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"  Hey, hostesses! Send us photos of your most creative, delicious, and fun get-togethers for a chance to be featured on CountryLiving.com. Birthday parties, crafting get-togethers, bridal showers, holiday affairs\u2014we want to see it all! Each month, we&amp;#039;ll feature one themed bash that blows our minds. Tag Instagram shots to #clgatherings, or send your photos to us at clgatherings@gmail.com.    Photo courtesy of Little Yellow Couch Why read solo when you could corral your pals for a booklovers&amp;#039; bash? The first installment of our new Party of Month column comes from bloggers Zandra and Karen at Little Yellow Couch, who hosted a brainy and beautiful party celebrating their love of novels, and discovered some new favorite reads in the process. Here&amp;#039;s how they did it:   INVITATIONS    Photo courtesy of Little Yellow Couch Zandra and Karen designed an invitation that evokes vintage library cards, and included custom bookmarks to set the tone. Download the free templates here.   DECOR    Photo courtesy of Little Yellow Couch &amp;quot;We wanted the space to feel like a reading room you might find in a library,&amp;quot; Zandra and Karen said. So, the pair mined their houses\u2014filled with flea-market and antique shop finds\u2014for goods that channeled the vintage-meets-modern aesthetic. A charming, mint-colored typewriter fit the bill. So did these reproductions of WPA-era library posters, which gained more old-school treatment with the addition of painted dowels and baker&amp;#039;s twine. The finished product recalls pull-down maps above classroom blackboards. The bloggers scored the posters on eBay for $9 each. You can also buy &amp;#039;em at Poster Envy.   Photo courtesy of Little Yellow Couch The living room&amp;#039;s handsome drawer unit recalls library card catalogs.  DRINKS    Photo courtesy of Little Yellow Couch A signature cocktail pays homage to some of the legendary literary boozehounds (think Hemingway sipping spirits in Paris). The bibliophiles sipped on a Jack Rose, a favorite cocktail of American author John Steinbeck. (&amp;quot;We fell in love with Steinbeck&amp;#039;s ouevre when we read East of Eden in our book club,&amp;quot; Zandra and Karen said.) Shake up a batch by combining apple brandy with pomegranate juice concentrate, fresh lime juice, and turbinado sugar. Hosting your own book-inspired party? Check out this list of famous scribes&amp;#039; go-to libations, or pick up a copy of the witty book Tequila Mockingbird, featuring cocktails with a literary twist.   ACTIVITIES    Cardigan Clip    Photo courtesy of Little Yellow Couch Conjure bookworms&amp;#039; trademark specs with this sweet cardigan chain, crafted from discarded clip-on earrings. Get the instructions here.   Lace Collar    Photo courtesy of Little Yellow Couch This frilly epaulet instantly adds an heirloom quality to any sweater. Stitch or pin it on, or try using fabric glue.   FAVORS    Photo courtesy of Little Yellow Couch Guests toted home books, of course! Everyone was instructed to bring some used tomes, and scrawled hand-written recommendations that doubled as bookmarks (like a luddite Amazon review, but personalized). &amp;quot;It was interesting to see what people brought. One of the girls is a professional painter, and most of her books were novels that included an artist in them. It&amp;#039;s exciting to go home with a stack of books that you might not have picked on your own,&amp;quot; said Karen.  Plus, the hostesses handed out these library kit boxes, containing graphite pencils, a date stamp (from Staples!), and old-school library cards (snagged at thelibrarystore.com) nested inside pockets crafted from boldly patterned Smock paper. Get the how-to here.  Also on hand? Vintage-style eyeglasses, because even guests with 20/20 vision like to add a little cat-eye glamour to their getup. Find similar styles via Just The Good Stuff on Etsy.   Tell us: What are your favorite ideas for a book club party?    ---   PLUS:  See more sweet and simple entertaining tips \u00BBCheap DIY Floral Centerpiece \u00BBSpring Flower Craft Ideas \u00BB 36 Bridal Shower Ideas \u00BB "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.countryliving.com/entertaining/how-to/a5127/book-club-ideas/>