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One of the reasons why I knew our house was the one as soon as I walked into it is because it has a great room. Not a family room, and not a sitting room. It is an actual great room, nearly all windows, and looking out onto a forest of 200 year old oak trees that contort into a canopy over our yard. It’s breathtaking.
When we moved from our 700ish square foot apartment in the city to our home, we had to tap into our emergency fund within 4 days of closing. So, some of the funds to furnish the house were immediately zapped up into getting a new vehicle. Then, I took some time figuring out how I wanted to design our dining room area, and went back and forth quite a bit. Eventually, I settled on a table from Wayfair.com and chairs from RH.
As soon as that was finished, I began to work with a local lighting company to figure out how to get some overhead lighting in our dining room. After weeks of meeting with an electrician and a designer, we established that it just wasn’t possible. I began looking at sconces to brighten up the room, but the ones that would pull in the most light required that I have more things established in the room, like art and a sideboard.
What’s a Girl to do with a Half Furnished House and Some Bare Walls? Throw a Party Anyway.
20 people participating in a blind wine tasting. Ivy Grapes donated glassware and the second place prize for the event. Idaho Wines donated a stay in Boise and tickets to Sippin in the City for the winner. (pictured right)
No, I didn’t mean to have two different colored couches in the great room but we haven’t had a chance to move our old one upstairs or find accent chairs. My kitchen was a COMPLETE DISASTER of dirty dishes and half cut cheese blocks. People still hung out in it, but were kind enough to offer help or not comment on the chaos. We had some wine glasses break and things spilled, but nothing a quick vacuum couldn’t fix. Yes, I walked away from the stove for too long and there was a teensy fire. But, we had a wine tasting party at home anyway! We got to celebrate with my extended family and got to know our neighbors better. We learned that it takes about a week to prepare for a party, and I still need to figure out a better lighting situation.
I am not an interior designer. My husband and I don’t have an unlimited budget to throw at every project at the same time. Some of my favorite serving dishes are from Goodwill and Ivy Grapes donated Grassl glassware for the event so that even the least experienced sniffers could identify scents. (Seriously, these unique wine glasses are amazing and are 10% off with the code JS10.)
As the party start time approached, I was starting to feel inadequate that we didn’t have a photographer and perfect lighting and that things weren’t perfect, but once people arrived, it didn’t matter. Maybe I should have gone with more prestigious French wine. I can’t tell you that the party would have been better if I had my favorite sconces installed, catered instead of cooked, and hired a bartender. I dressed up in something that made me feel confident and moved forward.
I spent four years not being able to have people over and feeling guilty about always suggesting get togethers “at your place.” Even though we need some art, lighting, and a few coats of paint, it turned out okay, even if it wasn’t Instagram worthy.
JaimeSays
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gREAT PARTY!! IT SEEMS THAT IT WAS A NICE SUCCESS, I REALLY WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A PARTY JUST LIKE THE ONE YOU DID, IT’S JUST SENSATIONAL, WHAT WAS THE BEST PART?
I loved having a little competition among friends and was happy to introduce my friends and family to the beautiful wines of Idaho. Do you entertain much in cancun?
Of course! From time to time we have meetings like this between my friends and their parents and mine, as we have known each other since we were little, since there is already that trust, sometimes we meet to talk and remember old times with a good glass of wine and a board of rich cheeses!