House Beautiful's "101 Party Do's & Don'ts"

I love when I get new issues of my "mommy magazines" in the mail {I get monthly issues of Parents Magazine, Parenting Magazine, and Baby Talk Magazine}. And while I love delving into the pages of those magazines, when my House Beautiful magazine arrives, my heart skips a beat. I pair it with a long bubble bath {after Ilah has been put to bed for the night} and simultaneously delight in the glossy pages, and the eucalyptus-spearmint bubble bath, to the fullest.

The November 2010 issue of House Beautiful arrived in my mail box this week and like fine wine, I didn't rush to open it. No, no. House Beautiful {along with Traditional Home and Better Homes and Gardens {my other two home decor magazine that was one of my Mother's Day gifts from my husband} are magazines that are meant to be savored - and savoring them is exactly what I do. Based on what I said in the paragraph above, I guess you could say I have a monthly "date night" with these mag's!

The November 2010 [Ultimate Entertaining] issue of House Beautiful features one of its BEST articles yet {in my opinion}. If you like to entertain like me {something that I am new at, but take a lot of delight in}, the article inside called "101 Party Do's and Don'ts" is a MUST read for you.

Here are some of the tips {below is page 1 of 4} noted within the "101 party Do's & Don'ts" article.....

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Some of the tips that I circled to remember were:

• #1 Create a music playlist that's ready to begin as soon as the doorbell rings and doesn't end until the last guest departs.

• #6 Warm plates before serving hot food on them.

• #11 Send out a proper invite. A handwritten one is preferable, but the online versions at paperlesspost.com are quite wonderful {gotta check out that site!}.

• #12 Serve the first course family style by placing platters on the table for everyone to share. It give you time to work on/plate your next course.

• #26 Offer a choice of desserts - something sweet and sinful like a peach crisp with vanilla ice-cream and something lighter like poached pears. Guests usually take some of each.

• #28 You should always have a cold bottle of bubbly stashed in your refrigerator in case friends drop by, and a bottle of something sparkly for non-alcoholic drinkers.

• #29 Always do favors. People love to leave with something {I think this depends on the type of party}.

• #30 Turn off cell phones!

• #32 Atmosphere is half the battle. A low-lit atmosphere with candles can even give pizza old-movie glamour.

• #33 Always starts with an empty dishwasher.

• #38 Don't tidy up the table too soon. Once the plates are cleared away, often so is the mood {I so agree!}.

• #43 Make a home cooked meal, even if it's just a bowl of Chili and a salad with garlic bread. There's nothing better than simple and delicious.

• #47 Get everything ready the day before.

• #60 Plan ahead. There's nothing worse than greeting your guests while you're still trying to light the candles, turn on the music, and get dressed.

• #85 You can never have too many white plates, platters, and bowls.

• #91 Clean as you go! That way you're not left with a kitchen that looks like a tornado made dinner.

• #100 Provide a place for guests to hang coats and leave bags.

Like I said, if you are someone who delights in entertaining, THIS article is for you!! Go get the November 2010 issue of House Beautiful on newstands now. And keep it...FOREVER. I definitely will!