Handmade Hostess

Handmade Hostess: 12 Imaginative Party Ideas for Unforgettable Entertaining
By Kelly Lee-Creel and Rebecca Soder
Gifted by Stash Books
www.stashbooks.com
Reviewed by Melissa Conner

Having people over for a party or celebration is a wonderful thrill for the creative at heart.  Setting the table, making and hanging decorations, and preparing a delicious meal are all great ways to express your creativity and let your imagination run wild.  And with the help of Handmade Hostess, you'll find it easy and fun to plan everything from a simple garden party to a full blown bridal shower.

Organized by season and filled with more than 30 projects and recipes, Handmade Hostess is a beautiful book packed with great suggestions on how to transform your party into a DIY extravaganza.  Each season contains three to four party themes, and each theme comes with a variety of crafts and a dessert to match the theme.  While there are popular themes included in this book, like "Christmas Wonderland" and "Fourth of July Picnic", there are also some clever party suggestions that are perfect for those slumps between major holidays.  The "Mad Scientist Party" would be great for birthday parties, the "Japanese Garden Party" could be used for a bridal shower or just a nice tea and brunch day with your girlfriends, and the "Mad Hatter's Tea Party" is a clever theme that can be used for everything from birthdays to Halloween.

With summer upon us, I found myself drawn to the "Luau Party" collection.  With great suggestions on how to make colorful tablecloths, napkin rings, and even how to make table candles from coconut shells, this party theme is great for a beach side gathering with your friends and family.  Author Rebecca Soder also includes her recipe for Coconut Cake, which looks absolutely stunning!

Each party theme has an assortment of beautiful full color photographs of all the projects and recipes, as well as suggestions on how to set the table, helpful hints and tips to help you with sewing projects, and full materials and supplies lists that make shopping easy and stress-free. 

So if you're a hostess with the mostess that loves party planning and DIY decorating, you're going to love Handmade Hostess.  Filled with easy craft projects and delicious desserts that you can make any time of year, the crafts and recipes in this book are perfect for everyone, no matter what your DIY skill level.  So grab a glue gun and some colorful paper and get ready to host the party of the year!