Daily Party Dish

Horseback Riding Theme Bat Mitzvah Ideas

We were so excited to help Leah and her family celebrate her recent Bat Mitzvah. Leah is an avid horse rider so we chose a horse theme for her decorations.

We started with photo candy bar seating cards that double as a favor for the guests. We used a similar design at her sister’s Bat Mitzvah and Leah wanted to recreate the same favor.

Next up was the sign in board, which featured pictures of Leah through the years riding horses.  The guests loved getting to see her favorite photos.

When guests entered the ballroom, they were greeted by a balloon arch with Leah’s name.  We placed it right near the photo booth that was being used during the evening for favors. 

Centerpieces were Western boot vases filled with sunflowers and Western theme flowers along with small lights.  They look wonderful lit up when the lights were turned down in the room during the party.  After the party, the vases and flowers were donated to a local charity to use in a fundraising auction.

Leah and her family danced the night away, in cowboy boots, of course!  Mazel Tov Leah!

Halloween Craft Ideas: Eyeball Picture Frame

A not-so-spooky eyeball picture frame is a simple craft project that is wonderful for a Halloween party for kids.   All you need are simple wood craft frames, paint in Halloween colors, glue and “googly” eyes. We used a variety of size eyes for the project.

You’re first step is to paint the background of your frames with a Halloween color.  We used purple and lime green, but of course orange and black work as well.  The frames then need time to dry so you may want to paint the frames before your party or do the project in two steps to give them time to dry.

 

After the frames have dried, glue on as many eyeballs as you like on the frames!  The more the merrier as far as I’m concerned!

 

Then, voila!  You’ve got a great Halloween eyeball picture frame to display your favorite Halloween family photos!

My kids loved this project so much that we’re bringing in to their schools for their class Halloween parties as an art project for everyone to try.

Ghostbusters Theme Birthday Party

This past weekend we did a bit of ghost busting at an amazing Ghostbusters theme birthday party for two brothers.  We started with an amazing one of a kind caricature invitation.  We had the invitation information added on the back of the artwork.

Our colors for the party were black and lime “slime” green.  Centerpieces were Ghostbusters plush with green candy scattered around the bases.

We had a fun custom game to entertain the kids. Lifesize cutouts of Slimer and the Marshmallow Man had their mouths cut out so the kids could shoot at them with marshmallow shooters.  This was a great activity.  Since the party was inside, we made sure to station a teenager nearby to make sure no one stepped on the marshmallows.

We also had someone there to do photo favors of the kids.  They loved the keychains with the caricatures on the back.  The kids also all got Ghostbusters badges to show off that they were now Ghostbusters.

After lunch and these amazing Ghostbusters theme cupcake cakes, we had a science group some by and do a presentation for the kids on how to make slime.  They all got to take home their own slime in a personalized plastic jar.  Those went right into lime green goodie bags (with the caricature, of course) filled with more candy!

The party was so unique with the Ghostbusters theme and everyone had a great time! Check out our kids birthday party ideas for other great themes!

Baking Theme Surprise 65th Birthday Party: Cute Cupcakes and Sweet Ideas

In honor of my mother’s upcoming birthday, I decided to throw a surprise party in her honor!  Since she’s just the best, I needed to come up with the perfect theme.  Well, that was easy – baking!  As you may remember, my mom makes the most amazing cakes!  She has made them (and sold many) during my life and the “sweetness” of the theme made it a perfect fit.

I started with a Party411 staple, a custom caricature invitation.  I incorporated my red, pink, teal and white theme into the invitation and I think it turned out great!

Then it was time to plan the details.  I had far too much fun looking for delicious baking theme ideas for the party.  I couldn’t have been happier with the final result.  Take a look!

Seating cards were mini rolling pins that I found online, attached to a card with the seating information.  I added a fun sign and a framed copy of the invitation.  (Don’t forget to show off the invitation if you’re having a surprise party – it’s the first time the guest of honor gets to see it!)

One afternoon I told my Mom I wanted to borrow her photo album of her cakes to show someone here at work.  Totally oblivious…she handed it over and I scanned tons and tons of her cakes and created a photo book as a sign in book.  It was filled with the cake photos and guests signed all the pages.  She LOVED it. 

Here are just a few of the cakes from the book.  The Amy cake was for one of my birthdays!

I loved how the tables turned out.  I borrowed these GORGEOUS cupcake stands.  I created cupcake wrappers in my event colors using my scrapbooking Cricut cutting machine.  They took forever, but turned out great on the stands and really dressed up the cupcakes.  (The cupcakes I ordered from my local grocery store – as easy as can be.) 

Notice the tiny baking cups on the table?  Those were filled with toppings (in the event colors, of course) for the cupcakes.  M&Ms, sprinkles, white chocolate chips and more.  The kids at the party especially liked this touch.

The favors were Wilton frosting bags filled with Hershey’s Kisses and tied with ribbon.  They were so simple, but great for the theme. 

So, that’s all the décor.  On to the big question, was she surprised?  Take a look – you tell me…

The party was fantastic.  My mom was shocked and thrilled and everyone loved all the small details.  I didn’t stop smiling for days after!

Olympics Theme Party Ideas

With the summer Olympics quickly approaching, I’ve been doing some brainstorming for summer Olympics theme party ideas (we are havign a watch party for the London games) and I was reminiscing about the great time I had planning this Olympics theme Bar Mitzvah. I think it's perfect for a child who likes sports, but wants a theme with a twist!  Here are some pictures from the event.

Guests walked into the lobby that was filled with balloons in the 5 Olympics colors (red, blue, black, yellow and green).  We also mounted posters from past Olympics games (which you can buy online) and put them up on easels throughout the cocktail area. 

They got their seating cards there, which (of course!) were attached to gold medals.

A caricature was drawn of the Bar Mitzvah boy running with the Olympic torch and holding the Olympic rings.  We used that art on a sign in board and on custom centerpieces (complete with an Olympic torch coming out of the middle and balloons).

The focal point in the room was a giant balloon display made to look like the Olympic arches.  It was great fun!

 If you are having a party for the Olympic games, or just an Olympic theme party check out our personalized Olympics theme party favors and invitations!

 

2012 Olympics Party Ideas: British Menu

Can you feel the excitement?  Yes, it’s almost time for the 2012 Summer Olympics.  What’s not to love about the Olympics?  People from around the world gathering in peace and celebration….

Oh, who am I kidding?  I love the competition.  I love the patriotism.  And, I love the chance to throw a good party! 

It’s great, of course, to throw an American theme patriotic Olympics party (we have lots of Summer Olympics Party Ideas on Party411.com), but why not switch it up a bit?  How about serving traditional British foods since these Olympic games will be held in London?  Here are some great options for your British Olympics buffet!  (Keep in mind I don’t know how to make ANY of this.  That might be my next project.)

• Fish and Chips – Battered and fried fish with a side of chips (French fries) – yum!
• Kippers – basically salted or picked herring.  I’m sure it’s delicious…
• Yorkshire pudding – I’m going to have to try this one: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/yorkshire-pudding-recipe/index.html - a great looking side dish
• Bangers and Mash – sausage and mashed potatoes – perfect for a dinner
• Cornish Pastry – a pie made of beef, potatoes and onions, amongst other delicious ingredients!

Don’t forget the dessert, or “pudding” as it’s often called in London! Here are some delicious options:

• Tea and Biscuits – offer an assortment of teas, biscuits and jams for a lovely tea theme with your dessert
• Spotted Dick – besides the wonderful name, this is a wonderful tasting pudding with dried fruit
• Trifles – a layered sponge cake with custards and fruit
• Bread and butter pudding – another recipe I’m going to try: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bread-and-butter-pudding-recipe/index.html

Also, you’ll want some authentic candy.  There are plenty of sweet options available online. (http://www.britishfood.com/confectionary.asp has great candy!)

And to drink?  Ale, British, of course. Newcastle and Bass are great choices! 

Man, I’m starving now…  

 

Graduation Cap Decoration Ideas

The summer after I graduated from college, I did an amazing internship working at Walt Disney World.  (Super amazing!)  So, the day of graduation, my graduation cap was decorated with Mickey Mouse ears.  (Clearly anyone who knows me will not be surprised by this…)  This isn’t me, but here’s a great Mickey ear cap I found:

Since graduation season is beginning, I thought it would be fun to gather some great ideas for graduation cap decorations. 

 

1. Thanks to Mom and Dad – the most traditional decoration is a simple “I Love You Mom and Dad!” – you can’t ever go wrong with that message!

2. “Will work for…” – still looking for a job?  Add a simple resume statement

3. Bling! Add as much as you can – you’ll sparkle at graduation.

4. How about working in your major with a little hot glue?  If you’re a finance major, glue dollar bills to your cap.  If you’re an art major, paint a picture on the cap. The same goes for your favorite activities in school.  Add your sorority or fraternity letters if you were active in the Greek system.  Or, if you were on the chess team, glue chess pieces to the cap. The possibilities are endless. 

5. Then there’s always humor.  How about this one.  Very amusing.

Graduation is a great time. You’ve worked hard and you deserve the attention! I say decorate your graduation mortar board and stand out in the crowd!

• Graduation Party Ideas From Party411.com
• Graduation Gift Ideas: College Survival Kit
• Graduation Open House Ideas
• Personalized Graduation Party Ideas
• Graduation Planning Checklist (PDF)

Cute Graduation Cupcake Ideas from Etsy

Does anyone out there NOT love a good cupcake?  It’s like getting your own person cake that you never have to share.  Plus I can have vanilla with vanilla frosting (the best) and my kids can have chocolate with chocolate frosting (not the best). 

I think cupcakes for a graduation party are fantastic.  But don’t serve just any ordinary cupcake.  These days decorating your cupcakes is HOT!  Here are some great products I’ve found to jazz up your graduation cupcakes:

Graduation cupcake wrappers and toppers from cakeadoodledoo

Or choose a patterned cupcake wrapper from outside the box dessert

Jumping for Joy cake toppers (for him or her!) are fun from queen bee inspirations

Three dimensional graduation cupcake toppers from two paper pals

Delicious fondant shape cupcake toppers from top my cupcake

Or choose chocolate graduation caps to top your cupcakes – from custom edibles

Themed cupcake towers from the rizOHcollection – these are wonderful to display all your cupcakes!

I hope you have a great graduation party with plenty of cupcakes!  Feel free to send some to Party411 :)

• Graduation Party Ideas from Party411.com
• Graduation Open House
• 2012 Graduation Announcements
• 2012 Personalized Graduation Invitations

Graduation Gift Ideas: College Survival Kit

Looking for a fun and totally useful gift for your graduate?  How about a graduation survival guide or a college survival guide?  Gather together any number of items your grad will need once they get to college or out in the “real world” and package them up as their very own survival guide. 

Here are some ideas that work for either a college grad or a high school grad:

1. Cookbooks – away from home or college, it’s time to learn how to cook.  We especially love the 101 More Things To Do With Ramen Noodles books.

 
2. And, since they can’t cook, how about snacks? Granola bars, granola bars, granola bars! 

3. Quarters – time for laundry!  Quarters become precious items once you have to pay for laundry. Along with this, laundry detergent and fabric softener are great to add to the package.

4.  Ear plugs – Isn’t it fun to have a roommate who snores?

5. Small tool kits – you know, things break…

6. Sewing kits – you know, things rip…

 
7. Poster putty – this stuff is essential for decorating a dorm room or new apartment.

8. Bed and Bath essentials – of course, your grad will need sheets, towels, toiletry caddies, hangers, lamps, etc.  Any of these items work perfectly in a survival guide.

9. School logo items – a high school graduate would love to get a shirt with their new school logo.  (This is a gift a college grad will love too.)

10. Gift cards – stores like Target and Bed, Bath and Beyond are musts when you graduate, so a gift card to one of these stores is great.

Gather everything up and display it in a nice storage bin (which they can use at school). We know any grad is going to love getting their own survival guide gift. 

• Graduation Party Ideas From Party411.com
• Graduation Open House Ideas
• Personalized Graduation Party Ideas
• Graduation Planning Checklist (PDF)

Angry Birds Theme Party Ideas and Pictures

Turns out planning an Angry Birds party is almost as fun as throwing an Angry Birds party! My son’s party this past weekend was a big success. I had a great time planning the details for his Angry Birds theme.

I have to say, I love the way the favors turned out for this party.  I created Angry Birds favor bags using the bird faces on solid color bags.  Everyone got to choose their favorite bird (or pig).  Inside was:

• A custom Angry Birds coloring book –  I found great coloring pages online. 
• Crayons and Angry Birds stickers to go with the coloring books
• Golden Eggs (lucky me it is Easter time) filled with candy
• Angry Bird band aids – you can get really hurt chasing pigs!
• Gummy worms – a bird’s favorite food!

At the party, we used Angry Birds paper goods on the tables.  (Of course!)  Then I added a few touches to the tables. 

• Balloons on the tables were red, lime green, light blue and yellow, to match our favorite birds and pigs. 
• We also added homemade Angry Birds confetti.  (Super easy to make – just print out pictures of the birds and punch them out using a circle punch.)
• Everyone got an Angry Bird or Pig on a stick to play with at the party and take home.
• Angry Bird gummies were a “yummy” touch on each plate.

And the best part?  The cake, of course.  Once again, my mother outdid herself.  This time she created 3 cakes for the Angry Birds party.  It was great. 

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