Katie Brown, one of America's favorite lifestyle gurus, made her way to the heart of our homes with simple tips and practical advice.
Katie's Story
"I feel like every day is a party. Every day it's my job to entertain my friends, my family and my staff and keep it lively."
I believe in hard work, but it should be easy and simple. I'm a new mom and a new wife and I have a busy job, and I am grateful for all three, but how can you possibly do it all? I want to be able to cook my family dinner in the evenings, or throw a great Christmas party or decorate a beautiful tree, or make my daughter's room inspiring to her. The best way to do that is to take shortcuts and to cheat if you have to.
"Take advantage of modern conveniences."
I fully believe in boxed cake mixes. My daughter just turned three, and I whipped out the old box. You just have to add a bit of something along the way that's personal. I painted vanilla wafers in bright colors and put them all over the cake. People see it, and it looks a bit different from a box cake. You can pick flowers from your garden, and put them all over the box cupcakes that you make. There are ways to cheat but still make it very personal.
There are so many great things that you can take advantage of now that really do make home styling and women's work in the home much easier. You're not selling out your mother's hard work when she spent hours making soup stock from scratch. Buy the box stock, and then make your own homemade soup from there. At the Katie Brown Workshop, we invent creative ways to express yourself using shortcuts - the more shortcuts, the better.
"I love impromptu events. They are part of the spontaneity and laughter of life, and they are easy if you have a few tricks up your sleeve."
You always want to make sure that you have a few recipes that are always quick and easy to pull off. I make a veggie chili that I can whip up in no time at all. You start with canned tomato sauce, and you add whatever veggies you have and go from there. I also know where there's a great cheese shop about a block and a half away where I can get a whole buffet of cheeses, and put them out on mini cutting boards with some big, thick bread.
It's great to always have a signature drink. Southerners are so gracious and lovely, and they all kind of have their own mixture of sweet tea. You walk into someone's house, and you know you're always going to get offered a glass of sweet tea.
I myself do a sangria punch. It's a bit of wine, chop up some fresh fruit in it, and add in some lemonade or limeade and maybe a shot of something bubbly. You always know that if you stop by Katie's house you're going to get a big bowl of chili or my kitchen sink version of sangria. It's fun, and it's not too difficult - perfect for something impromptu.
"I steal ideas from Mother Nature. And one of the best places to entertain is the great outdoors."
Outdoor entertaining is something that is very near and dear to my heart. I grew up in Northern Michigan, which is a really outdoorsy area. Entertaining outside is great because the art direction is done for you. If you can find a pretty place to have a picnic, a beach to have a big family reunion at, it cuts down on your cost of decoration - even if it's your own backyard. By being outside you can get away with paper plates and paper towels as serving dishes. Everything is sort of disposable, and the atmosphere has a much more casual feel to it.
"Call me what you will. Domestic goddess would be fine - I like being a goddess."
I'm honored to be able to spend my days inventing ways to make women and families live more comfortably and with more ease. I learn as I go, and I am always kind of flying by the seat of my pants. I hope that the women I get to talk to through my books and TV show not only get inspired to make their house a home, but also get inspired to do anything they want and that anything is possible. Always come from the heart and come from the most authentic place you can, and you'll be surprised at what you're able to accomplish!
Katie Brown is the host of The Katie Brown Workshop, the author of Katie Brown's Outdoor Entertaining and the spokeswoman for Bounty Paper Towels. She is also the mother of a very active 3-year-old baby girl and credits her domestic expertise to her mother, her 14 aunts and uncles, and her 32 first cousins.
