Fairies And Gnomes Party

Parties for the little ones are a great place to showcase your imagination. The children get excited about the small things too and they aren't judging or expecting things to be "Pinterest Perfect" so it's ok to not have every detail just right. Really, for kids, the best part is friends, cake and presents. The rest is icing on the cake (I totally meant to say that). Here is a nice plan for you to implement at home.

Décor

If you can, have this party outside in a safe nearby woodsy area. If not, then your backyard works well too. Use a red with white polka dots table cloth on your refreshment table to give it a gnome mushroom look. Use wooden salad bowls and new wooden cutting boards to display the food on. Have small potted plants (pansies are cute and fairy like) along the table. Create a fairy tent out of tulle. Set up some mini fairy gardens around the area.

Activities

Welcome the children with an activity where they can make their own fairy tiaras and gnome hats. Have one pre made sample of each to give them an idea of what the finished product will look like to be their guide. It can range from something simple made from paper, glue, glitter and crayons to something more elegant made with felt material, floral wire, flowers and hemp.

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Another fun activity is to paint bird houses. Get some small houses (you might find them at the dollar store if the season is right) at your local store that has a garden center and some non toxic paints. When they are done painting you can give the kids a small packet of bird seed to take home.

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Refreshments

Snails or better know as pinwheels. Take a large tortilla, spread with a yummy child friendly cheesy spread (such as a cream cheese, cheddar cheese, salsa, cubed chicken) and roll it up. Let it set in the fridge for a bit then slice.

Twigs aka pretzels.

Woodland berries which is basically a bowl full of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and cherries.

Toadstools. This can be done in two ways depending which you would prefer. Place toothpicks in cubes of white cheddar and top with half of a cherry tomato. Or you can place toothpicks in marshmallows and top with strawberries pointy side up.

Chipmunk chips aka banana chips.

Squirrely nuts. Any trail mix that suits your fancy works well.

Morning dew (cool water) or fairy punch to drink.

If you want to add some cookies or cake pops to the refreshment table, then that is your choice but I find that the cake is enough.

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May your little fairy or gnome have a wonderful party!

Party Food Bars

Instead of setting out platters of snack foods, try a food bar at your next party. These are really fun tasty options. It also makes the menu planning easy as you have a theme to build upon. Here are some food bar ideas:

Pasta Bar
Great for a dinner party as this is a satisfying meal plan. Set up serving bowls with different types of pasta, try three to keep it simple. Then have the next part the sauce selections. Then have topping selections. Here is a sample idea of what choices you could offer: Choose from macaroni, linguine or farfalle. Then select a sauce from marinara, alfredo or pesto. Finally embellish with a choice combination of grilled chicken, sliced sausage, sautéed prawns, roasted veggies, grated pecorino, shredded mozza, diced chillies, fresh chopped herbs.

Baked Potato Bar
Nice to enjoy alongside a bbq. Have a large roasting pan full of baked potatoes. Then set out small serving dishes with all the desired topping choices including butter, sour cream, chives, bacon, cheddar, broccoli in cheese sauce, chilli and anything else you want to offer.

Hot Chocolate Bar
Fantastic for a post ski gathering or for any cold night get together. Prepare some old fashioned stove top hot chocolate or have a variety of hot chocolate mixes ranging from classic to white hot chocolate. Have little serving bowls with topping options of mini marshmallows, sprinkles, chocolate shavings, crushed candy canes, whipped cream, cherries. To add a little more depth you can also include some sauces to drizzle such as caramel or fudge and dusting powders like cinnamon or cocoa. And offer some fun stir stick choices like chocolate dipped spoons and whole candy canes.

Waffle/Pancake Bar
Excellent for Sunday brunches. Have a platter of waffles. Offer choices of nutella, peanut butter, butter, selections of diced fruit, whipped cream, maple syrup, honey, or any flavored syrup.

Omelette Bar
Also perfect for brunch gatherings. Have a variety of veggies like mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, spinach. Offer some ham or bacon to add to the omelettes. Lastly, a selection of cheese like cheddar, mozza or gouda.

Yogurt Bar
Nice light breakfast or snack bar for your guests. Have several yogurt choices including Greek and classic fruit flavors. Have a selection of granolas, nuts, seeds, sliced bananas and berries.

Don't forget about the classic bar ideas of salad bar, sandwich bar and ice cream bar. You could make a bar out of a myriad of ideas. Think about what you'd like to serve and you'll find ways to turn it into a bar.

Try not to confuse a food bar with a buffet. Setting out a selection of cupcakes is not a food bar but rather a buffet. Setting out one of two types of cupcakes with several topping choices that dress up the cupcake with a myriad of options is a food bar.

Riveting Survivor Party For You And Your Friends

This at home version of Survivor is doable in one day but I must recommend doing this over a weekend camp out. There you can incorporate an extra element of the game including building shelter, fire, finding the water source, going without luxuries and rationing food. You can also more fully appreciate reward challenges such as chocolate. As an alternate option, you can start the game in the morning before breakfast and play all day in a park. The at-home-in-one-evening option is still fun but any reward challenges will have to be modified from winning food or matches to winning small gift certificates or something like that.

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Survivor Island

This is great if it’s summer as the outdoors will give you more space and a better Survivor feeling. However, you can do this indoors. We played a round indoors one year and it was still fun. Have an area or room set up for Exile Island. If it’s outside, pick a spot that has much flora. If it’s indoors, pick a room that will have enough clutter. This element is beneficial for hiding the individual immunity idol. The exiled tribe member won’t be in exile for too long so keep that in mind when hiding the immunity idol.

Set up an area for tribal council. Have a couple tiki torches, controlled fire pit, bench or beach chairs and a private voting area. If you are indoors, set up a separate room for tribal council with enough seating, candles, lit fire place (or several candles if no fire place) and a separate voting area.
Designate 2 places that are away from each other for each tribe’s camp. There the members will have a few moments to discuss strategy and alliances throughout the game.

Do include the following optional yet effective elements. Give each tribe a matching buff/scarf or anything you can find. Prepare a simple and rustic hidden individual immunity idol, tribal immunity idol and individual challenge immunity idol. Prepare a unique canister for the votes to be cast in. Also, have a video recorder set up for cast off members to say a few parting words. This is fun to watch after the game is over.

Tribe Challenges

Here you will find a variety of challenges. Use as many as you wish, add a few yourself or alter some as required. Depending on which version you will be playing (weekend campout, all day or condensed evening), you will have to decide which challenges to use for immunity or reward. You will also need to decide when you want to set up a merge depending on how many players you have attending. You can play the challenges in any order you choose. Some, however, are better when the numbers dwindle a bit. Just remember that after the first tribal council, the winning team will have at least 1 extra person and must sit the extra members out in challenges (not back to back though).

Survivor Tribe Challenge 1- make a puzzle out of the words “outwit, outlast, outplay” and divide the pieces into thirds. Place each third into a bag. Three members from each team will have to perform a challenge to get a bag of puzzle pieces. First tribe member will have to toss a marble into a cup from a designated throw line. Second tribe member will have to complete 20 proper push ups. Third tribe member will have to throw a snake eyes (2 dice rolled with 1’s). Fourth tribe member will have to untie the challenging knots on all three puzzle bags to release the pieces. The remaining tribe members will solve the puzzle. The first tribe to solve the puzzle will win.

Survivor Tribe Challenge 2- tribe members are tied together with a rope. They will navigate together in a yard area or nearby park searching for 5 treasure pieces. These treasure pieces can be anything you want but make sure it will be clear to the teams that those indeed are the pieces they need to find. First team to collect all 5 pieces wins.

Survivor Tribe Challenge 3- each tribal member will face a member from the opposite tribe. They will be in a sufficient sized space for a one on one type of dodge ball. They will each have 3 or so nerf balls or bean bags. They will have 30 seconds to see how many times they can hit the other tribe member. The team who scores the most hits will win.

Survivor Tribe Challenge 4- purchase enough unique food items for your tribes to eat. Some items can include chocolate covered ants, savory crisp mealy worms (I’ve seen these in candy stores), small jar of beef stew baby food, slices of boiled cow’s tongue and anything else that is not so ideal for the palate. Have 2 of each kind so 1 member from each tribe will face off to eat the same thing. Have the food items covered so the tribal members do not know what they are about to eat. Have the tribes sit across from each other in front of a covered food item. Start at one end with 2 members, 1 from each tribe. Those 2 will race to see who will eat up the entire food item first. The winner will score 1 point for their tribe.

Survivor Tribe Challenge 5- both tribes are blind folded except for 1 member on each tribe. They will be the eyes and guide for their tribe. The blind folded members will listen to their guide to complete the following task. There are pieces of fruit (such as a whole watermelon, pineapple and cantaloupe) scattered in the playing area. The blind folded tribe members must gather the fruit and place in the fruit basket which will be near the caller. First tribe to collect all their fruit wins.

Survivor Tribe Challenge 6- tribe members will be in a relay race position with their legs bound and locked. Get some inexpensive locks from the dollar store or hardware store. Use dog chains or a small rope with loops at each end for the locks to go through. The first member will not be bound. They will have the set of keys. They must solve a riddle before they can race to their first tribal mate to try the keys to see which one will unlock their lock. Then the second member must race over to the next tribal mate to see which key will unlock their lock and so forth until the last member has been freed and crosses the finish line. Basically, instead of a torch relay it is a set of keys relay.

Survivor Tribe Challenge 7- draw for pairs of tribal members from each tribe to face off. One tribe member will try to make the other tribe’s member laugh. They have 1 minute to do so. If the member laughs, then the other tribe gets a point. If the member does not laugh, then their tribe gets a point.

Individual Challenges

Here are a few individual challenges. Use as many as you wish, add a few yourself or alter some as required. Play them in your chosen order. I would limit the amount of reward wins versus immunity wins once the individual challenges are in play.

Survivor Individual Challenge 1- set up an area for a memory game. Have survival type items like rope, flint, matches, rice or whatnot. Try to have 18 pairs so it’s not an easy version. Cover them up. Have each castaway take a turn to uncover two items. If they make a match, they get a point and those items are no longer eligible for another player to receive a point for. Keep them in the game though to keep the level of difficulty the same for all players. You can play this in a couple ways depending on the number of players and the amount of time you have. You can allow each person 3 turns, or whoever makes 3 successful matches first will win, or play until all items have been matched or have a 15 min time limit. Whoever has the most matches, wins immunity.

Survivor Individual Challenge 2- have a survival true or false quiz. Give each player a piece of paper/cardstock with a T on one side and an F on the other. Read out the statement and once all players have decided and are showing their answer choice, reveal the correct answer. Whoever scores the most correct answers will win. Have a tie breaker question ready just in case.

Survivor Individual Challenge 3- have the survivors stretch out their arms to their sides, holding a bucket of water in each hand. Whoever can hold the buckets up the longest will win.

Survivor Individual Challenge 4- see which player can stand in tree pose (standing on 1 leg with the other leg bent and with the foot placed on inner thigh of standing leg) the longest.

Survivor Individual Challenge 5- have survivors put a puzzle together. Grab a few kiddie ones from the dollar store. Whoever completes it first will win.

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Have the last 3 survivors go to the final tribal council where they will plead their case in front of the jury (the last 7 to be voted off) to win the title of sole survivor. Their big prize could be $5 from each player that was collected in the beginning or a nice gift certificate for dinner for 2 or anything else you like. All the planning involved with this ultimate party is more than worth it! Definitely get your guests involved with some preliminary set up or recruit your family to do some grunt work. I guarantee you and your friends will have a blast and will reminisce for the coming years about this incredible Survivor party experience.

Amazing Race Party Theme

 

Some planning and work is required to have this Amazing Race Party Theme come together but it is definitely worth the effort. Here, you will find this birthday idea plan laid out for your convenience.

At each challenge you will require some sort of monitoring to ensure your contestants are playing fair and know what they are to do next. There are a couple of ways to adapt this idea depending on your situation and you can use 1 of 3 methods below:

1. Enlist help from family or friends who would prefer to participate in a different capacity than compete in the race.

2. Ask employees at specific locations to help hand out the next clue.

3. Use technology by having contestants use their iPhone to capture their challenge being performed and text message their next clue.

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Amazing Race Party Theme Prep Work:

Make up invitations for your party theme by using the Amazing Race colors of red and yellow. Include date, time, place and what guests need to bring: digital camera, $5 per team or $2.50 per person and comfy racing shoes.

Prepare small team bags of items required at designated challenges: garbage bag, latex gloves, cloth, biodegradable washing liquid, 20 flyers/brochures from Info Center and a city map. If you don't want to ask your guests to come with $2.50 each, then include the $5 per team bag.

If you have successfully enlisted human helpers for the race, then print or write up the 5 Route Info Clues (blue), 3 Detours (yellow) and 2 Road Blocks (red). Place them in designated envelopes and seal them. Ensure there is one for each team.

If you don't have helpers, ensure you have a good texting plan with your mobile provider. Pre-type clues in your text messaging templates so you can just send the text clue as needed.

Inform employees at specific race locations of the date and time for your Amazing Race party theme. Ensure them that your contestants will be well behaved.

At the start, ensure everyone has their bag of required items. Have everyone line up in the front yard, give each team their 1st Route Info Clue and then Start!

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Amazing Race Party Theme Game Challenges (feel free to adjust challenges as required)

1. Route Info Clue- Provide a clue to your town/city's tourist area that has at least one famous monument/statue. Depending on location, time of day and what is available you can specify how teams are to travel whether it be by foot/bike/bus/car.

2. Detour- At the tourist location each team will have to choose between "Collection" or "Inspection." In Collection, teams are to ask as many passer-bys to join them in one large group photo by this monument. Bonus points are awarded to the team who has the most people in their photo. For Inspection, teams are to identify and photograph 5 faults of the famous spot ranging anywhere from excessive bird poop to wearing away of statue from weather. Bonus points awarded to most spectacular fault.

3. Route Info Clue- Provide a clue to race to your local second hand clothing store. Depending on location, time of day and what is available you can specify how teams are to travel whether it be by foot/bike/bus/car.

4. Road Block- Once the team arrives they receive their Road Block clue which will read "Who's ready to showcase their style?" The one member of that team then goes into the store to pick out and put together a fabulous trendy outfit for a total of $5. They will have to fashion this outfit the remainder of the race. Bonus points to the team with the most stylish outfit.

5. Route Info Clue- Provide a clue to have teams race to the town/city's dirtiest (but safe) location. Depending on location, time of day and what is available you can specify how teams are to travel whether it be by foot/bike/bus/car.

6. Detour- Each team will have to choose between "Pick Up" or "Fix Up." For Pick Up, teams will have to pick up surrounding trash and fill up the provided garbage bag. For Fix Up, teams will have to wash an object with provided washing liquid and cloth at the location such as a bench or statue.

7. Route Info Clue- Provide a clue to have teams race to a playground. Depending on location, time of day and what is available you can specify how teams are to travel whether it be by foot/bike/bus/car.

8. Road Block- Once the teams arrive they are provided with the Road Block clue which will read "Who is ready to get in touch with their inner child?" The team member will have to complete a series of kids activities on the playground which can include jumping from a moving swing, hanging upside down on the monkey bars, walking up a slide and sliding down the fireman's pole. Bonus points awarded to the team member who jumps the farthest from the moving swing- use the digital camera to capture the distance.

9. Route Info Clue- Provide a clue to have teams race to the town/city's busiest gas station. Depending on location, time of day and what is available you can specify how teams are to travel whether it be by foot/bike/bus/car.

10. Detour- There, each team will have to choose between "Information Highway" or "Clean Machine." Information highway requires teams to hand out a stack of 20 flyers/brochures of an upcoming event in the city or popular tourist spot. The flyers/brochures are to be handed out to customers of the gas station. Clean Machine requires teams to offer to squeegee 10 customers windsheilds. Upon completion, provide the clue to race to the finish line.

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Amazing Race Party Theme Prizes The first team to complete the amazing race wins the grand prize. This can be anything from a gift card to tickets for an upcoming event.

The team who has the most bonus points can win a smaller prize that can be anything from Lindor Lindts to the Amazing Race board game.

Everyone else that participated can receive a small party favor goodie bag to enjoy with the next episode of Amazing Race such as a bag of microwave popcorn and a bottle of preferred beverage.

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Amazing Race Party Theme Menu You may not be able to race around the world in one night but you can eat food from around the world. Here are some fun international dishes for your party theme:

Caribbean Ginger Beer, Tropical Pina Colada, Japanese Sushi, Indian Samosas, French Mini Quiches, Mexican Nachos, Italian Bruschetta, American Buffalo Wings, Latino Empanadas, Middle Eastern Falafel, Swedish Gravlax, Australian Sausage Rolls and Senegalese Black Eyed Pea Fritters. Some of these are easy to buy ready made.

Your Amazing Race Party Theme birthday cake can be from a couple of fun choices. You can simply have a sheet cake and decorate it to look like your country's flag. Or you can have an international cake like German Black Forest cake, Danish Butter cake or Hungarian Torte.

This party theme will be a hit with your guests and you all will have fun and memories of this bash.

Hollywood Theme Party

Your Glitz and Glam Hollywood Theme Party

Having a Hollywood theme party for your birthday will have you feeling like a star.
Use gold paper and cream colored cardstock to prepare invitations. Decorate them with embossing, ribbon, vellum or glitter. Ask your guests to dress in their best Hollywood gown/suit.

Do unroll a red carpet towards your entrance. Ask family or friends to act as paparazzi to take plenty of pictures of your guests arriving and throughout the night. Have a special photo spot by the entrance including floor spot lights angled against a glamorous backdrop. This could be a large white sheet that has been embellished with Oscar images, stars or “Happy Birthday” written in a fancy style.

For your main party area, use many mini white lights. Use white and gold with touches of black as your decorating colors. Place red or black curtains around the TV to resemble a movie theatre screen and play classic black and white Hollywood pictures in the background on mute. Rent a popcorn machine and place it near the “theatre screen.” Place an Oscar or three on the appetizer table or in any other appropriate spot. You can purchase these at any store that does trophies and sometimes dollar stores carry them around Oscar season.

Have a special screening of a foreign short or local film short if you have access to any (check with the local drama/acting college). Or better yet, have some of your guests prepare five to ten minute movies. Then screen them together and award Oscars to the best of. For this really fun option, ensure your invites are out well enough in advance for guests to get together to shoot a short for the party. After the special screening, enjoy a dance party!

There’s just something glamorous about chocolate, seafood and bubbly. For a fancier refreshment table, set up a chocolate fountain with gourmet marshmallows, fruits and rice crispy squares to dip in. You can buy table top chocolate fountains at your local kitchen store. Have sparkling apple juice (or another flavor) and real flute glasses to serve it in. Have a seafood appetizer platter with smoked salmon, prawns, bacon wrapped scallops and fresh oysters in the half shell on crushed ice.

To really take it up an exclusive notch, include a little caviar with your Hollywood theme party. A 2 oz jar will serve approximately 8 people if used on canapés. If served with toast points, then it will serve about 4 people. Do not open the jar until ready to serve. Do not use a metal spoon as that will leave a metallic taste on the roe. Lift the spoon carefully as not to mush the delicate eggs.

With some fine touches, attention to detail and a decadent menu your Hollywood theme party will be a hit.

Swap Party

Well, it’s no secret that many are affected by the hard economic times out there. And shopping is one of those luxuries that gets cut. So, why not have a swap party where you can ‘shop’ for new stuff without having to spend anymore of your already stretched money? This party is also a perfect opportunity to get together with your friends and exchange your stuff with something new for you!

This Party’s Swap Theme Can Be Anything You Can Think Of

Some swap party theme ideas include:

Entertainment theme- everyone brings CD’s and DVD’s they no longer watch or listen to.

House and home theme- bring items that beautify the home such as vases, plants, throw pillows or whatnot.

Fashion theme- have everyone bring clothes, shoes and/or jewellery that are still in good condition.

Tool time theme- bring tools, paints, usable scrap wood and such to swap towards your new building plans.

Baking exchange theme- everyone brings 6 dozen of something and swaps it with a dozen of this and a dozen of that. This is fantastic during the Christmas season to cut down on the multitude of recipes you have to bake down to just one.

Fragrance swap- everyone brings slightly used/almost full perfumes, candles, unopened lotions, soaps, potpourri, essential oils and anything else scented.

Toy exchange theme- have guests bring toys, kid craft supplies and/or children’s books.

Whatever it may be, emphasis to your guests to bring items that are like almost new.

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Swap Party Set Up

To keep swapping fair, everyone gets a token for each item they bring. This way if a guest brings 2 items to swap, they get to choose 2 "new" items with their 2 received tokens. At the end of the swapping when everyone has had their turn, guests can pick anything left over.

Set up your party area to have a boutique look where all the swap items can be displayed. Set up a long table or a few tables together in a U or L shape. If your swap will include smaller items like perfumes and nail polishes, have a little shelving unit on your boutique table. Have a table cloth to dress the table. Have gift bags and tissue paper at one end of the table ready to package everyone’s newly swapped items. Display a bouquet/pot or two of simple inexpensive flowers like carnations or pansies. Have a mirror if doing a clothing swap. If your theme is beauty items have an aloe plant or two on display. If your theme is a tool time exchange, set it up in the back yard. Have an extension cord ready to go to test out any tools that require electricity. Have the DVD player ready to go to test out DVD’s for the entertainment swap party theme. Blow up a couple balloons for the toy exchange. Whatever the swap theme you choose, use elements that co-ordinate with the theme to create a simple ambiance that compliments it.

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Refreshments

Have some refreshments ready. It is a party after all. Keep these simple too. If you’re having the baking exchange, then you’ll want to focus on savoury tapas instead of sweet. Have a simple yet fancy punch. To really keep with the swap party theme, you can have your guests bring a tray of appies or tapas to share like a potluck.

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Swap Party Activity

The swapping, mingling and eating will take the bulk of the party for activities. However, if you wish to add in one joint activity in which all your guests can take part in at one time, then try this idea. Have a mystery item that keeps in theme with your swap party. For example, for the baking exchange you can have a nice pampered chef item. Place your special mystery item in a box. Then wrap it in several layers of wrapping paper. Have your guests gather around in a circle. Place the well wrapped item in the center along with two oven mitts. Start at one end of the circle and have that guest roll two dice. If they roll doubles, then they quickly place on the oven mitts and start to unwrap the mystery present. Meanwhile, everyone else in the circle is still receiving their turn to roll doubles. As soon as someone else rolls doubles, then the other person has to stop unwrapping and quickly pass the new person the oven mitts and they take over trying to finish unwrapping that present. This continues on until someone successfully unwraps the present. The guest who does that will win the special mystery item. To make this game last long enough, really wrap the box well including duct tape and packing tape. Whatever swap theme you decide, it’ll be a fun party that will be successful and easy on everyone’s wallet!

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8 Easy Swap Party Recipes

These swap party recipes are fast and easy because they are more about assembly than making and baking.

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Swap Party Recipe 1- Bite Sized Nacho Cups

Use the tortilla chips that are scoop shaped. Fill each one with a little taco meat, diced jalapeno, salsa and shredded cheese. Broil until the cheese melts. Then place a small bit of guacamole and/or sour cream on top. Garnish with either one slice of olive or sprinkle of thinly sliced scallion.

Swap Party Recipe 2- Mediterranean Skewers

Use red, yellow and green cherry tomatoes. Cut each one in half. Use small skewers or toothpicks. Skewer one half of a tomato. Then skewer a basil leaf. Next skewer a piece of mozza cheese. Finish the skewer with the other half of the tomato. Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over top and season with salt and pepper.

Swap Recipe Party 3- Fried Perogies

Cook perogies according to the package instructions. Heat oil in a skillet. Place perogies in the hot oil and fry until crisp. Place on paper towel to absorb excess oil. In a small serving bowl, mix together some sour cream, crumbled bacon and chives. Place perogies around the bowl of dip. *You can do an Italian version of this with ravioli. Cook according to package directions and then fry the ravioli. Have a bowl of your choice of pasta sauce (marinara, alfredo, pesto, etc) to serve with them.

Swap Party Recipe 4- Veggies and Hummus

Prepare bite sized pieces of carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, radishes, snap peas, steamed green beans, celery and whatever fav veg you have. Serve it with hummus. This recipe uses black eye peas instead of garbanzo beans. Blend the following until smooth:
1 cup cooked black eye peas
¼ cup water
5 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp tahini
2 tsp garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste

Swap Party Recipe 5- Homemade Chips

Thinly slice enough purple potatoes, carrots and parsnips to make 1 cup. Toss with
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp garlic salt
½ tsp dill
Pepper to taste
Spray a baking sheet and place the veggies in a single layer. Bake at 350 F for 20-25 min.

Swap Party Recipe 6- Sandwich Cut Outs

Use a light and fluffy bread. Spread with any filling that would complement your theme. Try tuna salad, egg salad, softened cream cheese and cherry preserves, peanut butter and strawberry jam, salmon salad are to name a few choices. Take metal cookie cutters and cut out fun shapes. This especially goes well with the toy exchange theme.

Lucky # 7 The Drink Recipe- Easy Punch

Mix one part sprite with one part orange or berry juice in a punch bowl. Garnish with orange slices and/or frozen berries.

Bonus #8 The Dessert Recipe- Ice Cream Sundae Bar

You may choose to make this the only refreshment option. Have chocolate and vanilla ice cream ready. Have your topping selections in groupings along the bar. Here are some suggestions for great toppings:
Crushed oreo cookies/crushed chocolate wafers
Crushed biscotti
Diced frozen cookie dough bits
Well chilled small pieces of brownies
Chocolate chips
Mini marshmallows
Chopped nuts
Mini m&m’s
Mini rolos
Crushed skor bits
Crushed mint candies
Chopped strawberries
Crushed pineapple bits
Split bananas
Can of whip cream
Sprinkles
Frozen cherry halves
Chocolate crackle sauce
Hot fudge sauce warming in a fondue pot
Hot caramel sauce warming in a fondue pot
Nutella warming in a fondue pot
Berry sauce
Make up labels for your toppings so your guests know what tantalizing options are available. If your topping options are vast, come up with some topping combo ideas and have it written out. Give the topping  combo idea creative names. Have colourful bowls or waffle bowls as a serving choice for your guests.

Casino Theme Party

Did you know that casino is an Italian word that means small villa or little house?

It wasn’t until the 19th century when the word casino referred to public buildings for sports and gambling activities. The first gaming casinos were along the Mediterranean Coast. In 1931, Nevada was the first state to offer legal casino gaming.

For your casino themed party, present your guests to be with invitations that look like they came straight from Vegas. Get the largest deck of cards you can find. If you can’t find a large deck, then make a cards out of scrap booking cardstock. Place your party information on one side of the card and on the other side draw an Ace of hearts or whatever suit suits you.

Your casino themed party is all about the games. Clear out your furniture from your chosen room for the main gaming area. Set up tables for poker, blackjack, craps and have a long table for the races (see next paragraph for racing set up). If you are able, then set up a couple lap tops with slot machine games or any other casino type games along the perimeter of the room.

The horse racing game is quite simple. Have a long table covered with either green felt or a green plastic table cloth. Use a black marker or tape that is not transparent (like black electrical) to mark an oval horse racing track around the table. Divide the track into several spaces as would appear on a game board. The racers place a plastic toy horse on the starting square. Once the announcer calls “and there off” the racers each roll a die and move the amount shown. There is no taking of turns to roll the die. Every player rolls the die and moves as fast as they can. The goal is to roll and race until at the finish line.

Have a lotto draw every hour. Invite your guests to "buy" lotto tickets. Set a small price for each ticket. Take a lotto sheet from your local convenience store and make enough copies to use for your guests during your party. Use ping pong balls and write numbers 1-49 (or less for better odds) on them and use those to draw the winning numbers. The winner of each round gets the loot from that draws purchases.

Depending on your floor plan you can have an adjacent room set up as a sports lounge. Have your TV showing the current game surrounded by comfy seats. If you have a pool table or foosball table or air hockey table, then you can incorporate that into your party as a “Live from Vegas” style tournament. Have your refreshments served from this lounge.

Rent or even purchase some glitzy lit signs for that gaming ambiance. You can try a variety of stores depending on the area you live in. Try novelty stores, sporty hobby shops, party stores or your local DJ renting company. Have your tables covered with green felt or green table cloths and mark them to resemble the desired gaming table.

Make sure you have enough decks of cards, dice, chips, and prizes for the winners. Game prizes can include inexpensive gift certificates to popular coffee houses or tickets to an upcoming community event or any other door prize that is suited to your guests interests.

If you want to jazz up your party with a specific casino style such as Monte Carlo or Vegas theme, then include that on your invitations so guests can dress appropriately. A Monte Carlo style can be a formal black tie affair. Have French music in the background. For a Vegas style casino night you can encourage guests to dress like a famous Vegas entertainer. Elvis, Siegfried & Roy, Donny and Marie Osmond, Barry Manilow, Wayne Newton, Bette Midler, Cher, Tony Curtis, Liberace and Frank Sinatra are to name a few. Have those performers’ music playing in the background.
Your casino themed party will be a guaranteed hit!

Chocolate Spa Girls Night Party

Do you love dreamy delectable chocolate and luxurious treatments? Then this chocolate spa girls night birthday party will knock your socks off. The elements that make this party fabulous satisfy the five senses with the serenity of spas and sensuality of chocolate. You may not even want to wait for your birthday and have this girls night during the upcoming weekend! Here is how to have a delicious Chocolate Spa Girls Night Party.

Invitations

Use a chocolate colored cardstock with a white smaller cardstock centered on top of the chocolate one. Write invite details with either a lavender or chocolate colored pen. Include date, time, theme, address. Inform your girlfriends of items they will need to bring with them such as flip flops, their personal facial moisturizer, comfy clothes or fluffy robe and accessories to hold their hair back. Finish off the invite with a complimentary ribbon tied through two holes in the top.

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Chocolate Spa Supplies

~Lot’s of clean wash cloths and towels. Give them that true spa feeling by taking the towel length wise and instead of folding in half, fold into thirds. Then roll them up and stack them on top of each other in a wicker basket.
~Nail files, tweezers, nail clippers, cotton buds and cotton pads. Place them in containers such as stainless steel cups, glass cups or small wicker cups.
~Foot tubs for pedicure soaks. Include a paraffin wax container if you have access to one.
~Nail polish remover, nail polish (be sure to have some chocolate colors), nail buffer and a pumice stone.
~Homemade spa products for soaking salts, scrubs and facials. Recipes follow below.

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Ambiance

You want to choose colors that exude the feeling of spas combined with chocolate. Mocha, coffee, cocoa and clean white is your base color. Add accents of lavender and/or mint for a breeze of serene color. Lot’s of chocolate and vanilla scented candles and green leafy plants around the chocolate spa sitting area. Also, have glass or white bowls with mint candies and chocolate bon bons. Have lavender colored plates and chocolate colored napkins on the refreshment table. Use real glasses for beverages. Put a few potted mint plants along the refreshment table and one potted lavender plant in the center. Have a CD of soothing instrumental music or nature sounds or combination of the two playing softly in the background. Fill the air with an essential oil blend that will compliment and enhance the chocolate and vanilla scented candles. Turn off all TVs, computers, phones (or put on vibrate) or anything else that will take away from the blissful atmosphere.

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Games/Activities

The main activity of the night is the spa treatments of facials, manicures and pedicures. It’s always nice to have one game to play to get us all in on one conversation. A good game for your crowd is something I like to call “Would you rather…” Now this is a very simple game that doesn’t require any purchase just imaginative comparisons. Here are a few to start you off…
1. Would you rather date Jon Bon Jovi or Jack Black (you can choose any 2 famous guys)?
2. Would you rather go on a shopping spree in Paris or lounge on a beach in the Maldives?
3. Would you rather marry an old millionaire or a young poor stallion?
4. Would you rather win an Oscar or a Grammy?
5. Would you rather give up chocolate or give up men?

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Spa Recipes

 ~Chocolate Spa Soaking Salts:
1 cup Epsom salt
1 cup Sea salt
3 tsp cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 drops orange essential oil (optional)
Combine the dry ingredients then add the wet and mix well. Keep salts in closed container to prevent aroma from evaporating.

~Mocha Scrub:
1 c sugar (brown is more luxurious but white will do)
3 tbsp cocoa powder
3 tbsp caffeinated coffee
1 tsp vanilla extract
Sunflower oil as needed to make a moist scrub consistency. Keep in a closed container to prevent aroma from evaporating.

~Chocolate Sundae Facial:
½ c plain yogurt
1/3 c strawberries
2 tsp cocoa powder
Mash and mix together. Apply to a clean face and leave for 15 minutes.

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Refreshments

Fruit Kebabs with Chocolate Spa Dipping Sauce
Black Bean Brownies
Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Centers
Spa Water

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Chocolate Spa Birthday Party Favors

Send your happy relaxed guests home with the following party favors:
-A mini potted mint plant (ensure you have the right amount on your refreshment table)
-A small cellophane bag with some Chocolate Spa Soaking Salts. Tie the bag with three narrow ribbons. One is chocolate colored, the second is white and the third is your accent choice of lavender or mint.
-A couple Lindor Lindts

Golden Birthday

It’s a big deal when you turn the age of the date you were born. My golden birthday was when I turned 25 on the 25^th. I spent the whole day celebrating and treating myself to something wonderful. Some of the things I did included- massage, hair appointment, makeup done by professional, special lunch, surprise evening plans by friends. It was a blast. Everyone gets a golden birthday and here are some ideas to implement for you special day.

 

Golden birthday for the kiddies

Many people are born in the first few days of the month. My husband is born on the first and my son on the fourth. I feel a little sorry for these individuals as they don’t have a hand in planning the special birthday and they may have a family who doesn’t make it a special big day. I mean, really though, does the infant turning one really care that this monumental birthday is happening on the first of the month? Highly unlikely! But still, hopefully mommy or daddy or whoever will make it somewhat special and keep the memories with photos or video clips. Here are some ways to make this birthday special from the rest:

-          Key to planning is to think about and incorporate the child’s favorite things at the time. My girl’s favorite at one time was Mickey Mouse. So her birthday was all about Mickey/Minnie Mouse from the décor to the activity to the music to the goodie bags to the mouse ears on her head.

 

-          Host the party at a venue other than your home. Is your little one turning five and a big fan of the nearby zoo or aquarium or theme park? Make it a fun day there with either just family and a close friend of his/hers. Or ask the attraction if they offer birthday party plans and set something up for them.

 

-          Got vacation time saved up? Why not take a little budget friendly trip nearby for the night. Camping is always fun for the little ones. My kids would be in heaven if I let them live outside! Or maybe there is a nearby city that has a cool attraction like a dinosaur museum or space center. Book a night in a hotel with a pool and spend the day out then some fun family time splashing in the pool. Or maybe you have some family or close friends who live on a farm to visit and have a party with them. Little Buford or Bertha will love you for it!

Golden birthday for the tweens and teens

These individuals will remember and be super excited to plan something uber special as this age group is quite thrilled when the world revolves around them even if for just one day. You also have more freedom to plan a variety of things as their age can handle a myriad of activity. The only hiccup would be if your child is turning say sweet sixteen on the 16^th. Sweet sixteen is already a special birthday and now has to be shared with the golden birthday as well. It can still be made quite special. 

-          Again the key to this is to think about your child’s favourite things and plan the details around that. Maybe your about to be 15 year old is in love with One Direction. Is there a concert coming to a town near you? I guess the odds of the child’s favorite band performing on the date of his/her birthday is slim, but it doesn’t hurt to check it out.

 

-          Expanding on the One Direction example, you could take them out to any show in a genre they like such as a play or orchestra performance or ballet.

 

-          Again, hosting the party at a venue other than your home is a great way to go. Check out places that interest your child (could be a restaurant or an ice skating arena or a bowling alley or aquatic center) and look into having the birthday party there.

-          Have a special menu of the special birthday girl/boy’s favorite food. Or before (perhaps even after) the party, take them out to a special restaurant for some fancy dining.

 

Golden birthday for adults

Now this is where there is more freedom to plan something really exciting! Seeing as there are never more than 31 days in a month, majority of you will probably be celebrating as a single person with some disposable income which really opens your window of opportunities. Here are some ideas for you: 

-          One word: Trip! Plan this one in advance to get your girlfriends or buddies ready to book and travel with you and so you can book the time off work. It could be anything your heart and wallet desire. Road trip along Route 66 to nowhere in particular, Backpacking Europe, all inclusive Mexico, walking the wall in China, hiking the trail to Machu Picchu, climbing Kilimanjaro, club hopping in Vegas, or Caribbean cruise are a few ideas to get you started. Me and my BFF at the time planned a wicked trip to Disneyworld for 11 days (we are BIG fans) and then a 7 day Caribbean cruise to follow immediately. It wasn’t either of our golden birthdays, just the last time we would turn 20 something (our birthdays are 2 weeks apart and we were turning 29). Let me tell you, going on a trip with your crew is a lifelong memory and full of good times.

 

-          Secure a pretty stellar venue such as a country club (if you are a member/know a member/they offer something for non-members), 5 star hotel conference room or a golf estate that has a special room for parties or any extravagant location.

 

-          Have a spa day. This is not limited to just ladies. There are plenty of manly treatments for you macho guys out there.

 

-          Do something cool that you’ve never done before. Maybe you’ve always wanted to bungee jump or sky dive or take a hot air balloon ride. Whatever is on your bucket list, this is a great day to cross off an item.

Basically, you need to think about or ask the following two questions:

1.       What is your (or your birthday child) favorite thing?

2.       Where is a unique venue (that you are willing and able to travel to) to host the party?

And get planning, in advance to ensure all that you want to do can get done. Happy Golden Birthday everyone!