Welcome to Party Tips

Ideas for a Beach Birthday Bash

So you've decided to have a beach birthday party at the local watering hole. Here are some ideas in the way of beach food, activities and beach birthday party decorations.

Beach food: this is a party that begs for grilled food. Hot dogs, chicken, hamburgers and macaroni and potato salads are a must. Spice up your burgers with various toppings such as pineapple slices, mushrooms, onions and avocados.‚ Set up a cooler full of sodas and other beverages as well.

Beach activities: look into watercraft rentals offered at many beaches, bays and lakes. If your party is going to continue into the evening, look for a place that allows campfires so you can roast marshmallows. Other options include sandcastle building contests, water balloon catching contests‚ and beach limbo using a bamboo pole. Frisbees, volleyball and back gammon are also good beach games.

Beach birthday party decorations: decorate the buffet table by covering it with a beach blanket. Place food on top of an old surfboard or one bought in a party store. Or make your own surfboard with plywood and paint. You can also stand up surfboards in the sand around the party area. Play beach music such the Beach Boys or a CD of tropical steel drums. For invitations, send the specifics on a deflated beach ball guests must inflate to read (and ask them to bring the balls to the party for more fun beach activities). Decorate tables with shells -- either from the beach itself or bought from a party store. Drape fisherman's nets around the area and attach some starfish and buoys to them.

Hiring a Party Planning Professional

If the party you are planning is very large or you are just lacking the time to plan a party at this point in your life, you might want to consider hiring a professional party planning business for help. These skilled experts know how to handle all facets of your upcoming party and can take the burden off your shoulders.

Here are some tips for hiring a party planning professional:

• Ask for referrals from friends, colleagues, caterers and local businesses. Set up appointments for consultations.
• Scope out the Better Business Bureau before hiring a party planning business to see if any complaints have been made against that business.
• Interview prospects. Ask how many events like yours the planner has done in the past. Ask for her creative ideas. Ask how she troubleshoots and handles mishaps.
• Consider his or her track record. Every event planner worth his or her weight has a portfolio.
• List the tasks you want taken off your shoulders.
• Discuss whether you will be billed by the event, by the hour or as a percentage of the total cost of the party. Talk about how willing you are to go over budget.
• If it would make you more comfortable, call references or drop by an event the professional you are considering is conducting in the near future to scope out the scene.
• Jot down your ideas, theme, color considerations, entertainment preferences, and anything you feel you want personalized for your professional.
• Once you hire someone, let go. If you micromanage that person, you might as well have saved the money and done it all yourself. Keep in mind that the purpose of your hired professional is to ease the burden on yourself.

Bridal Shower Invitation Information

Bridal shower invitations should be mailed three to four weeks before the event. If you are wondering what the standard of information is for the invitations, read the following guidelines:

Note: most etiquette experts will tell you that while it is acceptable to list the stores where a couple is registered on a bridal shower invitation, it is tacky to list this in a wedding invitation.

Birthday Party Etiquette

You are knee-deep in birthday party planning. You have decided on a theme, you've bought the party invitations, the party balloons, birthday banners and other decorations. As the party date approaches and everything comes together you worry about the things you can't control -- such as guest behavior and your child's response to presents he or she doesn't like. Here are some common questions parents have and worry about before a child's birthday party and some answers for how to deal with them, courtesy of Scholastic, a global children's publishing, education and media company.

• Do I have to invite everyone in my child's class to her birthday party? The answer is no. Just make sure your child tries not to talk to much about the party at school and don't let her hand deliver the invitations.
• Should I call people who didn't RSVP to find out if they're coming? The answer is yes.
• How do I make sure my child is gracious to guests? A 4-year old child should be able to greet and thank guests and by first grade say goodbye and thank you without prompting. If you child is younger or needs prompting, don't be afraid to do so.
• Are competitive games a bad idea? The answer is no, but make sure everyone goes home with a prize and you don't make grand prizes of coveted toys everyone would want.
• What do I do if someone brings a sibling or a parent stays unexpectedly? The answer is, there's not much you can do except squeeze in another chair. Keep extra goodie bags or favors on hand just in case.
• A child is being unruly. How do I handle it? The answer is, try to distract the child with a task or make him feel special with extra attention. Ask another parent to take him under her wing. If all else fails, warn the child you will have to call his parents to pick him up if he doesn't settle down.
• What if my child hates a present? The answer is, you can avoid this by not opening gifts at the party. There is a movement by parents toward this in recent years.
• Are thank you notes necessary? The answer is absolutely. It teaches responsibility, politeness and a respect for others.

Christmas Party Games

If you're looking to liven up your Christmas party or holiday party this year with some games, here are some ideas that are sure to please both adults and children.

Gift wrapping game: you will need gift items (as inexpensive or as expensive as you want), wrapping paper, tape, music. Wrap some gifts several times in preparation for the game. Start the music and have everyone pass a gift around the party. When the music stops, that person must unwrap a layer of wrapping on the gift. If the gift is still wrapped, the game continues until the gift is completely unwrapped and it is awarded to the person who unwrapped its last layer.

Story game: everyone brings a wrapped gift to the party and sits in a circle. The host reads a story that has a lot of directions in it. This story can be fabricated by the guest (this could be a fun way to include family members or friends in the story for some laughs) or borrowed from a source online. For example, one line in the story may read, "Suzie LEFT for the party in such a rush that she forgot her mother asked her to take the trash RIGHT out." As the guests hear the words "right" and "left" they pass the gift in their hands in the appropriate direction. When the story is over, the guest keeps the gift in his or her hands.

Yankee Swap: each guest brings a gift (it is a good idea for the host to set a monetary limit on the gift such as an item that is under $20). The host creates scraps of paper with a number for each person at the party. For example, if there are 30 people at the party, she will drop numbers one through 30 into a hat. Everyone draws a number. Whoever draws lucky number one is the lucky one who gets to choose the best prize in the house at the end. The guests, in order of their number, choose a wrapped gift, open it and decide to keep it or trade it with a gift that has been opened before them. After number 30 has gone, number one gets to choose to trade his or her gift with any from the 30 gifts opened.

Choosing Kids Party Themes

Don´t even think of choosing a kids party theme for your child – unless they are just too young. Cartoon characters and such are their lives. They are the professionals. They know what they like. All you need to do is figure out the details.

Baby Shower Game Ideas

If you know the baby´s name, play an aliteration or rhyming game at your baby shower! Have everyone in the party try to write down as many words they can think of using the first letter of the baby´s name or words that rhyme with the baby´s name. You might even make the rule that only so many can be places, things, animals, etc. Write them all down and come up with a funny poem or story that the mother-to-be can keep in her baby book.

Avoid Christmas Party Pitfalls

A Christmas party at your house can be a lot of fun. It can also be pretty stressful. Avoid possible problems now by thinking ahead. Here is some advice from the experts so this holiday soiree will be a blast and not your last.

• When deciding who to invite, take into account the size of your place and the fact that some guests will probably bring a friend or two without asking you.
• If you're trying to cut down your guest list, think about cutting work friends first. Remember, if there is a company Christmas party, you can mingle with your co-workers then.
• Do all your inviting at once so no one feels like they were an afterthought.
• Give clues as to how people should dress on your invite. Use words like "casual" or "black tie" or "business casual" to avoid making quests feel self-conscious when they arrive too dressy or too dressed down.
• Have your party on a weekend leading up to Christmas and not after Christmas as most people have turned their attention toward New Year's Eve at that point. Do not have your party on Christmas Eve, as most people prefer to spend time with their families on that day.
• If you're on a fixed budget plan a potluck dinner and ask everyone to bring a dish.
• Set a budget for decorations and food. Write down all the must-haves and estimate how much each item will cost next to it. Once at the market, don't buy anything that's not on the list unless it's something important that you forgot. Impulse buys are the quickest way to go over budget. Expect to spend at least $50 on food if you're feeding 10 -- more if you are feeding more people than that.
• If you are planning on serving alcohol, give guests a heads up so they can plan on a designated driver or other way home. The time between Thanksgiving and New Year's is the most deadly on United States roads due to driving under the influence of alcohol, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

A Survey Can Help You Plan a Company Holiday Party

There are some important factors to consider if you want to throw a company party. First off, do the employees even want one?

After all, a party isn't a party if no one attends. Experts suggest circulating a survey to get a feel for what suits your office best in the way of a holiday party. Here are some items that should be on the survey.

• Would they like a company Christmas party or holiday party?
• When is it most convenient for them? During a workday? On a weekend evening?
• Would they prefer an employees-only gathering or should spouses/dates be invited? For some an evening out with a spouse is a delightful and romantic idea; for others it's a frantic scramble to find a date or a babysitter.

Please note that you aren't going to have agreement between everyone on this survey. So simply let the majority rule.

Recipes for Halloween

Dracula´s Eyes recipes for Halloween

These are really good and easy to make.

1/2 cup peanut butter
3 tbsp butter, softened
4 cups sifted powdered sugar
5 ounces vanilla-flavored candy coating
6 candy-coated milk chocolate pieces
Red decorator gel icing

1. In a mixing bowl, stir together peanut butter and butter.
2. Gradually add powdered sugar, stirring until combined.
3. Shape into 1-inch balls, place on waxed paper.
4. Let stand about 20 minutes or until dry.
5. In a small saucepan, melt candy coating over low heat.
6. Dip balls, one at a time, into coating. Let excess coating drip off peanut butter balls. Place on waxed paper.
7. Immediately press and candy-coated chocolate piece into the center of each peanut butter ball.
8. Let stand until coating is firm. Drizzle red gel onto balls for bloodshot eyes.

Makes about 20 eyeballs.

Costume Party Ideas and Supplies

Host a costume party at your next Halloween party and make the theme a superhero one. Who doesn't love to fight crime and save the day? Whack! Pow! Zonk! Your muscle-rippling heroes will unleash enough power and bravado to make your costume party a hit. Any costume you can think of, whether it is Batman, Spiderman, Wonderwoman, Catwoman...can be found in a costume shop or by ordering online. Have fun picking out your alter ego!

Put the Batman and Superman theme music on the sound system or pop the movies in as background noise. Serve good food and drink, plan some activities and you'll be off to save the day. Put together a trivia quiz, hero-themed Pictionary, and, quite naturally, a costume contest. Award medallions to the mightiest of the mighty. It could be The Incredible Hulk, a Power Ranger, one of the X-Men or Superman (phone booth not required). Ask each superhero to do a routine for extra laughs.

The sky is the limit when it comes to laughter and fun when you and your best friends are parading around in tights and capes at this year's Halloween costume party!

Pumpkins Can Make Fun Party Games

What is a Halloween party without some great Halloween party games? And what's Halloween without pumpkins? Combine the two and there are several really fun games that can liven up your Halloween party. The experts suggest giving out penny candy as prizes so that there can be a lot of prizes and you can reward your guests without breaking the bank.

The following are Halloween party game ideas that involve pumpkins:

Pumpkin Golf: Bring some miniature golf fun to your Halloween party. Carve out a pumpkin, making the mouth extra large. Build a cardboard ramp that is 1 or 2 feet from the ground that leads into the pumpkin's mouth. Tape the ramp to the floor to keep it stable. Mark a place across the room for both adults and kids to start from. Take turns hitting a golf ball into the pumpkin's mouth. Each time it goes in, the putter wins a piece of candy.

Penny Pitch: Carve out a pumpkin - or two or three - and line the insides with aluminum foil. Or use plastic pumpkins. Stand a couple of feet away. Give each player 10 or 20 pennies and have them take turns pitching them into the opening at the top of the pumpkins. Every time a penny goes into a pumpkin, the player wins candy.

Pumpkin Bocce: Buy a large pumpkin and several miniature or round sugar pumpkins. Place the large pumpkin in the center of the room or yard. Have players take turns rolling (not tossing or throwing) the sugar pumpkins toward the large pumpkin. Whoever gets closet to the large pumpkin wins candy.

If you'd like to play a game that doesn't involve pumpkins, try The Name Game: Write the name of a spooky character or person in magic marker on an index card and pin one to each guest's back as he or she arrives. When the game begins, the guest must guess which person or character he or she is by receiving clues from other guests. You are allowed to ask one question per person in the room about the name on your back and it must be answered with a simple yes or no. The first person to guess who they are wins the game.

Graduation Party Planning

Don't get carried away with constant activity. Make sure your graduation party is a relaxing and fun event with time to socialize. After dinner provide a means for the graduate and guests to listen to some tunes and perhaps dance the night away. A courtesy call to your neighborhood police station is recommended.
Sit back. Relax. Enjoy.

Planning Parties - Spooky Halloween Game

SPOOKY TALES

What you´ll need:
24 index cards, 3 X 5
pencil
paper
watch with a second hand

1. Write one word on each index card from the following list:
Dracula, Frankenstein, wolfman, witch, warlock, stranger, boy, old woman, girl, countryside, haunted house, graveyard, castle, slingshot, stick, shovel, rope, car, money, computer jewelry, robbery, attack, accident, lies.
2. Shuffle the cards.

How to Play:
1. Choose a leader to pick 6 cards and turn them face up on a flat surface.
2. When everyone has had a chance to see the cards, the leader begins timing. Everyone has one minute to think of a tale using as many of the words in the list as possible.
3. When the time is up, the players tell their tales. The leader keeps score and gives 1 point for each word from the list included and 1 point for the best story.
4. A new leader then reshuffles the cards. The game is repeated until everyone has a chance to be leader.
5. The player with the most points wins. In case of a tie, the last leader removes Dracula and another card from the stack, scrambles them,and offers them face down to the players. The one who picks Dracula is the winner.

Party Planning Halloween Snack Ideas

MONSTER MOUTHS

Here´s a super easy and yummy Halloween snack idea.

What You´ll Need:
Green apples, sliced
Peanut butter
Candy Corn

What To Do:
For each mouth, spread peanut butter on an apple slice. Add the candy corn as teeth and top with another apple slice spread with peanut butter.