Sponsored: Victoria Fine Foods Pasta Sauce

When it comes to comfort food, linguine with (red) clam sauce is way up there on my list. I have fond memories of my dad making it for us - it was his specialty - alongside his classic "secret recipe" garlic bread. Learning to make these dishes was important to me as a youngster, and it's something I've made over and over again as an adult.

Now, these are not fancy recipes. This pasta is quick and easy and one of those low effort high reward type dishes. But man, is the payoff worth it.

When Victoria Fine Foods reached out about expanding their pasta sauce line to California, and asked if I'd be willing to try their sauce and write about it, I started thinking about linguine with clam sauce, and my mouth started watering. Done deal. I'm glad I got to try their sauces -- I don't often buy jarred tomato sauce, but I do like to have go-to brands I can keep in the pantry for those nights when I don't want to make sauce from scratch. It's a great staple, marinara sauce. Versatile and delicious and just hits the spot on a cold night.

I'll share my recipe with you, because it's worth sharing. Make it, share it. I'm sure my dad will approve (but that garlic bread's still a secret).

Linguine with red clam sauce

feeds 4 people, plus leftovers, unless you're super hungry

1 box linguine (or fresh, if you have it)

1 jar marinara sauce (this time, I used Victoria Fine Foods' Fradiavolo) 

a few shakes red pepper flakes

a squeeze of lemon

some garlic, if your sauce doesn't have garlic in it 

1-2 cans chopped clams (up to you)

1-2 cans whole clams (up to you)

optional fresh clams, more for show than for the clam meat

How To:

1. Boil your linguine according to the package directions
2. Meanwhile, heat your marinara sauce (preferably in a wide pan with sides, like a sauté pan)
3. When the sauce is simmering, add your shakes of red pepper and squeeze of lemon (to taste, depending on how spicy and/or lemony you like things). If you're adding garlic, stir it in now (as much as you want).
4. Open your cans of clams, and drain them -- but before you drain them in the sink, drain a little bit of the clam juice (amount is up to your taste and how clammy you like things) into your marinara sauce. Gives it a little more clammy richness and depth.
5. Add the clams in the last minute or two and stir things around. You don't want to overcook them - they'll get chewy. Really, they only need a minute or two to heat up.
6. Toss the linguine in the pasta sauce. You want the noodles to be well-coated for deliciousness.
7. Gobble it up as quickly as possible.

A little plug for Victoria Fine Foods, because I really enjoyed the sauce: "The company uses a slow, kettle-cooked approach to making their sauces, and they use fresh, real food/non-GMO ingredients that provide an authentic homemade sauce in convenient, ready-to-eat form. They do have vegan options as well, and just expanded into California."

Full disclaimer: VFF sent me the sauce to review free of charge, but did not otherwise compensate me for this post. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Family Pizza Night!

Back in August, Rustic Crust contacted me about hosting a "family pizza night". I've always loved this idea - pizza is such a fun and easy way for the whole family to work together to make dinner. It's fun for kids, fun for adults, fun for our bellies. All around wins. My husband has a pizza dough recipe that he made as a kid, and I've had "family pizza night" with my parents and with kids I've babysat, but since we don't have children of our own yet, we don't have regular occasion to do "special" dinners. Like, with a theme. Like, FAMILY PIZZA NIGHT!

Anyway, October is apparently National Pizza Month (?), so why not celebrate by sharing the photos from our family pizza night. Our family right now is our close friends Sonja and Jack. We make dinners together often, but it was really fun to have an extra excuse to try something :)

The ingredients. Wine is especially important!

Sonja prepping our crusts with a brush of oil.

Sonja and Jack pose with their creations.
We made flatbread with fresh tomatoes and
parmesan, garlic herb crust with meatless
 meatballs and padron peppers, and plain flatbread
with figs, balsamic, and parmesan. Gourmet!

I mean, they're frickin' beautiful, no?

And like any great family dinner, it ends with empty glasses,
empty plates, full bellies, and passing out in front of the TV.

Thanks to Rustic Crust for sponsoring this post by providing the dough and the sauce! While I do prefer a from-scratch homemade crust, we don't always have time to make one. These ready to go flatbreads and crusts tasted way better than your standard Boboli, and it's nice to know that they come free from chemicals or artificial ingredients. Super delicious.

Full disclosure: Rustic Crust provided me with free samples for review, but did not influence my review or provide additional compensation. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It Is It

Who needs Rice a Roni? The only San Francisco Treat I care about is the It's It. Cookies and ice cream, all covered in chocolate, frozen to perfection. I've tried the It's It several times before (I mean, Google had freezers filled with them and I just about lost my mind my first week working there!) but I couldn't turn down the opportunity to try some new flavors when the kind folks at It's It asked if they could send me some.

Glorious It's It magic
(this is one of their promo shots; I did not take it)

My coworkers gobbled most of them up before I could snag one (I was out of town the day they were delivered), but they saved me a Pumpkin-flavored one, and holy cow! Deliciously creamy, it was pumpkiny without being overwhelming, and the oatmeal spice cookies really balanced the pumpkin nicely. Definitely going to add this one to the rotation, especially for Fall! Mint might still be my all-time favorite, but I need to try the chocolate one of these days...and perhaps the cappuccino too :)

Super tasty, even though it was a little squished.
Most delicious eaten with a spoon.

Do you get It's It where you live (PS they deliver)? Has anyone seen them outside of SF? What kinds of ice cream treats do you treat yourself to?

While I did receive free ice cream sandwiches for myself and my team, I received no other compensation for this post and was not asked to write anything specificc. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Tablemakers at Kendall Jackson Winery

On Saturday night, I had the pleasure of enjoying an evening full of incredible food and wine, in the company of some truly lovely people, at Kendall Jackson Winery. The dinner was a part of something new they're calling Tablemakers, which is based on the concept that dining should be thoughtful. It doesn't have to be perfect; it should instead be about good food and good drink and good people all coming together to share in the joy of a meal. Now that's a sentiment I can get behind. I'm all about the simple, unfussy meal. Delicious ingredients presented thoughtfully, not pretentiously. Food that feels good to eat, and meals that spark conversation. And boy, did Saturday's event deliver!

Farmer Tucker with some gorgeous produce
(and our gorgeous dining area behind him)

We began with wine and a stroll through the gardens - including the lovely sensory gardens, where we plucked herbs to smell and taste as we tasted our wines. Farmer Tucker told us about the foods grown on the property, really kickstarting my summer garden drive (we'd spent the morning tilling our soil, but haven't decided what to plant yet this year). I'm especially inspired to plant peas, after snacking on fresh pea shoots that we harvested ourselves! Dining in the very garden in which our meal was grown, harvested and prepared? As our hosts said, "It doesn't get more farm-to-table than this."

I was so in awe of our beautiful surroundings and so delighted to be sipping my wine that I neglected to photograph the first half hour or so. So...unfortunately...you won't see the trout caviar on oyster lettuce (holy crap I could eat this all day - OYSTER LETTUCE AND TROUT CAVIAR YOU GUYS) or pea shoot arancini or fennel "creamy cold soup whose name I've forgotten". Trust me, they were tasty.

Others in attendance were photographing like mad (which reminded me to bust out my camera), so check out the #kjexperience and #tablemakers hashtags on Twitter and Instagram and see for yourself! Luckily, our dinner menu included the wine pairings, so I can let you know what we drank as we ate :)

The gorgeous place settings. Major kudos to the design team!

First course: Seared scallop, estate carrot, fava beans, pea tendrils, celtuce, savory granola
First wine: Vintner's Reserve Pino Gris
First reaction: The scallop was perfect. Just, like, imagine the most perfect scallop on Earth. That's what it was. And the sauce was so delicious I mopped it up with the grape skin flour bread that was studded with olives. The wine was crisp and fresh and cool, a perfect counterpoint to the seared scallop.

Second course: Estate lamb loin, morel mushrooms, turnips, kale spring onion soubise
Second wine: Grand Reserve Merlot
Second reaction: Jesus. This lamb. Thank you for your sacrifice, tiny one, who was humanely raised about 200 feet from where we ate you. The lamb was perfectly cooked - and the morels were a special treat. The sauce, again, perfectly balanced. And I'm not usually a Merlot girl, but this Merlot was really great. Just sweet enough, just dry enough, and it went with the lamb like they were made for each other.

Third course: Baserri (Barinaga Ranch), Midnight Moon (Cypress Grove), Dry Jack (Vella Cheese Co)
Third wine: Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Third reaction: The cheese was a nice complement to the richness of the lamb. I'm not sure what the compotes were (I'm guessing fig) but they were lovely, as were the nuts. Of course the cab was nicely balanced, and went with the cheeses. I mean, obviously. And yes, I started to eat my cheese before I took the picture. Oops.

Dessert course: Peas n' carrots, yogurt sorbet
Dessert wine: Vintner's Reserve Late Harvest Chardonnay
Dessert reaction: The sorbet was refreshing, but the peas n' carrots was the star of dessert. That moussey situation was just right, and I probably could've gobbled up a whole lot more of it if they'd put it in front of me. Really hit the spot. I wasn't a huge fan of the Chardonnay - a little sweet for me, but that's a dessert wine for you!

Bonus course: Assorted chocolates
Bonus wine: Something magical and I don't even know what it was but it was delicious and thank you Chef for pouring it for us it was absolutely stupendous.
Bonus reaction: Always stick around to chat with your hosts, friends. Delightful conversation about gin and Chicago and wine and gardening and why Northern California is the best. I mean, it is.

We left with a goody bag that included two bottles of wine, a corkscrew and a copy of A Man and His Mountain...and thanks to the generosity of Farmer Tucker, Will and I also left with a giant box of gorgeous produce. Now we just have to think of some amazing ways to use it! Any ideas? Hit me up in the comments!

I know it's been a hot minute since I made an appearance over here at KKS, but I was so inspired by this meal that I had to show it off. Work has been nuts for the last few months, immediately following the craziness of that wedding I planned, so the blog has taken a backseat to the priority of self-care and making some space in my life for just breathing and living. But Spring is here, which means you'll start seeing some garden photos soon, and hopefully some more blogging in general as well. Here's to Spring, and a renewed joie de vivre.



While I was granted complimentary media access to this event, my opinions and thoughts are all my own, and I was not otherwise compensated or required to write this post. Thanks to the Kendall-Jackson Team for a great evening!

A Twisted Holiday

Well, my last post was before Thanksgiving, and I'm barely getting this one in under the wire for 2014, but here it is. The Holidays are nearly over, and it's been a busy season. So busy, in fact, that I neglected to share these glorious photos from our holiday party earlier this month. A party that was, in part, sponsored by the good folks at TwistedShotz.

I met the TwistedShotz team at BlogHer this year, and when they reached out asking if I wanted some Shotz to sample at home, I figured they'd make a great addition to our annual Multidenominational Holiday Jamboree. And boy, did they.

On (a very festive) display...

Our intrepid first shooters - Cheshire and Erik

Will chooses a festive holiday location
for his first shot

Hockey team looks a little unsure...

...but those boys can handle their shotz

The verdict: TwistedShotz are delicious. At 20% alcohol, they're not boozy enough to really get you drunk, but enough of 'em will definitely give you a little buzz. We sampled Strawberry Sundae, Rattlesnake, Buttery Nipple, Sex On The Beach, Porn Star, Polar Bear, Whipped Chocolate, Ginger Snap, Root Beer Flirt, and Miami Vice...I stuck to the Whipped Chocolate (chocolate and cream) and the Polar Bear (a minty chocolatey concoction) - many of the others are Tequila-based and I'm just not a Tequila girl. I can say that those two are delicious though. And that it didn't take long for all 48 shots to be devoured. 

Interested in getting your own Shotz? Check out their website for retailers near you! 

Full Disclosure: TwistedShotz sent me a ton of these little guys to review, but did not otherwise compensate me for this point and did not persuade me to write a particular review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Got Cold Feet (literally)?

I was contacted recently by the folks at Heat Holders, who were wondering if I would like to try their socks. Socks? Yup. You heard me.

I'm a person who is frequently cold, so I was game for a little sock experiment. And I'm glad I was. These things are somehow warm without making your feet sweaty. Soft and fuzzy on the inside without pilling and shedding between your toes. They're thick enough to wear as slipper socks around the house, and make perfect rain boot liner socks if you just have cheap rubber boots like I do.  :)

The only downside is that they are *so* thick that I can't wear them with most normal (ie: fashion) boots. But they're great in the winter, and for wearing around the house. I'm considering purchasing a striped pair, or maybe some leggings or tights. I'm really impressed with how warm they are while still being breathable!

I have a pair to give away, so if you're not lucky enough to be experiencing 75 degree Springtime days like I am, you might want to consider entering. Stay warm out there, my friends.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


While Heat Holders did send me two pairs of original fuchsia socks to review, I was not otherwise compensated for this post. I was not required to provide a positive review; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

OPA!

A few weeks ago, I attended the annual Food Fete in San Francisco, and as usual, got to taste all kinds of delicious foods. There was chocolate and cheese and meat and nuts and champagne and don't worry, I'll write about some of those things later, as I receive samples and arrange giveaways for you lovely people. For now, I present Litehouse. These guys do great dressings, made with greek yogurt so they're lighter and healthier, but still thick and creamy. I've been serving them as dips with carrot sticks, celery...and buffalo wings...mmm wings...ahem. I don't feel so guilty indulging, since they're made with yogurt and all :)

Feta Dill, Ranch, Caesar, Blue Cheese
Blurry, but delicious.

Litehouse also makes these dehydrated, "instantly fresh" herbs. When I first saw them, I figured they were just dried herbs. No big deal. But these herbs are much more flavorful than your typical dried herb, and they rehydrate and fluff up like fresh! The basil basically turns right into pesto if you add olive oil and garlic. Magic. I can't wait to try the ginger and garlic, which are some of the most frustrating things to chop and peel...rehydrating is much easier!

Ta-da!

And they're available at most markets, too (I found them at Safeway), which makes restocking quite handy...not that I'll need to restock for a while :)

Litehouse is letting me give away a package of their 10 most popular herbs, so lucky you! Get yo' Rafflecopter on below, and enter away! Contest will remain open until Friday March 7, and you can enter as many times as you want! It's not often I become an insta-fan, but I hope you enjoy Litehouse products as much as I do.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Full Disclosure: Litehouse sent me free samples of their products, but did not otherwise compensate me for this post. While I love receiving free treats, my thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

Santé Nuts!

At this year's Food Fete, I stopped at the Santé Nuts table for...quite a while. These are some delicious nuts, you guys. And I feel great supporting them -- Santé is the brainchild of a single mom whose kids suggested she sell the delicious spiced nuts she often made for them at home. They're roasted in organic canola oil, made locally in Santa Clara in a peanut-free environment, and are all natural, gluten-free, and vegan. And they're delicious. Santé sent me a sample pack of their snack-size bags, and Will has been eating them so quickly that I'm having to fight for my own! 

I did take a picture of the bags
they sent me, but this one by
Susan Burdick is way nicer.

To celebrate National Almond Day (which was yesterday, when I was originally going to post this), Santé is giving away 2 full-size bags of their Chipotle Almonds and Garlic Almonds. There are lots of ways to enter, so check out the Rafflecopter below!

They're also offering 20% off their almonds Sunday 2/16 – Saturday 2/22. Head to their online shop and use promo code ALMOND214 to get the discount on super tasty sweet or savory nuts!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Extra Space Storage Contest! $1,000 IKEA Grand Prize! What?

You guys. Extra Space Storage has outdone themselves. They’re running an excellent photo contest, with some killer prizes.

All you have to do to enter is submit a storage-related photo...and the best part is, you don’t have to have an amazingly organized space to win! That’s right, there’s a prize for what is essentially “worst storage situation”. Yup. Uh-huh. Time to not be embarrassed anymore, because you could win $200 if you’re willing to fess up and show off your untidy areas.

And of course, for those of you who are amazing organizers...there are prizes for creativity and awesomeness...and if your space is chosen as best in show? $1,000 to IKEA. THE POSSIBILITIES!!!

The contest will be open until November 7th and here are the categories of prizes:

Grand Prize Winner/Best Overall: $1,000 IKEA gift card

Most Likely To Become a Professional Organizer: $200 Amazon gift card

Most Likely To Need a Professional Organizer: $200 Amazon gift card

Most Creative Storage: $200 Amazon gift card

All the details are here: http://www.extraspace.com/storage-photo-contest/

I don’t know about you, but I am most definitely entering this contest! Now I just have to choose a photo...

And I know I haven't written in a while, but I've been trying to disconnect a bit, and well, it's been busy. No apologies. More posts on the way though!

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Full disclosure: this post has been sponsored by Extra Space Storage. But I love them. And I'm stoked about this contest. So I'd write it anyway.

Camping Essentials – building your basic gear stash, and then some!

As you may remember, I've started guest-blogging over at the Extra Space Storage blog. For each post, I'll be posting a teaser here, and you can click through for the full post over on their site.

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Camping Essentials – building your basic gear stash, and then some!

A few weeks ago, I gave y’all a detailed list (with photos) of the contents of my super awesome camping box. That post will help you maximize your efficiency when it comes to packing for camping trips, and hey, since it’s so easy, maybe you’ll find yourself camping more often!

But there are a few areas I didn’t cover with that post…clothing, food, hiking gear, bug spray…oh yeah. Things you need. Or maybe, not always things you need, but things that you might want. Or things that if you’re buying gear for your first ever camping trip, you might want to consider. Instead of, you know, buying everything at REI. For the purpose of these posts, I’m talking about car camping: where you drive to a campsite, park your car, and set up shop for a while. Backpacking is a whole different beast! Since I do the majority of my camping with my husband I’ll share tips we’ve learned across our many summer camping trips.

Let’s just jump right in, shall we?

Me at a relatively hidden and totally beautiful river
bend near Pothole Dome at Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park.

Ha ha, fooled you! Read the rest here!

Camping Gear: Storage and Organization and What to Pack

Exciting news! I've started guest-blogging over at the Extra Space Storage blog. For each (quarterly-ish) post, I'll be posting a teaser here, and you can click through for the full post over on their site.

I'm pleased to present my first post, just in time for summer camping (or a little late, perhaps, but hey, better late than never).  Enjoy!

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Camping Gear Storage and Organization (Bonus: What You Should Pack)
If you’re like me, you’ve amassed quite a collection of gear over the years…and if you’re like me, you might not have a beautiful suburban garage in which to store said gear. In a small apartment, or even in a small home (ah, city life), storage space is often limited, and miscellaneous gear ends up all over the place. Whether you’re finding tucked-away corners for your gear or storing it away from your house (hello, Extra Space!) when not in use, it’s important to keep things organized.

The best thing I ever did was create a Camping Box (ok, well, now we have a Camping Box, a Backpacking Box, and a Miscellaneous Extra Outdoors Supplies Box as well, but still). Inside the camping box is (almost) everything we need for a weekend mountain getaway, and oh man, do I love it.

-Keep reading on their blog for more tips, photos, and an itemized list of everything our box contains. Oh yeah, baby. (CLICK HERE) 

A Masochistic Post About Setting Up A Gift Wrapping Station

While I'm away, traveling for the holidays, I'll be posting a series of guest posts. I've selected these posts for their content, and have edited them as I see fit -- my edits will be made noted inline with the original content, and all photos are my own. Full disclosure: these posts are being sponsored by Extra Space Storage, whom I met at BlogHer earlier this year. 

This post is a little masochistic for me...I would LOVE to have space in my house for a Gift Wrapping Station. Maybe someday I will, but for now, I just dream on Pinterest, and set up a temporary station on the dining room table. Good thing my gift wrap is all organized and easy to access in its plastic bins and such. Also, since we fly away for the holidays, and the TSA often unwraps wrapped presents (even in checked luggage), we tend to wrap at our parents' houses once we arrive. Someday, though. Someday...for now, enjoy this post that will torture you a bit. Unless you're one of those lucky folks who has a craft room, and you can set up a gift wrapping station, and I don't want to talk to you. Just kidding. I'm just jealous.

Create Your Own Gift Wrapping Station

Jessica Johnson is a Marketing Director at Extra Space Storage.  She is an avid goal setter, reads three books each month, and blogs about organization at Storage Blog.


In recent years my family started doing a round-robin for Christmas gifts, which means I only have to buy—and wrap—one present each season. Now that my holiday prep is so streamlined, I marvel at how I ever kept sane in the face of a whole pile of gifts demanding to be wrapped. Who has time? And where did I put the scissors anyway?

While I can’t buy more time for you, or convince your family to cut back like mine did, I can tell you how to find the scissors. It’s all about making a concerted effort to keep your wrapping supplies in good order.

The best way to do so is to set up a dedicated gift-wrapping station. Even if you don’t need such a thing year-round (ed note: I wrap presents throughout the year! Justification!), creating one at the beginning of the holiday season might just save your sanity when Christmas and Chanukkah arrive with their inevitable last minute wrapping binges (ed note: Chanukkah starts the day before Thanksgiving in 2013. Get ready, folks).

Here’s how to make your own wrapping command central.

Pick a place: Choose a table or other flat surface that you will keep clear of debris, preferably one large enough hold a spool of wrapping paper.

Stow your paper: Rolls of wrapping paper might be some of the most annoying objects in the world. (ed note: I agree) To marshal them to order, make sure you always secure the end of the roll with a small piece of tape or a rubber band. Then decide how you’ll store them. The options vary depending on whether your station will be permanent or temporary.

The most effective permanent option is a wall-mounted rack. Try building one yourself, and if you have a bookshelf to sacrifice, incorporate that into the plan. Alternately, think about keeping your paper in a large, flat drawer.

If you’re going for a temporary solution, try a vertical bin such as a plastic kitchen trashcan or mesh wastepaper basket. For easy stowing, keep your rolls in a special box designed for wrapping paper, which can be stored for next year without any fuss.

Wrangle your ribbon: If you’re not going to string your ribbon spools on dowels and hang them from your wall-mounted wrapping board, there are other effective solutions. One of the best is using a vertical counter-top paper-towel holder—just stack your spools and get ready to wrap. (ed note: This is a great idea!!) But, as always, make sure the ends of the rolls stay secured with tape; organized ribbon tangles just as easily. ed note: And what about when the end disappears into the roll? So frustrating.

Control your supplies: The odds and ends of wrapping are what gets me in trouble. Scissors, rolls of tape, little cards, and other decorations always end up spewed everywhere. Of course then I can’t find any of it, no matter how close at hand it all is. One great suggestion for keeping all this in order is a hanging toiletry bag. Include anything that might be helpful—a hole punch, a glue stick, pens, double-sided tape, bows, tags, and of course, scissors.

If you want a more stylish solution, consider attractive bins, baskets, and buckets of all sizes to keep things in sight and organized. You can reuse containers and other items from around the house. Here’s a gift-wrap station that employs a crib rail to hang gift bags and miniature buckets to organize markers and tags.

The solutions can be creative, but the priority for your wrapping station should be organization so you can release the best of your creativity on your gifts.


What’s your favorite wrapping organization solution?

Holiday Organization: Product Guide

While I'm away, traveling for the holidays, I'll be posting a series of guest posts. I've selected these posts for their content, and have edited them as I see fit -- my edits will be made noted inline with the original content, and all photos are my own. Full disclosure: these posts are being sponsored by Extra Space Storage, whom I met at BlogHer earlier this year. 

Y'all know I'm a little organization-obsessed. So when Extra Space offered up a post on holiday organization, I was all ears. I'm currently at a point where I need to re-think my holiday-specific storage (new Halloween decorations, leftovers from our Election Party that would work for 4th of July, and Christmas+Chanukkah too, mean lots of stuff to store! Not to mention the gift wrap and such...). Enjoy! 

Best Products for Holiday Organization

Written by Jessica Johnson, a Marketing Director at Extra Space Storage. She is an avid goal setter, reads three books each month, and blogs about organization at Storage Blog.

The holidays have a lot of moving parts — gifts, cards, decorations, the list goes on — and it can be a challenge to keep it all straight. Every year I’m newly annoyed by the tangled tree lights, the unspooling gift wrap rolls, and the ornaments smashed due to my inadequate storage techniques.

This year I’ve decided it’s time to get serious about organizing for the holidays. After a little research, I’ve found some great products that I think will help. Check out these useful holiday organization and storage items.

For gift wrap

I was at first thinking of picking up a customized gift wrap center, a hanging gift wrap organizer, or at least a vertical storage bin for wrap rolls. But then I found the ultimate in wrapping organization: Container Store’s gift wrap work station.

The A-frame structure holds 12 rolls of paper, has a bunch of pockets and pouches for everything else you need, and features a special holder for rolling out paper at table height. It folds closed and hangs in a closet when you don’t need it. Check out the product video on the Container Store’s website. ed note: I totally freaked out about this a few months ago. Too bad it's so pricey! Want want want want want. For more Container Store Gift Wrap Awesome, check out this idea I pinned recently - this lady is smart and I want to copy her. Right now, I have an excellent little collection of plastic bins filled with bags, bows, ribbon, and such, and my falling-apart-at-the-seams, 3-year-old gift wrap organizer. It works. Ish.

For cards

The mantelpiece is a good place to put cards, but what if it’s full of other things or you don’t even have one? While you can hang cards on a string attached horizontally to the front edge of the mantle or to the wall, there are other ways to organize your holiday correspondence. For example, try out this special wall hanging or this tree-shaped table-top card holder to display your cards.

After the season’s over, some people just throw their holiday cards away, but if you’re someone who likes to hang onto such momentos, a greeting card storage box might be just the thing. ed note: I usually just throw them away. Am I a bad person?

For decorations

Christmas ornaments are some of the trickiest things to store safely, since they’re usually breakable and often oddly shaped. Luckily, there are a whole bunch of different products to help with this problem. I’m thinking of trying an ornament storage box, three-drawer ornament chest, or ornament storage tote with trays. ed note: I keep ornaments in various boxes and plastic bins, wrapped in tissue. I've been seriously considering something like these ornament boxes...which one to choose?

If boxes with dividers and drawers are too fussy for you — or you have decorations other than ornaments to store — maybe a big old holiday storage box would fit the bill. Other special items also have their own storage products, such as this artificial tree storage bag, this Christmas light reel, and this heavy-duty wreath and garland bag. ed note: I already have three plastic bins dedicated to Christmas and Chanukkah, but with this year's wreath creation, I'm going to have to get a wreath box/bag as well!

This baby needs protection!!

I’ve discovered that there are products for pretty much any holiday storage need you have. So do a little digging of your own to find just the right things for your own organizational priorities. Meanwhile I’ll be setting up my wrapping station and getting started.


Do you have tips for holiday organization? What products do you use to keep it all straight?

Party Time!

While I'm away, traveling for the holidays, I'll be posting a series of guest posts. I've selected these posts for their content, and have edited them as I see fit -- my edits will be made noted inline with the original content, and all photos are my own. Full disclosure: these posts are being sponsored by Extra Space Storage, whom I met at BlogHer earlier this year. 

This first post is about organizing a party...a subject near and dear to my heart. I LOVE throwing parties, and our not-so-new-anymore house is a perfect place to entertain (the architect, Leola Hall, designed it that way!), so we've been hosting groups both large and small for all sorts of gatherings lately. Hosting a party can be intimidating, so I thought it might be a nice idea to share some tips and tricks! Read on, my friends...

Found the booze!

Tips for Organizing A Party

Written by Jessica Johnson, a Marketing Director at Extra Space Storage. She is an avid goal setter, reads three books each month, and blogs about organization at Storage Blog.

While hanging at bars, clubs and restaurants is fun, having people over can be a more economical, and intimate, and frankly enjoyable way of getting together – especially during the holiday season. If you’re planning on having friends or family over for holidays, special occasions or just because you haven’t seen each other in a while, check out these tips for throwing a great party:

1. Think About Space

If you are planning to have a few friends over for cocktails, space considerations usually won’t be an issue. Larger gatherings, on the other hand, require some space planning. When deciding on how many people you can comfortably host, think beyond space and consider things like bathrooms and parking as well. ed note: Don't forget about seating! Unless you plan to have a seated dinner, move chairs away from the dining room/kitchen table, and out into the open! Create clusters of casual seating that guests can move around, and try to include a little bowl of munchies like nuts, popcorn, or chocolates that people can snack on without getting up to go to the main buffet/food area. If you're having a LOT of people, consider stashing chairs in the bedroom and making the party more of a Standing Room Only deal - you'll want a few places for folks to sit, but people will likely stand around anyway.

Seating area around the fireplace and piano - piano bench
does double duty, and the dessert table is within easy reach!

2. Set a Budget

Great parties don’t require a lot of money, but you’ll save yourself some stress by setting, and sticking to, a party budget. A budget helps you set a heme and will be your guide when shopping for food, drink and other party needs. ed note: yessiroonie. save money by planning ahead of time, and shopping for decorations at the 99 cents store!

3. Establish Your Guest List

Once you know how many people you want to invite to your party, start writing out your guest list. As you write, make sure that you have contact information for each person: People often change cell phone numbers and email addresses and some guests, particularly if they are older, may not check email often. Take the time to track down the best contact method for each guest. ed note: I like to use Evite, because it's very easy to send email reminders to select groups of your guests (ie: all those who have not yet responded) - Facebook Events are handy, but since not everyone uses Facebook, and because they don't have a way to email everyone on your guest list (posting a message to the group won't notify those who haven't accepted, or email those who've turned off notifications), it can be hard to communicate! Also, always assume that a few people who didn't RSVP will show up, and vice versa. 

4. Plan a Menu

With budget and guest list in hand, start figuring out what you are going to feed all these people. While you don’t have to buy a huge amount of food, it’s a good idea to make sure that your guests won’t leave your place hungry, unless you are simply having people over for drinks and snacks before going
out.

These days, it’s important to consider people’s dietary needs and preferences, so be sure to ask people when you call or send an invitation to let you know about their restrictions. If a person has very specific dietary needs due to an allergy or sensitivity, ask them for specific (think brand names) food items that they can eat. You may also want to clear recipes with them.

Dessert table, filled with sweets. And yes,
that is a chocolate fountain.

I like to create a pretty well-filled table before
guests arrive. You never know who's going
to bring booze and who will bring a platter
of food, so I like to be prepared. Also, I have
a thing for setting up a lovely spread.
I love it. So much. 

5. Think Like a Guest

While getting your home clean and neat is a given before a party, you need to do a walk-through with a guest’s mentality:

Is it easy to find the bathrooms? (If not, put up some signs.) Are they stocked with extra toilet paper, hand towels and feminine hygiene products? Are these items in plain view so that guests can help themselves?

Will there be rooms that are “off limits” to guests because they contain valuables or pets? Do they have signs on their doors asking guests not to enter?

Do you plan to serve drinks all evening or will guests be helping themselves? If they will be helping themselves to drinks, do you have an accessible bar, table or counter that they can use?

ed note: We decided to do drinks in the kitchen this year, so we directed guests thataway, and had a sign posted to tell people where to find what (cocoa and cider on the stove, beer and juice in the fridge, wine and liquor in front of your face).

Cookies and dreidels within reach on the TV
stand! Make sure to let friends with children
know if you have potentially dangerous things
like candles (or cookies) out at kid-height
when they arrive so they can keep
an eye on sticky little fingers :)

6. Get Help

Hiring professional caterers can certainly reduce your workload, but it can also be very expensive. Less costly alternatives include picking up prepared food from a restaurant or grocery store or hiring a college student to help you with party preparation and clean up. ed note: Thank you a million times over to Reed and David, who shopped, cleaned, decorated, and cooked with us on the day of the party and before. Without your help, I would have drowned in my own ambitions. 


Do you enjoy throwing parties? Share your best tips in the comments section!