Blogger Pool Party & Summer Entertaining Tips

Summer comes and goes all too quickly. If there is one thing you must do it's take advantage of the time we have to get together with girlfriends and celebrate the little pleasures, in the case of this day it was sunny skies, blow up pool floats, fruit decorated sugar cookies, and cocktails made with green juice.

Meeting and connecting with fellow bloggers has been one of the greatest things to come out of the creation of this online space. Constantly seeing each other at events led to planning brunches and sharing laughs at coffee dates, which has since turned into planning get-togethers and calling these ladies my true friends. A few weeks back I hosted a few of the ladies (Joëlle, Eleni, Jackie) for a day of fun in the sun. We were lucky to have the most amazing pool party weather, and were able to celebrate our friendship with a few treats from local Toronto companies.

Planning a tropical get together can seem intimidating, but don't let that discourage you. Lucky for me these girls are as easy-going, and supportive as can be, so I didn't feel pressured to put on a fancy affair.

There are a few tips to remember when planning an afternoon for fun in the sun:

1. Prep as much as you can the night before. This always takes the pressure off of the day of, especially when guests are arriving early. I washed, cut and prepped the fruit and veggies the night before to ensure the morning of I wasn't going crazy trying to get things organized (just be sure to leave the veggies in a bowl of water do they don't dry out). I also made one dip the night before and popped it in the fridge. Leaves you with enough time to get ready for your guests to arrive! If you do plan on making a few things, keep it simple and fuss-free! Cheese tray, crudités, and fruit make for such a pretty platter and are equally as delicious.

2. Don't stress out trying to make everything yourself. I always do this! I always want to make things homemade for guests but sometimes there just isn't time! Thankfully The Dessert Lady made us some amazing fruit decorated sugar cookies. They were the cutest addition and left me feeling good knowing that I had dessert covered. Also, The Fix + Co. made some pretty amazing popsicles for us to snack on. Picking Season which was a blend of beet, strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, and basil, Kompeacha, a blend of peach, kombucha and ginger, and my favourite, the Cocoamo, a blend of banana, dates, avocado and cocoa. So yummy!

3. Have a signature drink. The Fix + Co. also provided us with a delicious (and healthy) cocktail mixer made with grapefruit, cucumber, and mint. Not only was this super refreshing but it mixed impeccably with gin! It makes things so much easier when you just have a signature drink, and don't need to be buying tons of everything. Obviously provide enough water and bottled drinks for hydration.

4. Bring the fun. It doesn't take much to entertain a group of girlfriends, but a solid playlist and fun pool floats definitely help to liven things up. These pool floats were supplied by Indigo and made for such a fun afternoon. Who doesn't love jumping around on donuts and flamingos? Fun accessories like fancy straws, napkins, and cups can all be sourced on the cheap and make for fun photo props.

Check out the pictures below and let me know how you do tropical summer entertaining!


A huge thank you to the following sponsors:

Pool floats, copper mugs- Indigo 
Sugar cookies- The Dessert Lady
Popsicles, green drink- The Fix + Co.