Y'all don't kill me now, but a good way to get started on saving money for Christmas 2014, is to start saving today! One of the expenses that everyone has, but most people forget to add into their Christmas budgets is the cost of decorations and gift wrap. You can easily cut your costs for next year with a bit of careful planning over the next 2-3 weeks.
First up, decor! I have had my eye on a few decorations, but just couldn't swing them with the cost of buying all the ornaments for our first Christmas tree. Shop the after Christmas sales at your favorite places, where stores like Target have traditionally marked their goods down by 50% beginning the day after Christmas. If the thought of getting out in the crowds on December 26th terrifies you, go later in the day. Chances are there will be a decent selection and the early bird, marathon shoppers are usually tired and head home around dinner time. However, the steepest discounts usually begin in mid-January. Typically, I start looking at Pottery Barn and Williams-Sonoma during that time frame, because I can find things 50-75% off. If you are looking to upgrade your current tree skirt or stockings, this is a great time to buy and save some money for next year. I know I really want a few mercury glass trees to set out as a centerpiece for next year.
Next up, gift wrap! Paper companies make a ton of money during the holiday season and I find it ridiculous to pay their high price tags. That said, I absolutely love high-end gift wrap and I refuse to buy cheap paper, ribbon, and gift tags (stick on bows are different - a stick on bow is a stick on bow no matter how you price it, so go cheap on those). Don't judge!...everyone has their own "thang"...and mine happens to be paper snobbery. However, I should mention, that to me, high-end paper means thick and rich looking (i.e. foil, metallics, beautiful prints), but not necessarily any ol' roll that comes from an expensive store (ahem, Papyrus). The weeks after Christmas are the best time to buy my high-end paper (although, Home Goods has lots of high quality rolls for the $4-5 mark if you should need to purchase it in season). I also tend to gravitate towards wired or satin ribbon as I think they make the best bows.
For sources, check out Target and Walmart (they often have paper labeled as "premium" and its original price is usually 50-100% higher), but also department stores like Belk and Dillards and unconventional places like the drug store (people rarely think to look at drug stores, but they usually carry Hallmark's beautiful papers and gift wrap!). Discount stores like TJ Maxx, Marshall's, and Home Goods are usually stripped out of holiday items in general and I rarely see them offer additional discounts or after Christmas sales.
The biggest way to save money, is not to spend it. If you have already invested in high quality gift wrap for this season - reuse it. My mother will often give me back my ribbon, so I'm able to fold it nicely and store it in a ziplock bag for next year. If your paper is in good condition, re-roll it around an empty tube (My mother has been doing this for years...I have one favorite roll that's pink with angels on it. My mother used it when I was little for all my gifts and reused and reused, so that it became "MY present paper". Now there is barely any left, but I still sometimes get a small present wrapped in my angel paper which is a very great family tradition.). In my case, I also reuse the good quality gift boxes, so a lot of this paper will already be pre-cut for next year! Department stores usually have the best boxes, so if you just bought a cheap multi-pack, feel free to pitch those and keep the others (Nordstrom, Sephora, and Anthropolgie carry the best ones!). The cheap ones rarely keep their shape and the glue that holds them together gets very weak, especially if you store them in your hot summer attic. If you have nice gift bags that are still in good condition, remove the gift tag label and fold the bag nicely. Buy tie-on gift tags so you can reuse the bags next year! The only thing I pitch in its entirety is tissue paper. If it's been used in a high quality shirt box and can easily be compacted down with the box, then that's probably ok. However, if you've used it to stuff bags or it's gotten too wrinkly in the shirt box, PITCH IT.
Storage items are also on sale post-Christmas, so if you bought a new wreath, look for a wreath box to protect it! Or get a plastic box meant for storing wrapping paper. These things are rarely part of the promotional sales that are offered during the Christmas season, which means they are almost always full price until after Christmas, so it's a good time to stock up! You can also use one of your reused gift boxes to store any stick-on bows you buy to keep them organized and prevent them from getting squashed.
Lastly, I would highly recommend that you buy your Christmas cards for next year now. At 50-75% off, you can definitely buy the most beautiful foiled lined envelopes, letterpressed or engraved cards to send out to your loved ones and business contacts next year.
This year, I will need to grab gift tags, gift bags, tissue paper, and Christmas cards. I'm also interested in getting a few more pre-made decorative boxes because they are super sturdy, which came in handy when I shipped my wonderful aunties their gifts to Florida and Arizona. If I see a beautiful roll or three of ribbon I will probably pick up those too (they came in handy for decorating my magnolia wreath!). Don't buy more than you need or can store, but make sure to take advantage of the discounts so you can avoid paying full price next year!
Any good shops I missed to check out their markdowns post Christmas? Let us know!
Friday, December 20, 2013
How to Host: A Christmas Brunch!
Briana and I are starting another series called "How to Host" and we will be sharing our favorite party tips, recipes, and decor elements. I'm starting off with a post on my Christmas brunch that Mr. 3 and I hosted for our friends last weekend. We've had cocktail parties in the past at Christmas time, but (1) they are a lot of work during a really busy season, and (2) they often wind up being super expensive when you get all the booze thrown in. I've hosted cookie swaps before, but I always wind up left with too many calories and a general state of feeling pre-diabetic. I've also thrown afternoon dessert parties and those have wound up being ladies only (all the men wind up bailing in favor of manly things like football, beer, and video gaming).
This year, I came up with the idea to host a Christmas brunch on a Sunday morning. We set the time for 11 AM and invited about 30 people. I figured that more people would be able to attend, because D.C. folk generally don't have too much to do on Sunday mornings. I also thought that people would enjoy brunch to (1) soak up the booze from all the corporate parties the night before, (2) brunch = real meal, (3) people would be able to have their entire afternoon and evening to themselves, and (4) it's a different idea for a party. Despite all these positives, I had really only expected 10-12 people to RSVP, but we wound up having 21 guests. Whoopsies - clearly Mr. 3 and I are more popular than we thought. Luckily, brunch is a very forgiving meal to serve the masses (Although, I did have last minute panic the day before that we would run out of food and bought some frozen appetizers I could throw in the oven.). Here is a breakdown of how the party got put together:
We did not have a lot of Christmas decorations to begin with, so I knew I was going to spend a little bit of money on making the brunch and our apartment Christmas-y. To make things fun and festive, I used Christmas themed paper plates (appetizer and dinner sized), napkins, and cups from Target. I also found a cheap Ralph Lauren tablecloth at Home Goods for $17 to cover our dining table which we used for our buffet and I bought one pretty candy dish from Home Goods for $13 to hold Lindt Truffles (which I will be keeping out through Valentine's Day).
For decorations, we had our Christmas tree (our very first full sized!), 4 small poinsettias, and I reused some decorations from our wedding including a magnolia wreath we hung on the church doors (which I dressed up with a fluffy bow that I made using a roll of gift wrap ribbon I got on sale last year) and mercury glass hurricanes (which we originally used as vases at our reception).
I put Christmas-themed paper buffet napkins in the guest bathroom that I found last year at Home Goods for $1.99. I also reused some gold and white paper coasters from a previous party to set around the living room and I didn't buy any new servingware for the party.
If you don't count the amount we spent on our Christmas tree (which we would have put up anyways and the ornaments will be reused for many, many years), we spent about $65 on decorations and paper products.
In planning the party, I looked for recipes that could be prepared the night before or had very little prep in the morning. I also decided that instead of making double or triple batches of the same items, the best way to feed the crowd would be to make one dish each of bunches of different foods. For drinks, I served orange juice and coffee from my Nespresso machine. I also had a self-serve champagne station for people who wanted to doctor up their OJ and turn it into a mimosa. Here's how I fed a total of 23 people:
Crab and Mushroom Strata (1 pan - super popular dish)
Raspberry Baked French Toast (1 pan)
Slow Cooker Shrimp and Grits (2 batches - biggest hit of the party)
Citrus Fruit Salad (1 batch - surprise hit with everyone!)
Powdered Donuts (1 bag = 20 donuts)
Whole Foods 365 Gingersnaps (1 box)
Safeway Cream Puffs (1 box)
Pimento Cheese Dip (1 container) & Water Crackers (1 box)
Trader Joe's Chambert & Cranberry Fillo Rolls (2 boxes - 16 pieces total - really popular with everyone!)
Trader Joe's Party Pups (2 boxes - 28 pieces total - really popular with everyone!)
Simply Orange Juice (2 large jugs)
Trader Joe's Sparkling Wine (6 bottles)
Trader Joe's Chocolate Biscotti (1 container)
Lindt Peppermint Truffles (1 small bags - 24 pieces)
Rolled Wafers (2 kinds - hazelnut and dark chocolate)
Other items: salt, pepper, half and half, maple syrup, and sugar
I made the crab and mushroom strata, the french toast, and the citrus fruit salad (minus the dressing) the night before. I assembled the slow cooker shrimp and grits at about 7 AM when I woke up. Mr. 3 and I worked on the fruit salad dressing and cooking the shrimp before our guests arrived. Everything else was mostly assembly/unwrapping day of.
Sounds simple, right? It probably would have been if we hadn't also needed to finish decorating our new apartment (i.e. hanging things on our bare walls and unpacking the last few boxes) as well as decorating for Christmas and cleaning up the Christmas wrapping paper explosion that happened in our living room. It all came together about 25 mins. after the party started at 11, but luckily most people didn't start showing up until 11:30...so only about 4 people know the real truth....and by real truth, I mean me in my party clothes with a bathrobe on top (my apron is in a space saver bag in my cedar chest with a bunch of other linens) and frantically putting tags on my party favors (homemade bourbon fudge sauce and skillet toffee).
I made a two separate bar/drink areas - one for coffee in the kitchen below the cabinet with all the coffee cups and next to the sink so that I could easily refill the water tank on the Nespresso and the other area was set up for OJ and champagne across the room from buffet table. I served the appetizers (party pups, fillo rolls, and pimento cheese) on our coffee table in the living room. I kept our favors by the door to make sure to hand them out to guests as they left.
Since it was cold that day we were able to set the champagne on the patio so we didn't have a whole bunch of containers lying about and I stacked my tiered cake stand with baked goods to save on table space.
1. By making the drinks self-serve, I eliminated the need to hover over everyone (after the initial Nespresso demonstration).
2. By assembling the majority of the main dishes the night before, I didn't have tons of dirty pans lying about waiting to be washed, which kept my cleaning to a minimum before people arrived. Also, once I was done baking everything and I put it out for people, I was done! I certainly got to socialize quite a bit at this party rather than hanging out in the kitchen all morning.
3. Mix up your homemade and store bought products - no one expects for everything to be 100% homemade, but nobody wants to attend a party platter party either.
4. Use what you have for decor and servingware. If you find gaps, hit up Home Goods, TJ Maxx, Marshall's, Target, or World Market. They have the best prices and the most diversified selections.
5. Use paper products. You would need 3 dishwashers and piles of china to keep up with hosting 20 something people. Paper products will also help your event feel more Christmas-y.
6. Spread out your food. People tend to congregate where the food is, so by putting the food in different areas you can ensure more mingling!
7. Diversify your food. I was afraid we wouldn't have enough food, but I was also concerned we would have too many leftovers if things weren't popular. We didn't run out of anything (whew...my Southern hostess heart started beating again) and we didn't have too many leftovers. I think there was about 1/4 of a pan of each of the homemade items, half of each of the dessert items, and none of the appetizers were left (People were picking at the leftovers right before they left and one guest said she couldn't bear to leave them behind they were so good...so I count that as not running out.). Plus, if one dish doesn't turn out so good, your guests will probably quickly forget because there were so many other wonderful dishes.
8. If you are setting up chairs for people to sit in, try to place them where people can set their food and drinks down easily (put a stack of reuseable paper coasters down nearby). Also, try to make sure that no seat is off by itself or awkwardly placed.
Once the party was over (everyone left around 2:30 PM), I put a few things in the fridge and started the dishwasher...then we took a nap and enjoyed the rest of our afternoon. Which was a big plus over staying up until 3 AM like we probably would have for a cocktail party. All of our guests had a great time and people are still telling me thanks for the invite. I even got a handwritten note in the mail today! If you are still looking to host a party this year, think about hosting a brunch on New Year's Day or maybe even the weekend after (it would be a great chance for you to invite people who were too busy during November and December to get together).
Anyone else had any luck with hosting a brunch? Share any good tips you might have!
This year, I came up with the idea to host a Christmas brunch on a Sunday morning. We set the time for 11 AM and invited about 30 people. I figured that more people would be able to attend, because D.C. folk generally don't have too much to do on Sunday mornings. I also thought that people would enjoy brunch to (1) soak up the booze from all the corporate parties the night before, (2) brunch = real meal, (3) people would be able to have their entire afternoon and evening to themselves, and (4) it's a different idea for a party. Despite all these positives, I had really only expected 10-12 people to RSVP, but we wound up having 21 guests. Whoopsies - clearly Mr. 3 and I are more popular than we thought. Luckily, brunch is a very forgiving meal to serve the masses (Although, I did have last minute panic the day before that we would run out of food and bought some frozen appetizers I could throw in the oven.). Here is a breakdown of how the party got put together:
The Decor
We did not have a lot of Christmas decorations to begin with, so I knew I was going to spend a little bit of money on making the brunch and our apartment Christmas-y. To make things fun and festive, I used Christmas themed paper plates (appetizer and dinner sized), napkins, and cups from Target. I also found a cheap Ralph Lauren tablecloth at Home Goods for $17 to cover our dining table which we used for our buffet and I bought one pretty candy dish from Home Goods for $13 to hold Lindt Truffles (which I will be keeping out through Valentine's Day).
 |
| Festive Napkins & Peek at My $17 Tablecloth |
For decorations, we had our Christmas tree (our very first full sized!), 4 small poinsettias, and I reused some decorations from our wedding including a magnolia wreath we hung on the church doors (which I dressed up with a fluffy bow that I made using a roll of gift wrap ribbon I got on sale last year) and mercury glass hurricanes (which we originally used as vases at our reception).
 |
| Bow Topper |
I put Christmas-themed paper buffet napkins in the guest bathroom that I found last year at Home Goods for $1.99. I also reused some gold and white paper coasters from a previous party to set around the living room and I didn't buy any new servingware for the party.
If you don't count the amount we spent on our Christmas tree (which we would have put up anyways and the ornaments will be reused for many, many years), we spent about $65 on decorations and paper products.
The Food
In planning the party, I looked for recipes that could be prepared the night before or had very little prep in the morning. I also decided that instead of making double or triple batches of the same items, the best way to feed the crowd would be to make one dish each of bunches of different foods. For drinks, I served orange juice and coffee from my Nespresso machine. I also had a self-serve champagne station for people who wanted to doctor up their OJ and turn it into a mimosa. Here's how I fed a total of 23 people:
Crab and Mushroom Strata (1 pan - super popular dish)
Raspberry Baked French Toast (1 pan)
Slow Cooker Shrimp and Grits (2 batches - biggest hit of the party)
Citrus Fruit Salad (1 batch - surprise hit with everyone!)
Powdered Donuts (1 bag = 20 donuts)
Whole Foods 365 Gingersnaps (1 box)
Safeway Cream Puffs (1 box)
Pimento Cheese Dip (1 container) & Water Crackers (1 box)
Trader Joe's Chambert & Cranberry Fillo Rolls (2 boxes - 16 pieces total - really popular with everyone!)
Trader Joe's Party Pups (2 boxes - 28 pieces total - really popular with everyone!)
Simply Orange Juice (2 large jugs)
Trader Joe's Sparkling Wine (6 bottles)
Trader Joe's Chocolate Biscotti (1 container)
Lindt Peppermint Truffles (1 small bags - 24 pieces)
Rolled Wafers (2 kinds - hazelnut and dark chocolate)
Other items: salt, pepper, half and half, maple syrup, and sugar
I made the crab and mushroom strata, the french toast, and the citrus fruit salad (minus the dressing) the night before. I assembled the slow cooker shrimp and grits at about 7 AM when I woke up. Mr. 3 and I worked on the fruit salad dressing and cooking the shrimp before our guests arrived. Everything else was mostly assembly/unwrapping day of.
Sounds simple, right? It probably would have been if we hadn't also needed to finish decorating our new apartment (i.e. hanging things on our bare walls and unpacking the last few boxes) as well as decorating for Christmas and cleaning up the Christmas wrapping paper explosion that happened in our living room. It all came together about 25 mins. after the party started at 11, but luckily most people didn't start showing up until 11:30...so only about 4 people know the real truth....and by real truth, I mean me in my party clothes with a bathrobe on top (my apron is in a space saver bag in my cedar chest with a bunch of other linens) and frantically putting tags on my party favors (homemade bourbon fudge sauce and skillet toffee).
The Set Up
I made a two separate bar/drink areas - one for coffee in the kitchen below the cabinet with all the coffee cups and next to the sink so that I could easily refill the water tank on the Nespresso and the other area was set up for OJ and champagne across the room from buffet table. I served the appetizers (party pups, fillo rolls, and pimento cheese) on our coffee table in the living room. I kept our favors by the door to make sure to hand them out to guests as they left.
Since it was cold that day we were able to set the champagne on the patio so we didn't have a whole bunch of containers lying about and I stacked my tiered cake stand with baked goods to save on table space.
Tips & Tricks to Take Away
1. By making the drinks self-serve, I eliminated the need to hover over everyone (after the initial Nespresso demonstration).
2. By assembling the majority of the main dishes the night before, I didn't have tons of dirty pans lying about waiting to be washed, which kept my cleaning to a minimum before people arrived. Also, once I was done baking everything and I put it out for people, I was done! I certainly got to socialize quite a bit at this party rather than hanging out in the kitchen all morning.
3. Mix up your homemade and store bought products - no one expects for everything to be 100% homemade, but nobody wants to attend a party platter party either.
4. Use what you have for decor and servingware. If you find gaps, hit up Home Goods, TJ Maxx, Marshall's, Target, or World Market. They have the best prices and the most diversified selections.
5. Use paper products. You would need 3 dishwashers and piles of china to keep up with hosting 20 something people. Paper products will also help your event feel more Christmas-y.
6. Spread out your food. People tend to congregate where the food is, so by putting the food in different areas you can ensure more mingling!
7. Diversify your food. I was afraid we wouldn't have enough food, but I was also concerned we would have too many leftovers if things weren't popular. We didn't run out of anything (whew...my Southern hostess heart started beating again) and we didn't have too many leftovers. I think there was about 1/4 of a pan of each of the homemade items, half of each of the dessert items, and none of the appetizers were left (People were picking at the leftovers right before they left and one guest said she couldn't bear to leave them behind they were so good...so I count that as not running out.). Plus, if one dish doesn't turn out so good, your guests will probably quickly forget because there were so many other wonderful dishes.
8. If you are setting up chairs for people to sit in, try to place them where people can set their food and drinks down easily (put a stack of reuseable paper coasters down nearby). Also, try to make sure that no seat is off by itself or awkwardly placed.
 |
| Practicing my "Relaxed Glamour" look in front of my reused wedding wreath and mimosa station Top & Flats - Banana Republic and Leggings - J.Crew |
Once the party was over (everyone left around 2:30 PM), I put a few things in the fridge and started the dishwasher...then we took a nap and enjoyed the rest of our afternoon. Which was a big plus over staying up until 3 AM like we probably would have for a cocktail party. All of our guests had a great time and people are still telling me thanks for the invite. I even got a handwritten note in the mail today! If you are still looking to host a party this year, think about hosting a brunch on New Year's Day or maybe even the weekend after (it would be a great chance for you to invite people who were too busy during November and December to get together).
Anyone else had any luck with hosting a brunch? Share any good tips you might have!
Thursday, December 19, 2013
DIY Giant Glitter Monogram
This morning, I showed you how I mongramed my blank wall using giant glittery letters. These letters were originally for my wedding and are now part of my low budget Christmas decor. Now here is that tutorial I promised.
It is ridiculously simple. You need paper maché letters, mod podge, glitter, and a ton of space. I bought these 23.5 inch paper maché letters from Joann's - that will be $30 for a three letter monogram, but there are smaller options that are cheaper. I used Martha Stewart fine glitter that I bought at Michael's with a 50% off coupon. Always use those coupons!
The most important part of this project is that you have plenty of space. You need a glittering zone and a drying zone. I had a whole table set up for glittering projects because I can't help myself when it comes to glitter and the wedding was a perfect excuse to let loose.
In your glittering zone, you want to brush on mod podge in segments on the top of the letter and then sprinkle/dump the glitter on top. Don't put glitter over all your mod podge - you want to leave a bit of mod podge bare so that you can continue mod podging without getting your brush covered in the glitter you just dumped. Move your letter to the drying area with paper underneath.
Once the top of the letter is dry, you want to take a stiff paint brush and brush off the excess glitter. Save this glitter for the other parts of the letter, because there will be a lot that comes off! Move your letter back to your glittering area for mod podging and glittering the sides. No need to do the back of the letter if it will not be seen. Repeat the drying and brushing process.
As you can see in the picture above, the glitter does not stick perfectly the first time around. Go ahead and slap some mod podge and glitter over those bare spots. After the second round of mod podge, glitter, and brushing I did not have any more empty spots.
See! Super easy! See how I used these same exact letters in my Christmas decor!
 |
| One part of the monogram at my wedding reception |
It is ridiculously simple. You need paper maché letters, mod podge, glitter, and a ton of space. I bought these 23.5 inch paper maché letters from Joann's - that will be $30 for a three letter monogram, but there are smaller options that are cheaper. I used Martha Stewart fine glitter that I bought at Michael's with a 50% off coupon. Always use those coupons!
 |
| You can see why I needed the 23.5" letters! |
In your glittering zone, you want to brush on mod podge in segments on the top of the letter and then sprinkle/dump the glitter on top. Don't put glitter over all your mod podge - you want to leave a bit of mod podge bare so that you can continue mod podging without getting your brush covered in the glitter you just dumped. Move your letter to the drying area with paper underneath.
 |
| drying zone, sides are bare on the R |
 |
| do you like the china mod podge dish? |
As you can see in the picture above, the glitter does not stick perfectly the first time around. Go ahead and slap some mod podge and glitter over those bare spots. After the second round of mod podge, glitter, and brushing I did not have any more empty spots.
See! Super easy! See how I used these same exact letters in my Christmas decor!
Christmas Glitter Monogram
This week, I have been sharing how I decorated my apartment for Christmas spending only $10 by using what I already own. Even though J says it makes the apartment feel like a sorority house, I love repurposing glittery monogram letters to make my giant blank wall a bit more festive.
Please ignore the box behind the couch. It contains a mirror that I decided not to hang. I would put it in my storage unit, but the box won't fit in my car. Thus, I have learned to ignore the box.
J worked hard to hang my letters straight and even. There was a bunch of tiny shifts before I was happy. He is so patient. We hung the letters by putting tiny nails under each letter to support the weight. The R has two inside the top loop, as does the B. The J was a bit trickier - it has a nail under the top bar on each side of the vertical part, but it also needed a nail on the right side right above the curve because the letter kept wanting to tip. We just eyeballed the whole thing, so it is probably not perfect. However, it is better than the first picture represents. My photography skills are seriously lacking.
Remember my decorating theme of using what I already own? You must be wondering why on earth I own three giant glitter letters. Well, I used them for my wedding. The B and the J went up in my church's Christmas wreaths for the ceremony and the R was at the reception behind the bridal table. Come back for the tutorial on how I made these giant glitter letters! It is super easy and surprisingly relaxing.
Enjoy this post? You can read about how I repurposed my DIY monogrammed wreath and styled my desk for Christmas. You can also read the tutorial for these giant glitter letters.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Thrift Store Chair
J and I went into Habitat the other day because I wanted to show him a $5 set of demitasse cups, but sadly they were gone! However, I was very quickly cheered up when I spotted this $35 chair.
Merry Christmas to me - J bought it as an early gift! It is a gift for me obviously, because J would never choose a pink chair for his own enjoyment, but it is also a gift for him because the chair requires no work at all. No need for sand paper or staple guns, this chair was ready to go after a quick vacuum. So excited! Once I clear up the wrapping paper disaster, I will share a picture of the whole sitting area. The chair is so charming with my couch!
Check out our other thrift store finds and read about my obsession with Habitat for Humanity!
Merry Christmas to me - J bought it as an early gift! It is a gift for me obviously, because J would never choose a pink chair for his own enjoyment, but it is also a gift for him because the chair requires no work at all. No need for sand paper or staple guns, this chair was ready to go after a quick vacuum. So excited! Once I clear up the wrapping paper disaster, I will share a picture of the whole sitting area. The chair is so charming with my couch!
Check out our other thrift store finds and read about my obsession with Habitat for Humanity!
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