Hosting & Entertaining — How-To Videos, Articles, & Inspiration « Hosting & Entertaining

How To: Gift wrap a t-shirt if you don't have a box

If you find yourself running out of boxes with piles of clothes still left to wrap, have no fear. Just watch this tutorial and follow along as you're shown how to gift wrap t-shirts with pretty wrapping paper and ornaments. You'll amaze with your pretty wrapping paper skills.

How To: Make a Coca-Cola Can Rose for Valentine's Day

This video shows a step-by-step guide for making a Valentine's Day rose out of an empty Coke can (or soda of your choice). All you need is an empty Coca-Cola can (or other soda can), a knife, and a pair of scissors.

How To: Tie a large gift bow

Wrapping a gift is great but adding a giant bow to the top of it makes the present that much more appealing. In this tutorial, learn how to make a huge bow to put on top of gifts.. you can also use the bow as a decoration for a wreath, Christmas tree, wall decoration, etc. Making this bow is not as difficult as you would think and takes a little under five minutes to finish. Excite the recipient of your gift with a big, beautiful bow.

How To: Paint white taper candles

Judy of A-BnC Parties and More, Inc. demonstrates how to jazz up your white taper candles. All you need are candles, a latex glove, and some hobby paint to turn those drab candles into something spectacular.

How To: Make a paper sphere ornament

Sphere ornaments fashioned from holiday cards are simple to make and add a decorative touch to any Christmas tree. Materials needed are

How To: Dress up your poinsettia with golden fabric wrap

Chances are you will have a poinsettia plant in your house before the end of the holiday season, whether it's due to them being on sale at the local grocery store or you receiving them as a hostess gift.

How To: Make a napkin swan (or napkin peacock)

Need a lavish way to present you napkins at your next big dinner feast? May we suggest napkin swans? Folding a mere dinner napkin into a beautiful swan )or peacock) can take you just minutes, and completes and dinner table. The idea behind the fold is to shape it so that one end looks like a long, languorous tail-feathers of a peacock, but it could look like a swan, too.

How To: Make holiday candy cane exterior house decorations

"Twas the week before Christmas and all around the house, no decorations were outside, my wife called me a louse. The columns though pretty, were tall, white and bare, it soon became clear that candy canes should be there."

How To: Steal a Kiss from Almost Any Girl You Want on New Year's Eve (Without Being Creepy)

The holiday season is almost over, bringing the year to an end, and what better way to end it than with some tonsil hockey from the dime across the room on New Year's Eve?

How To: Make a Star of David with popsicle sticks

Celebrate your Jewish heritage this holiday season by creating a Star of David with this easy instructional video. Make a Star of David by following along with this easy instructional video. Materials needed to complete this project include blue paint, a paint brush, ribbon, popsicle sticks and a glue gun.

How To: Play several different variations of the White Elephant party game

The White Elephant gift exchange is a popular game to play at holiday parties, and there are several variations to the rules. This vidoe gives you a quick description of each, so you can decide which version is the best for your own party.

HowTo: Make Your Own Star Wars Snowflakes

Inject some Star Wars nerd into your holiday spirit: "My wife is a genius. She made these little beauties while making paper snowflakes with the kids. She saw our son Ethan making one that somewhat looked like a Storm Trooper. She then ran with the idea and made these masterpieces."

How To: Throw a Naked Sushi Party

The Japanese know how to party. Browsing the internet for my daily fix of Weird Asian News, I stumbled across this article on Cannibal Banquets.

How To: Box a tablecloth for catered events

Boxing a table doesn't mean getting into the ring, but it does require a certain degree of skill to successfully complete. Boxing the tablecloth is a great technique for any occasion or party, and every caterer should know these moves.

How To: Stuff balloons inside of balloons for party decor

An interesting party decor idea is to place balloons inside other balloons. This can be accomplished easily by first inflating a large balloon. Using a small stick, push a second, smaller balloon inside the larger one and then inflate the smaller balloon while it is inside the larger one. You can then tie up the second balloon, leaving the smaller one inside the large balloon. This can be repeated with multiple small balloons, so your balloons will have a unique and interesting look. This tut...

How To: Make an edible 24 carat gold bar with gold leaf

Don't know what to get your sweetheart this Valentine's Day? Why not something sweet? In this how-to, we get a step-by-step process on how to turn a regular old chocolate bar into a sparkling 24-carat bar of gold! Materials you will need include chocolate candy, gold leaf, and a paint brush. The finished project also makes for a great goody for a gift bag or perhaps a pirate-themed birthday party!

How To: Set up a formal dinner place setting

Ever wonder which side of the plate to put a fork? This video will show you piece-by-piece how to create a formal place setting for two different meal sizes. This is useful if you are hosting a fancy dinner, or are just having friends over for a nice meal. Some people even enjoy having a formal setting on their dining room table all the time.

How To: Spend Less on Last-Minute Valentine's Day Flowers for Your Girlfriend

If you haven't walked into a department store or seen one of those millions of jewelry commercials airing over the last month, you might not know that February 14th is Valentine's Day.

How To: Fold an origami napkin swan for a lavish dinner presentation

Nothing decorates a dinner table better than a napkin swan. It's cute and it makes dinnertime feel like a celebratory event. So, if you want to learn how to make a napkin swan, just follow the folding instructions in the video. Follow along and see what your napkin swan looks like!

How To: Make a lighted holiday bow

What a unique bow. Your gifts will be beautiful under the Christmas tree. Materials you will need are: plastic wrap, hot glue, LEDs, scissors, pliers duct tape, glue gun and glue, toothpicks and 3 volt batteries. First you take the plastic wrap and cut it about 5 times the size your bow is going to be. Take the end and push it together. Now make one side of the bow, push together, and make the other side of the bow. Keep going back and forth until the plastic wrap is at the end. The left over...

How To: Fold a cloth napkin into the shape of a woman's bra

In this clip, the Napkin Lady shows you how to take an ordinary cloth dinner napkin and fold it into the shape of a brassiere. This clip is quick and easy and you will have everyone at the table laughing in just a few simple steps. This bra napkin design is also great for bachelorette parties, showers and anywhere else where you need a little lighthearted napkin folding!

How To: Make a diaper wreath for a baby shower

Notthecoolmom gives a craft lesson on how to make a diaper wreath for a baby shower. To make the wreath you will need the following materials: a package of 56 size 1 diapers (preferably with a design of some kind), a Styrofoam wreath, a spool of ribbon, and rubber bands (optional). Start by laying your diapers around the wreath to get an idea of spacing. Be careful not to make your wreath too full. You don't have to use all of the diapers it depends on the size of your wreath. To put the diap...

How To: Remember what sides of the plate cutlery goes on

Rebecca Robeson shows you how to remember which side of the plate to put the fork, knife and spoon. To set a table the correct way, follow these steps: The word 'fork' has four letters, as does the word 'left'. So, the fork goes on the left. The word 'knife' has five letters, as does the word 'right'. So, the knife goes on the right. The word 'spoon' also has fiver letters, so it goes alongside the knife. Remember that the safe side of the knife, the dull side, faces out to anyone sitting nex...

How To: Make a bow using wired ribbon

Bows are so beautiful. They make a great accessory and an awesome accent to any gift. The bigger the bow, however, the more likely it is to flop and not look as beautiful as it should. This tutorial will show you how to make a beautifully large holiday bow using wired ribbon so that it doesn't wilt. Soon, your gift will be the talk of the party and no one will ever want to open it - it will be too perfect!

How To: Make a ribbon gift bow

Choose ribbon in an appropriate color, texture and width. Are you trying to match the ribbon color to a particular gift wrap? Will the ribbon width give you the size bow you want? How will you be using the bow?

Holiday HowTo: Colored Flaming Pine Cones

These little babies are meant to be tossed into the fireplace, adding some color to your festive holiday hearth. However, you can do whatever you want with them... Get creative. WonderHowTo sure loves explosives.

How To: Fold napkins the French way

Set a table that’s tres chic by folding your napkins French style. Learn the art of napkin folding, perfect for entertaining guests!

How To: Apply snow queen or winter themed costume makeup

Whether you're dressing up as a snow queen, maybe from Narnia, or just going for some sort of wintery look, this how-to video shows a way to make some stunning costume makeup. The cosmetics used to create this look are Coty Translucent Setting Powder, Matte Texture Cream, Sugar, Brows: Platinum Plus Pro Lash Mascara, MAC Pixel Paint, MAC Silver Fog Pigment, MAC, Dovefeather Eye Shadow liner, MAC Facsinating Eye Kohl, Dovefeather Eye Shadow, Platinum Plus Pro Lash Mascara, Makeup Forever White...

How To: Make a Chanukah milk carton dreidel

Start this Chanukah off with a spin and learn how to make an awesome Milk Carton Dreidel, like the one in this how-to video. You will need a small milk carton, blue paint, a paintbrush, glue, a pencil, scissors, gold glitter, a styrofoam ball, a table covering, amd a plastic plate. Follow along with this video holiday activity tutorial and learn how to make a dreidel for Hanukkah out of a milk carton. Make a Chanukah milk carton dreidel.

How To: Make decorative napkin rings from shower curtain rings

The beauty of home crafting projects is in transforming old junk into something you can use. Host Heather's how-to video shows how to make quick and easy napkin rings to add a little bit of flair to the table. You will need plastic shower curtain rings, clippers, ribbon, rhinestones or any other embellishments, and a hot glue gun. Find out how to make quick and easy napkin rings from old plastic shower curtain rings by watching this video tutorial.

How To: Make an ice bowl for a table decorations

Wouldn't it be nice if you could have a bowl that was able to keep your food cold during the party. This Table Preparation how-to video shows you how to make an ice bowl for as a table decoration. Watch and learn how easy it is to do freeze ice and use it to decorate any party table.

How To: Wrap a gift Japanese Furoshiki style

Japanese style wrapping - or Furoshiki - let's you stop using paper, tapes and plastic when you wrap! Use reusable fabric instead.

How To: Make an outdoor Christmas stocking door hanging

Allen Smith demonstrates a new way to decorate your door during the holidays. With a little chicken wire and some moss, he shows how to create a stocking filled with greenery.

How To: Fold a napkin into a hat (pliage en coiffe)

Learn how to fold a napkin into a hat. Use the following Gourmandia napkin folding secrets to impress and surprise guests. Fold a napkin into a hat (pliage en coiffe).

How To: 10 Places to Hide Eggs Inside Your House for Easter - HOW to PRANK

Video: . If you're in the mood to hide eggs this upcoming easter here are 10 places inside your house where you can hide them, I gotta warn you though, it will get very messy!

How To: 5 Homemade Gifts for Your Favorite Lady on Mother's Day

For 365 days of the year, our mothers show their love for us by driving us places, cooking us food, doing our laundry, and being our number-one cheerleader. But for one day of the year, we all get up early in the morning and show our love for our favorite women. Often, that means cooking breakfast or making brunch, or running to the store to grab a pre-selected bouquet of flowers.

How To: Make a Cute Lemon Bear for Valentine's Day

If you're one of those people that would rather make a Valentine's Day gifts than buy them, then this fun little project is right for you. Impress your special someone with this homemade bear. All you really need is a large lemon or orange. There's not much instructions to make this project because the results will vary, but use the example in the image to guide you, and watch the video below.