July 4th Weekend and summer events!

Hi! I hope everyone had an amazing Fourth of July. I know I attended many events, bbq's and had fun with family!

Here are some summer tips for the post Fourth of July weekend bbq.

Summer Fun-
If you have upcoming parties to celebrate and plan, I recommend keeping it simple. To beat the summer heat you want things as uncomplicated as possible. Plan as much as you can in advance. What are your party objectives? How much can you spend? What is the age range of your guests?

Some easy tips to wow your guests without breaking the bank: Keep the decor one main color. If your favorite summer color is yellow, then use a yellow cloth, yellow plates and yellow cups. You can find beautiful yellow and white flowers for a centerpiece or top a serving plate or bowl with a large green palm leaf or other large green leaves and use a few lemons and limes as your centerpiece. Its nice to add one accent color, so flip through catalogs like pottery barn's summer sale or VIVRE and find a color scheme that you like best and model your dining table and serving table around your favorite colors.

For parties with adult guests, it's wonderful to have a bar. Pick a few fun mixers like pomegranate juice, seltzer, tonic, lemonade and add your favorite liquor (try ZIMA's new Hard Punch or Black Cherry for a yummy new drink). Garnish with an unexpected fruit that follows the theme of your decor- raspberries, blueberries, mint, mango are all wonderful and if you use lemon or lime wedges take a zester (a bar tool like a grater with one hole) and shave stripes on their peel.

Another great, refreshing beverage in the summer is fresh lemonade with muddled mint and strawberries- super fabulous!

Ok, I'd now like to hear from you? What tips do you need? Or what are your favorite party tricks?

And, the new season of "PARTY GIRL", my how-to event planning show on Discovery Home, debuts Saturday, July 15th at 8pm and airs Sunday, July 16th at 8am, 11am and 3pm. This is a digital cable channel or you can find the show on IN DEMAND.

Hope to hear from you soon!