Thursday, December 20, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Theme Parties
Theme Party Ideas
Parties were always a large part of my childhood when I was growing up in Michigan. My mother would throw birthday parties for my three sisters, brother and myself. We had at least seven birthday parties every year for our family. We also had Christmas and New Years parties, family picnics and other special occasions. Our guests reciprocated, and invited us to their parties. Needless to say, we had or attended at least a dozen parties every year.
I remember that I couldn’t wait for the next party, especially my own. My mother would invite my aunts and uncles and I had an opportunity to see my grandparents and my cousins. My mother would cook some of my favorite dishes that she served to our guests. She also baked a birthday cake and served it with ice cream and coffee for the adults and soda for the kids.
The food was always wonderful. It was great seeing my aunts and uncles and playing with my cousins. Most importantly, I couldn’t wait to open up my birthday presents. It was exciting to open my birthday cards and to open my presents. I loved getting gifts, new clothes and toys. The parties were always greatly anticipated and were always a lot of fun. However, they were always the same. I can still remember removing the candles and pink hard sugar “H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y” letters from the top of my cake, removing the icing, and saving them for the next party. We never considered or thought about changing the party format. But, why not step out of the ordinary and raise your parties up to another level of fun and excitement.
It wasn’t until much later in my adult married life that I evolved to accept the concept of themed parties. I remember eating dinner at a Chinese restaurant during the Chinese New Year. The wait staff celebrated by dressing in red Chinese robes, and the owners put on a show with a colorful Chinese dragon and firecrackers. I was very excited and decided to have my own Chinese New Years party the following year.
The subsequent party was simple and fun. I prepared a menu of sample items including chop suey, fried rice, egg drop soup, sweet and sour chicken, noodles, egg rolls and tea. I distributed it to my guests and asked each to bring one of the items. I also asked them to wear “Chinese” clothing. I decorated with a red table cloth and Chinese restaurant place mats. I put up some paper lamps, parasols, and fans. I played Chinese music, and the guests all tried to eat with chop sticks. Everyone, enjoyed sampling the variety of foods, listening to the music, eating fortune cookies and having their pictures taken in their costumes. I was on my way. I would never have an ordinary party again.
My sister lives on the water front. She enjoyed having Tropical Hawaiian Luau Parties. She decorated with flowers and banners. She purchased Hawaiian print dinner and desert plates, cups and napkins. Food consisted of bar BQ hamburgers, hot dogs, salad and potato salad. She played Hawaiian music and had the guests participating in limbo rock games. Guests wore Hawaiian style clothing, brought Hawaiian style dishes and refreshments. Moreover, the guests were expecting to have fun and were willing to role play to make the theme work.
I also had a Hawaiian tropical pool party. One of my friends once lived in Hawaii and studied Hula dancing. She added another dimension to the party by teaching the women and the men various Hula moves. We live in Florida so there are plenty of flowers and palm trees. My sisters gathered flowers and palm fronds. They made beautiful decorations and centerpieces. They also greeted guests by creating a tunnel of palms when they walked through the front door.
Our French party maintained a French theme. However, we took it to the next level by building our own Eifel tower decorated with white Christmas lights. We took night photos of our guests with the lighted tower in the background. Another friend is an artist. She drew personal caricatures of the guests on large drawing pads. Again the guests left with something special, a souvenir, to help them remember your theme party for a long long time.
The choice is yours. You can have a ho-hum party. Or, with little more planning, you can have an involving theme party that excites your guests and makes them want to have fun and participate in your party. Here is the formula: Select a theme. Find decorations, music and table ware that support the theme, decide the entrees and deserts that are theme related, invite guests that will excitedly take part and share in the success of the party with food, decorations, costumes etc. Add a surprise. This could include a photographer, a caricaturist, party games, karaoke, a singer, door prizes. Let your imagination run free.
To find more themed party planning supplies and ideas, visit my party sites, SUPERBIRTHDAYSUPPLY.COM and SUPERPARTYSUPPLY.COM
© 2005 Cardens Management Co. All Rights Reserved SUPERBIRTHDAYSUPPLY.COM
Note: This article may be freely reproduced as long as the author’s resource box and all click links are included. All links must be Active/Linkable with no syntax changes.
About the Author: C. Skiba, Miss Party Star, developed “12 Secrets to a Super EZ Party” from her years of experience as a party planner. She is the webmaster and co-owner of SUPERBIRTHDAYSUPPLY.COM and SUPERPARTYSUPPLY.COM
Miss Party Star
Parties were always a large part of my childhood when I was growing up in Michigan. My mother would throw birthday parties for my three sisters, brother and myself. We had at least seven birthday parties every year for our family. We also had Christmas and New Years parties, family picnics and other special occasions. Our guests reciprocated, and invited us to their parties. Needless to say, we had or attended at least a dozen parties every year.
I remember that I couldn’t wait for the next party, especially my own. My mother would invite my aunts and uncles and I had an opportunity to see my grandparents and my cousins. My mother would cook some of my favorite dishes that she served to our guests. She also baked a birthday cake and served it with ice cream and coffee for the adults and soda for the kids.
The food was always wonderful. It was great seeing my aunts and uncles and playing with my cousins. Most importantly, I couldn’t wait to open up my birthday presents. It was exciting to open my birthday cards and to open my presents. I loved getting gifts, new clothes and toys. The parties were always greatly anticipated and were always a lot of fun. However, they were always the same. I can still remember removing the candles and pink hard sugar “H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y” letters from the top of my cake, removing the icing, and saving them for the next party. We never considered or thought about changing the party format. But, why not step out of the ordinary and raise your parties up to another level of fun and excitement.
It wasn’t until much later in my adult married life that I evolved to accept the concept of themed parties. I remember eating dinner at a Chinese restaurant during the Chinese New Year. The wait staff celebrated by dressing in red Chinese robes, and the owners put on a show with a colorful Chinese dragon and firecrackers. I was very excited and decided to have my own Chinese New Years party the following year.
The subsequent party was simple and fun. I prepared a menu of sample items including chop suey, fried rice, egg drop soup, sweet and sour chicken, noodles, egg rolls and tea. I distributed it to my guests and asked each to bring one of the items. I also asked them to wear “Chinese” clothing. I decorated with a red table cloth and Chinese restaurant place mats. I put up some paper lamps, parasols, and fans. I played Chinese music, and the guests all tried to eat with chop sticks. Everyone, enjoyed sampling the variety of foods, listening to the music, eating fortune cookies and having their pictures taken in their costumes. I was on my way. I would never have an ordinary party again.
My sister lives on the water front. She enjoyed having Tropical Hawaiian Luau Parties. She decorated with flowers and banners. She purchased Hawaiian print dinner and desert plates, cups and napkins. Food consisted of bar BQ hamburgers, hot dogs, salad and potato salad. She played Hawaiian music and had the guests participating in limbo rock games. Guests wore Hawaiian style clothing, brought Hawaiian style dishes and refreshments. Moreover, the guests were expecting to have fun and were willing to role play to make the theme work.
I also had a Hawaiian tropical pool party. One of my friends once lived in Hawaii and studied Hula dancing. She added another dimension to the party by teaching the women and the men various Hula moves. We live in Florida so there are plenty of flowers and palm trees. My sisters gathered flowers and palm fronds. They made beautiful decorations and centerpieces. They also greeted guests by creating a tunnel of palms when they walked through the front door.
Our French party maintained a French theme. However, we took it to the next level by building our own Eifel tower decorated with white Christmas lights. We took night photos of our guests with the lighted tower in the background. Another friend is an artist. She drew personal caricatures of the guests on large drawing pads. Again the guests left with something special, a souvenir, to help them remember your theme party for a long long time.
The choice is yours. You can have a ho-hum party. Or, with little more planning, you can have an involving theme party that excites your guests and makes them want to have fun and participate in your party. Here is the formula: Select a theme. Find decorations, music and table ware that support the theme, decide the entrees and deserts that are theme related, invite guests that will excitedly take part and share in the success of the party with food, decorations, costumes etc. Add a surprise. This could include a photographer, a caricaturist, party games, karaoke, a singer, door prizes. Let your imagination run free.
To find more themed party planning supplies and ideas, visit my party sites, SUPERBIRTHDAYSUPPLY.COM and SUPERPARTYSUPPLY.COM
© 2005 Cardens Management Co. All Rights Reserved SUPERBIRTHDAYSUPPLY.COM
Note: This article may be freely reproduced as long as the author’s resource box and all click links are included. All links must be Active/Linkable with no syntax changes.
About the Author: C. Skiba, Miss Party Star, developed “12 Secrets to a Super EZ Party” from her years of experience as a party planner. She is the webmaster and co-owner of SUPERBIRTHDAYSUPPLY.COM and SUPERPARTYSUPPLY.COM
Miss Party Star
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
GREAT TIPS
GREAT THINGS TO KNOW!
These are great things to know. The food items will definitely help you before and after your party. The remaining items will make your life easier. The final item could potentially save your life. Feel free to pass these tips to everyone that you know courtesy of SUPERBIRTHDAYSUPPLY.COM and SUPERPARTYSUPPLY.COM
1. Reheat Pizza Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove , set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works. 2. Easy Deviled Eggs Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal , mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients , reseal , keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly , cut the tip of the baggy , squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up. 3. Expanding Frosting When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store , whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving. 4. Reheating refrigerated bread To warm biscuits , pancakes , or muffins that were refrigerated , place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster. 5. Newspaper weeds away Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers. 6. Broken Glass Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily. 7. No More Mosquitoes Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away. 8. Squirrel Away! To keep squirrels from eating your plants sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it. 9. Flexible vacuum To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings. 10. Reducing Static Cling Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and -- ta da! -- static is gone. 11. Measuring Cups Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out. 12. Foggy Windshield? Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth! 13. Reopening envelope If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside , just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily. 14. Conditioner Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's a lot cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair... 15. Goodbye Fruit Flies To get rid of pesky fruit flies , take a small glass fill it 1/2' with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid , mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever! 16. Get Rid of Ants Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it , take it 'home', can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains , but it works &you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed! 17. INFO ABOUT CLOTHES DRYERS The heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things around the house for us told us that he wanted to show us something and he went over to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the filter after every load clothes.) He told us that he wanted to show us something; he took the filter over to the sink, ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh material - I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like. WELL...the hot water just sat on top of the mesh! It didn't go through it at all! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film , but it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free - that nice fragrance too, you k now how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box, well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. This is also what causes dryer units to catch fire &potentially burn your house down with it! He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (& to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out &wash it with hot soapy water &an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months. He said that makes the life of the dryer at least twice as long! How about that!? Learn something new everyday! I certainly didn't know dryer sheets would do that. So, I thought I'd share! Note: I went to my dryer & tested my screen by running water on it. The water ran through a little bit but mostly collected all the water in the mesh screen. I washed it with warm soapy water & a nylon brush & I had it done in 30 seconds. Then when I rinsed it the water ran right Thru the screen! There wasn't any puddling at all! That repairman knew what he was talking about!
These are great things to know. The food items will definitely help you before and after your party. The remaining items will make your life easier. The final item could potentially save your life. Feel free to pass these tips to everyone that you know courtesy of SUPERBIRTHDAYSUPPLY.COM and SUPERPARTYSUPPLY.COM
1. Reheat Pizza Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove , set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works. 2. Easy Deviled Eggs Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal , mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients , reseal , keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly , cut the tip of the baggy , squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up. 3. Expanding Frosting When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store , whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving. 4. Reheating refrigerated bread To warm biscuits , pancakes , or muffins that were refrigerated , place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster. 5. Newspaper weeds away Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers. 6. Broken Glass Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily. 7. No More Mosquitoes Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away. 8. Squirrel Away! To keep squirrels from eating your plants sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it. 9. Flexible vacuum To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings. 10. Reducing Static Cling Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and -- ta da! -- static is gone. 11. Measuring Cups Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out. 12. Foggy Windshield? Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth! 13. Reopening envelope If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside , just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily. 14. Conditioner Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's a lot cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair... 15. Goodbye Fruit Flies To get rid of pesky fruit flies , take a small glass fill it 1/2' with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid , mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever! 16. Get Rid of Ants Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it , take it 'home', can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains , but it works &you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed! 17. INFO ABOUT CLOTHES DRYERS The heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things around the house for us told us that he wanted to show us something and he went over to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the filter after every load clothes.) He told us that he wanted to show us something; he took the filter over to the sink, ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh material - I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like. WELL...the hot water just sat on top of the mesh! It didn't go through it at all! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film , but it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free - that nice fragrance too, you k now how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box, well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. This is also what causes dryer units to catch fire &potentially burn your house down with it! He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (& to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out &wash it with hot soapy water &an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months. He said that makes the life of the dryer at least twice as long! How about that!? Learn something new everyday! I certainly didn't know dryer sheets would do that. So, I thought I'd share! Note: I went to my dryer & tested my screen by running water on it. The water ran through a little bit but mostly collected all the water in the mesh screen. I washed it with warm soapy water & a nylon brush & I had it done in 30 seconds. Then when I rinsed it the water ran right Thru the screen! There wasn't any puddling at all! That repairman knew what he was talking about!
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
Saturday, November 24, 2007
12 SECRETS TO A SUPER EASY PARTY
Be a Party Star. Create super easy parties that shine. Just follow the proven party secrets found on http://www.superbirthdaysupply.com/ and on http://www.superpartysupply.com/
to achieve Party Star Success. Click the following to receive your FREE "SECRETS TO A SUPER EZ PARTY".
12 SECRETS TO A SUPER EASY PARTY .
to achieve Party Star Success. Click the following to receive your FREE "SECRETS TO A SUPER EZ PARTY".
12 SECRETS TO A SUPER EASY PARTY .
Party Countdown
Don't be late for your own party. Use the handy super easy Party Countdown found on http://www.superbirthdaysupply.com/ and on http://www.superpartysupply.com/ to avoid panic and make sure that you and your party are on time. Find it at SUPERBIRTHDAYSUPPLYCOUNTDOWN.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Milestone Birthday Party
Milestone Birthday Parties from 1st birthday through 100th birthdays. http://www.superbirthdaysupply.com/
specializes in milestone birthday parties. Find all the milestone party supplies you need to create memorable family birthday parties.
specializes in milestone birthday parties. Find all the milestone party supplies you need to create memorable family birthday parties.
Teen party ideas
Teens love American Idol and High School Musical Parties.
http://www.superbirthdaysupply.com/ has all the matching party items: tableware, decorations, invitations and favors such as inflatable microphones, guitars and saxophones.
A teen favorite. Be ready for the next season.
http://www.superbirthdaysupply.com/ has all the matching party items: tableware, decorations, invitations and favors such as inflatable microphones, guitars and saxophones.
A teen favorite. Be ready for the next season.
Kids party ideas
My favorite kids party is the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Party.
Mickey is the #1 favorite Disney character for boys and girls.
You can't go wrong. He is loved by children of all ages.
Mickey is the #1 favorite Disney character for boys and girls.
You can't go wrong. He is loved by children of all ages.
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