Host an Easter Egg Decorating Party!

he best thing about this party theme is that it can be as official or as unofficial as you would like it to be. Invite your crafty friends over for some festive Easter fun! You can either call or e-mail your guests to invite them or send invites through the mail (like the flat card invitations I found at Walmart at 10 for $2.97) about two weeks before the party.

What You'll Need:

Purchase egg dying kits, glitter, stickers, paint, and any other craft supplies you think might come in handy to decorate eggs. (I found that the Dollar Tree is a great place to look for such items)

This party doesn't require too much decor, the decorated eggs will do alot! A colorful food table,a simple centerpiece on the craft table , and some paper pom-pom flowers hung from the ceiling will do just fine. Daisies and ranunculus would also be excellent additions.

If the party is co-ed , be sure to have some beer to keep the boys happy! Serve peep-tinis and garnish with a peep on the rim. You could also serve:

-chocolate dipped pretzel rods

-mini cheesecakes

-rice crispy birds nests

-honey ham sandwiches

Send each guest home with the hard boiled eggs they decorated and a recipe card for deviled eggs or egg salad. You can download and print these super-cute recipe cards for free at scrapinstyletv.typepad.com!

Bling it On!

Have you ever been to Z Gallerie? Because if you haven't been, you really should go as soon as possible! There is somthing in that store to fit into every design style. What caught my eye this particular time were all the sparkly things that I saw! Diamonds are a girl's best friend afterall! Jeweled candle-holders, coasters, and place card holders, all fabulous and lovely. All would be perfect for a Breakfast at Tiffany's party, Glamourous afternoon luncheon, or Awards party!

Peeps!

Peeps! Recipes and crafts to make with your favorite marshmallow treat! Peeps are now the number one non-chocolate Easter candy. The projects and recipes highlighted in this whimsical book are surprisingly suited for any time of year. (unfortunatley the chick and bunny marshmallow versions are only available around Easter) This book would make a great addition to any party-makers library!

Who knew that peeps could make such adorable vase filler?

I love the place-card holder idea pictured on the lower left of the book cover!

Peeps are even useful for making accessories! Use them as stamps to make tote bags and more!

Take me out to the Ballgame!

Today is opening day for Major League Baseball! I know that my husband Matt is VERY excited! In honor of today, I thought I would post some inspirations for a baseball themed party. A "Take me out to the Ballgame" themed party can be thrown to celebrate many occasions like:

- a coed baby shower for a baby boy
- boy's first birthday
- adult birthday
- girl's birthday (especially if you change up some of the colors, exchange red for pink, navy for turquoise ect..)

Here are some ideas for a "Take me out to the Ballgame" Party!:

I found this tablescape on carolinapanache.blogspot.com!How cute is it? The centerpiece is so clever but so simple.

Baseball lanterns are available through Oriental Trading for just $4.95 for 3 lanterns!

What baseball party would be complete without coca cola, baby ruth bars, and Cracker Jacks?

I found these great baseball party ideas at settingthemoodwithjamee.blogspot.com!

- You could also serve beer, hotdogs, popcorn, peanuts, or red, white , and blue parfaits!

- Big League Chew would make great party favors for guests!

- Come up with a cocktail and call it a "Homerun"

Coming Soon......Retro Bridal Shower Photos!

The retro bridal shower was this past weekend, and it was a wonderful success! The bride had a fun afternoon celebrating with loved ones! Pictures soon to come!

But until then......

Let me share with you a super-cute activity that we did at the recent shower, but can easily be done at a bachelorette party , and would be PERFECT for a lingerie shower.

I stumbled upon this "panty poem" online and printed it out to read aloud at the party , then decorated it with scrapbooking papers and stickers (picture above) for the bride to take home as a keepsake from her party! (below is the "panty poem" , just replace some of the specifics to match the bride to use for your next bridal event!)

Panty Poem:

I have a secret to share
About our little bride
She is obsessed with underwear
And that I cannot hide

So for our little panty queen
I gathered up some twine
And put the panties in a row
To make a panty line.

(bride's name) these undies are to last you
All throughout your life
And (groom's name) will be pleased to say
He has a sexy wife!

So listen up to hear about
Your lifelong panty plan
These underwear, we have no doubt
Will last your whole life span

The first are for your wedding day
Of course they are pure white
We know (groom's name) will shout, "Hooray!"
When he sees you on that night

The next are for your honeymoon
They're sexy and all lace
We hope you'll leave your hotel room
'Cause (honeymoon destination) is such a gorgeous place!

On Valentine's you'll wear this pair
Before you hit the bed
Cuz Cupid's arrow in the air
Shoots tushies that are red

After a year has passed you'll face
Anniversary number one
With these you'll surely have a blast
'Cuz leopard's so much fun!

Then when the time is right for you
And don't be saying, "Maybe"
You'll wear your little pink or blue
In honor of your baby

And when your years of wedding bliss
Become the big 2-5
Don't worry - you'll just slip this on
To keep the sparks alive

When finally you're old and gray
With these you can't go wrong
'Cuz sorry (bride's name) but at that age
You just can't wear a thong

This poem was such a hit! It's just enough to make the bride blush but not offend grandma!
Hope it works well for you too!

Young Einstein Party!

Gabrielle Blair is the writer of designmom.com , a fabulous blog containing decorating ideas, party plans, and all kinds of other creative finds. She was kind enough to let me share pictures from the wonderful Young Einstein party that she threw for her daughter Maude's birthday.

Look how cute these invitations are!

The decor for this party is simple but has a great effect. Gabrielle hung green balloons upside-down alongside green paper circles with portraits of Albert Einstein.

Hello Albert!

Someone from a company in New York called Science Explorers came to teach the kids fun experiments. They made:

-fake snow

- green slime

-gooey worms

-liquid nitrogen icecream

favor bags!

Look at these adorable favors that she made for the party guests!

Green pens with green ribbon were attached to decoupaged mini clipboards, filled with graph paper.

How very scientific!

The guests snacked on pizza that was delivered halfway through the party, and brain cupcakes!

(how creative and cute!)

Happy birthday Maude!

April Fools!

Phyllis Hoffman is the editor-in-chief of a magazine called Celebrate, a specialty magazine loaded with entertaining ideas and recipes. Celebrate only releases four issues a year, one every season. I recently purchased Celebrate Spring 2009 (how could I resist?) I found some great ideas for an April Fools Day party.

Some of the fantastic ideas in the article were:

- Place a whoopee cushion in everyone's seat.

-Set a classic groucho Marx disquise on top of each guests plate

Offer guests nostalgic candies like cracker jacks, bazooka gum, and laffy taffy.

Use ribbon to tie rubber chickens on the backs of each guests chair.

Last but not least bake up some Gotcha! Trick cupcakes

These are cupcakes that look like sweet treats but are really meat loaf pies with food-coloring-tinted mashed potatoes. Gotcha! ( recipe below )

Gotcha! Trick Cupcakes

ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef

1 clove garlic, minced

1/3 cup shredded colby jack cheese blend

1/4 cup toasted bread crumbs

1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon dried italian seasoning

2 large eggs, beaten

2 2/3 cups frozen mashed potatoes

1 1/3 cup whole milk

1 tablespoon bbutter

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 or 4 drops food coloring

directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place foil liners into 15 muffin cups.

In a medium bowl, combine ground beef, garlic, cheese blend, bread crumbs, worchtershire sauce, Italian seasoning, and eggs, mixing well.

Spoon mixture evenly into prepared muffin cups. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until done. Prepare frozen mashed potatoes according to package directions using 1 1/3 cups milk. Stir in butter, salt, and food coloring.

Spoon potatoes evenly over meat mixture , spreading gently to resemble frosting.

Serve immediatley and enjoy the trickery!