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" Whether you&amp;#039;re an entertaining newbie or a party-planning pro, Dawn Sandomeno and Elizabeth Muscali will turn you into a smarter host. In their recent book, Plan to Party: Simple &amp;amp;amp; Special Entertaining In Your Home, the real-life friends cover everything from greening up a get-together to managing your party-planning stress level. And to make it even easier, the book&amp;#039;s four party blueprints \u2014 Wine Country Crush, A Night in Venice, Chocolate Soiree, and What a Girl Wants \u2014 include how-to details down to the invites and playlist. But don&amp;#039;t worry: Dawn and Elizabeth&amp;#039;s parties never feel overly generic or planned, thanks to their specialty \u2014 suggesting those personal touches that&amp;#039;ll make an event feel special without costing a bundle. Here, the down-to-earth duo gives you three great anytime entertaining tips. Cheers! 1) Be a party-planning rebel. Don&amp;#039;t peg yourself into the &amp;quot;Okay, it&amp;#039;s Christmas, I have to host a sit down dinner at 5:00 p.m&amp;quot; mindset. You gotta think outta the box. There should never be set rules. It&amp;#039;s about getting back to the essence of entertaining, which is about being together. Everything should come off of that. And be honest with yourself about what will be fun for you to pull together. Maybe a Christmas brunch works better for your family this year. Your guests will be happy that you&amp;#039;re happy. 2) Get creative to save money. One of the most inexpensive bang-for-your-buck things is to use candlelight \u2014 and everyone looks good in it! Order votive candles in bulk, store them, and use them again for any occasion. Also, roses: Instead of doing big arrangements, if you just sprinkle rose petals around different surfaces (in the entryway, on the buffet or bar area) you can have the feeling of flowers \u2014 the color and scent \u2014 for so much cheaper.  3) Stay inspired. We love to travel. Everywhere we go, we seek out local artisans \u2014 whether it&amp;#039;s wine, cheese, or chocolate makers \u2014 who are so passionate about what they do. It&amp;#039;s an exciting discovery process, tasting new things and trying new things. Then when you go home, instead of showing your family a slide show, you share what you experienced through entertaining. As guests are tasting the food or drinks it&amp;#039;ll stimulate conversation and bring people together.  Check out Dawn and Elizabeth&amp;#039;s inspiring Partybluprints blog for more ideas on the daily.  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/decorating-ideas/a23168/party-plan-like-a-pro/>