We recently have had several parties at our new place (new years, superbowl and family gatherings). Here are a couple of tips I use when hosting parties- hope they’re helpful!
1. Move all easily tippable (not a word) breakable items out of the rooms your guests will be occupying-
This doesn’t mean all breakables, just those that do not have a very sturdy base and if jostled could come crashing down- For example in my living room I have an amazing tree of life sculpture that I got from Mexico but the base is pretty small and I’m sure if someone accidentally jostled the shelf it would fall over- so I move it out when I know I will be having a roomful of people.
2. Have stain remover on hand
Seriously this one is important, any kind of Oxiclean stain remover or wine remover or carpet cleaner will work- this can be used to clean your sisters white skinny pants (happened) or the upholstered chair she was sitting on or the carpet beneath
3. Use your best china and wine glasses and do not worry if they break
Well this one is sometimes hard for me to do but I always have to remind myself that I love buying china and if people break some of my pieces it just means that I get to pick up a couple of new ones next time I see some awesome ones on Ebay or in thrift stores. It’s always better to just USE IT rather than let it sit around collecting dust- also china nowadays can really be picked up for a steal- I see TONS of sets of china sell on Ebay for super cheap and the whole trend of having mix and match china patterns really works in everyone’s favor!
4. Prep all food before guests arrive
Pretty basic but it’s necessary that the food prepping be completed by the time guests arrive because you really want to be able to hang out and chat with your friends and not be chopping vegetables and rolling pasta dough.
Also as a quick food tip- pasta dough is actually really easy to make if you have an imperia dough roller and it’s filling and unique enough that people will be impressed.
Here’s my own favorite recipe
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
Add more flour if dough is too sticky- knead together and then let rest for 30 minutes before rolling pasta sheets
5. Have fun!
Sometimes it’s hard to just let go of all the little things that come along with hosting and have fun with your guests. But it’s the most important part! Just know that if something small goes wrong most likely no one but yourself will notice because they will all be having too much fun~
