Daily Party Dish

Woodstock Anniversary Music

 

I went to the library last Friday to get my usual dose of graphic novels. (Yes, I still read graphic novels and I’m ok with it.)  I was happy when I noticed a wonderful display of CDs dedicated to 40th anniversary of Woodstock.  I read about a Woodstock Party Playlist recently and I was intrigued.  I recognized most if not all of the artists but I wasn’t familiar with all of the songs.  This was an easy way for me to rock out to some classic music from one of the most influential musical festivals in history. 

I borrowed a Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, and three Woodstock CDs.  I was going to listen to each one in order in it’s entirety but I decided against it.  I made a playlist and put it on random.  I have to say this music is incredible.  Now I know why the other Woodstock’s didn’t have the same amount of success; the artists simply weren’t as good.   

The original Woodstock had performances by Hendrix, Joplin, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Jefferson Airplane, to name only a few.  That is an all-star cast of performers.  Then when you look at the music of the entire decade, you can't help but be impressed.  I don’t really want to knock the music of today but are my children going to listen to it?  I doubt it; in fact they’ll probably make fun of me.  The music from the sixties stands the test of time, and will continue to do so. 

I wish I was older so I could justify throwing my own Woodstock theme party.  I don’t care that the anniversary has officially passed, the music is still good and I know everyone would have a blast. If I were to throw this party is there any artist I need to check out? Please let me know, so I can throw an incredible party.

Dog Days of August Puppy Party

Our dog Basil has always been very social. From the time he was a puppy we would take him to our local dog park to socialize. He also is buddies with several of the neighborhood dogs.

One of my favorite parties on Party411.com is Dog Day Afternoon. It's all about getting your friends and their four legged companions together for an afternoon of socializing.

I decided that it would be nice to host a doggy party in our (newly) fenced backyard. I sent out these cute dog themed invites with a little doggy bone attached to them.

The invite is our Dog Theme Party invite. Here is the wording I used - 

Puppy and parent are invited...
To a Dog Day Afternoon! 

Come and Pawty in Basil's backyard
(The Strawder Home)

at 2 pm on August 9
BYOB (bring your own ball)
Don't Make Us Beg! - RSVP 555-555-5555

The day of the party everyone gathered in the backyard and my husband grilled for our human guests. We had iced tea and lemonade, and lots of water for the dogs. As a treat I baked homemade dog biscuits.

It was pretty hot so we set out a big plastic kiddie pool for the dogs to splash in. The dogs played in it for a little bit, but mostly it was used by our human guests to soak their feet in!

We bought some tennis balls and Frisbees to scatter around the yard, but the dogs played with each other more than the toys. Everyone took some toys home at the end of the party.

From what I hear, all the doggies were pooped out for the rest of the evening, I know Basil was!

 

- Kathleen

Perfect Guy's Birthday Outing

A couple of weeks ago I attended a Perfect Guy’s Party .  The Jimmy character is also my father so I was involved in the party all the way through.  He talked about what the Birthday Outing entails but he left out an important part of the perfect party, anticipation.  I look forward to this party every year, because it comes at the perfect time. When the party actually rolled around the house itself looked ready to party.

Golf.  I play only once a year.  My team is called Team Awesome, and it’s a fitting description, because we’re awesome.  We're so good we only play once a year, to give others hope.  We played the best we ever had this year, and as a result we didn’t finish last.  We were so overjoyed we did victory laps when we found out.  We have been last for three straight years, so now we’re a team on the rise and everyone needs to watch out.

Food.  We got back and the grills were already getting ready.  It’s important to be patient when grilling food because if the grill is too hot, you lose.  And when you’re cooking for 60 or so people you want the food to be good.  To be honest, we probably had too much food.  There were burgers, brats, chicken, sausage, beans, potato salad, fruit and desserts.  We’re still making our way through the food.  If I see another hamburger I’m going to lose it.  Although if I see a cookie, I could probably stomach it.

 

Games.  What would a party be if we didn’t have games or entertainment?  It would not be very fun.  We had plenty of summer party games for the guests to enjoy.  We had horseshoes, which were incredible this year because they were neon orange and neon green.  Trust me; they were a site to behold. We also had bocce which is normally a hit at the party but this year it was a dud of sorts.  This is because we introduced cornhole to the equation.  This is probably my favorite summer game.  I would make that a suggestion you clarify rules before you start.  I say this because my house rules were ignored in a game I was playing.  Needless to say I wasn’t happy about it.  That being said I can comfortably call myself King of Cornhole.  We played till it was dark and then moved into the light and played till people went home.

In the end, this party lived up to the claim of Perfect Guy’s Birthday Party.  There was fun had by all and the food and games were phenomenal.  If you have a summer birthday you still have time to throw the perfect guy’s birthday party.

 

-Brian

Woodstock Anniversary Friendship Bracelets

When you think of Woodstock, you think of peace and love, right?  Well, celebrate peace and love by making 60s inspired friendship bracelets for your friends.

 

You need to start with an assortment of embroidery floss or string that you can get at most craft stores.  I chose 5 colors, but you can pick as many as you like.  (The more string you use, the wider the bracelet)

 

Start by cutting strands of the floss to about 6 times the length you’ll want the bracelet.  That should give you plenty!  Then make a knot near the top.  Leave room to tie the bracelet together.  Then clip the top (above the knot) to a clipboard.  I find adding a safety pin makes the bracelet stay on the clipboard better.  I used to tie them to my pants, but that’s your call.

Here are the “knotting” instructions:  

Step 1:  Take two pieces of floss from the right side of your bracelet and make a “4” shape with the left string (the blue in my picture) crossing over the right string (pink in my picture)

 

Step II:  Pull the left string (blue) under and through the right string (pink) and back over itself.  Holding the right string in one hand, pull the left string you’re your other hand tightly to make a knot.  Repeat this with the same two strings.  (You will do this 2 times for every color)

 

Step III:  Your “left” string now moves off to the right and you repeat the same step with the next string.  Hint: the piece to the furthest right on your bracelet will move left with you for the entire row, but you will not see that color in that row. 

  

When you get to the end of the row, start again on the right!

Repeat, repeat, repeat until you get the length you need!  Tie it on a friend’s wrist and you’re all set!

 

Tie Dye Cupcakes - Woodstock and 60's Theme Party Recipe

Everyone around the office is excited about the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock on August 15, 16, and 17th. Amy is planning a 60's theme party that Saturday, and we are having an office Woodstock party/lunch on that Monday.

Last week we tie-dyed t-shirts while enjoying some of Kim's jell-o shots (the latter really has nothing to do with the 60's, but they were quite tasty), so that covers a Woodstock party activity and favor. Now we are going to cover one of our favorite subjects ... food. Specifically dessert :)

Keeping with the tie dye theme, this Woodstock party recipe is for easy Tie Dye Cupcakes.

Tie Dye Cupcakes

What you need -

• White Cake Batter (either mix or homemade)
• Food Coloring
• Frosting (homemade or pre-made)
• 4 Bowls and Spoons
• Muffin Pan and Cupcake Liners

Make your cake batter according the recipe or instructions (I used a boxed mix for my cupcakes). Seperate into 4 bowls.

Add a few drops of food coloring to each of the bowls to make four seperate colored batters. Add the food coloring a little at a time and stir. You can always add more dye, but you can't take it out if you make it too dark!

Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 of the way with the colored batters. The easiest way is to gently spoon the colors on top of each other. Do not mix! Layer the colors randomly so the cupcakes are varied.

Bake the cupcakes according to your recipe or instructions on the box, and let them cool before frosting. I used a butter creme frosting and some colorful sprinkles as the finishing touch! Brian was nice enough to help me illustrate the fun tie dye centers :)

 

To add a little Woodstock to the presentation I decorated the serving dish with peace sign beads. You could also set some tie-dye napkins next to these.

So there you are, Tie Dye Cupcakes! They are the perfect recipe for your Woodstock theme party.

If you are planning on throwing a 60's theme party you should definitely sign up for our free newsletter Party Talk. The next issue will have an exclusive 60's Trivia Party Game printable. Sign up now!

Peace!
Kathleen

Woodstock Party Activities and Favors: Tie-Dye T-Shirts

Last week you were able to read all about our team building exercises that included Jell-o shots. While we were imbibing we were also having a great time tie-dying t-shirts for our upcoming 60's theme party. We love any excuse to party, and the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock is a great reason to get together.

Since many of you are planning on having Woodstock theme parties next month we thought we would share our super easy process for tie-dying shirts as a party activity. (Jello shots optional)

 

Step One: Buy Your Supplies

You can ask all of your guests to bring a t-shirt to tie-dye (that's what we did), or you can provide white t-shirts for your guests. We bought two tie-dye kits for the local craft store at about $10 each. Each kit dyes up to 8 shirts, and that gave us a mix of 6 colors to choose from. The kits also came with gloves and rubber bands. The only other thing we needed was plastic to protect the table and plastic bags to send the shirts home in.

 

Step Two: Prepare The Shirts

First you need to soak the shirts in water and ring them out. Place the shirt right side down on your work surface. Place a finger in the center of the shirt and start turning it until you have a nice flat pie shape. Now remove your finger gently; try not to disturb the center spiral. Place the bands around the shirt keeping the whole thing as flat as possible.

Step Three: Dye The Shirts

FYI - These dyes will stain your clothes, carpet, table, hands and anything they come in contact with. Wear the gloves and cover your stuff with plastic, or do this activity outside.

The dyes are already in the squeeze bottles, all you have to add is warm water to them. Have paper towels ready to clean up the colorful drips!

Start with the lightest color you are going to use, and apply the dye in sections to the front side. Then flip the shirt over and do the other side. It is best to flip it over onto a new plastic bag or paper plate so the shirt does not pick up splotches of extra dye from a dirty surface.

Step Four: Sending Them Home

Since the shirts are going home with your party guests you should provide a clean ziploc bag they can place them in to transport them home. So no one gets mixed up you can print these fun labels on Avery 5264 label paper.

 

Download The Groovy Shirt Label

Let your guests know to let the shirts sit for 10-24 hours, then they can be rinsed. Just run the shirt under the tap for a while and then take the bands off. After the water starts to run clear they can wash the shirt normally in the washing machine, but the first time it should be washed by itself.

Here is one more shot of us fooling around with the Hippie Bus Cutout, all the vodka and dye has addled our wits (yes, cardboard Obama joined us for the pic). What can I say? Party411.com is never a dull place.

 

Tie-dying t-shirts for your Woodstock party is a fantastic activity and party favor rolled into one. We are going to share more Woodstock theme party ideas in the next few days (subscribe to our feed so you don't miss any!)

- Kathleen

Rock And Roll is Here to Stay!

Rock and Roll is here to stay!  So how about Rock and Roll as a theme for a Bar Mitzvah?  Jacob loves the Beatles, so we mixed in a little rock and roll with a lot of Beatles to make a fun and elegant party.

We turned a cd, with Jacob’s favorite music, into an invitation for the party and for all of his guests to enjoy.  We used the graphics from Abbey Road in the background of this invite.  It was a big “hit”!

 

At the party, the parents wanted a more classic look for decorations with a little tie in with the theme.  We used florals on the tables and added a couple guitars to each to give them a bit of an edge.

 

 

The room had all white linen because we had LED lights under each of the tables so that they were ever changing colors throughout the night.

 

To top off the evening, the kids all got to take home t-shirts that said “J Rock- I got ROCKED at Jacobs Bar Mitzvah!”  What a great time!!!

-Julie

Moon Landing Party

On July 20, 1969, astronaut Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon. People around the world watched and listened as Neil took "one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."

Many people remember the excitement of watching this achievement and I thought it would be fun to hold a party in honor of the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission.

We have a great "Space and Aliens" kids theme party on Party411.com that has a ton of decorating ideas, but these are a few of my favorites that I will be using -

Make signs from black poster board and glow in the dark paint. Do a few directional signs, "Moon: 238857 miles ahead", and a landmark sign or two; Mons Huygens (largest mountain on the moon) or South Pole-Aitken Basin (largest crater). Yay for educational decorations! 

Set up several black lights, and all of the glow-in-the-dark elements will shine brightly.

Hang twinkle lights in the hallways will create a beautiful tunnel of light.

Mark the occasion. The astronauts left a sign that read, "Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon July 1969, A.D. We came in peace for all mankind." Make your own and place it near the party entrance.

Play the original moon landing on the TV to recapture the excitement. You can also play "Moon" themed music in the background -

• Moonage Daydream - David Bowie
• Bark at the Moon -  Ozzy Osborne
• New Moon on Monday - Duran Duran
• Moon Dance - Van Morrison
• Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd
• Blue Moon - Elvis Presley
• Neon Moon - Brooks & Dunn
• Fly Me to the Moon - Frank Sinatra
• Man on the Moon - REM
• Moon Over Georgia - Shenandoah
• Harvest Moon - Neil Young
• I Wished on the Moon - Tony Bennet
• Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival
• Dancing in the Moonlight - King Harvest
• Apollo 13 Soundtrack
• Piano Sonata No. 14 in C# "Moonlight"- Beethoven

Don't for get to theme your menu too! Serve Moons Over My Hammy, a cheese ball (since everyone knows that the moon is made of cheese), moon pies and these cute moon themed cupcakes. I just used a cake mixed and mixed some crushed chocolate cookie into the frosting to give it a gray look. Plant a little flag on top and you're all set!

You can also serve Moon themed drinks -

• Blue Moon
• Shoot the Moon

Nasa has a whole section of their site dedicated to the moon landings 40th anniversary if you would like to learn more about the history of the mission. I hope this inspires you to have your own party to celebrate our giant leap into space!

 - Kathleen

Ice Cream Theme Party

Last weekend we had a flavorful Bat Mitzvah party … the theme was Ice Cream Flavors!!!  It was the first ice cream party that we ever did.  It was a lot of fun and very colorful.  Here is what we did for decorations -

The seating cards were a personalized ice cream scoop tied with ice cream theme ribbon to a blue and white layered seating card. A practical and fun favor!

We used ice cream quart containers filled with tissue and ice cream cutouts as the table names and numbers.  Each table was named after an ice cream flavor. We used sprinkles as confetti on all the tables. It really popped against the black linens!

The tables each had a cone full of nuts and chocolate at each seat. 

The centerpiece was a triple scoop on a cone that really brightened the room.

Of course that had a giant sundae bar for dessert…YUMMY!!! What do you think? What would you do for an ice cream theme party?

- Julie

Planning a Western Theme Bat Mizvah

Hello everyone, it’s Julie, one of the event planners at Party411.com. It’s been a while since I posted on the Daily Party Dish (check out my last party, a Jungle themed birthday for my son Jack), so I thought that I would share some of ideas from a western theme Bat Mitzvah I was working on.

I am really excited about the invitation for this western theme party. We decided to make them like a “wanted” poster.  I tore the edges of the invitation to give it that old feel and mounted it on another layer of cardstock. 

For western theme decorations we are doing some cutouts of cacti surrounding the dj area and lighting them.  We are also framing the entrance to the ballroom with a horseshoe flanked by cowboy boots.
 
Centerpieces will be different for the kids tables and the adult tables. We are using some boot vases filled with sunflowers on the adult tables.  On the kids tables, we did a caricature of the Bat Mitzvah girl on her horse and we will do a mini 2 sided cutout with balloons attached.

We picked out great linens.  The adult tables will be topped with a cow print pattern (you can see it in the picture above) and the kids tables will have a burlap linen from Event Source.  They are really fun!

I will post pictures after the event so you can see the whole feel of the party. Giddy-up!

- Julie