Festively

RED, WHITE, AND BLUE (CHEESE)! GETTING READY TO CELEBRATE THE 4TH OF JULY

When it comes to 4th of July, it’s all about celebrating the moment. We have so much to be thankful for, and we’re not tired of saying that. We’re sharing fun and easy ways to get ready for a gathering, whether you’ll be enjoying an evening at home or heading to a party with friends. Check out our easy charcuterie and drink recipes. Of course you’re going to want to incorporate red, white, and blue into your food and decor. There’s no shortage of treats and goodies like blueberry pie, cherry pie, and strawberry shortcakes to show off your patriotic side. And when it comes to charcuterie, there is an infinite number of items you can use to make a stunning, sparkler-worthy grazing board. Attention foodies: Food can be part of your party decor! 🇺🇸 For those savvy bakers and makers, you already know your treats and boards provide that extra pop to parties. 🎉 If you’re planning a celebration, even when it’s a party of two, you can add colors that match your theme. ❤️🤍💙 We are staying home for the 4th this year so why not decorate inside?🏡 Shout out to @adelitas__salsas who is prominently featured on my charcuterie board for a little “red” added to my red white and blue theme. 😋 Also featured on the round board: And we got the dining table, ready for coffee & visita) I have a few goodies I picked up at the @amigassocialclub event: Other 4th of July decor is from home goods and hobby lobby. Make a Flag Charcuterie Board You can make a fun Flag shaped charcuterie board with any rectangular tray. We scored this gorgeous one from Home Goods and couldn’t wait to put it to use for the 4th. This one is super easy to make… I used: That’s it! Serve it up and enjoy!  Que the 4th of July drinks! 🍹🇺🇸💦 This perfect poolside drink is easy-peasy!   The secret? Trader Joes Watermelon cucumber cooler! Plus some lovely fruity embellishments 🍉 Recipe: One part tequila, two parts cooler. Add more cooler if it tastes too strong. Add a tray of colorful fruit on a toothpick, with a splash of @tajin: Pour the drink in a lovely pitcher, and you’ll be the neighborhood hero! Altogether, you can’t go wrong with creating a festive fourth of July charcuterie platter and drinks your guests and family will love!

YOUR GUIDE TO SUMMER BIRTHDAY PARTIES

From long beach days to backyard BBQs, the summer season packs a ton of fun! So, if your birthday falls in these golden months, your birthday bash should be nothing short of amazing. From different themes and things to do, to what to eat and what to have, and even who to use – we’ve got your summer birthday celebrations covered.  Keep on reading for some great party planning ideas that are sure to wow your guests and make this a truly memorable event. Private Rooftop Party @perchlosangeles How to celebrate the big day:  Whether you’re looking to plan a more intimate gathering or would like to do a big blow-out celebration, here are a few party/theme ideas that pair perfectly with warm weather! Sunset Cruise: Throw on your Captain’s hat and hit the sea! A sunset cruise is the perfect birthday bash for those warm summer nights. Whether you want to keep it small and intimate or pack a bigger boat with a good number of guests, nothing gets better than a birthday cruise at dusk with your besties. Step things up a notch with a DJ, bartender, and caterer to really blow your guests out of the water! Wine Tasting: Southern California is packed with amazing wineries! Take advantage of these sunny days and plan a birthday party outside at a winery. You can stay local and head to wineries in Santa Ynez, Los Olivos, Paso Robles, or Temecula! Picnic in a park: If you’re looking to plan something more low-key, you can take advantage of all of the beautiful parks in Southern California and plan an outdoor picnic. You can bring all of your favorite foods, or work with an event company to set up a space to eat and drink, and deck it out with your favorite flowers, linens, food, and desserts! Rooftop Celebration: Does it get any better than rooftop views? With a variety of trendy rooftop bars and restaurants in town, you can’t go wrong with a rooftop birthday bash. Catch a sunset, listen to music, and sip on your favorite cocktails for an evening in the sky. You can deck the space out with beautiful flowers and a marquee sign to personalize the space. Campfire party: For those of you who just love to get outdoors, a campfire party is the way to go! Spend the night drinking your favorite adult beverages and roasting marshmellows. Bonus points if you have a few friends who can play any instruments! Old Fashioned BBQ: Nothing screams summertime like a good old cookout! Host your friends in your backyard for an afternoon of fun in the sun, cold drinks, and yummy food! Save yourself some trouble and ask your guests to bring a favorite dish! Pro tip: Hire a traveling bartender so you don’t have to man the bar yourself! Beach Day: A day at the beach is good for the soul! Invite all your pals to spend the day soaking in the sunshine and watching the waves with you. Bring good food, some music, volleyball, and a cooler of cold beverages, and you’ll have yourself a great little beach bash! If you want to plan something a bit more upscale, you can bring in some local vendors to set up a beautiful outdoor tablespace and hire a catering company to bring in some delicious eats and drinks. Pool Party: If you have a pool or know someone with a pool, a pool party is a summer classic! Bring out those colorful floaties, your best swimsuit, and plenty of SPF for a day in the sun sipping on Frose! Summer Birthday Party Themes Now, let’s get into the fun stuff – planning your summer birthday party theme! Whether you’re looking to plan a big bash or keep things a bit more intimate, a good theme is still a must for those memorable birthday photos. Check out a few of our favorite summer birthday party themes below! Photo and florals by @b.ju_floral Garden Party: Fresh blooms and warm weather go hand in hand! Decorate your party with rustic elements and bright florals to create an unapologetically feminine and whimsical vibe. Patriotic Party: Memorial Day marks the start of summer and the 4th of July falls smack dab in the middle, so if you’re looking for a fun summer birthday party theme, you can’t go wrong with patriotic décor. Keep the vibe Americana with tasty BBQ, red-checkered tablecloths, white florals, and beers on ice! You can even encourage your pals to rock red, white, and blue for the day! Boho Beachy: Whether or not you’re having your birthday celebrations on the beach, you can’t go wrong with an elegant boho beach vibe. Think fun florals, candles, lanterns, a fabric canopy, a communal table, and a gorgeous selection of rugs, pillows, and poufs. Pool Party: Even as we get older, we’re all still big kids at heart. For an epic pool party, have some fun with the décor and bring out those giant, colorful floaties, bright balloons, and colorful beverages for a backyard bash that will have your inner child bursting with excitement! Flamingo Themed: If pink is your favorite color, go all out with a pink flamingo birthday bash! This retro décor gives you a ton of fun elements to play with from tropical flowers, flamingo-themed desserts, to vintage ensembles and more! Luau Party: You don’t have to be in Hawaii to enjoy a festive Luau! This is the perfect theme for your summer birthday bash because it’s a fun excuse to go all out with bright colors, gorgeous floral arrangements, feel-good music, festive cocktails (hello, Pina Colada!), and entertaining games! Party Planning Timeline  Once you’ve locked down the type of party you’d like to have, now it’s time to get organized and get the goods! Here’s a party planning timeline to help keep things organized:  If you want your summer birthday bash to be the talk of the season, it has to stand out! How do you do… Continue reading YOUR GUIDE TO SUMMER BIRTHDAY PARTIES

FESTIVE HOLIDAY RESTAURANTS

Tis the season for making plans to get together with friends! We can’t help with the hardest part – finding a date and time that will work with everyone’s schedule! But we can give you some ideas on fabulous restaurants to meet up. If you’re looking for dreamy spaces decked to the nines with holiday decor, you’ve found the place! If you’re looking for food and drink recommendations, head to Yelp. But we will say that these restaurants are at the top of the list for more than just their looks. These venues can also be a great place to have a holiday lunch or dinner with co-workers. See our blog post on Office Holiday Party Ideas and Trends for more tips. Check out our list, and let us know if we missed any of your favorites! Mission Inn, Riverside Most people know about the The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa‘s Festival of Lights. It’s one of the nation’s largest holiday light collections, voted “Best Public Lights Display” by USA Today.  Their actual restaurant is quite Christmasy as well. They have a Sunday Christmas brunch, so this is a great option if you can only meet during the day.  The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel If you want to a spectacular view inside and out, The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel is a great choice. Not only do they have a giant 40 foot Christmas tree, the resort also has an incredible gingerbread house display that their chefs spend over 500 hours creating. This place really caters to everyone, with a holiday tea, a happy howl-idays event just for dogs and their companions, storytelling for kids and more. If anyone in your group needs to bring their kids, this is a good option. Montage Hotel, Laguna Beach Another stunning resort that pulls out all the stops is the Montage in Laguna Beach. Here you can enjoy afternoon tea, a gingerbread holiday display, and nightly entertainment. One cool addition – fire pits overlooking the ocean and their gorgeous Christmas tree where you and the girls can enjoy cocktails into the cozy evening. Casa Vega, Sherman Oaks Bringing things back to the city, a surprisingly Christmasy wonderland is Casa Vega in Sherman Oaks. The team decorates with Christmas lights from floor-to-ceiling, making it one of the most festive spots in town. The decor is carried out throughout every inch of the place, including the iconic archway drive thru. There’s also a special holiday menu with mole enchiladas and of course festive drinks, including a Mexican coffee, snowball margarita and hot chocolate in an adorable Santa mug. Lawry’s Tam o Shanter, Los Feliz All Lawry’s restaurants are known for having traditional Christmas carolers performing nightly during the holidays. The Tam o Shanter location is the original Lawry’s restaurant and has an even more festive vibe with their midieval motif. This might be a good option if you’re bringing significant others so you can share one of their famous prime rib dinners. Can you guess which is the caroler’s most requested Christmas song? If you guessed “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”, you’re right! Dal Rae, Pico Rivera This hidden gem is a classy nod to yesteryear. The Dal Rae has loyal patrons coming back year after year, especially at Christmas. The dining room turns into a holiday wonderland and you’ll feel warm and festive after just one or two of their stiff drinks. Ask for a cozy booth, enjoy the live piano music, and laugh the night away with the gals. Santuari, Toluca Lake The Mediterranean vibe at Santuari is beautiful on its own. But add in the lovely holiday decor both inside the main dining room and in their outdoor patio, and you will have all the holiday feels. While their food is good, they are known for great drinks and desserts. Perfect for a girls night when the conversation goes long into the evening. Enjoy!

HOW TO BEAT THE DREADED 2020 HOLIDAY GIFT BUYING CRUNCH

Guest blog post writer Laurie Castillo, founder of the Momtrepreneur Planner shares her best tips on how to have a stress-free holiday season. Make a plan now to buy early, find all the key shopping dates, local deals, and enjoy the moment. “My order didn’t arrive!” We’ve all experienced that horrible situation. A miserable outcome for any customer, and as a small business owner with 2 online shops, I can tell you that it is just as heartbreaking for the shop as well! But with the high demand on e-commerce companies and the impacted mail and parcel carrier services, this is very likely going to be our reality for this upcoming holiday season, so it’s more crucial than ever for us to prepare! But how do we plan for this unprecedented 2020 holiday season, and what should we expect? Here I will share with you a few dates and deadlines to remember, as well as a few tips and tricks to plan and prepare for a stress-free holiday gift-buying season! Make Your List and Check It Twice The key to kicking off a stress-free holiday season is planning it on paper first! This includes your holiday gift list (and budget), as well as any special family get together dates and festivities. This will allow you to jot down all the things you will need (including ingredients for those yummy dishes you have to make, and those small gifts you always seem to forget til the last minute – like neighbor and teacher gifts – you’re welcome!). So now is the time to get this done! Make that list and don’t forget to check it twice!! Special 2020 Sales Dates & Holiday Dates to Remember Now that your list is made, it’s time to check the dates! Catch the best sales, get the best deals & know the absolute latest delivery dates you have, to make it for these special occasions! November 26: Thanksgiving Day November 27:  Black Friday November 28: Small Business Saturday November 30: Cyber Monday December 1: Giving Tuesday December 10-18: Hanukkah December 14: Green Monday December 18: Free Shipping Friday December 19: Super Saturday December 24: Christmas Eve December 25: Christmas Day December 26-January 1: Kwanzaa Think Small, Win Big! Another BIG thing we want to consider this holiday season, is to shop SMALL!!  Small businesses have been hit the hardest by the impacts of this pandemic, and this is a great way to show your support.  So shop local and shop small, and help support a small business (and the family it supports) however best you can! You’ll win big with unique & specialty gifts & by knowing that you helped a small business in need this holiday season! Know the Time Frames! Wherever you shop from though, know the shops time frames!  This is extremely important to make sure your holiday gifts arrive on time.  Many businesses, especially small businesses, have separate processing and shipping times.  The PROCESSING TIME is the time it takes to actually make or prepare your products for shipment.  The SHIPPING TIME is the transit time it takes for the mail or parcel carrier service to get your order from the shop to your doorstep.  Make sure you know the difference! 2020 Holiday Shipping Cutoff Dates and Delivery Deadlines by Carrier Ultimately, the shipping cutoff dates are the most important dates to note when purchasing your gifts for this holiday season, but the key truly is to shop as early as possible to ensure shipment well before these dates!  The following are the shipping cutoff dates for receiving orders before Christmas Day, December 25th, 2020. USPS 2020 HOLIDAY SHIPPING CUTOFF DATES USPS Retail Ground              Ship by Wednesday, December 16th USPS Media Mail                 Ship by Wednesday, December 16th USPS First Class Mail           Ship by Monday, December 21st  USPS Priority Mail                Ship by Monday, December 21st USPS Priority Mail Express  Ship by Tuesday, December 22nd FEDEX 2020 HOLIDAY SHIPPING CUTOFF DATES FedEx Smart Post                 Ship by Wednesday, December 9th FedEx Ground Delivery        Ship by Tuesday, December 15th FedEx Home Delivery          Ship by Tuesday, December 15th FedEx Express Saver            Ship by Monday, December 21st FedEx 2-Day Services           Ship by Tuesday, December 22nd FedEx Overnight Services    Ship by Wednesday, December 23rd UPS 2020 HOLIDAY SHIPPING CUTTOFF DATES UPS Ground                          Ship by Wednesday, December 16th UPS 3-Day Select                  Ship by Saturday, December 19th * UPS 2-Day Air Services        Ship by Friday, December 18th * UPS Next Day Air Services   Ship by Friday, December 18th * *Due to shipment modifications for the 2020 holiday season, all select & air services must be scheduled in advance from normal time frames Final Thoughts… To beat that dreaded holiday crunch this year, especially in the midst of all of this craziness the pandemic has left us with, and ensure yourself the best and most stress-free holiday as possible, it’s important to take note & remember these key points.  So to recap, don’t forget… From me to you, wishing you the best (and most stress-free) 2020 holiday season!

FESTIVELY IS IN BETA! WE’RE ALMOST LIVE!

After many, many long nights and weekends of developing our site, www.festively.com is finally ready to go! Well, almost…. Festively is an online marketplace for party decor and services. We are in our “Beta” stage where we will be testing the site with a client and making sure everything goes smoothly. We are thrilled to announce that our first client is Majestic Party Rentals in Inglewood! They offer a variety of party supplies, and their current big focus is creating balloon bouquets and helping party hosts celebrate drive-by birthday and shower celebrations. Majestic Party Rentals has listed balloons garlands, backdrops and rentals for baby showers, gender reveal parties, and first birthday parties. Beta testing includes creating listings on the site, driving traffic to the site with google key words and search engine optimization, transacting on the site, and completing orders. We plan to take a few weeks to fully test the functionality and make any adjustments before adding new clients starting in September. If you have any feedback for us, find any errors, or want to make any feature suggestions, would mind please letting us know? We are capturing feature requests and issues in our trouble ticket system: https://help.festively.com/support-tickets/ If you’d like to set up some time with us to learn more about working with Festively, feel free to set up a time to chat: https://festively.as.me/schedule.php Best, Iris & Patty

SHOP SMALL THIS SEASON: ANNOUNCING OUR HOLIDAY EVENTS & GIFT GUIDE FEATURING MINORITY & WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES

🎅🏽Ho Ho Ho we have a major announcement for you! We are celebrating 🎄Christmas in July by announcing that we will be developing our own ❤️2020 Holiday Events and Gift Guide💚! Major media and many companies make their holiday plans WAY in advance. We want to get your products and services in front of them to book you up for the holidays! Even though 2020 is a different year, there will still be holiday celebrations, custom client gifts, and lots of micro company parties. Our focus will be to feature women & minority business owners in Southern California that are event and gift providers – everything from caterers, unique gifts, items for cultural celebrations, event planners, bakers, entertainers, restaurants, bartenders, restaurants with outdoor spaces for social distancing, rentals, balloonist, signage, etc. For the vendors featured we are planning a styled shoot for all the items that will be in the guide. We are SO EXCITED about this one…its going to be, fun, beautiful, celebrate our cultures, and bring you lots of business! We are also finalizing the beta testing on our site and all vendors will be invited to display their products and services on the newly launched Festively website🎉. Check back for more details! We are looking for sponsors, so if you know of any businesses interested in sponsoring the guide and being visible to thousands of buyers, let us know!