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Party Tips To Impress Your Guests

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How to impress your party guests? It is a question that stumps even the best. Impressing party guests is not an easy job. From the dilemma of the type of drinks you are going to serve, to the kind of entertainment, decorations of your location to the type of food to serve. You may be feeling a little bit confident at first about it with the meal squared away, however, there is a lot missing in place. Some kind of flair; you definitely want your guests not only to be merely impressed by your flavor, but also aesthetically impressed. Whether it is a pool party, cocktail party or a normal multi course meal party, read on the following piece of guide and discover some tantalizing tips to enhance your party presentation.


The ideal party location
Depending on the type of party you want to host, you would definitely want your guests to be more comfortable throughout the party. For instance, if you are hosting a dinner party, these are generally intimate; your dining room would definitely be the most ideal place, if it is too small, think of your garden as an alternative. Of course, you will need the basics; lighting, tables and enough chairs. Ensure the hosting location in your house is sufficient and have a place reserved for everything to avoid awkwardness; assign a place for the shoes, guests’ jackets and so on.

Taste of your home
If you are planning an elegant party, you definitely won’t be serving take-away! Ideally, cook your best some food if you have enough time, if not, then buy pre made food from various restaurants. Food can also be a great way to explore some culture. If in case you are from a different country, keep a menu largely from your country. Keep in mind that some of your guests may be meat lovers others vegetarians, so make a variety of options. Some may be on a diet while others may be expecting a hearty-meal from the party.

Warm welcome
The food, décor and the location set-up are very important, but do not forget about being the best host! Greet your guests when they are walking in, all smiles and friendly and take their coat. Talk to them and guide them to the location; the best way to welcome your guests is simply to be there to welcome and guide them. You can have someone you really trust to be at the door if you are busy with other things but it would have been best if you were there yourself. Guests always love to feel special and treated as so, since they are your friends.

Décor: keep it simple and classy
There is absolutely no need to load your dining setting with various vases. It is called a center-piece for a reason and that is because just one is enough. Exactly what you are after is a focal-point for your dining table. You will be creating “clutter” in front of every plate by loading the table with lots of flowers. Settle for a single center-piece, you can have two or more candles however. Ensure that the table-cloth matches your napkins for an aesthetic look.

Entertainment
Some soft classical music, especially instrumental, would do for a quiet dinner party. Music forms an intrinsic part of any party, however, it can be a challenge to get it right. You wouldn’t want to be very loud neither very sonorously dull. Ensure that the music sets the mood of the party, for a younger party for instance, go with some contemporary fusion or some remixed soft music.

Cocktails before and after party
While you are welcoming the early comers and waiting for the rest of the guests, serve them some cocktails. Hors d’oeuvres can also be an impressive way to welcome your guests. After the main course meal, you can serve desert with some coffee. This should help counteract any effects of wine that was consumed. Use these tips and throw a memorable and fabulous party at your home.

Kara is a passionate blogger and works as a party tours operator in Australia.

Proper Light Placement To Better Illumine The Exterior Of Your Home

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While lighting the exterior of your house is not difficult at all, it is also easy to make mistakes when it comes to where the lighting fixtures should be affixed. Try strolling around your house after dark and you will notice that there are some areas that are cloaked in the shadows, paths that are hard to thread on in the darkness, or seating areas that are rendered useless at night. You may also find spots that are too bright that guests and passers-by have to cover their eyes from the glare of your lighting fixtures.

Fortunately, it is easy to correct these problems. With a little know-how on proper placement and what type of lights to use for certain spots, you can make the exterior of your home safer and more usable after the sun goes down and at the same time lend drama to the space. Below are some tips on how you should incorporate lights into your home’s exterior, where they should be placed, and what types of fixtures you should use.

Front door

Lighting is particularly important on the access and egress point of your house for good reasons. It shows people where to enter and where the doorbell and keyhole are positioned; prevents tripping on the steps; and allows the people inside to know who is at the front door.

The most ideal light fixtures to use on the front door are lanterns with two low-voltage compact fluorescent bulbs placed on both sides of the door (preferably mounted along the front door’s upper third portion). These fixtures provide the right amount of light without glare and at the same time enhance the appeal of the front door.

When picking wall or post lanterns, go for pieces with frosted or colored lenses instead of those with clear glass as they are easier on the eyes.

Garage and Driveway

Just like how you would light up your front door, you should also provide proper illumination on your garage and driveway entrance so that guests and vehicles will be able to find your home at night. For the driveway, it is not necessary to light up the entire strip. A few low-voltage spreadlights staggered along the edge of the pavement will suffice. Your garage, on the other hand, will benefit from the addition of some wall-mounted compact fluorescent floodlights near the door and on the sides. Also, do not forget to illuminate your house number. Guests arriving at night as well as emergency responders will definitely appreciate such addition since they will be able to know which house is yours.

Steps and walkways

To lead guests to the front door and guard them against slipping, layered lights coming from low-voltage fixtures are the most suitable choices for illuminating steps and walkways. Popular fixture selections for these locations include bollard lights, mushroom lights and path shaded tier lights. All these fixtures cast light downward so they are easy on the eyes. They also come in a wide variety of styles and different price points, allowing you to pick pieces that complement the look of your home and your budget.

For the most pleasing effect when positioning the lights and prevent the runway look, do not place all the lights on a straight line. Instead, stagger them on both sides of the steps and walkways.

Seating areas (patios, decks, porch)

To ensure you will be able to entertain guests even after dark, do not forget to light up your outdoor living areas. There is no hard or fast rules when it comes to lighting up outdoor living spaces, allowing you to take free helm on your light choices. However, do not forget to install task lighting in or near areas where they are needed and where safety might be a concern, such as benches, stair risers, deck railing and the wall near the grilling or dining area.

To avoid attracting pests to your patio, deck or porch, it will be preferable to go for compact fluorescent bulbs that are specially designed to ward off pests. You may also control the amount of light in the area if you use dimmers that will let you adjust light levels.

Landscape features

Add a touch of drama to your home’s exterior by highlighting the beautiful features in your landscape with a combination of low-voltage lighting and accent lighting. To do this, pick a focal point that you wish to emphasize, such as a specimen tree or a structure, along with secondary areas. To illuminate your primary focal point, use flood lights affixed to in-ground poles or spotlights attached on a nearby wall, fence or other elevated structure. For secondary areas like flower beds, ground covers and statuary, emphasize them with low-voltage fixtures that are recessed into the ground. Or, go for a backlit effect or hidden glow by pinning the light sources between the objects you want to highlight and the wall of your house.

Just a word of caution: be mindful where you direct the beams of your lights. At the most, they should not be pointed toward your neighbors windows.

The guest post above, which was written for www.steelbuildingsuk.co.uk, was contributed by Ericka. Ericka is a home improvement and gardening enthusiast. Her passion for these subjects inspires her to write useful posts about house repairing, decorating, cleaning and organizing.

How to Create a Warm, Inviting Home

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Home may be where the heart is, but is your home a place those outside your family love to be? This is a question many forget to ask themselves regularly. Maybe you enjoy how your home is set up but is your current setup something that makes people want to stick around? Are your guests comfortable when they walk through the door? Are things organized? Do they have a place for their shoes and coats? Are there things to look at and keep them entertained during their visit? Today we are going to help you think of some of the things that are easy to drop the ball on when you see the same area day after day and are immune to your way of doing things.

Start Outside and Work Your Way in

08 Front Yard Garden

If you’ve ever heard the term ‘curb appeal’ and know a little about it, then you probably understand just how important it is to make your home look nice not only on the inside but on the outside as well. Even if you aren’t selling your home, this is something you should keep in mind. What people see first when they walk up to your house matters. Do you want them to notice the fact that your yard hasn’t been mowed in months or do you want them to get lost in your beautiful marble entryway? Would you prefer them to notice the paint chipping on the side of your house or the beautifully painted mailbox you worked so hard to decorate?

Even if we don’t mean to, as humans, it’s only natural to make assumptions and expect that what we see on the outside is going to be similar to what we see on the outside. Wouldn’t you be shocked to see a run-down looking home and yard with torn apart cars that have been used for scrap metal outside, only to find a fascinating home that is organized to perfection on the inside, with expensive pieces of unique art all over the walls and a spiral staircase drawing you towards the upper level? You see, setting the tone from the get-go really makes a difference.

Keeping Things ‘Old School’

By ‘old school’, we do not in any way, shape or form, mean ‘outdated’. Sometimes, it’s nice to get in touch with our roots and add something fresh and new that isn’t as commonly found in others’ homes. Many people these days are so focused on technology and having the ‘best of the best’ that they forget the ‘best’ isn’t necessarily what’s popular now. Fewer people have bookshelves nowadays, for example. If you love reading or know of people who do, this may be a great addition to your home; adding sophistication to your style.

Offering Comfort for You and Your Guests

Staying comfortable is important and as we touched on a bit above, it is an important part of setting up your home. Lighting is one of those things many people simply forget about; this and the color you choose for each space truly do set the tone. Colors that help to relax and calm include: green, blue and purple. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to paint your entire wall one of these colors but finding ways to add accents of any of them here and there is always nice.

Another very important aspect of comfort is entertainment. Not many of us like to sit around without anything to do. Make sure you have things for your guests to take part in when they are staying over. A few ideas to get you started would be a gaming system in your spare bedroom, or board games that the whole family can enjoy.

Everything Should Have a Place to Call ‘Home’

The Rorschach Light

Clutter can be overwhelming for guests. It gives the eyes too many things to want to focus on. To create an inviting atmosphere, it’s important that you limit how much you display. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to put everything away but choose wisely and don’t be afraid to alternate your favorite pieces from time to time. These ‘pieces’ can be simple objects such as lamps, flowers, family photos or awards. They don’t necessarily have to be paintings or anything fancy.

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Deborah Walker is a home improvement expert and has done interior designing for a lot of homes. She says that Marble Tiling & Flooring gives your house a very classy and elegant look.

4 Crucial Things To Organize Before You Throw The Garden Party Of The Year

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One of the most exciting things you can ever do is throw a garden party for all your friends. It gives you the chance to invite people you don’t get to spend quality time with. Everyone can come together and have a huge celebration. The garden is the obvious place to have it because you don’t want your home destroyed, but at the same time you are never more than 10 meters away from the comfort of your castle. Have a party somewhere else and it doesn’t feel the same. It might be great, but it just won’t feel the same.

The only thing you need to remember is that it has to be well-planned. You can’t just expect everyone to come around and stand about in your garden. If you want it to be amazing there’s some things you need to do and they might need to be done well in advance. You don’t want to run around at the last minute when you should be getting ready to burst open a cold bottle of beer. Grab your pen and paper so you can write these down and get on them straight away. Just don’t be surprised if you’re asked to host a lot more parties in the future.

Book a tent

This one is the most important out of the lot. You definitely can’t expect all your guests to stand outside when it’s raining. Who knows when there will be a downpour at this time of year? If you have a tent erected somewhere in the garden it means you have somewhere to sit if the worst happens. It’s also a good idea to keep the food undercover. If your garden is big it saves you running backwards and forwards to the kitchen all the time. Once you book one they will come and put it up for you before your party starts.

Hire a big barbeque

This is going to depend on how many people will be at the party. If there’s only a few people you might get away with using a small barbecue you have lying around, but if there’s lots of people you don’t want them to go hungry. That’s why you should have a big barbecue and there will always be plenty of food sizzling away. If you wanted to be really fancy you could even hire someone to come out and cook everything for you. Find out the costs and see if it fits into your budget.

Have lots of lighting

People need to see what they’re doing. It’s nice to look someone in the eye when you’re talking to them instead of staring into the pitch black. You have many options to choose from. If there’s lots of trees lying around in your garden you can hang lights from them. There’s also the solar powered LED ones that you can stick into the ground. Just make sure they’ve been set-up for a few days so you know they are working, plus it gives them a chance to absorb some sunlight. Apparently solar powered lights need this. Who knew?

Make sure everything is safe

The final thing you have to do is to make sure everything is safe. There’s also inviting people and buying alcohol, but I’m sure you can manage that. How can you make sure everything is safe? Well start by clearing the garden so people don’t trip up on anything. If you have a swimming pool you should have a rope around it. The last thing you need is someone falling into the water and no-one seeing what happened. Make sure all electrical cables are tucked away and covered. Make sure you do these four things then you can worry about the entertainment.

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David Hall is a home improvement expert and knows how to organize parties properly. If you too are planning to throw a party then do visit www.portablesheltersonline.com for more information.

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