Lifetime Mom Affiliates Write a Party Planning Book!

Lifetime Moms affiliates Dawn Sandomino and Elizabeth Mascali of Party Bluprints Blog are sharing their party planning wisdom in a new book Plan to Party, now available in bookstores. I am so excited for Dawn and Elizabeth, and I was lucky to get a first look at their beautiful new book.

Dawn and Elizabeth know what it is to be a busy mom, with limited time to spare. They have mastered the art of planning parties well ahead of time. Their new book Plan to Party has party bluprints, telling you how to plan and execute a party from start to finish. And not just that - the book is full of beautiful photos and also yummy recipes making it a perfect gift or a coffee table book. Get this book now - right in time for Holiday entertaining! 

I had the honor of interviewing Dawn and Elizabeth and you can read how these two ladies met,  started their business together and how important family is for them at my blog Skimbaco Lifestyle. You will be also surprised by how their family members were part of making the Plan to Party book! At Skimbaco Home you can read another interview and find out the biggest mistakes that most people make when planning a party and how DAwn and Elizabeth's dream of writing this book came through.

While time management is one of my biggest issues, party budget is another big issue for many moms who want to host parties at home. Here are four tips from Dawn Sandomino on how to host a party with a small budget. 

1. "Plan ahead, know your budget and stick to it.  Put pen to paper and write it down.  Last minute panic purchases lead to unnecessary costs and many times over buying," says Dawn.  She also gives an example - if you are planning on having a cake  at your party - don’t buy it, make one yourself. Baking your own cake can save you a lot of money. 

2. Fresh flowers are great party accents, but you don't have to spend a lot of money making a big impact with flowers. "Supermarket flowers are fine. Purchase the same type in the same color. Monochromatic flowers in mass have high impact for low budgets," says Dawn. 

3. We all know dinner parties can get very expensive, and all that cooking takes a lot of time too. Dawn has a great tip for that :  "You don’t need to host a party over the dinner hour. Host a dessert only party or a brunch – saves you a lot of money and allows you to entertain."

4. Do it together! Most of us want to get together but can't find the time, energy and money. When you do it together with your friends, nobody gets overwhelmed and hosting parties becomes easy and inexpensive.  "Bring back potluck and progressive style entertaining.  Make it modern by designing the menu and assigning dishes for guests to make and bring," says Dawn. And she encourages  "Share the work and expense and keep the party going!"

You can find additional information in the Plan to Party book and for ideas and inspirations on potluck dinners visit www.partybluprintsblog.com.