Home And Family

Special events including weddings, birthdays, holidays, confirmations and graduations require special invitations. If you are currently planning a wedding for instance and want to make every aspect of your wedding very memorable, then you certainly have your hands full planning guest lists, ordering flowers, arranging music and selecting the food you will serve. Many people make the mistake of sending out dull and unattractive invitations. Wedding invitations are available today that come in stunning designs and in a wide variety of pretty patterns and themes. Many people actually save wedding invitations to remind them of the big day and often even go to the trouble to have the invitations put into frames for displaying in the home.

Holiday parties abound in the month of December. Many people throw Christmas cocktail parties and big New Years Eve bashes. If you are planning on inviting a group of your friends to your home during the holidays, take some time and select eye catching and festive holiday invitations. There are many sources of great invitations, including your local card shop and the internet. Decide on the theme of your party and then try to select invitations that reflect that theme. For instance if your theme is based on winter nights, try to find party invitations that depict some pretty night time snow scenes. Your guests will love receiving invitations that show you put considerable thought into selecting and will no doubt complement you on your choice when they arrive for the event.

Party planning is fun. The anticipation of the big day grows with each day that passes. You have gone to a lot of trouble to order great decorations for your party. Be sure to take the time to select the perfect party invitations that will impress your friends.

It is not necessary to spend a lot of money for invitations. There are many websites online that offer a huge selection of invitations of all kinds and that are suited to every budget. Local wedding boutiques and card shops in all cities also offer a great selection of invitations for every occasion imaginable. So the next time you are planning a special event, take the time to find the perfect invitations-your guests will appreciate the thoughtfulness.

Do you want to get together with the girls, have lots of fun – and not spend a lot of money? Then declare a ‘Girls Night In’ – and let the fun begin!

As the first in a series of “Girls Night In” articles, let me explain how ‘Girls Night In’ works. First of all – decide who is going to be the host of this particular event. (It’s best to try to rotate the host each and every time). Then decide how much each ‘guest’ will contribute to the evening. This will include food, beverage, and ‘incidentals’. Think of what you would spend on a normal ‘Girls Night Out’ and then slash it by 30% or more! The amount should easily cover your costs for these ‘do-it-yourself’ parties. Agree to this amount and stick to it. Note: Guests should provide payment upon arriving at the party in fairness and respect to the host – it is NOT okay for the hostess to have to hunt down the payment that night or any other time.

Hostess duties include: planning the party details (what to serve, what music to play, what features to offer that pertain to the party’s theme, etc.), shopping for everything, hosting the event and cleaning up after it. But remember – hosts are rotated each time so depending on the size of your group it really is manageable. For example – let’s say your gal pals number 6. Have a “Girls Night In” every two months and each person only hosts once that year!

Okay – let’s move on to the first party – Spa Night:

Manicure-Pedicures: What you’ll need on hand are:

1) at least one set of disposable gloves (these are in case anyone needs to remove a dark nail color before they start their manicure or pedicure. Put a glove on the hand that’s doing the removing – that way the color on the cotton ball won’t get all over them).

2) A full bottle of nail polish remover and big fat fluffy cotton balls (typically sized “Jumbo”)

3) A new nail file for each gal.

4) A container of great smelling hand lotion.

5) At least five bottles of new nail polish shades. Make sure at least one is neutral and another is at least a soft color (light pink or peach, for example). But make sure you also have an outrageously deep, vampy color too!

6) One full bottle of nail polish base and a top coat product.

7) Enough toe separators for everyone to have their own set. It’s also nice to have a nail buffer – make sure you get one that isn’t too coarse – you just want to gently buff away any old nail stains. All of these products can be purchased at beauty supply stores or drug stores – they will barely dent your budget.

Facials:

Again – pick these things up at the drug store to keep costs down – no need to get fancy.

You’ll need:

1) A gentle cleanser.

2) At least two masks products. Make sure one is labeled ‘Gentle’ for those guests that may have sensitive skin.

3) And a toner to use after you rinse off the mask to ensure that you remove every last morsel of it. Make sure you have a freshly laundered washcloth for each gal. If you don’t have enough – you can get them very inexpensively at most stores that sell linen (towels and sheets).

All that is left is food and beverage (well – you’ll want to decide what music to play ahead of time). Decide if you are going to offer one or two types of cocktails. Or perhaps just wine – a red and a white. Make sure you have non-alcoholic beverages on-hand too. And as for food -finger food that can easily be picked is a must for this party – you don’t want to take the chance of ruining your just-done nails. Sushi, wrap sandwiches (just make sure they are not over-stuffed), chips and dip (not out of a bag – the chips must be put in a bowl ahead of time), and/or bite-size hors d’oeuvres (these can be found in the frozen section of supermarkets) are all great options. And make sure you don’t forget to put out a tray of bite-sized sweets before the night is over!

If the Pixar movie “Up” has taught us anything about life, it’s that balloons sure do fly!?These are actually latex balloons, filled with helium gas.?In addition to latex you can also buy metallic, colored, printed, novelty and foil balloons.?Balloons have only been around for about three centuries, but they have earned associations of fun, partying and celebration.?If you’re going to have a party, it’s a given that you will need them as part of your decor!

There are really no limits as to what specific occasions are appropriate for balloons, provided the event is a joyful one.?Birthday parties often have balloons, as do anniversary parties, showers, and many other get-togethers.?Balloons are used for childrens parties, including the decorations, water balloon fights and making balloon animals.?Then again, they can also be used for adult parties like bachelor or bachelorette, or at least parties where “big kids” want to cut loose and celebrate a bit.

What kind of balloons should you look for??It mostly depends on the type of party you’re throwing, the guest list and the atmosphere.?Childrens parties favor bright colors, whereas parties with a mix of grownups and children may favor one or two color themes.?Adult parties tend to favor the gaudiest of most colors, while holiday celebrations may follow traditional holiday colors such as red, white and green for Christmas or pink, yellow, green, etc for Easter.?However, you also have to consider how many you will blow up, as determined by how big the event promises to be.?It may not be worth buying one hundred balloons for what could be a small turn out.?On the other hand, if you buy balloons in bulk you could save them for the next party-assuming the same type of balloons are appropriate to the future theme.?Therefore, a large supply of colors would be a safe buy, as opposed to a large selection of uniquely shaped balloons for a particular type of party.?/p>

Where can you go to find cheap balloons at a discount price??Why not shop online??You can order a big supply for a price significantly less than store party supplies.?If you can get a discount on free shipping, that’s even better deal.?/p>

A Black Light Party is one of the coolest looking and most fun parties to attend for both tweens and teens alike. This party is guaranteed to light them up!

INVITATIONS

Start your black light party excitement by using black construction paper to create your invitations and write all of your party info with glow in the dark markers.

DECORATIONS

For best results, you will want your party room to be pitch black. Therefore, if at all possible, it is best to hold this type of party at night. If need be, cover windows with black butcher paper to keep all hints of light out of the room. Replace all of the lights in the room with black lights; the more, the better. Start out by defining your party area. If you have places in the house that you don’t want your guests to venture into, use black light reactive rope to keep them out of those specific areas.

As guests arrive, escort them into a pitch black room, which is only lit up by black lights and radiates with glow in the dark and fiber-optic items. For a really fun addition, add a fog machine. This will enhance the eerie glow of the room and add to the thrill of it all. Consider using a bubble machine. Fill it with glowing tekno bubble solution, then all it spews out will glow in the dark. It is a perfect add-on to a black light party.

Cover your tables with tablecloths that have glow in the dark designs. Use glow in the dark cups, plates, cutlery, stir sticks, straws, lighted ice cubes, light up bowls, coasters, etc. Decorate room with white streamers, balloons, curling ribbon, and confetti so they all glow when the black lights are on.

Hang disco balls or strobe lights for added pizazz! Create table centerpieces using fiber-optic lights, white shred, confetti, curling ribbons, and balloons. Decorate other parts of the room with glow orbs and glowing balloon lights. Be sure your guests wear as much white as possible, along with neon accents. For example, lime green shoelaces or a pink fluorescent hat. As guests arrive, adorn them with glow in the dark leis, necklaces, bracelets, hats, etc. Be sure to have plenty of glow sticks on hand for added fun!

Hope these ideas help to get your creative juices flowing! Pick and choose, and add to the above, and your black light party will surely be a glowing good time!

Transformers isn’t just a new hit movie. It’s not even just a great cartoon. It’s now a whole set of party supplies that can, yes, transform your event from ordinary to astounding. Pick up plenty of Transformers birthday party supplies and you’ll see.

Start with the Transformers Revenge of the Fallen Deluxe Party Pack and get all the plates, cups, placemats, and more that you need for serving. With a tablecover, crepe paper rolls, inflatable balloons, and more you’ll have everything to get you started decorating in one package.

Speaking of decorations, don’t overlook those terrific Transformers Removable Wall Decorations, either. A set of 20 self-stick, but safely removable and reusable decals let you turn your home into party central. Later, you can stick them on your child’s bedroom walls, furniture, lunch box… any flat surface. They feature all the great characters from the film.

Then, get set to decorate your cake with a Transformers Cake Topper. You spent a lot of time devising and executing the perfect frosting design. Top it off with a terrific cake topper. There’s a 4″ long x 1.5″ wide x 2″ high plastic truck that you can transform into Optimus Prime. It’s accompanied by an Autobots and Decepticons stand-up collector’s card. Not just a cake decoration, this item will become part of a permanent collection.

Then, of course, you’ll want to ‘decorate’ the birthday guest of honor. The Transformers Optimus Prime Deluxe Child Costume makes that a cinch. The 4-piece set includes a red, blue, and gray robot jumpsuit, a 3-D chest piece, a detachable toy arm weapon, and a mask. It also makes for a great Halloween costume. Get out your camera because you’ll want to take lots of photos of this one during the party.

As an alternative, you might go instead with the Transformers Bumblebee Movie 3-D Deluxe Child Costume. This yellow robot jumpsuit is the perfect outfit for birthday parties, Halloween, or just a day of fighting crime. With 3-D armor and a character mask, your little machine will be energized to the max.

Remember to have on hand a Transformers Candy Cube for every guest. You can use this as a complement to a costume, as a container for party favors, a prize for games… and lots more. The soft foam treat pail has a vinyl front that features a Transformer graphic for the perfect look. Durable and easy to clean, this makes for a stellar party item.

Also, be sure to stock up on Transformers Revenge of the Fallen Filled Favor Boxes. Each one contains a mask, sticker sheet, bookmark, and a race car and tumbling ninja. Send your guests home after the party with a goodie box they’ll remember for a long, long time.

When the party’s over everyone will remember what a great time they had because you selected Transformers party supplies. The snapshots you send to all the parents with your thank you note will be proof positive.

Let’s face it, everyone likes to give Lady Luck a run for her money every now and again. Whether you’re young or old – taking a chance on fate can be an extremely fun and exciting experience. If you’re thinking about holding an event in the near future – consider turning your plain old get together into a magical “casino” themed event that both the young and old can participate in.

Many partygoers aren’t looking to come to a birthday or anniversary party to gamble away x amount of dollars. Don’t worry – you can still host an exciting casino themed party without requiring guests to bring their entire paycheck along. Many party stores offer either plastic or chocolate “chips” that can be given to guests upon arrival. By allotting them this “budget”, you can allow them to gamble until they can’t gamble anymore. At the end of the night, see who has the most chips. By purchasing a small door prize ahead of time, you can award the night’s “highest roller” with a nice parting gift.

Some great ideas for games include some simple blackjack card games (don’t worry about hiring a dealer – have a husband or friend step behind the table to have some fun and put on a show for guests), dice games (keep them simple – have guests place bets on which number they think will roll), and maybe even roulette (you can usually pick up a set at any hobby or toy store). By making sure that each game station has a designated “referee or dealer”, you can ensure that nobody feels as though they were cheated out of their winnings. As mentioned before, husbands or family friends make great dealers and it also allows them to have a little bit of fun with the guests.

Many party stores offer great casino themed decorations, so if you haven’t been to your local party supplier – stop down and see what they have to offer. Party stores are known for being very reasonably priced while letting you create a professional scene for your party. A casino themed party should have simple colors – keep table cloths green (think of the felt surface on professional casino tables), and decoration colors can be kept to a two-tone palette of red and black (think poker chips). Colors have a big part in how your guests perceive your theme, so taking them into consideration should be a main priority when it comes to planning the event. Even if you have the perfect set-up and entertainment – colors can give guests a whole different impression and end up compromising your finished product.

If you’re unsure about how to play some of the popular card games that are popular in casinos – don’t change your theme just yet. The internet provides great step-by-step, easy to understand and learn instructions. Printing out a sheet to give to dealers will also help clarify any rules that they may be unsure of. When hosting a party with so many games – it’s important that everything is run fairly. By doing your homework and ensuring there’s no room for error – your casino party will go off without a hitch.

So whether you have a gaggle of gamblers as friends or you’re just looking for a unique way to spice up a 50th birthday party – a casino theme is the perfect way to get people excited. Throwing a challenge into anything fires people up – regardless of age – so with a party like this, you can be sure that both you and your guests will be in for an evening that none of you will soon forget.

New York is considered as the most sophisticated, happening, vibrant, glamorous and exciting city in the world. It attracts millions of people from every corner of the world throughout the year. Every year thousands of corporate executives, businessmen, tourists, etc visit this place. It is the major centre for trade and commerce. New York is the important city for organizing parties, social events, business meetings and other sort of gatherings. You will find many restaurants and hotels and other event spaces that offer various amenities for organizing parties or events. One can have numerous options to find a perfect venue for his special event or party as per the budget. Whether it is small conference for business purpose or big corporate event, this city offers you various options to select from.

If you want to throw an engagement party, wedding reception or any other party, choosing a perfect event space for your party is most important. Your event venue will represent your personality. There are various event spaces which are ideal for such parties as these venues offers exotic amenities for the comfort of guests. You can also select hotel or restaurant for your special party as they have adequate staff for your support. They offer great food and excellent facilities in order to make your party a smash hit. Everyone wants to enjoy the party because a dull party cannot be remembered by anyone. Therefore, selecting a perfect event spaces is very important for you. New York offers some great venues to host the parties and events:

Buddha Bar: Buddha bar is an ultimate venue for a great experience of your party. You will find sumptuous cuisines blend with little French essences with Asian flavors. Interior decoration is eye-catching and comprise of bamboo elements, wood plant floor, chandeliers and low hurled lounge seating. The major attraction of this place is black stone Buddha statue. The skilled staff and electrifying environment will surely make your party a smash hit.

Brasserie 8 1/2: With the adventurous cuisines, classy and stylish art collection and plush atmosphere, it is a sleek and modern place that is perfect to throw a memorable party. It offers private dinning rooms that are suitable for bridal showers, wine, birthday parties, corporate parties, dinner and other events. The dinning hall is spacious and presents the work of a French artist, in the ceiling and floor. It has classy chairs, sofas and glowing cocktails is ideal for cocktail parties.

Monkey Bar – It is the highly popular and stylish restaurants in New York. The huge dinning room has electrifying atmosphere to make your party memorable. This bar offers great cuisines and comfortable amenities.

New York event spaces offer great amenities and cuisines in order to add more beauty and charm to your special event or party. You will find plenty of options for event spaces to select from.

The sacrosanct ceremony of the first communion is one of great importance to every young boy and girl of Roman Catholic heritage. While some Protestant and Lutheran denominations also follow this ritual, it is more prevalent and associated with the Roman Catholic Church, being celebrated with greater pomp and fervor by this group. The word is a layman抯 term for the child抯 first consumption of the sacrament of the Eucharist, at around 7 or 8 years of age.

Classic methods are the best when getting ready for a first communion party. Traditionally, white is worn by girls, along with a veiled headdress and long or short white gloves. This symbolizes purity. Boys also wear special clothes that day and many families spend extravagantly on clothes for this day. Wearing a special gown or outfit that was worn by a mother, father, or sibling can be equally special.

Gifts to the child are conventional, and usually religious in nature such as rosary beads or prayer books. Invite the whole family and close friends since this is always a family event. You can organise a party at home, or even go out for a meal afterwards. Make sure you get lots of photos ?with your family dressed up in their best clothes you can just click away!

Your child抯 first communion is a wonderful occasion to share with your family and close friends. With a few simple tips you can turn it into something that will be remembered many years on.

Everyone eagerly awaits the New Year breaks, to break the chains of life’s monotony and make most of the winter festivity. From big families to honeymooners and professionals to executives, everyone’s ready to pack their bags and fly off to an undisclosed location which is beautiful and a weekend getaway from the hustle and bustle of life. Some of the places in the world that are preferred the most to enjoy New Year breaks are:

USA:

The United States of America is a popular New Year breaks destination. Every major city in USA holds special entertainment programs, concerts, live performances and fireworks. Special arrangements for the New Year celebration are made in hotels. During this peak season its better to do the pre-booking of New Year tables.

The New Year breaks in USA can be best enjoyed in Las Vegas. With a number of casinos, classic luxury hotels, grand performances and joyrides, Las Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world.

New York’s Times Square’s ball drop show is the star attraction. Every year a ball made of crystal and electric lights is raised atop One Times Square building. It then descends over the course of a minute and comes to a rest at the bottom of its pole.
The crystal ball is lowered to mark the beginning of the New Year.

USA’s glitziest city, Los Angles is the hub of Hollywood’s superstars. The star’s parade, amazing sightseeing, parks and a number of tourist attractions make this place perfect to have rocking New Year breaks.

Australia

Sydney’s New Year firework over the Sydney Harbor Bridge is viewed by millions of viewers on TV. New Year harbor parade and spectacular fireworks erupt along the Harbor from Cockatoo Island. Sydney New year’s eve cruises and parties, attracts thongs of crowd.

UK:

United Kingdom is a beautiful place to welcome the New Year. Trafalgar Square’s New Year’s Eve celebrations, New Year parade starting from the Parliament Square as the Big Ben strikes 12 noon, gala performance by 10,000 percussionists from over 20 countries and many such events that are arranged for New Year celebration.

When planning an event, it is a great idea to consider the foods that are in season at that particular time. In San Francisco, caterers know that the freshest produce is the produce that is in season. They taste better and make for a much better entr閑, appetizer or even dessert. Also, the expense of shipping out of season produce can be astronomical, this is seen with trying to get fresh blueberries in the fall or winter.

There are certain items that are available year round and taste great all year, such as carrots, celery, potatoes, onions, garlic and shallots. San Francisco catering companies know how to plan a meal around season produce to get the best tasting presentations possible.

For example, artichokes, asparagus and avocados are great in the spring, but summer is better for corn, basil, eggplant, tomatoes and most fruits. A good chef knows his produce and when it is best served. For a winter event, a meal that includes chestnuts, squashes and sweet potatoes is sure to be delightful. A great fall wedding would do well with a meal plan that included a salad with fresh cranberries, radishes, and onions, a side dish with the main course that includes acorn squash and broccoli rabe and for dessert a dish that includes apples, pears and papaya.

While frozen versions of produce do exist, and with today’s flash freezing methods, the food retains its quality and nutrients, there is still nothing better than fresh produce. It is also more cost effective to buy produce that is in season, versus those that are not.

When using stations, Napa caterers like to create themes with different foods that are in season. As we all know, we associate certain foods with certain holidays and events during the year. Who doesn’t love hot chocolate and apple pie on a cold fall day or a hearty beef stew on a snowy winter day? In the summer, watermelon marks the season with burgers and fresh corn on the cob and when peaches come into season, at the end of spring, there is nothing more juicy and tasty.

When planning an event, work with a caterer who will plan the menu around season produce. It not onl will taste better, but unknowingly, diners will relate to the seasonal food in a positive way, and your event will be remembered for the good feelings and joy they felt during that time.