Party Talk

Halloween and Politics

It seems like a lot of movies lately (at least that I’ve seen) have lots of robbers and bad people running around wearing masks of our beloved political leaders.  The last flick I saw had a gang that at least bothered to be bi-partisan.  Those three musketeers wore Nixon, Clinton and Obama masks as they pummeled their prey and stole their Rolexes.

Now it’s Halloween 2010 and people, just like you, are planning costume parties for their friends, neighbors and even a relative or two.  The invitation usually has some line that says:  Come dressed in costume or don’t come at all.  (By the way, I hate you people.) 

That said, this year our political climate is exploding due to the economy, worldwide unrest, our health care system or lack of one, blah blah blah.  No matter where you turn, the channel, the page of your favorite news magazine, the water cooler…the country is divided between the loudmouth antics of Glenn Beck and Bill O’Reilly on Fox vs the Keith Olbermann-and Rachel Maddow-types on MSNBC.  Even the comedy channel (Jon Stewart, Steven Colbert) and HBO (Bill Maher) don’t give us a break.

I’m not going to take it anymore.  There ain’t gonna be no political statements at my party (please excuse the bad grammar and all that).  No tea bags, no Palin’s, no Obama’s and for sure no Christine McDonnell’s (even if she’s into witchcraft and it works with the theme…NO WAY).  On my invitation, I’ll make it clear… “Come in costume or don’t…but leave your politics at the door!”

However, there is a caveat.  If someone comes as a melting glacier, I’ll probably let him in.  After all, that would take a lot of time and creativity!

Happy Halloween!
The Party Girl

80's Horror Movie Halloween

What makes a better Halloween party theme than classic 80's horror movies? Your guests will be delighted (and scared silly) to be surrounded by Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers, Chucky, Pinhead, Pumpkinhead, and even those creepy twins from the Shining. With hundreds of 80's horror movies to draw your inspiration from, this Halloween will be a horror blast from the past!

We created an 80's Halloween Horror Movie Invitation that will scare the living daylight out of you guests (hopefully they will still RSVP!). You can always make your own horror movie invitation. Draw off of the movie references. You can create a invitation to "Camp Crystal Lake", or send a a sleep eyemask with a tag that invites guest to a "Nightmare Halloween Party".

Decorations are easy for this party, here are just a few of our favorites. 

• An 80's Halloween Horror Movie Banner can welcome everyone with your own personalized message.
• Choose a Freddy Krueger Door Cover or Jason Friday the 13th Door Cover for your entrance.

• Set up a Freddy Krueger Standup near the party entrance to great guests!
• 3D Blood Splats Drips and Bloody Handprint Clings are great for the mirror and the toilet bowl in the bathroom.
• Hellraiser Spooky Scenes are great for a blank wall that need a little touch of demon.
• 14" Jason can tend the bar! Bloody Mary's for everyone!

You can see all of our decoration recommendation in the full 80's Horror Movie Halloween Party.

On the buffet label the food with body tags. Use your favorite movie characters to name your dishes, like Pinhead's anti pasta (served on silver food pick of course), or Pumpkinhead's Pumpkin Risotto. And might I add, buffalo chicken cheese dip does look a lot like Freddy Krueger's face... It's a shocking spread, everyone will agree!

I think having a horror movie screening is a great idea. Whether you go current or classic, everyone will love a good scare! Everyone will have such a horrifyingly good time at your Halloween party they will be speculating about next year on the ride home!

See the full 80's Horror Movie Halloween Party for more ideas!

Tombstone Desserts

These simple desserts are easy to make and will thrill your guests at your Halloween party.

Fill half of a mini disposable foil bread tin with chocolate pudding. Add a layer of whipped topping and a layer of crushed chocolate cookies (I use Oreos). Add another layer of pudding/whipped topping/crushed cookies to fill the pan.

For decoration, add gummy worms, a marshmallow ghost, or candy pumpkins. The tombstone is a Milano cookie (Pepperidge Farm) with icing on it.

Cute idea for placecards too! Happy Haunting!

Hottest New Costumes for 2010

It's not surprise that this year's hottest costumes are mirroring this years most popular movies.

Tim Burton’s hit remake of Alice in Wonderland makes for a popular choice this year! I can see why people are flocking to Alice in Wonderland costumes; they are sassy, fun, and just wicked enough for Halloween. I am only disappointed there isn't a Jabberwocky costume!

The huge blockbuster of 2010 was of course Avatar, and the movie has some impressive costumes.

Other hot and non-movie related costumes this year are Lady Gaga and the Oil Spill.

My favorite this year? Sexy TMNT! They are the heros in a half shell.

Halloween Scavenger Hunt

Looking for a fun way to entertain a group of kids at your Halloween party this year? Consider organizing a Halloween scavenger hunt. This spooky and fun Halloween themed game is one of our most popular games at Party411.com, and for good reason!

There are 11 frightfully fun clues to follow, each written in a mysterious rhyme that will challenge your group to work together to puzzle the solution out.

We show you step by step what you need to do for each clue to set up the scavenger hunt. For example, here is the first clue -

There's a special place that you must go to.
To discover a cauldron of witch's brew.
Dunk one team member's face to find
the apple of your team's design.

And here is what you do -

Set up a cauldron of "Witch's Brew" where everyone can bob for apples. Tie a different color of string around the stem of each apple, and make sure the teams know which color they are and that they must bob for the apple with their team's color on the stem.

See? Easy. You can check out the whole set of clues at the Halloween Scavenger Hunt, each with a free printable PDF of the clues!

Casino Theme Party

 

 

Andrew had a great casino theme Bar Mitzvah that was enjoyed by his friends and of course, all the adults at the party.

Guests arrived and found their seating card, which was a playing card with their name on a personalized sticker.  The card itself matched a card at their table.  Guests loved each table being named for a different card.

Centerpieces featured a custom caricature of the Bar Mitzvah boy as a playing card, surrounded by his interests with casino balloons coming out of the base.
 
During the evening, guests played a variety of casino games.  Instead of small prizes, we had a raffle table set up with a handful of larger prizes.  Guests won raffle tickets that they could put in boxes that corresponded to the gifts they wanted to win.

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

October is...

Adopt-a-Shelter Dog Month - Calling all dog lovers…there's no greater gift than friendship, and no better friend than a loyal dog. Treck on over to your local shelter and once you've made your choice, invite your friends over to celebrate the pitter-patter of furry little feet! Pooper-scoopers for everyone!

October 1^st  is National Bake and Decorate Month - October kicks off fall and holiday baking season.

October 13^th is Paul Simon's Birthday - 1941. Born in Newark, NJ, this singer-songwriter performed with Art Garfunkel and is noted for such great hits as "The Sounds of Silence," "Mrs. Robinson," and his solo album "Graceland." Get out the oldies and have a Sing Along.

October 29^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!