Style Points: Just for the girls

Ladies,

Just when the weather starts to cool off, and before the school days leave us harried and hectic - is a perfect time to start planning a party for your girlfriends.

I think it's important to spend bonding time with your girls. So here are a few tips to start your plans with:

• Make it memorable - Friends are an important part of our lives. We should make our surroundings comfortable and a bit more special for their arrival at this particular event.
• Make your guests feel like VIPs - We all celebrate birthdays, but how often do we come together to celebrate significant life changes like a new college degree, promotion on the job, mastery of a new skill, or conquering an illness? Your guests will really appreciate you for your thoughtfulness.
• Celebrate someplace different - When I have company we're usually found between the family room and the kitchen. Inviting guests into my backyard for a garden party would be an unexpected surprise. Forget the dining or kitchen tables, just changing the height of your eating surface makes gives your party a surprising twist as well.
• Create something - You can spend time on the menu and preparation of food, and that would be a gift in itself. But if you would rather forget the cooking - have the event catered and decide to give another type of gift that you've created from your own hands. This could be a photo collage or a small painting. My wonderful friend Valarie Jean makes hand-crafted quilts, a mini version of her quilt would be a wonderful keepsake for an event like this!
• Repeat! Expand on your first event, and decide to continue, every month, quarter, year. Change locations, but don't get so carried away that you forget the reason for the event; to stay connected with your girlfriends!

Enjoy!

Lise

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