Cheap and Chic of the Week: A Little Cheat Goes a Long Way

Merry Christmas!--and to all of you who are running around trying to get organized for that Christmas Eve cocktail party you are throwing ...

You told all your guests that it was going to be "casual cocktails" but for you a lot of work goes into making it look as though you didn't do any work. Last year, I threw a Christmas Cocktail on a Sunday evening at my tiny little apartment in NY, and after I had organized all the food and the booze, I was stressing about the smallest final touches. There are two schools of thought on this: "don't sweat the small stuff" or "its all in the details." In my mind, it is certainly all in the details. For everyone there is a different detail that they want to get just right. Last year I found myself running around NY up until the last minute looking for a hand towel for the bathroom. I think that for those of us who are renters without wallpaper as an option, a hand towel can add that great hit of personality and pizazz to a room that is often overlooked. However, you would be surprised how hard it is to find a chic, colorful hand towel without spending a ton of money. After many hours of searching, I found an amazing cheat that I Must share with you. Perhaps this week "cheap and chic of the week" should be called "cheap and cheat of the week."

Roberta Roller Rabbit is a gem of a shop on 73rd and Lexington in NYC. You can also visit them in the Hamptons, as well as online. They have pareos, loungewear, tunics, sheets, bags, and items for the tabletop. The people who work in the store in New York are lovely, and always willing to help you pick something from their wide array of gorgeous patterns. This is where I found my cheat.

The napkins at Roberta Roller Rabbit are $8!--and instead of wasting more time trying to find an actual hand towel, I bought one of their napkins, which I promptly folded and put in the hand towel ring in my bathroom. Perfection. And like so many details in party planning and decorating, the hand towel was one of the things most complimented by my guests.

Merry Christmas!

Photos courtesy of RobertaRollerRabbit.com