So...do we think Leo will finally win??

Year after year, I promise myself that by the time the Awards shows come around, I will have seen all of the movies up for Best Picture; And year after year it does not happen. So although I will not be giving my two cents as far as who should win that category, what I will be looking out for...and every other human being...is will this be Leo's year? Man I hope so. Or he is going to turn into the Susan Lucci of movies. I would love to say I saw his movie, but the one scene I did see where he slept in a bear skin? No thanks. I will trust that the good people giving out the awards know that it was a solid performance.  I will stick to the animated features I've been forced to watch as of late. So now...the party....that's the best part of any awards show anyway. And we have such a fabulous way to gather your girlfriends and enjoy the glamour, gowns and glitz. Do you have a closet filled with jewelry you don't wear anymore? Why not throw a necklace swap. Each guest brings one or two pieces they used to love, but no longer wear.  Pin them up on a cork board or set them out on the table, for all to see. Then draw numbers or straws to see who gets to pick first! One man's trash is another man's treasure, right? We had such a fun time with this idea. And the best part? Everyone walks away with a brand new necklace for FREE. Score. Can you believe all these beauties were up for grabs? Which one would you pick? All of our gals love anything sparkling, so champagne was definitely on the menu. But we couldn't serve our champers out of just any ordinary glass for such a glamorous celebration - we took it up a notch and created glitter champagne glasses. This night is all about the sparkles, right? Here are the super easy steps :

You will need champagne glasses (make sure they're bone dry), masking tape, spray adhesive and glitter

Step one - tape off the glass at the top of where you want the glitter to stop. We just glittered the stem.

Step two: Spray a layer of adhesive to the area that will be glittered

Step three - Sprinkle a generous amount of glitter, being sure to coat all sides

Step four - shake off excess and spray with another coat of adhesive to ensure the glitter is set.  Let dry for several hours.  Enjoy! We glittered some champagne bottles too...because WHY NOT!? We added in some gold glitter and some white glitter...which do you like best? Next up - FOOD. Small nibbles were the name of the game for this gathering. We started with some deconstructed Caprese bites with a balsamic dressing, which we prepped in our Glad containers the night before. We love the small sized containers, PERFECT for dipping! Also on the menu, a fresh and colorful crudite and dip. Prep, wash and chop all veggies the night before and simply assemble when guests are on their way over.   Hidden Valley Ranch dressing just makes everything better, don't you agree?  We wanted to try something new so we tested out their Greek Dip recipe...um, WOW. It was so delicious and our guests agreed! Because our table didn't have enough glitter, we decided to keep our bubbly cold in a bucket of glitter ice cubes. Want to see how we did it? Simbly use your Brita water pitcher to fill up an ice cube tray (a star shape would be AMAZING here!) and sprinkle in some glitter.  Pop in the freezer and voila!! GLITTER CUBES! Sprinkle some metallic star confetti and youre ready to PARTY! 

For more on getting your friends together for the big night, find our tips on the Gather Now Tumblr Feed.

Photos by Dave Robbins Photography