Chase Away Those Post-Holiday Blues

Sigh.

Yaaaawwwnnn. 

In an effort to reclaim the happy buzz we had going on in December, we’ve decided it’s time to throw a party. Giddy with anticipation, we’ve been shopping for party supplies and wanted to share some of our fave finds with you. These pieces are oh-so-right for bringing back a bit of sparkle into these grey and cold January days.

Classic Cheer. This timeless glass exudes old Hollywood glamour. Dazzle your guests by adding a raspberry to the glass of champagne (and by forgoing the lampshade on your head).

perfection Cocktail Glass (Set of 6) – HORNE ($132)

No Need to Nag. Stunning coasters provide a gentle reminder to guests to use them. Plus, they’re like jewelry for your coffee table.

Hollywood Coasters (Set of 4) – Jonathan Adler ($68)

Bigger Cubes = Cooler Drinks. It’s true…literally. The larger the cube, the slower the ice melts making the oversized ice cube our favorite drink accessory (draccessory?) of 2015.

Ice Cube Tray – west elm ($9)

Flattering Light: The Key to Happiness. Dim lighting and plenty of candles are Party Décor 101. We like to add candleholders in various sizes to tabletops and shelving both to create visual interest and to set the mood.

Oslo Crystal Candle Holders – Crate & Barrel ($10.95-$39.95)

Who Needs A Party When You’ve Got This Ice Bucket? Oh wow – we are in love. This handmade copper ice bucket elevates the ordinary to art, right!?

Hex Champagne Bucket by Tom Dixon – HORNE ($235)

Seeing Spots? Fab and functional, we love these playful cocktail napkins — they’re the ideal size for drinks and hors d’oeuvres.

Also Read: A New Year’s Eve Party To (Mostly) Remember

Think of three good things

Difficulties accompany mindsets when we see that our issues are close to home, unavoidable and lasting. At the point when individuals see that an issue is close to home they feel like nobody can identify with what they are experiencing and that there must be some kind of problem with them.

On the off chance that somebody sees that it is inescapable, they surmise that it’s not only one part of their life that isn’t going great (for instance, work), yet rather their whole life. What’s more, a confidence in the perpetual quality of an issue drives somebody to feel that what they are encountering now, will never show signs of improvement. Venturing back and inquiring as to whether these three elements are in reality genuine, is a decent initial step.

Besides, setting aside opportunity to expound on three great things that occurred in your day (and why) consistently, is an incredible approach to be exact about what you are appreciative for. Concentrating on the positive parts of your day causes you to cultivate an idealistic standpoint and turn out to be more grateful for what you as of now have in your life. It can likewise enable you to see that your post-to occasion low is not individual, unavoidable or changeless (or on the off chance that it is, to look for proficient offer assistance).

Cocktail Napkins – Kate Spade ($14)

And with that, let the January celebrations commence. Party on, friends!

Design with confidence,
Team bluGloss

Want to join the party? You’re invited! Come on over to www.bluGloss.comwhere curated product and confident design are already whooping it up.  

A New Year’s Eve Party To (Mostly) Remember

I love New Year’s, Eve.

A celebration of friends and new beginnings, NYE is one of those occasions for which I love to go all out: buckle your seatbelts friends, it’s time to Dinner Party like it’s 1999.

My secret to an excellent NYE dinner party? Wait until December 29th to invite guests! Those friends who are available will be ridiculously excited to (finally) have fun plans — and their enthusiasm will be contagious. (Don’t worry that no one will be available — you will be shocked at how many of your fab friends don’t have equally fab NYE plans and would kill for an invite to your dinner party.)

Trick #2 to ensure a killer NYE dinner party. Don’t have your guests arrive before 9:00. I know — on a typical night you want to fall asleep by 8:30, right? But on this night that’s supposed to go until the wee hours, you’ll find people will if you start before 9:00. We’ve really all only got about 4 hours of the party in us.

Down to brass tacks. Start cocktails and hors d’oeuvres as guests arrive until about 10:00 when dinner should start. Again, I know it seems late but this timing will help ensure your guests are still able to stand to ring in the New Year. I mean, they’ll definitely be swaying as the room spins, but it won’t be due to drinking fatigue.

Most importantly, don’t make everything yourself. Ask your punctual friends to bring appetizers. Then ask your slightly irresponsible and decadent friends to bring an insane dessert (if they eff it up, no one will remember thanks to your most reliable friend, the martini). This leaves you with dinner. Easy breezy.

Also Read: Holiday Gift Guide, Part 3: Making Dreams Come True

The Dinner.

Start with this winter bisque. Make just enough so that everyone gets a taste and make it ahead of time — even the day before.

I whiz it in the food processor and forgo the straining.

For dinner I turn to my fave entertainer and cookbook author, Ina Garten. This beef tenderloin recipe with this unbelievably simple sauce is to die for.

I serve it with simple mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus. The sauce makes the whole plate ah-ma-zing.

If you have it, break out your fine china. And if you don’t, who cares?! It’s the friends and food plus the celebration of the New Year and all the possibilities it holds that will create an unbeatable atmosphere, not your dishes. Buuuut, I’m a sucker for aesthetics, so if I didn’t have china, I would probably pick up these fab champagne flutes and these wine glasses to add something special to my everyday plates. The price is oh, so right and you’ll love them.

Add to the mix a bunch of white candles and flowers (just pop bunches of flowers into water glasses). Water glasses add great height and sparkle to the table and couldn’t be easier.

Finally, no party is complete without groovy music — I’ll be playing my “Pink Martini” Pandora station.

Happy New Year!!

Matthew O’Dorisio,
bluGloss Chief Designer

Does your New Year’s resolution involves finally loving your home decor? Shimmy on over to www.bluGloss.com where your new look is waiting to be discovered. 

New Year’s Eve is never truly that much fun, and it can possibly be completely deplorable, so it’s critical that your expectations never rise. On the off chance that you envision the night ahead being what might as well be called a perpetual night spent arranging your way through a post-Apocalyptic scene loaded with zombies looking for the world’s last taxi, at that point your state of mind on the night ought to be generally in accordance with the imaginable results.

New Year’s Eve is an occasion of next to no essentialness; you’re fundamentally praising the out of date quality of a year ago’s divider timetable. There’s very little in the method for custom separated from getting customarily squandered. Truth be told, the vast majority of the more established ceremonies related with new year date from when it was commended on 25 March, a day when there was significantly more to be glad about. Yes, individuals around the globe have many intriguing customs related with new year, some of which sound dazzling, however for the vast majority of us New Year’s Eve is quite recently the night prior to a three day weekend work, a night whose sole point is to deliver a headache worth nursing. What’s more, this year it falls on a Friday, so it’s fundamentally only a Friday.