A hostess gift. That thing you realize you should probably bring to your guests house right as you’re walking out the door? Ya that thing. It is something you should always have on hand- a few spare “gifts” that you can wrap up pretty in a pinch when friends and family are so generously hosting you and your family.

There are so many fun items out there but my tip for choosing a gift is keep it simple. A lot of people who tend to host are the same people who have everything. Find something simple that can be used even if it is not needed and cater to your hostesses taste- does she love pink? Enjoy candles? Loves to cook?

Here are a few of my favorite go-to gift ideas:

A bottle of Veuve Clicquot (or your favorite bubbly) wrapped with a pretty bow. This is definitely my go-to and also my favorite gift to receive! You can never have enough Champagne!

Mark and Graham monogrammed wine bag. I love these linen wine bags with a pop of color. Order a couple with your favorite saying and have them ready to wrap around your favorite bottle of wine come party time.

A yummy candle for any room of the house. My go-to brands for fellow candle aficionados are Lafco, Diptyque and Simpatico. I love being able to re-use the beautiful glass containers of all of these brands- perfect as a pencil holder or small vase once your candle has burned down!

A beautiful hand soap, lotion or bath product from Barr-Co. Their stuff is just gorgeous- I’d place it in my house as much for looks as for purpose- and let me tell you it’s stellar for both! (Note: Barr-Co is a collection of the sister company to Simpatico (k. hall designs)- are you noticing a trend?!)

It’s hard to go wrong with a pretty tray or platter for any hostess as you can never have enough fun serving pieces. What I love about a good tray is that it’s not limited to serving- it can be used in the office to hold mail, in the closet to hold jewelry or on the dining room table to hold pretty candles and centerpieces. There are SO many options out there- try C. Wonder, Anthropologie or your favorite local boutique.

For the hostess who loves cheese and appreciates a good french knife you can’t go wrong with a set of Laguiole Cheese Knives. Laguiole knives are simply the best and seriously beautiful too. Best part of all- this cute little set rings in at the perfect price point for a small something that appears more expensive than it is.

Let Brass Tacks handle all of your gifting needs- from shopping to wrapping to hand delivery- we’re your one stop shop to get your hostess gifts ready (so all you have to think about is showing up to the party)!

Contact us today for more information.

It seems like it was just Mother’s Day but Father’s Day is already around the corner on June 16th. I know…you’re probably thinking that you still have 13 days to shop…but why not get a head start to ensure you find the perfect goody to make your dad smile?! Then you can kick back these first few weeks of June and enjoy the beginning of summer.

Here are a few of my favorite fun Father’s Day finds:

For the traditional Dad:

No man can have enough hankies. From their emotional wedding day to needing to wipe their tots runny noses- having a hankie on hand is an absolute must! These Mark and Graham personalized hankies are a wonderful and personal gift that will surely say “I love you”. Choose from a variety of fonts and embroidery colors to make these a gift your Dad will love.

For the golfing Dad:

Golf is such a personal sport that it’s often hard to buy golf items for the men in your life- they want to choose their own putter, driver, golf balls, you name it. Because of this I often look to neat accessories they wouldn’t otherwise splurge on and I love the Garmin Approach S1 GPS Watch. This lightweight watch allows you to view precise yardage measurements on the greens and even measures individual shot distances. Best of all it comes with thousands of pre-loaded US courses so he won’t need to pay for any additional subscriptions. (Note: If your dad can’t pull off this orange beauty, it also comes in black).

For the beer (or wine) drinking Dad:

Corksicle is my latest favorite household gadget. I’m a big user of the wine corcksicle and now they’ve come out with the “Chillsner” to chill your beer. Sound silly to you? It won’t to your Dad when he’s dying for an ‘ice cold one’ after a long day and opens the fridge to find nothing chilled. Seriously there is nothing worse than warm beer so this is truly a gadget you don’t want to miss out on (and buy one for yourself while you’re at it)!

For the traveling Dad:

If he doesn’t already have these, the Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling headphones will make his next international business trip as quiet and relaxing as possible! Oh and who knows, maybe there are times he needs to wear them around the house too 🙂

For the simple Dad:

If your Dad is anything like mine, he has enough “stuff” and more than anything would just love a nice heartfelt card. Lucky for me I love to shop for a good card! My two favorite stationery designers, Sugar Paper and Rifle Paper Co, have some great options this Father’s Day season.

As always, if time to shop is an issue for you, contact Brass Tacks to do it for you! And whatever you end up getting I hope you all have a wonderful Father’s Day with all of your fabulous dads!

There’s no better way to perk up a snowy SPRING day then by helping plan a fabulous Parisian inspired bridal shower. So many fun options to play with I can’t wait to see how this event turns out!! For now here’s a sneak peak at a few of the mood boards I pulled together.

It’s that time of year…when the sun is shining a little brighter, the days are getting a little bit longer and the Spring flowers are starting to emerge from the soil. To many, Spring symbolizes renewal. For some that means the arrival of a new baseball season and to others the beginning of Easter. For all, Spring should be a time to focus on cleansing your home and more specifically your wardrobe. As the chill of winter fades away, so can our sweaters, mittens and down coats, making way for brighter colors and shorter hemlines.

Cleaning your closet my seem like the most unappealing thing on your to-do list but using a structured organized approach will allow you to eliminate clutter and conduct a complete audit of your wardrobe with little pain. Here’s how:

Eliminate surplus

In closets, as in life, less is often more. Most people wear 20% of their wardrobe 80% of the time. That leaves a lot of items that are taking up space and are never (or rarely) being worn.

To start eliminating surplus, separate items into tops (short sleeve, long sleeve, sleeveless), pants, shorts, dresses, sweaters, etc. Then remove everything from your closet that:

• Does not fit
• Is out dated (5 years or older)
• Is worn out
• You have not worn for a year (this excludes special occasion items)
• Doesn’t make you feel great when you wear it
• Does not match your style or image or coloring

Re-organize your space

Once you’ve weeded out the excess, organize your closets and dressers in a way that makes sense for how you get dressed. Keep like items together and think about grouping things by color as well. That way when you go shopping you can easily remember what you already own and what you still need. Store off season clothes out of your closet (or at the very back) to free up space and allow you to focus on what’s in season. Most of all, make your closet a fun place to get dressed!

Develop an ongoing strategy

You’ve rid your wardrobe of all of the misfits and old 80’s sweaters. Now it’s time to have a strategy that allows you to do a quick clean each season rather than a drastic and time consuming overhaul. Start by turning your folded items inside out and each time you wear something, return it to your dresser right side out. This is an easy trick to evaluate what you haven’t worn after 6 months (excluding seasonal and special occasion items) so you can donate or consign it.

Donate or consign your old items 

There are many great places to donate old items such as Goodwill, Arc, etc. If you’re interested in making some money back sell your gently used brand name items at any of the below consignment stores in the Twin Cities.

Fashion Avenue – With locations in Edina and Wayzata, Fashion Avenue accepts items that are high-end Couture, Designer, Contemporary or Better brand name labels.

Nu Look Consignment – Located in South Minneapolis, Nu Look accepts new or gently used brand name and designer clothing. Items should be 3 years old or newer, in style, and have their original label.

Turn Style Consignment – The most lenient of the three options as far as what they accept, Turn Style accepts gently used designer and brand name clothing. All items should be pressed and hung.

If all else fails and you’re in need of some serious help, call Brass Tacks and let us find the right solution for you!

Are you hosting an Easter brunch this year? Or merely trying to make the holiday that much more fun and special for your little ones? There are so many fun ways to make Easter overly festive starting with creative eggs. I hope these tips will help get your creative juices flowing!

A well designed egg…

Can serve as a centerpiece

Can blend into your decor for a challenging hunt

Can follow a color scheme if you are hosting

Can serve as a piece of art

Can be made with gold foil

or drawn on with black sharpie

or embellished with mixed media

or painted with chalk paint

or dip dyed in the traditional way

A well designed egg…

Will make you happy

Will give you a great craft project

Will allow you to participate in a fun tradition with your kids

Will wow your family and friends

Will impress the Easter Bunny

A well designed egg…

Will ensure you have the best Easter possible. Enjoy!

You earned that promotion but now you’re learning a new position causing your stress levels to sky rocket. You scored a big account but are stressing over all of the new details. Or life is just simply a little hectic and it’s not helping that we just got a foot of new snow.

When left unchecked, stress can affect your body, your thoughts and feelings and your behavior. It can even lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes. Whatever the source of your stress, find comfort in knowing there are many ways to prevent and reduce it.

Here are 5 simple tips:

Take control of your diet– While you’re probably attached to your ten cups of am coffee, reducing the amount of stimulants you take in will help calm you down and allow you to focus. Often stress causes us to lapse on healthy eating- going for easy comfort foods such as pastas and microwave meals rather than healthy veggies and proteins. Make an effort to purchase your fair share of health foods so you can easily snack on an orange rather than a hot pocket. For great options visit the new Whole Foods in Edina.

 Aromatherapy– This is one of the most effortless yet effective ways to reduce stress. The combination of both scented candles and oils is known to increase the effectiveness of anxiety reduction. If you can, purchase a yummy candle in your favorite scent to have at your desk. Ampersand at the Galleria has a wonderful selection of candles and oils to meet all of your aromatherapy needs.

 Exercise- Virtually any form of exercise can act as a stress reliever. Not only will it pump up your endorphins and take your mind off of the burdens of your day but it can also improve your sleep, making each day brighter. For a wonderful place to relax and strengthen your body, sign up for a class at the fabulous Kula Yoga in Edina.

 Maintain social support- Sometimes venting and talking through things is the best way to make yourself feel better or bring something to light that is bothering you. A regular coffee date or drinks with girlfriends may be just the thing to make you realize others share your worries and everyone can get through them.

 Massage- When all else fails, pamper yourself with a delightful massage or body treatment. Spalon Montage provides a peaceful setting complete with a cozy fireplace and heated neck wraps. From hot stone therapy to reflexology to a soothing body wrap, every service will leave you feeling relaxed and blissful.

Let Brass Tacks take some “to-do’s” off your hands so you can focus on the above!

“Time is money.” – Benjamin Franklin

Think about how much time you spend per week running errands, grocery shopping, spending time on the internet trying to plan a vacation, make a reservation or simply attempt to just check item’s off of your to-do list. Imagine having a go-to person who could take care of your day-to-day “time suckers” for you. What tasks would you choose to pay someone to do? And how much would you be willing to pay?

Ian Walker of the University of Warwick in England came up with a formula in the early 2000’s to help assess the exact monetary value of your time. In his formula, Walker takes into account your gross hourly wage (W), the tax rate you pay (R) and your cost of living (C) to determine the value of your time (T).

T= [ W (100-R) ] / C

The value of your time= [Wage (100- Tax Rate) ] / Cost of Living in your area

Let’s say you’re a bachelor living in Minneapolis making $200,000/year. Your gross hourly wage is roughly $96 assuming you’re working a 40 hour work week, 52 weeks a year.

Your combined tax rate (federal and state) would be approximately 40.85% and your cost of living index would be 112 (according to area vibes which calculates cost-of-living indexes).

Based on Walker’s formula above, the value of your time is approximately $50.70

While this formula is a neat tool to give yourself a ballpark of how much your time is worth, there are a few things it does not take into consideration such as your pleasure (or displeasure) in doing certain tasks and your skill level at completing them. At the end of the day you are your own judge about what luxuries you’re willing to pay for and which services are worth the cost of giving you back a few hours of your day. That said, I hope this formula will help you determine if you’re getting the most out of your dollars and your time.

Brass Tacks can bring simplicity to your life by assisting with everything from errands to home check-ups to itinerary planning to party ideas and general personal assistance. Whatever your need is don’t hesitate to contact us for our affordable rate information and a free consultation.  

Work-life balance. Many individuals lack it while other companies provide plenty of it. No matter what your “work-life balance” situation is, many American’s are overworked. So if you’re finding it more challenging to juggle your full time career with your kids and everything else life throws at you, you’re not alone.

Resist the burnout and bring a little more balance to your daily routine by following these helpful tips:

Build downtime into your schedule

Make a concerted effort to schedule time with your family and friends doing activities that help you recharge. If a date night with your spouse or a happy hour with your friends is on your calendar, you’ll have something to look forward to and an extra incentive to manager your time at work well. Don’t forget that a little “me time” is just as important. Whether that means a yoga class or the couch and a good book, take time to relax and focus on yourself (even if it means getting up an hour earlier than you usually would).