Donate a Prom Dress

Kick off your Sunday shoes! And then donate them!

Ever skipped an event because you didn't have anything to wear? Can you imagine wanting to attend prom, but feeling like you had to miss out because you couldn't afford a dress to wear? Prom is the ultimate event for teenagers. So much more than a party, it's a rite of passage, an evening to remember forever. Some people feel like their prom was the highlight of their whole high school experience! It's a night to be with your friends, get your groove on, and feel like a princess. Unfortunately, prom also costs an exorbitant amount of money. And any woman who has ever been age seventeen knows the pressure to dress in style.

Disclaimer: I actually never attended prom, having been involved in a musical production the same night, but I've watched "Pretty in Pink" seven times, so I feel like I get it.

This is a really volcanic ensemble you're wearing, it's really marvelous!

There are alot of "Andie Walsh's" out there who want to experience prom, but don't have the financial means to purchase a beautiful dress. Here's where you can help!

Yes, YOU!

Donate My Dress is an organization that connects people who have dresses, with teenage girls who need dresses for prom. If you read some of the stories on their site, you will hear about girls who were homeless during high school but still attended their prom thanks to this organization.

DonateMyDress.org has links to local organizations in your state to find out where you can donate gently worn or new current style gowns (they don't want your 1982 taffeta monstrosity - sorry!), strappy evening shoes, purses, and jewelry. They want all sizes! I checked my local organization (Fairy Goodmothers of Central Ohio) and it looks like they are collecting these items at various Talbots stores and other locations from January 1 through March 30.

Help create magical and awkward moments like this.

So, check the back of your closet and see if you have a fancy dress you don't need. You could donate the dress and give a deserving girl the night of her life!!

Hosting a Direct Sales Party

The burp means it's fresh!

Lia Sophia, Thirty-One, Party-Lite, Pampered Chef, Mary Kay…. All are home sales companies and you probably know one or more people who sell their products. Every so often you will get the (slightly dreaded) request... "Will you host a party for me?"

As I’m sure your entrepreneurial friend has told you, there are benefits to hosting a direct sales party at your home. The free merchandise you can earn by being a host is the publicized draw, but if you are like me, the main reason you agree to host is to support your friend.

So, you want your friend to have a successful party and you want your guests to have a good time. How do you meet both of these goals?

Helping your friend have a successful party
1. The invitations. You need people to show up or this party will be a flop! Work with the seller to find out what kids of promises you can make to guests. For example, can the invitees get a bonus raffle ticket or free merchandise for every friend they bring to the event? Will they get to sample fantastic recipes featuring Pampered Chef dishware? If you are sending an email invitation, provide a link to the current catalog, so people can start getting excited about the products.

2. Have a table cleared off or some other space for the seller to display her wares. Find out how much room she needs. If you do not have appropriate space, ask the seller to bring her own table.

3. Lighting. If this is a jewelry, make-up, or bag party, it’s nice if there is bright lighting on the products. Mood lighting is great to create atmosphere, but this is a situation where people need to see stuff! (Unless it’s a candle party, then maybe low lights would be better!)

4. Offer to wear or display the products. The guests trust you because you are their friend. If you are wearing the Lia Sophia jewelry or using a Longaberger basket, they will probably comment on the item and then you can explain how much you like it. Even if it is a piece you haven’t bought yet, your seller friend would probably like you to model the merchandise.

5. CALL the invitees the day before the party. This is a good reminder and will force the non-committed to make a decision to come or not. Calls are more convincing than email; it’s really easy to ignore an email. If you feel a little uncomfortable making the call, come up with some pretext. “I am going to the store and was wondering if people would like to have ice tea or soda at the Tupperware party tomorrow. What do you think I should get?”

6. Don’t serve greasy finger foods. People will get grease and fingerprints all over the merchandise! Ew.

Making sure your guests have a good time
1. Serve food and beverages. No, it doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but you should have something to eat – it’s a party! Use this opportunity to try out a new dessert. Although you are not the star attraction of the party, you should still aim to impress as a hostess! I like having a simple, healthy appetizer (like fresh cut veggies and hummus), a yummy, impressive appetizer (like chicken salad in phyllo cups or meatballs), a dessert (cheesecake is always a winner), and a signature cocktail (you don’t have to serve alcohol, unless you have my friends over, then you do.)

2. Clean up the party room and the bathroom. Everyone feels more comfortable in a clean, uncluttered space.

3. Provide enough seating and places to write. Most of these parties involve catalogs and writing down orders and it’s always a pain in the butt when the only place you have to balance your beverage and your catalog is your lap.

4. Think about asking the host to donate a percent of the profits to the charity of your choice, instead of taking a hostess gift. I know that as a guest, I feel more ready to buy and just generally happier with the whole event when I know the host is doing this for a charity. My friend hosted a Pampered Chef party and made the seller give a percent of the day’s profits to cancer research, instead of taking a hostess gift/discount. Since her dad had just survived some cancer treatments, I thought it was a touching gesture. How do you say no to a party invitation like that!?! And I will admit that I bought more products knowing the proceeds were for a good cause (at least that’s what I told my husband when I came home with $100 worth of Pampered Chef gadgets.)

5. Alternatively, if you are really doing this to support your selling friend and could care less about getting free products (seriously, I’m just not a “basket” kind of person!!), ask your friend if she will waive all the shipping fees for your guests instead of giving you a gift/discount. As a guest, I HATE paying shipping charges on these products!!! It just seems unfair.

6. Prompt distribution. Once all the purchased products are delivered to your house, do your best to distribute the products to your friends quickly.

7. Don’t worry about entertainment. The seller should take care of the entire presentation.

And your obligation is complete!! That wasn’t so bad. (Hope your friend knows that she is getting the first call when you need someone to help you move… or your kid is selling Girl Scout Cookies…or you need to bring a guest to some other direct sales party…)

For the Love of China

When do you use your fine china? 1) Daily, 2) Often, 3) Special holidays only, 4) Never, 5) I don’t have china. 6) All of my daily nutrition comes in pill form. If you answered 3) or 4), this post is for you!

You can make a casual dinner a lot more fabulous just by setting the table with your nice dishes. Many of us received fine dinnerware wedding gifts, and the pieces sit in the china cabinet (or worse, in boxes in the basement) day after day.

China place settings look so beautiful and make your meal presentation instantly more glamorous. Why wait until Christmas to show it off?

The Arguments (and my scathing rebuttal!) –

China is a pain to clean. Umm, okay Monsignor McLazy. You are already going through the trouble of making a nice dinner, what are a few more minutes of washing dishes? You might even have a couple guests offer to help wash the dishes. (Those friends are definitely getting invited back!) Check your china – some brands are even dishwasher safe. (But use the “china” setting on your dishwasher if there is one.)

Everyone is going to be wearing jeans. China is too formal. Myth! You are totally allowed to use nice dishes even if your guests are not wearing ball gowns and tuxedos. (But be realistic. If you are hosting a pool party where everyone is wearing a bathing suit and eating burgers, china is going to be ridiculous.)

It will just be my family at the table. So are they chopped liver? If you make a nice Sunday dinner for your brood, serve it up on china to make the whole scene feel more special. Bringing out the nice dishes could lend a celebratory tone for such family events as good grade cards, promotions, reading ten books, snow days, or half-birthdays.

But my dishes look so nice displayed in the china cabinet. Seriously? They are dishes. Meant for eating. Give them the true place of honor for the evening – your dining room table.

My mom only used her china on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Some traditions were meant to be trampled. And you can still use your china on the special holidays; using it more often will just make more days feel like holidays.

I only have four place settings. Even if you only received four place settings of china for your wedding, that’s not a problem if you are only having dinner for four people! There is no need to wait until you have a set of twelve to start hosting parties using your china.

TIP –
China dishware can scratch itself! Store your dishes with a cloth or paper napkin between each plate.

Will you be my Valentine, Kate Spade Gardner Street Platinum dinnerware?

The Two Words You Need to Plan Your Wedding

Planning a wedding is a big responsibility. It’s arguably the most important day of your life, everyone you know will be there (watching, judging you – at least it might seem that way!), there is a lot of money being spent (possibly even your own money!), and you have to find a way to combine the tastes of both the bride and the groom (unless the groom is a big pushover).

Where to begin??

There are so many “major” decisions that go into a wedding – dress, location, food, entertainment, guest list, and ceremony, to name a few. And you are faced with dozens, maybe hundreds of options to consider for each decision! Wouldn't it be nice to be able to narrow down those options immediately, and consistently be on the same page as your betrothed throughout the wedding planning process?

Here is my tried and true tip - BEFORE making those decisions, I suggest that you and your sweetheart come up with two words that set the tone for every later decision you need to make. It’s incredibly helpful. Let me explain.

Every wedding has a different vibe. Choosing two words – at the outset of planning - to reflect what you want the day to be, advises every detail of the planning. After it’s all over, you will be left thinking, “This is exactly how we hoped our wedding day would feel!”

Here are some two word combination examples: “Classy and Fun,” “Luxurious and Elegant,” “Passionate and Wild,” “Cozy and Intimate,” “Charming and Homey,” “Magical and Traditional,” and “Retro Chic.” Picture each of those weddings in your mind – do you see how each wedding looks different, feels different than the others?

Your two words will help you in every step of the wedding planning process. Using the examples above, let’s consider some wedding choices. You will see that the tone you wish to set for your wedding can be clearly conveyed to the guests.

Stationery:


Is the above invitation from Jessica Meredith Designs an example of “Luxurious and Elegant” or “Cozy and Intimate”?


Is the above invitation from Wedding Paper Divas an example of “Luxurious and Elegant” or “Cozy and Intimate”?


Bands: (these are just to give you an idea – a harpist can be “Fun,” too!! It’s all about your interpretation of your two words.)
Passionate and Wild - A Latin Music group, complete with salsa lessons for the guests.
Classy and Fun – A live band that plays great swing music or rock and roll favorites.
Cozy and Intimate – A jazz quartet
Luxurious and Refined – A harpist
Magical and Traditional – A DJ to play all your family favorites and the best (Disney?) slow dance songs

The problem if you don’t settle on two words is that your overall wedding vibe could end up being “Confusing and Odd” or “Messy and Unplanned.” Such as having a black tie afternoon ceremony on the beach. To me, that scenario indicates a couple who couldn’t decide if they wanted “Carefree and Romantic” or “Formal and Traditional.” And who suffered? The guests who had to wear flip flops with their rental tux in the midday heat.

Alright, so how on earth do we choose our two words?

First, I would recommend that you sit down with a few bridal magazines and bridal idea books from the library. I know that many of you are thinking, “Duh, I have been doing that since our third date.” But this time, mark a few things you like and then…. SHOW THE IDEAS TO YOUR FUTURE SPOUSE. Yikes! Your fiancé might have very divergent ideas from yours and you need to know that going in. Believe it or not, this day is for both of you. Wouldn’t you hate to get your heart set on “Grand and Frilly” only to find out that he would rather have a really small wedding and can only think about the time he overdosed on Pepto-bismol every time he sees pink? So, get an idea of both your tastes before committing to your two words.

Second, I would say if there is a wedding detail you both know you have to have, that one detail might dictate your two words. For example, if you know of an amazing converted airplane hangar that you both desperately want for your reception venue, you might start thinking of words like Vintage, Unique, or Uplifting. It’s pretty obvious already that words such as Intimate and Traditional won’t fit your wedding.

Going with the airplane hangar idea, let’s say you decided to go with “Unique and Uplifting.” So, what kinds of wedding details would fit those two words? Maybe non-traditional invitations, such as making the invites look like boarding passes. Instead of traditional rice being thrown at the couple, have people throw paper airplanes. What’s more Uplifting and Unique than having a gospel choir sing at the church ceremony? Maybe the bride and groom could toast each other and the bridal party, instead of receiving toasts. Think of some Uplifting and Unique theme colors – maybe light blue, yellow, or gold. (Certainly not black.) Do you see how the two words help you make decisions and bring a focus to your planning?

http://www.magnetstreet.com/browse/market/517/categoryList/5139,5050,5361

Whether you are a “Sweet and Whimsical” or “Romantic and Sophisticated” couple, I hope your wedding day will be a shining memory throughout your lives.