Hot Hosting & Entertaining How-Tos « 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 your own festive sprig of mistletoe at home

If you're planning on hosting a holiday party this year, you can't not have mistletoe hanging from a convenient doorway! This tutorial shows you how you can make your own festive sprig mistletoe out of artificial plants and some Christmas ribbon.

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: Give a wedding anniversary speech

Giving a wedding anniversary speech is almost as important as a wedding toast. Learn how to write a memorable wedding anniversary speech for someone special from a communications and public speaking expert in this free instructional video series.

How To: Fold a napkin like a cone (Pliage en cone)

In the following video we will show you how to fold your napkins into cones. Great idea for those children's birthday parties. Fold a napkin like a cone (Pliage en cone).

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: 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: Make a bow using satin ribbon

Jane from A Floral shows us how to make a bow using satin ribbon. You should first get a long length of ribbon from the spool. You should next determine how long you want the tails of the bow to be. It's okay to make them a little longer because you can cut them off if needed. Start with a loop that is crossing over the top. Take another loop and cross it over the top so you make an X. Scrunch it together as tight as you can. Flip the satin over to one side, dull side down and shiny side up. ...

How To: Make an Irish themed gift basket for St. Patrick's Day

In this tutorial, learn how to make a beautiful traditional Irish themed gift basket for celebrating St. Patrick's Day. Give this gift baskets to guests at your St. Patty's party or save one for that special Irish friend. You can make a game out of it and the winner will receive the basket, or even auction it off! Enjoy this fun and great looking gift at your next Irish get together.

How To: Create super hero cape party favors

In this tutorial, we learn how to create super hero cape party favors. First, take a plastic red table cover and remove it from the package. Next, open it up and fold it in half twice, so you end up with a rectangle. Then, take scissors and cut a large triangle shape out of the material. When finished, open up the cover and it will be in the shape of a cape! Then, cut out some "s" for Superman signs and tape it on the back of the cape. Then, tie string around the top so it can be worn and you...

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: Make a door swag

Instead of the usual holiday wreath, why not try something different? Allen Smith shows us how to make a door swag that starts with an ordinary clothes hanger.

How To: Forget Flowers—Give Your Sweetheart a Bouquet of Mini Alcohol Bottles on Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is a day full of clichés. Roses, chocolates, and a nice dinner are always at the top of the list, and while there's nothing wrong with any of those things, how...boring. These traditions may be great for florists and the greeting card industry, but for those who want to break the mold, it takes some creative thinking.

How To: Make ribbon napkin rings

Here's a quick and easy way to make some napkin rings using ribbon. Follow our favorite gal from Pink of Perfection as she shows us how to create some great last minute napkin rings.

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: 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: Fold napkin roll-ups with silverware inside

Folding napkins takes precision, but a simple napkin rollup is the easiest of them all. You don't need to be a professional caterer or waiter to get this method down. Watch and learn how to make a nice, snug, rolled napkin with silverware inside. It's the most common way to present silverware at restaurants.

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.

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: Make a moving jaw for your werewolf mask

This is a visual demonstration of how to make a moving jaw for your werewolf mask. Watch Make a furry werewolf mask for some more ideas!

How To: Fold napkins beautifully for Thanksgiving

If you've found yourself visiting a few too many fast food restaurants, you've probably forgotten the beauty that napkins can amount to when given the proper fold and tuck.

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 furry werewolf mask

Learn how to make this scary, furry werewolf mask for $35.00! For some helpful blueprints, go to: http://gryphus.googlepages.com/werewolfmaskblueprint.jpg

How To: Craft an upturned pilgrim hat centerpiece for Thanksgiving

The Thanksgiving holiday wouldn't even exist without the original pilgrims. Find the time amidst all the hustle and bustle of the holidays to commemorate them by crafting this upturned pilgraim hat centerpiece.

How To: Make a gift bow

In order to decorate your presents during the holiday season, this quick tutorial will show you how to make a beautiful gift bow. Using a somewhat thick ribbon, determine the size of your bow and wind it around itself about 8-12 times, the more winds, the thicker your bow will be. Squeeze the loops of the ribbon together, making the ends overlap on the inside and fold it over. Then make two cuts on a diagonal through the center, making sure that you do not cut through. Unfold the loop and tie...

How To: Have an original Southern food party

The owner and chef Carl Redding of Amy Ruth's restaurant shows the foods one should serve at a true Southern dinner. One dinner would be spareribs, steamed okra and candied yams. Dinner two would be catfish, macaroni and cheese and collard greens. The third dinner would be fried chicken and waffles. The dessert for all three dinners would be red velvet cake.

How To: Identify different types of dinner glassware

Don't know much about the dinner table? You know the basics: you eat from a plate, you use silverware to shovel it in and you drink from glassware. But what about if you're at a fancy dinner? Would you be able to distinguish a juice cup from a champagne glass? A white wine glass from a martini glass? If not, these two videos will show you which ones are which.

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: 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: 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: Throw a champagne brunch

It’s time to celebrate! What better way than with a bubbly brunch? You Will Need

How To: Craft standing turkey napkin holders for Thanksgiving

Don't just throw some paper napkins next to your plates and call it a day this Thanksgiving. Put some thought into your dinner table preparations and your guests will greatly appreciate it.

How To: Make a Santa Claus costume

Our expert will make sure you look the part of Kris Kringle from the underwear to the beard. Part 1 of 18 - How to Make a Santa Claus costume.

How To: Customize a pinata buster stick

In this tutorial, we learn how to customize a pi–ata buster stick. First, choose a couple streamer colors that match the theme of your party. Next, roll the streamer around the stick, covering the entire stick. Tape down the end on both sides so the streamers stay on. Next, wrap a different color streamer around the stick and tape that down as well. You can also add on ribbon around the stick to make it more decorative. When finished, make sure everything is taped down at the end and you will...

How To: Make pew bows

Cut your ribbon or lace into two evenly sized pieces. This can easily be done by folding the ribbon or lace in half and cutting it on the fold.

How To: Make a tall balloon centerpiece for weddings & events

Judy demonstrates how to make a very tall, simple, yet elegant centerpiece for weddings and other events. You first need a tube and a base that it will fit into. Placing the tube in the base, use a hot glue gun to secure the tube into the base. You can then fill up the balloons with air, using an air pump and tie pairs of balloons together. Twisting together four balloons, place the cluster of balloons around the base of the tube. Repeat with an additional 8 balloons and place this cluster at...