Danny Seo - Upcycling Celebrations: A Use-What-You-Have Guide to Decorating, Gift-Giving & Entertaining

A Use-What-You-Have Guide to Decorating,
Gift-Giving & Entertaining

by Danny Seo

Photographs by Laura Moss

RUNNING PRESS

PHILADELPHIA LONDON

2012 by Danny Seo Media Ventures

Published by Running Press,

A Member of the Perseus Books Group

All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International Copyright Conventions

This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the publisher.

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2012938584

E-book ISBN 978-0-7624-4709-1

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Digit on the right indicates the number of this printing

Cover and Interior design by Jason Kayser

Interior Photographs by Laura Moss

Edited by Jennifer Kasius

Typography: Meta, Minion, and United

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I could not celebrate the success of this book if it werent for you, the readers, who have understood and embraced the whole upcycling philosophy. Thank you for picking up the glue gun, going through your recycling bin, and for upcycling away.

Ive thrown all sorts of parties over the years.

Theyve ranged from the casual get-togethers with friends in my home to over-the-top corporate events with hundreds of people on the guest list. Theyve been very grown-up affairs with truffled meals, formal letterpress invitations, and fragrant flowers, to the polar opposite of the spectrum with children bouncing in a giant inflatable castle with faces painted to resemble everything from butterflies to skull and cross bones. But if theres one thing all of these celebrations have in common, it is that anyone who comes to one of my parties is guaranteed to have a great time.

Stress-free entertaining is nothing new. No book can promise to help you be stress-free because really the root of anxiety comes from the host, not from the ideas. So, I want to emphasize this: Remember, nobody has a good time if the person in charge is an emotional basket case. Youre having a party, not performing open-heart surgery.

Now that Ive got that out of the way, I will promise you this: All of the projects in this celebrations book are easy, inexpensive, and use things we may already have, in unexpected and oh-so functional ways.

Unlike my previous book, Upcycling, which had loads of ideas to decorate your home with a smattering of gift-giving and entertaining ideas, this book is all parties, all the time.

As a host, event planner, and home cook, Ive learned a lot of ideas along the way that I call my foolproof arsenal of party tricks. And as an upcycler who lives and breathes by the mantra of transforming trash into beautiful new things, I dont just write the books, but I live it, and this book is evidence of that.

A few rules I live by: a very famous fashion stylist with a popular reality show once told me they tell their clients to take off one piece of jewelry before they head out the door to an event; maybe earrings, a necklace, and a tiara is a bit too much. I like this rule a lot and I will look at my laundry list of things I want at a party and knock something off. Less is always more when it comes to the dcor and activities. (But more is never less when it comes to the food and drink!)

Heres another tip: Dont do gift bags. Nobody wants personalized little tins of mints or a bottle of water with your parents names on it and 35th Anniversary Bash! But dont be a Scrooge and tell your friends and family no gifts when it comes to your own birthday; it robs them of the job of giving you something they think youll really love. Just remember: Thats why national retailers have liberal return policies.

Finally, try not to break the upcycling rule by using new materials instead of old. Of course it would be easier to go to the store and buy new straws, plastic utensils, and fabric than to rummage trash bins and thrift shops. But the point of upcycling is more than economical, its also ecological. Keeping something out of our landfills gives the finished upcycled item more meaning than looking pretty; its been given a second chance to be something even greater than it was originally meant to be.

Ive been the go-to guy for my friends to be the host of almost every New Years Eve party for the past ten years. I think it has to do with the fact that I live in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, way outside the hustle and bustle of New York City. I know what youre thinking: Isnt NYC where most people go to be near Times Square, all the great parties, the fun, and debauchery? Yes, they do and its fabulous to do at least once in your life. But eventually you realize that being warm, with friends, well-fed and in bed at a certain hour is more appealing than drunkenly trying to find a cab ride home at three in the morning. So bucolic Bucks County wins!

One thing Ive learned over the years is that New Years is not to be confused with Halloween; people dont like dressing up or pretending they are in 1920s Prohibition era, so think twice about hosting a theme party. Instead, guests like being comfortable. Correction: They like the permission to be comfortable. So dress like you would normally do at home: think jeans and a T-shirt. I avoid the formal sit-down dinner; people like to pick at things and snack all night long. They also love easy access to a plethora of drinks (both alcoholic and non) and to be in a room where music is playingmaybe even a network countdown on TV in the background. I usually skip dessert altogether and find that a simple fire roaring in the fireplace with a selection of Smores ingredients can make even the grouchiest guest put a smile on their face. If you dont have a fireplace, lots of candles will do to create some ambience. (Candles, however, arent the best at melting SMores!)

Finally, keep the decorating to a minimum; think big with ceiling decorations, some streamers, and maybe a festive sign or two. Avoid the temptation to buy those throwaway hats, noisemakers, and funny glasses at the store; nobody will wear them anyway and you just end up tossing them into the trash the next day. An upcycling no-no!