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5 Tips for a Reliable Dinner Party Menu

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Most Dinner Party stress comes from not knowing how the meal will turn out, and the main way to avoid this is to use a reliable Dinner Party menu or practice your dishes before you use them.

According to Alexandria Blaelock, author of Stress Free Dinner Parties: How to plan, host and enjoy your party a reliable Dinner Party menu is the best way. “One well-practised meal can be churned out with minor variations time after time after time. It will always produce the same consistent and reliably delicious Dinner Party.”

Here are Blaelock’s tips for a reliable Dinner Party menu:

  1. Apéritif: The most reliable pre-dinner snack is always going to be Champagne and something. Like potato chips (crisps), vegetable sticks with store bought dips, or a jar of nice olives. That’s because Brands produce food that tastes exactly the same every time you eat it. If they didn’t, you wouldn’t keep buying it.
  2. Appetiser: Something simple that relies on very fresh produce, like a slice of melon wrapped in prosciutto, or slices of tomato, and mozzarella with fresh basil. Topped with a little sea salt, freshly ground pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. With more Champagne.
  3. Main: The kind of casserole where you throw bite-sized pieces of meat and vegetables into a pot with a slosh of wine or stock and cook in the oven for hours. Red wine with red meat and white wine with white meat is still a good basic principle.
  4. Dessert: A fresh and fancy fruit or custard tart from a good bakery or cake shop, served with full-fat cream or ice cream. Served with a sweet wine.
  5. Digestif: “Homemade” style cookies (biscuits) from the same bakery/cake shop you got the tart, served with liqueur.

There’s not a lot that can go wrong with this menu. As you develop your cooking skills further, you can expand your reliable Dinner Party menu to include those dishes instead.

Click here to find out more about Stress Free Dinner Parties, or visit Alexandria’s website.

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For Further Information Contact:

enquiries@bluemerebooks.com
+613 9016 0262

5 Tips for Signature Wardrobe Add-ons

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When you think about a signature wardrobe, do you just think about the clothes, or do you include signature wardrobe add-ons like perfume, makeup, and accessories?

Alexandria Blaelock, author of Build Your Signature Wardrobe: How to look good and feel confident in four steps suggests “Your signature look is more than just your clothes, it’s the add-ons that capture your essence and make a lasting impression.”

Here are Blaelock’s tips for choosing your signature wardrobe add-ons.

  1. Perfume: The sense of smell is very closely linked to memory. It’s why we cling to clothes that smell like loved ones, and some scents trigger strong emotions. The right perfume may be the most compelling element of your signature style.
  2. Jewellery: If you are married, you may already wear signature jewellery in the form of your wedding rings, or you might wear spectacles. But you could supplement these with something distinctive. Perhaps a pearl necklace, diamond brooch or chunky cuff.
  3. Shoes: Similarly, many celebrities are well known for wearing towering heels, but you may prefer ballet flats, mary janes, or blue tennis shoes.
  4. Hair: The right cut and colour say a lot about you. The colour should complement your skin tone and the cut reflect the spirit of your signature style.
  5. Makeup: A good example of signature makeup is Dita Von Teese with her red lipstick, bold cats eye, and black beauty mark. You might not want to go that far, but you could choose a signature lipstick colour.

These five tips will help you choose the right signature wardrobe add-ons for you.

Click here to find out more about Build Your Signature Wardrobe, or visit Alexandria’s website.

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For Further Information Contact:

enquiries@bluemerebooks.com
+613 9016 0262 (redirects to a 24-hour messaging service)

5 Tips for Penalising Dinner Party No Shows

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It is very disappointing when your Dinner Party guests don’t turn up – you may need to look at penalising Dinner Party no shows as a way to incentivise other guests.

According to Alexandria Blaelock, author of Stress Free Dinner Parties: How to plan, host and enjoy your party it’s a simple matter to apply penalties. “There is no doubt that it is incredibly bad manners not to turn up for an event you have committed to – if you are rude enough to do so, you must expect consequences.”

Here are Blaelock’s tips for penalising Dinner Party no shows.

  1. Chide Gently: Given the opportunity, describe the once in a lifetime perfection of the Dinner Party they missed. Make it sting just a little.
  2. Let Them Know They Missed Out: Occasionally refer to something hilarious that happened, and say “Oh that’s right, you weren’t there.”
  3. Pend Them: If you’re not quite sure, don’t invite your no-shows to your next Dinner Party, but make sure they know they are not invited. Maybe you’ll have the opportunity to explain why.
  4. Blacklist Them: When you hear someone else wants to invite your no-shows, don’t be afraid to warn them about your no-shows.
  5. Drop Them: If your no-shows are careless offenders lacking excellent excuses, cut them from your entertaining list.

Don’t feel bad about penalising Dinner Party no shows – you put a lot of time, effort and money into your Dinner party so that they would enjoy themselves.

Click here to find out more about Stress Free Dinner Parties, or visit Alexandria’s website.

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For Further Information Contact:

enquiries@bluemerebooks.com
+613 9016 0262

5 Tips for Deciding What’s Appropriate

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One of the key elements of a signature wardrobe is its appropriateness for the life you lead. Deciding what’s appropriate for you is important because clothes that don’t fit your life don’t get worn, and that’s a waste of money.

Alexandria Blaelock, author of Build Your Signature Wardrobe: How to look good and feel confident in four steps argues “If you just buy random things, you might be fashionable, but your wardrobe won’t be functional or practical.”

Here are Blaelock’s tips for deciding what’s appropriate for you.

  1. Clothing Care: The first thing to do is decide how much effort you are willing to put into your clothes. If you aren’t going to hand wash, or can’t afford to dry clean, just don’t buy clothes that require it.
  2. Climate: Take both your internal and external climates into account. If you live in the tropics, you will not need a heavy overcoat. But if you live somewhere cooler without adequate heating, you might want some thick layers for warmth indoors.
  3. Region: People who live in a City have different needs to those in rural or remote areas. Stilletos are fine for paved sidewalks but less practical for a rutted country lane.
  4. Activities: There are excellent reasons why your tennis outfit is very different from your horse riding gear. Think about the sorts of activities you do (e.g., bending, reaching, lifting) and choose clothes that won’t restrict the movement you require.
  5. Health: If you are in excellent health you may not need to worry about this. But if you have dodgy ankles, arthritic fingers or ugly scars you want to conceal, these are definitely things to take into account when you are shopping.

These five tips will help you when deciding what’s appropriate for you. A shorter list of options makes shopping, getting dressed, and doing your laundry much easier.

Click here to find out more about Build Your Signature Wardrobe, or visit Alexandria’s website.

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For Further Information Contact:

enquiries@bluemerebooks.com
+613 9016 0262 (redirects to a 24-hour messaging service)

5 Tips for Making Dinner Party Guests Turn Up

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It’s all very well having a Dinner Party, but with all the modern day demands on your time, how do you go about making Dinner Party guests turn up?

According to Alexandria Blaelock, author of Stress Free Dinner Parties: How to plan, host and enjoy your party you need to apply a system of incentives. “People are so busy these days that they just can’t seem to think forwards and by the time their phone gives them a 15-minute warning, it’s too late for them to get to your Dinner Party. You need to give them reasons to look forward to and prioritise your Dinner Party.”

Here are Blaelock’s tips for making Dinner Party guests turn up.

  1. Send a Pretty Invitation: Give your guests something to pin to their calendar or stick on their fridge where they are constantly reminded of your event.
  2. Invite Someone They Want to Spend Time With: Make sure your guest knows the desired one will be there, and assuming there aren’t any fights in the meantime, your guest will choose your dinner over any competing events.
  3. Cook Something They Love to Eat: Everyone has a favourite dish that they will drop everything for. Make sure that your guests know your menu ahead of time (and that you are making their favourite) and they will be reluctant to miss it.
  4. Ring the Week Before: Call your guests the week before with some last minute question about the night, and let them know how much you are looking forward to seeing them. They will either tell you then and there that they can’t make it or will not want to disappoint you.
  5. Post Preparation Pictures on Social Media: Tagging your guests on social media keeps them and everyone they know up to date with the preparations you have already made and increases the social pressure on them to attend.

It’s possible that they still won’t turn up, but at least you will have done all that you can for making Dinner Party guests turn up.

Click here to find out more about Stress Free Dinner Parties, or visit Alexandria’s website.

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For Further Information Contact:

enquiries@bluemerebooks.com
+613 9016 0262

5 Tips for Staying Within Your Clothing Budget

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With utility, insurance and food prices increasing, there is more pressure than ever to stay within your clothing budget.

Alexandria Blaelock, author of Build Your Signature Wardrobe: How to look good and feel confident in four steps says “Staying within your clothing budget can be difficult, particularly when you need to make a lot of replacements or unplanned purchases. But with some thought and a willingness to compromise, it is possible.”

Here are Blaelock’s tips for staying within your clothing budget.

  1. Stay on Top of Seasonal Replacements: A lot of anything will cost a lot of money. It’s easier to manage your costs when you buy a little of something as you go. When you draft your shopping list, make sure you include the basics.
  2. Choose Quality or Variety: If you prefer higher quality items, buy fewer. Or if you prefer variety, buy less expensive items. For example, two high-quality t-shirts or five different colours for $50.
  3. Check Your Budget Before You Buy: See what’s left in your budget before you start shopping; you may need to sacrifice a planned garment! Then decide whether you really need to go shopping, how much you can spend, and whether to visit a boutique, department or thrift store.
  4. Don’t Shop When You Are Unhappy: It’s very tempting to cheer yourself up with a little spree. But when you do, you are more likely to spend too much money on things you don’t need and may not like when you get them.
  5. Buy Wonderful: If you do decide to spree, then make it worthwhile. Buy amazingly wonderful clothes that make you happy, not your miserable old subsistence clothing.

These five tips will help you stay within your clothing budget. Or if you must, make breaking it worthwhile!

Click here to find out more about Build Your Signature Wardrobe, or visit Alexandria’s website.

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