Entertain ~ Decorate ~ Celebrate

I love reading ALL the Hoffman Media publications and Entertain, Decorate, Celebrate is one of my favorites.  The January-February 2014 issue is packed full of party ideas.

Are you looking for last-minute Valentine crafting ideas?  You can purchase the magazine in stores now or visit their website here to see the Valentine "Crafted with Love" party.

You might supply washi tape, twine, and other crafting supplies...everything your guests will need to create gift boxes.

Serve a Signature Beverage* and savories for your guests to enjoy while they are creating sweet boxes...

Love these chocolate and strawberry cake pops and xo cookies!

Set up a station for the treats so your guests can fill their boxes with sweets for their sweetheart.

 You can download all the printables here!

Recipe for Fizzy Pink Lemonade Punch*

Makes about 1 gallon

1 (12-oz) container frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed

4 cups cold cran-grap juice

1 (1-liter) bottles cold ginger ale

Garnish:  maraschino cherries

In a large pitcher, combine concentrate and juice, whisking to combine.  Add ginger ale, and serve immediately.  Garnish with maraschino cherries, if desired.  You may substitute champagne or sparkling wine for the the ginger ale, if desired.

Inspiration for Autumn

I've done all the organizing I can possibly do around the house. Today, I sat down at my desk and brought out all my Autumn magazines...the new ones and those from previous seasons.
Love the inspiration from Southern Living and all the Hoffman Media publications!
Of course, I still like to look back at cute stuff I didn't have the chance to do in the years gone by...
Getting together some ideas for gift & treat packaging, decorating, and entertaining!
A little pumpkin pie for energy...
And...my new favorite Autumn coffee "Pumpkin Pecan Pie" coffee from Cracker Barrel. They are offering these little one-pot packs in various Autumn flavors. I divide the package into three servings, which will brew two cups each...just enough for moi! {I don't want to waste this special coffee...in fact, yesterday, I was hitting up all the local Cracker Barrels buying up these little packages --they are great for a quick hostess gift package!}
Pumpkin Pecan Pie coffee...yum yum y'all!
Thank you for stopping by today! Hope y'all have a fantastic week.

TEA & INSPIRATION

I'm sippin' a little Cranberry Autumn tea, available at HarneyTeas, while enjoying a tres healthy snack--a Pumpkin Spice Flax bar from Kashi. Just relaxing with a stack of awesome magazines...Southern Lady, Teatime, Paula Deen, Simply Southern, Celebrating Fall, Celebrating Halloween ....and planning some holiday events.

Autumn is a wonderful time of the year to reconnect with family and friends and to begin planning all of your holiday events and decorations. Small events are my specialty. I love to entertain and create themed events--from potluck to formal dinners. Entertaining does not mean that you have to host a lavish formal dinner party. I'm sure that you have thought about entertaining friends, only to stress out that your home isn't decorated right, not clean enough, or you are not a Martha Stewart-type person. Well, you probably have more entertaining experience than you think--from birthday parties to casual cookouts--it's all about the social skills.

Please stop in on Thursday when I will be blogging about ways to begin planning YOUR event!