Plastic Party

I love this time of year and will use any excuse to get friends and loved ones together for a good time.  As a planner of parties I enjoy the details and am constantly looking for new ideas.

I must have missed this HILARIOUS 'must have' for any outdoor soiree!

 I cannot decide. 

Genius? Heinous?

Get your own here!

Picture Perfect

Thanksgiving is done and the holiday season has officially begun!

Inspiration comes in many forms this year.  A delightful blog post by Cathy of Pear Tree Greetings gives the top tips when taking your holiday photo this year.

Clothing:

Light Colors

Left photo by: Ashlee Raubach; Right photo by: Ashlee Raubach

When the whole family is wearing light colors, it focuses attention on the darker colors in the photo, such as facial features, hair color, or the beautiful scenery in the background. We like a mix of light colors, which looks more natural than everyone wearing the same color.

Dark Colors

 Photo by: NikkiJamesPhotography.com

The dark colors this family is wearing make them stand out against the lighter sky and field. The dark blue color solidly grounds them and gives them the appearance of a tight unit, which is a nice subliminal message for a family photo.

Bright & Casual

Photo by: thearthurclan.com 

The playful poses of the kids match the playful colors in this photo, and help the kids stand out against the gorgeous fall colors in the background. Letting the kids wear something they’re comfortable in can also make the photo shoot go a little more smoothly.

Backgrounds:

Stark

Left photo by: Ashlee Raubach; Top right photo by: thearthurclan.com; Bottom right photo by: Ashlee Raubach 

A background without a lot of color, such as a snowy landscape, monochromatic field, or an urban setting, will keep the focus on you and your family. Even subtle colors will pop, like they’re hand-painted onto the photo (as in the winter scene at left) while dressing everyone in bright colors (like the other two photos) can make a completely different statement.

Colorful

Photo by: Laci Davis Photography
A brightly colored background can give your photo a ton of attitude, but it might call for simple, black and white clothes so the family members stand out. In this example, we notice Mom, Dad, and son first and then realize, with a smile, that their daughter blends right in with the fun surroundings!

Matching

Image: Tis the Season to Sketch Horizontal Christmas Cards
If you love the color of a certain Christmas card, have one or more people in the family wear something in that color, even something as small as a hair bow. That way, it looks like the photo and the card were meant for each other.

Creating Contrast for black & white photos

Image: Fresh Poinsettia Vertical Photo Christmas Cards and Gingham Photo Greeting Cards.

If you plan to make your photo black and white, creating contrast between light and dark colors will make it more interesting. Light colors, whether clothing, faces or background objects, will stand out the most. To draw attention to the faces in your photo, wear clothing that’s darker than your skin tone. Keep white clothes to a minimum, and avoid dressing everyone in mid-range colors which all turn to gray.

Now that you know you are ready for the 
perfect picture this holiday!

Blog Information Source: Pear Salad a blog by Pear Tree Greetings

A Glass Of Wine A Day

Just a quick visual for making sure that glass of wine is placed just right!

Basic Table Setting

Formal Table Setting

I loved this extra tip:

'If you’re unsure which utensil to use or do not know how to eat a certain food, it is best to delay by having a sip of your beverage and watching what the others are doing.'

No dummies here!

Source: www.dummies.com