How to host the best party, the easiest way!

I know you could have guessed it, but I LOVE to throw a good party. I mean who doesn’t love going to a good party!

We are on the eve of hosting our first holiday party and I thought I'd share some tips and ideas that can really work for any party or event you may be hosting. You will notice a theme, I’m all about keeping it as simple as possible.

Tip #1 It's All in The Details

I think the key to every good party is having a consistent theme throughout and touching on that theme with little details your guest will remember. This weekend, since it’s in our house, I’m going with a ‘Whoville Christmas’ theme. I’ll add some pops of colorful décor on the bar and mingling areas; and include little touches throughout the party: bowls of colorful candy, custom signage, funny cocktail napkins, etc.

Extra Christmas ornaments are always an easy way to create a decorative piece, just drop a few into some hurricane vase or jars. Fresh garland is a nice touch as well. You can find it at local trees farms, it's usually $5 per foot and it really helps bring color and texture into the space, and bonus - It's makes the whole room smell like Christmas!

Additionally, I will throw in a few surprises like a guest Santa, unexpected carolers and fresh baked to-go cookies as a thank you gift for our guests on their way out. Again, it’s all in the details. (see more ideas below in the gallery)

Tip #2 Make The Bar Easy

Sometimes it can become overwhelming trying to please everyone, specifically their drink of choice. My goal has always been to keep the variety and selection simple, (which makes it easy on your guests as well). My selection this weekend is a mix of light and dark beers, one red and one white wine, a variation of whiskey options and a pre-made vodka cocktail (Jingle Juice recipe from Baked Bree). If that seems like a lot, you can always cut it down and just serve wine and beer. Oh, and don’t forget a few water stations or bottled water.

Tip #3 Communication 

Communicate with your guests! Whether it's through a digital invite (my preferred method is Paperless Post) or an old-fashioned invite. Just make sure your guests know what is going on. Don't forget the main details like: date, time, location and the mini details like: parking info, attire, options for plus ones, etc. The more prepared your guests feel the more comfortable they will be.

Tip #4 Snacks

Rule of thumb, if you serve booze you have to serve food. Again, I keep it simple here too with timing being key. If you party starts in the earlier evening your guest might arrive hungry or assume you are planning to feed them. In our case the party starts at eight so we planned on lighter and sweeter snacks assuming guest will arrive post dinner. Either way, I’m mixing in some meat skewers, baked brie, festive snacks like popcorn and chex mix, and of course holiday treats like sugar cookies, ginger snaps, etc. 

Tip #5 Create a Pre-Plan

Don't wait until the day before your event to get all your errands done. No one enjoys running around like a crazy person gathering last minute details, plus that leaves WAY too much room for error. I pull together a checklist of everything I can think of, and start checking off my list five days prior to the event; that way there is more time for things you may have forgot, less stress the day-of and you have more time to get ready and enjoy the party!

Happy planning!

xo, 

Kayla

Our Engagement Story!

I woke up Monday morning this week completely overwhelmed with love and gratitude, and was immediately hit with a flood of cyber Monday shopping deals. I wanted to just pull the covers over my head and hide. How can we bounce from an amazing holiday gathering like Thanksgiving to cut throat deals and shopping madness - So instead of hustling the online shopping scene, I decide to write and share a beautiful story about our ENGAGEMENT!

I know, crazy. I’m still on cloud nine, might stay up here for a bit.  

Planning events for a living, I knew 'engagement season' was upon us but I had no idea I personally would be thrown into the mix. Well, I lie, I knew I wanted to marry Jay and I knew he had been looking at rings, but I really had no timeline on when I thought the question was going to pop. Jay and I had been dating since fall of 2016, we met through two mutual friends and I’m pretty sure after our 3rd date, I knew I was going to marry him. Before meeting Jay, I really didn’t believe in the whole ‘love at first sight’ or ‘soulmate’ thing. And don’t get me wrong, I do believe in love, and still cry during most rom-coms and at alllll weddings, but I guess before I met him I hadn’t really felt that ‘rock you to our core’ type of love – And trust me, I loved every second falling in love with him.  

(And I’m in tears) Okay, here we go with the sweet and juicy details.

The proposal happened the eve of Thanksgiving. That day my mind was preoccupied with prepping the house for our guests, attempting some new recipes, finalizing place cards and running a million little errands. So, little did I know Jay had a proposal up his sleeve. I had invited my mom, my aunt and Jay's mother and his grandmother over that afternoon for wine, apps and to help prep the stuffing (really it was just a fun way to get all the ladies together before the big feast). Everyone says you don't see a proposal coming but I honestly didn't think Jay could pull off a surprise. Not that he isn't 100 percent capable, but as a planner, I'm just tough to surprise!

So, the ladies show up that afternoon and we are about half way through the stuffing prep, stories and are being shared back and forth and our doorbell rings. I wasn't excepting anyone, and Jay had mentioned he had a late work meeting, so I went to answer the door assuming it was a late Amazon package… I opened the door, and there he was. Down on one knee. I think we both forgot what was said, but I said YES. Probably the easiest answer I've ever had to give! Jay’s dad was in the wing snapping photos and thanks to our security camera we got it all on tape too! It was amazing, and we got to walk inside and share the news with both our families. As a planner, I couldn't have planned it better or more thoughtfully. 

It made Thanksgiving that much more special. I had been so looking forward to hosting our families and getting everyone together and to throw getting engaged to the man of my dreams on top, it was just amazing. Truly a dream come true.  

So yes, I said yes. We are now engaged, and I hope you all are excited to watch the wedding planning begin 😊

xo, 

Kayla

PS - See the full proposal video on my IG page @kaylacookevents

Thanksgiving Hosting Tips and Ideas!

Thanksgiving is upon us. 

How did that happen? I swear it was August like 2 minutes ago. Well, here we are, it's fall and Thanksgiving is coming up in less then 3 weeks. One more exciting twist, we decided to host this year. (I can't believe that either!) Is it bad that I'm more excited for my table setting and bar decor then the actual turkey and sides?? Maybe, maybe not. All decor aside, I think what I am most excited about it hosting our families in one place. On a personal note, we recently moved from downtown Seattle (ultra-urban apartment life) to the beautiful Seattle suburb of Kirkland. We have a gorgeous home and it is perfect for hosting, and that being said we have plenty of space to our host our friends and family for this feast-full holiday. Plus, we have to break in the new place, right?

I've been pinning like crazy, follow my Pinterest board here. Below are a couple of fun ideas and recipes I'll be incorporating into my game plan. 

Thanks to Woman's World, I found this cute idea for our table setting. Our house decor is pretty modern, so I'm trying to twist in some traditional pieces. I think it would be a fun idea to have these little menus at each table setting to give all guests a chance to express what they are thankful for.

Idea inspiration from Woman's World.

I haven't fully decided on the menu and whether or not it will be buffet or family style. I'm leaning towards a buffet setting and found this sweet little setup from 100LayerCake. I really like the mix of fall decor, wood and gold ascents. On that note, I've found some really great table decor at Target - fun side note: gold is in!

Inspriation from 100layercake and their Friendsgiving shoot with Crate & Barrel.

To kick of the day, I'm planning on serving this bubbly cocktail recipe from The Kitchn. I think it will be the perfect starter, nice and refreshing as well. It's a super easy recipe, which is always a perk! (it calls for cognac but I might do a whiskey instead)

Sparkling Apple Cider Sangria Recipe from Kitchn

Also, another amazing recipe that I will be making this year is an Apple Sausage & Cranberry Stuffing. I found this recipe on Pinterest, view here.

Recipe By: Wicked Good Kitchen

Recipe By: Wicked Good Kitchen

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

xo, 

Kayla 

Halloween Decor Ideas

This might be the main reason I love Halloween, minus the dressing up part. There are SO many creative an inexpensive ways to decorate for Halloween. Below is a list of fun and easy ways to decorate for Halloween!

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Gold Pumpkins

These are chic and can last you into Thanksgiving decorations!

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Bats

I love this decor idea and it’s sooooo inexpensive!

Wine Bottle Centerpiece

This is simple and elegant way to dress up your table decor for a Halloween dinner party. Start collecting a good amount of clear wine bottles (you can do multi-colored too!), soak them to remove any labels and stick in some long white or black pillar candles! #done 

Spooky Wall Decor

This is also simple. You can find vintage frames at Value Village and just with a little spray paint you can whip these up in minutes. 

Spider Webbing 

Cheap and very decorative. 1 pack of webbing can stretch very far! But make sure to keep it out of reach of candles and open flames. 

Halloween Treats

Obviously you have to serve sweet treats at any Halloween party! Below are a few of my favorites. 

Candy Corn Jello Shots

The fabulous women at A Beautiful Mess created this fantastic recipe for candy corn inspired jello shots. And guess what? They are easy to make, hooray! View the the recipe, here

Blood Spattered Sugar Cookies

To die for, right? A little creepy, but delicious and also super easy! Follow a based sugar cookie recipe and spatter (using a paint brush) red frosting. Click out the step-by-step recipe, here.

Halloween Krispy Treat Pops

Another genius idea by Hott Mama In The City! There are almost too easy... All you need are: rice krispy treats (cut any shape you'd like, open to creativity!),  white chocolate chips, sticks or straws and sprinkles! Check out the full recipe, here

Halloween Cocktail Ideas

Call me crazy, but Halloween has been one of my favorite holidays for years. I love the idea of dressing up and bringing people together to drink spooky cocktails, indulge in sweets and play in the traditions of All Hallows Eve!

Halloween Inspired Cocktails 

This cocktail is delicious, classy and look how cool it is! My. Hyde's Potion is a combination of vodka, blackberry liqueur, lemon juice and lavender. Check out the full recipe from HGTV, here

More cocktail ideas below. 

The Black Widow Shot

Black Vodka and cranberry juice, simple! You can use either red or black sugar to rim the glass. 

How to Reupholster a Chair

So..... I've been working on redecorating my in-home office. I fell in love with a Jonathan Adler chair, of course. But couldn't pull the trigger or dent my wallet, so I thought I would get creative instead. I found this chair in the Goodwill drop in our building, I picked out a fabric and went for it. 

A couple tips:

1. Have enough time. This is not quick 10 minute project, this bad boy took me two days!. First, I had to remove the pad, which was pretty easy. Then I had to remove the staples from the pad. This is the hard part... 

2. Make sure to sand before you spray. This helps the paint stick to a clean surface.

3. Don't use too much fabric. You want to find a fabric that is tough and kind of stretchy; a yard will do. You want to fold in each corner, (almost like your wrapping a present) and staple. 

4. Be patience and don't rush. This tip is alwaaaays tough for me. Take your time, don't rush it, wait for the paint to dry.

Huh, could be a  good new motto. #justwaitforthepainttodry

And whalla! You have a brand new or vintage chair!

Beach Inspired Decor

We just took a trip to Camano Island, a small island north of Seattle. I feel in love with the drift wood, the long morning tide, soft sand and wild grass. Since summer is coming to an end (tear), I feel I am more drawn to outdoor inspired decor pieces. 

Vintage Book Shelve: This was a Value Village find! Can you believe it? Distressed and repainted, it looks like something right out of Restoration Hardware. It's a great balance of beach vintage, with some modern pieces to accent. 

Tones of Blue: Shades of blue are the prefect color for beach decor. Don't you just love the @GlassyBaby's? Great color scheme; soft and elegant. 

I hope my inspiration has inspired you! #beachdecor #interiordesign