Party time | designer droppings

Category Archives: Party time

let’s celebrate all of the moms in the world!

May 7, 2012 by ilene in food, holiday fun, Party time, random goodies

Hopefully by now most of us have planned out our Mother’s Day brunch, lunch or dinner and have the gift all wrapped and ready to go. Unfortunately I am not most of us! I still have to figure out what to get for my mom who has everything. The brunch part is a little easier to plan and you can always find great ideas on Pinterest, Better Homes and Gardens and other great web sources. If the weather is nice than an outdoor party is a must. You can use a couple of yards of burlap as a table cloth and use potted plants or potted herbs as centerpieces. To keep the kids busy put out a bunch of pictures and have them make crafts with them. You can use the photo jars as centerpieces as well. And since it is Mother’s Day and you won’t be driving, how about a fruity cocktail? You can let the kids get in on the fun with shirley temples and pretty straws. Try to keep the menu simple even if it is just hamburgers and hot dogs. We often have a swim/bar-b-que on any warm holiday. Throwing corn, chicken, veggies and burgers on the bar-b-que is a great job for the men in the family! Men seem to be born to cook with fire outside. So now that I have the day/menu planned I just need to run out and get the ultimate “I love you mom!” gift. Got any great ideas?

Ideas L to R: Cookies, straws, photo jars, table setting, french toast casserole, egg toast cup, cocktails

0 Comments - Leave a comment!

Let the grad Party commence!

May 2, 2012 by erin in kids stuff, more is more, Party time, random goodies

Yup, I did this to my kid.

: But he turned out okay. I love photo announcements with baby/senior pics…

Whether you have a middle schooler graduating and you’re just having the fam over for a small celebration or you’re hosting a college grad party with a big crowd, there are easy ways to make it a memorable occasion.

I have a high school senior and I’m teaming up with two other moms to host a grad party so my little brain is overflowing with ideas for a kickass party that my son surely will not appreciate.

Here are some of my ideas:

• Photo invitation instead of the classic school announcement, this way the faraway relatives get a senior portrait and all of the pertinent info in one card

• Photo cake with baby picture/senior portrait

• Slide show or collage showing my son starting out cute and morphing into a horrible teenager

• School colors for linens and decor (duh)

• Yellow & white flowers with a navy ribbon around a vase for centerpieces

• Easy food, i.e., taco stand or heavy appetizers so it doesn’t matter what time guests arrive (this is important- guest might be party hopping)

• If you have a large party, hire someone to work the party – refilling drinks, emptying trash cans, picking up used napkins, etc. so you won’t have a huge mess to clean up after the party. I use college kids, they need the money and can stay up late

• Throw back a shot of the good stuff 15 minutes before the party starts so you can relax, you’ve earned a good time

0 Comments - Leave a comment!

got graduation?

April 16, 2012 by ilene in college life, kids stuff, Party time

Graduation is just around the corner and now is the time to plan your grads announcements and party invitations. Whether your son or daughter is graduating from elementary school, middle school or high school, an announcement is the perfect way to spread the happy news. There are so many choices in cards these days. I love adding photos and if you pick a card with multiple photos you can do a current photo with a baby photo, cute idea! You can also find cards that match your school colors or even your party decor.

This Hawaiian themed invitation from SimplytoImpress.com comes both with and without photo options (also in boy/girl versions). The Luau is always a popular party theme. And every party store carries plenty of luau party supplies year round. I love the classic black and white look and the invitation below, found here, is perfect for a more formal look. Add your son or daughters baby picture or even a sports picture, to jazz it up.

School colors are always a great option. Blue and gold are very popular. The invitation below from Invitationbox.com comes in a variety of colors.

Finding the card is pretty easy just make sure to do it in enough time so you are not rushing around the week before. Start ordering now and enjoy a stress free and exciting day with your graduate. Here are some previous post we did on the subject that you might find useful, Photo Books and Extended Senior Photos.

0 Comments - Leave a comment!

add a little sass to your birthday garden party

April 4, 2012 by erin in holiday fun, kids stuff, Party time, random goodies

Warm weather birthdays are the best. Period. Outdoor parties are my first choice for a wound up group of kids. They have space to expend their energy and messes can be hosed down. And the theme potential is enormous (you know how I love a good theme party): Baby Animals complete with petting zoo, Garden Party– each party goer gets to plant a little flower in a cute little pot that he/she painted, Woodland Fairies with magic wands, or Sports Camp. It’s all good.

If I still had any cute little kids (which I don’t, mine are big and teenager-y now–ack) I would totally rock a Garden Party. Get it? I would rock a Garden Party…

Custom invites are all the rage!

I love this custom invite, it’s adorable and affordable at InvitationBox.com. And for party favors I would pre-order personalized placemats from Frecklebox.com, they double as decorations!

Personalized placemats make a great keepsake!

And because anything with a bird on it is instantly loved by all (watch this hysterical video to see what I mean– Put a Bird On It.) I’d continue the theme from my placemats to little nest cupcakes.

Easy to make, easier to eat.

Every great kid party has great kid activities. Just a couple though, I’ve seen uber-moms overdo the projects and the kids get all loaded on sugar and can’t sit still long enough to participate. Or they really just want to play and said uber-mom is now screaming “Sit down and have fun with your damn project! Now!” So my rockin’ Garden Party would include one game that involves big muscle movement, like a nature lover scavenger hunt. They might have to find a leaf, a bug, a long stick and a rock that looks like a heart. Or if they are older you could hide fun things in the yard for them to find, like an Easter Egg Hunt. For the sitting down activity, I’d have them paint a little terra cotta pot and plant a flower in it. It could take 10 minutes or an hour (for the budding designers) and it doesn’t involve more sugar consumption.

Great party project.

11 Comments - Leave a comment!

easy oscar party ideas

February 21, 2012 by ilene in food, Party time, random goodies

Time to gather all of your friends and family around the tv next week for an Oscar Party. Even if you haven’t watched all of the movies it is fun to see what the stars are wearing (good or bad), listen to funny speeches (mute boring ones) and make bets on who is going to win (or should win). You can start off with a fun invitation or if you are out of time just go with an evite. As your guests arrive have them fill out their Oscar predictions. You could offer a gold Oscar statue to the guest with the most correct answers or set up a pool with various category winners. I think appetizers are perfect for this kind of party and allow guests to mingle more easily. Pick appetizers that are easy to put together before hand. You could serve sliders, small Caesar salads in plastic cups, chips and dip, veggies and dip, plus 2-3 other hot and cold items. You can have a fancy cocktail for the adults, I would go with the Mint Julep in honor of The Help and Shirley Temples are always fun for the kids. Make sure to have lots of gold and black plastic and paperware on hand. An old fashioned candy bar with retro movie candies and sodas would be cute and easy to set up. I also like the popcorn cupcakes another easy idea. You can even use boxed cake mix and frosting. As a final remembrance of a fun night with friends give each of your guest a burned cd with all of the Oscar nominated songs as they leave.

Here is the official Oscar site, listing all of the nominees and the history of the Oscars. Check out the funny video with Kevin Kline and Mike Myers, love the comb over!

Some recipe ideas:

0 Comments - Leave a comment!

holiday cookie party

December 12, 2011 by ilene in holiday fun, Party time, random goodies

Each year my sister, myself and my best friend from elementary school host a cookie exchange party. We try to schedule it the week or two before Christmas so that we can give some of the cookies as gifts. The rest we just eat ourselves! It is a fun no pressure party, bring a lot of cookies or a little. We do not have rules like some parties-you do not need to make a certain amount, no labels required, no recipe cards either. We use evite to send out the invitation. We set up a table with pretty plates and put all of our cookies out, then we mingle, munch and have some fun. Towards the end of the evening we start going around the table filling whatever boxes/plates that we brought. I usually try to fill a couple for gifts and a big tray for home. Over the years we’ve had times when the party was small and intimate, times that it included our children and times where there was a huge group and custom martinis! We have been doing it now for 16 years and it is a great way to see your close friends around the holidays. I try to make a few treats each year. I always make fudge, peanut butter fudge is yummy and I found a great recipe several years ago. It is actually called Killer Crack Peanut Butter Fudge and I found it on the blog CookieBakerLynn. I would recommend that you only make it once or twice a year because as the name suggests if you do it more often they will need to bring a forklift to get you out of the house! I also plan on making the cute meringue cookies that were on the cover of Sunset Magazine this month. I still need to scour through all my latest magazines and cookbooks to see what other yummy treat I will bring, any suggestions?

2 Comments - Leave a comment!

happy thanksgiving

November 23, 2011 by ilene in holiday fun, musings, Party time

Top Ten Things to be Thankful for this Thanksgiving:

10. Martha Stewart will not critique your turkey or the $1 store napkin rings.

9. You get to be with your family–all day!

8. There will be plenty of wine flowing, see #9.

7. You finally get to use your gravy boat.

6. You can always sit at the kids table.

5. You get to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, again.

4. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving makes you feel pretty good about yourself.

3. You can now shop at midnight instead of sleeping overnight at Walmart.

2. It is the only day that marshmallows are served with dinner.

1. Not only is it acceptable to over indulge it is expected.

Hope you have a great Thanksgiving!

0 Comments - Leave a comment!

throw a vintage holiday party

November 17, 2011 by ilene in holiday fun, home style, inspiration, Party time, random goodies

S+K Vintage Invitation on Kodakgallery.com

What’s not to love about the holidays – traffic, people fighting over the last Tickle Me Elmo doll, Grandma’s fruitcake, Uncle Joe’s drunken slurring – I digress. I love the holidays and can’t wait each year for them to arrive. Almost everyone will host family or friends during the holidays so why not make it a vintage holiday to remember. It’s easy to set the tone of the event with a great invitation mailed to all of your guests (no evites for this one). Picking the right invitation will help with the theme and color scheme. Adding food, decor and music is a lot easier with a theme. We used our vintage invitation above as our inspiration, it can be found at KodakGallery . You can use this invite for any festive holiday party, Christmas or New Years.

Here are some tips to make sure your party goes off with a bang:

1. Add elegance to your soiree with a little glitter and shine, but keep it “vintage” with some weathered materials like galvanized metal or mercury glass. Try using a soft burlap runner on your food table with delicate candles.
2. Gather pinecones and spray paint them silver and gold–they don’t need to be perfect, the natural color coming through looks more aged.
3. Instead of a classic red and green color scheme, try a palette that includes browns and eggshell.
4. Use blank paper wine glass charms and write down reindeer names or holiday words like “peace,” “noel,” and “happy holidays” so your guests will know which glass belongs to them.
5. Use fringed burlap as a tree skirt and wrap gifts in sparkly silver and gold paper.

Appetizers are a great option for a vintage holiday party. They are easy to prepare in advance so you can spend time at your party instead of in the kitchen. And your guests have the freedom to move and enjoy each other instead of sitting at a table. Consider a mix of hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, some spicy and some mild, some meaty and some vegetarian some bought and some hand made.

Cheesy Bacon Bites
Truffled Mac & Cheese in a Martini Glass
Cucumber Sandwiches on Rye
Oysters Rockefeller
Gruyere, Cheddar & Emmentaler Fondue
Chocolate Mint Meringue Cookies
Yule Log Cake
Strawberries with Whipped Cream

The right music and cocktails will get even the scroogiest of guests in the mood. Put a playlist on your iPod that matches your theme. You could even play vinyl records if you want to go all out. Vintage cocktails and the perfect little black dress and everyone will feel like they are in an episode of Mad Men, except for the no smoking.

0 Comments - Leave a comment!