Every year when the Super Bowl comes around people use it as an excuse for a party. Personally, I don’t think you need an excuse for a party, but it’s fun to have the game on as an activity in between socializing! Plus, if you don’t like the game itself, the commercials alone are worth watching! So why not host your own party for the big game? And it doesn’t even have to be the Super Bowl. It could be your favorite college teams bowl game or your NFL team’s playoff game! Whatever the reason there are a few things to keep in mind.

Number 1: Make sure there is plenty of FOOD! What is it about a sporting event on TV that makes us want to snack? Well you need to make sure the crowds are well fed. The key is making it a buffet style party so people don’t miss the game. And if you really want to watch the game, make food that can be prepped early!The ever favorite chips and dip is important. FoodNetwork.com is a great resource for Game Day Snack recipes. And if you are making any of these, here is a fun Football Dip Holder.

Now that you have the dip, you need the vehicle for getting the dip in your mouth! Crackers, pretzels, chips, pita bread you name it. Most anything can be used. So why not put it in this fun Textured Football Bowl?

Number 2: Decorations! No party is complete without decorations. If you have a favorite team, you can use the team colors. Just about every team out there has branded disposable party supplies. If you don’t care who wins…football decorations in general work well. Create a “football” table by using a green disposable tablecloth and use white duct tape to create the lines on a football field. Make sure you have plenty of disposable plates, napkins and utensils, because really, who wants to clean all that up?

And finally Number 3: Beverages, adult or otherwise! Obviously the drink of choice for many is beer. Make sure plenty is on hand and kept cold. A great solution for this is one of these Copper Rivet Planters filled with ice and beer. You can even squeeze in a wine bottle for those who don’t drink beer.

While you are at it, have a second planter on hand for soft drinks and water for those who prefer non-alcoholic drinks. And if you really want to get fancy, FoodNetwork.com had some great punch recipes for a big crowd.

Let’s Watch Some Football!

It’s that time of year for family and friends to come visiting. You want to make them feel as comfortable as they would in their own homes. There are many ways to do this, but small touches can have a big impact.

From beautiful decanters for bedside water to an arrangement of their favorite flowers in an elegant vase, this article from www.coastalliving.com provides some great ideas.

Welcome Your Guests

Nothing says Christmas like live, potted poinsettias, placed strategically around your home to add a touch of the season. At our house typically we like to place a couple on the mantel above the fireplace in our living room and on our buffet cabinet in the dining room. Usually it is a spur of the moment purchase, we are at the store, see the plants and think, “Those would look nice.” We place the plants and do a little watering and once Christmas is over, the plants get tossed. Well with a little coddling and the right planter, you can keep these beautiful flowers all year round.

The first thing I learned is that a poinsettia is actually a tropical plant! Why they are so popular at Christmastime beats me, but when you are out making your poinsettia purchase during the Holiday season, take special care to protect the plant from the elements, especially the cold. They are extremely sensitive to cold temperatures and even the slightest exposure to cold can damage your newly purchased plant. The optimal daytime temperature for a poinsettia is anywhere from 60-70° and night time temps of 55°. Not only do poinsettia’s react poorly to extreme cold, extreme heat can damage your plant too. Take care to place the plant away from cold windows, (touching these can damage the leaves and flowers) and also keep it away from hot places. So when I was putting mine next to our fireplace, I was likely causing the plants to die prematurely!

If you wish your poinsettia to live past it’s holiday decorating life, re-potting the plant when you arrive home is key. The pot’s that the plants are usually sold in are too small. What better way to make a statement than potting your plant a unique, beautiful brass and iron planters such as those below? Use standard potting soil and make sure that there is a light layer of pebbles at the bottom of the pot. You don’t want the root ball to be sitting in standing water.

Antiqued Hand Hammered Brass and Silver Planter by Bryden Road

Antiqued Brass Planter from Bryden Road

Burlwood Iron Planter from Bryden Road

Once you’ve re-potted your plant, check the soil daily. Only water the plant when the top layer of soil is dry. It’s better to water less than too much. Poinsettias don’t do well with over watering. If you intend to keep your plant past  the holiday season, fertilize it monthly with a houseplant fertilizer when it is not in bloom.

For more information on how to care for your poinsettia especially after the holiday season, check out this from the web on caring for your poinsettia.

Perfect Poinsettias

As the holiday season is upon us, time spent with friends and family seems more precious. If you need an excuse to create a get together, why not host a card party? What is a a better way to spend time with friends and family, have some fun, and still have the opportunity to catch up and chat? To create a great get together you need to have the right accoutrements. A successful party includes a number of things, including great food and snacks with fun serving ideas, some tasty libations readily at hand, and a great group of people. We can’t help you find the great people, but we sure can make some suggestions for the snacks and libations!

Pretzels, peanuts, Chex Mix (who knew there were so many tasty recipes for different versions of Chex Mix?!) are great choices to provide for snacks at a card party. Or if you are feeling adventurous – wasabi peas or your own mix of spiced nuts are unique snacks.  These snacks would fit well in the Card Suit Snack Dishes. Sold individually or as a set of four, you can place these all around the room with different offerings.

If you consider yourself the Ace of card playing, (as my husband will say, that does NOT describe me!), then these Ace Suit Snack Dishes are a great choice. With a large flat surface they could substitute for a sandwich plate if you are providing food of more substance.

A party is not complete without your beverage selection. What better way to have it all in hand than with this Mini- Bar Case? If wine is your drink of choice, then make sure you protect the playing surface with a Wine Bottle Coaster.

And don’t let a lack of card playing knowledge keep you from learning a new game. Popular here in Ohio is the game Euchre, which is played at my in-laws Thanksgiving celebration every year. I still haven’t quite picked up the game but now that I found these Euchre instructions, maybe I’ll win a hand at next years gathering! A favorite in my family is Rummy. It’s been a while since we’ve played so I have refreshed my knowledge of the rules with Rummy instructions that I found online. My boy’s want to learn how to play Hearts, which is one I’ve not yet tried. So we will go over these Hearts instructions to learn a new game we can play as a family.

So what ever your game of choice is, the best part of it all is being able to be with friends and family and enjoy time spent together!

Holiday Card Party

Around this time of year, employees around the world struggle with the question of what to buy for office holiday gift giving.  Or more seriously what do you get the boss? Nobody wants to be the one known for gift giving that falls short. While gift cards and homemade treats are nice, some of us want to buy something more personal and some of us don’t have the skill in the kitchen to make great homemade treats (myself included, though Chris is pretty talented here!)

Wine Entertaining Gifts

Knowing a little bit about the recipient can make the gift giving easier. We have always been a fan of the themed gift or an assortment of little gifts pulled together. Finding a theme or hobby or interest is always helpful when selecting a gift for a co-worker. For a wine lover, you may not know what their favorite type of wine is but a wine bottle coaster would be a great gift. As beautiful as it is useful, the coaster protects tabletops and counters from drips and spills from the bottle. If your budget is a little higher or if you want to upgrade to something suitable for an executive gift, include a nice bottle of wine with the coaster or a wine bottle cooler.

Travel Related Gifts

If you work for a company that requires a lot of travel for employees, then nice travel accessories can be a great option. Who wants to arrive at their destination and find out that all of their ties are a wrinkled mess? The last thing you want to do is try and steam your tie straight in a shower!  The perfect option is a Tie and Collar Tab Travel Case.  A good case  includes a pocket for collar tabs that always seem to be missing right when you need one and a means to hang the case in a closet while securing your ties to minimize movement. Other ideas for the traveler are document holders for passports and tickets, travel shoe shine kits or manicure kits.

Desktop Gifts

Finally, I don’t know about you, but in just about every office I have ever worked in there is that one person who as the “magic” bowl of candy for everyone to snack on. Why not give the diet buster something really nice to store the goodies in?  A nice glass pedestal jar with a lid will keep the candy or other goodies secure and clean; pick something with a lid and it might help keep you on-track with your diet.  You can even deliver an added bonus by filling the jar with their (or maybe your) favorite candy.

Office gifts don’t have to be boring, they don’t have to break the bank and they can show someone that you really appreciate their extra effort in this tough economy.

Office Gift Giving

As December is upon us (Tomorrow!) it is time for the preparation of holiday gatherings full of family, friends and fun. Nothing sets the stage better than a beautifully adorned table. Fine china and crystal are the norm here, but it is the special touches that elevate the setting.

Whether you are hosting a dinner party of close friends, a cocktail hour for the office staff or the family dinner on Christmas, you can add little touches here and there that will make entertaining a breeze.

At our house, we break out the fine china and that is a nice setting in and of itself.  But you can personalize a dinner place setting by adding an individual vase to greet each of your guests.  Try putting a rose, carnation or a flower you might believe best represents each guest at their seat.  The point is to have fun with the setting and put your guests at ease.

When it is cocktail hour, it’s really important to have everything at hand so you are entertaining more and playing bartender less!  You can convert your home into a “wine bar” pretty easily and set up tasting stations around the living room, dining room, kitchen and office.  We suggest wine bottle coasters so that you can protect your tables while still highlighting each bottle.  When you need to keep a bottle chilled, a must-have is a wine cooler bucket.  Make sure your wine cooler bucket has handles and is deep enough that you can fill it with enough ice to cool your favorite sauvignon blanc and not have ice all over your new credenza.

We like to use candlelight to enhance our dinner parties.  Our guests migrate from the dining room to the living room and curl up on a chair next to a roaring fire.  We use candles to help keep the mood light and it is up to you whether to use scented or non-scented, pillar or taper.  Just use a quality candle with a long burn-time and a sturdy candleholder to protect your furnishings.

One final point for a “perfect” holiday setting is to be sure to include flowers.  As we move through the shortened hours of day-light, matching the darkness outside with a dark and dreary setting inside is not going to set the mood you were hoping for.  We suggest a beautiful arrangement of flowers in a few strategic places will really make the season feel right.

This is a great time of the year.  Time to be thankful for what we have and grateful for the friends and family in our lives.  We hope you have a great holiday season and have the best dinner parties ever!

The Perfect Setting