Party Talk

Candy is dandy but…

Halloween is almost here!  And once again I am faced with the dilemma of choosing which candy to give out to my ever-present, ever-cute trick-or-treaters.

I’m sure I’m not alone when I share with you the stories of Halloweens past and the indignities I suffered at the hands of neighbors.  The audacity, the nerve, the outright disrespect of the tradition of All Hallows Eve have always left me as cold as a corpse (speaking of the holiday also known as the Day of the Dead).
   
I’ve yet to get past it, and that is why I stand before the candy counter, trembling and aflutter trying to make the right choice.

Let’s be honest.  Weren’t you crestfallen when you dumped your trick-or-treat bag on the dining room table or the available floor and found treats that weren’t treats or, worse yet, treats that deserved tricks that were less than forgivable?  Weren’t you dismayed when the door opened and the person dropped a pineapple-orange Dum Dum in your bag and didn’t let you choose from a big basket of whatever?  Weren’t you depressed and despondent that people actually gave you good stuff but since it wasn’t individually wrapped, you’d have to give it up to Mom and Dad?  Me, too.

I wanted candy.  Candy.  And more candy.  The kind with chocolate and gooey stuff inside.  And not the fun size--the BIG size.  I didn’t want hard candy, sugar free candy or stuff that old people eat (the ranks I have now joined), nor did I want a Halloween eraser, a mushy apple, a sheet of stickers, a toothbrush or a penny. 

And so.  I am buying quite the assortment.  And I’m going to fill a big bowl to the top (complete with Freddy Kruger’s hand extending upward) and let my trick-or-treaters take one treat or a dozen.   Not even the headless horseman can stop me!

Happy Halloween and good treats for you all…

The Party Girl

Bloody Banquet Halloween

Halloween is coming up this year and I want to do something different. I think I’m going to throw a Bloody Banquet party this year. Think of the options available for me as the host and my guests as well.  I think it’s a wonderful theme because it doesn’t pigeon-hole guests into costumes.  You can wear whatever you want and then add a little blood to the costume, and there you go!

We created a spooky Bloody Banquet theme invitations and favors that is sure to impress your guests! If you want to be creative and make your own invitation stick with the blood theme. Print your party information on off-white or flesh colored paper. You can layer it on a piece of black or red cardstock to give it a more finished look. Buy some first aid gauze and splatter it with red paint. Let it dry completely and wrap the invites in the gauze. Mail the invite in a padded envelope.

If you are having a party where many people will not know each other, purchase some of those "Hello my name is" name tags for guests to fill out. Have them add a line that includes their blood type and next of kin, just in case something befalls them at the party :)

There is no shortage of "bloody" Halloween decorations, so you should be able to decorate the whole house. Make sure to have lots of the #1 decoration at a bloody banquet -

        Fake Blood

• 3 parts clear corn syrup
• 1 part water
  
• Corn starch or chocolate syrup for thickening
• Red and blue food coloring

Combine corn syrup and water. Add the red and food coloring and mix. Add a small amount of blue food coloring to achieve a more realistic shade. Now add the corn starch or chocolate syrup and mix until you get the desired thickness. If you use cornstarch you may have to strain it to remove any lumps. Chocolate syrup will make the "blood" a realistic red/brown color. Refrigerate until your ready to use, and use within 2-3 days of mixing. Be aware that the food coloring in this recipe may temporarily stain skin and will permanently stain clothes.

For dinner serve a variety of meat such as pulled pork, sausage and beef brisket. Let everyone wonder what it really is! And don't forget to have a Bloody Mary bar!

I hope to see many vampires and werewolves at my party.  You know what I would love to see? I want to see somebody mix the Psycho shower scene with Daniel Larusso’s Halloween costume. (Catch that reference.)  Not only would that be a mix of two incredibly different amazing movies, it would be an epic costume.

If you want to throw a similar party and need some help check out the full Bloody Banquet theme.

Best New Halloween Costumes for 2009

What’s new for this month? Seriously? It’s Halloween this month and you know we here at Party411 like to dress up for any reason.  Halloween is a great excuse to dress up, and I don’t care how old you are.  Get a costume and wear it with pride. Of course you could make the costume yourself, but that’s not my style at all. I’d rather get something new and exciting.  Here’s a glance at some of the costumes that we here at Party411 really seem to enjoy -

Going to a party where you want to make an impression? This Gumby costume is the outfit for you.  You’ll be the hit of the party, because you can’t resist smiling and being amused by this wonderful costume. Also, I would love to see somebody do the robot in this suit!

This Viking costume let’s everyone know you mean business this year. Roz loves this costume because she loves being in control. Roz was a pirate recently and now she’s wants to upgrade to Viking. The office is of course on stand-by.

Some Halloweens you go as a wolf, and then other times you go as a well dressed person. This year, why not do both? Seriously. I think this is an incredible costume because not only do you get to look snazzy but you also get to be a wolf. This seems like a winner.

Maybe we’re trying to get out of the haze from the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, but this Disco Mama costume is incredible.  The colors let you know that you’re ready to have fun and dance the night away. Anybody with this costume is letting people know they’re ready to party.

It’s easy to get carried away with such great costumes available for the choosing, but don’t forget the basics. This Amethyst Witch is an absolutely terrific witch costume.  You might strike fear into kids coming for candy, or those at your party!

This is just a small sampling of all the wonderful costumes available. Feel free to vote on these selections or write in your fave costume from the New Costumes for 2009 in the comments below!

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Dead Celebrity Halloween Party

What's more fun than a great Halloween party?!  We planned this Halloween party for a local TV station.  Guests were encouraged to dress as their favorite dead celebrity.

The event was hosted at Grey's Armory, an old building in downtown Cleveland that has the look of a haunted castle.  Too cool!  When guests entered, the lobby was decorated like a haunted graveyard, complete with spooky houses, trees and a graveyard with cutouts of the ghosts of famous celebrities.

In the main ballroom, guests were given Halloween masks as nametags.  Sharpie pens were out for people to write their names.

Another fun decoration was a display labeled, "Programming Brain Bar" - perfect for our host, the TV station.  Jars with "brains" were labeled for different TV shows like, "Brains of Losers on The People's Court."

The room was dark, of course, and we added to the spooky feel with fog machines scattered around the room.  Other decorations included black balloon arches, graveyards, dancing skeleton balloons, cauldrons and lots of candy!

The guests all dressed to the nines and had a great time dancing the night away.  As they left, everyone was given a gift of chocolate skeleton teeth.  Yum.

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

Holiday Birthday Parties

Birthdays should be celebrated by your friends and family. But sometimes it’s hard to get everyone together during the holidays for a birthday celebration. Our family has figured out a solution. Holiday Birthday Parties!

These work best for milestone birthdays but I guess you could use them any time. My wife’s birthday is close to Halloween. For her 40th we had a Halloween Birthday Party. People are busy and sometimes have multiple commitments so we had an Open House affair. Easy to plan and decorate. Start with a Halloween House Party and just add a birthday cake as the centerpiece for your food table. We went to a grocer that had a Halloween cake and just added “Mar’s Turning 40. Scary.” They did a great job with the cake (a spider web on a cake is freaky but memorable). Fun party and simple to host.

My brother’s birthday is December 30th. For his 50th he took the some approach. A New Year’s Eve House Party with a cake and a birthday countdown at 10 PM. (Weird time but it let people that had to get home to kids or to other parties a chance to do it and it was good practice for the Midnight countdown.)

So don’t ignore a birthday just because of a holiday. Embrace both! It’s fun and surprisingly easy.

October is ...

photo by sscornelius'      

National Pizza Month - This calls for a pizza party. Which at my house is called "Saturday". And "Sunday". And "Monday".

October 21^st is Sweetest Day - Don't forget this year!

October 25^th is Mother’s In-law Day - Take mom out for lunch and thank her (or not) for raising such a wonderful spouse.

October 30^th is Frankenstein Friday - "This holiday has been designed to honor and celebrate the "mother" and "father" of Frankenstein, Mary Shelley and Boris Karloff." Each year it's celebrated a little differently, from Torch Lighting Ceremonies to filmfests. Rent the original "Frankenstein" and scare the pants off your favorite little monsters!

See more Stuff to Celebrate for October, or take a sneak peek at November!