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DIY Broadway - Themed Party Ideas and Decorations

"The Phantom of the Opera" is one of the 10 most iconic Broadway costumes of all time, according to Playbill. Whether you’re a theater lover or just have a finger on the pulse of pop culture, you’ll instantly remember the white mask covering half of the Phantom’s face, white tailored shirt and cape disguising his disfigurement from his beloved Christine.

Capture the magic of Broadway and the spirit of its iconic costumes, sets and makeup with your own theater-inspired party. Even if you're on a budget, some creative DIY Broadway party decorations will transform your house into a 42nd Street stage.

Phantom of the Opera

Turn your next dinner party into an evening of mystery with a gathering inspired by "The Phantom of the Opera." Ask your guests to dress up as their favorite character and be ready to trade songs and dialogue from the movie to piece together who the real phantom of the opera is.

Set aside an arts and crafts table for kids to make their own phantom masks with plenty of jewels, buttons and paints to liven up the fun. Buy the phantom's iconic half-white mask for each adult to wear as party favors. You may not be able to bring the Broadway show to your party, but you can pop the 2004 film into your DVD player for a midnight showing.

Cats

Whether you’re a cat lover or just inspired by great musicals and poetry, celebrate "Cats," one of the longest-running shows in Broadway history, at your next party. Recruit a friend or makeup artist to help your guests look the part. If you’re not into a full-costume party, pass out cat ears or masks to add some flair, and use glow paint to add the infamous yellow eyes around your home. Let the kids put on their own "Cats" production to entertain the crowd.

A "Cats" party makes for a fun trivia night. Write out some questions and answers on cards, divide up teams and play for a gift certificate or donation to a local pet shelter. Need a good trivia question to get started? What book inspired Tony Award-winner "Cats"? Devoted fans will know it’s T.S. Eliot's 1939 poems "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats."

Les Miserables

Invite friends over for dinner and a movie night with a "Les Miserables" theme. Create a French-inspired menu with fresh bread, cheese, wine and pastries, and serve your guests on tables decorated with French flags. Complete the meal with red velvet cupcakes frosted with white icing and blue sprinkles as a nod to France.

Play the soundtrack to "Les Mis" before the movie starts. By the time the night is over, your guests will feel inspired to devour the book. Send them home with the novel as a party favor and schedule a follow-up party as a special book club night with "Les Mis" at its center.

Broadway Glamour

Can’t decide among your favorite Broadway shows? Go for Broadway glamour and transform your party into 42nd Street nostalgia. Roll out a red carpet and add some velvet ropes leading to your front door. Add a pin-up board with Broadway flyers or find a theater-inspired template online to add the name of your party. Greet your guests like an usher and hand them a playbill with the list of events and snacks for the evening before ushering them to a designated area to chat with other guests.

The best kind of Broadway party actually happens on Broadway. Instead of creating your favorite play at home, take your guests to see the real thing. Telecharge can help you select from among the many choices, and ordering your tickets online will streamline your planning. Then, treat your guests to a fun evening of Broadway glamour.

Fun & Festive Fall-Themed Birthday Parties for Kids

When it comes to a perfect time of year for an outdoor birthday party, it’s hard to beat fall. The hot weather is behind you, so you are not locked into a pool-party theme. And because Old Man Winter has not started doing his thing, you and the kids can have fun outside without having to fuss with heavy coats and scarves. Whether you plan to have the party in your backyard or at the park, here are three fun and festive fall birthday party ideas to consider:

Fall Carnival

If your child loves playing games, host a fall carnival birthday party. Set up cornhole boards in the backyard — you can either purchase them in a big box store or make your own — and have the kids throw beanbags in autumnal hues like red, gold and orange. Other game ideas include tossing ping pong balls into colorful bowls of water, throwing darts at balloons and spinning a mystery prize wheel. To really take the party over the top, rent a dunk tank and a bounce house from a local party rental company. For fall carnival supplies, Oriental Trading Company is a holy grail of ideas for everything from games and prizes to treat bag items and photo booth props. The company has an entire section devoted to photo booth props that the kids can use to take hilarious pictures in a photo booth, whether you rent one or create your own DIY version. For prizes, pick up some small toys at a discount store and buy some large bags of Halloween candy.

Costume Party

For kids who love dressing up, an outdoor costume party is a fun idea. As a bonus, being outside in the cool fall weather will help prevent the kids from overheating in their superhero or royalty-themed costumes. Ask your guests to come in their favorite costumes, or suggest a theme, like a Morphsuit party. For kids who are a bit on the shy side or have sensory issues, wearing a Morphsuit that covers their entire body can help boost their confidence and provide calming sensory input for kids with autism. They also come in funny, silly and scary patterns, so they are sure to fit every child's personality. If you are uncomfortable asking your guests to purchase a specific costume, ask them to match the theme, and then purchase party plates, cups and decorations to go along with it.

County Fair

To give your child a more rural-themed party with plenty of Americana, plan a county fair celebration. Serve caramel apples on a stick, deep fry some Twinkies, rent a cotton candy machine and make fresh-squeezed lemonade. If your child loves animals, search for petting zoo rentals and arrange for some chickens, baby goats, lambs and other four-legged farm animals to be at the party. For games, hold a pie or watermelon eating contest, and send everyone home with balloons and plenty of sweet treats.

Party Boxes

 

Planning a children’s party? Looking for a clever, affordable solution for party food? This is the answer!

Last time I took my three year old to a birthday party, the food table was groaning. Despite some redistribution, it was still groaning at home time! Food can be one of the biggest costs involved in hosting a children’s party. But the fact is, small children really can’t eat as much as you think they can eat. They can’t even eat as much as THEY think they can eat.

Beautifully laid out dishes of crudités and expensive, freshly prepared fruit platters are guaranteed to be ignored. Toddlers can’t really get their heads around a buffet arrangement, favoring the approach that what is near me is mine. For this reason, my son glanced up, saw the bowl of party rings right in front of him and promptly emptied them all into his plate. He did his best to eat them all, but there they remained, before being unceremoniously dumped into a bin bag at the end of the party.

To avoid this scenario, serving the food in individual party boxes, each with a portion of everything inside, is ideal for young children. These are available from many online retailers in a wide range of colors, themes and styles, or you can get plain ones and decorate them yourself.

Get Prepared

With individual lunch boxes, you can portion more accurately, avoiding excessive waste.

• Try to picture how much each child is likely to eat
• Think about the amount of ingredients needed per child, then scale it up to suit your numbers
• Now sit down and write a shopping list – this will really help you not to overspend

If you are worried that there might not be enough, you can always stick a couple of extra plates on the table with a few more bits so those with a larger appetite can help themselves.

Get Inspired

“Oh goody, sandwiches!’ said no small child ever. A cheese hedgehog, on the other hand, will have them chomping, no questions asked. Try using a variety of biscuit cutters to add to the fun! Keep it simple with cream cheese, ham and cheese in your sandwiches. You could opt for popular pitta bread or wraps.

Not sure what else to put in?

• For savory snacks, try cheese cubes, cocktail sausages, breadsticks, a few crisps, a handful of popcorn, or carrot, cucumber and pepper batons
• Sweet treats might include fruit leather, a box of raisins, jelly cups, a small bunch of grapes, or a biscuit
• When it comes to the cake, you can’t beat cup cakes for ease. Decorating each one with sweets to create funny faces is a fun idea and goes down really well with little ones

Get Ahead

Wrap the portions in cling film to stop foods such as sandwiches from drying out. Cup cake cases make a colorful, effective way to separate different unwrapped foods. Fill the boxes with the contents before the party starts, and pack them into a large container. Find a cool place to store them, out of the way of your marauding guests until it’s time to eat. You can keep them fresh by nestling a few freezer blocks between them and covering with newspaper.

Get Creative

Got plain boxes? Decorate them with stickers to jazz them up. Children love the idea of something that is theirs, so why not write their names on too? You could put a party popper, mask, hat or badge in there to add to the fun.

Get Organized

Labeling them with the guests’ names means everyone knows where to sit. For a joint party, you can make sure all the birthday children are seated together ready for cake time! With several groups of friends brought together to celebrate their birthdays, you can organize your boxes so that everyone ends up sitting next to a familiar face.

Another bonus of individual boxes is you can cater for any dietary requirements or allergies that your party-goers may have. You can relax, knowing no one will be served anything they shouldn’t eat.

So, be imaginative and have fun!

Tutorial by Alice Hanby

Party Box image and DIY instructions by Raphaele

Unique Handmade Cake Toppers

These handmade cake toppers by Madeline Trait are made from laser cut plywood and hand painted. Colors and sayings are customizable. If you're not the best cake decorator, these are sure to dress up the simplest cake!

*All photos are owned by Madeline Trait

Back to School Party Ideas

Some of your kids may have already started school & others will start in September. Either way, here are some Back to School party ideas to get them excited. Some of these ideas would also work for a small Back to School dinner with just a few of your child's favorite friends.

* Eraser and Crayon Party Favors by One Charming Party

* Pencil Push Up Cake Pops by Bakerella & Apple Cupcakes by Cupcakes and Recipes

* Lunch Box Bites by Betty Crocker & Back to School Alphabet Soup idea from Party Pinching:

* Check out this adorable Vintage School House Birthday Party on Hostess with the Mostess:

For more party or event inspiration & tips follow us on Pinterest, Instagram & like us on Facebook!

Visit us at Sendo to create custom online invitations, announcements or Ecards

Watercolor Themed Event Ideas & DIYs

Here are 10 decorating ideas for a watercolor themed birthday party, baby shower or wedding.

1.  DIY Paper Cone Garland - Jacks & Kate  

2. Pastel Layered Cake - Eye Heart Pretty Things

 

3. DIY Watercolor Save the Date Postcards - Project Wedding

4. DIY Watercolor Gift Tags - eat drink chic

5. DIY Watercolor Party Streamers - dandee

6. DIY Watercolor Confetti (Invitations) - One Charming Party

7. DIY Watercolor Favor Boxes - julep

8. DIY Watercolor Napkins - Paper & Stitch

9. Watercolor Wine Glass Tags - stephmodo

10. Watercolor Cup Wrapper Printables - vixenMade

 

This post was inspired by this amazing watercolor themed birthday party by The Handmade Home:

For more party or event inspiration follow us on Pinterest, Instagram & like us on Facebook!

Visit us at Sendo to create custom online invitations, announcements or Ecards

Retro Flamingo Adult Pool Party

Wow, it's already August 1st! For some of you that means the fall air will start blowing in, for others it just means it's a little bit hotter. Here are some ideas for an end-of-summer, flamingo-themed, adult pool party. This theme would also be great for a poolside baby shower, bridal shower, engagement party, or just a girls' night.

 

Party Decor:

1. Flamingo Yard Decorations found at Oriental Trading
2. Mini Kettle Grill found on Ebay
3. Inflatable Floating Flamingo Coasters found at Wally's Party Factory
4. Inflatable Portable Beer Pong Table found at portOpong
5. Flamingo Picks found at PartyCheap
6. Paper Pinwheel Tissue Fans found at Koyal Wholesale
7. Parasol Beach Umbrella found at Walmart
8. Flamingo Wine Glass found at Wally's Party Factory
9. Mini Pink Polka Dot Beach Balls found at Oriental Trading

 

Invitations:

Retro Flamingo Pool Party Invitation from Sendo Online Invitations.

 

Party Treats:

• Flamingo Cake Pops - Flamingo Picks can be purchased here. Photo via LittleBigCo

• Pink Margarita Recipe: 1 1/2 oz. tequila, 1/4 oz. Campari, 1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice, and 1/2 oz. honey. Add all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Serve on the rocks and garnish with a lemon slice and mint leaf. Recipe via Cosmopolitan

• Watermelon Pops via Real Simple

 

For party or event inspiration follow us on Pinterest, Instagram & like us on Facebook!

Edible Flower Chart, Recipes and Tips

Edible flowers can be a beautiful addition, but make sure they are super fresh and not wilted or they can be unpleasant. Here is a simple, yet helpful chart, a few recipes and other useful information on adding edible flowers to your food.

Edible Flower Chart by Sugar and Charm

Edible Flower Angel Food Cake with Sour Cream Glaze Recipe from Good Housekeeping. This link also includes tips on finding and buying, cleaning and storing & how to use edible flowers.

Lillet Spring Rose Cocktail Recipe from Martha Stewart

Edible Flower Spring Roll Recipe from Once Upon a Plate

Edible Flower Ice Cubes, photo from Lucy Says I Do

Herb and Cheese Canapés w/ Edible Flowers Recipe from Vegetable Gardener

 

For party or event inspiration follow us on Pinterest, Instagram & like us on Facebook!

Visit us at Sendo to create custom online invitations, announcements or Ecards

Cakes Filled with Secret Surprises

Who doesn't love a piñata? Here are some photo ideas of piñata cakes, a unique twist on a traditional dessert that will surprise your guests. Love the gender reveal cake, what a great idea!

Gender Reveal Piñata Cake from Betty Crocker

Pink Piñata Cake from Ni Blog, Ni Bloga

Berry Filled Piñata Cake from Healthfully Ever After

Stacked Donut Piñata Cake from Corner Blog

Round Piñata Cake from A Subtle Revelry

Chocolate Piñata Cake from The Crafting Foodie

 

For more yummy cake inspiration, follow us on Pinterest , Instagram & like us on Facebook!

Visit us at Sendo to create custom online invitations, announcements or Ecards

 

Cloud Parade Wedding/Event Marketplace & Planning Inspiration

Cloud Parade is the first ever online marketplace to shop and design your own event. You can filter by categories, colors or styles to navigate around the site and find items or inspiration for your dream wedding or other event. If you find items you like, put them in your own 'Cloud' & purchase them directly from the Cloud Parade site. You can also view other brides/vendors 'Clouds' and if you want to purchase everything in their 'Cloud', there is an "I want it all" option and every item in that 'Cloud' will be placed in your cart. Sounds easy enough....now, happy Cloud hunting!

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