Entertaining Archives

Build Your Own Pizza Bar for a Fun family Meal

Build Your Own Pizza Bar

Pizza night …using some leftovers and homemade ingredients.

Use up those leftovers and create a Pizza night your Family will love. They can make their own and get creative to try new things. So if you plan your meals out for the week and have a pasta night a couple of nights before, it works out great. Because I like to space out Italian food a couple of days apart, this helps to use up those little bits of leftovers you may have had.

Rhodes rolls

Homemade Alfredo sauce recipe here

Homemade marinara or your favorite Jar

Asparagus (leftovers)

Sautés Mushrooms (leftovers)

Ham ( leftover Easter) That I had thrown in the freezer

Fresh sliced tomatoes

Mozzarella, Asiago, Romano, Parmesan cheese (leftover from this week’s Fettuccine night)

Chopped Garlic

Fresh Rosemary

Fresh Basil

Green onions

Olives

Italian seasonings

Garlic powder

Onion salt

Sea Salt

Balsamic glaze or vinegar

Olive oil

Preheat oven 425 unless you have a pizza oven, we cook them for 10 minutes 12 minutes depending on the oven! Also depends on how crispy you like your pizza.

These make mini individual pizzas. Make sure you do enough rolls per person, I did 2-3 per person. (for the rolls follow the directions on the bag) Then after they’ve risen all day each person flattens and pulls theirs out to shape and top with desired toppings. Some family members made little calzone instead of a mini pizza. That is part of the fun, Building Your Own Pizza Bar, You can get as creative as you want and try different things on your pizza. My family loves this interactive meal, it’s fun to hear them chat, joke, and talk their way through creating their pizza’s.

For fun, kitchen Gadgets check out my Amazon Shop HERE

Blogger Friends:

This week I joined some of my Blogger girlfriends in a recipe share because It’s always fun in the kitchen, please go check out their blogs and see what was cooking or mixing up in their kitchens.

Rosemary = Distinctly Southern Style

Gwen= Gwen Live well

Kim= For a Good Life

Rebecca= R You Ready to Organize

LeNysha= Fifty Fab and Traveling

Sherri= A Woman Thing

Heidi = Simply Our Society

A few more recipes I thought you would like:

Ben’s Heavenly Homemade Fettuccine

Easiest Bruschetta & Toast Recipe

Best Homemade Salsa Recipe

Thank you for stopping by this week. I hope you enjoyed our recipe share! OX, D’Arcy

This post may contain affiliate links. All opinions are my own. I only promote brands that I truly love and believe in! Thank you for your support!

June Instagram Recap

June Instagram Recap: Summer dress outfit had all of you in love. Paired with some of my favorites, you guys love Summer dresses, and I am listening. Shop this look HERE

Summer linen is one of my favorite things and yours too. You guys purchased a ton of these pants HERE, and I wasn’t surprised because they are one of my favorite things, easy to style, and were on SALE. SHOP look HERE

Summer dresses Affordable Summer tee shirt dresses perfect for Summer. Comfortable to wear and even easier to style. Wear plain with your favorite flip flops or tennis shoes or wear as I have in the above photo paired with a hat, denim jacket, sandals and, a summer bag. Shop the Look HERE This was a TOP look you loved on Instagram. Below I have featured several affordable and comfortable to wear tee shirt dresses. #teeshirtdresses

This Outfit and Caption from Instagram had you all laughing, and that was my point! We sure needed this lighthearted and funny post. If you missed it, read it HERE and shop it HERE.

June Instagram Recap: Instagram story’s favorite and one of my personnel favorites as well. These Splattered paint cropped lounge pants are so comfy and super soft sweatpant material. I’ve been living in these and you will too. I love that the comfort of these pants could be styled and chic also. Shop the look HERE

Summer linen is a perfect Summer fabric. Nothing say’s Summer like a cute pair of linen shorts. These $13.50 shorts were such a great deal you guys bought them up. They came in several colors, and at these prices, you can grab a couple of pairs. I sure did:) Pair with your favorite tank, denim jacket, and your set. It even looks cute with a concert tee. Shop my look HERE

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My New favorite Beauty tool, and you guys love the tutorial on Instagram View HERE. The Hollywood Browser Dermaplaning kit is a must-have tool for your make up bag and is very affordable. Shop HERE and get 20% off with code DARCYMVANDENBER

MY TOP SELLERS FOR JUNE

Homedecor: Adding a pop of Boho Summer designer pieces to your home. Here I used some high-end designer pieces to decorate for Summer and shared with you the DUPES you could purchase to get the same look at a fraction of the cost. SHOP HERE

Sangria Recipe: I shared this Sangria on my stories, and My DMS were flooded for the recipe. I did say how to make it in the stories and saved to cocktail highlights, but I know a lot of you like a written copy. White Sangria recipe: is a Moscato wine, one bottle of your choice 1/4 jar lemon-lime soda (sprite) 1/4 jar lime La Croix and cup chopped pineapple, cup Strawberries, 1/2 cup blueberries. Add all to a glass pitcher or serving jar… The measurements were based on the jar 1/2 the pitcher was the wine, then 1/4 soda 1/4 sparkling water ( hope that makes sense) I did the same for the Red Sangri, a bottle of sweet red wine, 1/4 soda, 1/4 Sparking water and for the fruit I used one apple chopped, 1 cup of grapes cut up and 1 cup blackberries mixed. The best flavor is to make a day ahead. I hope you guys enjoy it because this #sangriawine is a winner in my book.

Charcuterie Board The Instastory that gave me more DMS then I could handle:) My festive Charcuterie Board that has something for everyone and can feed a large gathering. It’s effortless to put together, and many of you asked for a shopping list. Here is what I used this time:
Grapes
Strawberries
Raspberries
Blackberries
Blueberries
Zucchini bread
Crackers (3) types
Carrots
Cucumbers
Hummus
Verity of cheese
Nuts
Chocolate
Crostini
I like to use little dishes on my board to give hight and keep the fruit from making the crackers soggy. Also great for cheese spreads and Hummus. There are so many ways you can create a great Charcuterie board, really no wrong way to create one. Below are a few of my favorite items to help you create a great board

June Instagram recap: Baked goods June was the first month. We started using Wildgrain bread, pasta, and pastries made fresh than fresh frozen and delivered to your door. Ready for you to bake or cook when you need it. You guys loved my stories and wanted to try the service out for yourself. Some of the best Bread, pasta, and pastries my family has ever had. With this foodie family, that is hard to say. We felt like we were in a bakery in Europe, right in our own home. You won’t be disappointed. Get $10 off with code DARCY_10 Shop HERE.

Date-Night. June took us on a much-needed date night out at The Gateway in Salt Lake. We had dinner at Midici’s Neapolitan pizza company than A drive-in Theater experience. If you haven’t been to The Gateway in Salt Lake and live in Utah, you need to make your way down there. The outside dining, beautiful wall art murals, interactive parks, water features, window displays are so pretty and inviting. They have some unique shops and entertainment as well.

I hope you enjoyed my June Instagram Recap, sharing all the things you enjoyed in my stories, top sellers, and items you wanted more info on. I plan to do a recap at the end of every month, as this seems to be something you have been requesting. Please leave a comment below if there is something you would like me to write or share about. Have a Beautiful 4th of July. OX, D’Arcy

Ways to Entertain and Dress Festive for 4th of July

Can you believe the 4th of July is a little over a week away! Seriously Summer just flies by, and I love to soak up every minute of it. This year the 4th is going to look a little different for all of us. Many of the activities we all love and enjoy May be canceled, For instance, parades, festivals, firework displays, and breakfast in the parks. however, this doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate American and this great Country in a little different way. (Did you know Utah is the number 1 most patriotic state?) Family BBQs, Backyard pool parties, or a lake day, little sidewalk fireworks, or even a small neighborhood firework display (if allowed in your city). Family and friends are what makes a Holiday special, So put on that American the great playlist, Plan the grocery shopping list and pull out all the stops on your Home decorating.

Our front porch welcomes & celebrates America, and I hope it gets you excited for what’s beyond the front door. I wanted to share with you a red, white, and blue nautical Bar cart perfect for serving drinks, a festive snack table to keep guests happy and tummies full before dinner, and our Stars and stripe dining table perfect for entertaining a small crowd. I hope they will inspire you to entertain this 4th of July and maybe make some new traditions.

Tip for creating an eclectic and festive tablescape for entertaining is to gather up all the items you have in the colors theme you are using, here, of course, is red, white, and blue. Don’t worry about the patterns. A mix is part of the fun. Place all our items in your workstation, take inventory and see what your missing (plates or glasses, etc.) This act will allow for easier shopping. Another tip would be to collect items that can quickly work for other occasions (think solid colors, patterns not necessarily the Holiday pattern.)

Try to think of other Holidays or events you could use items to decorate with. Say the Red polka dot bowl. The item could be used for Christmas, Valentine’s day, 4th of July, and even a Birthday. Layering is also another tip, layering tablecloths, placemats, ribbon, chargers, etc. Layering adds texture, for instance, if I removed the mesh ribbon from the center of the table below, The centerpiece of the table would look flat and not as interesting. Layering creates texture. Play with the items you’ve collected and remember to group in odd numbers, use dishes as risers to give your display height dimensions, and use some unexpected things. Using denim pockets from old jeans for the silverware holders is unexpected and useful.

My inspiration was all things red, white, and blue, days of Summer from the past. Coke and cherries remind me of hot summer days and add a little nostalgia to the tablescape. I created easy shopping for you below. Some of the items I have used are vintage and some I have been collecting for years. I did find a lot of similar items or pieces that could easily be substituted. Mixing things collected, vintage and new gives it that fun pop. For more Idea’s and products Shop my Amazon shops HERE

Now that we have the entertaining covered, let’s talk dressing festively. You could use the same concept I used for entertaining/ creating a tablescape, Collect all the Red white and blue clothing items and accessories, and create your outfits from the pieces you collected from your closet. You’d be surprised how many festive outfits you could put together from what you already own. Below you will find I created five 4th of July outfits from pieces I have owned for years. White Jeans HERE a Summer staple and my RED Tory Burch Miller sandals HERE are pieces I wear all supper long. Pair them with a Gingham top below and festive jewelry for that perfect Summer night outfit/BBQ. I added an easy shopping bar below to help you find a piece or two that works for all of the Summer season and perfect for the 4th of July. Shop the outfit HERE

4th of July perfection says the dress below, unfortunately, it sold out. Still, I listed some adorable alternatives below. The straw bag is perfect for the Summer season, and I added this cute designer dupe bow pin to make it perfect for the 4th of July. Shop the look HERE or shop the post below

Easy peezy outfit that says 4th of July without having a flag or saying 4th of July. Pulling red white and blue pieces out of your wardrobe that you wear all summer and pairing them together creates a Holiday look without actually purchasing a 4th of July item. Stripes are one of my favorite things, and I love you can mix a bold stripe and small stripe. Shop the look HERE or shop the page below

Chic and festive pulling basics out to create a Holiday look everyone can wear. Navy blazer, classic white button-up shirt, distressed jeans and could also be worn with Bermuda shorts add festive accessories, and you’re ready to celebrate. Show the look HERE or Shop the page below

The easiest dress to wear and style multiple ways for Summer. Here we’re shooting for 4th of July and celebrating America, so I paired this polka dot maxi dress with a denim jacket, a sun hat, and a patriotic star bandana. Easy and festive. You could also swap out the denim jacket and wear a striped sweater over your shoulders. Swap out the sun hat for a festive headband. Shop the look HERE or Shop the page below

Welcome to our Home. Remember, your entryway tells the story of what your guest should expect when they enter your home. Make it as festive as your tablescape. I’ve been collecting items since owning my Home decor store “Pages of tyme” back in California starting almost 24 years ago. Some of these pillows are a treasure from those days. The lady that hand made them from some of the prettiest fabrics. This flag and rose pillow are hand embroidered. Remember to collect things that bring you joy. They’ll always work in your home when you love them.

I hope your Holiday week brings you joy and your ability to make fun memories, although they may look different this year. Happy fourth of July! OX,D’Arcy

I have three blogger girlfriends that are sharing 4th of July inspiration over on their blogs! Please go check out their post:

Rosemary= Distinctly southern style

Gwen= Gwen Lives Well

Heidi=www.simplyoursociety.com

Michele = Sooo Boca

Ben’s Heavenly Homemade Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe

Ben’s Homemade Fettuccine Alfredo! “This is so good it’s dangerous:)” say’s my mom. Thank goodness it’s so filling you can’t eat a full bowl…. Unless you’re a Vandenberg boy! 🙂

Bens Alfredo

For a serving of 4

1 cube of real Butter

1 heaping tablespoon garlic

1 Pint Heavy whipping cream

1 cup Asiago shredded cheese

1 cup shredded Romano

1/2 cup Parmesan

Salt & pepper to taste

Melt butter in sauté pan when melted, add garlic, then cream, bring to a slow boil then start to add 1 cup of cheese at a time, first Asiago, the Romano lastly Parmesan cheese, and it gets to thick you can add a little more cream. Salt ad pepper to taste.

1 box Fettuccine noodles cooked per box direction

Dish up and serve with Asparagus or a salad and garlic bread. My garlic bread recipe is coming to the blog soon, it is on my Instagram in the highlights.

From our home to yours, Ben’s Heavenly Homemade Fettuccine Alfredo, You’ve been asking for it, and it’s finally made it to the blog. Rich, and creamy Alfredo, made with the best ingredients. Real Butter, heavy whipping cream, and tasty cheeses. Ben Started making this dish for me when we started dating. He learned how to make it from a friend, his family-owned, an Italian restaurant in Del Mar California that was known for making the Best fettuccine. Ben then started playing with the recipe and found this combination is the winner. This dish is decadent, rich, and oh so good. It’s a BIG request at our home, and if we have family in town, they request it as well.

With Quarantine in place, I know you have all been cooking way more than you usually do, I know I have. Hopefully, this will be a fun new recipe for you to try and maybe a little something different that can become a family favorite at your home. Quarantine has been the perfect time to share some of my favorite recipes with you, and I still have a couple more of your request to post. I promise I’ll get them up in the coming weeks even though it looks like we’re going to be getting relief from our kitchens as we start to see part of the country opening up if you’re like me you’ll still like to cook for your family just not as much. I sure am looking forward to a break.

Please let me know if you plan on trying this recipe below or if you do make this recipe, please come back and let me know how your family liked it.

Love this recipe? Try our oldest sons Bucca de Beppo’s copy of Spicy rigatoni Here.

Mother’s Day is less than two week’s away, and I’ve been sharing gift idea’s over at my LIKE TO KNOW IT, Here

Stay tuned for a Mother’s Day post next week. Have a beautiful day! OX, D’Arcy

Christmas Tablescape & Holiday Tips w/ a Few Favorite Recipes!

Easiest Bruschetta & Toast Recipe

Bruschetta & Toast Recipe

This dish is perfect in the Summer especially made with homegrown tomatoes and fresh basil! A light Summer dish everyone will love. My family could eat it a couple nights a week it’s so good!

Bruschetta & Toast Recipe:

Bruschetta:

4 large tomatoes chopped

1 onion chopped

2 cloves of garlic crushed

Fresh Parmesan cheese grated or shredded to your taste (we use about 1/2 cup)

1/2 balsamic vinegar (if you like more juice for dipping add more)

1 bunch of basil

1 tablespoon of Italian Seasoning

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all together and serve with slices of fresh baguette or my garlic cheese toast below:

Garlic Cheese Toast:

8 slices of fresh Sourdough bread sliced

1 cube of butter

3 cloves of crushed garlic

1 tablespoon of Italian Seasoning

1 cup of Mozzarella shredded cheese

Melt butter, add garlic and seasonings brush generously on each piece of toast and top with cheese. Please in oven at 350 until golden brown or cheese is melted. (my boys likes it softer & gooey and my hubby crunchier)

You can serve this as an appetizer or make it a meal served with a salad. The bruschetta is also great served on the top of a grilled chicken breast.

Here is some of my favorite serving Trays {HERE} {HERE} {HERE} Bowls {HERE} {HERE} {HERE}

I hope you try this recipe and if you do please leave a comment, or even better snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@darcyvandenberg), I’d love to reshare! Have a great week OX, D’Arcy

This may contain affiliate links. Thank you for taking the time to read and for your support.

The Ultimate Summer Bucket List

With Summer arriving this week I thought it would be fun to share my Summer Bucket List with you. It seems Summer comes and goes in a blink of an eye! It is one of my favorite seasons here in Utah, it is also my favorite time to be out enjoying our state, plus our town is just beautiful this time of the year. Here is my Summer bucket list… I hope some of them make your list too:)

Summer Wildflowers: Free People Dress similar {HERE} Purse similar {HERE}

Summer brings the prettiest wildflowers which make for some very scenic drives along with all our beautiful lakes and mountains…. So making my list is a Scenic Drive to Mirror Lake, Bear Lake, Little Cottonwood Canyon and Sundance. I love a weekend drive in my hubby’s convertible to take in the sights and get some fresh air.

Skyline Trail Hike here in our town of Eden (Ogden Valley).

If you’ve been following me you know I belong to a woman’s hiking group and we still have quite a lot of Utah hikes we haven’t done. Here are FOUR Hikes that made my list to do this Summer: Wind Cave, {HERE} Donut Falls,{HERE} Fifth Water Hot Springs {HERE}and Cecret Lake.{HERE}

Serving Watermelon Pool side. Hat {HERE} Sunglasses dupes {HERE} Suit {HERE} Earrings {HERE}

Watermelon and Fruits of Summer is a pure pleasure and everyone loves good food and food Events. Hitting the Salt Lake City and Park City Farmers Market are on my list. Here in Utah several towns host a (Fruit Day) North Ogden has Cherry Days {info HERE}, Brigham City has Peach Days, Bear Lake has Raspberry Days, Melon Day is in Green River {More info on all 3 HERE} and Strawberry Days in Pleasant grove. {HERE}

Another great drive and has Fab Summer fruit is Utah’s Famous Fruit highway! {Here} This is always a must do!

Pool time at several Las Vegas pools kicked off my Summer! Moorea Beach club & Delano Beach Club @Mandalay Bay,

Pool time is a big Summer time pleasure and isn’t Summer without laying poolside or playing at a waterpark, am I right? Here are a few pool days that made my list: Grand America pool day, I’ve heard the cocktails are amazing and the food poolside is just as impressive as the hotel. {HERE} Cowabunga Bay Water Park {HERE} We haven’t been to a water Park in years and it always brought joy to my boys. I thought it would be fun to re-experience those playful childhood days with our boys… even though their young adults it’s always fun to be a kid!

Summer Trend Scarves and Shades! Top {HERE} Sunnies similar {HERE} Scarf {HERE}

Random things to do that make Summer fun that made my List, Bowling, It’s always fun to have something to do on a hot Summer day! A Drive in Movie (Every year I say I want to go and we never make it!) It’s going to happen this year… and I am not going to fall asleep! Last time I went to the drive in was with my Childhood friend Selena… We were in college and we BOTH fell asleep! We woke up to a dark empty parking lot at 1am! LOL!! Miniature golf because seriously who doesn’t love a good game of Miniature golf? It brings back memories of young Summer night dates! Summer Outdoor concerts we have tickets to Heart so far… but I know we’ll add more:) as the Summer plays out and it’s one of my favorite ways to enjoy an evening. Warm nights, listening to music, enjoying friends and a good beer! Some great outdoor concert venues {HERE} {HERE} {HERE} {HERE} Some are even FREE! The Rodeo one of my favorite days of the year. We love to attend the Tough Enough To Wear Pink night for breast cancer survivors! It’s a fun tradition we share with family and friends! It wouldn’t be Summer without attending this event! I cry everytime they sing the national anthem with the fly over. {HERE} This rodeo is ranked as one of the top five large outdoor rodeos in the PRCA. A weekend in Deer Valley is beautiful in the Summer. It has stunning hikes, beautiful pools, great restaurants, cooler air and great shopping perfect for a weekend getaway! A day at LAGOON {HERE} Utah’s amusement park nothing says Summer like an amusement park and we haven’t been as a family in years, so this year it’s on the list!

Purchasing the Get Out Pass if you live in Utah, Colorado, Washington and Idaho is so worth it for $149.99 with over $3,000 worth of yearly admissions per pass Save $35 with code Darcy35 My family will be enjoying several activities this Summer and Fall including Cowabunga Bay & Lagoon!

Bruschetta & Toast Recipe on Next week’s Blog post!

Summer Food: If you haven’t figured it out by now… My family are foodies! Summer means fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, BBQ’s, Summer cocktails, late night S’Mores by the fire, picnics on the boat and many Summer get togethers! My bucket list is to share more family recipes with you here on the blog. I’ve been sharing on my instastories and it has been very popular and very requested. I’ll start with my fresh Bruschetta made with Summers beautiful ripe tomatoes NEXT week….So stay tuned!

Summer also means for long days and a little more free time, which allows for us to explore new restaurants, read books and enjoy all the beautiful fresh bouquets from our yards. I look forward to this time of the year and soak in all the beauty Summer brings!

Summer Sunsets are the best on the lake! Paddle Boarding and boating are two places you’ll find me every Summer!

My Last Summer bucket list is to be able to make it to the BEACH! I need my toes in the Sand and the smell of salty air, it’s my inner peace and it’s calling my name! I hope your Summer brings you so much joy and you check off everything on your BUCKET LIST!

OX, D’Arcy

There’s nothing like the smell of the ocean and sand in your toes! California Lifeguard tower!

3 Ingredient, Quick & Easy Appetizer Perfect for the Holiday’s

Step 1 & 2 &3
unroll the crescent pack and use one section of 4 per each block of cream cheese. stretch dough out just a little and pinch the triangles together.
next: place cream cheese in center and cover with dill.

Step 4
cover the block of cream cheese with the crescent roll leave end unsealed and cut off a 1/2 inch strip from each end then pinch together the ends like shown. I really press everything together until smooth.

Step 5
cut strips into 10 smaller rectangles. Use the 10 pieces to create pedals and balls. Or create your own design. Brush with egg white if you wish. Step 6 repeat with other block of cream cheese and remaining 4 crescents.

Step 7 place in a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees until golden brown. ( the egg white wash helps it brown golden)

Step 8 serve warm with crackers.

Step 9 Spread it on a cracker of your choice. This goes quick and doesn’t last at parties. It take about 15 mins to prepare and 15 min in oven (depending on oven)

Hello Beautiful’s!

I hope you had a wonderful week. I know I love when we get an extra week from Thanksgiving to December. It really does help you be more prepared for the Christmas season. With all the Holiday parties fast approaching, I am sure you will be attending one or two that requires you to bring a dish or appetizer to share. I wanted to share with you our families fast and easy appetizer! Crescent dill cream cheese spread. You’ll whip this up so fast and people will think you slaved for hours. It’s been a favorite in our home for twenty something years and I always have the ingredients on hand so I can whip it up on a moments notice! A great tip if you have visitors popping by.

You’ll need:

1 can of crescent rolls

2 cream cheese blocks

Dill seasoning

and 1 egg for egg whites, brush on top before baking

9×9 baking pan

butter or spray to grease pan

Follow the steps above. I love you can pre make a day or two before hand (Non- baked) stick in fridge. Bake right before you’re heading to party.

I hope you’ll try this yummy dish for one of your Holiday parties and stop back by here and tell me how everyone liked it! Here’s to a perfect and easy Holiday season! OX, D’Arcy

Thanksgiving Dining Tablescape

Vintage silverware, gold and silver china, gold and silver accessories, woodland accessories, bristle trees, bottle trees, place settings, antlers, woodland.

Vintage pearl& gold silverware {Similar HERE} & {HERE}, gold and silver china, {SIMILAR HERE} gold and silver accessories, woodland accessories, {SIMILAR HERE}&{HERE} bristle trees, bottle trees, {HERE}&{HERE}place settings, antlers, woodland place card holders, layered table clothes{SIMILAR HERE} &{HERE} and gold dipped steam wear glasses {SIMILAR HERE} {HERE} adorn our table top.

Our kitchen coffee & coco bar. Who doesn’t love a warm drink in the winter?

Happy Thanksgiving from our home to yours!

I wanted to share our Thanksgiving table setting with you. It’s not the traditional Fall feel with leaves and pumpkins, I went with a winter white, silver, and gold theme. It feels elegant and warm don’t you think? To give it a Thanksgiving feel I picked up this fun silver pheasant from Target and added antlers and wooden details. TIP: for adding layers to your table-scape find items around your home that work in your color/theme. Pay attention to heights, find items from low to high, but not too high that you can’t see around it. I love pieces that are general and don’t scream a certain holiday so you can use them more often. Items like glass, mercury glass, and solid colors like gold, silver, white, and red (red works for Christmas, Valentines day and Summer). Pieces that give your table a glow like candles, votives, and candle sticks are great pieces to collect. Another TIP I love to share is layer your tablecloth, this works great if you don’t have the perfect size for your table. Here I used a large plain white tablecloth that fits the table and to add a pop of design. I used the gold stripe tablecloth that was meant for a smaller table but you would wouldn’t notice it doesn’t fit the table because of the layering. I also like to layer different tablecloths of different sizes if you don’t have one that fits! Just remember they need to be in the same color family for it to work. Our table is for 8, yet I always buy everything in sets of 12. I do this in case anything breaks or if I have extra people we can make a kid table for 4 at our kitchen island. It is also because I am a little bit of a collector….(my boys are going to hate me when I die!)

I just love collecting things to entertain and make life beautiful, I can throw any kind of party on a moments notice because of the pieces i’ve collected over the years! So If you’re wanting to build your entertaining collection keep following along with me. I plan on sharing more of my entertaining tips and collections with you as I have had so many of you ask for me to share this part of my life. Would you like a list of my basic entertaining starter kit? This would be the must have items and then be able to build from that. *If so please leave a comment below.

I love Thanksgiving and spending time with family and friends over good food and I know you do too! So next time make it a beautiful experience and share your love over a beautiful designed table, there is no better way to show off the hard work you spent in the kitchen. TIP: You can build your perfect table-scape weeks before to take the pressure off.

May you have a beautiful Thanksgiving, yummy food and a great time with your family and friends. We’ll be having a Friendsgiving as all of our family is out of town. OX, D’Arcy

PS: Are you excited for Black Friday or do you stay home and put up Christmas? This is my first year not in retail for the Holidays and I can’t tell you how excited I am! I’ll be staying home to decorate and enjoy my family. I will be shopping a little online and I can’t wait to share with you all the deals I found this week for Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday! My DEAL post will go live tonight at MIDNIGHT!

This post may contain affiliate links. All opinions are my own and I appreciate your support.

3 Way’s to entertain with ease!

{Dress} here and similar Here, here here. {Shoe} here and similar here {bar cart} Vintage but Similar Here and here {glasses} Here and Similar here {home} target $3 bin Sold out Similar here {ring} sold out, similar here and here

Hello Beautiful’s,

I want to share with you 3 easy way’s to entertain with easy! You know how much I love to entertain and I love quick impromptu small gatherings. I found some easy way’s to make for a “pop over visit”for a girl’s night or a Couple’s date night!

#1 Make it simple, you can have a great night without having to slave in the kitchen. I love having people over for drinks and a simple appetizer or one of my favorite’s is, Dessert and drinks after having dinner out! This allows you to keep it simple and not have to take a lot of time to prepare.

#2 Being Prepared! Having a few entertaining piece’s you love. Pretty glasses, a great serving tray or bowl. Even having a bar cart (even if you don’t drink) It makes serving easy, yet keeps your theme in check! View some of my favorite past bar cart tips Here, here and here!

#3 Keep the drink and food easy! Paring a great champagne or Prosecco with a fruit patter or my favorite Strawberries and homemade fruit dip! (my family’s favorite & it’s quick!) Recipe below! If you want to serve a cocktail, I alway’s suggest a specially cocktail ( find out what your guest alcohol choice is) create a drink around that! Say it’s vodka, you can make a Moscow mule and serve with a cheese and cracker platter or a great crudite’s platter. Serving 1 kind of drink helps you to enjoy your company and not having to act as a bartender! I love drinks I can make in a pitcher! Sangria, Rum punch, Vodka lemonade, Mojitos.

Entertaining doesn’t have to be expensive or hours of time! Some of my most favorite get together’s happened spur of the moment! This is why being prepared is key! I can have friends drop over at any time and I can easily throw something together. Here is a list of some of the things I like to alway’s have in my pantry and fridge, this helps you entertain quick and with ease.

Assortment of cheeses (even cream cheese or boursin, these make a great veggie dip)

Assortment of crackers and nuts

Fresh fruit and veggies

A bottle of wine, vodka, Rum

Club soda or La croix

Having these items on hand, really helps for throwing a quick and yummy platter together fast! Who doesn’t love to snack on these! As for the drink’s I found if you have these staples you can create something, even if it’s a wine spritzer with fresh fruit!

Strawberry dip recipe:

A jar of Marshmallow fluff

A Block of Cream cheese

A teaspoon of vanilla

mix all ingredients together, serve in pretty bowl with strawberries. Yum! (it’s great to dip strawberry in champagne first, then in dip!)

I hope you throw a fun and easy get together soon! OX, D’Arcy

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