What is the one plastic card that is useful for party planning that doesn’t have the ability to hurt your credit score? Your library card! That’s right, my library card is one of my most valuable and inexpensive party planning resources. Read below to see how I discovered this precious resource and tips on how to easily find party books in your local library!

I’m a pretty avid reader and earlier in life I learned that having a passion for books could become a rather expensive hobby when you read as much as I do. I became a regular library patron in college when I learned that (for some reason) Ole Miss had an extensive John Grisham collection.

So when I moved to Dallas a priority was to find the closest public library. In a stroke of luck, I learned that the largest library in Dallas was just across the street from my office! About once a month I trek my way across City Hall’s concrete laden plaza, past the hobos and pigeons, over to the Dallas Public Library to browse for new books and enjoy a lunch out of the office.

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Today is a special post on Pottery Barn tying together the I’m Sold! and Surprising Sources series.

Though I can hardly afford to shop at Pottery Barn it is still one of my favorite places to “shop.” Instead of shopping for plates and napkins and silverware I shop for inspiration! I love getting the PB catalogue in the mail to see what the new trends in decor and entertaining are. And I’ve had a ton of success at recreating some of their tablescapes and decor ideas with much less expensive versions I find at TJ Maxx and Walmart.

The staff is super friendly and always willing to help you match your color palette or give great tips and tricks. The two PB staffers above, Roy and Darren taught the recent Spring Entertaining Class and were friendly and full of energy!

Another great reason to “shop” at Pottery Barn is to find out about all their fun FREE events. It is a fun way to meet other entertainers in your area and spend a morning sharing ideas! Here’s a recap of the class I attended and lots of spring & easter entertaining ideas!

On Sunday I woke up early (early for me on a weekend at least) and headed to Pottery Barn to try out their Spring Entertaining class! It was lots of fun and the instructors were full of great ideas! Enjoy the following pictures and spring entertaining tips from the notes I took at the class!

Easy Easter Brunch

The class started off with tips for throwing an Easter brunch celebration. The instructors explained that brunch could be early – before church – or in the early afternoon after church. They gave these great tips and insights into what is “hot” this season for Easter entertaining:

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You’ve heard it before, but it’s true: Inspiration for entertaining and party décor can really come from anywhere! Blogs are obviously one of my favorite resources and Martha and BHG are never-fail reserves. But I’ve recently discovered some unique and never-before-seen ideas in some quite unusual places. Please join me as I kick off my Surprising Sources for {Free} Party Inspiration series.

You go through cans of spray paint like octamom goes through diapers. The staff at Lowes knows you by name (cough *my grandma* cough). But have you ever really thought of going to a spray paint manufacturer’s website? I hadn’t but one day when trying to find glass-friendly spray paint I ended up spending hours on the Krylon website!

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You’ve heard it before, but it’s true: Inspiration for entertaining and party décor can really come from anywhere! Blogs are obviously one of my favorite resources and Martha and BHG are never-fail reserves. But I’ve recently discovered some unique and never-before-seen ideas in some quite unusual places. Please join me as I kick off my Surprising Sources for {Free} Party Inspiration series.

Topics in days to come are:

• Sprays of Inspiration: Centerpiece ideas from websites you’d never think to Google
• How to get entertaining/party books for FREE (Hint: you’ll need a card that you DONT receive bills for) 

• Holiday recipes straight from the horse’s mouth

• And in a super exciting article, the Surprising Sources Series overlaps with the I’m Sold! Series!

Do you have any surprisingly free inspiration sources? If so share them with me and I’ll consider posting on it or you could be a Guest Blogger!

Nothing makes me more deliriously happy than spending an afternoon exploring at Hobby Lobby. Whether I’m there with a specific purchase in mind, or just killing time, it is an experience so exciting it rates up there with getting my Real Simple magazine in the mail. I could spend forever browsing the aisles while humming along to my favorite church songs.

Shopping at Hobby Lobby is much like going to see a chick-flick; you know what to expect and the basic elements are always in place, but there is always a new an unexpected twist or surprise. Sometimes you go in expecting great things (what you’ve seen in movie trailers or store ads), but it ends up being just a little too cheesy. Others, it hits the mark with indescribable cuteness. While shopping (or watching the flick), you find yourself saying “awww” and “I want that.” And no matter what, even if it a load of cheese, you walk away with a smile on your face.

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Still new to the blogging community, I have quickly realized that I cannot possibly host enough parties to supply daily posts. I’ve been brainstorming new feature articles and posts that I can write to make posting regularly easier.

In my new blog series, I’m Sold, I will be writing about inspiring home décor and entertaining stores that I love. Please feel free to post comments telling me your favorite stores and why you’re sold on them!

Note: None of these posts are sponsored by or solicited by the retailers I write about or their suppliers. These posts state my personal opinion about and experiences with each of these stores. If in the future, if any retailer is interested in advertising via this blog, I promise to make it clear to my readers which posts are sponsored.