Make Ouija Boards of a different flavor at your artsy craftsy Halloween party
This October we had a few friends over and all whipped up our own spirit boards in different styles. Star Wars? Check. Self-styled ninja script? We’ve got it.
See how we did it, and how you can make your own spirit boards this week.
Add a little “pop” to a party with surprise balloons
Offbeat Mama posted a really good idea for a party addition that’s fun and secret. I love both fun and secrets — I want to use this at a party soon.
Why I love my cookbook club
One of the most lovely things that has happened to me this year is being inducted into a cookbook club — a group who meets regularly to cook dishes from the same book and share food. Every time I mention it, people say they want to join a cookbook club too (some of you intrepid folks have even gone out and started your own).
Use chopstick sleeves to make place holders for dinner parties
Offbeat Bride has a great idea up right now: using chopstick sleeves to make place cards for dinner parties.
We wanted a place card that would be pretty, tie our various themes together (travel, Chinese food), and actually be useful, cheap, and simple to make. So, we decided to make dressy paper sleeves to hold chopsticks and to double as the place cards, which seemed appropriate for a Chinese-food wedding dinner.
Yes! Smart! Now I’m kind of thinking about a Chinese food dinner party…
The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You
We used to party. We just have fun and we’re nice people, as I once drunkenly explained before peeing in a trash can. But where have those fun-having people gone?
How to throw a dinner party for 20 people and not go out of your mind
Cooking for a large group can be daunting, especially if you don’t have a dishwasher and just one oven, stove, and fridge. Fear not! You do not have to be a superhuman — you’ll just have to give the party a bit of thought and planning.
Here’s how I made my fabulous dinner party so fabulous.
Foolproof food platters for easy hosting of drop-in guests
I’m one of those annoying friends that you can drop in on anytime and I can “throw together” a meal or snack that looks like I have a chef hiding in the pantry. I don’t, but I do have a few sneaky tips up my sleeve for faking the elegant grazing that is platters — and five themed ideas for matching tasty meats and cheeses perfectly.
Hosting lessons I’ve learned from seven years of throwing an annual party
After our wedding in 2004, Andreas and I decided that camping with our friends in the forest of my mom’s property was so much fun that we wanted to do it every single year. I’ve learned MUCH!