The Guests Make all the Difference…

Oftentimes when we are in the planning stages of throwing a party, we sit down and jot the names of everyone we can think of to invite, and then we reach for our address book, whether paper or virtual, and add to the list thinking that if we leave someone off the list, they will not talk to us ever again. Here is food for thought.

Have you ever considered that you forgot them on purpose?

Let’s face it. We all have friends or acquaintances that are tolerable. Those that are good to spend time with, and yet find a way to ruin every event they are invited to attend. They never miss a party. As a matter of fact, they believe they are the life of the party when, in actuality, they are an embarrassment to themselves and the one who invited them. Do you know someone like this?

The best way to show them they’ve done something wrong is to leave them off of your list. Yes, when they find out they will probably not be happy with you, at all. They will ask -sometimes demand- you to tell them why they weren’t invited. Even though it will be difficult, tell them the truth. After all, if no one tells them, how will they figure out they need to tone it down?

The next time you sit down to make that list, think about who you invite. It is your event. You should be able to enjoy it, right?

Invitations set the mood…

http://www.mazaltovpages.com/images/Invitations/Rainboworld%20Party%20Invitations.jpg. When planning a party, the invitations you choose to send set the mood for the event. It gives the potential guest something to expect. This means that you have to be careful to choose the right invitation.

Is it a formal affair?
If so, then the invitation that you are looking for must have a feel of elegance about it. Just keep in mind that elegant doesn’t mean overdone.

Is it casual?
This should make it easy to choose the invitations. In this case, the invitations should reflect the theme.
Don’t break the bank.
Don’t forget to set the budget stick to it. In many cases, this means that you might have to get creative with invitations.

Split them up.
If you need to make that dollar stretch, send the more fancy invitations to family and very close friends, and ones that fit the theme, but are more economical to everyone else on your list. Don’t be afraid to use e-invitations as well. All these things can help stretch that budget, and allow you to invite everyone on your list.

Dress up the simple…
If your buying simple invitations, you can dress them up a bit with a little bit of ribbon, and you’ve got a fancier version of the invitation that you originally purchased.

Always keep in mind that you still have to follow-up to get a set number of people in attendance.

Until next time…

Parties for Less… Tissue Paper Flowers

 

Part One

Part Two

If you wish to have me make the bouquets, the pricing is below:

1-4 bouquets: $6/each

5-8 bouquets: $5/each

9-12 bouquets: $4/each

Place your order by contacting me via email.  Let me know the colors you would like, and I will send you an invoice through Paypal.

The Rock “n” Roll Party Theme…

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This is the result of the 50th birthday party.  All the decorations were by yours truly, and now it’s a party package on in the etsy shop!  All the posters and centerpieces were made by hand in the scrapbook style.

When you place your order, keep in mind that the theme if fully customizable from the colors for the party right down to the centerpieces, and scrapbook posters.  Just let me know what their favorite bands are, and I can make all the decorations reflect their personal taste.

 

Click

Here 

for the etsy listing.

Parties For Less – Centerpieces

Just click on the video to follow the instructions. Please, feel free to leave comments in the section below the video at its location on youtube. I am always looking for advice on how to improve my video skills.

May your party be a happy one; may your guests make it a memorable one, and may your children grow to remember the memories that you have made with them.

Bless you all.

The Lucy Party

The "I Love Lucy" Party Theme

The “I Love Lucy” 50th Birthday Party…

It all started back in when my friend declared that she wanted a “Lucy” party.  ‘Well’, I thought to myself, ‘That shouldn’t be too hard.  I’ll just get online and order some stuff to decorate with, make the cake and order some food.’  Was I ever wrong.  I looked online and couldn’t find a single thing “Lucy”  except for memorabilia.  That wouldn’t do.  I started thinking along other lines.  Time to get crafty and think completely out of the box.  I had to really think hard about the decorations, not to mention the cake itself.

Watch That Wallet! How to Set a Budget for an Event.

This is the most important detail next to choosing your theme.    This number should be a non-negotiable amount.  This means, once you set it, do not change it or go over the limit that you set.

Price check themes and catering vs doing it yourself and getting others to help.  Generally, doing it yourself is cheaper in the long run.

Doing it your is not as difficult as it sounds.  This recipes that are included in the party guides are simple and often times are no more than five steps long.  The craft ideas are simple as well and come with written instructions and will be supported with video tutorials linked to You Tube.  The videos will be posted to this blog.

There are two way to stick to your party budget:

1. Get gift cards (Visa or Amex)  and place the money on them.

2. Take out the amount of cash for the budget and place it them in labeled envelopes.  The envelopes should be labeled as follows:

~ Gas – This helps with transportation getting everything you need.

~Food and catering supplies – The includes chafing kits, food trays, and groceries for the menu and drink list.

~Tableware and decorations – Plates, cups, plastic ware, streamers, etc…

~Invitations

~Planning materials – Guides, lists, etc.

This will ensure that you will not go over budget.  If it helps, leave the credit and debit cards at home to remove temptation.

Venue Limitations… Know them…

As you are looking for a venue to have your event, you have to take into consideration what restrictions in terms of decorations, time constraints, and also what types of festivities they will allow.  Some venues may let you decorate to the nines, while others will not let you put anything on the walls.  Some will let you serve anything you want.  Some say no alcohol.

The Basics to Planning a Stellar Party…

There a few basic things that everyone should know when planning a party.  Most of these tips are common sense, but I have posted them here anyway to help those out who are planning a party for the first time.

1.     Set a date.

• This may seem elementary to most people, but a setting a date will help you determine how many people should be able to attend.
• Most parties, weddings, events are generally on the weekend so that a good number of people can attend.

2.     Set a time.

• This will dictate what foods will be served at the party.
• Morning parties usually call for breakfast foods, fruit salads and other fare that is served between 7 -9 am.
• Mid-morning means a brunch menu.  Brunches are generally from 10am-2pm.
• Lunch time can mean anything from lunch foods to finger foods.
• Afternoon menus have a wide variety of appetizers snacks, and light fare.
• Dinner parties can be as elaborate or simple as you would like them to be provided the food fits the time.

3.     When to send out the invites.

• Three weeks before the party is an ideal time frame to send out invitations.  This will insure that the ones you invite will have ample time plan on being there, unless they already have something else planned.
• Reminders for the party can be a week before.  This can be another round of invites, but to save on money, making confirmations by phone is generally best.
• *****The only exceptions to the three-week rule are weddings and funerals.  Wedding guests need at least six weeks to plan, especially if the wedding is out of town.  Confirmation is usually another round of invites or phone confirmations.                                                                        *****You just can’t plan ahead for funerals.
• Include an RSVP date and a way to reach you.  This is vital.  If you don’t know how many people are coming, you cannot plan to have enough food or favors!

4.     Is it Formal or Casual?

• This is quite possibly the most important question in party planning.  Choosing one or the other sets the tone for the entire event.
• Formal parties often times have soft music playing in the background and feature games that are sophisticated in their design.
• Casual parties include lighter music and games that involve the entire compliment of guests.

5.     Theme

• This goes along with whether the party is formal or casual.
• Wine and cheese parties are formal in their concept.  Movie theme parties can be a fun experience for all.
• *****I will go more into this in the ebooks that are in my store.

This is it! I am not moving it anymore!!!

Yep.  This is it, the end of the line, the last hurrah.  I am not moving this blog anymore.

One more time, bear with me.  I am moving the party posts from the free Angels’ Muse to here.  This is so that all the party information is in one place, not many, and the categories will be easier to find.  There will be videos on the left for you to click on, of you wish to see a tutorial, or a cooking video, or me talking about party tips, color coordinating for a party theme, or even highlighting a vendor on esty.  There will be a different Youtube channel for the main blog, because the blog will be solely used for jewelry, and jewelry making.  Shocking, I know.

So…  one more time, if you see the same posts flying by the statuses, and the blogs, and tweeting, just disregard it, if you have read it before.  BUT…

Please, come by and subscribe.  I would for you to stop by every now and again.