Invitations By You Blog

Birthday Parties for “Ones”

2008-06-25T10:18:00.003-05:00

At our site we do a lot of invitations for 1 year old birthday parties. Of course, we all know that a one year old usually has not much of a clue of what is going on, though he or she knows what to do with the cake! 1 year old birthday parties are more for the parents and grandparents and other family. I treasure the pictures of my daughters and grandsons on their first birthdays.

If you let your 12 month old feed herself or himself cake, you’ll probably need to plan a bath afterwards. Often icing and cake go in the hair, get smeared on face, clothes, high chair and anyone within reach. If you’re lucky, only face and hands will be covered. We have pictures of my first grandson tossing cake to the floor – the universal “I’m done” signal.

I’ve recently discovered there are first birthday highchair kits – they include a mat, bib, party hat, and a banner to decorate the highchair. Pretty cute. Eventually we’ll be offering them at our new site Parties and Games, which we’re working on now. There are lots of cute 1st birthday party themed tableware out there – we have some at Invitations by You and will be offering more at Parties and Games.

I also recommend that presents be done before the cake or after the cleanup. Your little one will need help opening packages. Often older children like to help with this process, but you have to watch out that they don’t take the toy or gift away from the baby once it is open.

Here are some resources if you’re planning a 1st birthday party:

First Birthday Party from the Berkeley Parents Network

Five Ways To Have A Successful 1st Birthday from lifetips.com

Planning Your 1st Birthday Party from amazingmoms.com

1st Birthday at kidspartyfun.com

1st Birthday Party Ideas, Activities and Tips from birthdaypartyideas4kids.com

Teen Hollywood Party

2008-06-17T11:20:00.002-05:00

I just read some really creative ideas on Yahoo answers for teen Hollywood parties and thought I’d share them with you:

- One girl created a DVD with spoofs of movies (Indiana Jane, The Incredible Hulkette, Legally Strawberry Blonde, etc.) – sounds very fun.
- Another girl had great decoration suggestions including: “Now Playing” posters made from pictures cut out of magazines advertising movies, red fabric draped as a carpet, and silver stars cut from wrapping paper on the wall, flashlights angled against large Hollywood lettering in a window.
- Someone else suggested playing the Hollywood game with questions and answers about celebrities.

Here’s a whole Hollywood party scenario from teenpartyideas.com.

I found a helpful article on an “American Idol Teen Birthday Party” at suite101.

The article “Lights! Camera! Action! Birthday Party Theme” by Denise Witmer on about.com had some great ideas.

Don’t forget the idea of doing hair and makeup and taking glitzy “head shots” of your guests, too.
There are some fun Hollywood themed invitations and paper products out there, as well. My favorites on our site are the Director’s Cut Tableware.

Beach Weddings

2008-06-13T15:19:00.003-05:00

My daughter’s friend wanted to get married on the beach in Hawaii – unfortunately, that didn’t work out – but what a fun thing to do if you are an ocean beach lover.

So what do you need to think about if you’re planning a wedding on the beach?
Your guest list
Obviously, if it is a “fly to” location for most of your guests, that will probably cut down on the number of people able to attend.
If your ceremony is actually in the sand, walking for elderly or disabled guests could be an issue.
Season
Unless it is a “tropical” ocean beach, weather is definitely going to be an issue. I’ve spent most of my beach time on the Oregon coast and even in August it’s not really warm. (The warmest—and driest—time is afternoon.)
Seating
If you plan on providing seats for the ceremony and/or reception, those will need to be hired and set up, unless there is an open air venue on the beach you can rent.
Attire
High heels, well most shoes for that matter, are not the most practical in sand. Keep that in mind when choosing what the wedding party will wear.

Here’s a “Beach Weddings” article with additional thoughts. I really like their idea of a beach theme wherever the actual ceremony is held.

More Resources

We have some cool invitations for beach weddings in our Themed Weddings section.

And here are some sites with beach theme wedding favors:

Wedding Favors to Go

Bellenza

Camp Mail

2008-06-10T09:22:00.002-05:00

For kids going to camp, it’s often like going to a week long sleepover party. Yeah, there may be classes and sometimes the food isn’t so great, but there’s all that outdoor play, new friends to make, campfires, whispered exchanges after lights out, etc. Often camp counselors are young college age guys and gals that are way better than “parents.”

However, even for only a week long camp, some kids get a bit homesick and writing letters or receiving mail can be a help. I remember the tension of “mail call” and wondering if I was going to get anything or get too much! At our camp if someone got a lot of mail in one day they often had to do something silly like run around the dining hall while repeating some phrase at the top of their voice.

Letters to or from home might not have a lot of content, but can be fun anyway, so be prepared when your kid goes off to camp. First, provide writing paper, envelopes, pens or pencils and stamps for your child to take along. We have some cute Camp Writing Kits on our website – some are fold and seal; others are the more traditional kid style stationery and matching envelopes. Send your mail to camp early in the week so your son or daughter gets a letter early. Keep your message(s) light and upbeat. Don’t emphasize to a kid with a tendency to be homesick how much you miss him or her. (Or how much you’re enjoying them being gone!)

You might want to save those letters you get, too—they could be a nice treasure years later.

Wedding Etiquette

2008-06-04T15:42:00.004-05:00

There are standards of good behavior at weddings and receptions. However, for some reason a number of movies that show bad etiquette come to my mind (The Wedding Crashers, 28 Days) and one where the bridesmaid/maid of honor was way overbooked (27 Dresses). So guess the movies don’t help us much.

This Wedding Etiquette Quiz might prove useful.

And this blog with an entry called Weddiquette : The Ceremony

This article even had tips on How To Acknowledge the Death of a Parent at Your Wedding

Planning a destination wedding? Destination Weddiquette might be the article for you.

Or for a Jewish wedding, this resource weddiquette: keeping kosher could be very helpful.

But I’ve saved the best for last: The Weddiquette Blog is chock full of information. The recent entry that interested me most was on joint bachelor/bachelorette parties. Fun idea!

Birthday card idea

2008-05-30T14:14:00.002-05:00

My family has a number of birthdays in June and sometimes finding just the right card – especially milestone birthday cards, when you don’t want “put downs” – can be difficult. So this week I got the bright idea of making customized birthday cards using invitation/announcement cards from our IBY site. Not only did I write my own text, but I personalized each card with the person’s name. I can’t wait to hear how each one liked her card.

You can do the same thing either by buying single card stock and printing yourself or by using a printer (like us), who has no minimums and either no set-up fees or minimal setup fees. If you are ordering over the internet, order a number of cards at once, so that the shipping charges don’t make the cards too expensive. Ask for an electronic proof (free on our site and probably free on many sites) to make sure the card looks just the way you want it to.

What to say? Make it as personal as you can. Talk about the person’s exact age, or things that happened when he was born, special memories of her, relate it to his favorite hobby or her avocation, or even what is happening this year.

The only thing I suggest not printing is your name. Sign the card as usual.

4th of July – a whole day to celebrate

2008-05-27T11:51:00.007-05:00

Now that Memorial Day is behind us, the next holiday on all calendars is Independence Day. At IBY we are already having people order their party invites for July 4th and several have chosen one of our brand new patriotic cards.

This year the holiday is a Friday, which means another 3 day weekend – woo whoo! 4th of a July is another good time for family gatherings, summer activities, and, of course, fireworks. I prefer the professional fireworks. A couple years ago, I got to watch them while listening to a concert, which was great fun! Though probably the most memorable was watching them with the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop.

When our kids were young, the town where we lived put on a 4th of July parade. Kids could participate by dressing up in any holiday related theme. Once our girls marched as cowgirl and Indian partners. The other years we were merely spectators, but that was fun, too.

One year I made a rectangular chocolate cake, used whipped cream for the icing, then decorated it into a flag using blueberries for the blue section, and strawberries for the red stripes. Looked and tasted good!

Thought you might be interested in some ideas to make your day even more fun, especially if you don’t have a parade to attend.

from FamilyFun

4th of July Parties, Printables & Games

Party ideas from 123greetings

Want something a little more unique? Check out these articles:

How to Go Green for the Fourth of July from ehow

How to Plan a Spectacular 4th of July Menu! from ehow

Fourth of July Recipes and Menus – includes a Red, White and Blue Menu – from Busy Cooks

A Toast to June Weddings

2008-05-23T11:58:00.003-05:00

June is often considered the beginning of the wedding season. My sister managed to put college graduation and wedding in June on top of it being her birthday month. Weddings are definitely occasions for parties: engagement parties, bridal showers, couple showers, bachelorette and bachelor parties, rehearsal dinners, and of course, what is a reception but a big party?

If you’ve seen the movie The Wedding Planner, you see her feeding the best man what to say as he makes his toast. But most of us don’t use a professional wedding planner, so today I wanted to share some articles I found that offer help for wedding toasts.

Great “how to”s and tips:
How To Write and Give a Great Wedding Toast

Father of the Bride

Galleries of good wishes:
Samples of Wedding Toasts

Wedding Toasts

These 3 have quotes to use for a specific purpose:
Best Man Wedding Toast

Sister Wedding Toast

Reception Toasts

The above articles have links to other helpful sites, too.

Schools Out – Hurray!

2008-05-20T17:13:00.002-05:00

At least that’s what the kids say. Sometimes the parents aren’t so positive, although with all that happens the last month, I usually found it a relief. Here in Kansas schools get out this week. I know in Washington state they go another month.

At the start of summer vacation kids usually are just so pleased to sleep in and play, play, play, that they’re pretty content. But it’s also fun to give them the anticipation of a party, say at the pool, or lake, or park.

Encourage your kids to plan the party themselves (of course, adults always have veto power over any ideas). Have the kids pick a theme—whether it’s a food theme (i.e. ice cream sundaes) or an activity theme (i.e. pool party)—decide on the guest list, the food, decorations, if any, and make or choose invitations. Fill-in party invitations are quick and easy, yet are another task to occupy the kids while they enter all the info. Of course, you’ll want to remind them, that part of party duties are the clean-up, too!

Need party ideas? Check out these sites:
more4kids.info
home.ivillage.com
wilton.com
healthy-kid-recipes.com

And here’s one with Slumber Party Ideas:
Summer.about.com

Memorial Day Parties

2008-05-13T17:02:00.003-05:00

When I think Memorial Day parties, I start thinking of the food. Barbecued burgers, or pork ribs (I prefer boneless) or chicken, and potato salad, watermelon and/or cantaloupe, chips, carrot sticks, deviled eggs. With all that, dessert isn’t need in my opinion, but many in my family wouldn’t agree.

Memorial Day is a good time to invite someone over for a casual “dinner” party. Depending where you live, eating outside may not be an option, but we’ve barbecued when it was snowing, because it just tastes so good fixed outside over a grill.

IBY carries invites (both fill-ins and printables) that fit this kind of event. My favorite is the one below.
I can almost smell it cookin’! Guess I’d better start thinkin’ whom I’m inviting…

Mother’s Day

2008-05-06T16:16:00.001-05:00

Today is Nurse’s Day and Teacher’s Day, and, of course, you are probably all aware that Mother’s Day is this coming Sunday!

Many years ago I used to be a telephone operator – Mother’s Day was our highest volume call day of the year. Nice restaurants will be swamped as families take their moms out to breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. Flower shops will be busy on Saturday. This whole week people will be standing before card racks looking for just the right card to send to their mother. And don’t forget the gift shopping.

I look over my time as a mother and some of my most memorable gifts are the personal words written in a card that meant more to me than any gift. Personal notes may not be as elegant or cutesy as what you’ll find in a card, but if you say them with your heart, express something particular about how important your mother is to you, she will appreciate it very much.

Okay, I know some of you aren’t satisfied with a gift of words. I really like gifts of service and maybe your mom would, too. Some I remember fondly are home cooked meals where I didn’t have to lift a finger (or decide what it was going to be!), massage certificates, pedicure and/or manicure certificates, coupons for specific housework items being done for me or for time without children. Of course, physical gifts are good, too, especially if you put some thought into what your mother would like. Gift certificates to her favorite store or restaurant can be a success, too.

I’d like to share a funny from last year. My daughter and her family were spending the weekend at our house. Sunday morning my husband whispers to her five year old son, “It’s Mother’s Day. Go tell your mommy ‘Happy Mother’s Day.” His answer was, “She knows!” Yeah, she does, but she does like to hear it, too!

Tea Party

2008-05-02T15:54:00.001-05:00

Somehow little girls learn early about having tea parties. Pretend tea parties with dolls and stuffed animals. Pretend tea parties with friends. Of course, it always makes it special when the adults allow them to have real food with their tea parties. I remember my daughters never having tea to drink, but they loved using a little teapot and cups for water. Specialty foods were banana slices with sprinkles on them, cookies, sandwiches cut small and without the crust. We served them on the girls’ tea plates. If you have a little girl in your life who doesn’t have a tea set, I strongly recommend you get her one. ArsaToys has some really cute ones – see my favorite set.

Big girls (grown ups) like tea parties, too. I’ve gone to Mother’s Day teas for moms and daughters (every woman is a daughter, so no one is left out). I’ve gone with friends to a special tea shop either for lunch (with tea, of course) or for afternoon tea.

When my husband and I visited England, we were introduced to “cream tea”—a pot of tea, scones with Devonshire cream and strawberry jam, and cream for your tea, if you desired. I could eat that every day! And now I have a number of scone recipes that we really enjoy at home. My personal favorite teas are English breakfast tea and Lifeboat tea.

I’ve also had “afternoon tea” in England and in Canada. Along with the scones, cakes, and cookies, small sandwiches are served.

One of my friends is so known for serving tea, writing tea columns, etc. that her grandchildren call her “Grandma Tea.”

The best part of a tea party, whether formal or informal, is the chance to sit down and relax. Time to take your ease with friends or family, sip and chat, be soothed by the food and the tea—quite a contrast to grabbing a bite at a fast food restaurant.

So want to pamper your girlfriends? Plan a tea party. Make it extra fun by sending invitations.

Ordering Invitations - What You Need to Know

2008-04-29T16:33:00.002-05:00

Questions you should ask when getting invitations or announcements printed.

1. What is included in the printing fees?
2. What fonts are available? Is there an extra charge for specialty fonts?
3. What color ink is available? Is color extra?
4. What’s the minimum order requirement? (i.e. Is there a minimum number of cards I have to order?)
5. How long is the processing time?
6. Can I get a proof? If so, how?
7. If ordering online, you’ll want to ask about shipping options.

Checklist of information you’ll need when preparing your invitations
- What kind of party or event
- Who the party is honoring, if applicable
- Date and time
- Location – may need to include address
- Special instructions, such as what to bring or wear or pick-up time for a kid’s party, or “dinner following”
- RSVP or Regrets only and contact info, whether phone, email, or both

I know this list is pretty basic, but it is surprising how many invitation orders on our site leave off time, location, address, contact info for RSVP.

Other things you might want to know about invitations. Invitations can be flat printed or can be raised printed. Raised print is also called “thermography.”

Have other questions about invitations? Ask me at info@iby.com or via commenting to this entry. I’ll answer here. And if I don’t know, I’ll find out!

Party Plates

2008-04-22T10:44:00.003-05:00

For every party, you must decide whether you are going to use plates you have on hand (or can borrow), or plastic or paper plates. Some of the paper plates out there are simply beautiful. I’ve been adding paper tableware to the IBY site and keep thinking, “I want that one, and that one, and that one. My grandsons would like this one. This would be cute for a baby shower…”

When my kids were young, getting special party tableware to match the party theme was always fun. Sometimes we did large plates for the meal portion, small plates for the cake and ice cream portion, large & small napkins and cups for both. The few left over supplies we had were always fun reminders of the special occasion until they ran out – though I’ll admit the cake usually ran out first…

For small adult parties, I have glass party sets handed down to me from my mother-in-law. You know, the kind that have a place to set the cup that can either hold a hot or cold drink. (I don’t get them out any other time.) Or I might use my china, or other special plates, with my goblets. But if my party is too big for that, I like buying some pretty paper plates and napkins. For my youngest daughter’s graduation party, we simply used the school colors for solid color plates and napkins.

If at all possible, I prefer not to use plastic-ware for forks, spoons and knives, but when I do, I like buying the sturdy ones that don’t break easily.

Teen parties

2008-04-18T11:02:00.002-05:00

My husband sent me this link to a 1950s instructional video on teen party planning – you’ll only need to watch a minute or 2 to get the idea. I’ll admit I watched it all the way through - mainly for laughs about how different it was then. Such as “soon after the food is served, it is time to go home.” Talk about rigid!

The basics the film covered were: guest list, invitations, refreshments, and entertainment. At that time matching up the number of girls and guys invited to a party was considered important—not something we find so necessary these days. The other three are, of course, something to consider any time when planning a party.

Also, covered was party etiquette. So I thought I’d share this just-for-fun quiz that addresses etiquette issues.
Can you be the life of every party? Teen Quiz

Free Fun Quizzes at FunQuizCards.com
http://www.funquizcards.com/quiz/teen/can-you-be-the-life-of-every-party.php

Now I’d like to see a quiz like this written by teens. If you know of one, give me a shout.

Spa party food

2008-04-15T13:43:00.002-05:00

When planning food for a spa party, first you need to decide whether you want healthy or indulgent foods. When I think of healthy spa foods, I’m reminded of two movies where the main character ate the cucumbers off of her eyes (“Last Holiday” and “The Day in the Life of Miss Pettigrew”). I’d rather have mine off a plate, thanks very much.

But if you’re going for healthy, finger foods, such as veggies, obviously come to mind. Whole grain crackers or breads, low fat cheeses and dips can be a nice addition. When choosing foods, keep in mind ones that don’t become sticky if hands are damp.

If indulgent, my vote would be for anything chocolate, petit fours, mini-cheese cakes. If you don’t want all sweets, bite-sized appetizers and fruit make a nice addition. Appetizers can be warm or cold depending on your situation.

Note for either style: if you’re doing manicures, choose fork friendly foods, that don’t require cutting.

I’d suggest offering teas and coffees, especially for the indulgent menu. You may also want to make a punch. Here’s an easy and pretty punch recipe.
1-2 frozen cans of lemonade
1-2 frozen cans of cranberry juice*
Carbonated water to reconstitute the juices.
Mix well.
Float some lemon or orange slices on top to make it look pretty.
And/or freeze juice as ice cubes to keep your punch cold.

*Use whatever fruit juice combination you like.

We have some fun spa invitations in the Girl Time section at IBY. This one is my favorite:

Elegant Pool

Pinning for Nursing Excellence

2008-04-11T14:15:00.001-05:00

A pinning ceremony celebrates the completion of the degree by awarding each graduate a nursing pin. Nursing pins are designed specifically for each school's program and no two school pins are alike.

“Pinning dates back to 1880. It signifies the integrity and tradition of badges worn by the healers and crusaders of care,” Colleen Conway-Welch, Ph.D., Nancy and Hilliard Travis Professor and dean of the School of Nursing.

Here are two traditions that might be included in a pinning ceremony:

Nightingale pledge

Nurses Prayer for Pinning Ceremony

A pinning ceremony is often in addition to graduation.

Party games for preschoolers

2008-04-08T16:28:00.001-05:00

If you choose a venue with “big toys” as my grandsons call playground equipment, the kids usually don’t need game suggestions, they’ll just climb, run, slide, swing, jump, etc. If you want some organized games, don’t forget the old standbys of “duck, duck, goose,” “musical chairs,” and “red light, green light.”

Here’s an article from Today’s Parent to keep in mind as you plan: “Preschool Party Games: Games are a birthday party tradition that often backfires for preschoolers.”

A few resources for game ideas:

Birthday Party Games from ABC Home Preschool

Party Station from Preschool Express

Another article: “Preschool Party Games” by Rachel Paxton from Christian Parent

Do you have fun preschool games you’d like to share with us? We'd love to see them.

Outdoor preschool birthday parties

2008-04-04T11:56:00.001-05:00

We have a bunch of parents gearing up for outdoor birthday parties for their kids. They’re ordering the Farm Scene, Barnyard or Barnyard 2 cards for events set at local kid-friendly farms.

In our area we have the Deanna Rose Farmstead in Overland Park, Kansas that makes a perfect place to have a birthday party for preschoolers. The only cost for the farm itself is if you want to feed the animals, which, of course is a blast. Besides the animals there is an old schoolhouse, fishing area, hayrides, pony rides (these latter 3 for a fee), mining area, milking area, playgrounds, and more. The outside playground has a covered area with tables that would be a good place to do cake and presents.

With my kids and their friends I remember preschool birthday parties at farms, zoos, aquariums. Some have entrance fees; some are free. In all cases entertainment is easy, parents come along for crowd control, and everyone has a great time.

So what is available where you live? Check it out and you might find a wonderful place to have a party for your children.

P.S. Feel free to share your ideas by commenting, too! We'll all benefit.

Slime Time

2008-04-01T11:21:00.002-05:00

Need a party idea for those elementary age kids, especially those ones who like icky slimy stuff? What about a Slime Party? One place you can buy slime is at Arsa Toys: SLY1130 -- Slinky Toys FunLabs Power Putty Slimes Kit (For Ages 8 and Up). There’s even a recipe to make your own slime here. Or for younger kids, Arsa has an appropriate snail game: Speedy Eddy.

And IBY has an invitation that fits the theme. It’s appropriately called Slime Tim e.

Party favors could include slug or snail themed items. I found a Snail Puzzle at The Jungle Store that would work well as a prize. I’ve seen slug candy, and there’s always gummy worms that would mix in well with this theme. A cake could be made to match the slime theme, too.

RSVP

2008-03-28T13:51:00.000-05:00

Sometimes you’ll see “regrets only” on invitations instead of RSVP. RSVP came from the French "répondez s'il vous plaît" and simply means "please reply." The response gives hosts and hostesses the chance to be sure they have enough food and drink for a party or event.

Often an RSVP date is set a week or so ahead of the actual party or event date. However, if a caterer is involved, invitations may have an RSVP date of several weeks in advance. This is very common with wedding receptions.

The RSVP lettering, date and contact info, whether phone or email, are often on the invitation itself. For a more formal invitation, or an invitation where food choices are requested, a response card made be sent. These smaller cards come with a self-addressed envelope to be returned to the event’s host.

If you want information on RSVP etiquette, check out this site.

Graduation Party Time

2008-03-25T15:34:00.001-05:00

When you have a high school or college graduate—or you yourself are a graduate—it’s often nice to have an “open house.” With this style of party your invitations give a span of time when people can drop in. Family, friends and neighbors of all ages can come, visit with the graduate and others, enjoy refreshments, and leave when they are ready to go. Sunday afternoons are often a good time for an open house.

Make your food easy to replenish and self serve. I’ve been to parties where the offerings are appetizers and finger foods, others with sandwich platters or plates with sandwich makings to “build your own,” desserts or a large sheet cake, or combinations of these. Beverages have ranged from punch or sodas to tea and coffee. Whatever food items you choose, you don’t want to have to spend a lot of time during the party with food preparation. Instead enjoy visiting with your guests.

Decorations can be as simple or as elaborate as you desire. Balloons are always festive. It’s nice to set out some graduation pictures, if the party is after graduation. Or how about the high school yearbook for those high school graduates with pages bookmarked where their photos are found. I’ve also seen baby books or photo albums on display. They make fun conversation starters.

I’ve not seen games at these type of parties, though I have seen a room set up for the younger set with toys and videos playing.

We’re featuring some of our graduation invitations on the front page of our website. For more click here.

And if you’d like to read about Graduation Announcement Etiquette, check out this article.

Easter

2008-03-21T15:17:00.000-05:00

Easter is so early this year that I’m sitting here and suddenly realize, oh, my gosh that’s THIS Sunday. Today is “Good Friday.” You’d think it would have connected in my brain. Last Sunday at church they announced the service times for Easter, but I still didn’t think about an entry for my blog. So it’s way too late for me to give you Easter party ideas. Maybe next year.

At our house Easter is family time. When my kids were little we always decorated eggs ahead of time. It’s fun to do Easter egg hunts with the kids. Maybe have some Easter baskets with chocolate. My children were taught though that Easter is more than bunnies and Easter baskets. Someone shared the Resurrection cookie recipe with me a few years ago—I would have loved to have done these with my children.

I can’t find the original source, but here is a very readable site with the recipe for Resurrection Cookies.

Have a Happy Easter

Party games for elementary age kids

2008-03-18T14:01:00.001-05:00

I remember when my daughters had evening birthday parties – often a sleepover – one of the games they loved to play was Sardines. With all the lights out in the game area of the house, one girl is "it" and hides. The other girls search for her and when they find her, they smoosh into the spot with her. They stay there quiet as they can until the last girl finds all the others. It’s amazing how quiet they can be for a game! This is a good game to calm things down before bed. Well, if they actually go to sleep...

More Kid Party Games

“Top 8 Outdoor Party Games for Kids” by Kimberly L. Keith at about.com

Some Traditional Party Games for kids

Party Game Central has 182 kid games

Party 411 has a whole section on Sleepover Party Games

Adult party decorations

2008-03-12T08:19:00.001-05:00

Adult parties often don’t have themes, so how to decorate? You can always focus on the honored guest, if there is one. (i.e. Her hobby or passion. His job or how he likes to spend his spare time.) Party stores have almost anything you can think of to go with a décor theme.

Another option is to decorate to match the food you plan to serve. (i.e. Mexican food would have Mexican décor).

Yet another choice is to decorate using the theme of the closest holiday.

Then there’s always a bouquet of flowers, a few balloons, and some lit candles.

I’ve also seen someone decorate to match tableware, whether it be their own dinnerware or nice paper plates. Which reminds me, IBY is adding Tableware. I’ve been having a blast looking at a huge catalog and choosing paper plates in round, square, octagonal, prismatic, metallic with matching or coordinating cups, napkins and tablecovers for about any kind of occasion. The new products should be up in the next week or so.