Daily Party Dish

Oktoberfest Party Beer Station Ideas

If you’re hosting an Oktoberfest party, you need to make sure to have one very important thing in abundance – BEER!  In fact, there’s little else besides beer, some good food, and a few Oktoberfest Party Ideas to throw an amazing Oktoberfest theme party.

Make serving tasty bubbly beverages a little easier by setting up a Oktoberfest theme beer station.  I came up with a simple one that my husband set up in the garage for our “haus”-warming party.   While a cooler with beers might have sufficed, I wanted to add personal touches with personalized Oktoberfest Beer Bottle Labels and Oktoberfest Banners.  Plus, I wanted everything to match our other Oktoberfest Party Invitations and Favors!

One of the highlights of our party was our specially brewed Oktoberfest beer!  We brewed it a few months earlier at a DIY micro-brew place called Brew Kettle, and then we had personalized Oktoberfest Beer Bottle Labels printed for the oversized bottles. Even when stacked in large white tubs with other local brews, our special beer was a party favorite!  Plus, the labels matched our Oktoberfest Invitations perfectly!

We had a few non-drinkers at our party too, so we made sure to put out some water bottles.  Of course, they had to have personalized Oktoberfest Water Bottle Labels as well!

To finish off the beer station, we added one of our Oktoberfest Banners, which we personalized. Everything matched, from the beer labels to the banner - it looked fantastic!

Overall, the table was easy to put together and looked great.  With almost 100 guests, the beer station worked logistically as well.  We stored extra beer under the table (hidden by the table cloth), and just restocked throughout the party.  You also might want to keep in mind a hot drink station, too.  It was a chilly fall day when we threw our Oktoberfest party, and guests were glad that we also served coffee, hot apple cider, and tea.

Good luck planning your Oktoberfest beer station!  Want to see more ideas from my Oktoberfest party? Check them out here:

• Oktoberfest Hauswarming Party Invitations
• Oktoberfest Theme Party Inspiration Board

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We invited nearly every friend and family member we could think of to our Oktoberfest Hauswarming Party!  Apart from great food (brats and sauerkraut, anyone?), entertainment, and some other awesome Oktoberfest Party Ideas, we also wanted to send each guest home with a tasty Oktoberfest party favor – which means we would need a favor that was easy-to-make and would appeal to our large guest list.

There were tons of easy personalized Oktoberfest Party Invitations and Favors to choose from that required no work from me at all.  But I couldn’t help baking up something sweet for my 80+ guests.  I decided on Oktoberfest theme gingerbread cookies – how fun! 

Because I had to make A LOT of cookies, I started with this simple gingerbread cookie recipe from Food Network.  (Don't forget to chill your dough beforehand - it makes rolling so much simpler!)  Heart-shaped cookies are perfect for Oktoberfest, by the way.  Germans traditionally give gingerbread heart cookies with mottoes on them to family and friends during Oktoberfest!  Too cool!

After I made dozens and dozens of cookies (those aren't even all of them pictured above!), it was time to decorate.  I don't have much experience piping frosting, but I knew I needed to have this great royal icing recipe from Cake Journal.  I divided the icing between three different bowls and added red and blue food coloring to two of them.  (Icing Tip: Cover your bowls of icing with we paper towels, so it doesn't harden!)

Fill your icing bags with your mixtures, making sure to either use a #1 or #2 piping tip, so you can draw designs and write "mottoes" on your cookies.  Start with one color at a time like I did.  I first drew a blue b border on each cookie, then added the word "Prost" or "Love", and finally dotted on a couple of hearts where there was room.  After letting the icing harden for a few hours, I bagged the cookies in clear cellophane bags for guests to take and served the extras on trays during the party.

Of course, don't forget to add a little "motto" on your gingerbread just like the Germans do!  My cookies were pretty small, so I just put the word "Love" or "Prost" (the German word for "Cheers") on mine.  If your cookies are larger, try a couple of these traditional German sayings insted:

• Ozapt'is - It's tapped
• Ich Liebe Dich - I Love You 
• Glueckspilz - Lucky Toadstool 
• Mein Traumprinz - Prince Charming 
• Weil I Di mog - Because I like you 
• Meiner Kuschelmaus - my snuggle-mouse 

Have fun making your gingerbread favors, and make sure to check out my other Oktoberfest party posts for more great ideas:

• Oktoberfest Hauswarming Party Invitations
• Oktoberfest Theme Party Inspiration Board

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Oktoberfest Hauswarming Party Invitations

Oktoberfest Hauswarming Party Invitations

To celebrate buying our first house, my husband and I decided to throw an Oktoberfest theme hauswarming party!  We bought our little house in August, so we had a month to put together this Bavarian bash.  (Oktoberfest is late September dontchaknow!) By the time we moved in, we realized we needed pick out our Oktoberfest Party Invitations and Favors.  Family and friends would need at least 6 weeks to RSVP, so we hurried to find a cute and fun invite that we could manage to mail out as we were unpacking boxes!

We quickly chose the Oktoberfest Food Invitation – it had pretzels, beer, and brats on the front.  What more could we want out of a housewarming party!  Plus, there were tons of matching Okoberfest Food Party Invitations and Favors to choose from so our party decorations and invite would coordinate. After getting the invites, we quickly popped them in envelopes along with a handful of beer mug confetti for a fun surprise. 

We liked how our invitation was worded, but you can always choose one of these fun Oktoberfest options instead:

 

• Grab a beer! Oktoberfest is here!
• Pull on your lederhosen and oom-pa-pa your way over to our haus!
• Join us for beer and brats at the Miller's Annual Oktoberfest Party!
• Oktoberfest is a real treat... lots of beer and plenty to eat!
• Join us for a (beer) barrel of fun and a German feast at our Annual Oktoberfest Party!

 

Have fun picking out your Oktoberfest party invites, and take a look at all of our Oktoberfest Party Ideas for more inspiration.  Want to see more from our Oktoberfest Hauswarming Party?  Check out the links below:

• Oktoberfest Party Theme Inspiration Board

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Last Minute St. Patrick's Day Drink and Straw Topper

St. Paddy’s Day is right around the corner, and I’ve been scrambling for some great last minute St. Patrick’s Day Party Ideas for my sister’s annual St. Pat’s Day House Party.  Of course, she asked me to bring a dessert, and I immediately thought of these lime green sherbet floats – perfectly fits the theme!

To make these St. Patrick’s Day floats, all I did was fill glasses with lime green sherbet and then add lemon-lime soda (like Sierra Mist or 7-Up).  If you’d like to serve these to adults, just add a shot of lime or lemon flavored vodka!

The little shamrock straw toppers were fun to make, too.  They’re perfect for an Easy St. Pat’s Open House Party. Sham-ROCK the House!  Check out my tutorial with pictures below:

Materials

• Green cardstock cut into 5" squares
• Scissors
• Paper straws

Directions

1. Cut cardstock into 5" squares. I used different colors just to give each one a uniqueness!
2. Fold the square into a triangle, and then fold it again into a smaller triangle.
3. Draw a circle around the corner of the paper. (This will be your shamrock leaves.) Next, use cut the shamrock out. 
4. Unfold the shamrock and then fold it in half (and then in half again) to create folds that cut down the center of each "leaf". Then, cut an "x" in the center of the shamrock for the straw. 
5. Finally, push the shamrock onto the straw and serve with a delicious lime St. Pat's Day float! 

Happy St. Patrick's Day, and don't forget to save a float for the Party Girl!

Easy St. Patrick’s Day Party Games for Kids

This year, why not host an Easy St. Pats Open House Party. Sham-ROCK the House.   Of course, you’ll need to find a way to keep the adults and kids at your party entertained.  We have tons of great St. Patrick’s Day Party Games for adults, but if you’re inviting younger guests, there are definitely a few fun themed games you can throw together with little preparation. 

I came up with five fun party games the kids can start playing the second they step through your door.  Check them out below, and don’t forget to take a look at my other great St. Patrick’s Day Party Ideas, too.

St. Pat's Day Party Games

1. “Wearing o’ the Green” Door Prize:  On your party invitations, make sure you tell your guests to wear green!  As the kids arrive, count how many articles of clothing have green on them.  The guest wearing the most green wins a door prize!  Of course, the prize should be green, too – like one of these awesome St. Patrick’s Day hats.

2. Rainbow Matching Game (see pics):  Attach circles of paper with double stick tape to the undersides of Hershey Kisses.  The paper should be all the colors of the rainbow. (ROY-G-BIV!)  Have players stand all the kisses up and play a matching game.  When players get a pair, they get to keep and eat the kisses!  No prizes needed for this tasty game…

3. Find the Four Leaf Clover: Depending on how many players you have, cut 100-200 three leaf clovers from green construction paper and at least one four-leaf clover per player.  Scatter the clovers around your venue, and let the game begin!  Have players hunt for a four-leaf clover, and once they find one, they can turn it in for a prize!  These St. Patrick’s Day Theme Candy Bar Wrappers make perfect prizes.

4. Shamrock Scavenger Hunt:  Of course, it’s not St. Patrick’s Day without hunting down a leprauchan and a pot o’ gold!  So make sure you have a Shamrock theme scavenger hunt.  Write clues on green construction paper shamrocks, and make sure they’re in limerick form, like this one-

                        There once was a St. Patty’s party,
                        Where all of the kids were big smarties,
                        They looked for a clue,
                        Underneath all the shoes,
                        Then said, “Maybe we’ll win a Ferrari!”
Include 5-6 clues in your scavenger hunt that takes players all over your venue and leads them to a large plastic “pot o’ gold” filled with St. Patrick’s Day prizes (think Halloween decorations – a black cauldron works!). 

5. Guess the Gold:  Fill a glass ball jar with gold coins, and have guests write down how many they think there are.  The player with the closest guess gets to take the jar home as a prize!

Good luck planning your St. Patrick's Day Open House from the Party Girl! 

St. Patricks Day Shamrock Party Favors

I've been coming up with a lot of St. Patrick's Day Party Ideas for my family's annual get-together (we're Irish!), and, of course, I decided on a chocolate favor that is everyone's favorite St. Pat's color - green!  

Making these St. Patrick's Day Shamrock Favors was pretty easy and a blast!  I modified this great idea from Qbee's Quest to make the favors larger so they could hold more kisses.  Follow my tutorial below, and check out some of our St. Patrick's Day Party Favors for more inspiration!

Materials (makes 1 favor)

• 1 sheet green cardstock (8 ½ x 11”)
• Paper cutter and scissors
• Double stick tape
• 6 Hershey kisses

Directions

Step 1: Cut a strip of paper, 1 ½ x 9 ½”.  Then, make two slits on one side of the paper at 1 ½" and 8". Cut a slit on the opposite side at 4 ¾". Make sure that the slits are cut halfway up the cardstock.

Step 2: Loop one end of the strip around and attach the 1 ½" slit into the center notch.

Step 3: Repeat Step 2 on the other side, making a second loop.

Step 4: Cut a second strip of paper, 1 ½  x 6 ¼”. Then cut notches on one side of the strip at 1 ½ " and 4 ¾”. Make sure that the slits are cut halfway up the cardstock.

Step 5: Bend the strip in a loop so the two notches align.  Add the loop to the center of the first larger strip.

Step 6: Attach the "stems" of the shamrock with double stick tape.

Step 7: Cut three more strips that are each 1 ½ x 4". Mark and score the papers at 1" intervals.

Step 8: Fold the slips into three triangles and add two Hershey's kisses to each. Secure the triangle with a piece of double stick tape.

Step 9: Insert a triangle into each loop of the shamrock. Display on a tray or in a bowl for guests to enjoy on their way home from your Easy St. Pats Open House Party. Sham-ROCK the House.

Have fun making your favors, and take a look at all of our other St. Pats Day goodies, too:

• St. Patrick's Theme Invitations and Party Favors
• St. Patrick's Day Pub Crawl
• St. Patrick's Day Party Games

Valentine's Day Couples Party Games

If you’re hosting a Matchmaker Party for Singles or you’re just having over a few of your best friends (who are couples, of course!), you’ll definitely want to have a variety of fun Valentine’s Day theme couples games to keep everyone entertained. Try out a few of my favorite games below, and don't forget to check out our other Valentine's Day Party Ideas for more inspiration, too:

• Orange Pass:  Form two teams (at least 8 people on each team), and have them form a line.  (Try to have couples stand next to each other!)  Give an orange to the first person in each line and have them hold the orange with their chin against their chest.  The point of the game is to pass the orange down the line and back, neck to neck. Players can’t use their hands, and if the orange is dropped they have to start over.  This game makes for some great pictures, and it makes couples get awkwardly close!
• You’re a Lifesaver!: Like with the orange pass, form two teams of at least 8, and have each form a line.  Each player gets a toothpick which they must hold in their mouths.  The first person in each line puts a lifesaver on their toothpick and then passes it to the next person without using their hands. The object of the game is to pass the lifesaver down the line and back without dropping the lifesaver or breaking it. The first team to do so wins! Like the orange pass, this game requires players get very close – perfect for Valentine’s Day!
• Love Song Game: Have couples form teams of two, and print out the lyrics from famous love songs (about 20 songs should be good).  Say (or sing!) a line from each one, and the first couple to sing the following line in the song gets a point.  Example: You say, “At last, my love has come along…” and couples respond, “…My lonely days are over, and love is like a song.”  Award an extra point if the couple can name the artist/song title. (“At Last” by Etta James, of course!)
• Heart Lava: Give each couple two large hearts cut from red construction paper.  Using just the two hearts, each team must move across the room, hopping from heart to heart and not touching the floor. (The floor is "lava"!)  Watch as couples come up with crazy strategies to make this happen (piggy-back rides included!).  The first team to make it across the room without touching the floor wins!
• Couple’s Minute to Win It Games:  Try a fun variety of easy games that couples must complete in under one minute.  Have couples stack conversation hearts as high as they can, transfer as many pink marshmallow hearts from one bowl to another using chopsticks, and toss as many conversation hearts from one cup to another with couples standing at least three feet apart.  Make sure to hand out Valentine’s Day theme toy prizes to the winners!

I love these fun party prize ideas, too!  Customize them with your own Valentine's Day message:

• Valentine's Day Theme Candy Bar Wrapper
• Valentine's Day Theme Mint Tin
• Valentine's Day Custom Cookies

Valentine's Day Favors for Kids

I created these adorable Valentine’s Day Party Favors for all of my youngest family members!  I’ll be handing out these cute fishbowl favors as they leave my annual Valentine’s Day for Kids party. 

These favors were simple to make; I just designed the Valentine 's Day Fishbowl Favor Insert (which you can download yourself for free), put them in clear cellophane bags, and added a baker’s twine bow!  After making these fun favors, check out my other fun Valentine’s Day favor ideas below, and don’t forget to take a look at more of my Valentine’s Day Party Ideas, too.

More Valentine's Day Party Favors for Kids...

1. Cookie Decorating Station: Bake a bunch of heart-shaped sugar cookies, and set up a cookie decorating station!  Put out bowls of pink and white frosting and bunches of themed decorating goodies.  Red sprinkles, white chocolate chips, and crushed Oreos are fun options!
2. Valentine's Candy Bars: Keep it simple with a Valentine’s Day Theme Candy Bar Wrapper. Customize the label with your own special message to your young guests!
3. Valentine's Cards: Have your young guests make fun Valentine’s for their special someone!  Put out markers and crayons along with construction paper, glitter, lace, and Valentine’s Day stickers.  Not only are these fun favors, but this activity will keep the kids occupied throughout the party.
4. Valentine's Candy Buffet: A candy buffet is always an exciting favor, especially with kids!  Make your buffet themed with red, pink, and white candies.  Red Hots, Smarties, Pop Rocks, and Hershey’s Kisses are all seasonal favorites.  Make sure to hand out Valentine’s Day Party Favor Bags for guests to fill!
5. Valentine's Day Lollipops: You can’t go wrong with a Valentine’s Day Lollipop!  Your young guests will jump for joy when they see these big impact favors.

Good luck planning your Valentine’s Day Party, and we have more Valentine’s Day Ideas for the Classroom to browse through, too.

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Easy Valentine’s Day Minute to Win It Party Games

Kids and adults alike will love to play these minute-to-win-it games this Valentine’s Day!  These fast-paced games will be sure to keep everyone entertained (especially if you’re hosting a Valentine’s Day for Kids), and they require little preparation and expense. 

All I needed to purchase were some Valentine’s Day paper goods (cups, plates, etc), a few boxes of conversation hearts, and a bag of mini-marshmallows. It was well worth it – my guests played these games for at least an hour! Take a look at the minute-to-win-it games below, and don’t forget to check out my other Valentine’s Day Party Ideas, too!

• Heart Relay: Put two red solo cups in front of each player, one empty and one full of candy conversation hearts. Players have one minute to transfer as many hearts from one cup to another using a plastic spoon. The player with the most hearts wins!
• Heart Stack: Give players one minute to stack conversation hearts as high as they can.  If a player’s stack topples over, they have to start again.  The player with the highest stack wins!
• Candy Heart Stand Up: Put a pile of candy hearts in front of each player.  They have one minute to stand up as many hearts on their sides as possible.  The player with the most hearts standing at the end of a minute wins!
• Marshmallow Transfer:  To fit the theme, buy pink mini-marshmallows that you can find in most grocery stores around Valentine’s Day. Fill a plate with marshmallows and put an empty plate right next to it.  Players for this game have one minute to transfer as many marshmallows from one plate to another using only a straw. (Think suction!)  The player who transfers the most marshmallows wins!
• Marshmallow Toss: This two player game will make quite a mess!  Give each partner a red solo cup, one filled with mini-marshmallows and the other empty.  Have partners stand 3-4 feet apart (use tape on the floor to mark the distance) – and go!  The player with the full cup has to toss as many marshmallows as they can into their partner’s cup in one minute.  The pair who gets the most marshmallows in the empty cup wins!

Don't forget to handout fun themed prizes to the winners!  Try a few of these Valentine's Day Party Favors:

• Valentine’s Day Theme Mint Tin
• Valentine’s Day Theme Candy Bar Wrapper
• Heart-Shaped Stress Balls
• Valentine's Day Stickers

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Office Christmas Party Chocolate Favor Ideas

Office Christmas Party Chocolate Favor Ideas

As you’re coming up with Christmas Office Party Ideas, make sure to send your co-workers home with a Christmas party favor that they’ll be sure to enjoy!  Chocolate!  Friends and co-workers at my Christmas office party will be munching the M&Ms and popcorn from these fun candy ornaments on their ride home.

Plus, I came up with five more delicious chocolate favors listed below that you can pass off to your guests as they’re headed out the door.  Nothing says Christmas spirit like a little chocolate treat!  Plus, they’re easy to make or order in large quantities. Keep it simple!  Need more inspiration?  Check out our other Custom Christmas Invitations and Party Favors, too.

These M&M ornament favors were so easy to make! I just filled a clear plastic ornament with half popcorn and half red and green Christmas M&Ms. With a little ribbon at the top, I was able to hang the ornaments all over our office Christmas tree.  Co-workers just took one off the tree as they headed home from the party!

5 More Christmas Chocolate Favors...

1. Christmas Personalized Candy Bar Wrapper: Choose a candy bar wrapper to match your party's theme! This easy favor works fantastic for large numbers.
2. Hot Chocolate Mugs:  Put packets of gourmet hot chocolate in a personalized mug. Wrap the whole thing in cellophane for a gift that will work for every guest!
3. Chocolate Dipped Spoons: Dip plastic or wooden spoons in melted chocolate and holiday sprinkles! Crushed peppermint, Oreos, and mini-marshmallows are fun, too.
4. Chocolate Ornaments: Put metal ornaments on a cookie tray covered in parchment paper.  Pour melted chocolate (mixed with walnuts, crushed peppermint, Oreos, etc) into the ornaments and cool them in the fridge to harden. Wrap each ornament individually in cellophane as a favor perfect for any sweet tooth!
5. Christmas Candy Buffet: Jars filled with chocolate covered pretzels and marshmallows along with Christmas favorites, like chocolate Santas will be instants favorites at your Christmas office party!  Make sure to pass out personalized Christmas party favor bags for guests to fill.

Enjoy planning your office party, and Merry Christmas from the Party Girl!

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• Plan a Christmas Gift Exchange
• Cookie Exchange

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