In this episode I discuss questions to consider when offering dinner suggestions to someone in a new city. When helping out tourists, you're engaging in what the Emily Post Institute calls the "Host-Guest Dance" where you're trying to make sure that everyone gets what they need out of the conversation. Here we discuss a series of questions to consi…

In this episode I talk about tips for hosting one of my favorite types of parties, a movie night party. Those tips include: Get the date on the calendar Only buy what you need to buy, only make what you need to make Choose all your favorite things Check the technology ahead of time Set the mood to cozy For more information and photographs from my m…

In this episode, I go through the responses from 11 friends & bloggers I interviewed on Chrystina Noel when they were asked: What’s your best tip for someone who wants to be a great party hostess? To learn more about these hosts and hostesses, read the full blog post here. For more about hosting parties, visit www.chrystinanoel.com.…

A look at how you can send invitations, and the questions that you should ask yourself when you're giving your guests information in order to help them show up as the best they can be. To read the full blog post, click here. For more information on hosting parties, handmade greeting cards, and how to stay in touch visit www.chrystinanoel.com.…

In episode 38, I talk about how planning ahead can lower your party costs. Those steps include: Reevaluating the alcohol options Reconsidering the food options Keeping it minimal Using what you already have, and Relying on your friends To read the blog post, click here. For more party planning tips visit www.chrystinanoel.com.…

In Episode 37 I talk about tips that I got from Lola of the blog Found in Philadelphia about how to make your thrift shopping experience for dinner party table settings even better. For more information on party hosting and staying in touch visit www.chrystinanoel.com.Av Chrystina Noel

In this episode I talk about six steps to take to host your own chocolate tasting party at home: Invite your people Choose your chocolate Shop for the things you need Setup for the party Explain to your guests how to taste chocolate Eat the chocolate To read the full blog post about lessons learned, click here. You can get more party tips and trick…

In this episode I talk about five tips (plus one - probably obvious - bonus tip) to balance busy with self care and why it's important to take care of yourself when you're scheduling staying in touch time.Av Chrystina Noel

This is the third of a three-part series on how to stay in touch with people based on my book How to Stay in Touch: 27 Ways to Make it Happen. In this episode I talk about the logistics of how to stay in touch, two variables that you'll need to navigate, and three tips to get the details in order. To learn more about hosting parties and staying in …

In this episode I discuss 5 reasons that you might be telling yourself not to stay in touch, and why you shouldn't listen to them. Those five myths are: You feel guilty because it's been so long. You don't know what to say. You don't know how to say what you want to say. You're worried you're not keeping up with the Joneses. You don't think you hav…

In this episodes I talk about 5 reasons why you would want to stay in touch with people in your life. This is the first of a three-part series about staying in touch with people.Av Chrystina Noel

In this episode I give a brief overview of what you will learn about planning conferences from my most recent blog post. I cover the 13 steps to follow if you're looking to plan a conference of your own: Identify a theme Plan a conference budget Find speakers for your conference Find a conference venue Plan a conference agenda Create your conferenc…

In today's episode I talk about some statistics from the Greeting Card Association where they talk about the highest-selling greeting cards seasonally and the top everyday cards that people send. In addition to that I give you a list of 10 no-reason reasons to send greeting cards (and really snail mail in general) to brighten someones day. If you'd…

In today's episode I talk about how to bring different groups of friends together for a party in 7 steps. It's all about planning ahead, using your connectors, and trusting that it will all work out in the end. To read the full post, visit the blog. You can find your party ideas and tips at www.chrystinanoel.com.…

In this post, I talk about 10 tips for hosting a murder mystery party. It's super easy to buy a murder mystery kit to use that gives you character sheets, a plot line, and lays out how the event is going go, but there's still some tips to make it easier for both you AND your guests - especially if your guests have never done this before. Those tips…

In this episode I talk about 5 ideas for making the most out of the space you have in your small kitchen (and by that I mean my small 12 foot x 15 foot kitchen). Those tips are: Hang things where you can Add additional shelves to cabinets Utilize organizers in drawers Buy matching Tupperware Find organizers that fit your space When the blog post is…

In this episode, I talk about 5 things that Brendan Francis Newnam and Rico Gagliano, the hosts of the Dinner Party Download, absolutely got right in their new book "Brunch Is Hell" (subtitle: how to save the world by throwing a dinner party). This post is not sponsored, but I highly recommend the book if you (a) are trying to come up with a good w…

In this episode I talk about the 5 steps of executing the bridal shower question card game, and give a sampling of questions that you could use during execution. I throw in tips about making the cards, suggestions to make it extra special, and explain why it's my favorite of the bridal shower question games. To see the full post and get the free br…

In this episode, I talk about some tips that I have learned through the years to make attending conferences alone feel better. Even for a hardcore extrovert, walking into a room of 600 people who all appear to know each other already is pretty scary. Read the full blog post on Chrystina Noel. Follow Chrystina on instagram and twitter for real time …

In this episode, I talk about the steps to take to host a creative retreat weekend and 5 tips to save money while you're doing it. To read the full post, visit my blog at www.chrystinanoel.com.Av Chrystina Noel

In this episode I give you 8 tips to host your own Mardi Gras party (many of which have to do with the colors purple, green, and gold). I hope you'll take the time to celebrate and get into some New Orleans culture. You won't regret it. If you're looking for more information and resources, check out my blog posts about how to host a mardi gras part…

In Episode 21, I talk about my process for building up my guest list for a party, why it's important to figure out how many people you can accommodate - and how to back into the number to invite from there, things I consider when looking at the list of possibilities, and what to do if you forget to invite someone who was supposed to be on the list.…

During this episode I discuss all of the ideas I had for my 25th birthday party, and how they may (or may not) apply to the planning of my 30th birthday party. Mostly I just love brainstorming party ideas, so if you do too, this episode is for you. Looking for more party ideas? Visit http://www.chrystinanoel.com/parties.…

During this episode I talk about the logistics of preparing for my 29th birthday party from grocery shopping to party setup and day of considerations.Av Chrystina Noel

During this episode I talk about my 5 party goals for the year: Diversify my attendees Take people up on their offer to bring something Host more dinner parties Make my living room functional for parties Solidify a few simple entrees to add to my repertoire I'm excited to execute on these. Hope you have fun planning your parties in 2018 as well! Ge…

In this episode, I talk about where to party theme ideas for your next party, a few examples of how to brainstorm all of the possible ideas that could go along with that theme, and then how to reality check yourself a little bit and take a big idea and make it smaller (while adding a little pizzazz still to make the party more special).…

During this episode I talk about 10 great Christmas party ideas (some of which you've heard of, and some of which (hopefully) you've never thought of before). Those ideas are: Engineer a gingerbread house Sing a song Swap some cookies Watch a holiday movie Write your holiday cards Get together to wrap gifts Host a gift swap or secret santa Decorate…

A closer look at the 4 steps to putting together a year-in-review holiday card: gather your tools, gather your data, vet your data, and type all the information into the online site of your choosing. You can look for quantifiable, milestone, and everyday information in/on social media, photos, calendars, journals, passion project deliverables, livi…

In Episode 14, I discuss my best 11 tips for hosting parties in small spaces. I live in an 850 sqft. row home in Philadelphia with only 425 sqft of useable space split between 2 floors., it's taken years to figure out some of the best tactics for hosting parties in small spaces, and now I'm excited to share them with you. For the corresponding blog…

In this episode I talk about 5 tips to make running into someone you haven't seen in a while less awkward. Those tips are: 1. Figure out the last time you talked. 2. Ask a general question. 3. Drop hints about what's going on in your own life. 4. Start general, get specific. 5. Confirm the person's name. For more tips about staying in touch and hos…

In this episode we get a little bit cheeky about party planning, I talk about the 5 stages of party planning and the thoughts that every party host has had: This is the best idea for a party I've ever had. OMG. I don't have enough food. Why do I even do this? OMG. I have too much food. I can't wait to do this again. For more posts about party hosti…

In this episode Chrystina discusses 5 steps to planning a bachelorette party, and provides many ideas that you can consider for activities throughout the day, weekend, or week. Those 5 steps include: Determine the number of people Do your research Choose your activities Add the logistics Make it special For even more bachelorette party ideas, check…

Five tips to get started on your holiday cards early. (Although it may seem early, why not just go ahead and get them out of the way now?) Admittedly, I'm half talking to you and half talking to me. We're all in this together. During this episode I discuss the following 5 tips: Make your list of people to send them to now Start gathering addresses …

A look into how I planned a 6-course, 8-person wine pairing dinner on a Friday night. It took a lot of planning ahead, some delegation, and some teamwork the night of the event to make it happen. In this episode I talk about: Planning the Menu The Meal Budget (including ways to save money) The Decor Budget The Schedule, and Things I would do differ…

On this episode, I discuss 10 steps to planning your own Great British Baking Show party as seen in my most recent blog post. Step 1: Decide whether you want to have a single party or a series of parties. Step 2: Choose the dates Step 3: Decide the theme of each week (and whether there will be any special criteria) Step 4: Develop a rating system a…

Chrystina talks about the first taco-making party she's ever hosted, why she was scared of hosting one, and how much food she plans to buy for the next time she attempts something like this. To find the overall list, check out the blog post on her blog, Chrystina Noel. Website: http://www.chrystinanoel.com Pinterest: ChrystinaNoel Instagram: @Chrys…

In this episode I talk about the resources, schedule, and budget needed to host a find the best wine under $X party, where you get to choose the X. It's a great way to bring people together, especially folks who don't know each other, because there's something to talk about from the beginning. The person who brings the best bottle of wine gets to t…

In this episode, I discuss 7 tips for hosting guests at your house. These tips will make the trip go more smoothly, cheaper, and easier for all parties involved, and include: Discuss the schedule ahead of time Give your guest some space (literally) Take some time to decompress Put your guest's needs first Think about what your guest needs Help your…

In this episode, Chrystina gives you tips to host your own monthly dinner parties base on a monthly dinner party series she start with her own friends, including: Find your people One person cooks at a time Make it fun Plan ahead Schedule the next one before you leave You can learn more about Chrystina on her blog Chrystina Noel.…

In this episode, I talk about how I put together a thai-inspired dinner party as part of her and her friends' #wepretendtobecooks dinners - as well as where to start planning a dinner party when you have no idea how to begin. During this dinner she served: Thai Iced Tea, recipe from food.com Cucumber Asian Salad, recipe from Joyful Healthy Eats One…

In this episode Chrystina talks through the resources, budget, and schedule needed to host a grilled cheese and tomato soup dinner party of your own (for when you're sick of ordering pizza).Av Chrystina Noel

In this episode, I talk about how I got into hosting parties, why I starting a podcast, and an explanation of why I'm not a huge fan of Pinterest parties. You can learn more about Chrystina on her blog, Chrystina Noel's, about page.Av Chrystina Noel