Posts Tagged: ideas

Parties — Comments Off
6
Jul 11

40th Birthday Party Ideas – Top 8 Dos and Don’ts to Make it a Milestone to Remember

Do you want to throw a 40th birthday party that truly celebrates the life of the guest of honor? Then it’s time to focus on that special person and make this a happy occasion. Here are the top dos and don’ts to help get you there.

1. DON’T procrastinate. Get started right away. Give yourself enough time to come up with ideas, do the planning, and order anything custom or personalized. Make sure all the details come together with time to spare.

2. DO send out great invitations. The right invites will grab your guest’s attention, set the tone for the party and generate excitement for the upcoming festivities. One good choice is photo birthday invitations with multiple pictures of the celebrant at different ages. Or, you could select a design that ties into your theme, highlights your guest of honor’s interests, is funny or nostalgic. Just make sure it communicates that this is an occasion that can’t be missed.

3. DO ask guests to contribute photos and stories about the guest of honor. Collect them all and put them in a memory book as a gift for the celebrant. Or, you could compile them into a PowerPoint presentation to be shown at the birthday party.

4. DON’T skip the birthday party favors. It’s a nice gesture to give your guests a little parting thank you gift for sharing this happy occasion. Look for something inexpensive, useful, unique and personalized; maybe even with a photo of the celebrant. This kind of keepsake serves as a nice reminder of the wonderful celebration to all who attended.

5. DON’T make fun of the fact that he or she is turning 40. An over the hill party, complete with Grim Reaper decorations and wrinkle cream gag gifts, may seem like a good idea, but some celebrants may be uncomfortable with the joke.

According to a recent study conducted by MetLife, 65% of the population wish they were under forty. So, instead of teasing him or her about this milestone, make this a celebration of another year of growth. Why not throw a party commemorating the 19th anniversary of their 21st birthday. Unless you are absolutely sure he or she has no qualms about their age, stay away from the jabs.

6. DO look into alternatives to traditional settings for this milestone. A 40th birthday party at a restaurant, rented hall or even at home can be wonderful. But if you’re looking for something unique, you might have the celebration at the zoo, botanical gardens, amusement park, ski lodge or beach. How about inviting guests to join you for a tour of a winery, day at the spa, or a hot air balloon ride? If there’s something that the guest of honor loves to do or has always wanted to try, think about building your plans around that activity.

7. DON’T rule out a smaller celebration. Take into consideration the guest of honor’s preferences. Would he or she love to be the center of attention at a big bash? Or is the celebrant the quiet type, who would enjoy a less crowded venue? You don’t have to go over the top to make this 40th birthday party memorable. Plan a dinner cruise with a few close friends or an all night movie marathon featuring his or her favorite movies. You can emphasize the quality over the quantity.

8. DO consider a theme party. Invite your guests to a fiesta for the celebrant who is spicy at 40, and they will anticipate a fun-filled occasion. This celebration could be a tropical luau, retro 70’s dance party complete with a spinning disco ball or a costume party where guests dress up as their true inner selves. Whatever direction you choose, everyone will imagine a lively night before they even get there. Going with a theme will help break the ice when guests arrive and will keep them talking long after the event is over.

So, plan in advance. Send out eye-catching, personalized invitations. Ask the guests to share pictures and memories, then send them home with cool party favors. Build the festivities around the celebrant’s personality and interests. Make it unique. And give that special person a 40th birthday party they will never forget.

Parties — Comments Off
20
Jun 11

NHL Hockey Party Supplies & Party Planning

NHL hockey is back! With the new season comes a really cool new party supplies line that will make throwing the perfect hockey party seem like a breeze. I also have some great ideas to throw the ultimate street hockey birthday party regardless of the season! Winter or Summer, on snow or on pavement – a hockey fan is a hockey fan!

Invitations: Take a picture of the birthday child in their hockey gear for the front of the invitation. Make it a really cool pose with a hockey stick or in front of a net because this is going to made into a trading card invitation! Using card stock paper, trace out the accurate size of a trading card and then glue the pic onto it. On the back of the card instead of the stats, write the party information. Use your computer and some really cool black font for this. The last step would be to laminate or “mac tack” the card. You could hand them out as is or take it one step further. Along with the card, you could send a letter from the NHL Hockey League stating that they have been drafted by the NHL and they are required to report for practise along with their teammates from all across the country. Be sure to include the date, time and request that they come prepared with stick & jersey. Sign it by the president of the NHL or the head coach of your child’s favourite team place in an envelope and seal. Don’t forget the clip art logos to make it look super official!

Activities: A street hockey game of course! When all of the guests arrive, have a meeting in the locker room and tell them what they will be doing for their first day of practise. Take a moment to explain the rules of a street hockey game and the importance of good sportsmanship. Then surprise them with their very own jersey name plates. Before the party, use your computer to write out each child’s last name in bold print and laminate. As you call out names, pin each name tag to the back of the child’s jersey and assign them a team by pulling names or colours out of a hat. Have a few jerseys on hand in case some come without. Once everyone is geared, up, it is time to head out. The prep for the playing field would be 2 nets on opposite ends with the center line and the goalie crease lines marked out. On dry pavement this can be done with chalk and on snow this can be done with watered done poster paint. Face Off! Have some referees with whistles and cheerleaders with Pom Poms. Make sure to have plenty of water and sports drinks available. Have a fire blazing in a portable fire pit to warm up on a cold Winters day and a Sprinkler set up for the kids to run through on the hottest summer day. You really can have a hockey party all year round! If weather does not allow you to be outside or if you simply prefer the party to be indoors try these fun games and activities. Have an indoor hockey tournament using an air hockey table or a rod hockey table. If you don’t already have a table, chances are you know someone who does. Play “slapshot” using a goal, a stick but instead of a puck or ball, use a beach ball. It won’t hurt even if it does hit something or someone! Keep the net empty and the shooter about 15 feet back. Its harder than you might think! Be sure to have a hockey game playing on TV and a separate area set up with a gaming system like Wii or PlayStation where they can play their favourite hockey game.

Decorations: Even though the premise of this plan is to be outdoors most of the time, it still is fun to decorate one area of your house that may be used like the kitchen, where the food and cake are served, or the living room where the presents are opened. Decorate with the NHL licensed tableware and decorations. Decorate your walls with hockey memorabilia like posters, pictures and pennants. Place around old pucks, helmets, skates, jersey’s or sticks that are not in use to give it that real locker room feel. Finish the decorations off with balloons and streamers in your child’s favourite teams colours.

Menu: Go with stadium food. Serve hot dogs in foil , nachos in take out boxes and french fries out of paper cups. Keep it simple. This way the guests can eat indoors, outdoors or on the go. You might just have to drag them in for cake and presents though!

Loot Bags: Throw a twist into the regular tradition of the loot bag. Have an auction of sorts. Have a table full of items that the kids can purchase with their hockey money. Purchase a variety of favors like candy, pucks, hockey trinkets and even a few bigger ticket items. The idea would be for every kid to have around the same amount of money at auction time – $2000. The first time they receive money is when they arrive – Their $500 signing bonus. Throughout the game give $100 bonuses for sportsmanship, good manners and teamwork. Monopoly money works great. The actual cost of the items can rage from .99 to $5.00. For example, the .99 items should cost $100 in hockey money and the $5.00 items costing the whole $2000 in hockey money. Some kids may go all in for 1 item, and some may choose several small. The key is to have a wide variety of all price ranges. Pick names out of a hat to see who goes first and in what order. To be fair, have them choose only 1 item, whether its big or small. Keep going in order until everyone is out of money. Last of all, make sure to explain the auction well beforehand to avoid any confusion. The excitement level will be unbelievable as everyone is going home a winner!

Parties — Comments Off
20
Jun 11

Your Birthday Party – Why Wait For Someone to Throw You a Great Party When You Can Do it Yourself?

So no one is throwing you a big spectacular party this year to commemorate your birthday? Then this is the perfect opportunity to finally get the birthday party of your dreams by planning it yourself!?No, you’re not going to raise any eyebrows or get any strange looks.?Just follow these simple tips.

Birthday Party Invitations

It doesn’t matter whether you go for the beautiful 5 x 7 photo birthday invitations with multiple photos of yourself or just invite people over the phone.?What does matter is how the invitation is worded.?Instead of projecting that the party is all about honoring you, let your guests know that, In fact, it’s about honoring them.?They are the blessings in your life.?And as you come to the close of another year, there’s nothing that would make you happier than to share this special day with them.

What About Gifts?

Their presence is your present.?So, of course, you don’t ask for gifts.?Actually, you might?want to discourage them.?You could even include that point in the invitations.?You may still get a few gifts, but the objective of this birthday party is to have a great time celebrating with people you care about, and not accumulating more stuff.?/p>

Another option would be to say something like, “I don’t need anything, except your company. But if you still feel like you should give me something, a donation to the animal shelter would be cool.”?Let you guests know that you’re not having this party to get a pile of presents, but to spend meaningful time with them.

Yes, to Party Favors!

With most parties, favors are a nice gesture, but optional.?However, if you decide to throw yourself a birthday party, it’s a good idea to invest in these little thank you gifts.?Your birthday favors can range from inexpensive tokens to homemade creations to full-blown goodie bags.?But it’s not how much you spend, but the sentiment you convey.?/p>

Make your famous chocolate chip cookies and pack them in a decorative container with the recipe.牋 You can select favors that tie into your party’s theme or reflect your unique personality.?If you’re inviting only a select few to your party, you might want to purchase individual inexpensive gifts for each person.?Another idea is to choose personalized photo favors that include a message that spells out how much you appreciate your guests.

Let’s Get The Party Rolling

Now, comes the fun part.?You and you alone get to decide how you want to celebrate your birthday.?Do you want a big bash with a DJ??How about an intimate gathering of your closest friends??Should it be at home or at a restaurant??You can choose exactly who you want to invite, what food you want to include, where you want to have the party and every other detail.?/p>

You don’t even have to have a traditional party.?What do you imagine as your perfect birthday party??Here are some ideas to consider:

Theme Party – These can be a lot of fun! You could go with a luau or fiesta.?Other possibilities are Hollywood glamour, casino night, winter wonderland or jungle safari. You might want to throw a retro party, either 50’s do-wop, 60’s rock or 70’s disco.

Destination Party – Is there some place you’re dying to go??Plan a trip to coincide with your birthday.?Send out save the date cards with a website address that includes all the trip particulars, like air fare, hotel rooms, itineraries, etc.?It takes a lot of planning to get a whole group of people organized for a trip, but it could make this the birthday to remember.

But destination parties don’t have to be just to some exotic locale far away. You can invite your friends to your party at your local zoo, the beach or a night out on the town in the city.?Take a dinner cruise. Organize a picnic in the park.?Choose an interesting nearby location for something different.

Activity Party – Is there something you would like to do or even learn how to do on your birthday??You could get a group of friends together to go horseback riding, take a hot air balloon ride, take dance lessons or learn to surf, just to name a few possibilities.?/p>

Whatever you do to turn your birthday into a party, don’t just let it pass you by.?Seize the day! You have a right to celebrate your birthday with the people you love. You don’t have to wait for someone to plan a great birthday party for you.?So, go for it – and have a really happy birthday!

Crafts-Hobbies — Comments Off
10
Jun 11

Kids Bible Crafts – Fun Ideas For Sunday School

Many Sunday School teachers and Vacation Bible School teachers have to find kids bible crafts to use with the children in their classes. They have to find crafts that will teach the stories from the bible and that entertain children as well. There are many options available for these teachers that the kids will enjoy creating.

Popsicle Sticks

Popsicle sticks are extremely inexpensive and can be bought in bulk. Popsicle sticks can be used to create a variety of interesting projects. They can be painted to resemble almost anything and can be glued together to create large-scale projects. One project kids can make using popsicle sticks is Noah’s Ark. After children learn the story about Noah building the ark to survive the flood, they can build an actual ark using the popsicle sticks and even paint the sticks to look realistic. They can further replicate the ark by adding details to it such as animals.

Posters

Kids bible crafts should involve art projects because kids love to create their own art. One art project that kids like to complete involves making posters. Bible stories can get confusing for kids because they tend to forget how the people in the biblical stories are related. For each bible story they read, kids can create family trees for the people involved in the stories on poster board. Children can use poster paints, markers, or colored pencils to create large-scale family trees. This will help them remember how the biblical characters are related to one another while they are reading the stories in Sunday School or Vacation Bible School. These family trees can be hung on the walls for decoration after they are completed.

Storyboards

Storyboards are a great way for kids to recreate the biblical stories they have read or learned about in class. Kids can draw their own storyboards for stories such as Daniel and the Lion’s Den. This allows children to plot out the basic story in a series of boxes in chronological order. They get to use their artistic skills to draw the stories as they see them in their heads and imaginations. They get to use their creativity to bring the bible stories to life. They can color these storyboard illustrations using colored pencils or markers. Some children might even want to paint their storyboards using brushes and paint. Some Sunday School teachers or Vacation Bible School teachers have their kids create large storyboards on big pieces of wood or wooden screens to use as decoration around the classroom.

Kids bible crafts don’t have to be expensive or hard to create. Most children just like to use art supplies and be creative, so the crafts presented here are perfect for them. The looks on their faces after they create a replica of Noah’s Ark or a family tree poster or a gigantic storyboard are worth it. They feel pride in their crafts and have learned about the bible stories while creating art.

Holidays — Comments Off
6
Jun 11

Creative Holiday Gift Ideas for the Person Who Has Everything!

Tired of giving the same old-same old? Embarrassed to give out those impersonal department store gift certificates because you’re stumped and don’t know what to buy for the person who has everything? Well, here are some wonderful ideas for unique gifts; some unusual, some personal; something for everyone on your list!

Group two, three or more items (mix and match) and place in an interesting basket or unusual container to present your gifts, covering the container with colorful cellophane and topping it all off with a fancy ribbon and bow.

Purely Personal

- Scented candles, handmade soaps, bubble bath and a big fluffy bath towel.

- Fancy hair ties, hair clips, shower gel, shampoo and conditioner for the teenage girl

- A movie night basket with a video of DVD of a movie you know they don’t have, a box of microwave popcorn, candy and a movie guide book

- An interesting book or magazine (and a gift subscription), a tiny booklight, a cute mug and packets of hot chocolate with mini marshmallows, or a small bag of flavored gourmet coffee

- A cozy robe – one pocket containing envelopes of hot chocolate and the other, a small bag of mini-marshmallows.

- A spa day with a pair of comfy slippers and a big fluffy towel or robe

- A set of fancy beeswax candles and a brass candle snuffer

- A towel wrap, terry-cloth slippers, shower soap, shaving lotion and a fancy hair comb (or a special moustache comb for the moustached man!)

- A hot/cold pack (see how to make – www.whimsies-online.com/hotcoldpack.htm) with a box of soothing herbal teas and a whimsical mug

- Buy a variety of medium to large seashells and fill some of the shells with melted red wax and a few drops of cinnamon candle scent; and the rest of the shells with melted green wax and a few drops of pine candle scent; adding a short wick before the wax sets and you have an assortment of bath candles all ready for the holidays.

Holiday Bath Salts

2-1/3 cups of epsom salts

1/2 cup of sea salt

5 drops of peppermint scent

3 drops of red food coloring

Pour half of the first three ingredients into a bowl. Pour the other half of the ingredients into another bowl, adding the red food coloring only to the second bowl. Using a tall, clear bottle, layer contents of each bowl until all ingredients are used up (think red and white stripes). Close the bottle and tie with a festive ribbon and a couple of small candy canes.

- The Gift of Time: coupons for one night of baby-sitting, car washing, gardening, cleaning out the garage, walking the dog, re- arranging a closet, etc.

Hobbies and Sports Gifts

- Tickets to their favorite game and a sweatshirt or t-shirt imprinted with their favorite team logo

- Art supplies that they use often – sketch pads, paint in often- used colors, charcoal pencils, etc.

- Scrapbooking supplies, storage boxes to keep supplies in, rubber stamp set, embossing powder and heat gun

- Computer supplies: CDRW’s, blank CD cases, a furry Pet Virus novelty or a Virus Survival Kit just for fun (www.petvirus.com)

- For the aspiring writer (or student): folders, pencil case, binders and lined paper, fancy colorful pens, notebooks, personalized notes, a good thesaurus and dictionary, an agenda or diary, colorful post-it notes and a personalized CD coaster to hold their favorite mug of coffee (see how to make one – http://www.whimsies-online.com/cdcoasters.htm)

- For the young artist of craftsperson: a craft box with handle; colorful paper squares, set of scissors with different fancy blades, glue, felt in an assortment of colors, wiggly eyes, lengths of colorful wool, colored pipe cleaners

- For the person who love to bake: a set of cookie cutters in letter and number shapes, a pair of colorful oven mitts, a cute timer, a set of fancy cake tins, mixing bowls, cookbook on baking

- For the BBQ chef: BBQ apron, mitts, a set of large salt and pepper shakers, a BBQ brush, a BBQ recipe book

- A large interesting piece of pottery, kitchen utensils, a cookbook, a set of cute salt and pepper shakers, apron and potholder set

- A fancy flower pot with gardening tools, plant ties, garden gloves, a plant care guide and a kneeling pad.

Fancy Food Gifts

- Chocolate-dipped Spoons: buy heavy clear plastic spoons and dip them in melted chocolate, either all dark or all milk chocolate or let cool and re-dip in melted white chocolate but only halfway up the spoon bowl. Sprinkle with abit of cinnamon before the white chocolate dries for a variation. Let dry on wax paper. Wrap individually in colorful cellophane and tie with a curly ribbon. Add a couple of chocolate-coated spoons in a fancy mug along with packets of gourmet coffee.

You can also add abit of extract or liqueur or even cherry juice to flavor the chocolate before dipping.

For another variation on the chocolate-covered spoons, sprinkle the spoons with finely-crushed candy canes and let dry.

Drizzle melted white chocolate onto your dark chocolate-dipped spoons or drizzle dark chocolate onto your white chocolate-dipped spoons for a different look.

- Here’s a different twist to your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. Make up a batch, let cool and then dip them halfway into melted chocolate. For a variation, add a sprinkle of coconut or candy sprinkles before the chocolate coating dries.

- Here’s a way to use up those little plastic coffee creamer containers you’ve been saving. Check out this yummy recipe: Coffee Creamer Cherry Chocolates – http://www.whimsies-online.com/cherries.htm

- Breakfast Treat Basket: pour a box of pancake mix into a clean glass jar. Add the lid, cover the top of the jar with a square of pretty scrap fabric and tie on a colorful ribbon or raffia. Type the recipe from the pancake box and print it out onto cardstock to hole-punch and add to ribbon before tying the finishing bow.

Add small zip-lock bags of the following: chocolate chips, dried fruit including raisins, walnuts, almonds, pecans, coconut. One or more of these added to the pancake mix makes a unique treat! Include a bottle of pancake syrup and the gift is complete.

- Muffin Magic: add your favorite muffin recipe to a 1 or 2-quart mason jar or clear, fancy container. Decorate the jar with a square scrap of fabric and tie with a ribbon or raffia. Add your recipe to a printed card (make sure you adjust your recipe if you’ve cut the ingredients by half to fit the jar!). Include a muffin tin, a wooden spoon tied with a pretty bow, a bag of fancy paper muffin cups and a colorful oven mitt or two.

- Pasta Perfect: an assortment of clear glass jars filled with fancy pastas, a wooden spoon tied with a festive ribbon, a shaker of mixed Italian spices and another of grated parmesan or romano cheese

- Your Fortune: mix up a batch of Chinese fortune cookies (see recipe at www.whimsies-online.com/weddinggallery.htm) that you add your own printed fortunes or silly sayings to (think Confucious Say!). Place them in a colorful tin from the dollar store.

- Caffeine-fix: a set of small tins filled with an assortment of special hot cocoa mixes and/or flavored coffee using the following recipes. Create tags for each to describe each mix and the directions. (All cocoa recipes: add 1/3 cup of mix to 6 oz. hot water. All coffee recipes: add 1 heaping teaspoon, or more, to 6 oz. of hot water)

Basic Hot Cocoa Mix

1-1/4 cup dry milk

3/4 cup powdered coffee creamer

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 cup sugar

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Mexican Cocoa

Add 1 tablespoon of cinnamon to above mixture and a cinnamon stick to the tin when you tie on the recipe card.

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Cocoa-Malt

1/2 cup malted milk mix

1 cup instant cocoa mix

1/3 cup powdered coffee creamer

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Very Berry Cocoa

Mix one package of unsweetened Koolaide in a berry flavor to 3 cups of instant cocoa mix

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Coffee ‘n Spice

1 cup instant coffee

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice or apple pie spice mix

1 cup sugar

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Mocha Magic

1 cup instant coffee

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup sugar

1 cup powdered coffee creamer

1/4 cup dry milk

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Toffee Coffee

Mix equal amounts of brown sugar, instant coffee and powdered coffee creamer

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Personalized Gifts

- An arrangement of family photos in a large frame – use nice gift wrap or other fancy paper as a background, or a collage of handmade papers from your art store.

- Any item personalized with the person’s name: a t-shirt with an interesting graphic along with their name; a personalized coffee mug; a picture of their favorite hobby or occupation in cartoon form with their name; a silly caricature made from their photo; a personalized BBQ apron.

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You’ll find a unique assortment of personalized cartoon pictures for any hobby, occupation or occasion and fun computer novelties including the Pet Computer Virus at:
http://www.whimsies-online.com. Be sure to pick up your free gift just for stopping by!

Holidays — Comments Off
15
Apr 11

3 Great Super Bowl Party Ideas

Its Super Bowl time again, invite over some friends and have yourself a party. Since most of the Super Bowl involves sitting and staring at the television screen you can get active for part of the day at your pre-game party. Invite guests over early to play a little game of touch football. This can also be a good game for the kids to play, especially if their complaining about their television time being taken up by football. It will get your guests active for the period of time before the game comes on and will get them into a competitive mood to watch the Super Bowl.

Create your own pre-game show to entertain the guests. You can act out a series of the most popular Super Bowl commercials. People will have fun trying to guess which commercial your skits are from. If you want you can make up your very own Super Bowl commercial. Try setting up the Karaoke machine at half time and have guests to take turns getting up to sing a few bars.

Place your snacks near guests during the game so that you don’t have a lot of people getting up and interrupted the game to go gets snacks in the kitchen. Naturally the party will involve beer and other drinks so you may wish to get out the cooler, fill it with ice and set it in the living room. Guests will be able to reach in and grab a drink without bothering anyone. Since there will be alcohol present you should start brewing some coffee towards the end of the game to help guests be more alert on the drive home. You may wish to make the guest room available for the occasional party goers that lives out of town or imbibed a little too much. Have a good party!

Parties — Comments Off
4
Apr 11

Elvis and the Golden Age of Rock and Roll Party

Elvis themed paper party goods can be popular retro-themes for many occasions honoring people aged eight to eighty. What’s really fun is to combine the rock and roll theme with one of the settings of his comedy movies. Rock around the clock, Jail house blues or blue Hawaii themes then take the Elvis memorabilia to a new decorating plane.

Probably the best of these possible decorating themes would be an Elvis in Hawaii Luau/ beach party. This hybrid theme allows the host or hostess to draw from a lot of different sources for both paper party goods as well as games and menu ideas.

While the 50’s era diner and rock-and-roll jukebox will be the simplified party theme there are also lots of Hawaiian Luau decorating ideas. The jailhouse rock Elvis party can feature a menu of bread and water. Better make than toasted bread cubes served with spinach dip in a hollowed out round bread loaf though. It wouldn’t hurt matters if the water was one of those more expensive bottled varieties though. The color scheme for table cloths and centerpiece might be the basic black and white stripe. This might be a fun card party or other simple occasion.

By contrast the Elvis Hawaiian Luau party menu can be very elaborate and even include the whole hog roast of traditional island fare. These cooking instructions are very involved and require a lot of preparation but will create a memorable occasion. A simplified version of luau pork is probably available from a local restaurant for carry out. Order ahead and have an accurate head count so that guests will not be slighted on the main course.

Regardless of which kind of main dish — whether pork or king crab — always add tropical fruit dishes and pineapple is expected.

Parties — Comments Off
29
Mar 11

30th Birthday Party Games

The big “”three-zero”" is cause for fear to some who hesitate to leave youth behind so its important that the 30th Birthday Party Games send a message that even aging people can still have fun. With that in mind, plus the fact that some youngsters may be invited to the party, why not revitalize fond childhood memories by playing popular games from earlier times?

30th birthday party games like Twenty Questions and Musical Chairs top the list of nostalgic games that never loose their appeal. Put an adult tone to twenty questions by limiting the words to be guessed. For example favorite drinks, trucks, footballs teams or computer programming languages may make a more interesting version of the game. The 30th birthday game proceeds as each participant gives only the hint that his chosen word is either an animal, mineral, or abstract concept and wins if no one is able to guess after at most twenty questions about the word are asked and answered by either “”yes”" or “”no”". Then look for harder categories still like internal combustion engines as apposed to electrical inductance motors, or peregrine falcon as apposed to chicken.

Musical chairs can take on a more evolved nature when Mozart or Merle is played instead of Pop Goes the Weasel at your 30th birthday party. Add a real twist by inviting an entertainer who specializes in playing the part of a living statue and have him dress as a chair. The first to sit in the arms of a living chair will get the party off to a howling start. This type of act is especially affective at a larger gathering in which the gag isn’t immediately seen by all who attend.

The 30th birthday is an emotional midpoint in the active life of an individual and it’s best to pull out all the stops for this elaborate party.

Holidays — Comments Off
29
Mar 11

Family Photo Christmas Cards – 6 Smart Solutions to the Top Challenges

Taking a great photo for the family photo Christmas card looks like it should be easy. But as any parent who has attempted this holiday ritual can tell you, it’s not as simple as it looks. What you want is a unique, beautiful photo Christmas card. And what you usually get is fidgety, uncooperative kids that blink just as you’re taking the picture. But don’t give up and throw in the Santa hat just yet. Here are 6 easy, smart solutions to those top challenges.

Challenge 1: You want a festive holiday background for your family photo Christmas cards, but don’t want to decorate your house with strands of lights and tinsel in November.

Solution: Use the Mall. Department stores and shopping malls are decorating for the season earlier and earlier, many times right after Halloween. These holiday backdrops are perfect for family photo Christmas cards. Gather the kids in front of the twinkling lights and a few camera clicks later, you’ll have a great shot.

Challenge 2: Your toddlers won’t sit still long enough to take the photo.

Solution: Bring in the props. Get out the oversized teddy bear or other toy that fascinates them. Try posing them with the dog or cat. Give them something simple to do, like ring a Christmas bell or kiss their sister on the cheek. Use trial and error until you find the item or activity that interests them long enough for you to take a few pictures.

Challenge 3: Your teenage kids don’t feel like posing for a family photo.

Solution: Don’t make them pose. Instead, make action the focal point of your photo Christmas cards, highlighting things that your teenagers love to do. Take photos of them showing off their abilities. Whether they are in the swimming pool, a canoe, sinking a basketball, riding a horse, baking holiday cookies, playing with the dog, or enjoying another activity, your holiday cards will offer a glimpse into your family’s interests and personality.

Challenge 4: You’d like to send photo Christmas cards that are witty and fun, just like your family.

Solution: Create your own holiday story picture, by setting up a scene. Here’s some ideas. The kids can discover Mommy kissing Santa Claus (Daddy in disguise). Put the young kids in a bubble bath with Santa hats and bubble beards. Capture a snapshot of each family member grabbing a slice of pizza with the message “pizza on earth”. Photograph an empty plate of cookies and finished glass of milk in front of “guilty” looking kids with the caption “sorry Santa!”

Those after Halloween costume sales can come in handy when trying to set up a whimsical photo. How about posing your little angels with angel wings you picked up at discount? Other possibilities could be your kids dressed as cats (Meowy Christmas), super heroes (have a super Christmas), a baby in a pea-pod costume (”peas on earth”) or a lion and a lamb costume for two children.

Challenge 5: You’d like a beautiful photo Christmas card that doesn’t look like the same, tired, group family photo you send out every year.

Solution: Change the location of your photo shoot. If you’re within driving distance to a beach, there are a lot of unique photo opportunities. Pose the kids on a sleigh on a sand dune. Write Merry Christmas on the sand, and have everyone sit behind the inscription. Build a sand snowman with a straw hat, sunglasses, and seashell nose.

Autumn provides a lot of great possibilities for photo Christmas cards. Try taking photos of the kids playing in a pile of leaves, in a pumpkin patch or on a hay ride. Make lovely scenery your backdrop and it can create atmosphere that elevates your photo Christmas card to a new level.

Challenge 6: When you struggle to take a family group photo, someone always blinks their eyes, turns their head or doesn’t smile. It seems nearly impossible to get one perfect shot where everyone looks good.

Solution: Choose a card company that offers photo Christmas card designs that contain multiple photos of your family. The latest trend in holiday photo cards is to include several of your photos on one card in a unique, holiday layout. This has become popular because it is much easier to take great, individual photos of your family members than one acceptable group picture.

Whatever particular challenge you face when composing your photo Christmas cards, there is an easy solution. Try these creative approaches and soon you’ll be hearing from your friends, relatives, coworkers and neighbors how much they loved this year’s family holiday photo card.

Parties — Comments Off
23
Feb 11

Perfect Party Food For Kids

Creating the perfect party atmosphere for kids is often a simple case of creating perfect party food; after all, a table bedecked with colourful decorations and fancy food items is the perfect place to set the mood for celebration. However, this is not to say that kids party food needs to be over the top or overly expensive, it just needs to look it!

The first thing that comes to mind for most when planning a party whether for adults or children is the food, we have visions of sticky finger marks smeared around the house, with squashed goop in the carpet and crumbs in almost apocalyptic proportions…we worry about fussy palettes and possible life threatening allergies, potential wastage if the food is not well received and of course the impending cost of feeding a dozen ravenous kids.

There are two things you can do to avoid any potential food disasters. One is to stick to a simple menu consisting of the most popular and perfect party foods tried tested and loved by children worldwide, and two, pre-divide the food into individual containers for each guest.

So what are the most popular party foods? Easy question, mini pizza, sausage rolls, sandwiches and crisps/chips. Even fruit is a guaranteed hit if you know how to present it.

But such obvious foods don’t have to be boring. These four or five simple party foods can be adapted to suit most dietary needs, party theme or age group. You can order some from a bakery, purchase ready made from the supermarket or make them at home and save some dollars. They can be jazzed up to look impressive and be presented in sweet or savoury version (more on that in another article), but no matter how you serve them up they are a guaranteed hit and should be the staple food at any party.

Once you pop all that scrumptious party food in a bag, basket or box and attach a name tag to ensure the right food goes to the right person you are in business. No greedy gobblers taking more than their share, no allergic reactions accidental consumption and an easy clean up job afterwards.

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