As you are preparing for Thanksgiving and the biggest shopping weekend of the year, read these holiday tips from my dear friends, entertaining experts Dawn Sandomeno and Elizabeth Mascali. They recommend saving time and money by getting all of your holiday shopping done this weekend – even with your Christmas decorating and Holiday parties in mind. Dawn and Elizabeth are the authors of Plan To Party, and the founders of The Party Bluprints Blog and you might have seen them on TV on Today Show and other shows, or magazines like Redbook. Dawn and Elizabeth know the latest trends in Holiday entertaining. This Holiday season the Party Bluprints experts also teamed up with CheapSally.com to find the best deals on Holiday gifts and created the Best Holiday Gift Ideas for 2011, full of gift ideas for anyone in your list and then click to Cheap Sally to find the gifts from the gift guide on the lowest prices. Remember to see CheapSally.com’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday pages, they aggregate all the best deals across the internet for you making it super easy for you to shop this year.

The Scoop on 6 Hot Holiday Trends for 2011

1. Alpine Sparkle is a hot trend this season – a ‘silver and green’ color theme with a mountain meets Manhattan twist! Mix Mercury glass with holiday greens and pine cones to achieve this look. 2. “Traditional” is trendy and “Retro” is hot, be inspired by a 60’s or 70’s look. Peace signs as accessories on Christmas trees, wreaths, mantles or in any décor are hot for the holidays! 3. Less is more, let simplicity shine and try a minimalistic. The mantle is a great place to start: a few candles and stockings in a monochromatic theme. 4. “Hushed” is a hot alternative to holiday focused decorating that needs to be packed away in early January. The color palette is pure white, grayed blues and muddied raisin, and serenity, tranquility and longevity are the goal of this minimalistic decorating style perfect for the winter season and not just for the holidays. Hushed can also serve as a beautiful backdrop to your holiday decorating, simply layer on your holiday decorations – when you pack away the holiday décor, leave the “Hushed” look and your home won’t look so cold and empty. 5. Cocktail and Dessert parties are the new way to entertain for those with limited time and money. Dessert flights will be all the rage at holiday parties this year. 6. French food is hot and fun to feature at dessert parties. Try: macaroon towers, French 75 cocktails, mini dessert pastries and crème brulee. Disclosure: this is a sponsored post but I love everything these ladies do. Cheap Sally, Holiday decorating