and upload photos or logos. Start planning your holiday festivities now!
Halloween is just around the corner and with the busy lives we lead, finding a costume can be a challenge. However, limited time does not equal a bad costume. With a pinch of creativity, you can build a great costume out of things you already own. Small details can add a surprising amount of character, so don't skim on wigs, hats, gloves, glasses, make up or jewelry.
An easy way to pick a costume is to find a character or person that you already look like, and preferably one that you also like or connect with. To make it look more convincing, pay attention to the facial features that you don't have in common with the person or character you are emulating. Freckles, moles, and wrinkles are super easy to place, but if you want to take it a step further and try contouring your face to look like theirs.
If you're talented enough, you don't even have to look like the person! For more costume and Halloween ideas, follow us on Pinterest. Happy costuming!
Usually when we think of Halloween, we think of candy. Allowing children to have some sugar is okay, but too much can be dangerous. It's important to establish healthy eating habits when children are young. Trick-or-treating on an empty stomach can make it possible for them to binge on sugar, so start Halloween night with some healthy snacks.
Remember that healthy snacks don't have to be boring! Get into the Halloween spirit by making classic characters out of fruits, like Frankenstein's monster pictured above. Many snacks are easy enough for a child to make as long as they are being supervised and assisted when using kitchen utensils. It's no secret that kids have vivid imaginations, so helping in the kitchen could be an opportunity to allow their creativity to flow.
Trick-or-treating means your kids will be walking around and burning a lot of energy, so it's important to keep them nourished and give them a health boost before indulging in some sugary sweets.
Follow us on Pinterest so you don't miss out on any more creative ideas! We hope you have a happy and healthy Halloween.
The Outdoor Wedding Planning Guide
Ah, to be in the great outdoors is a wonderful thing, especially when celebrating a special event such as a wedding. When one thinks of an outdoor wedding, a couple of things may spring to mind – a soft breeze, blue sky, natural odors of shrubbery and perhaps even the open sea. However romantic that sounds, the reality can be considerably different as a lot can happen when celebrating in the open air.
Detailing everything from the development of a rain strategy plan to making sure that your location is really the best option for you, the following is a quick outdoor wedding planning guide.
Consider the pros and cons of your chosen location
Whether you’ve chosen to celebrate your nuptial in Heaton House Farm in the English countryside or on a private island in the Caribbean, you must explore the pros and cons of your decision. Each outdoor wedding choice will have its own upsides and downsides, but let’s take a beach wedding as an example of what to look out for when doing this.
Pros of a beach wedding – When planned correctly and executed without a hiccup, a beach wedding can be picture perfect. Just close your eyes and imagine the sound of gently lapping waves crawling up the white sandy beach. Feel the warm breeze in your hair and the rays of the sun on your back; need we say more about the pros of a beach wedding? I think not.
Cons – Anything more than a gentle sea breeze will mean that you’ll have to go to great lengths to secure all fixtures of your ceremony, from the chairs and the candles to the tent and perhaps even your veil. Even though it plays a determining role in the success of an event in all outdoor venues, it seems to be that little bit more crucial when it comes to beach weddings. Imagine your guests getting soaked to the skin, the blustery air turning your hair into a birds nest and your wedding flowers ending up in the ocean…I think you get the idea of how important these consideration are.
Keep extra costs in mind
Just because you’re having your wedding outside, it does not mean that everything will be free. To stay on budget and ensure that all your expenses are accounted for, ask yourself the following:
Have a Plan B as backup
The last think that you’ll want to do when planning a wedding is to…well, plan two weddings. However, when organising an event that vastly depends on the mood of Mother Nature, a backup plan is essential. When formulating this plan, be sure to think of the ‘worst case scenario’ kind of things and consider what would be the best course of action should these occur. And, as is the case with planning an outdoor wedding in any location – whether that be a farmyard, lakeside, on the beach or in a cave – the earlier you formulate this backup strategy, the better.
It's getting colder outside, so why not bring the party inside? Gather some pals and have a cozy indoor tea party.
Anything frilly, lacy, and intricate goes for this theme. This party can be as big or small as you want it to be. You may have a few people over and sit around a coffee table, or have enough to fill a dining room. Doilies are a classic for table settings, and especially tea parties. Add a splash of color to your event by dying them, or turn them into a table runner. If doilies don't work with your theme, try folding napkins into shapes. Origami bowls are a charming way to hold smaller foods like sugar cubes or candies. Sometimes even the teacups themselves can seem like a decoration. To add mood lighting, make a candle out of your extra teacups. A secret to cleaning candle wax out of cups or bowls is to freeze them overnight. The wax will shrink and should pop off easily if the surface is smooth. This way, you can reuse your teacups to make more candles.
Finger foods are traditional for English tea parties. Make a balance of sweet and savory foods. Finger sandwiches, mini quiches, and other medium-sized snacks will keep your guests from filling up so they can enjoy the wonderful teas. Scones, tarts, cookies, and fruit can be served along with your savory choices for your guests to mix and match. Cream and sugar are also traditionally served with tea. Sugar cubes can be a lot of fun and adds character to your party. You can even flavor them and add to your tea drinking experience.
Choose a few teas that your guests will like and maybe some other warm drinks like hot chocolate or apple cider. Each tea has a different effect on the human body. The drink choices should mirror the mood of your event. For example, if you want to hang back and relax, choose something like a chamomile tea. If you're feeling confident or adventurous, you can make your own blends by buying bulk teas and dried herbs.
For more inspiration, follow us on Pinterest. We have a board full of ideas for your perfect cozy tea party!
The original Oktoberfest takes place in Munich, Germany every year in September and lasts until the first Sunday in October. Many cities may have their own Oktoberfest, but that doesn't mean you can't have one just for your friends.
The blue and white diamond pattern is very popular for Oktoberfest parties and that's because it's on the Bavarian flag. While it's important to honor the origins of this celebration, other good colors to use would be warm greens, golds, yellows, and browns. The decorations for this party should have a little bit of a warm, rustic autumnal theme in order to emulate the jolly atmosphere of Oktoberfest. This party is best with many guests. A wooden dining table and chairs, cozy candle center pieces, leafy garlands, and decorative pumpkins should put your guests in the right mood.
German food is very hearty and filling. There are many German dishes you can choose from. Most traditional dishes consist of pork, chicken, eggs, potatoes, cheese, cabbage, sausage, and bread. A few timeless favorites are spaetzle and schnitzel. It's always courteous to have snacks out for your guests and a popular snack for Oktoberfest is the soft pretzel, usually paired with a variety of mustards. Apple pie (Apfelkuchen) and Black Forest cake (Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte) are both delicious desserts originating from Germany.
Oktoberfest is famous for it's celebration of beer, but another German staple is wine. It's also best to offer non-alcoholic drinks, such as apple cider or pumpkin juice, and of course water.
This festival is all about having a great time. Setting up a beer and/or wine tasting game is a great way to get the party started. Get everyone moving and play some polka music. Oktoberfest isn't just about sitting around and drinking beer, it's also about connecting with people, so set up a few game tents, like:
If you're looking for more inspiration, follow us on Pinterest. We have board set up with other ideas for Oktoberfest parties. Prost!
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