Wednesday, July 21, 2021

Hosting The Best Summer Parties

Summer is the best season for entertaining! The long, hot, sunny days turn into warm, calming nights. Summer is a season where you are able to sit back, relax, and enjoy other people’s company more. If you are one who enjoys hosting parties for your friends and family members, but always struggle to get everything together at the last minute, this post is for you!  Once you develop these tips and tricks, your friends and family won’t be able to stop talking about your amazing parties. 

 

1.     Let your guests know about the party a month in advance. 

 

Summer is a busy season for everyone. A lot of people plan trips, visit family, etc. You want to make sure when planning a party your guests have enough time to mark their calendars before that day is booked. We also recommend sending out an invitation in the mail to give it a more formal and festive approach. If you want a bright and colorful invitational, check out this summer invitation below.  


Boatman Geller - Banner Barbeque Invitations (V)


2.     Plan out the food you want to serve two weeks in advance.

 

When planning out your food, you can go ahead and buy all the non-perishable ingredients ahead of time and prepare as much as possible. This makes it so much easier as you get closer to the day of the party.  Think about creating meals that you can create in advance so you aren’t spending too much time in the kitchen. 


3.     Don’t forget about the little details. 

 

When it comes to planning a party, you might not think about the very small details until the day off, like the music you are going to play, which exact plants you are planning on buying to elevate the mood of the party a little more, or all the exact toppings you need for your dishes. 


4.     Ambiance is everything. 

 

It is important to plan how you want the set up to look for your party and the mood you are going for. Make sure you have every piece ready two weeks in advance and, if possible, lay everything out two days prior to the party to make sure it matches what you envisioned. 


5.     Don’t over complicate your drinks. 

 

Our best tip when it comes to having drinks at a party is to create a fun bar cart that is either self-serve or has a bartender at it. This makes it easy for people to pick out their own drinks and create exactly what they like. 

 

            Planning out and hosting a great party can be a lot of work. Make it easier on yourself by planning everything in advance. You can also ask guests to bring small items like a cut-up watermelon or chips to feel like they are contributing, but they do not have to prepare anything. 

 

            During the party, remember to also have fun and enjoy the company of your friends and/or family. You worked hard creating an unforgettable night like this, so there is no reason why you should miss out on enjoying it too. By having your party self-serve or primarily self-serve, it allows you to sit back and enjoy your own party as well.  Also, we’d like to give you permission to not clean up until morning!  

Friday, July 2, 2021

Refresh Your Desk! Tips and Tricks

One of the most frustrating things is having a desk that is cluttered. Not only is having a messy desk overwhelming, but it’s also incredibly distracting when you’re trying to get work done. With the kids heading back to school in a month or so, and summer approaching its end faster than we would like, stay focused in the home office. Having a clean desk is such a breath of fresh air, and we are going to show you how to get there with these six easy steps.
 
Here are some steps to help get that desk organized!:


Plan ahead to find a time to commit to re-organizing your desk. One of the hardest parts about organizing your desk is setting a designated time to do it. We all have busy schedules, and setting aside time just to re-organize your desk may get swiped under the rug. That’s why the best thing you can do to start this process is to plan ahead! Set aside 30 minutes to an hour to deep clean that office space. Trust us; you won’t regret it!
Don’t be afraid to part ways.
 
This second step to our organizing process is arguably the most crucial: “If it’s been used in the past six months, it stays; if it hasn’t, throw it away!” Whether it be old pens, a sticky note cleanse, or just knick-knacks you don’t love seeing anymore, get rid of it. Having this unnecessary clutter not only clutters your desk, but it clutters your mind too.
 
Round up those pesky chords for more leg space.
 
There is nothing worse than feeling claustrophobic while you’re trying to be productive. That said, let’s give those legs some room! This step is simple but will make a world of difference when it comes to your productivity. Simply take any chords that are hanging under your desk and tie them together to give you the leg space you deserve!
 
Don’t be afraid to keep a few things you enjoy seeing on your desk.
 
We know we told you to get rid of the unnecessary items on your desk, but there is no need to do away with all of it. It’s totally fine to keep a few pictures of loved ones or fun knick-knacks on your desk if it makes you happy. Just be sure to put them in places that won’t disrupt your workflow!
 
Set rules for your organization to keep up the good work!
 
After all is said and done, we know you will enjoy your newly organized workspace! To make sure you keep up this satisfying feeling, we suggest coming up with organization rules to follow until your next desk touch-up. One rule that we recommend is to make sure when you are done with a project, clean up those sticky notes or reminders from your workspace. Another great rule to consider is keeping a trashcan nearby to make after-project clean-ups quick and easy.
 
Set aside another date to re-organize in the future.
 
Our last rule to our re-organizing process is to plan for future re-organization. We know that you just finished organizing your desk for now, but nobody’s perfect! That said, there will come a time when you have to repeat this process in the future. We recommend taking the time to re-organize your office space at the end of every month to make sure you stay as productive as possible!

 
Let’s get this organization station ready!
 
Did you think we would give you these handy tips without giving you the materials to do them? Of course not! More Than Paper has some of the best desktop items for an organized desk in the business! Try out a few of these items to make your desk as organized and aesthetic as possible!

What better way to stay organized than with our Weekly To Do Weekly Calendar Pads? These calendar pads contain 50 durable sheets and are completely personalizable. Add your name, pick your favorite pattern, or choose between our variety of colors to stay organized and look cute while doing it! 

Weekly Calendar Pads by idesign + co - Links

One of the best desktop items anyone can have is memo notes. Memo notes are super convient to jot down whatever you’re thinking in the moment. We love this personalized one with the reminder to be awesome. These cubes contain 675 sheets of memo notes for whatever you need to jot down! 

Sticky Memo Cubes by The Boatman Group - Be Awesome (675 Self-Stick Notes)

Having loose-leaf paper strewn across your desk can be so distracting! Never fear because, at More Than Paper we have these adorable Grasshopper Personalized Wood Clipboards by Dabney Lee! These clipboards are completely personalizable and allow you to choose your typestyle, ink color, and text! 

Dabney Lee Personalized Wood Clipboards - Grasshopper

Work at your desk and look cute while doing it with this Espadrille Bright Preset Personalized Mousepad! Boatman Geller produces these mousepads, and trust us they do not disappoint! These mousepads can be personalized by typestyle, ink color, and text (up to 3 lines). 


Boatman Geller - Personalized Mouse Pads (Espadrille Bright)