How to Throw a Party, "Real Simple" Style

Lucky me!  I received this book at work today: Real Simple Celebrations: Easy Entertaining for Every Occasion.  It's from Real Simple magazine and serves up so much inspiration and so many ideas that I know I will have to host a party soon!  (Gotta pull out all the wedding gifts and put them to good use too!)  I especially felt like this book was made for me when the managing editor's introductory note mentioned Champagne several times...

The contents cover Annual Celebrations (Thanksgiving dinner, holiday open house, and New Year's Eve potluck), Occasional Celebrations (a shower, milestone birthday, and summer barbeque), and Anytime Celebrations (cheese party, dinner party, dessert party).  Cheese and dessert are two favorites of mine... add some good friends and it's a party!

Each party or "chapter" is crammed full of tips and creative ideas.  Invitations, decorations and setup, the table, food and drink (with recipes), activites, Q&A's on etiquette, tips on giving a hostess toast, and a wrap-up (how to store leftovers, what to do with the supplies post-party, etc) are all covered for each party, giving you everything you need to know to pull off a lovely celebration.

And in the back, Real Simple tucked in a special party-planning wheel to help determine how much you need, depending on your estimated number of guests.  For example, 12 guests require 6 pounds of cheese and 7 to 8 bottles of wine.  I cannot wait to bring some of these amazing ideas to life!

For now, I am off to Vegas for a long, relaxing, fun weekend... I'll be back next week.  Enjoy your weekend!