Easy Breezy Summer Entertaining
- At July 12, 2017
- By catherineschager
- In Tips and Advice
0
Who needs a special occasion for a summer get-together? Good friends, good food and good weather are reason enough! No need to stress over the details though. Just relax and let it flow together, easy as a summer breeze. This time it’s all about having fun. Here are some ways to keep is simple and stress-free.
Spread Out
Instead of worrying about table space for everyone, just plan on allowing guests to eat in lawn chairs, lounge chairs, or picnic style. Use area rugs or picnic blankets and cushions to turn the yard into the best seat in the house. Bring out the picnic baskets (or borrow from friends) and tuck special treats inside for guests to find. Doesn’t this make you want to pile on cushions and dig through the basket?
cushions from Hayneedle, basket from Wayfair
Simple Fare
Try to make foods that can be eaten one handed. This allows people to eat while standing or balancing food in their laps from lawn chairs or blankets. Ditch recipes that require cutting food with a knife – save the steaks for smaller, fancier gatherings. Think picnic fare and your guests will find eating to be a breeze.
Party on Wheels
Roll out bar carts, kitchen carts, kids wagons and lawn carts for mobile food and drink stands. They are super easy to roll back into the house to restock and relocate around the yard as needed. Encourage guests to mingle by scattering drinks by one seating area and desserts by another.
bar cart from Pottery Barn, yard cart from Home Depot
Now download a playlist from the summers you were young and carefree and I’ll bet everyone will be singing and dancing to the memories. Check out some more ideas on our pinterest board. Happy summer!
Get Ready for Summer Guests
- At June 12, 2015
- By catherineschager
- In Tips and Advice
- 0
Summer is finally here! Time for graduations, weddings and vacations. That means it’s also time to get ready for out of town guests. Here are some easy tips to help you prepare your home for relaxing, comfortable visits.
Entryway
Clear out the entryway to make room for luggage, extra shoes and jackets. Provide small baskets or trays for guests to hold keys and other loose items. Be sure to have some empty hangers for guest use in the hall closet. Check to make sure the light bulbs are working on the porch and entryway so guests can navigate unfamiliar surroundings in the dark.
Pottery Barn
Kitchen/Pantry
Clear out some shelf space in the refrigerator for your guests to use if they choose. Stock the pantry with a variety of quick snacks like crackers, nuts, sweets, and chips. Do you have plenty of bottled water, soda, wine and beer? Drinks can vanish quickly in the heat of summer. Have a variety of sweeteners, teas and coffees available too.
Amazon
Guest Room
Whether you have a dedicated bedroom for guests or an air mattress in the den, some simple amenities can make the accommodations feel more luxurious. Use good quality, all cotton bed linens and add a light spritz of lavender to the sheets when you make the bed. Provide a few current books and magazines and a good reading light for downtime. A luggage rack or bench will make it more comfortable for guests to access suitcases while saving the bed some wear-and-tear.
Fox Hollow Cottage
Bathroom
Be ready for lots of bathroom traffic (and extra laundry!) with plenty of towels on hand. Color-coded towels can help guests keep track of which towel they used. Make sure you have some basic pain relievers and first aid items on hand. Providing a basket of mini toiletries and personal hygiene items can be a big help in case your guests forget to pack something.
Life Rearranged
Outdoors
One way to keep from trampling over one another in a crowded house is to make the outdoors inviting. Make sure you have the walkways free of slippery mildew and any steps well lit. Solar lights are a quick, inexpensive solution to keep guests safe on walkways at night. To keep down on in-and-out traffic, keep a cooler full of cold beverages outside. Comfortable cushions, citronella candles to keep the bugs at bay, and an umbrella for shade can help keep everyone happy outdoors. If you don’t have a beautiful garden, don’t worry. A few planters full of blooming flowers from your local garden center will add just the right touch.
All Garden Ideas
Now it’s time to kick back and have fun with your friends and family! For more pictures of inviting entryways, welcoming guest rooms, and more, see our pinterest board.
There’s A Summer Place…..
- At May 23, 2011
- By catherineschager
- In Uncategorized
- 0
Ok, call me old. I don’t mind. “There’s a Summer Place” has been one of my favorite pieces of music since I was a little girl. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRu4aLAG2AI
For me, it embodies the best of Summer memories. Memories that encompass not only my childhood summers but much more recent ones as well.
My childhood summers were spent visiting. I’d visit my grandparents in Zion who had a large house and yard and my bedroom window faced the “Zippy’s” neon sign. It was somehow comforting to see that sign at night. My two brothers and I learned to ride bicycles there, and we could stay out until we couldn’t take the mosquitos anymore. I also visited my friend Betty, who had a cottage on Fox Lake. I can still smell the Lake, and feel the water up my nose as I practiced diving off of her pier.
Just a simple cottage, but what a great place to be!
More recent memories involve the many years that my husband and I along with our friends and kids, would travel 6 hours up to Big Sand Lake Club in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. I’ve always thought of it as a summer camp for grown-ups. The lodge is a great big old log cabin with more than 20 rooms. No one locks their room doors- because you can’t, there’s no air conditioning, but they do give you box fans if it’s really hot, oh, and you have to go down the hall to shower or use the facilities. Yes, it’s a little rustic. I find that charming. There’s also a great big fireplace where people gather to chat and catch up on each other’s lives. There are no phones and no TV’s in the rooms. The dinner bell rings at 6:00 and everyone spiffs up for cocktails and dinner. Evenings are spent outside looking at the stars and hoping to see the Northern Lights, or inside playing some ping pong.
Inside the Lodge at "Big Sand"
While my “Summer Place” includes actual places, it’s really the feeling of comfort that I get in remembering times spent enjoying what really matters in life- great friends, great family, and getting to just be with them.
Do you have a “Summer Place”?
