Essentials for Easy Entertaining

I’m super excited for the upcoming extended weekend, and I plan to have some friends over at some point. When we entertain, it’s usually impromptu. It’s just how we roll, and I like it that way. But I’ve learned that since I like to entertain this way, I need to keep a few entertaining essentials on hand. Oh, and I like to keep it casual and fun. Not surprising. Ha!

I like to have a few fun placements and cocktail napkins on hand. They serve as my casual yet fun jumping off point. I just picked up these paper palm leaf placemats from Weidner & Hasou & Co. in Houston. They add the perfect pop of color, they look great with my trusty white plates and white caterer’s napkins, and they add paper to the spot where you need it most- the drink spot.

Here are a few of my recent cocktail napkin purchases. When I’m using my standard brown linen placemats, I’ll add these fun cocktail napkins. What I really love is the acrylic cocktail napkin holders I recently picked up. Now I keep cocktail napkins out all the time. Before I would stash them away because they looked unkempt on the counter.

My friend brought me these plastic number cups when she came over for dinner. What a great hostess gift! Not even two weeks later, we were hosting a dinner, and I found myself scrambling for cocktail cups when I remembered I had these! No need to carve your initials in the styrofoam, just remember your number! You can throw them in the dishwasher to get more than one use out of them. You can also find these at Weidner & Hasou & Co. in Houston.

I can never get my stuff together enough to iron my hand towels. Plus, by the end of the night, the hand towel is sopping wet! #aintnobodygottimeforthat These hand towels are absorbent and big! You can get your hands really dry with just one! P.S. Once the guests leave, I hide them back in my drawer. My boys would go through these towels in a day. Ha!

photos by: Traci Ling