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Archive for the ‘Party Theme’ Category

Baseball Party Theme

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, Party Theme, tagged , , on August 23, 2011| 2 Comments »

Sah-wing, Batter, Batter!

As the summer begins its descent toward fall, why not host a fun Baseball themed party. I mean, afterall, what is more American than baseball, hot dogs and apple pie?

Send out some fun invitations with baseball themed paper or cut out white circles, draw in red lines for ball stitching and print out your invitation.

Use baseballs, bats and gloves for your decorations. Gloves could hold a battery-operated votive on your table or a small vase of flowers. Set your buffet with a bat or two and a variety of balls meandering along the table.

Have everyone come wearing their favorite team’s colors. Baseball hats are a must! If anyone wants to come in a full baseball costume, let them.  If you are outside and have room, you could have some baseball related contests like who can throw the ball the farthest or slide into base the best or, if you have plenty of people and room – you could have your own baseball game. If you are short on space, it would be a simple thing to move your gathering to a park where you could spread out and have plenty of room for fun.

Keep the menu simple and authentic… serve hot dogs! Offer peanuts in the shell. You can warm them by popping in the oven for a few minutes, then serve in miniature brown paper bags. For dessert you could have baseball cupcakes. These are cute and easy to make. Just frost with white frosting then draw on the red “stitching.” You could also serve Apple Pie or have a bonfire and make S’mores.

And make sure you sing at least one rousing rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”

She Who Thinks Warm Peanuts Sound Pretty Good

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Western Theme Party Hoedown

Posted in Entertaining Ideas, Party Theme, tagged , , , on August 16, 2011| 1 Comment »

Since we seem to be in the midst of fair and rodeo season, why not host a western themed party or hoedown.

This type of party can be fun and simple to put together and a lot of fun for those attending.

Invitations

Send out invitations with a western theme like a boot background or something with brands or something that looks like leather. You can find hundreds of paper choices online at places like myexpression.com

Decor

Plan an outdoor party. If you have access to a barn or covered building, even better. Make sure you have country music playing in the background. Use straw bales for seating and sawhorse tables. Fill canning jars with sunflowers or wildflowers and tie with a raffia bow. Use bandanas to tie bows or drape along tables.  Have extras to give to guests who need a little umph to their costume. If you have western tack or can borrow some, use bridles, saddles and boots as props to create a more authentic feel to your party setting. Old boots also make fun centerpieces when you put a vase inside with flowers. Make sure you have lots of fun lighting. Use battery-operated candles in punched out tin cans for great accents. You could also use some roping and string cans with lights across entries or over tables. A word of caution  – if you are using straw for seating or decorations at your party please refrain from using anything with an open flame. It catches fire very quickly and the last thing you want is to have the fire department have to show up at your party.

Fun & Games

Encourage everyone to wear their best western duds. Contests could include things like ugliest boot or most unique boot, biggest belt buckle, biggest cowboy hat. Use toy pistols to have a fastest draw contest or encourage guests to join in a yodeling contest.  You could also have a line dancing contest or a square dancing contest.

Food

Serve a simple barbecue dinner with baked beans, corn on the cob, cucumber-tomato salad and fresh watermelon. You could barbecue chicken breasts or steaks or if you are on a tight budget, offer hamburgers or hotdogs. Finish the meal off with platters of brownies and cookies or something all-American like apple pie. Set up a beverage area by filling a galvanized tub with ice and adding individual bottles. You can also fill small canning jars with beverages, screw on the lids and nestle into the ice for a fun self-serve beverage station. Send your guests home with a personalized candy bar at the end of the evening. You can download a variety of fun templates and print them yourself. Most fit on candy bars like Hershey’s.

Have fun and Let ‘er Buck!

She Who Needs to Dust off Her Boots

 

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Hawaiian Luau Party Theme

Posted in Entertaining Ideas, Party Theme, tagged , on August 10, 2011| 2 Comments »

If you have toyed with the idea of hosting a party, but can’t think of a fun theme, why not try a Hawaiian Luau?

These parties are casual and fun and perfect for summer evenings.

Take the party outside to a patio, deck or backyard for the perfect setting.

Invitations

Send a simple invitation using some bright flowered paper or cardstock. If you can find something with a Hawaiian theme, even better.  Encourage guests to wear Hawaiian shirts or flowered dresses to fit in with the theme.

Decorations

You don’t need to spend a fortune on decorations. Keep it simple and use things like pineapples and coconuts to decorate the tables. You can cut a coconut in half and nestle candles inside or leave whole and pile beside pineapples for a fun centerpiece.

Silk leis, grass skirts, raffia table skirts and other fun items can be found inexpensively at party stores or online. One source I use is Oriental Trading  for inexpensive party supplies. They have oodles of luau items available.

You could also use seashells for decorations. Fill canning jars with sand and top with a votive.

Make sure each guest receives a lei to wear upon arrival as well as a big “Aloha!”

Fun and Games

Hawaiian music playing in the background is a must. Whether you choose “Tiny Bubbles” or maybe Elvis’  “Blue Hawaii” there is a good list of music available here.

Encourage a hula contest or get everyone going with the Limbo. Here are a few more game ideas.

Give each guest a tiny box of chocolate covered macadamia nuts as a take away from the party.

Food

You can have a fairly simple menu. If you want to make it a little authentic, serve kalua pork sweet potatoes, tropical fruit and don’t forget the shaved ice!

To make the pork you’ll need:

pork butt

liquid smoke

salt

Preheat your oven to 325°F. Score the fat of the port butt into 1-inch squares and rub with  salt. Sprinkle liquid smoke lightly over all sides of the meat and into the fat. Wrap securely in tin foil and bake in oven for at least 4 hours. Shred the meat and serve. You can add sweet potatoes to the oven 1 1/2 hours before the meat will be done.

Enjoy!

She Who Needs Some Shaved Ice

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Flip Flop Party Theme

Posted in Entertaining Ideas, Party Theme, tagged , on August 2, 2011| Leave a Comment »

I don’t know about you, but I can’t believe it is August.

What happened to June and July? I think they got skipped somewhere because there is just no way I could have possibly lost the past 61 days.

In an effort to wring every drop of summer left out of this season, why not throw a fun Flip Flop themed party.

Keep everything very casual.

Set up a buffet outside, serve something simple like hamburgers or a make-your-own taco bar. Have plenty of cold beverages. In addition to bottles of soda or water, filling small canning jars with lemonade or sweet tea, secure lids in place and nestle into ice for a versatile and easy beverage station.

Encourage your guests to wear their flip flops and have a contest. Who has the ugliest? Prettiest? Oddest? Oldest? Give away some creative prizes. You could even pick up inexpensive gifts at the dollar or craft store. I know the last flip flop party theme I did, I found some great gifts like a note pad in the shape of flip flops as well as decks of cards shaped like flip flops.

I also made this cake from Betty Crocker’s website. It was a huge hit. There is even a how-to video you can watch.

Invite over some friends and have an entertaining evening at home.

She Who Would Like Some Cake, Please

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