A Woman Who Enjoys Football...

Some say I’m a fair weather fan, (others argue it’s my inability to commit) but I find it liberating to follow three or four teams at a time.

I've loved the Bills since the Jim Kelly years and was a huge fan of Doug Flutie as well. (I even started following the Chargers when he was in SD.) I continue to have a strong affinity for them today despite their dismal performance.

I have an ongoing crush on Peyton Manning – perhaps it’s his performance on the field, or maybe it’s his self-effacing humor that has made him a TV commercial icon and definitely a guy I would want to hang out with.

At heart, I’m a NY fan across the board. So this weekend it's all about the Jets!
J-E-T-S… Jets! Jets! Jets!

So yes, I’m a woman who enjoys football, but really, I'm a woman who enjoys any excuse to celebrate with friends/family, throw a party, and decorate a tablescape. (I bet you never thought you read “Football” and “Tablescape” in the same blog.)

Super Bowl 44 is Sunday, February 7th and to help you prepare for your party, following are a few tips to help get you started.

Television: Let's face it, the central piece of any Super Bowl party is the television to watch the game. Make sure to clean your TV screen for a crystal-clear picture and position it in a place where everyone can view it.

Seating & Viewing: Make sure you have plenty of chairs and room for your guests to maneuver. The game festivities usually become an all-day event, starting with the pre-game so having comfortable seating is a must. If you don’t have enough chairs available at home, ask your guests to “BYOC”; Bring Your Own Chair.

Decor: Although a super bowl party is about the most unassuming, least finicky party you can host all year, it doesn't mean you can forgo decor. I just love this football-themed centerpiece idea from InStyle Parties.

The centerpiece is created from a flat of wheatgrass (available from florists for about $20) and miniature plastic football players and goal posts. So cute and not at all cheezy!

Food: I'm all about ease, and a buffet is the best option. It allows people to watch the Super Bowl without missing any of the action. Keep things simple - recipes created in a slow cooker, such as pulled pork or some type of chili (beef, chicken, or vegetarian) can be a main dish, while the other items on your buffet can be finger foods.

Some Super Bowl Party menu ideas include:

* Pigs in Blankets
* Layered Taco Dip and Tortilla Chips
* Buffalo Chicken Wings
* Chicken Quesadilla Pinwheels
* Football Brownies

If you are having the food catered, remember to put your order in ASAP because it’s sure to be a busy weekend!

Beverage: You should be sure to have plenty of beverages, including non-alcoholic options for your guests. Now football and beer typically go together like Peanut Butter and Jelly but another alternative is to create a punch. One of my favorite punch recipes is "Goombay Smash" - typically enjoyed on Harbor Island, Bahamas.

* 2 1/3 cups Coconut Rum
* 1 1/2 cups Bacardi Gold
* 3/4 cup of Apricot Brandy
* Fill the rest with Pineapple Juice

If possible, why not get creative and prepare a punch in your teams colors?!

Activities: You've got the chili, wings and beer, but what can you do to take your 2010 Super Bowl party to the next level? Organize some games to pass the times between the Super Bowl halftime show with The Who and the big-budget commercials. The most common and simple game is a "Super Bowl Pool".

* Draw a 10x10 grid
* Label the top with one team and one side with the other
* Each guest claims or "buys" a square until they are all taken
* At the end of each quarter, take the last number of each team's final score and find the intersecting square (i.e. if the score is 12 for the top team and 9 for the side team, count over 2 and down 9. Whose ever square that is wins the pot.

Post-game Wrap-Up: At the end of your festivities, make clean-up easy with a supply of large trash bags and "to-go" containers. Let friends take leftovers if they are interested and if not, toss the rest.

By following these Super Bowl party tips, you can rest assured that long after the final football has been snapped, everyone will remember not only the touchdown that clinched the game, but also the fabulous job you did hosting the party.

Coral Me Happy!

I received this gorgeous bouquet of flowers for my birthday back in November and I still can’t stop thinking about it.

The bold color combination of coral and pink worked surprising well together that it just had me thinking…

Coral has been coming back in a big way over the last two years – first it was the actual motif – the jagged sea formation. Now, various shades of the color are finding a home in many places including wedding fashion and décor. Once thought of as a “coastal color” coral has found its place all over.

Coral is easy to pair with shades of blue such as navy or turquoise as seen below:

Coral and Turquoise by oh-so-chic featuring Issa dresses

Items in this set:
issa, $550
Coral shift dress, $57
H&M schoenen espadrille
Charlie coral bag, $155
Turquoise Frilly X Body Bag, $9

As well, mint green and ivory tones give coral a crisp, clean look. Don't the khaki suits for the guys just balance out the color scheme perfectly?!

Items in this set:
row 1: Anna Kuperberg, Gemma Comas Photography

row 2: Martha Stewart, Beaux Arts Photographie via The Bride’s Café
row 3: Anna Kuperberg

Coral paired with brown gives it a modern feel with a warm undertone.

Items in this set:

Clutch: etsy.com

J Crew Dress in Sweet Thistle

Brown Dress: J Crew

As you design your wedding, I encourage you to be inspired by color, even if it's the palest of pinks and soft gray that catches your eye. You can work color into so many details - linens, flowers, paper products, the cake, favors - that it's hard not to have a cohesive look.

Color trends for Spring 2010 were announced by Pantone (the world renowned authority on color) this past September at New York Fashion Week. To view the entire Fashion Color Report for Spring 2010 CLICK HERE.

Tell me, what colors inspire you as we begin 2010?

Let Them Eat Doughnuts!

In many parts of the world, the foods eaten on New Year's Eve and New Years Day have important symbolic meanings.

For financial prosperity the type of food served is usually round to represent coins. Often, the dish will be round beans, like lentils, that will expand when it cooks, symbolizing expanding fortunes.

Many cultures believe anything in the shape of a ring is good luck because it symbolizes "coming full circle" - completing a year's cycle.

Another symbol involves eating sweet food in order to have a sweet year. In some countries people even bake a coin into a sweet cake and the person who gets the coin in his/her slice will have good luck throughout the year.

This New Year’s, why don’t you serve your guests doughnuts with their champagne at midnight and cover all the bases… prosperity, coming full circle, and sweet experiences all year!

Happy New Year!!!

Vivian

Kiss me under the... Kissletoe!?

HERSHEY'S Chocolate Kisses and Mistletoe = Kissletoe!

What better way to make Mistletoe than with Hershey’s Chocolate Kisses?! Make a few and hang them for your celebration, then let guests take them home as favors after the party!

The image above was taken at Hershey’s Holiday Cookie Baking Party on Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at Robert Verdi’s Luxe Laboratory here in New York City.

Hershey’s Kisses Chocolate Kissletoe

Materials Needed:
• Three-inch Styrofoam balls
• Wired ribbon
• Hershey’s Kisses Chocolates
• Glue (non-toxic craft glue, glue stick, or confectioners’ glue)

Assembly:
1. Using a pen or pencil, push through each ball to make a hole through the center of the ball (from end to end).

2. Feed the ribbon through the first ball and tie a knot at the bottom.

3. Leave a couple of inches of ribbon above the first ball and tie another knot. Then feed the ribbon through the second ball setting it on the second knot. Finally, leave several inches of ribbon and then tie a bow at the top.

4. Using a hot glue gun, glue Hershey’s Kisses Chocolate on each ball. Once dry, you can hang your Kissletoe by the bow end.


HERSHEY'S KISSES Chocolates Sweet Menorah

Materials Needed:
• One 9 x 1-inch foam disc
• 2 yards (1 inch wide) blue ribbon
• Two 10-inch silver foil doilies
• Glue (low heat gun, glue stick or confectioners' glue)
• One 4 x 2-inch foam disc
• Aluminum foil
• 10 bamboo skewers
• 2 bags (13 oz each) HERSHEY'S KISSES Chocolates wrapped in silver foil
• 9 (1-inch diameter) silver foil candy cups
• 3 sheets blue construction paper
• 18 HERSHEY KISSES Brand Chocolates, wrapped in red foil

Assembly:
1. To create base of Menorah, cut 9 x 1-inch foam disk in half. Glue blue ribbon along the curved outsized edges of each half disk. Cover the flat side of each half disk by folding one silver doily over each half, lining up the curved edges; secure with glue.

2. Cover 4x2-inch disk with foil; glue blue ribbon around outside edge.

3. To assemble Menorah, place one half disk flat on surface, curved side facing forward. Put 4x2-inch disk, flat side down, in center of half disk. Secure with glue. Place other half disk, curved side down, in center of 4x2-inch disk. Secure with 3 skewers and glue, piercing through all three pieces. (See illustration.) Decorate by gluing chocolates to base.

4. Add candle holders by gluing 9 silver candy cups along the top edge of base.

5. To make candles, cut blue construction paper into 8 pieces (4x4-inch each) and 1piece 5x4-inch for the center candle. Roll each piece into a 3/4-inch diameter cylinder; secure with glue. Cut 5 skewers in half; glue each skewer to inside of candle; insert the excess length of each skewer into each candy cup.

6. Each flame is created with two red foil-wrapped chocolates glued to each other at the flat base. Using 18 chocolates, make 9 flames. Each night of celebration, drop in one chocolate flame to light a candle.

Interested in more ways to make your home sparkle with Hershey holiday crafts? Visit http://www.hersheys.com/holidays/crafts/

“Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days” – B. Franklin

With the holiday season well under way, I thought it might be helpful to point out a few etiquette rules. Given the multiple gatherings and holiday parties taking place over the course of the next few weeks who couldn’t use a refresher on Season’s Greetings Etiquette?

Obviously, respect and courtesy are vital year-round, but they are especially important during this time of year. Click here for Ms. Emily Post's top etiquette tips.

Vivian’s Top 5 Tips for Guests:

1. Gift for the Host(s): Who doesn’t love a surprise gifty?! A small gift is just your way of saying ‘thank you for inviting me’ and showing your host(s) you appreciate them. Following are a few gift ideas:

• Chocolates: Luxury chocolate maker Godiva is recognizing the strapped wallets of shoppers this holiday season. They have a new line of candies called “gems” selling for $10 in Godiva retail locations. In the words of Rachel Ray… YUM-O!

• Magazine Subscription: Through Dec. 12, Amazon is offering yearly subscriptions to the following magazines for only $5! I KNOW!!! Can you believe it? We are talking $.42 an issue people!!!! Magazines include: Cosmopolitan, Country Living, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Harper's Bazaar, House Beautiful, Marie Claire, Popular Mechanics, Redbook, Seventeen, SmartMoney, Town & Country and Veranda. Buy a subscription to be sent to your host and they'll think of you all year long.

• Wine charms: These are great because they can be used immediately! Check out http://www.wineglasscharms.com/.

• Bottle of Wine: The old standby but for a new twist, attach a personal note to the bottle. Often times so many bottles of wine are brought to parties, the host isn’t able to figure out who brought what. If the bottle doesn’t get opened at the party, with your note - “Happy Holidays! Love, Jennifer” when the host goes to open it, he/she will think of you!

2. Pitch in. Instead of asking how you can help, take the initiative to volunteer to do a specific job like loading the dishwasher. The flip side of this? If you offer to help and the host firmly declines, definitely back off. Don’t be offended, some people have their own ways of cleaning up or really don't want guests in their kitchen.

3. Deflect Rudeness: At family get-togethers, don't let nosy questions upset you. Just changing the topic: "You're right, I was dating someone this time last year, but it didn’t work out… How 'bout those Giants?"

4. Traveling as a guest? The rule of thumb: Three nights is usually plenty. My friend Heather kindly reminded me of the quote by Benjamin Franklin “Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days”. Do your hosts a favor and spell out arrival and departure dates/times in advance so they aren't left guessing.

5. Be grateful: Seems obvious I know, but it’s always important to thank the host or personal responsible for the planning and coordinating the event. You can thank them as you are leaving or send a thank-you note (or email) within 48 hours. You probably don’t need to send a letter for the last minute BYOB get together, but it is appropriate to send a note to the host who spent time and energy putting together the party. Do consider sending a thank-you note to top management for the holiday party.

Despite the trend, don’t stress this season. Happy planning and party attending!

Best,
Vivian

If it’s Free, It’s for Me!

Every year, Pottery Barn offers complimentary holiday entertaining and decorating classes - click the following link to find a store location near you so you don't miss out:

Holiday Decorating and Entertaining, co-sponsored by Real Simple.

There are so many beautiful items this year including a NEW Reindeer Table Runner from their signature “Reindeer Collection” which is just adorable.

For the dinnerware, you can choose from two sets of Reindeer names for each piece: (1) Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, or (2) Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen. You’ll need both sets if you want all of Santa’s helpers!

I absolutely love these Dreidel Place Card Holders (a set of 4 is $19) and you can create a dramatic centerpiece for your Hanukkah celebration with their polished silver menorah. It’s crafted of cast aluminum and each candle holder is detailed with a design on the top ($59).

As far as REAL SIMPLE goes… I love everything they produce!
I receive their daily email newsletters and I highly recommend: Real Simple: Celebrations. It makes a terrific hostess gift and will ensure you get invited to next year’s soiree.

Happy Planning!!!

It's hard to believe Thanksgiving is just 2 weeks away! If you are hosting friends or family this year, it's definitely time to make a plan and start putting it into motion.

Start by thinking through each aspect of the day - Menu, Shopping, Seating, Timetable, Decorations, and Cleaning. Once you have everything down on paper, you'll have a better idea of how much time it might take you to complete all of these tasks. Make it a goal to increase the joy and gratitude of Thanksgiving while keeping the hair-pulling moments to a minimum.

Following are five tips to help you celebrate a happy, organized, and stress-free holiday:

1: TRAVEL SMART!
Millions of Americans will be hitting the roads (and sky) to travel to and
from their Thanksgiving destinations. Get a leg up on your fellow travelers
by being organized, prepared, and smart.

Traveling by air? Arrive at the airport well before your flight - at least an hour and a half, particularly if you plan to check luggage. If possible, why not save yourself the hassle all together by going the carry-on route! Keeping your bags with you on the plane will save you time checking in and leaving the airport, and will eliminate the risk of lost luggage.

Traveling by car? Check local sources to see if there are any problems with the roads on which you'll be driving. Knowing beforehand about construction, road closures, severe traffic, and other obstacles will allow you to choose an alternate route, or at least to allot more time to reach your
destination.

Traveling by Train? Book a reserved ticket and get to the station early to increase your chances of getting a seat on the train. If your destination is served by a regional or mass transit rail line, consider using it, rather than Amtrak; the ride might not be as luxurious, but it'll be less crowded, and almost certainly less expensive.

2: AVOID LARGE PROJECTS: You know I love tackling large organizing projects, but now isn't the time. Starting a large project these next few weeks, when so much else is happening, increases the chances you won't be able to finish it, which will leave you worse off, and faced with more disorganization. Instead, select a few small tasks which will allow you to comfortably entertain guests without feeling like something is looming over your head. Even simpler, make a list of projects you want to tackle - dealing with your closets, getting files into drawers - and schedule time on your calendar to move forward after the holiday.

3: BE PREPARED: Hosts are faced with a big challenge: cooking a huge meal for several people, with all of the sub-tasks that go along with it! If you're hosting, avoid making Thanksgiving a crazy, busy rush by doing a few small, but important prep tasks earlier in the week.

Having hosted countless holidays over the years, I watched my mom get organized by pulling out all the serving dishes she planned to use a day in advance. She would label each dish or bowl with a note on what it would be used for (i.e. mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, carrots...).

Check out this photo from the late 80's and you'll see her in action! Love you mom!

I also suggest bringing out any table linens you're planning to use to be sure they're clean, ironed, and that you have enough napkins or placemats. Speaking of placemats...

I just have to add a great idea here for the "kids table" - chalkboard place mats! O.R.E. Chalk-a-Doodle place mats (with four pieces of chalk and eraser), $12 each. So cute and will definitely keep the kiddies entertained.

4: ASK - AND OFFER - HELP: If you're hosting put your guests to work! You can ask them to take coats, have them play bartender and get drinks, light candles, or fill water glasses at the table. If guests ask what they can bring, have an answer prepared - whether it's a side dish, a dessert, or wine - make sure it contributes to the menu. If you're the guest at a Thanksgiving meal, offer to pitch in, and take your task out of the kitchen if space is tight so you won't crowd the other things happening in the room.

5: AVOID STORES ON BLACK FRIDAY! I know, I know, Obama would be disappointed I'm not encouraging your supporting our struggling economy, but I strongly advise avoiding malls and big department stores the day after Thanksgiving. It's called "Black Friday" because it was traditionally the day on which retailers finally broke even on their expenses and started to make a profit.

Though many stores advertise big sales, getting the deals you see in the paper or on TV means doing battle with huge crowds, standing in long lines, and quite possibly buying things you neither want nor need simply because they carry discounted price tags.

If you feel you absolutely must take advantage of Black Friday sales, consider spending a limited amount of time online to buy what you're truly interested in via the store's website.

A more pleasant, less stressful, and much less cluttered option, though, is to direct your focus elsewhere all together - why not get outdoors for a post-Thanksgiving hike, to spending time with friends and family, or simply relax and enjoy a day off.

GIFT CERTIFICATES ARE AVAILABLE!

Santora LLC offers custom gift certificates for all event coordination services. Whether it's one of the many event planning packages available, or just a few hours of a la carte services, a custom gift certificate is the perfect gift to help reduce stress, save time, and money!