Short-cut Hospitality with Guest Joy Forney (And idea swap & share)
It is Friday swap and share for our online study of A Life That Says Welcome. Before we share our decorating ideas and links, let’s hear from today’s guest, the lovely Joy Forney.
Here she is!
Hi! I’m Joy from Grace Full Mama and I’m so glad to be here today! I am the wife of a missionary pilot and mama to 5 and we live in Indonesia.
I love hospitality….in my head.
Early in the week, I am feeling full of energy and ready to invite people over for fellowship on the weekends.
And then…. the weekend comes and I wonder, What was I thinking?
The house is a mess, I am tired, and all I feel like doing is getting in my jammies with a good book. It’s in those moments of exhaustion that I need a pick me up both physically and mentally so that I can truly enjoy the company that I have invited!
Here are my quick tips to prepare for company, especially when you are feeling a bit run-down:
1. Prepare the day before. Is there anything I can do ahead of time to make it easier? Can I make cookies ahead or prep any ingredients?
2. Plan a simple yet fun dinner. One of my favorite go-to meals is BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, Coleslaw, and Baked Beans. Just throw 4-5 chicken breasts in the crockpot with a bottle of BBQ sauce on low for about 5 hours {it will make your house smell great!}, shred the chicken, and serve on rolls. Simple and tasty!
3. Take a nap. Schedule a little down time before your company comes to rest a little so you have full energy to welcome other into your home.
4. Light some scented candles, turn on some soothing music, put some flowers in a vase, and turn down the lights! Ambience will help you as well as your guests relax and enjoy the evening!
5. Relax and have fun! Now your guests are here and you are ready to embrace them with love and welcome!
Great ideas. Thanks Joy!
Now, Joy has a giveaway for one of you; a $25 Target gift card to buy candles, music or a decorative item.
The winner will be chosen at random from one of you who shares a decorating tip today. Do you have a simple idea? A homemade craft? A link to a clever centerpiece or do-it-yourself project? A way to use old items for a new purpose?
Leave your idea in the comment section. Or leave a link with a clever idea you have stumbled upon on the web. (don’t leave more than one link per comment or my site will reject it)
Or, if you have a blog, use the link up below to showcase your blog post here with your decorating piece. I can’t wait to see your ideas!
Don’t forget to come back over the weekend for more encouragement.
Love all these ideas. I try to do all the work the day before (clean, set up, prep food) so that I can enjoy the time with friends. When people offer to bring something I always let them help and be a part of the day. We are always watching the finances, so I stick to fragrant candles throughout the house. Focus is on the special time we can have with our guest and memories that will last far longer than decorations or food.
Fresh flowers- for the kitchen, bathrooms and family room.
When fresh flowers are too spendy and there is nothing to cut from my garden, I pick up afew bunches of fresh cut herbs, like italian parsley or cilantro, and add them to a small vase or mason jar. For a mere 60 a bunch cents I not only have something green and fresh in my home, but I can also incorporate the herbs into a simple dish I serve to my guests. Add a few small candles or even a mix a couple of fresh cut flowers to fancy things up even more.
I meant to say 60 cents a bunch from the grocery store. My editing on this phone is terrible. Lol!
I have two decorating ideas. One, I have a glass bowl that I bought from a craft store that you fill the sides and put floating candles in water in the middle. Most of the year I have silk flowers the color of my kitchen (pink and safe green) with pink flip flop candles in the middle. During Christmastime I surround the bowl with tree branches that I found from an artificial tree and put snowman floating candles in the center.
Two because I live close to the beach, just a simple bowl filled with shells makes a great decoration :)
decorate w fruit!! a bowl of fruit works as a great centerpiece. yummu too.
This area is the most difficult area for me because I just don’t put a lot of thought into decorating. I am lucky if the kitchen table is cleaned so that we can sit down to eat. I do however have a chalkboard backsplash in my kitchen and I invite my guests to contribute to the decorations. Then even after they are gone, I get to enjoy a variety art from my talented friends.
Joy, I love your ideas–and your comments are soooo real. I too love hospitality–in my head–and then the day comes, and I too think, “What was I thinking?”.–lol
Like you suggested, I use the crock pot a lot for chili, lasagna and other things that all you have to add is bagged salad and some nice bread. I can then be much more relaxed and enjoy spending time with my guests, and they still get a good meal along with their visit.
I have a cat that destroys all indoor plants or flowers. .My solution: a terrarium with a lid…..safe from her and I can change it with the seasons…
I like to decorate the front porch with seasonal flowers planted in ceramic pots so the entry is always ready & welcoming for guests. Inside, the table always has a plant & candles and seasonal nick nacks. Fresh flowers are wonderful but a plant can last for years & look great so you are always ready. I still have to do last minute cleaning though with 2 dogs-ugh. : -)
I like to fill jars with various holiday/seasonal items .
I like people to feel comfortable when they come over. I don’t have a “Better Homes and Gardens” house; however, I do greet my guests with a “picked-up” version of one — just not perfect.
I welcome my guests with authenticity and invite them to do the same.
Oh my! Sorry I didn’t include the link to a project that uses empty toilet paper rolls and egg cartons.
http://www.michelemademe.com/search/label/tutorial?updated-max=2010-06-08T20:46:00-04:00&max-results=20
Chili pepper lights are a favorite of ours! We keep a strand up by our dinner table. One of my friends had some strung around her deck, and they added such a nice touch on a summer night, after a barbecue!
I love this idea for re-using toilet paper rolls and egg cartons. I always have plenty of both on hand.
I enjoy using napkin rings and cloth napkins. When traveling or shopping I keep my eye out for unique napkin rings–also they must be “on sale” or clearance priced. Then I feel like I have saved money and come away with a special decorative touch. My grandchildren love to help choose which rings to use & they put the napkins into the rings and help set the table. I did not do this when I was raising our 3 sons at home, just in the past couple of years since I have retired and thought my grandchildren, as well as our families, would enjoy this extra special touch.
One of my favorite is to fill platters that are wood with colored stones and place candles in them, simple and elegant, along with creating small gift bags that are themed for the guest as place setting, filled with simple saying of why I love them as family and friends. Or questions to get to know one another on a deeper level. Homemade jopurnals are wonderful to place in the bags from paper that is cut to size to make them all feel welcome! A homemade wreath on the door that says come in and welcome to our home.
thanks for these tips! The recipe sounds great too! I’m definitely not one for decorating but I’ve bought a few small bottles of shampoo, lotion, lip balm etc to leave in our guest washroom for when we have visitors this summer! I hope it’d be a nice touch and a way to welcome them into our home.
A great idea to repurpose a crib into a fabulous bench for friends and guests.
http://cassandradesign.blogspot.com/search?q=crib+bench
Arranging flowers is really not my thing, so many times the flowers get in the way of seeing the people across from you. I have small juice glasses and place a rose or more in the glasses the length of the table. We have plenty of flowers in our garden to choose from if the roses are not blooming
These are all helpful ideas.
I keep one bathroom clean almost all the time. I try to check it once a day. Then if someone drops by or time arrives to have a family over, I can at least know they have a clean pretty bathroom to use! We add a vase of flowers if the garden is in bloom.
I always use something in my yard to decorate my table, depending on the season of the year.
Spring blossoms in a vase, fall leaves scattered around, Christmas holly in red vases. I tried to get creative with what I have.
Oh my. I suffer in this area. I do like those candles with the switch on the bottom that you can just turn on. lol For Christmas, I tied a little season ribbon around them…they were pretty.
On my china hutch I have a runner. At one end is the morning Bible reading basket, but at the other end I am trying to put something seasonal. When in doubt I pull out appropriate cookie cutters and some ribbon and “artfully” arrange them – basically I use the ribbon to prop up the coookie cutters and not make them look random.
Works well, and makes me feel more on top of things than I really am.
I love to decorate to welcome guests into our home. While I do not feel our house is designed for hosting to many get togethers….when I do we use mason jars for drinking glasses. I tie a simple ribbon around them and add a cute tag with the drinkers name…simple and not expensive. I also like to take my large tomato sauce cans and spray paint them…add col.orful ribbons and then I fill them with silverware, etc so my guest have easy access. Another fun thing is I have a wooden dough bowl that sits in the middle of my table…I will fill it with seasonal things. Eggs, rabbits and grass for this particular season…who knows what it will hold for summer?
Be blessed for you are a blessing to someone today!
Smiles & Blessings Abound,
Robin :)