Do you love creating a beautiful table, gathering people you care about, or dreaming up a celebration just because?
The Hosting Circle is your place to enjoy the creative side of hosting—and gain the plans, practical skills, inspiration, and confidence to bring it all to life.
Come join us inside The Hosting Circle, where each month brings a new reason to create something beautiful, gather people around your table, and enjoy the art of hosting.
Creating Beauty • Welcoming People • Having Fun
When You'd Love to Host More Often
Maybe you already love entertaining. Maybe you're still finding your confidence. Or maybe you have folders full of beautiful ideas but rarely seem to turn them into actual gatherings.
There are all kinds of reasons the dinner party in your imagination doesn't make it onto the calendar. Here are a few you might recognize:
Collecting Inspiration
You save beautiful tablescapes, bookmark recipes, and collect inspiration for gatherings you'd love to host someday.
But with so many ideas and no clear plan, it's hard to know where to start.
Waiting for the Perfect Time
Life is busy. The calendar is full.
You tell yourself you'll host when things slow down, when the house is ready, or when you have more time to plan.
Starting From Scratch
You decide to host, then find yourself reinventing everything from the menu to the centerpiece.
You second-guess your choices, spend hours researching, and wonder if you've forgotten something important.
Here's what people in all three situations have in common:
They love the idea of gathering people around the table. They simply don't have a clear path for turning inspiration into gatherings.
That's where The Hosting Circle comes in.
Whether you're still getting comfortable with hosting or you've been welcoming people to your table for years, The Hosting Circle gives you fresh inspiration, beautiful ideas, practical plans, and personal guidance to help you host more often -and enjoy the creative process along the way.
You don't have to start from scratch each time. You can begin with a complete plan, make it your own, and spend more of your time on the parts of hosting that you love.
Something New to Look Forward to
Every Month
The Hosting Circle is designed to keep your creative wheels turning. Each month brings a new gathering to explore—a fresh table, a delicious menu, beautiful details, and ideas you may never have thought of on your own.
Use the whole plan, borrow one wonderful idea, or simply let it spark something entirely different. It's inspiration you can actually do something with.
Every Month Inside The Hosting Circle
Hosting Plans
Your Hosting Plan is the Heart of The Hosting Circle.
We start each month with a complete hosting plan featuring a beautiful tablescape, full menu and recipes, shopping lists, preparation timeline, printable invitations, menus, and place cards, playlist suggestions, and much more.
Every plan is thoughtfully designed around a seasonal theme to help you move from inspiration to invitation with confidence.
With the menu, table, sources, timeline, and all the little details brought together in one place, you have a clear starting point—then you can follow the plan, borrow your favorite ideas, or take it in a completely different direction.
Behind-the-Scenes Hosting Videos
Come behind the scenes as Barbara shares how each gathering comes together—from planning and preparation to the little details that make guests feel truly welcome.
Barbara's Favorite Finds
Wondering where to find that serving piece, tablecloth, centerpiece, or seasonal décor? Each month, Barbara shares her favorite finds, along with direct links and alternative options, so you can recreate the look you love without spending hours searching.
The Hosting Circle LIVE
Once a month, we get together live to talk about what we're creating, planning, trying, and dreaming up. Share what you're working on, hear what other members are doing, swap ideas and inspiration, and bring any hosting questions you'd like help with.
It's a chance to spend time with people who get just as excited about a beautiful table, a great menu, or an upcoming gathering as you do.
Hi, I'm Barbara
I've always loved beautiful gatherings—but I wasn't born knowing how to host them.
I still remember my very first hosting experience.
I was frantic and frazzled, and my guests kept telling me to sit down and relax. (Which was not going to happen if they wanted dinner anytime that night.) Afterward, I sat down and cried from sheer nervous exhaustion!
You'd think that would have been my first and last gathering. But I had grown up with my mother's wonderful parties, and I really wanted to become a fun, elegant, confident hostess.
So I started by asking my mom how she did it. That opened the floodgates. Over the years, I kept learning, experimenting, and refining my own style through dinner parties, tea parties, weddings, events, and celebrations of all kinds.
Somewhere along the way, I realized that creating beauty wasn't just something I enjoyed—it was part of who I was. I loved the process of taking ordinary elements and bringing them together into something that felt creative and beautiful to me. The more I created, the more joy it brought me. What started as a hobby gradually became a passion—and eventually a career.
Forty years later, I'm still just as excited about a beautiful table and a gathering of friends as I was when I first started.
What I've learned is that confidence doesn't come from "perfection." It comes from learning the skills, finding your own artistic style, and creating gatherings that feel genuine and welcoming.
That's exactly what The Hosting Circle is designed to help you do, and I'd be thrilled to have you join us!
Become a Member of The Hosting Circle
Pricing
Circle Member
$27 per month
or $270 per year
Choose monthly, or enjoy two months on us when you join for the year.
Fresh inspiration, beautiful ideas, practical plans, and a community that loves creating wonderful gatherings as much as you do.
✔ Monthly Hosting Plan
✔ Behind-the-Scenes Hosting Video
✔ Barbara's Favorite Finds
✔ Live Monthly Community Call
✔ New courses and workshops included at no additional cost - even when they're sold separately outside The Hosting Circle
Concierge Member
$99 per month
or $1,000 per year
Choose the option that works best for you.
Everything in The Hosting Circle, plus personal time with Barbara to dream, plan, and bring your own gatherings to life.
✔ All Circle Member benefits
✔ One private Hosting Consultation with Barbara each quarter ($247 value)
No contracts. Cancel anytime.
If you love creating beauty, welcoming people, and sharing the joy of a wonderful gathering, I'd love to welcome you into The Hosting Circle—and introduce you to a community of people who love it too.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does The Hosting Circle begin?
Whenever you join us! The Hosting Circle is an ongoing membership, so there's no need to wait for a new session or worry that you've missed the beginning.
You can jump in right where we are, and you'll have immediate access to all of the Hosting Collections I've created so far - plus everything new that's added while you're a member.
Do I need hosting experience to join?
Not at all. Whether you're hosting your first gathering, looking to host with more confidence and ease, or have been hosting for years, The Hosting Circle is designed to meet you where you are.
What if I don't have a large budget for entertaining?
Beautiful gatherings don't have to be expensive. The Hosting Plans include ideas and options that can be adapted to a variety of budgets, styles, and homes.
Will I be able to ask questions?
Absolutely. Every month includes a live Q&A where you can get personal guidance and answers to your hosting questions. And Founding Members are welcome to email Barbara with hosting questions.
What is a Hosting Consultation?
With the Concierge membership, your quarterly Hosting Consultation is a private one-on-one call with Barbara, tailored to your own hosting goals and gatherings.
Whether you're planning a special event, preparing for holiday entertaining, refining your table settings, creating a menu, or simply looking for guidance as you grow in confidence as a host, you'll have dedicated time to ask questions and receive personalized recommendations.
What if I don't have a specific event coming up? Can I still use my consultation?
You absolutely can!
Your consultation can be a chance to explore ideas, talk about your entertaining style, dream up future gatherings, work through something you'd like to learn, or simply spend an hour talking about tables, menus, and hosting with someone who loves it as much as you do. We'll make the time about whatever would be most useful - or most fun - for you.
Can I purchase a Hosting Consultation without joining The Hosting Circle?
You certainly can.
Private Hosting Consultations are available separately through Mantel and Table for $247. Concierge Members receive one consultation each quarter as part of their membership, along with all the benefits of The Hosting Circle.
Can I cancel anytime?
Of course! There are no contracts or long-term commitments. I hope you'll love being part of The Hosting Circle and stay with us for a long time, but if you ever decide it's no longer right for you, you can cancel anytime.