Sabrina Soto

Guest Blog: Sabrina Soto’s New Year’s Eve Party Tips

December 28, 2011 at 8:00 am , by Beth Roehrig

Sabrina Soto is Target’s Style Expert for Home and the host of HGTV’s The High/Low Project. Check out her tips for setting a chic and festive mood to ring in the New Year.

I love New Year’s Eve! When I plan a party, I always make sure to create a welcoming setting where guests will feel comfortable. I also repurpose items I already have on hand to make the most of my budget, which totally makes it possible to throw a glamorous New Year’s party on a dime. Here’s how:

1. Accessorize affordably. New Year’s Eve supplies are easy to find at affordable stores. Look for small touches and metallic accessories that will bring the chic quotient up a few notches and complement your everyday décor.

2. Don’t forget the essentials. Every New Year’s party should have:

• A punch bowl to serve up a signature cocktail

• A beverage tub to keep the bubbly chilled all the night

• A mirrored tray to help present treats like finger foods

• A mirrored ball that sets the mood

3. Put out a buffet. A mix of hot-and-cold finger foods on tiered trays and cake stands will give your table some dimension. Bonus: When you’re not tied up in the kitchen, you’ll have time to work the room and welcome guests as they arrive. Read more

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Staging Your House To Sell with HGTV’s Sabrina Soto

May 4, 2011 at 1:04 pm , by Rachel Shippy

Summer is nearing, and it’s a time when many homeowners are preparing to sell their houses. Of course, as anyone who has started this process before knows, there is a lot of grooming to think about before it’s ready to go on the market (kind of like entering the dating pool, right?). This doesn’t have to be a big daunting process if you know what to focus on, so we sat down with Sabrina Soto, HGTV designer and personality, to get some tricks of the trade:

It’s Business, Not Personal: Disengage from the personal characteristics of your home by thinking of it as a product—not every potential buyer is going to appreciate the same aspects you do. Eliminate anything personal, political, or religious, which will largely be pictures and picture frames. If your rooms look sparse without them, Sabrina suggests printing black and white images from the internet to frame instead (think flowers, landscapes, and nature), but keep it minimal.

Lighten Up: To instantly brighten your rooms, “take down heavy draperies and install easy-to-clean shades or lightweight washable panels,” suggests Sabrina. “The more light you can introduce into the space, the bigger the room will feel.” If your curtains cannot be replaced, Sabrina advises they at least be dry cleaned once every two months. Also think about painting walls a light neutral, like a sage green or pale cappuccino shade, to maximize the feel of the room.  

Surprisingly, people often forget to…

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