Home Decor Interview:

Jennifer Sbranti

1.  Hi Jenn, thank you so much for talking to us today.  Please use this first question to introduce yourself and tell us about your blog and any other services you have to offer.
 

Thanks for having me!  To “formally” introduce myself, my name is Jennifer Sbranti (but most people call me Jenn.) I’m the co-founder – along with my husband Sonny – of Hostess with the Mostess, Inc., which is a company that’s focused on providing hip, modern, and convenient entertaining ideas. 
 

The main elements of HWTM are our website – HostessWithTheMostess.com – and daily blog – HostessBlog.com, which I try to post on 2-3 times a day. The website features different party theme ideas for celebrations like baby showers, bridal showers, and holiday parties – and we really try to feature ideas that are contemporary and a little outside the box…then give detailed “how to” steps so that it’s easy for readers to recreate the ideas at home.  Our overall goal is to help make stylish party planning easier.  We also feature cool entertaining-related products and yummy recipe ideas – including lots of cocktail recipes of course!
 

In addition to the blog & website, I also write regularly for Real Simple’s Celebrations blog and contribute party planning ideas contribute to other websites such as Parents.com and BHG.com.
 

The bulk of our efforts at HWTM are online, but we’re also expanding into other areas.  We’ve partnered with Chambord to host the “Hip Hostess Series,” which is a series entertaining workshops/cocktail parties in several cities across the U.S.  This has been such a fun collaboration and really fulfilling – especially since the events have enabled us to meet a lot of our readers in person. I also recently designed the first (of what I hope are many!) HWTM-branded products – a line of 81 contemporary digital scrapbooking templates at HowFastTheyGrow.com.

2.  This is a good time of the year to interview you, because you’re the party expert and it’s the season for holiday parties.

Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming up; what one or two things could our readers do for their holiday parties to make them unique and differentiate themselves from all the other boring holiday parties?
 

1. Choose a unique color palette.
 

There’s no reason why a holiday party has to be red and green, or a Thanksgiving dinner has to incorporate the colors of a “country harvest.” Try a bold palette of vibrant orange, dark chocolate, and lime green for Thanksgiving this year  - or something fun like hot pink and green or aqua and silver for holiday.  Really play up your theme and try to get creative with the details. Incorporate cool patterns from scrapbook or gift wrap paper, and temporarily remove any regular décor from the designated party area that might clash with your color palette so that you can truly transform the space to match your theme!
 

That being said, there’s no reason why you can’t get creative with traditional color palettes as well. One of my favorites holiday themes we created last year at HWTM is a red and green “Santa Baby” cocktail party.  The ultimate goal is to think outside the box with your décor and the way it’s displayed.
 

2. Even if you’re having wine or a regular bar at your party, serve a fun signature drink, and do it up right – meaning put some effort into the presentation. 

Take the time to do something special to the glass. Rim it with something creative like colored sugar or melted chocolate & crushed nuts – depending on the flavor of your drink. Then add a fun garnish – like a mini candy cane, sprinkle of cocoa powder, or skewer of fresh cranberries.  Finally, give the drink a fun name and display the name in a framed sign on the bar or next to the glasses.
 

The mixologist at one of the Hip Hostess events we recently held had the cutest idea for making a white “feather boa” for your glass by dipping the rim in whipped white frosting, then shredded coconut. Something like this would be great for a “Winter Wonderland” or silver and white holiday party theme!

3.  My personal experience is that throwing parties is definitely fun, but the mess and damage done to the house often makes them more work than fun.  

For example, little kids might swing from the drapes and get their handprints everywhere, guests scratch the floors, drinks spill on the carpet, grandmas help clean and get germs all over the dishes, and there’s always someone who talks too much and bores the crowd.  

What advice do you have for hosts like me who need to lighten up a little and stop focusing on the negatives?
 

Well, the best thing you can do is to prepare yourself for those things to happen – both mentally and literally by arming yourself with things like Wine Away, carpet cleaner, good strategies for politely changing the subject, and pre-determined chores for Grandma that entail something other than dishes!  If you have any breakable/expensive items you’re especially worried about, stash them somewhere safe before the party begins, or move them somewhere high or out of the way, where children or extra-tipsy guests don’t pose a threat to them.
 

The other thing you have to do is just tell yourself to go with the flow. It’s a party – and life happens. The one thing you really CAN control is the way you deal with those “happenings.”

4.  What do you feel are the most important things guests take into account when attending a party?  Do hosts fret too much over details that no one ever notices?  If so, what are the main things they should focus on to ensure everyone has a good time?
 

Focus on the things that make a big impact on the vibe: music, lighting, food/drinks, and the major decorative elements – things that will make a big impact without a massive amount of effort.
 

Music and lighting are key in setting the tone of a party. No one likes silence at a party, and people usually don’t want to be in harsh lighting either. For holiday parties, candlelight and/or white twinkle lights (the same ones you use on your tree) are pretty much necessary in my book, because they instantly set a festive mood.  Take it a step further with big, colorful paper lanterns illuminated by battery-operated LED lights (so that you don’t have to worry about any special electrical configurations.)
 

To make the best use of your time, opt for centerpieces and floral arrangements that aren’t overly time-consuming. People will notice décor to a certain degree, but probably not the difference between a centerpiece that took you 30 minute or 3 hours.  The same goes for food – don’t feel obligated to do 10 different gourmet recipes. Focus your efforts on a couple key recipes you definitely want to make, and keep the rest easy – relying on simple recipes or readymade/pre-prepared apps that you just pop in the oven or transfer to a serving dish.

As long as what you’re serving tastes good, your guests will be happy and probably won’t care how it got there!

5.  What do you do with Max and Jazz (your two dogs) when you throw parties?  Sometimes our guests’ children are too rough with our pets or feed them too many table scraps.  What do you recommend for hosts with pets?
 

We usually keep Jazz and Max away from our guests – either in the backyard or side yard. If we’re entertaining in the back yard, then we’ll either put them in the side yard or up in our room and check on them intermittently. We usually try to exercise them and tire them out before we have a party so that they’re more likely (and content!) to be sleeping during the party.

 
6.  You must have some good stories of parties that were true disasters.  Hosts who are still in the shower when you arrive, hosts who don’t serve appetizers until 2 hours into the party, fires accidentally started, and food that is freezing cold by the time it is served.  What is the biggest party disaster you’ve personally ever witnessed?

Well, I’ve never seen anything that comes close to rivaling the hilarious “Dinner Party” episode of the Office, so comparatively to that, everything has been relatively sane.
 

I have definitely been to a party where the hostess had just jumped out of the shower, though – and there have of course been incidents across the years with guests that have indulged a little too much in the drinks.

A pretty “eventful” example of this happened at pre-Thanksgiving bash we host for our friends each year. Someone was enjoying the cocktails a little too much – and let’s just say that what they ate for dinner made more than one appearance that night… much to the chagrin of the several other guests standing nearby. Thank goodness this person was at least in the outdoor area of the party at the time!

7.  Music is always great to have at parties, and these days there are so many choices (iPods, satellite radio, digital music on cable, etc).  But what do you do if you have a gathering of people with very different tastes?  

Do you play the music you like, the music one guest likes, or do you mix it up.  And when it comes to volume of the music, how loud is too loud?

Definitely mix it up. Throw in some songs that you know are favorites of some of your guests – it’s always a mood booster when your favorite songs come on – and you want to do all that you can to keep your guests in a festive mood!  If you’re having a theme party like an 80’s bash or Christmas cocktail party, definitely throw in some music that plays up the theme as well.
 

For the volume of your music, it’s too loud if it’s interfering with the conversation at all, unless you’re in full-on dance party mode, of course!

 

8.  Jenn, thanks again for your time today.  For this last question, please tell us what first sparked your passion for what you do for a living.  Also, what is your personal favorite party theme?
 

My background is in graphic design, which to me is very similar to party planning – they’re both about putting things together that mesh well visually – whether it’s a website or a baby shower.  I’ve always loved planning parties, but the idea for the company really sparked when my friends started getting married and having kids – and all of the wedding festivities and baby showers kicked into high gear.
 

This was a few years ago now – back when blogging wasn’t nearly as big as it is now, and there was a lot less creativity to be found on the web. I got frustrated with the results of my searches for stylish baby and bridal shower ideas online – usually they landed me on party supply stores that were selling the same paper plates and napkins adorned with baby booties or hearts and doves, or heavy-text pages with little or no imagery. After a while I thought that since I couldn’t find what I was looking for – a place with lots of imagery and ideas that were both modern and approachable (a.k.a. “convenient”), then I’d just make it myself!
 

My favorite HWTM party theme so far is probably the Bedtime Story baby shower, where the tables are made up to actually look like beds. Bling Bride is a close second though – because it’s really fun and playful…and gives off a great vibe for celebrating with the girls. 

Thanks to Jenn, she's inspiring me to get excited about our next dinner party rather than dread it! 

Jenn, thank you so much for stopping by to chat with us and sharing some of your wonderful ideas.  You're doing a great service with you and your husband's business.

Please check out HostessWithTheMostess.com and HostessBlog.com, and your parties will never be the same again.