Set your Party Closet up effectively, without spending a lot of money, by using inexpensive finds from the giant of mail order catalogs.
In addition to Harriet Carter’s catalog full of entertaining resources, remember to check out the mail order catalog from Miles Kimball. This catalog has a holiday collection that can prove invaluable for simplifying your party decorations and for filling your Party Closet. Many of these resources can be used for stocking stuffers as well, but this article will refer the items solely in the context of decorative elements.
Miles Kimball Mail Order Catalog
- Spiral Tree Card Holder: This product ($20) is designed as a way to display all of your holiday cards and it stands almost four feet high. The goldtone coil spirals up from its base and capped by an elegant star. However, think outside of the box on this product and realize that you can use the spiral to hold photos of the guest of honor at a retirement party or to hold table assignments at a wedding or formal dinner.
- Christmas Assortment Tie-Ons: These darling petite ornaments are made of a claylike resin and include a set of twelve for $5. Rather than use these mini figures to decorate your holiday packages, try incorporating them into your next holiday gathering. How about using the minis as wine glass charms, as place card decorations for a festive Christmas dinner, as surprise gifts inside holiday crackers or as a charming napkin ring?
- Crocheted Snowflake Ornament Set: This $6 set of twelve snowflakes can decorate your holiday tree, but try these ideas for a neater way to incorporate these delicate handicrafts into your holiday party:
- Cover your holiday table with a navy blue tablecloth and scatter these snowflakes across the top to effectively recreate an evening snowfall.
- Hot glue to a white napkin ring (may be purchased or cut from a 1” or 2” diameter PVC pipe) and used over navy blue cloth napkins
- Silly Cell Phone Holder: This $5 metal “statuette” is designed to hold a cell phone with some kitschy sass. It has oversized plastic hands and feet and would make a cute holder for dessert forks, a serving spoon or even to identify the contents of a particular dish.
- Solid Colored Casserole Carrier: Miles Kimball’s $12 insulated tote is designed to carry a variety of round, oval, rectangular or square dishes. This product is fantastic when you are attending a potluck dinner and you’re bringing a dish to share. Make sure to label this carrier in a conspicuous manner, because when your friends see you effortlessly transporting your potluck dish, with no cardboard boxes or plastic bags to contain spills on the way over, they will definitely want their own casserole carrier!
The copyright of the article Mail Order Entertaining Accessories in Entertaining is owned by Janice Benoit. Permission to republish Mail Order Entertaining Accessories in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
