Peace. Love. Parties.

Community-Friendly Earth Day Celebrations!

2010-04-22T03:57:00.000-07:00

Planning an earth day party for this weekend? Don’t forget to keep your local community in mind. Earth Day is the perfect time to support local artists and farmers. Buy your fruits and flowers at a Farmer’s Market, and keep your eyes open for small gifts and décor. Farmers Markets are great places to find hidden gems like quilts and linens for decorating, or homemade jams and jellies for including in a gift basket.

Other Earth-friendly ideas:

Don’t spend tons of money on elaborate bouquets of imported flowers. Instead, go for inexpensive bunches of wild flowers (2 for $5 at my local market). Unwrap several bunches and place in painted white pails for centerpieces. Keep smaller bunches wrapped in paper (just like at the market!) to give out as favors or tuck in a note card and use as place cards.
Speaking of favors, fill cute and inexpensive Eco-Bags with a local jam, a bunch of flowers, and a packet of easy-to grow vegetables (for your area) to encourage your guests to grow their own vegetables.

Food: instead of using paper plates, have a fondue party! set out trays with items for dipping, and don't limit yourself to fruit or bread. There are many other ideas for fondue.

(Photo from the Daniel Island Farmer's Market website)

Unfortunately I'm a little late on the Earth Day Bandwagon, but hopefully this gets your creative juices flowing!

New faces around the office...er... blog.

2010-04-15T03:58:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I'm Dani, and I'm a long-time friend of Nicole's, who also has the party planning bug. I tend to be quite crafty, and I love the homemade touches that can make an event unique to the people attending (and hosting!). Since Nicole will be quite busy with her wedding plans, I'll be popping in every so often to keep up with ways to customize your parties and events, and possibly with a few crafty touches for Nicole to think about for her wedding, too!

I love to travel and find new ways to have adventures, even if its in my hometown. You can keep up with my adventures and a few of my party ideas over on my own blog, Sweet Adventures.

Buried Easter Treasure

2010-04-05T13:33:00.000-07:00

Every year, I take it upon myself to put together Easter baskets and some form of a "hunt" for my 3 nephews. They are getting older now so I collected some more sensible items such as t-shirts, sandals, and juicy flavors of gum. I planned on finding fun resusable bags to put everything in, but checked all my typical shopping places (Target, Walm-Mart, Marshalls & Michaels) & came up dry! So suddenly, Easter arrived and I had a whole bunch of goodies and no way to present them! In desperation, I found 3 empty shoe boxes and was struck with an idea. What if I turned the typical scavenger hunt into a hunt for buried treasure? I drew up a map of the yard and marked it with three X's... handed each kid a shovel... and instructed them to work as a team to find each box because they couldn't open them until they discovered them all. It was a great new twist on a family tradition and I think it livened things up for older kids. And it totally made it seem like I purposefully "forgot" to buy bags!

Another great quote

2010-02-24T07:51:00.000-08:00

"There are exactly as many special occasions in life as we choose to celebrate."
~Robert Brault

Party Idea: Super Bowl of Ice Cream

2010-02-23T12:44:00.000-08:00

alias: Super Bowl Sundae Party
(see how creative I got there?)

I realize that Super Bowl Sunday has long since past but this year I had a genius idea for a party and it was completely snowed out... or to clarify, everyone else was completely snowed in!

I'm such a typical girl when it comes to watching sports - I sit through the game for the funny commercials and cheer for the team with the cutest color combo. I've given football a chance and even listened to a variety of explanations as to how (and why the heck) it is played. It's just not my cup of tea... unless of course there is plenty of sugar added!

So this year I planned to have an ice cream social party while anyone interested (including my adorable girlfriend) could watch the game. Each guest was instructed to bring their favorite ice cream flavor and a topping of their choice. We would then feast like kings on the frozen buffet wonderland. Now please envision me screaming to the heavens and cursing mother nature for blasting us with so much snow here in Maryland that we were literally confined to our homes for days on end.

Well... there's always next year! And feel free to borrow the idea yourself! Perhaps it can become a new American tradition!

A perfect addition to the Super Bowl snack table - an Ice Cream Toppings Bar!

Late-Night Martinis

2010-01-31T07:12:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you just need a strong drink in a fancy glass to liven up a party. Check out Martinis at Midnight for countless unique recipes! I believe the best way to choose one to try is to close your eyes and point... and let the martini fate take over!

Or you could always go with the tried & true standbys - Cosmos & Extra Dirty

When hosting a martini party, make sure you are armed with more than enough glasses. Unfortunately those darn things have a tendency to get broken more easily... and when the liquor is flowing it doesn't help! You don't want to have to start serving these lovely drinks in plastic cups.

Also, don't be afraid when certain recipe elements run low. Some of the best martinis I have ever tried were discovered by throwing together whatever we had - including butterscotch schnapps, sweet & sour mix, and pineapple/orange juice (but probably not all in one glass).

And here are a few vodka recommendations from yours truly:

Stoli (short for "Stolichnaya"... but who wants to pronounce that after having a few?) is a high-end Russian vodka. It mixes well with practically everything because it doesn't have a harsh taste at all. Let's put it this way... if I was FORCED to take a straight shot of vodka.. I'd go with this.

Skyy is a fair-priced and very popular vodka. I prefer to use this in cosmos and apple martinis - something that has a bit of a bite. And the bottle is really pretty, so you can keep it for decorating or upcycling projects!

Burnetts is a very affordable vodka, but doesn't taste as cheap as it probably is. Also, there are PLENTY of flavors to suite anyone's fancy. One of the most well-known right now is Sweet Tea vodka (which is nifty because you can add it to lemonade, pineapple juice or even water for a quick cocktail). I think out of every brand of vodka, these flavored versions are the best.

Peace of Cake

2010-01-29T14:07:00.000-08:00

Could anything BE more fitting for this blog? This cake mold is perfect for any party moment that requires something sweet in the form of good vibes. Find it at FredFlare.com

Pirate Parrrrty!

2010-01-14T13:34:00.000-08:00

Who says you have to be 8 to have a pirate theme party? Here are some ideas to throw your own adult buccaneer bash:

Decor:

- Dark burgundy or black tablecloths
- Gold coins spread out on surfaces
- Treasure chest centerpiece (filled with chocolate gold coins!)
- Skull & crossbone banner or flag
- Goblets

And for the more adventurous:
- Skeletons with pirate hats, scarves & eye patches, covered in cobwebs
- A giant cannon
- Ship sails or entire boat replica
- A plank for walkin'

Meal:
- Hearty snacks like cheese and meats
- Wine bottles wrapped with homemade labels that read "poison"
- Cake decorated to resemble a pirate map
- Plenty of rum!

Activities:
- Scavenger hunt
- Bobbing for apples
- Charades or pictionary with pirate theme words
- Pirate impersonation contest
- A rousing game of blackjack

And remember... "To err is human, to arr is pirate."

Ballet was a lesser-known pirate skill

Redecorating

2010-01-12T13:47:00.000-08:00

Check out the new look! Courtesy of Better in Pink - an adorable blog that I truly aspire to! Thanks to everyone for keeping up, hopefully this new design will bring some revitalized inspiration!

~ Nicole Marie

Party Mix Recommendation

2010-01-08T08:02:00.000-08:00

This past New Year's Eve, last minute party plans had me running all over the grocery store for missing ingredients and snacks, but I was on a tight budget. At the last minute I grabbed a box of Cheez-It Party Mix. I am addicted to White Cheddar Cheez-Its so I thought I'd give them a try. I'm not a huge fan of party mix - I could take it or leave it - but the Cheez-It brand was just so good, all of us could not stop munching on it!

Yum!

FINAL RATING:

My wish to you for 2010

2010-01-05T13:16:00.000-08:00

May peace break into your home and
may thieves come to steal your debts.

May the pockets of your jeans
become a magnet for $100 bills.

May love stick to your face like Vaseline and
may laughter assault your lips!

May happiness slap you across the face and
may your tears be that of joy.

May the problems you had,
forget your home address!

In simple words...May 2010 be the best year OF YOUR LIFE!

Party Quote of the Year (or possibly more often, if I find others)

2010-01-04T13:45:00.000-08:00

"I am thankful for the mess to clean after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends."

~Nancie J. Carmody

Revamping TOO much

2009-12-30T09:16:00.000-08:00

Faithful readers,

You probably have noticed that I have been changing the look of my blog about 12,486 times. For the moment it's back to basics because I'm still learning the ropes of blog layout design. So please consider this a PARDON OUR DUST notice. I am attempting to find the perfect look for this blog and just haven't come upon it yet.. and I'm also playing around with details as I go and of course, screwing things up on the way. But you have to make mistakes to get a masterpiece, right? In the meantime, I will continue to post. But be ready for a fabulous new blog sometime in the near future!

Yours til the soda floats,

~ Nicole Marie

Catch Phrase Game Review

2009-12-29T12:26:00.000-08:00

Description: Catch Phrase is a group party game that combines word guessing with hot potato. The rules are simple – everyone sits in a circle and every OTHER person is on the same team. Before beginning, being the control freak that I am, I always have everyone on my team raise their hands and take a look around to make sure we are clear about whose side we are on.

The game is played by passing an electronic pod around the circle as a sound timer gets faster and faster. When you have the pod, you attempt to get someone on your team to guess the word or phrase that appears on the screen. Once they guess it, you pass to the next player. It’s as simple as that! Get it out of your hands as quickly as possible so the timer goes off while the opposing team is holding it because that’s how your team gets a point. The first team to get to 7 points… WINS!

Words or phrases that appear on the screen can fall into different categories of your choosing that. I almost always set it to “Everything” so it consists of a good mix. Some examples of things that have appeared are - Dead as a Doorknob, Chicago Cubs, and Nicole Kidman.

This is possibly my favorite board game of all time. It makes for a fantastic ice-breaker and is perfect to bring out when a party starts falling into a lull. Everyone that has ever played ends up LOVING it. It keeps players on their toes and suddenly each person is shouting out, high fiving and laughing. My friends and family are always asking me to bring it to get-togethers.

PROs:

- No game board or pieces to worry about (the pod is the entire game)

- Portable

- No set-up or clean-up

- Easy to understand and explain to others

- Simple score keeping

- Doesn’t require too much interaction unless you WANT it to

- Includes plenty of phrases (10,000 words according to wikipedia)

– I have yet to experience any repeats

CONs:

- Sometimes the guessing team gets very excited and loud as the timer keeps ticking away after it is passed, so the next team is at a disadvantage because they can’t hear the person explaining over the noise

- Eventually the phrases will run out and there is no way to update it to get new ones

- If you accidentally bump a TEAM button, they are given a point and there is no way to take this back

- Cannot be played with an odd number of people

*** One little trick that I learned from a very competitive friend is that even if you don’t know or understand the word presented to you or your team gets stuck – you can break it down by syllables or smaller words. For example, if you didn’t know what “Gryffindor” was… besides making me very disappointed about your knowledge of Harry Potter… you could say the first syllable is a mythical hawk-like creature (griffon) and the second syllable is something you open to walk in and out of a room (door).

FINAL RATING:

7 Foods to serve for "luck" at New Year's

2009-12-28T07:18:00.000-08:00

These healthy food choices are considered good luck for the coming New Year because of what they represent and can bring in your life. Try including a few of these traditional items in your party menu and see what 2010 brings. List compliments of Reader's Digest.

1. Leafy greens represent money and are thought to bring wealth

2. Beans resemble coins and are also believed to bring wealth

3. Fish are not only a very healthy choice but the scales represent money (yet again!) and the idea that fish swim in schools brings about an idea of abundance (wealth & abundance? a winning combo!)

4. Fruit is a common New Year's snack - Figs = fertility, Pomegranates = prosperty, and a Mexican tradition is to eat a grape for each stroke of midnight to represent the 12 months of the coming year. It is believed that if you get a sour grape - that month may bring trouble!

5. Noodles and grains symbolize long life and abundance.

6. Pork is a traditional NYE dish because it represents the qualities of a pig being "rotund" and "rooting forward"

7. Ring shaped cakes (which often have some sort of surprise baked inside) introduce the idea of coming full circle. Not the healthiest food from the list, but definitely the tastiest!

See the full article here

Hats Off Party!

2009-12-27T13:04:00.000-08:00

Yet another fabulous theme idea for a New Year's Eve:

Hats Off Party

Guests sport elaborate hand-decorated hats!

Brainstorm some headpieces here at the Michael's website

This can turn into something gaudy and outrageous like an ugly sweater party or remain very chic and stylish with the proper attire and decor. Just make sure your invites give off the proper "vibe."

And don't forget to serve some munchies inside of a top hat!

New Years Eve Party Theme Ideas

2009-12-23T11:43:00.000-08:00

- formal black & white cocktail party
- masquerade ball
- karaoke night
- slumber party (reminiscent of younger days)
- international pot-luck
- fondue
- spa night (spoil your guests with at-home manicures & martinis)
- movie marathon
- sushi dinner (as authentic as possible!)

BONUS! Game Idea:

Have everyone write their New Year’s resolutions on individual slips of paper and toss them in a bowl. Read them one by one and have the group guess who wrote it!

EPIC FAIL... in cake form

2009-12-23T06:53:00.000-08:00

From one sorry sap to another.

Board Game Party - for the true party game lovers

2009-12-22T12:35:00.001-08:00

This party idea came about while I was chatting with a coworker at my office about my love for board games.

Concept: A party in which any number of your favorite board games are being played simultaneously. For example, you could have 4 different games set up at tables in a room with 4 players each, so you would need to invite 15 people (so that you can play as well to make it an even 16).

Rules: Using the example of a 16-person party, set up 4 teams of 4 people each. A "representative" from each team begins playing one of every game. After a certain amount of time (say 10-15 minutes, depending on game choices) set off some sort of alarm and have everyone switch to the next table & take the place of the previous person on their team. Game play continues. Think of it as speed dating, only with board games! The winning team would be the one with the most amount of total wins.

The most interesting part about this idea is that each team member ends up having to take over for the person playing the game before them.

If this ends up being a hit, it would be a great way to organize a set number of your friends to get together and do this once a month... like Bridge groups only with a twist!

I promise to eventually make this happen and follow up with how it goes, but for now just wanted to share our genius ;)

Drinking games are so "fetch"

2009-12-21T13:29:00.001-08:00

I am not one to take shots very often - but when you get snowed in & you ironically have enough triple sec, rum, peach schnapps and pineapple juice - a drinking game is inevitable. My friend, Ryan, had never seen Mean Girls so this obviously needed to be remedied. We thought a great way to spice it up would be to take a shot every time the word "Fetch" was mentioned. It made for a very silly evening!

Some other options for a Mean Girls drinking game are to drink every time:

- someone says the word "slut" (or if you are really daring... "b*tch"!)

- the rumor Regina spread about Janis is mentioned

- Cady's name is mispronounced

- anybody kisses

- Mrs. Norbury brings up her divorce

- someone solves a math problem

- one of the Plastics is on the phone

- Gretchen accidentally lets a secret slip

Ugly Christmas Sweater Party

2009-12-18T09:15:00.000-08:00

Liven up the same ol' holiday party by throwing an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party! The basic idea is that everyone shows up in the most hideously obnoxious Christmas sweater they can find (thrift stores and/or mom's closet can be great resources!) - you can even embelish something semi-ugly to make it even worse!

When it comes to decor for this party, cheap is better! Get your hands on the tackiest decorations you can find - Walmart and Dollar Tree are hotspots! If it's shiny, stupid or sings... buy 10 of them.

Food and drinks can be simple. A friend of mine has done "The 12 shots of Christmas" in the past (although most people never get that far!). Give festive mixed drinks silly names like "Melted Snowman" or "Santa's Jolly Juice"

And then there are the games, of course:

Holiday Sausages - there are a few different versions of this, but basically each player takes a turn asking another player a question that MUST be answered with the phrase "Holiday Sausages"... the catch is that you can't laugh!

Musical Chairs - give a twist to this classic game by playing Christmas carols. If you are really daring and want to pull an Ellen - blindfold everyone!

The party I attended last year also had everyone vote for the ugliest ensemble (my girlfriend won!)

Find other ideas & activities here

Polynesian Winter Paradise Recipe

2009-12-17T13:23:00.001-08:00

Party idea: Purchase ingredients for a fun new alcoholic drink.

Party dilemma: Leave handwritten recipe on the same table where messy margaritas are being made, rendering it illegible...

Party answer: Throw together aforementioned ingredients into a new festive drink!

In case you didn't know, my girlfriend is Samoan (which is an island in the South Pacific) and also very talented in throwing together mixed drinks. So she came up with this new drink & calls it a "Polynesian Winter Paradise" - try it tonight!

2 oz. Malibu rum
3 oz. White Cranberry Juice
Splash of lime juice

Serve over ice in a highball glass with lime garnish (red & green umbrella optional)

Have your wine & eat, too!

2009-12-11T09:07:00.000-08:00

I love wine. I love appetizers. I love these cocktail plates that help you avoid juggling snacks and a wine glass while mingling at a party!

These nifty plates make a great gift idea for the host you know & love... or even as a treat for yourself for your next party!

Set of 4 appetizer plates that conveniently sit on the rim of your favorite wine glass!

$16.95

Find it at:

http://www.catchingfireflies.com/

Set of four 9 " plates with a holder just for your wine glass stem!

$33.31

Find it at:

http://www.amazon.com/

New game: The Museum Nightwatch

2009-12-10T13:21:00.000-08:00

My nephew invented this game on his own! We were sitting in a circle playing telephone and other silly "sleepover" type games when he threw this concept together & then we spent the rest of the night playing it!

For 3 or more players

Rules: One player begins as the Museum Nightwatch and leaves the room. The rest of the players place themselves in identical poses like statues. EXCEPT one person makes a slight change. The Nightwatch returns and has 30 seconds (make this longer for younger children) to glance around at each "statue" and figure out which one is different.

For example, everyone can be posed with their hands on their hips and their legs spread apart but ONE of the players will have a foot facing to the side instead of frontwards.

Play continues with the next person becoming Nightwatch. Poses can be serious or silly. It's great for team-building and very family friendly! I can't wait to see if I can convince my friends to do it!

Can you tell which one is the real deal? Hint: She gets herself into lots of laughable messes!

The Liquid Gingerbread Man

2009-12-09T13:02:00.000-08:00

Try this recipe for a seasonal hot tea that tastes just like a gingerbread cookie! Perfect to add a festive mood to any get-together or even alone while curled up with a good book.

Make yourself a cup of hot chai tea. My favorite brand is Spiced Rooibos Ruby Red Chai from Trader Joes (it's organic AND caffeine free!)

Add:

Spoonful of sugar

2 squirts of honey

A bit of 1% milk until it is light & creamy

Splash of butterscotch schnapps

ENJOY!

Christmas Carol Costume Party

2009-12-08T06:57:00.000-08:00

Tired of the same old holiday party theme? Have your guests get creative AND into the holiday spirit while providing the playlist for your event!

What to do: Inform your guests that they must choose the title of a famous Christmas carol to represent in their attire for the evening. Specify that everyone needs to verify their choice with you so you won't get repeats.

Now it's up to everyone to come up with a unique way to show what carol they are trying to "be."

Some ideas to get you started:

Oh Holy Night - decorate a shirt with a night scene but make sure to add plenty of holes!

Jingle Bell Rock - wear lots of tiny bells and cotton balls sprayed grey to look like rocks

Twelve Days of Christmas - hang a large calendar around your neck with the 12 days leading up to Christmas marked off

Encourage guests to go all out! This could be a great photo-op and it's surprising who will get really into the theme!

Your playlist for the party should include each of the songs your guests have dressed up as. Have everyone write down their best guess as to which song title each person is representing.

The best part about this idea is that it can also be used any time of year - replacing Christmas Carols with the guest's song of choice or another theme to fit the season!

The infamous "Catch Party"

2009-12-07T09:00:00.001-08:00

This past weekend I was invited to a friend's apartment to hang out in our pjs and break in her fireplace by making s'mores complimented by homemade soup & wine. We played a rousing round of Catchphrase (check back for a full review) which is basically like a guessing game combined with hot potato.

After we finished BEATING the opposing team, my friend's 3 yr old niece decided to involve us in a similar game... ordering everyone in the circle to toss a stuffed camel at the person to our left - announcing each of our names as she went around. She got very excited in the midst of us tossing to the next "player" and squealed "It's a catch party!"

I found this extremely endearing and it made me realize that any moment can turn into a party. Why are cute kids always so full of worldly knowledge? I am a firm believer that a party can occur anywhere and anyone can be an awesome host. With this blog, I plan on sharing my inspiration as much as possible.

So now whenever my friends decide we want to throw another "Catch Party"... all we need is a bottle of wine, some marshmallows, cozy clothing and a stuffed camel. Voila!

Hours of entertainment!

You're invited!

2009-12-07T08:18:00.000-08:00

party /ˈpɑrti/ [pahr-tee] : noun
a social gathering, as of invited guests at a private home, for conversation, refreshments, entertainment, etc.

(Courtesy of dictionary.com)

... Addition (by yours truly): any moment in life when good company is involved & everyone has a fantastic time... preferably with some amazing food & drinks. Games optional but definitely encouraged.