CHEER: DINNER PARTY

Last Saturday, Jon and I hosted our first dinner party. I set a goal to finish my dining room decorating on December 1st so we could host it in our newly decorated space. We ended up pushing two tables together and fit 12 people in our space. Everyone brought a side dish and we had a feast! This may sound silly, but I felt like such an adult! We all dressed up, lit candles, I pulled out our best dinnerware and we had a fancy meal all together as friends.

I love celebrating the holidays with my family, but there's something special about being able to celebrate with your community as well. :) I am STOKED that our dining room is finally done! If you've been following along on my Project Condo series you know it's taken me some time. I haven't revealed the final photos yet, but I will very soon! For our dinner party, I was able to use some of the fancier things we haven't been able to use yet. I love how the whole setting looked. It was Christmasy, simple, and just enough "adult". ;)

For the table setting, Jon helped me cut out place-mats from kraft wrapping paper that I picked up from Target and Jenny wrote everyone's name on the side. This was a clever way to assign seats and make it look pretty. I got the idea from Chelsea of Oh My Deer who made a similar handmade place-mat and loved the idea! It's a lot less expensive than buying 12 place-mats. I was also tempted to buy these tear off paper place-mats at West Elm, which I might end up doing later, but liked this idea for the party better.

Because I didn't have quite enough silverware for everyone to have the branch flatware setting, I decided to mix and match what I had to give it a more collected look. I did the same thing with the glasses too. I had purchased around 20 random glasses (some mason and some jam jars) from thrift stores for one of Jenny's showers when she was engaged and I loved how they were all different, but looked great together. I've used these glasses on so many occasions! Definitely worth the hunt!!

I decided to decorate the table with pieces I already had around the house, plus a little glam. I bought the gold candle wreath from Michael's and used holly from the backyard to decorate the table. I love how everything came together. The dinner party totally made me want to start one of those dinner clubs and make a fancy meal every month...maybe even a themed dinner night?? Ah! That would be so fun!

Dinnerware & Decor Found Here: 1// Organic Dinner Plates - West Elm 2// Salt & Pepper Shakers - Gneiss Spices 3// Faux Antler - Z Gallerie 4// Branch Flatware - West Elm 5// Silverware - Gift 6// Blue Glass - Anthropologie 7// Mason Mug - Thrifted

Do you throw dinner parties during the holidays?? What is your favorite thing to cook? How do you like to decorate the table? Oh, and while you're answering those questions, be sure to check out my friend Gina's farm to table Thanksgiving on her blog. Best idea ever!

You can follow along with 12 Days of Christmas Cheer on the Maiedae Facebook page! Also, be sure to check out how Jenny sets her table on her blog later today! Happy weekend, friends!

BALANCE: BUILDING COMMUNITY + PINTEREST PARTIES

Through balancing out family, work, passions//hobbies, keeping a home, personal care, and many other pursuits, I've discovered a great need for community in my life. During college, I was involved in a fantastic scholarship program that involved an amazing group of people and a strong community. Being surrounded in that for four years was invaluable and out of that, I learned so much and developed some of the deepest friendships I've ever made in my life. A week after graduation, Jon and I got married, and a few weeks later, started our careers. Everything changed (for the good!), but the sense of community I had developed in college wasn't there and I certainly missed it. It's a lot more difficult building friendships at this stage in life. It takes more time and you have to be more intentional, especially in the midst of balancing the other aspects of your life.

Before Jonathon and I got married, we both expressed a deep desire to maintain friendships and continue building community despite the whirlwind of changes that married life would bring. We started off by hosting a monthly get-together called "7-11". We invited some of our local (and not so local friends) to come for a Friday night of fellowship, games, and snacks. It has been a fantastic way of staying connected with old friends and we have grown to love our monthly tradition. 

Recently, out of a desire to build new friendships with local ladies in Atlanta, Jenny and I started what we call "Pinterest Parties". These parties occur once every other month and our heart is to create a relaxing atmosphere where ladies can do crafts together, talk about life, and make new friends. We've had two so far and they've been amazing. I'm loving getting to know new people and have an excuse to get crafty! 

At our last Pinterest Party, we did the Photo Canvas Transfer DIY from Elsie's blog. Everyone brought beautiful pictures and, since it's an overnight project, I got to see the final results on their Instagram accounts. :) After prepping our canvas project, we spend the rest of the evening telling stories, painting, and eating fruit and cookies! Here is a peek at how my project turned out:

I got the opportunity to meet some blogger friends in person at the last party! It was such a neat experience to be able to connect with ladies via blogging and then have the opportunity to spend time with them in person. I'm hoping these "Pinterest Parties" will become a special new tradition. :)

From left to right: Ciara, Jessie, Kate, Me, Jenny and Ivelisse. Beautiful ladies!

Ideas for Building Community in Your Hometown

* Have a monthly Pinterest Party. Invite new people!

* Put together a Bible study or book club. 

* Knitting//Crocheting party.

* Dinner party. Have ladies take turns hosting a dinner in their place and have everyone contribute. You could even make it themed every month!

* Game night.

* Love to watch a good show?! Make it a show night! 

* Set weekly//monthly dates with your friends for coffee, shopping, or antiquing.

* Get a group of people together to attend events like craft shows, local classes, and concerts.

* Set lunch dates with people you'd like to get to know at work. 

* Go on double-dates with couples you and your significant other connect with. 

* Host a good ol' fashion slumber party with the works: movies, nail painting, and lots of junk food!

* Road trip! One of the best ways to get to know people. :)

* Scrapbooking night. 

* Have a neighborhood pool? Invite friends for a weekly swim.

Have any tips on building community? What are some ways that you like to get your friends together or get to know new people? Please share! :)