And so today ends my week-long collaboration with Elm & Iron and Emma Parker Photography on “Little Happies.”
On Fridays I look forward to having friends and family over to our house. Nick and I both love to cook together and so I get to spend good time with Nick cooking and then having our sweet friends over to enjoy it with us. We recently bought this pasta maker from Sur La Table and we have used it every weekend since we bought it. We first tried our hand at lobster ravioli and it turned out DELICIOUS! (I made the noodles a little too thick but it was my first time!). I will make them again and post the recipe!
When I throw more formal dinner parties, I like to give everybody a little happy to take home with them. Party favors shouldn’t just be for little kid birthday parties. Fun ideas might be: a package of homemade mini chocolate chip cookies, a jar of homemade infused olive oil, a live succulent or tulip plant, or a cool flask. Personally, I like the homemade gifts the best, but I don’t always have time to make things like that, so finding a nearby home goods or floral shop is handy in case I need a few quick gifts.
What do you look forward to on Fridays?
XOXO – Em
| anthropology dress | all other items in this post from Elm & Iron
photos by Emma Parker Photography
Now that I’m an adult, I am a big fan of both hostess gifts and party favors.
Oh, and NAME TAGS. I’ve always been a stickler about name tags — some people think they are dorky, but they are great for groups of people that are gathering for the first time or who only rarely cross paths, or when you expect unknown friends of friends. Really takes the social pressure of remembering names, and is a bit of an ice breaker too. As much as we try, it’s not always possible to be around to broker an introduction and give a detailed history of each party when you’re re-filling glasses and refreshing apps.
I like to make my own custom name tag station with a little sign that instructs guests to write their first name as well as a fun fact, like their guilty pleasure, childhood celebrity crush, etc. It helps foster conversation organically, and I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback about this over the years.
Sometimes I also like to use name tags as a party favor! Like a wine charm or app plate identifier that the guest carries around with them to help them keep track of their things but also identifies them to other guests.
Anyhow, I’ll gladly crash your Friday festivities any time!
Lisa | THINK LIKE A BOSS LADY