My Creative Blog [Search results for Entertaining] 

This is the first installment of a mini-series on entertaining and hospitality. For me and Eric, it's a big part of our relationship and family- we love having people over and sharing our home and our food! Over the years, we've learned that so many people are intimidated by the idea of having company over. The stress and hassle they feel, makes it not-so-fun to have people over. I have some entertaining tips, ideas, and also some myths to debunk over the next few weeks! Let's get started… When's the last time you were at someone's house and wished the entire experience was fancier and more formal? Let's be real… I have never left a friend's house and thought,"Man, I wish she had more fork options around my plate, and the wrinkles in the cloth napkins were so distracting!"

The Martha Blog This photo is from a dinner Martha hosted recently for a"few friends." The menu was: Warm Salad of Spring Vegetables -Â Green Pea Jus Osso Bucco -Â Risotto Milanese with Saffron Pavlova -Â Passion Fruit Sorbet NEWSFLASH: Your guests DO NOT expect the Martha treatment (Unless you're really Martha Stewart, in which case- thanks for reading our blog!) Yes, it's nice to sometimes add special touches, and there is definitely a time and a place for that, but don't feel pressured to impress. REMINDER: It's assumed that the people coming over already like you and vice-versa! You don't need to impress them- just make them feel welcome. Since we sold our dining room table three weeks ago, our weekly company has been sitting on folding chairs around two Costco tables and they keep coming back! Monica's Entertaining Rule # 1: Don't try to impress your friends and family. They already like you and think you're pretty great. On this note, I want to share one of my favorite blogs with you. Catalog Living is a humorous look into the lives of families living in the uber-perfect rooms in all of our favorite catalogs. Gary and Elaine are my favorite, and they often live in Pottery Barn rooms. Here are a few of the rooms and captions that made me smile…

Satisfied that he’d gotten enough practice in today, Gary decided to treat himself and stow away his counting board a little early.

Kids! Dinner! Last one to the table gets the tetanus stool!

Recognizing the familiar sound of a shattering crunch followed by a scream, Elaine prepared for another recitation of her “These are not powdered sugar donut holes” speech These absolutely kill me and I was laughing so much tonight choosing which ones to post. There are tons of funny ones, but I chose these pictures to remind you that you don't live in a catalog-perfect home (again, sorry Martha if you're reading… your home is quite perfect.) Yes, people don't want sticky pancake syrup on themselves from leaning on your kitchen table, but don't go overboard thinking your home needs to be spotless and look like something out of a magazine. So, let these things sink in over the weekend and next week we'll work on some easy peasy tips and ideas to make this entertaining thing less stressful and a lot more fun! Have a good weekend and don't forget to submit your Design Challeng{ed} photos!

I thought we'd start off this week with the second part of our entertaining mini-series. If you missed my tips on how to avoid a panic attack when you find out you're having company, you can check it out here.
So, one of the first things people worry about when they find out company's coming over is…

Source  I have two approaches to this question… There are meals I make when I want a fancy, impressive dinner and then there are meals that I make that are simple, yummy, and no real frills (these are the ones most of my friends are all familiar with!) I could do a whole post on my fancy meals (most of which are stolen from my mother-in-law, who is an amazing cook!) but for this post I want to talk about a Go-To Meal. In my world, a go-to meal is one that I can whip up if I have last minute guests or if I completely forgot that I was supposed to be making a meal (a common occurrence- have I mentioned I'm absent minded??) Monica's Entertaining Rule # 2: Have a Go-To Meal and always have its ingredients in the house.
To figure out what your go-to meal should be, ask a few questions… What meal does my whole family like (kids and adults)?, Is it simple to make and won't keep you in the kitchen once company arrives? Can you keep the ingredients on hand without them perishing?
My Go-To Meal Monica's Chicken (yes, we call it that) Roasted Potatoes Veggie Cheesy-Garlic Biscuits
So, Monica's Chicken started about 13 years ago when we still lived in MA. We had dinner at the house of a family from our church. She made this dish and I LOVED it. Eventually, we changed the name to Monica's Chicken because I was obsessed with it. I didn't take any pics of making it because I'm not doing a cooking tutorial and because taking pictures of raw chicken is creepy to me. (I'll put the recipes somewhere on the blog for you soon!) I use this as my go-to main dish because it takes about 5 mins to prep and then just bakes for 45 mins and voila!
I love potatoes. Really, I think they're the best food in the world, maybe second only to sour cream. Once, one of the million times I was pregnant, we were out to dinner with Eric's family and I ordered potato soup, potato skins, and loaded mashed potatoes as my meal. The waitress' face was priceless and finally someone explained I was pregnant (but honestly, I don't think that had anything to do with it!) Ok, so for my go-to side dish of course I'm going to use potatoes, plus we always have them in the house. These are my pick, because they're awesome, easy, and actually look pretty good. Again, they only take 5 mins and then bake for the same time as Monica's Chicken.

The finished product- I <3 Potatoes!

Ok, sorry if you're all gourmet and offended by Bisquick, but I keep it on hand. These garlic cheese ones are like 99 cents and with a little added cheese and then melted butter and garlic on top are awesome!

In between taking pictures, cooking, doing dishes, and letting this adorable little man help out

…I forgot to make any vegetables. My go-to veggie is actually Costco's Normandy Blend because it's sold in like 47 lb bags and is really good and doesn't taste like most frozen veggies. Unfortunately, I didn't realize my veggie faux pas until we were actually sitting down to eat, so… canned green beans it was! Oops!

So, there you have it, my Go-To Meal in a snap. If you don't have a go-to meal, I totally recommend it and it will definitely make your life easier. This week, think through it, and then grab the ingredients when you're shopping. Hey, maybe then you can do something wild and crazy, like inviting company for dinner at the last minute! So, what are your ideas for a Go-To Meal? Do Share!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bed Bath & Beyond. All opinions are 100% mine.

You know that around here we pretty much dance to our own beat and love to decorate with a fun, out of the box style…have you seen my Fabric Christmas Tree post or my new mid-century modern fireplace? So when Bed Bath & Beyond asked us to help them celebrate"Holiday Your Way", we knew it was a perfect fit.

Not only do they have helpful tips for how to decorate and prepare your home for the holiday season, but they also have great advice on making houseguests happy. We're all about entertaining and making sure our guests are having a good time, and have a cozy place to sleep and relax as well. Remember our friends guestroom we helped give a face lift to…

Now, not everyone has the time or space to do an entire room makeover. So, that's why Bed Bath & Beyond is here to help you figure out what you do need for your guests with the space you have with their guest room checklist. Of course you first want to welcome them with love and a cool door mat like this one from BB&B, which is actually made from recycled rubber tires!

I only wish I had come across their Holiday Your Way articles before hosting a huge crew for Thanksgiving. We had 12 people sleeping at our house, we hosted friends and family for dinner & games on Wed. night- 27 people, and hosted Thanksgiving for 17. It was awesome!! But, to make Christmas hosting ever better I've rounded up some ideas from Bed Bath & Beyond for ya!

One way to make your guests comfortable if you don't have a spare bed is with an air mattress, which BB&B has a great selection of. This AeroBed has a really nice pillow top and I can vouch for it's comfort because my in-laws own it and I've slept on it before.

I especially love their tip about color coordinating your guests' bath towels, this will come in handy if you have a packed house and would like your guests to keep track of which towel they are using. This set of Lasting Color Cotton Towels by WestPoint Home look so soft… and I'd love you to share if you have any tips for keeping/getting your towels extra soft. My cousin Jacqui has such soft towels every time we stay there. This past Thanksgiving when she was down visiting I actually re-washed about 10 towels, just to try and get them to seem extra soft right before she arrived. I think I'll be making a BB&B trip soon for new guest towels. So if you have any tips, send them my way.

When you have guests over it's not just about a cozy air mattress to sleep on and soft towels to use, but about keeping them entertained as well. Bed Bath & Beyond has a smart tip about making sure your guests have your WiFi password so they can use their own tablets or laptops, as well as showing them how to use and turn on your entertainment consoles. Our pal Ann Marie from White House Black Shutters made a super fun Wi-fi artwork so guests could look over and have the code, but strangers would never know what it was! Genius I tell ya! I could have used this over the holiday, because I think I gave out the wi-fi 30 times.

One other guest must-have is a Keurig; it's the best way to make sure everyone has the drink they like, how they like it. Eric loves pumpkin coffee, my mom decaf, my aunt tea, the kids cocoa… you get the idea. Did you know there's a Keurig espresso machine?

Isn't she pretty! I like my k-cup Keurig machine, but if you enjoy a nice cup of Italian espresso every now and then, why not!

Bed Bath & Beyond is a great place to go for tips to survive the holiday season if you're expecting a house full of guests. Stop by their Holiday Entertaining section for more advice on important things to know and prepare for like guests' food allergies, activities for the kids, and more. I was pleasantly surprised how fun and helpful their articles were!

So tell us, what are some surviving and enjoying the holiday tips you've learned throughout the years?

I love entertaining, but I'm always looking for ways to improve!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TIKI Brand® for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
I'm a huge fan of outdoor living spaces, but you all know that working outside is not our forte. Last year, though, we added some much needed curb appeal by painting our front door and shutters to better fit our style, but this summer, our goal is to beautify the back yard, which is where we spend most of our time. Of course, i have big plans for our backyard. Who doesn't?! This will just be one of those things that will have to happen slowly over time, but a girl can dream, can't she? My backyard must-haves? Let's take a look: 1. Comfortable seating. I mean, come on. If I'm going to be spending lots of time outdoors with my kids or entertaining my friends, i want to have a nice cozy spot to sit and hang out.

Source

2. A secluded area that fits in with the natural surroundings. I'm a huge fan of seating areas that are snuggled under trees or is next to big planters in a hidden spot. That's not super easy to do, since we live in a neighborhood, but I think with the right plants, we could make this happen in some way.

Source 3. Great Ambiance. Man, i love me some outdoor lighting that sets the mood and creates an unforgettable atmosphere. Sadly, in the northeast where we live, we get lots of mosquitos at night that are attracted to lights. Booo. How can we light our space without attracting all those bugs?

Source Enter TIKI Brand lighting. This is one way I can immediately get to work on my backyard, create ambiance and keep the bugs away, even if I dont' have my dream space yet. The TIKI Brand Flame & Solar Torch is super simple to assemble and use. I was so impressed with how sturdy everything was…not like those old, plastic-y ones.The coolest thing about these torches is that they come with a small LED attachment that can be used when you're entertaining around a lot of people, especially kids. You don't have to worry about someone running into an open flame, which is a huge bonus in my book. The LED light turns on automatically at night and will last 8 hours after a full-day charge.

The other nice thing about the TIKI Brand Glowing Torch fuel is that it contains OFF! for protection from bugs. The worst thing about summer evenings is most definitely the bugs, and now I don't have to worry about that either.

Monica put her TIKI Brand Glowing Table Torch. on her table Monica and it is such a cool statement piece. It works much the same way in that it has a battery-powered LED light that illuminates the globe and the torch for a live flame. It looks super fun and modern and adds another interesting light feature to her outdoor space.

You can buy TIKI brand products at Walmart and Target for under $40. They definitely add a fun ambiance to any backyard space. Don't forget to follow TIKI Brand on Facebook for lots more ideas on creating the ultimate backyard expi

We interrupt this regularly schedule DIY program for an important announcement (I've always wanted to use that phrase somewhere!): We have some incredible sponsors who provide loads of amazing products just waiting to be purchased for one-of-a-kind Christmas presents! I've broken them down into categories for you…
Gift-Giving

Ok, you may remember me talking about the amazing art prints from Red Letter Words, but did you know Dee also offers adorable greeting cards and candles? Not only that, but messages printed on the greeting cards are so meaningful and thoughtful- perfect as a stocking stuffer, a gift for a friend, a teacher and the list goes on and on. Get 15% off until December 15th with the code MERRY15. Order by December 19th for Christmas delivery. (Excludes custom prints and the print of the month) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Every year I try to give my neighbors a little gift, and this 1-2-3 Dip! Gift set from Pampered Chef is perfect! I am such a sucker for chips and dip. I pretty much could live on it. And if you don't have neighbors, buy a few as hostess gifts (they'll be sure to get you an invitation to next year's party!: ) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ok, Jane sent us a few of her 100% soy candles to try, and I can.not.get.enough. of the Christmas pine scent. I've been burning it around the clock since I got it, and the beautiful thing is, that because it's soy, it's long-lasting! Order a few of these as gifts, or just go ahead and buy a stash for yourself! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How about this adorable Littles Carry-All Caddy in the Winter Wonderland pattern from Thirty-One Gifts for teachers in your (or your kid's) lives? Fill it with a mug, some good chocolate and a gift card to Starbucks and you're set! It comes in 10 different patterns, so you'll be sure to find something for everyone. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Entertaining

Planning a holiday party? Spread some Festive Cheer with this cocktail idea from Garnish. Goodness, could their stuff be any more darling? I could literally spend all my party budget on the goodies from Garnish- who needs food anyway? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I came across this super-cute idea to use scrapbook paper as a charger on a holiday table, and I'm in love! You could totally use this fabulous paper from Moo & Puppy and alternate the patterns underneath the plates for coordinated, but not identical place settings! {Swoon}

Use the code HOUSEWIVES20 for 20% off of your order. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I love Dream Dinners. I really do. And they are total life-savers if you are hosting a holiday party or dinner. So many of the meals can be easily turned into appetizers, like this Coconut Shrimp with Sweet & Sour dipping sauce. Make your holidays stress-free with ready-to-cook meals. Use the code DDNC201110 for 10% off your first order. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For the Home

Well, looky what I found on Craigslist. A $15 chair that would be absolutely stunning if reupholstered in some new fabric! Jet Upholstery could do that in heartbeat, and guess what? You can save 25% off any fabric order when you mention RHBC. Now go! That chair won't last long (especially because I can't keep my eyes off of it!) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In our winnings from Crafting with the Stars, we both got to choose stencils from Royal Design Studio. They are the best place to get designer decorative stencils and tools. Monica chose this Morrocan Stencil- Chez Sheik:

And I'm getting this lovely Large Fabric Damask stencil:

We both have big plans for our stencils and come on, you know you have an area in your house that's just dying to be stenciled. Am I right? Head over to Royal Design Studio to be totally inspired.
Use the coupon code RHBC10 for 10% off your order! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Giving Back

We are often so focused on buying gifts at this time of year, but really, it's also a great time to give back. Head on over to Scout & Nimble to see how you can be a part of her awesome iniative to do just that. Also, did you see this ah-ma-zing rug she just got?

So jealous. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ok, that's it! No excuses for lame gifts this year, people!; )

Friday night we had the awesome privilege of being the special guests at Calvary Church of Souderton's Ladies Night Out. We were asked to come up with something involving DIYing and be super entertaining while 450 women looked on… yikers, no small task right?

We chatted about it a bit and then decided we were up for another White Box Challenge!! If you missed our first one with Nate Berkus, you can check it out HERE. We set up a Plain Jane, Ho-Hum room, talked through each project, starting it on stage in front of everyone, and then had 30 minutes during intermission to actually transform the room. Yes, we know we're completely insane!!

We wish all of you across the country could have come to the event- it was SUPER fun, but since you couldn't- we thought we'd share some of the fun with you!!
One of the first things we talked about was using what you've got. We've all got"mad skillz" but my skillz are probably pretty different than yours. Rather than feeling like you've got to fit into a perfect mold, instead, find a way to use what you're good at- and what you most likely love- to help others. Sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking we need to serve in the traditional ways i.e. church nursery, ushering at church, helping at a food bank- and while all of those are awesome and perfect for some people, God might have gifted you in a different way, to do different things. For some weird reason, I can make rooms look pretty… not your typical serving"gift", but Jess and I have been able to use it in awesome ways- decorating the women's recovery center, Jess did the children's room at her house, our Design It Forward projects etc… Bottom line: Use what you've got, don't try and fit into someone else's mold- God wants to use YOU with the cool talents he's given you.

Then, we talked about using what you've got in your home!! We all have rooms in our houses that we'd like to change, but odds are we don't need to go out and start from scratch- so we explored ideas for making generic items awesome!! The biggest things to remember hear are #1- Don't be afraid to try something!! Working on Knock It Off, we're now 100% convinced that fear is what holds peeps back from making their home exactly how they want it! #2- Your home should reflect YOU! It doesn't need to look like a Pottery Barn catalog (although those are pretty)- it should be a place that YOU love. If that means a green piano, then go for it. If it means neutral, planked walls, then have at it! Whatever you do, just make sure it feels right for you and your family.

So, here's where our room started off… (We actually struggled to make it look"bad" Jess kept staging things nicely and I would go through and mess them up on purpose!)

The space was fine, but kind of blah- no real personality at all… Now, please forgive me… this is a blogger foul, but the after pic is from a different spot- you don't get the full room. There were 450 ladies in the room at the end and I couldn't get off stage to get a good pic. My bad!
BUT…Here's the room after our 30 minute makeover!

Just a wee bit better eh? Here's a bit of a before and after all you can eat buffet, and we'll be back later this week with more project how-to info!
Ikea RAST dressers are under $40 and you can do so many things with them! Here it is BEFORE…

And AFTER… We combined two to make a fun, color blocked buffet.

And in case you didn't notice… we found the biggest shade this side of the border!! We picked up this baby at a thrift shop…

We knew it had potential, it was just being hidden by a 10 foot shade… it was like a"shade-nado" Ok, bad, lame joke sorry!
With some fun orange spray paint and a new shade trimmed with ribbon, it looked much better!

My official survey showed that 8/10 households has at some point owned an Ikea LACK side table. I mean at $7.99 it's almost impossible not to buy one. The problem is that it SCREAMS Ikea more than any other piece.

The good news… it's one of the easiest Ikea pieces to hack! We turned ours into a tufted ottoman with this gorgeous Ikat fabric (we got it at Joann- use a coupon to get the great price we paid!)

Another common Ikea piece is this chair… Again, so cheap, but sadly, looks it.

We added nail head detailing and paint dipped the legs in the same orange as the lamp. Added a fun pillow and suddenly this Ikea chair isn't so generic anymore!

Art can be expensive and unless to want to unload tons of cash, it's usually pretty generic. This is just blah artwork you could find at Target, Kohls, etc…

We used letters cut on paper, some spray adhesive, and spray paint to make our own custom art. The options are endless with this project.

How 'bout that for some fun before and afters?!? And honestly, every project was started live on-stage and then we finished all of them, painted the top of the wall, and added chair rail in 30 minutes! It was insanity and oh, so awesome all at once.
We couldn't have done it without the help of some awesome volunteers!! Our blog readers rock and 3 awesome ladies worked behind the scenes to have all the projects ready to go for intermission. Dana, Beth, and Donna were great to work with and plus, we love meeting readers in real life!! Thanks again ladies!!
Also, our carpenter and friend Matt made our entire white box before the event and then installed a chair rail and painted the teal walls during intermission in about 5 minutes flat! Matt's in the Philly area and does amazing contracting work! If you need a project done- he's our #1 recommendation! You can reach him at mattvapps@hotmail.com Tell him we sent you!!

So, all-in-all we felt like the event was a success. We loved the challenge and thrill of doing a room live, but more importantly- we LOVED being able to challenge so many women to use what they've got in their homes and also in their lives. We're honored and feel pretty darn blessed to have been given this opportunity.
Check back later this week for project how-to's and other inspiration ideas for these pieces! If you were at the event… what'd you think? Are you ready to try some DIY in your own home?

We were really excited when we heard about this screened in sunroom needed a makeover! We hadn't tackled an outdoor space yet for Knock It Off, and we were bursting with ideas. Here's where things started…

And here's where we ended up… We created a space that was fully comfortable, much more weather-proof, and filled with style- all on a small budget!

Soon we'll post tutorials for the sectional, plant wall, how to paint siding, and the painted rug, but for now, here's some eye candy from the makeover!
This drink station is actually a fold down table. When it's not in use, you can attach it to the wall and it looks like artwork. It was incredibly simple to make and such a great thing to have for entertaining.

We wanted to set this space off as a room of it's own, so we went bold by painting stripes on the exterior siding. It added a huge pop of color and just made the space super cheery (and I know that sounds cheesy, but it's true!). The plant wall was much cheaper than large artwork and also helped with our goal of bringing the outside in!

We were excited that we not only gave the homeowners an entire sitting area with the sectional, but we were also able to give them a little dinette where they could enjoy a meal (or soft pretzel!) outside!

These solar lanterns are from Ikea and you should see how fun they look at night! We added so much mood lighting that we almost wished we could have revealed the room at night! Our producers told us night reveals are a no no: )

And the sectional… ahh we loved how this turned out!! We know many bloggers have built outdoor furniture, but this was our first attempt at it (we didn't mention that to the homeowners of course!!) We basically decided how large we wanted the sectional, did a lot of math to determine how big each piece should be, and then crossed our fingers. Amazingly, it was really simple to build once we had a plan! We'll write a full post on our build within the next week!

If you missed this episode, head over to The Live Well Network for our Knock It Off Page. You can watch the full episodes online HERE.

Stay tuned for all the tutorials coming to EC2 in the next week or so!!
Do tell, what was your favorite part of this Sunroom Makeover?

Are you looking for the link party for your Creating with the Stars submission? Yay! We're thrilled to have you! Click here or use the button below to link up. Submissions are now open until February 21st. If you want to read more about the contest and all that it entails, click here.

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At the end of 2011 I set a goal to give our hideous powder room a face lift… well, 2012 came and went and I'm here to apologize to anyone that had to do their business in my ugly bathroom. My bad! This isn't a full, makeover so let's just call it a"pick me up" (I thought about calling it a poop-me-up or something like that, but Jess hates jokes like that. Ha! I think I might need to hang out with Katie Bower or something!)

Part of the reason I waited so long is that this bathroom is Weird, with a capital W… I actually got on the floor to take a picture of the ceiling, so you can see the wonky shape of the room…

Yeah, it's straight up weird, but I finally got over it and got to business!
Here's what we did for our Powder Room Pick Me Up…

The pear colored paint, stayed the same, but we added a birch stencil that made it so much cooler (and almost aged me by about 15 years… really, who decides to stencil the one wall that has the light, toilet, and sink!Ahhh!)

I recycled some old frames and added some super inexpensive Ikea prints
The mirror was another freebie! I used a piece of wood that was an old wagon side- Jess hooked me up with the wood. BFF with barnwood hookups = Awesome! Tutorial coming later this week!

I said ADIOS to the builder grade light fixture…

And fell in LOVE with this outdoor light from Lowes! It was under $40!

I recycled an old, ugly piece of art into a custom piece with one of my favorite verses from an old hymn. I love how the words are subtle, but man, do they speak to my heart every time I read them. I've got a full tutorial coming your way on this baby. The before and after is crazy different!

And if you don't know by know, I can't really have a room without a touch of my sense of humor, so in direct contrast from the hymn artwork… let me introduce you to POTTY TALK!

It's just a little ol' chalkboard where you can leave a note while you… well… ya know… We told our kids that bad words excluded, anything goes on the Potty Talk wall. The first week we had a lot of #1 and #2 notes, but since then it's been pretty entertaining. I'll also mention that Uncle Bry and Daddy are responsible for the potty poems. Those guys make me laugh!
Last, but not least, I added a rug from Target and called it a day.

The entire room cost me under $60 and now it's a decent space, with a bit of personality! I love when I can switch things up for almost no money! Check back later this week for the mirror and artwork tutorials!
What do you think of this Powder Room Pick Me Up? Would you be willing to do your business here??