DIY Holiday Fête

I’m back with another installation of holiday hostess tips from Debi Lilly. You may remember her adorable Halloween decorations from this post. I recently had the pleasure to go to the DL Loft for a DIY Holiday Fête hosted by Jewel Osco (a grocery store chain) and Debi Lilly Design. I’m not exaggerating when I say it was one of my favorite holiday events. I’m a huge DIYer/crafter (as you an probably tell if you’re a follower), so it was fun to use all of the flowers and Jewel Osco Signature Reserve products at our fingertips to put together holiday-themed bouquets and gift baskets. But even if I wasn’t handy with my hands, Debi imparted the best advice for anyone hosting get-togethers this season or looking for the perfect hostess gift ideas. Keep reading for her tips and other beautiful photos from the holiday party.

Holiday Eats

I loved hearing how Debi used everyday or premade items sold at Jewel Osco to create an easy yet delicious spread at this party. She shared her tips for upscale-appearing chicken and waffles from the freezer section, and how the right glassware can make bagged chips and popcorn appear high-scale. You’ll notice in a lot of these photos that the addition of rosemary (like on the bakery section cupcakes) or other spices takes food and drink from boring to fancy. Even something as simple as adding blackberries to a premade cheese tray will trick your guests into thinking you hand selected every item on it.

Holiday Drinks

One thing I’ve learned from Debi is the importance of a signature drink, so you and your guests don’t have to spend time being the bartender. It’s also really important that there’s water readily available, but it doesn’t have to be boring, either! See how Debi reused a glass bottle to fill it with water and rosemary for flavor? The finishing touch on every bottle is to use a metallic Sharpie to write festive messages like “yay” and “merry” to make guests smile when they pick the bottles up.

Holiday Florals

Debi is really the queen of floral design, and I have a budding interest in the area so I was most excited to get my hands on some Jewel Osco flowers to create holiday arrangements. While we were working, Debi shared some of the upcoming trends in flowers:

• Metallic vases are very in style, and beautiful to use on tables and counter tops next to candles because they reflect light.
• Want your arrangement to fit in past Christmas? Choose colors beyond red and green, such as winter whites, so they don’t look so holiday themed.
• Pine is a beautiful addition to any arrangements this time of year, and cedar pine is suggested to work with because it’s the softest.
• The method of “clustering” (like in my arrangement above) is very in, and makes arranging simple. Clustering is like how it sounds, group the same kinds of flowers together in the vase.

Hostess Gift Ideas

The ideas Debi shared for hostess gifts were great inspiration. I wasn’t aware, but Jewel Osco has a new Signature Reserve™ brand. It offers ultra-premium products made with expertly sourced flavors and ingredients. Steve and I are loyal Jewel customers and we hadn’t noticed these yet, so I was glad to be introduced at the party. There were lots of options for us to build a hostess gift basket, including Italian food, coffees and teas. Debi’s idea to create a basket for the traveler with themed food, such as French roast and chocolates, was a really thoughtful one. She suggested topping the basket off with a floral arrangement or even just greenery to make it really personal. This part was really fun to think of someone (I used Steve for inspiration), and what foods or drinks they might enjoy.

Kicking off the holiday season with the DIY Holiday Fête got me in the spirit! Since I was a little behind with decorating for the season, it got me in the mood to go home and do that, and start my Christmas shopping. While I’m not hosting anyone at our apartment this year, Steve and I will have the most magical Christmas amidst all of the homemade decorations and food, inspiration c/o Debi Lilly and Jewel Osco. Best of luck if you’re hosting or traveling somewhere. Have a merry Christmas!