No matter the occasion - Super Bowl, Oscars, July 4th, Holiday Season - find creative ideas to impress your guests.
I look forward to Oscar night all year long and boy was it worth the wait this year! Sunday's Academy Awards were some of the most entertaining yet and as you already know, ended with an epic blunder.
I knew something was wrong when a short, balding man in a headset was bobbing and weaving through the La La Land crowd. For a brief moment I thought it might be part of a Jimmy Kimmel gag, but once I saw the look of concern (or maybe it was horror) on Emma Stone's face, I knew there was an actual problem.
When it comes to adult beverages, I've always been a cocktail girl. I dine out most nights of the week and when it's time to order, nine times out of ten I will pick a cocktail over beer or wine.
Every year since graduating college I have hosted viewing parties for the Golden Globes, Oscars and Emmys. This year, the Golden Globes were about two weeks earlier than usual. Because the broadcast was so soon after the holidays, I felt like I didn't have as much time to prepare as I typically do. Normally, I spend a good chunk of January treasure hunting for decor items. All that being said, as they say in the industry, the show must go on!
I love to entertain, but it can be a challenge to find new ways to wow and surprise my guests, especially because I'm not much of a cook. When it comes to appetizers and snacks I tend to riff off the same classics - veggies and dip, cheese and crackers, hummus and pita or fruit.
I really and truly love entertaining. Every year I host for the same occasions, one of which is July 4th. Weeks before the holiday I begin scouring the internet for new ideas. I do my best not to repeat decor. It's a game I play with myself - can you decorate without reusing old stuff?
My friend Stephanie is truly incredible. She flips houses, she builds furniture, she surfs, she snowboards, she is a wealth of celebrity gossip and trivia, she cooks (in fact, she provides all the dinners for every awards show party), she blogs (Stephanie's Bookmark if you aren't already a follower) and she's a supremely talented author.
Yesterday we talked about the Oscar red carpet fashions and today I want to share with you all the festive details on my annual viewing party.
Yesterday I shared with you my picks for the best and worst dressed at the Golden Globe Awards and today I want to talk about the viewing party!
When I was a little girl, I loved Halloween. We lived in a neighborhood with tons of kids my age and the trick or treating game was on point.
My ever supportive parents totally indulged my Halloween obsessions. As soon as the calendar would flip to October I'd become fixated on planning my costume. My dad, the crafty one (shocking, but true), was always at the ready to help me assemble my masterpiece.
Growing up, my mom used to have all the mothers in our neighborhood over for awards shows. We'd all gather in our living room, in pajamas, noshing on snacks, commenting on the red carpet looks and sharing our thoughts on the movies and TV shows we'd seen from the nominee list.
Now, in my own home, I carry on that tradition by hosting annual viewing parties for the Golden Globes, the Oscars and the Emmys.
The fourth of July long weekend is so close I can taste it! My office is closing early today (3pm) and is closed tomorrow, so I feel like I am getting an extra special Independence Day celebration weekend.
My agenda for the long weekend includes beach, BBQ, patio dining and "Magic Mike XXL."
In the first week of January, I shared a list of my 15 new year's resolutions for 2015. On that list, at number eleven, was "throw my best Oscar party yet."
Unfortunately, the odds were stacked against me. With the bitter cold temperatures, unrelenting snow fall and hellacious commutes we've had this month, I wasn't able to spend enough time hunting for the perfect decor for this soiree.
