3 Secrets to Beautiful, Effortless (looking) Home Entertaining

I am cherishing these final days of summer. I actually think it’s the best time of year to be at home…to cook, to have friends over, to just hang and enjoy the cooler last summer nights. Homegrown tomatoes, peaches…everything is just so yummy this time of year.

This all inspires me to cook and entertain.

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner…Our Rabbi.

So, in preparation for the BIG DAY…Old Spice and I invited the rabbi and his wife over for dinner this week.  A little "get to know you better as a couple" before the October nuptials.

I love entertaining. I love a pretty table. I love finding new "stuff." Especially stuff that doesn’t take up a ton of space but makes entertaining, whether it’s spontaneous or planned weeks in advance, a breeze.

And why should I have all of the "end-of-summer-entertaining-fun?" I shouldn’t…You can do it too!

Here is some of my favorite "stuff" from this week, a few "good to knows" for easy and beautiful home entertaining.

1. Little Touches For A Beautiful Table: Sur La Table And Gerbera Daisies

Setting a beautiful table even makes bad food taste good. I love to fill clay water pitchers with gerbera daisies. You don’t have to go to Italy to find beautiful 

. In fact, it’s on sale at 

. I bought one decorated piece and two small white pottery water pitchers. They were $11.99.

I filled them with bright colored gerbera daisies. Make sure to cut the stems short enough and buy enough flowers so the vases look overly stuffed. It looks like summer. The candles of different heights look beautiful when the sun starts to go down.

2. What To Wear When Entertaining At Home: Heist And Kloni & The Krew

I am always wondering what to wear when you’re entertaining at home. You know, the effortless "I’ve been in this all day look."

I have discovered the best and most elegant stay at home outfit. When I was in Los Angeles a few weeks ago I wandered into an amazing store HEIST. It’s that California-comfy-effortless-wearable-vibe-thing. It’s also a brand I had never heard of: Kloni & the Krew.

So excited to discover these amazing silk pajama-like pants (love the wide elastic waistband and the fabric). I bought the gorgeous matching flowy silk top, too.

Sometimes this look is hard to pull off. It either looks like you forgot to get out of your pj’s or you look like you’re the size of a condominium. But I must tell you the fit is perfection. It looks great barefoot at home— or with heels out to dinner. I am thinking to wear the pants with a cashmere cardigan or leather jacket in the fall and the top will wear well with jeans too. Seriously yummy!

3. Nyes Ice Cream Sandwiches

This is my best find of the summer. I constantly ponder what to have for dessert. I don’t bake. Actually, I hate measuring, therefore I can’t bake. Too precise for me…never mind it takes so long and makes such a mess!  So I have discovered the perfect summer dessert.

Nyes is a company from North Carolina who makes the most incredible ice cream sandwiches–homemade cookies with ice cream in flavors like key lime or chocolate peanut butter. How could you go wrong? I suggest getting a combination box of 8 sandwiches. They arrive at your front door beautifully packaged in dry ice.* The dry ice works—the box was on the front stoop all day.

This ‘recipe’ is somewhere between "I made it" and "I made it available." I cut the sandwiches in half (Peach Crisp is my favorite—the kids prefer chocolate chip).  Just put ½ a sandwich in little crystal bowl, cut up peaches, throw in blueberries  and raspberries (no cutting needed) and whatever other fruit is looking good this week, place the bowl on a saucer plate and VOILA a beautiful dessert. Everyone asks where did those ice cream sandwiches come from?  Trust me…they came in a box!

*This does take some planning….when you order from 

 if you want it for the weekend you have to call before noon on Wednesday. They cut off Friday deliveries at noon on Wednesday. Think ahead.

Happy summer. And Enjoy The "Stuff" That Makes These Final Days Look Effortless. Cheers.

Reprinted with permission from Stuff of Life Blog. See original post here: http://stuffoflifeblog.com/2016/08/26/3-secrets-beautiful-effortless-looking-home-entertaining/

Lauren Chesley is contributor to Make It Better and LEAD Cincinnati, is writing her first book and blogging along the way about the journey of being "unapologetically you" post-50 at http://www.stuffoflifeblog.com