Oh my gosh….I absolutely love love love this dress and had to build an outfit around it for this week’s Fashion Friday. You could wear it to a rehearsal dinner, on a date, or to a fall wedding.
Hair Clip from Charlotte Russe
This outfit would be a great for a dinner party or date. I loved the dress (and the price tag of the dress) and knew I had to build an outfit around it. Enjoy!
Dress from Forever21, Heels from Payless, Headband from Forever21, Earrings from Forever21, Nail Polish from Forever21
Dress: Charlotte Russe $32.99
Pumps: Forever21 $24.80
Rose Headband: Charlotte Russe $3.99
Earrings: Forever21 $6.80
Clutch: Forever21 $7.50
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Total: $76.08
Dress: Forever 21 $32.80
Pumps: Target $19.99
Headband: Forever 21 $4.80
OPI Nail Polish: drugstore.com $8.50
Bracelet: Target $25.99
Clutch: Etsy $34.00
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Total: $126.08
With the economy steadily declining, people are looking for ways to decrease their spending. Host a dinner party at your house instead of going out to eat with your friends. This will save money and you’ll still have a great time. Try one of the themes below to have a fun-filled spring dinner party.
1. Soup Dinner Party. Before it starts to get too warm invite your friends and family to a soup dinner party. Make three different types of soup from scratch and serve them with different types of bread. You won’t be spending a lot on food, and you’ll be able to spend quality time with people that you care about. For dinner party favors, give each guest the three soup recipes printed out on nice cardstock and tied together with a ribbon.
2. Iron Chef Dinner Party. This dinner party would work for singles or couples. Have each dinner guest prepare and bring their best appetizer and/or dessert. As the host, you provide the main course and drinks. At the end of dinner each guest votes on their favorite appetizer and dessert and the host announces the winner for each category. The prize could be a cookbook or cooking utensils. This is a fun way to have a “potluck” without calling it a potluck.
3. Green Dinner Party. A lot of people are trying to be more environmentally friendly, and some still don’t know what going green is all about. Serve local and organic food and wine and let your guests know that all the food is local and organic. Use nature as your inspiration for your centerpiece. When the guests arrive have them write their names on an index card and at the end of the dinner have a raffle for guests to win green products. Give guests energy efficient light bulbs and a bookmark made from recycled paper that lists tips on how to go green.
4. Spring Cleaning Dinner Party. This is a good theme for a girl’s night out dinner party. Tell all your friends to bring a couple items (books, spring clothes, knickknacks or shoes) that they don’t use anymore and swap them for “new” items that other friends bring. Each person can take home items that they will use and all the leftover items can be donated to charity. Great favors for this dinner party theme are green cleaning products. Order takeout and drink fun cocktails while shopping for “new” items.
5. At Home Spa Party. Gather all the ladies for another girl’s night out dinner party. Each guest could bring a spa recipe and the ingredients to try it out. Set up a manicure and pedicure station and enjoy cocktails while relaxing with friends. A great main course for this dinner party is sushi. Give each guest a sample sized beauty product from Bath and Body Works as their favors.
6. Salad Bar Dinner Party. Women are usually trying to lose weight in the spring to fit into their bikinis, so host a dinner party that they can feel good about attending. Set up a salad bar with all the fixings and the guests won’t have to feel guilty about getting seconds.
7. Mexican Fiesta. Host a dinner party that everyone will talk about the next day. Decorate for this dinner party with Mexican sombreros, tissue paper flowers, cacti, and hot sauce. Play traditional Mariachi music while the guests enjoy margaritas. For appetizers serve salsa, guacamole, and tortilla chips, and for the entrée set up a taco bar. This dinner party is cheap and cheerful!
Photograph by Chewy Chua
New Year’s Resolution: Have each person at the dinner party write down their New Year’s resolution on their place card. Read and discuss the resolutions during dessert.
Ugly Sweater Party: Everyone wears the ugliest sweater they have in their closets or can find at the local thrift store. Each invitee votes on the ugliest sweater and the winner is announced at the end of the dinner party.
Chili Dinner Party: When it’s cold outside, a steaming bowl of chili can really hit the spot and warm you up. Invite friends and family over for a chili dinner party. This can be a great idea if you have friends that are vegetarians, because you can make chili for meat lovers and vegetarians.
My fiancé makes a delicious, simple chili. Here is the recipe:
Ingredients:
1 pound of ground beef
2 19 ounce cans of dark red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
2 19 ounce cans of red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 19 ounce can of white kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 29 ounce of tomato sauce
Palm full of salt
2 Palms full of chili powder
Directions:
Brown up the ground beef in a medium sized skillet. Add about one-third of the seasonings (salt and chili powder) to the ground beef while it’s cooking. Transfer the ground beef to a large pot. Add the beans, tomato sauce, and one-third of the seasoning. Bring to a soft boil; add the rest of the seasoning and cover. Simmer for thirty minutes.
Tip: The salt brings out the spiciness in the chili powder and makes the dish more flavorful. You can leave out some of the salt, but it will reduce the flavor.
Take-out Dinner Party: Who doesn’t love to cozy up in front of a fire and eat take-out during the winter? Either order in all different kinds of take out or ask each friend/invitee to bring their favorite take-out dish.
Comfort Food Dinner Party: Prepare all the foods that make you feel warm inside such as macaroni and cheese, baked ziti, garlic bread, and chocolate cupcakes for dessert. What foods do you turn to for comfort? Those are the foods to prepare for this dinner party. Add a couple bottles of wine to the menu and your friends will be thankful. Even if your New Year’s resolution is to lose weight, everyone gets a cheat day, right?
