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?

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…

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.

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.

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 "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.

Shopping list:

1 pink table cloth

1 clear table cloth

1 pack of heart-shaped confetti

2 packs of tissue paper (white and pink)

2 packs of cups (pink and red)

2 packs of plates (pink and red)

6 maracas

an assortment of Hershey’s kisses

A party tray of Cuban sandwiches from Publix,

plastic ware, and of course

1 cake.

She absolutely loved it.  The smile on her face made the war I had with the fondant all worth while.  Everyone had a blast.  I had to admit.  Everything looked better than I had expected.  I am so glad when everyone is happy.  That is the best “thank you” of all.

If you would like one thrown for a friend or family member the price for the party is

350.00  This includes all the purchases necessary for making the cake, and procuring the food. I also set-up and clean-up after.  If your are interested, email me and I can set-up a meeting so we can go over the contract.

To have the kit mailed, including recipes, the price is $172.50  This includes paypal, shipping and handling fees.  The kit will have instructions on how to make the centerpieces as well as how to layout the table.  Please, include in the email if your area has a grocery store that makes Cuban sandwiches.  If not, I will include the recipe for the sandwiches.

To purchase the party package to do it yourself, click here.

Any infringement on the “I Love Lucy” trademark was completely unintentional. This is a non-licensed, home-made theme for the party requested. This is merely on suggestion on how to throw a themed party.  No images of Lucille Ball or any of her affiliates were used the in theme.

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.

In your search for a venue,  don’t forget to ask the following questions:

1. I am planning a [insert event here].  Is this venue available for [insert date and time]?
2. What are your rates?
3. Is this for the day or a short amount of time?
4. What is the time limit for renting the space?
5. What all does the rental include?
6. Are there any restrictions on decorations?Food or beverages?
7. What is the capacity of the venue?  This is very important if you are planning a large event like a wedding or a reunion.
8. May I schedule a time to come and tour the venue?  NEVER rent a venue unseen.  I know the internet is wonderful and there are sites that feature virtual tours, but if the event is that important to you, shouldn’t you go and see the place with your own eyes?

Location…Location…Location…

The three rules of real estate also apply to choosing your venue.

1. Pick a location that is central to everyone.
   1. If you have relatives that live all around the area but not all in the same city, make the venue more accessible to everyone.  This means find a spot as close to the middle of everyone as possible.
2. It must be easy to get to.
   • We all have at least one relative that is not so great with complicated directions, and the GPS, although right on most occasions, is prone to send someone off the grid every once in a while.
     • Include directions in the invitations.  If you have mass transit, call and find out all available routes and include those as well.
3. Make it easy to spot.
   • This can be done with a road sign posted outside the building pointing to it.  Many party supply stores will have signs like these.  If there is no place to put the sign, have someone stand outside.
   • Balloons are also a great marker.  Just a few on a post or sign outside the facility will tell everyone where you are.
4. Finally…  It must be in a location that is inviting.
   • The area surrounding the venue should be clean, well kept, and open.
   • Having an event in a place that is dark, known for its crime rate, and usually has unwanted visitors, will drive your party guests away.

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.

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.