Party Talk

January = Winter Blues; February = Party Central!

Thank the Lord that January is over! What was there to do in January but maybe make a snow angel or two? Nada, nothing, zilch. February is a whole different story!!

Were you in the vicinity of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to celebrate Groundhog Day on February 2^nd? Was your Super Bowl party fantabulous on the 3rd? Did you take my blog suggestion to create your Super Bowl Party with a Mardi Gras theme since Mardi Gras was the 5^th?

Well, Valentine’s Day is next. Chocolate, chocolate and a little more chocolate (with a splash of roses, of course). Gather your friends. Get out the fondue set. Cut the pineapple. Pull out the marshmallows. Set out some penny pretzel sticks, and invite anyone and everyone who has nothing to do. They’ll LOVE you for it (get it???)…

President’s Day is almost upon us as well. Besides the post office and banks being closed not to mention the schools, many people have Monday off. That gives you three great nights to party—Friday, Saturday AND Sunday. If you haven’t reciprocated to friend and foe for all those dinners and soireés, NOW is the time.

Finally, Leap Day is February 29^th. Also known as Sadie Hawkins Day, this is the time to host a Leap Year Ball--the one time every four years when all available women can chase all available men and not be considered aggressive, obnoxious or desperate. Ask him to dance, ask him to dinner, ask him to marry you. All are acceptable. Perfect for National Creative Romance Month, no?!

The Party Girl

Valentine's Day Ideas for Guys

Valentine’s Day puts lots of pressure on guys. We are expected to be romantic, caring, and totally focused on making this a special day. Oh, and the day we plan has to match the expectations of our girl friend. Not an easy task for your average dude but here are some suggestions that should make your celebration successful (or at least keep you out of the dog house).

You can wait until February 14th and then at the last minute suggest going out to dinner but why not create some anticipation for the event? (Look guys you’re stuck doing this you might a well embrace it.) Send your date an invitation for the evening. A hand written note (on nice stationery, not the back of an envelope) or even an electronic invitation can work.  It depends a lot on the expectations of your friend. Don’t make it a bigger deal than she does but do make it a deal.

Send your flowers early. Flowers are common on Valentine’s Day but on the actual day they not only are expected but they are usually much more expensive. Why not send flowers a week early and say “You’re my valentine every day”. Surprise flowers earn you way more points than expected flowers and it might even save you a couple of bucks.

What to do about candy? Well, if the lady has a strong preference I would go with that. If not, why not personalize the gift and give her chocolate with your pictures on it? You can go with a chocolate CD, a chocolate lollipop, or my favorite the chocolate heart box.

Well we’ve got flowers and candy out of the way. That leaves dinner. You can go to your favorite restaurant. Or go to that expensive restaurant you’ve been dying to try. Be aware that this is a busy night in a restaurant which means reservations or waiting in line.

Make home the desert stop. Have dinner out but have a special dessert waiting at home. She’ll think you’re a sly devil (and maybe you are) but most people like a break between dinner and dessert and would prefer eating it in the comfort of their homes rather than in a loud dining room.

Ok, that’s enough. You’ve made her happy, and isn’t that your job? Good work, Romeo!

Personalized Party Cameras!! Great Fun at Your Party and a Perfect Party Favor

This is a bit of shameless self promotion, but I wanted to let you all know about the newest great party idea from Creations For You, Personalized Cameras!  These fun cameras are great for corporate events, weddings, milestone birthdays, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, and many other special occasions!

Give one camera to each guest or set one on each table. Guests can keep their cameras as an unforgettable party favor or you can collect the cameras and create a unique photo album taken from your guests point of view. Great Fun!

I love this idea because it’s and easy way to get everyone involved at my party. My friends are not camera shy so the mugging is outrageous and hilarious. Having a picture of the birthday boy, or bride and groom, or your logo (the possibilities are tremendous) is a memorable added touch. With great pricing and low minimum orders it’s a tough to deal to pass up.

Check out these personalized cameras and see if they’ll work for your next event.

I’m using them for my St. Patrick’s Day party this year. People wearing the green plus the occasional overindulgence should make for some great snapshots. Can’t wait to see them!

Say Cheese!
The Party Girl

Have a “Hoppy” Leap Day!

With a Leap Year occurring only once every 4 years, shouldn't we make more of an effort to celebrate Leap Day?  I, for one, always have a Leap Day party.  My friends have already asked how I will be celebrating Leap Day 2008!

For me, Leap Day 2008 (celebrated on February 29th) with be a "Hoppy" Leap Day with a frog theme party.  Of course any of these ideas can be used for a Leap Day Birthday party as well!

Go green invitations all the way! Look for frog confetti or stickers at a local card shop and include it in green envelopes along with the invite.

 

Serve green food, salad, guacamole and chips, cupcakes with green frosting (seeing a color theme here?) Is the party for kids? Serve green Jello. For adults? Green Jello shots!

 

Another idea is to give out blank cards (remember, green!) and ask guests to write where they would like to be in 4 years when Leap Day 2012 arrives.  You can save these cards and mail them to your friends at the beginning of 2012 or have your guests seal them in envelopes and bring them home.  Just make sure to write "DO NOT OPEN UNTIL LEAP DAY 2012" on the front of the cards!

 

See all of the great personalized Leap Day products from Creations For You, along with frog themed décor and cute party favors (like these keychains!) at the full “Hoppy” Leap Day theme at Party411.com!

A Red theme party with "Heart"

Welcome to the Heart Beat Club, a red dress party we put on with 8th Continent Soymilk to promote Women's Heart Health.   

We had a great time with the red theme for this event.  All the linens were red, of course, but we also had red lights, red lamps and red roses.  Guests were able to try different drinks and foods make with soy and soymilk.  (We especially loved the soy-milkshakes!)

Signs were all designed to look like red dresses and the sign in for the party was a giant red dress cutout.  The centerpiece of the evening was a display of red dresses worn by First Ladies that was on tour throughout the United States. Everyone loved the dresses!

It was a great party!  See more of Our Parties here.

Party411 can plan your next party or event!  Let us know if you would like more information on any of the products seen in the photos or if you have theme party questions!

February is…

Library Lovers' Month —many a library has a community room—a great place for your book club to party!

February 2^nd is Thomas Crapper Day - this guy invented a sophisticated flush toilet mechanism. In fact, he perfected it

February 14^th is Valentine’s Day – Still need some ideas? We have a whole heap of them in our Valentine’s Day Guide. Why not rent a romantic movie, we have a whole list of them to choose from here. Guys, use this plan to surprise your special someone and give her a Valentine’s Day she will never forget!

February 18^th is President’s Day – Celebrate with a You Decide 2008 election themed party to celebrate the race to a new president. Or get out that stuff left over from July 4th and have a winter BBQ, or use one of our other patriotic themes.

February 29^th is Leap Day - It only happens once every 4 years, reason enough to host a Leap Day Celebration!

See more Stuff to Celebrate for February, or take a sneak peek at March!