Crush your mid-week hosting (with just 5 extra mins!)

This post is sponsored by Target

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Rectangular card table | Glasses with dot texture | Aqua Bowl | Turquoise Bowl | Plates (I bought the plates in these pics in store and can’t find them online, but I linked to similar ones!) | 5-section Serving Platter | Chip-dip bowl | Pitcher | Candle holder | Small faux succulent plant | Large faux succulent plant | Salt shaker | Straws, napkins | Our ottoman | Ottoman 1, Ottoman 2, Ottoman 3 that I’m coveting

If you’ve followed GBO for very long (or even 5 minutes), you’ve probably gathered that I have a serious propensity for spreading myself way too thin. It’s something I’m good at – what can I say? (#nottobrag #justkiddingthisisntagoodthing) With a full time job + the blog + husband + my sweet baby boy, you’d think that mid-week entertaining is something we simply wouldn’t have time for. Aaaaand you’d basically be right. BUT, a person’s gotta live too, amiright?! We gots to get our entertaining on! Especially right now during the NBA playoffs (go Warriors!), we’ve been having friends or family over for the games left and right, and most of those have been falling right in the middle of the week. With our crazy schedules, what that means is needing to be able to make our space ready for guests quickly. I’m talkin’ what can I do if I literally only have an extra 5 minutes to allot to the effort? Well, turns out an extra few minutes may be all you need to take your space from bleak to chic for your next gathering. I’ve teamed up with Target to share a few ideas of how to pull that off with limited time (and limited budget!):

Mid-week hosting: Bleak to Chic in just 5 more minutes

• Statement making dinnerware. Pick up some dinnerware in fun colors and patterns. They’ll instantly make it look like you tried harder than you did and win you hostessing props. I opted for the outdoor dinnerware from Target. It’s a little less expensive, a little brighter, and works just as well indoors as it does outdoors. Ay-oh.
• Spring for some cute straws. Straws add color to your table and instantly make your gathering seem more planned and intentional.
• Add a few decorative accents. Think pretty candle holders, via the little details. Think Plants, unique salt and pepper shakers, candle holders, etc.
• Use your outside. Bring all the outside gear inside to create a lively, colorful space.
• Use decorative bowls (or we used the cute candle holder) to hold candy for guests to munch on.
• Grab some sparkling cider (or wine or champagne if that’s how you do) to make it all feel a teensy bit more fancy-shmancy.
• Add some green! Target has the cutest faux succulents. They’re perfect for adding some life and color to your table in a super quick, easy way.
• Little things like adding lemon to your water make it feel more chic and intentional.

Extra tips if you live in a small space

• An inexpensive card table (especially if it’s rectangular like this one). Get a long card table like the one in these pics and use that to hold the bulk of your food/drinks/snacks. Or use your coffee table if you have one.
• Leverage your ottoman or a bench for extra space. Use it to hold plates, napkins, utensils, etc. (Target has some adorable ottomans and benches right now. This one is very similar to the one we have, but I’m also loving this one, this one, and this one).

So what do you think guys? Are any of these tips helpful? What do YOU do to pull off mid-week hosting in a stylish way?

Find your style @Targetstyle.

Have a Fancy Feast Friday!
Thanks for reading.