Create My Event

Real Party - Kiss Me, I'm Irish!

It started when I spied these plates at Michael's a few weeks ago....Valentine's Day stuff was on clearance, and that's when the wheels started turning...since both Easter and April Fool's is during our Spring Break, we had to have a 'Kiss Me, I'm Irish!' St. Paddy's Day playdate. I could get some sweet deals on anything 'kissy'! Plus, I have this great rainbow material that I knew would make a perfect tablecloth. I did a post on rainbow pasta and pom-poms and this is how my versions turned out... We made rainbow clings! The kids had so much fun, and everyone really focused on making them very pretty. In fact, even those who are notorious for not doing crafts were completely engrossed. Oh yes, rainbow kabobs! I always try to somehow balance out the sugar rush. I got a bargain deal for the lip cookie cutter and candy mold. I couldn't wait to make the cookies and the candy lip cupcake toppers. Some of the kids couldn't believe the toppers were edible abd thought they were plastic, until they bit into them! Another Valentine's Day score...gummy lips and green M&Ms along with extra cookies went home with our friends! I made the stickers from both TomKat Studios and Cupcake Wishes & Birthday Dream downloads. Thanks to all our friends who came and the poor moms who had to take home very sugared up kids!  Not Just A Mommy!

Going Green For St. Patrick's Day

Everyone feels a little Irish on St. Patrick's Day. If not, these pretty green entertaining ideas will get you in the mood. Even when St. Patrick's Day is over, some of these green ideas will be lovely for any spring event. Green - the color of life!

1. & 4. Simple green ribbons can transform a basic white table into simply stunning. Martha Stewart Weddings

2. Love the horseshoe stamp on these party favors - for luck! Martha Stewart Weddings

3. A Shamrock Tea - as lovely as can be. The Par Tea Planner

  1. St. Patrick's Day crafty decorations. Martha Stewart

2. Use twine or raffia to make a rustic napkin ring. Embellish with a live or artificial shamrock. BHG

3. For a more elegant green table...skip the shamrocks and use rich fabrics and ribbon to create a beautiful spring table. BHG

4. St. Patrick's Day cupcake toppers. cupcakesdragonflies - etsy

Posted by Entertain Exchange

Does the Bride Have To Open Gifts At the Shower?

Here’s the scenario: You rented a perfectly gorgeous venue for the bridal shower you’re throwing.  It wasn’t over the top expensive, but you shelled out a pretty penny for it.  That doesn’t matter though because the bride will L-O-V-E it!  You now have three hours to host the shower of the century.

Here’s the problem: You now have THREE hours to host the shower of the century.  Three hours to set up, greet guests, mingle, eat, play a few games, open gifts, serve the cake and tear down.  Oh, and by the way, did the manager of the venue mention that any time over the three hours will cost you an extra couple hundred dollars?

Sound familiar to anyone?

We ran into this situation with my sister’s Chocolat(e) Bridal Shower.  We had three hours to make it all happen.  Luckily, we were able to beg an extra half hour for set up, but that still didn’t leave us much time.  How many times have you gone to a shower that began at noon and next thing you know, it’s almost 4:00?

Exactly.  Time flies when you’re having fun.

So, as the host, how do you fit everything into your time limit and NOT get stuck having to pay for an extra hour or more?

My budget friendly tip: skip the gift opening.

“GASP! The horror!” cry the Emily Post’s and Martha Stewart’s of party planning.

I realize that the purpose of a bridal shower is to “shower” the bride with gifts.  However, how many of us have attended a shower and groaned silently through the entire gift opening process?  Be honest. No one can see you nod your head as you sit on your couch reading this.

 Even without the gift opening at the shower, the bride is still being “showered” with gifts.  The only difference is now she gets to spend more time mingling with her family and friends.  Plus, no one has to feel like they went the inexpensive (read: cheap) route by being compared to the gift that would have cost an entire month’s paycheck. 

Another plus, the bride isn’t faced with this situation, “A crock pot! I love it! Just what I’ve always wanted…even though it’s the third one I opened today…”  Being the duplicate gift giver (even if you did buy your gift three months ago) always feels awkward.

Here’s the way I see it: It’s now considered okay to send out evites rather than handwritten invitations.  Showers were once for women only, but now it’s commonplace to have a “Jack and Jill.”  Mothers and sisters of the bride were NOT to host the shower, but very rarely do I attend a shower that is NOT hosted by a mother or sister. Why do we have to stick to the rule of opening gifts at the shower?

My sister did not open her gifts at her shower and we were able to get everything done within the three hour time limit.  We did let the guests know that gifts were not going be opened during the shower with a note on the menu card that read,

“So that we have more time to enjoy the pleasure of each other’s company, win fantastic prizes, and eat more chocolate, Megan will not be opening gifts during the Choco-Soiree.  She wants to thank you in advance and she wants you to know that she appreciates every item that you so thoughtfully picked out for her and Dru to begin their life together as husband and wife.”

That evening her and her husband-to-be took turns opening gifts.  No one knows if they were a duplicate.  None of the guests had to feel as if their gift wasn’t as expensive as someone else’s gift.  Megan and Dru loved every gift they received and each guest received a Thank You note.

To open gifts or to not open gifts?  It’s a personal choice.  However, I don’t think you need to feel as if you’re breaking a cardinal etiquette rule if you chose to save the gift opening until after the shower.

Posted by A Yummy Mummy On A Pink Park Bench

DIY Shower Favors

As promised here is another thrifty do-it-yourself idea from the bridal shower I hosted a couple of weeks ago.  

These are made out of card stock, heart candies and adhesive labels.  They are very simple to do. 

Start off by taking any coordinating style of 12x12 card stock paper and using a paper cutter, cut them into 4x12 inch strips.  You should be able to get 3 favors from each piece of paper. 

Next, I took an Avery package label, and using Microsoft Word, created the custom thank you message.  I cut the labels using my paper cutter so that they would have a crisp square edge, but you could leave them rounded if you like.

Then, starting at one end of the paper fold down about an inch and a half. This will be your top flap to close the favor.  Take the other end and fold the paper in half, right sides together.  This is what will give your favor a little more stability when standing it up.  Now, fold the paper in the opposite direction(almost like an accordion) about an inch from that fold on both sides. (refer to picture for a better understanding)  

After the favor is folded, take a small cellophane bag and fill it with any type of candies or mints that you like.  The bags can be found at any craft store or Wal Mart.  I paid about $1.50 for 100 bags. Fold the top of the bag over 2 or three times and place the folded edge up to the top of your favor.  Fold over the top flap and staple it closed.

Finally, place your thank you label on the favor and you are done!  These cost us around .50-.60 each to make.   

 

Alice In Wonderland Party Inspiration

With the release of the Alice in Wonderland Movie it is a perfect time to share these Tea Party Inspirations. This movie is sure to bring out the desire to plan many Mad Hatter Tea Parties! With the use of vibrant colors, a mix of textures and patterns and an eclectic mix of teacups, you can create a wonderful whimsical event.

Here is a collection of amazing Alice inspiration. Click on the links to see many additional photos with great ideas!

1. & 5. A vintage party not to be missed - from Sarah at the Middleton Family Blog.

2. This lovely Alice in Wonderland Party was created by Lollipop Events.  See more photos and details at HWTM.

3. Mad Hatter magic from A Fanciful Twist. You won't want to miss this one!

4. This party was done by In Good Company. Visit the blog of Amy Atlas Events for additional photos and a entertaining tips.

6. This Mad Hatter Tea Party was created by Party Wishes. See all the details here.

Posted by Entertain Exchange

Winter One-derland First Birthday Party

My son celebrated his first birthday on December 27.  I know as a first time mom I’m supposed to want to go all out and have a big bash for his first birthday, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.  I decided to save the big blow out for his second birthday.  Instead we just had a little very budget friendly “Winter One-derland” get-together with our closest family members.

Instead of sending out invites through the snail-mail I decided to go the quick and cheap route with Evite.com.  I created a “Winter One-derland” logo on Microsoft Publisher using clip-art that I used in the invitation as the main image.  Within an hour all the invites had been sent out and were sitting in inboxes waiting for RSVPs.

 
  
Budget Friendly Tip: You don’t have to be a genius at (the expensive) Photoshop to create cute digital invitations.  With just a little time and patience you can easily create one-of-a-kind invites or invite logos using Microsoft Publisher and the Paint tool found on most computers.  Since it’s becoming more popular to send invitations through email don’t be afraid to use the wonderful inexpensive services of Sendomatic.com or Evite.com.  Some of the most original invitations I’ve seen have been made using these websites.

I hadn’t really planned on decorating much since I wanted to keep the budget really small.  I popped on over to my local Dollar Store to buy some cute snowflake paper plates my sister-in-law had found and while I was there (did I mention this was on December 26?!) I discovered ALL Christmas decorations were on sale for $0.50!  I couldn’t resist the temptation, so I scooped up all the snowflake decorations I could fit in my cart.  I also bought snowflake covered tablecloths and plastic cups with blue and green snowflakes similar to these found at Windy City Novelties.  We didn’t have much snow on the ground, so I stuck snowflake stickers onto our door and windows. 

Budget Friendly Tip: While it doesn’t get much more budget friendly than the Dollar Store, you could make the decorations yourself.  It wouldn’t take much more than a stack of paper in white and blue, plus a pair of scissors to create dozens of snowflakes.  Hang the snowflakes from your ceiling with “invisible” fishing line. You could also shred paper to make your very own snow piles!  I’m also a huge fan of foam crafts.  For a low cost and in a short amount of time I made a “Sammy’s Winter One-derland” birthday sign.  I also made the birthday boy his very own party hat with foam board and stickers.

 
During the winter months I tend to be in the mood for foods that are hearty and remind me of being warm and cozy.  For the main course I opted for Sheppard’s Pie, one of my all time favorite meals.  This was an easy meal to make for a larger crowd.  Plus, it would be easy for the guest of honor, who was just starting to eat “adult” foods,  to chow down on.  I made cupcakes for the birthday cake.  I bought really cute ceramic cupcake pans at AC Moore, on sale for $5 from $20!

 
Budget Friendly Tip: Feeding a crowd is rarely budget friendly.  However, by sticking with a simple menu you can help keep your costs down.  It’s very easy to double or triple a favorite recipe of yours that you already love to make for normal family meals.  If you need a little help converting your “Serves 4” recipe to “Serves 25” check out this Recipe Converter.

Since I wanted to keep things low key, I didn’t plan activities or games for the guests.  We kept the event fairly short, so guests wouldn’t have time to get bored between eating and chit-chatting.  The kids in attendance were kept busy with the Wii.  Winter Sports 2, the Wii game, would be an excellent addition to any Winter One (or Won)-derland party.

Budget Friendly Tip: Had I chosen to have an activity for the guests, I would have saved money by combining the activity and the favor with a Make Your Own Photo Snow Globe.  Oriental Trading sells snow globes kits.  Instead of using the sports template included with the kit, I would have taken a picture of each guest with our birthday boy and printed them out during the party.  Then each guest could insert their photo in their snow globe!  Instant memories and a fun winter decoration for years to come!

 
For more pictures and details visit A Yummy Mummy on a Pink Park Bench.

I wanted to start off by thanking CME for allowing me the pleasure to be a guest blogger. Thanks so much! :)

For those of you with a birthday coming up soon and no clue what theme to use for a party, never fear. Just about ANYTHING can be turned into a theme- your favorite artist, music, flower, place... ANYTHING! Grab a piece of paper and write down 10 of your favorites. Are you a Starbucks junkie? Have a grown up tea party with your girlfriends. Or maybe you pictures all over your house from when you went on vacation to the Bahamas. Put a spin on the run of the mill Luau.

Let's say your favorite artist is Romero Britto. With his bold patterns & bright colors, his art work would make a great theme for your party. Linenbook.com has a Britto table linen in their Specialty section you can use for the main table where the cake is or for a few highboy tables if you're having a cocktail type party. You don't want to put patterned linens on EACH table- it'll look like a preschool. Also use black linens to make the art pop.

If you've decided to use the patterned linens on the guest tables, use clearn plastic plates and utensils.

For decorations, google some of his art work and print it on card stock, or order some posters from Art.com. Put a couple on the walls and near the main tables. Your centerpieces can be colorful and crazy. He is known for his daisy art, so a few gerberas arranged artfully will make his art work come to life.

Go crazy with the cake! Take some of his prints to your local baker and ask if they can incorporate his smaller prints- the heart, the daisy, the fishes, onto the sides of the cake. If you'd like, have a topsy-turvy cake to add boldness.

I hope you guys liked my post! Have a great day :)

Frugal Find: Bridal Shower(or any occasion) Centerpieces

 
Hi Everyone!

It's Tina again.  Today I am going to share with you an amazing find, and how to transform it into a beautiful floral centerpiece for a wedding, shower or party!

This my friends, is the 9 1/2 inch floral vase found at Dollar Tree for.....yes $1.00!!!  I came across these vases while out looking for thrifty inspiration for a bridal shower that I was hosting for 60 people!!  I found one at my local store, then I scoured every Dollar Tree in my town, AND the next town over...I only found 4.  Luckily for me, I had the idea to check on line and see if they could be ordered.  You can get a case of 6 vases here.  They will ship them to your local Dollar Tree for a mere $4.95 handling fee, you just have to go pick them up.  I recommend this over having them delivered to your house because the shipping is $13.95 plusthe $4.95 handling fee. So, just keep that in mind when ordering them on line. 

Now, back to the transformation...I designed the wedding invitations,(click here to view them) in a black, white and pink color scheme.  So, my fellow hostess and I decided to continue those colors on into the shower theme, adding a little grey into the mix.  First, we took the vases and filled them with white tissue paper.  $2.99 for a package of 90 sheets at our local craft store.  3 sheets crumbled into each vase filled them to the top.  Next, we took several different styles and shades of pink flowers and filled each vase with a mix.  Wrapping the stems in the tissue paper for a clean look.  For 16 vases, I bought 21 bunches of pink flowers.  These were also found at Dollar Tree.  They have a surprisingly large assortment of fake flowers!  Each bunch came with about 6-7 flowers.  We cut them apart to mix the colors and types for each vase. 

Next, we took 12 X 12 inch scrapbook paper and cut them into 3 inch strips.  We used 4 different black, white and grey patterns. 

These were going to be glued around the center of each vase.  They were just a tad too small to wrap all the way around, so I had an idea to have the H monogram that was used for her invitations printed out in 3 1/2 by 3 1/2 inch squares.  A little adjustment to the colors and they worked perfectly.  I had a little trouble getting the scrapbook mounting squares to stick to the paper tightly, so I ended up putting a tiny dab of hot glue on each side to keep them in place.  It worked great, and they turned out beautiful. 

Here is a breakdown of the items we used and their costs including tax and handeling fees:

$0.65 - 4 12X12 sheets of scrapbook paper

$3.24 - tissue paper

$18.35 - vases we had shipped to store

$4.33 - vases I bought in the store

$22.73 - flowers

$4.32 - H monograms printed on glossy card stock paper(done at my local print shop)

For a grand total of $53.62, when divided by 16, comes to a fantastic $3.35 EACH!!  We had 2 flower arrangements per table, and everyone loved them, especially the Bride-To-Be!

Well, this concludes my guest blog for today.  But be sure to check back next Tuesday.  I will have more pictures and tips from this bridal shower! 

Party On,

Tina 

Sports Themed "Jack & Jill" Baby Shower

When my cousin’s wife was pregnant, he really played a huge role in getting ready for baby, including preparing the nursery and helping tremendously with the registry.  When it came time to plan the baby shower we really wanted the Daddy-to-be included in the festivities.  We decided to host a “Jack and Jill” baby shower with a sports theme to appeal to both women and men.

Right off the bat (no pun intended) we knew the best way to invite the guests to a sports themed shower was with sporting event tickets.  To save money we opted to create our own invitations.   Every great sports team has a recognizable logo.  Since the baby’s nursery was decorated with monkeys, I created a logo for the invitations with a monkey and the baby’s name, “Baby Ryan.”  I also created a baseball card for the registry information, complete with stats!

Budget & Time Friendly Tip: One of the best ways to save money on invitations is to DIY.  However, sometimes DIY and NAT (No Available Time) add up to not-so-great invitations.  If pre-made custom invitations are out of your financial budget and DIY invites are out of your time budget, you could opt for semi-DIY invites by buying a digital custom invitation.  Once you receive the finished custom invitation file by email, you simply print it out on your own paper.  These are two great options from eBay sellers stephruiz915 and jacknjilldesigns.

 
The menu for this shower was very simple: typical sporting event foods.  We served hot dogs, chili dogs, hamburgers, French fries, pizza bites, soft pretzels, popcorn, and chips.  For dessert we had mini cupcakes decorated with candy sports balls and ice cream products, like Dreyer’s Dibs, Dove bars, and Italian ice.  We kept the sports theme going with baseball paper plates, football serving trays and bowls, and a field grass table cloth. 

 
Budget Friendly Tip:  If you don’t want to offer so many food choices, just serve your favorite sporting event food.  Love the greasy pizza? Rather than ordering pizzas, serve up your favorite frozen pizza or make your own pizzas.  Pair up sliders (mini-hamburgers) with cocktail weenies.  Instead of buying several boxes of individually wrapped ice cream bars, create a “Sundae’s Sports Bar” with your favorite ice cream and sundae toppings and let guests make their own ice cream sundaes.      

What is a sports themed baby shower without a little competition?  We kept guests entertained with several fun
games.  First, we tested the guests’ team mascot knowledge with “Mascot Match-Up.”  Next, we found out who could chug the fastest…out of baby bottles!  Guests also participated in a free throw contest.  And remember the “Section, Row, Seat” numbers on the invitation tickets?  Each guest had different numbers on their tickets, so we drew numbers out of a baseball hat for a winner. The game of the hour, though, was our version of NASCAR and March Madness all rolled into one in what we called, “Nascycle.”

I created the “March Madness” bracket ahead of time.  Guests raced against one another on tricycles until only one competitor was left standing!

Host(ess) Tip:  Originally, each guest was going to get a copy of the bracket and, in true March Madness fashion, they had to pick who they thought would win.  Well, I messed up when making the brackets.  We almost didn’t play the game, but then we just readjusted our plans and the rules of the game.  No one knew about my mistake and everyone had one H-E-double hockey sticks of a good time.  The point is, you’ve spent a lot of time trying to make your event perfect, but something will, no doubt, go awry.  As long as you don’t sweat it and you just relax and go with the flow during party time, your guests will never know something wasn’t exactly how you planned it and they’ll have a fantastic time.

The prizes for the game winners were presented in a similar fashion to the way we did the prizes at the Nursery Rhyme Shower.  We bagged each prize and attached a card with a word clue to the bag.  One tag read “Seattle” along with the logos for the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Mariners.  The prize was a bag of Seattle’s Best Coffee, coffee press, and mugs.  A dozen steamed crabs and a cooler had a tag with “Baltimore” and the logos for the Baltimore Orioles and Ravens.  Other prizes included: Chicago Cutlery (Chicago), Emeril cookbook, grill pan, and seasonings (New Orleans), Griddle pan and maple syrup (New England), Wine and Cheese Tote (Wisconsin), Netflix Gift Certificate, popcorn, and candy (Los Angeles) and Lowe's Gift Card (NASCAR).  

 
Budget Friendly Tip: Trying to come up with sports theme related prizes wasn’t easy since actual sport team items (like baseball caps) can be very expensive, plus not everyone loves Penn State or the 49ers. That’s why we put together prize packages that could relate to a team’s hometown.  However, rather than having several items as one prize, slim things down to stay within your budget.  A horseshoe key-chain, like these from Wedding Favors Unlimited, can represent the Colts or a tin filled with Hershey Kisses from The Hershey’s Store could represent the Hershey Bears.

 
After the food was eaten, the games were played, and all the prizes had been won, we sent the guests home with their sporty favors.  Each guest received a lunch bag with an NFL team logo filled with a koozie, a cookie lollipop in the shape of a football or baseball, a box of Cracker Jacks, and peanuts.  “Take Me Out To The Ball Game” was tied onto each bag.

 
Budget Friendly Tip: The epitome of a great sporting event is the box of Cracker Jacks! Make your own Cracker Jacks with this recipe from Savory Sweet Life, package them in these retro popcorn bags from Hey Yo Yo, and of course, don’t forget the prize!  These golf ball tape measure key chains from Plum Party would make a great and very affordable Cracker Jack prize.      

 

I hope these ideas help make your next sport themed party a home-run!
 

Holy Party, Batman!

The bat signal went out; my friend C needed inspiration. Like myself, she only has boys and of course we can't seem to shake the super hero party, and Batman is the obsession of the moment. That's ok, it can still be stylish, especially since pretty much all of these ideas can be adapted for any crime fighter. Luckily for her, I'm always bookmarking inspirational ideas...

Setting The Scene
How great is Creative Stirrings' great tabletop where she wrapped presents as Gotham City buildings. Clever napkin tip - scallop napkins to look like bat wings. Disguise ordinary water bottles as Super Water with a simple change of the label.

The Munchies
For the menu, go crazy with a bat cookie cutter. Make bat Jell-O Jigglers from grape Jell-O, bat rolls with pizza dipping sauce, and serve Bat Cream Sandwiches. Make bat cookies, sandwich softened ice cream between two and refreeze. What To Do Keep them busy with a cape-decorating workshop like at Ambrosia Girl's super hero party. Each child was given a package that included a cape, mask, and a stencil of their initial to trace onto felt; check out the free download patterns at Living Locurto. To make it more Batman themed, make black masks with initials in yellow like Cookie Monday's party. For those of you with serious sewing skills, check out My Tiny Sweet Cheeks for making pretty sweet capes.

Send Them Home With A Smile
Loving these bat bean bags from Roots and Wings Co, perfect for a bean bag toss or for party favors . I seriously heart this ridiculously cute Batman envelope treat bag from Just Jenn (which she also provides the pdf), but these bags sewn by Green Jello with personalized name tags are coming in a very close second. Not enough? OK, check out my last superhero party post....Not Just A Mommy!