Top Five Summer Party Ideas

School’s out!  Party on!  The best part of summer is relaxation in the warm weather, so why not create a few fun summer parties for all your friends to enjoy?  Take advantage of the warm weather and plan a few outdoor parties!  The easiest way to do so is by picking a theme and simply altering your party just enough for the theme to work outdoors rather than indoors.  Here are a few ideas:

1.) Luau Summer Pool Party:   Break out the bathing suits, Hawaiian shirts, leis, and grass skirts!  What better way to ring in summer than with a pool party?  Provide all your guests with a coconut cup filled with a tropical punch-flavored slushy drink and at least one lei to throw around their neck.   In addition to those fun luau favors, give your female guests grass skirts and flowers to put in their hair!  Scatter a few palm tree coolers around your yard to give guests a place to find more cold beverages once their slushy drink is gone.  What are your options if you don’t have a pool?  Use a sprinkler and your garden hose!

2.) Backyard Summer Barbecue:  While, yes, it seems to go hand-in-hand with the luau pool party, it’s just different enough to be a second great summer party.  Plan a menu first: pulled pork sandwiches (barbecue or not), corn (on or off the cob), and fruit would make a great, summery combination.  Decorate your tables with a classic barbecue red gingham table cover and provide fun plates, napkins, and utensils.  Then, as your guests sit at their tables to enjoy their food, serve another cool summer treat: a sherbet float in a goblet with a fun squiggle straw!  Just pour lemon-lime soda over two or three scoops of rainbow sherbet ice cream.  It’s a fun, fruity twist on a classic summer favorite, the root beer float.

3.) Fifties Drive-in Summer Picnic:  This is where the classic root beer floats and black cows (a cola poured over vanilla ice cream) from the fifties come into play!  Decorate your tables with a float candle and serve your guests both yummy ice cream beverage in classic soda shop glass that your guests can take home as a fun summer favor.  A few other great favor ideas are plush dice that your guests can hang from their rearview mirrors (especially if they have fun, old-fashioned cars that they’ve worked to restore), classic black sunglasses for the men, and diamond cat sunglasses for the women.

4.) Carnival Summer Party:  Summertime equals festivals, parades, theme parks, and carnivals!  Every teenager looks forward to a summer trip to a theme park to ride roller coasters and eat the amazing junk food that appears at every theme park across America.  Why not bring a fun, carnival-like junk food alley to your backyard?  When your guests arrive at your party, greet them at the entrance and place a sparkly wrist band on them so they can feel like it’s a private carnival rather than simply a summer carnival party.  Also, give each guest a carnival favor box that they can decorate to hold their candy as they play games.  Plan a wide variety of carnival games for every guest to participate in.  When it comes to thinking of prizes for the games, hand out candy at each game booth.  Keep a concession stand open for your guest to come find food and snacks, such as banana splits in dessert servers and popcorn in popcorn bags.

5.)  Pirate Summer Party: This will give your guests a bit of a twist on a classic summer beach party.  When you send out party invitations, include a note that requests your guests to attend in a pirate costume—this is a great way to have a costume party in the summertime!  Invite your guests to participate in a treasure hunt, with rewards along the way.  Then, give them pirate pouches to keep those rewards (or their pirate booty) in.  At the end, when your guests get to the treasure chest, they can arrive to find it filled with yummy ice cream treats and popsicles!  A word to the wise: wait as long as possible to hide this.  Send your guests on a wild goose chase to the front of the house, thinking you hid the treasure there. Then, when they get back to the central party area and see the chest, they’ll be shocked!

There are many other ways to ring in summer and many other fun summer party ideas to plan.  Just remember the keys of summer and your planning will go easier: fun games, warm weather, and cool frozen treats will make your friends and guests love every summer party that you host.

The Ultimate Mardi Gras Cocktail Party

Mardi Gras Party Recipes and Ideas

The ultimate Mardi Gras cocktail party requires the ultimate selection of Mardi Gras cocktails and appetizers, served in an environment totally decked out in the ultimate Mardi Gras theme. Purple, green and gold are traditional background colors for this carnival of carnivals. However, Mardi Gras cocktail recipes tempt pallets with bourbon, rum and fruit juice, while popular appetizers are made with spicy, New Orleans essence.

Festive Mardi Gras Cocktail Party Recipes

Hurricane

Classic Mardi Gras Hurricanes are made with 1 part rum (equal portions of dark and light), 2 parts fruit juice (orange, pineapple and passion preferred), a dash of grenadine syrup and a hint of fresh lime juice in a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice, squeeze fresh lime juice over the top, add the rest of the ingredients and shake thoroughly. Pour hurricane cocktail into festive Fat Tuesday tableware cocktail glasses, garnished with an orange slice and topped with a cherry to serve.

Tiger Paw

Mix equal parts Southern Comfort, pineapple juice and raspberry wine over a shaker filled with ice. Strain cocktail into a martini glass garnished with fruit and serve on personalized Mardi Gras coasters.

New Orleans Hand Grenade

Mix equal parts gin, grain alcohol, melon liquor, rum and vodka over ice. Add water and sugar to taste and stir well. Guests drinking these powerful cocktails are likely to enjoy wearing festive Mardi Gras glitter masks, and lots of Mardi Gras beads, celebrating the true spirit of Mardi Gras well into the evening.

Easy Crabmeat Spread

 Combine 6 ounces of flaky crabmeat (fresh or canned) with 8 ounces of soft cream cheese and ¼ Cup salsa. Heat mixture in microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, until warm, but not hot. Serve with an assortment of crackers.

Golden Triangles

 12 sheets frozen phyllo dough

½ cup melted butter

Cajun Pork Filling

Apricot Dipping Sauce (optional)

Lightly brush one sheet of phyllo dough with some melted butter. Place another sheet on top of first sheet and brush with butter. Cover remaining phyllo dough and set aside. Cut buttered phyllo dough into six equal, horizontal strips. Place 1 tablespoon Cajun pork filling approximately 1 inch from end of strip. Fold one corner over, diagonally, lining it up with edge of strip to create triangle. Continue folding up the strip, until phyllo dough has many layers and is a single triangle appetizer. Repeat for remaining strips. Use rest of phyllo dough to make many more appetizers. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, for approximately 10 minutes, until golden brown. Serve with Apricot Dipping Sauce if desired.

Cajun Pork Filling

Thoroughly cook 8 ounces ground pork in a medium skillet. Add 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning and cook for another minute. Stir in ½ Cup soft cream cheese, 1/3 Cup grated carrot and a few dashes hot pepper sauce to taste. Mix well.

Apricot Dipping Sauce

Combine ½ Cup apricot preserves and 1 Tablespoon hoisin sauce in a 1-Cup glass measuring cup. Stir in 1 Tablespoon thinly sliced green onion and ½ teaspoon finely grated orange peel. Microwave on high for approximately 1 minute, until bubbly and warm.

Big Top-Circus Party Ideas Have Come to Town

No one likes to clown around more than you & your friends! Ok, maybe your kids take the cake, but no matter who is into the fun, a Big Top Circus party is for you! Try these quick & easy tips to create the big top for your school carnival or in your party space:

• Swag red, yellow, and white gossamer from the ceiling to build that circus tent.
• Stake bunches of fun carnival bubble balloons outside of the tent along with a carnival barker standee.
• Set up ticket booths or a ticket booth standee so that everyone has tickets to play your fun circus party activities and party games.
• Give out great prizes for game winners using affordable toy favors.
• Celebrate with delicious cupcakes topped with delightful big top cupcake toppers.
• Send guests away with circus party favors that they will enjoy & use to remember your party for days to come.

Sunday Afternoon, Donald Trump Theme Party Ideas

Donald Trump Party Supplies for Roasts

Celebrate the Tender Moments in Life. Host a Donald Trump Party.

“You’re fired!” Or, rather your party is “fired up” with the Donald. Cook up a cocktail or graduation theme that will have your friends buzzing. There are so many possibilities for a Donald Trump party that we can hardly contain ourselves:

 

The GoBama Donald Trump Birthday Party

The President Life Size Cut Out

This Donald Trump party is ideal for 40+ birthday celebrations. Send out adult birthday invitations requesting long form birth certificates for entrance to the party or to drink at the Hawaiian tiki bar. The birthday honoree must wear his or her long form birth certificate with a military, gold metal star pin throughout the celebration. Invite an Obama life size standee to be the guest of honor at your Trump cookout party. Give Hawaiian leis to designated members of the press. Ask them to ask questions of the birthday honoree, take notes as to his or her answers, tell jokes during the roast, and make merry with your cocktail party supplies. Watch as Pres Obama roasts Donald Trump and then, find out what’s really in the belly of this shark piñata.

The Graduate, Donald Trump Party

Find Yourself, Graduate, at a Donald Trump Party- Order a Standee

 Long ago when the Apprentice first started, the Donald recruited young executives for his enterprise. Bring this same spirit to your upcoming graduation party. That’s right. Host a Donald Trump graduate party, Mrs. Robinson, and invite your favorite apprentices and celebrities for an evening of light-hearted laughs. Besides filling the room with graduation party supplies and pool party supplies, team up your graduate apprentices to create a marketing video for Trump’s presidential bid. The team with the best overall video wins money bags, patriotic pinwheels, and personalized poker chips.

Donald Trump Baby Showers

Donald Trump Baby Showers & Kids Parties

If Mom and Dad see junior in the spotlight someday, mix and match baby shower supplies with gold bar favor boxes, paparazzi standees, and Donald Trump party supplies. Nothing is boring at this event. Pop up a big-top, circus tent in the backyard.

For older children’s Trump parties, take the children to see an elephant at the zoo or take pictures next to a baby elephant standee. Dress up Trump apprentices with gold foil wigs. Order carnival party supplies. Sort children into groups of four to compete for prizes. Whether they’re running relays or darting around cones, sports party games teach kids how to work together like true apprentice teams! If tempers flare, place You’re Fired! temporary tattoos on the backs of little hands.

Your Favorite Donald Trump Party

Let your inner, Donald Trump thrive and your ingenuity and imagination come to life. Share your Donald Trump party pictures and Donald Trump party ideas with us!

Games for Kids’ Parties

Here are a few of the tried-and-true!

Clothespin Drop Game

Object of the game: Drop clothespins into the jar one by one. Whoever gets the most clothespins into the jar out of 10 tries wins the game.

You need: large jar with a medium-sized mouth, 10 clothespins, sturdy chair (optional)

Prep & procedure: Whether you use a chair depends upon your judgment of the best way to make the game challenging yet achievable for the age and height of the children involved as well as the width of the jar opening. You may want to experiment in advance.

If you use a chair, put the jar behind the chair. Each player will take his/her turn by kneeling on the chair. Whichever hand the child is using for dropping the clothespins should not sit lower than the top of the back of the chair.

If you don’t use a chair, give instructions to stand straight and to hold the clothespin at chest height.

Bonus Tip: The Clothespin Drop Game is great for carnivals as well as birthday parties.

Guess the Smell

Object of the game: Identify as many of the items as possible, blindfolded so the identification is by smell only.

You need: blindfolds, plain brown paper lunch bags, assortment of items with identifiable aromas, paper and pencils (optional)

Prep & procedure: Number each bag on the bottom. Put a bit of each “smelly thing” into each bag so it cannot be identified by sight. Fold the top of each bag once or twice to hold the odor in.

Procedures can vary according to the age of the party-goers. You might have younger children take guesses verbally at the end of each “round” while you note who gets each i.d. right and then mix up the bags for the next round. Older children may write down what their guesses are for each bag number, to be scored at the end of all the rounds.

Keep in mind that half the fun is watching the faces players make when they take big whiffs of certain bags. Be sure to conduct and pace the game to maximize the entertainment value!

Fresh strawberries, soap, rose petals, garlic, coffee beans, perfume, and spices are examples of some of the odiferous items you may want to include. If appropriate for the crowd, throw in one or two “joke” items, such as a stinky gym sock or a strong cheese!

Guess the Sound

Object of the Game: Identify as many things as possible solely by the sound it makes.

You need: Audio recorder, (possibly) paper & pencil

Prep & procedure: Select an assortment of sounds that the party will not find too difficult to identify. As you can imagine, this will vary quite a bit by age group. Record the sounds in advance.

At the party, play each sound separately. Players guess until someone gets it right. If playing for prizes, keep track of who identifies each sound first and tally scores at the end.

Examples of some sounds you may want to use are: barking dog, squeaking door hinge, running faucet, car starting, ticking clock. If possible, play sounds that tie into the theme; for example, animal sounds for a farm or jungle party.

Find more ideas in the Party Games catalog at ShindigZ.

Fresh Popcorn Packs a Versatile Punch

There’s way more than just a kernel of truth to the rumor that the Shindigz Popcorn Party theme can’t be beat for versatility. You can use popcorn in planning birthday parties, movie nights, and carnivals; and it’s equally great as a stand-alone theme or in combination with Hollywood- and circus-themed parties.

Once you’ve settled on how to use your theme, the next step is to select invitations and a slogan for the party. Here are a few examples of possible slogans:

• Pop on over to celebrate Charlie’s birthday!
• Susan’s Fresh Popcorn Party will be delicious!
• Come out to the movies for Mary’s birthday bash!

Your best value in Fresh Popcorn decorations and tableware is the Pick a Color Party Pack. The color options provide the versatility to match any color decor your party room has. For extra flare, include balloons, curling ribbon, invitations, and table covers or customize a popcorn-themed vinyl banner with your party slogan, a mylar popcorn balloon, crepe streamers and a Spiral Glitter Candle.

From there, use lots of red and black for a Hollywood or movie theater theme – think theater drapes and red carpets. For a carnival or circus theme, stick with red and white stripes and a dash of yellow.

Consider hand-delivering each invitation in a Plastic Popcorn Box with instructions to bring the box to the party. Depending on the age group, you might have guests decorate their boxes at the party with stickers and paint pens. Fill them as favor containers with candy, gift certificates and trinkets.

Welcome each guest with a Popcorn Beaded Necklace as a twist on the Hawaiian lei greeting, or use the beads as centerpiece components, door prizes or napkin rings.

Round out the activity plan with movie marathons, movie trivia games and the like.

For the younger set, try the “popcorn game!” Use a large sheet or parachute (like in gym class) and several light, foam balls as the popcorn kernels. Place one ball in the center of the sheet and have several guests hold onto the sheet, spread out around the edges. Together, participants start moving the sheet up and down, popping the ball into the air, and trying to keep it landing on the sheet, not the ground. As the group gets the hang of it add more and more balls. The game would make a great contest for two teams as well.

For a great keepsake of your event, have guests pose for commemorative photos with our Popcorn Box Column.

Serving up Fresh Popcorn at your next event will be a sure-fire hit!