Shopping From Home

Hosting an event can quickly become expensive, especially if you're looking to purchase specific items just for your party.  Once you add up decorations, food, invitations (and the list goes on), you can soon enter into the triple digits and not even realize it.

     Once I have a general idea of how I want an event to look and feel, I go shopping in the closest store to me - my own house.  It doesn't matter what I'm looking for: decorations, serving pieces, etc.  It's easy to mentally tally up what each room contains, but I'm rarely inspired that way and I usually miss items that would stand out otherwise.   So, I physically get off the sofa and take a "window shopping" stroll through the house, visiting each room.  You wouldn't believe the great items I've scored... for FREE!  It's my husband's favorite kind of shopping.

     While "shopping", take some time to imagine using items in different ways than you would naturally.  For example, a candlestick holder can be a beautiful pedestal for a bowl or plate, creating a unique serving piece (and did I mention it's free?).

    So, take a look at your surroundings and see if you have any creative alternatives.  Please feel free to share; we'd love to hear your ideas.  Happy shopping!

The helm in my son's room was the perfect addition to this bait shop dessert table.

These margarita and martini glasses were the perfect size and height to hold ice cream toppings at a dear friend's Pickles and Ice Cream baby shower.

The glassware in our guest bathroom was a wonderful candy holder for a princess themed party (after it was washed of course).