Easter On A Whim

By Poppie

 I realized today that I am hosting an Easter Extravaganza in exactly 1 week at our house!  This if a challenge even for the most amazing hostess, so I wondered what I could pull out of my little bag of tricks.  I admit, I wasn’t feeling very inspired since I only have a week to plan.

What to do, what to do?  Drumming fingers, thinking, thinking…  For décor, how about a switcheroo on the old mantel, that’s always easy and fun, because it’s only been a month since I last changed it! Yeah, the mantel.  Some fresh flowers and a few flea market finds from the past, and presto, a new mantelscape (just made up this word) is on display.  Always an easy fix and the first thing my guests see as they enter.  For other simple decorations, I used the inspiration of my 3 daughters and said, “Create”.  They stepped up to the challenge and produced various decorated foam Easter eggs and crosses (because this is a significant holiday for us) to hang around the wall.  Then I saw a delightful Pinterest idea and created a cute peep show, with homemade strung peeps.  The kids had a blast with this one.

Now to tackle the menu.  Everyone gets together for this important holiday and cooks a variety of their favorites, but I had an AHA! Moment when I thought, I should make some carrot cake - with an abundance of cream cheese frosting, of course.  I made mine in the shape of an egg (naturally) and decorated with frosting in pretty pastel colors. Easy and fun and so good to eat.  We had other goodies as well, but I always think dessert first when it comes to party ideas.

Of course I painted – with special decorating techniques for speckled, stickered, and glittered eggs and stuffed (with a bucket load of candy) a gazillion Easter eggs for our annual Easter Egg Hunt.  I love watching the kids run around “finding their hidden treasures”.  Especially the little ones.  They are too cute to watch as they discover one egg (and just want the one) while the bigger kids run around grabbing all they can get their hands on.

I needed a few extra (and quick) items to compliment my egg-cellent choices so far.  I wondered down to Nobbies and grabbed Easter baskets and a few more Easter supplies that I would need to complete my party area.  They had everything I need to fill my baskets with toys and goodies, grab all my table supplies, and get every in-between item I made need.  I didn’t even have to stop anywhere else, which is convenient when you only have a week to plan things.

This has actually been one of the easiest Easter Parties I have ever pulled off. Note to self – plan a week ahead only!  I hope that your Easter plans go as smooth and you have an (wait for it) Egg-cellent time Easter weekend celebrating with family and friends.

St Patrick's Day Party Ideas

Throwing a St. Patrick's Day Party means going green.  St. Patrick’s Day is a fun and free spirited celebration for everyone, whether you belong to the Irish community or you just enjoy the spirit of this Irish-themed holiday.  Since, everybody's Irish on St. Paddy's Day, it’s a great reason to throw a party for family and good friends!

Invitations:  St Patrick’s Day is just around the corner so get your invites out now.  Keep it simple with a shamrock shaped invitation.  Cut the shape out of green card stock paper; use a pencil to trace the outline of a shamrock cookie cutter and cut along the line. Write the party greeting on one side of the shamrock and add the date, location and time details on the opposite side.  Use this little rhyme as a party greeting:

May the road rise up to meet you
May the wind always be at your back
And may that road be the one to our house
For a party to celebrate St. Pat's!

Come join the shenanigans and share the green beer
It's a Saint Patrick's Day Party and we want you here!

Our Irish eyes will be smiling if you join us at our St. Patrick's Day celebration!

Be sure to add “Wear green!” on the invites.

Attire:  Of course, green is the way to go with your St. Patrick's Day gear.  Lads and lassies alike can get into the spirit of St. Patrick's Day by breaking out all their green clothing, pinning on a "Kiss Me, I’m Irish" button and topping it all off with a green leprechaun's hat.  If you’re really audacious, try adding some shamrock tattoos in various places and show guests your green.

Décor:  Start your St. Paddy’s Day decorating with green streamers in various shades to set the mood.  Go all out with a string of green lights (get out your Christmas lights) and shamrock-shaped helium balloons strategically placed around the festivities.  Put up green cutouts of shamrocks and leprechauns on the walls and in the windows.  Suspend lanterns in a rainbow pattern around your party area.  Add Lucky Charms cereal for festive table confetti.  Fill bowls or vases with them to dress up your party.

Ambience:  Put on a CD of traditional Irish songs and print out the lyrics for your guests so they can croon along to classics like "Danny Boy."  Hand out paper and pens and give your guests five minutes to write a limerick, and then read them aloud in your best Irish accents.  If you're the adventurous type, send your guests on a treasure hunt for a leprechaun's pot of gold.  Before guests arrive, hide your treasure (gold-foil-wrapped chocolate coins) around the party area, then have guests search for it throughout the party.

Favors:  Hand out “Kiss Me, I’m Irish!” buttons or party beads to your guests to wear during the course of the party.  As they leave, hand out little pots of gold (goodluck coins, small treats, and a some party beads in a little pot).

Menu:  Get out your green food coloring; you'll need it to dye everything from mashed potatoes to beer.  Serve beer in mini mugs or green koozies.   In addition to green-colored treats, serve traditional Irish favorites like corned beef and cabbage and lots of potatoes; perfect for this lucky holiday.  For  a sweet snack, try a rainbow cake (recipe here) and add chocolate gold coins around the cake.

Winter Wonderland!

No one ever tires of the beauty and sparkle of winter.  If you’re planning a gathering, a Holiday Winter Wonderland offers all the joys of the season.  There are as many party possibilities for a Winter Wonderland as there are snowflakes!

Invitations:  For an easy DIY invite, cut out snowflakes, decorate with silver and blue glitter pens, and write the party details on the back.  Add a little sparkle to the invitation by throwing in a pinch of iridescent snow into the envelope.  Ask guests to bring the invitation back to the party and have a special place to hang all your invites as partygoers arrive. Voila! Now you have instant decorations as well.

Another creative way to make your own invitation is to take a picture of your family doing something in the snow (making a snowman, creating snow angels, catching snowflakes on their tongue) and attach a copy of the picture to a piece of heavy cardstock.  Decorate and write out the party details on the back.

Décor:  There are so many vast choices for decorations and party supplies that the hard part is picking the right ones for your Winter Wonderland.  Snowy whites, sparkling silvers, and breezy blues are the perfect color combo for this party, so use them for all of your decorations and party supplies.  Cover tables with blue plastic tablecloths and sprinkle snowflake confetti across the top.   Make a bouquet of balloons and use small snow globes or weighted mittens as balloon weights!  Or link blue, silver, and white balloons together to make a wonderful arch for your entrance or for over the buffet!

Ambience:  Hang a few strings of blinking, twinkling, white lights around the party space and dim the overhead lights a bit to give the room a winter glow.  Use decorative paper lanterns and snowflakes in winter hues hanging at various intervals to give the feeling that it is snowing inside.  Set up an area where everyone can take a fun holiday photo! You can set up a backdrop with winter scene setters and give everyone hats, scarves and mittens to wear in the pictures.

Menu:  Think warm comfort food as your main dish and sides to match the Winter Wonderland theme.  Here are a few ideas for your main menu: Fettuccine Alfredo, white pizza, white chili, or potato soup.  For dessert, keep the scintillating colors going by serving blueberries with white dipping yogurt or cupcakes with white icing and blue or silver sprinkles.  Another option is anything made with shaved coconut for that fresh, just-snowed look.  Serve hot buttered run with whipped cream as your drink.

For extra presentation, add these penguin appetizers as a fun display for your winter wonderland.  You can also make silverware bundles by wrapping silverware in napkins and then tying them off with blue, silver, or white ribbon.  

 

Favors:  Your guests will be thrilled to leave your party with their own presents.  A few ideas are popcorn balls, chapstick, mini snowflake yo yo’s, glittery candles, butter mints, or snowflake photo frame kits.  Tie a tag on the favor that says "Thanks for coming to frolic in our Winter Wonderland!"

This party color scheme is easily adaptable for other winter holidays such as Hanukkah as well.  Of course, a menorah and a Star of David are great traditional choices to add for a festive party of lights.  Set out a snowflake doily and a dreidel on top as each guest’s place setting at dinner.

  Have a wonderful time frolicking in your Winter Wonderland, and Happy Holidays!

Candy Cane Christmas

Bring the sparkle and freshness of winter indoors with a Christmas Candy Cane Party. Everyone will love this peppermint paradise theme for a holiday party.

Invitations:  Your guests’ sweet tooth will be tingling the minute they open the invitation to your party if you attach a mini candy cane to the invitation.  This reindeer invite is easily adaptable for your candy cane soirée and fun for the kids to help with.

Décor:  Your guest will know something special awaits them as soon as they see the candy canes lining your front walk.  These candy canes provide a warm welcome.  Put up dazzling bouquets of red and white balloons with a minty Mylar balloon at the top.  Use candy canes as balloon weights.  Add red bows to the walls.  Use a mix of red and white tableware and sprinkle crushed mints as confetti for extra color and fun.

Ambience:  The whole room will feel like a peppermint forest with some strategically placed small Christmas trees decorated with lots of candy canes and peppermints.  Add a mix of red and white tree lights and ornaments and set out some presents wrapped in a minty mix around the base of the tree.  Hang mistletoe with red and white ribbon in a key traffic area as an ice breaker and to tie into the theme.

Menu:  Dinner can be red, white and easy too. How about pasta with a choice of red marinara or white Alfredo sauce? Chili is another great option for a main meal or served in small dishes as an appetizer.  Add delicious bread and a green salad and your meal has all the colors of the holidays.

Candy cane shaped sugar cookies, or peppermint sundaes - use vanilla ice cream sprinkled with candy cane pieces - are the perfect ending to a delicious meal.  And remember, if it’s cold; serve peppermint hot cocoa or coffee with a squirt of peppermint syrup.

Favors:  Have your guest leave the party with wonderful memories and a special treat!  Give the guests their mini stockings filled with candy canes with their name on it and a thank you message for a delicious way to send guests on their way and later remember the fun they had while munching on their delectable goodies.

If you want to have a candy cane theme but want to add a bit of color, don’t be shy.  Candy canes come in all sorts of colorful assortments so have your Candy Cane Christmas with some festive holiday color as well.