Having a party with a Consultant?

Last night I attended a Tastefully Simple party. As I was thinking of a blog for today, my coworker suggested talking about hosting a party such as the one I went to last night!

I always go to parties, such as the Tastefully Simple one, saying that I am not going to buy anything. Low and behold. I walk out with at least 1-2 things purchased, and this time, with a party I am going to host (tentatively set for April 10). Since the consultant's already bring everything or send ahead what they need, what do you need to do to make a good hostess? And how do you get the best deals out of the evening?

To be a good hostess to your guests and the consultant:
1) Ask the consultant in advance what they may need. Would they rather work at a table or sit in a living room? How much room do they want to set up?
2) Make sure your house is clean! This is key to making it a nice environment for the consultant and yourself to work in!
3) Have beverages, and if needed, treats available to the guest and to the consultant.
4) Make sure you are ready for the consultant when they arrive in advance to set up.
5) Offer to help set up - although they probably have a method to set up, it is always nice to offer!
6) Do not push products or booking a party on your friends/family that attend! They can decide on their own and will ask for your opinion if needed!

How do you get the best deals out of the evening?
1) Listen to the consultant and ask what kinds of promotions they are running. If there are none at that time, ask if she knows of anything upcoming.
2) See if there is ways to buy a "bundle" instead of single products. Usually there is a discount wrapped up in there.
3) If someone books a party (for Tastefully Simple) you get 1/2 off of any item! Make sure you GO BIG on this, as most likely this is not going to happen to you again within the same company!
4) Know what the hostess gifts are - wait until everyone orders to pick out what you want.

And the number 1 thing to do for both of these is to HAVE FUN! It is a night with your girlfriends and a fun way to learn about new products. If you go to a Tastefully Simple party BRING YOUR APPETITE! There is lots to sample!

Here are 4 companies that I have been to parties with before:

Tastefully Simple
Mary Kay
Tupperware
Pampered Chef

Take a look, and maybe you will want to host one of your own someday! I know there are many more companies are out there, so if you have any good ideas, list them in the comments section!

Helpful websites

To get inspiration for your party, looking at websites and magazines is always helpful.

One of my favorite party designers is David Tutera. He is featured in "My Fair Wedding" on WEtv. He is an amazing designer...just look at these styles:

Here are some websites along with a description about them for you to check out:

David Tutera Party Planning book  - GREAT party planning book!  A lot of great pictures and ideas for inspiration!
David Tutera  - Here is David's website. He has a flower company and has tons of great ideas and recipes found here.
Martha Stewart - So many crafts, so many different inspirations no matter the party or occasion! For my wedding I made Martha's leaf wreaths for the end of the pews.
Family Circle -    If you are looking for ideas for a children's party especially - this is a great place to look!
 Oprah - Oprah hires some pretty outstanding party planners! Love her ideas and all the people she brings in to make her ideas even BRIGHTER!
Food Network - Holiday's and parties! - Tons of GREAT recipes and ideas from the chef's who know how to cook best!

Here is a great start - now get party planning!

Party themes

When you are trying to have a fun and playful party, I think the best way to go at it is to start with a theme. A lot of people think that themes can only be done in terms of a child's birthday party, but a theme can be used no matter the occasion. 

One fun idea, that can be used for just a few more days is to host an Olympics birthday party. This is a child's party - but there are so many examples in this of ideas of how to pull of a party even if you are a kid at heart.

My husband and I this past year hosted a Vikings vs. Packers party at our place on a Monday night. We went and bought purple and gold decorations and decked out our place. You will see one of the pictures in my blog title. We both love hosting and planning parties as we like to be creative with food, our decorations, etc.

When coming up with a theme for a party, the first thing to ask yourself is - what would the people that are attending enjoy the most? Would they identify more with food or decoration? How can I run the theme of the party through all of the details I am planning?

Once you figure this out, then it is time to start being creative. Look up blogs and websites, as people for ideas. I have found wonderful ideas on other blogs and just from looking at different websites. This is key in creative party plans. So make your next party a themed party...I think we will be doing a Twins party this spring, especially with Target field opening up!

An Unconventional Valentine's Day

I had such high hopes for a Valentine's day post. And then I realized - I am not having a Valentine's day party - but I want to have one! I read on another blog about a Valentine's Baking Party and I want to have one next year. I am so inspired by other bloggers and their creative ideas. That is one of my motivations behind this blog. Not only do I want to continue my life as an event planner, but I want to be the person who has super creative parties, and lots of them!

This Valentine's Day was different as my husband and I just had lost his father. We usually do something unique, and then I make a Valentine's Day M&M heart big cookie. It has been a tradition since we have been dating, so I did not disappoint. The heart cookie was made (and pictures of it will be posted soon!). Other then that, we did not have any real plans. We walked around the mall, I found some super cute cheap shoes, and we went to Chili's! After that we wandered around Target and picked out our own Valentine gifts for each other. I got a new coffee maker that was christened that night!

Not every party and every holiday needs to be perfect. I know a lot of people discuss the commercialism of Valentine's day, and if you know me, you know that I am a sucker for the commercialism. If there is a special coffee drink out at Caribou or Starbucks, I have one in my hand the next day. EVERYTHING tastes better with Holiday candies. Valentine's day and Easter candy colors are my favorite! So next year - there will be a pink and red party with my girlfriends. We will eat candy and make treats to share with others - or I will just have a simple girls night with games included with lots of Valentine's decoration. When I have kids I want them to fully experience each holiday.

Although this year's Valentine's day was a bit unconventional, it was one of my favorites.

I am starting to scheme up ideas for an Olympics party....come back for more on that soon!

Planning a Party 101

Let me take a moment and introduce myself -  My name is Kristen, and I love events. I love parties. I love baking new things to make my parties extra special!

This new blogging endeavor is a place for me to put down my ideas for parties as well as help you to plan your next great event. I will post all about planning and making things for your event, to recipes, to things that I like that will hopefully inspire you! I also will discuss events I have done and recap the details for you.

I found this Party Planning Checklist on Allrecipes.com that is a good place to start when hosting anything from a simple dinner party to a big blown out event!

If you have any ideas on what you want to hear about, please let me know. Come back and visit me soon as I will be posting first about...VALENTINE'S DAY and how to make this holiday extra special and unique for the ones you love! No matter if you are single and ready to mingle or married and out of ideas, you will want to check out these ideas to prepare you for this Sunday!