…and because it is gloriously, unexpectedly hot right now in The Golden State, and because I’ve never loved a Biggie mash-up as much as I truly worship this one below… THIS is the song of the week. ENJOY.
xoxo,
…nevermind the fact that all those gizzards & giblets & nasty innards make me want to hurl. Or the fact that the biggest thing I’ve ever hosted is a Bachelorette party. But hey, how hard can it be? Hold the penis straws, throw some turkey & yams in the mix, n’est-ce pas? Bang. Plus, look how well I did with hosting a lobster boil. I’ve totally got this in the bag.
So it was with that sound logic – coupled with a temporary lapse of sanity (and also a lot of love) – that I invited all of my & my boyfriend Matt’s relatives within a 300 mile radius + a few old friends to have Thanksgiving at our house. That’s a potential 16 people. Matt has since suggested that I also pass out flyers at the local Kroger and/or maybe invite a few homeless folk, just for good measure. Anyhow… a sh*t show it will be, and I can’t wait. Check out the potential gaggle of characters and tell me you don’t wanna jump on the bandwagon:
Enter the planning stages. Usually (or let’s be honest, rarely as of late), I hop on here and blog about chirpy little quotes, adventures in Goodwill, and instructional DIY’s. But this time, I may need a little friendly advice from some of you who have done this before. Here’s what I’ve got so far…
INVITES: Necessary? Nah. So fun? YES (!)
DECOR: Okay, this I can do, so let’s start here before I try to figure out anything else – like jiblets and innards, wuf. I’d like to do something simple and pretty on the tables. Maybe a rustic backdrop with some shiny stuff, some earthy stuff, and a little jewel-toned glass sprinkled in. These really fanned up my skirt while I was perusing the Pinterestphere…
(1)
{Design by Eddie Ross}
(2)
{Style Me Pretty by way of Pinterest}
(3)
Alright, let’s break some of that down. As for the plating, if you like the (1) Eddie Ross tablescape (old floral dishes and Transferware, in the blue/brown colorways), those are pretty easy to source from flea markets, old antique stores and eBay… here’s a smathering of some you might run across. Collecting mismatched dinnerware in the same color(s) would be awesome:
{photo sources all available here}
For the wood grain runner look (2), you can start with a dark tablecloth, snag some wood grain wrapping paper from somewhere like the Container Store to use as a runner, then layer in white dahlias in white pumpkins and a few votives (think clear Ball jars – especially the smaller jelly jars with cut glass so the light reflects prettier), and you’re all set.
As for (3), the rustic look: you can easily find a long burlap feed sack for a table runner (source eBay & antique stores), mismatched dinnerware in varied white textures (Goodwill – as in this post – or West Elm), and a few fall bouquets of flowers.
PLACE CARDS: I’ve done this in years past, when my mother barked politely asked me to make place cards for everyone…
{photo by my talented cousin, Amy Bane}
But I wanna kick it up a notch this year, so I’m merging the place-card-on-pretty-paper idea with the family photo idea. Wasn’t Stevie B a cute little guy??
That’s a mouthful already, and we haven’t even talked about food yet. Perhaps we’ll discuss the Menu later this week? And more importantly, the Fall-themed cocktails that’ll go with it… In the meantime, if you have any great advice for hosting a big crowd for a holiday, please send it my way!
xoxo,
