Thursday, September 18, 2008

Ghostly Simple Halloween Party Ideas


Calling all Parents of Little Goblins

Have your kids decided what they want to dress up as for Halloween this year? While they are deciding on Hanna Montana or which Jonas Brothers to be, now is the time to plan the perfect Halloween bash. Invite some of the little goblins from the neighborhood and have a spooktakular party! We've put together some fantastic party ideas for a fun kids' Halloween party.

Invitations:
Paperlicious.com is your source for the perfect Halloween invitation. Can’t decide on a theme? Let our fun custom printed Halloween invitations lead the way. We have some boo-tiful ideas including ghosts, witches, spiders, bats, and black orange polka dots. Choose from any of our bewitching greetings and you are sure to find the perfect invite for your Halloween party.

Decorations:
Looking for fun Halloween decorations? Party City has garlands, centerpieces, and balloons to transform your entire house. They have decorations that incorporate all the main themes for Halloween. The Gruesome Group has fun characters like bats, witches, ghosts, and spiders.

Food/Refreshments:
Little goblins have finicky appetites, so keep the food simple and easy. What is the all time favorite? Cheese pizza of course! This Cheesy Corn pizza will be a big crowd pleaser. It looks like candy corn but without all the sugar! How about some Tuna Spook Sandwiches? These fun shaped sandwiches can be made with different Halloween cookie cutters and fillings. Instead of potato chips, opt for this great alternative, Pirates Booty, a baked rice and corn puff white cheddar snack. The name alone makes our kids giggle.
Refreshments can vary from mini juice boxes or big punchbowl of slime punch.

Activities/Entertainment:
Depending on the time frame of your bash, you can choose between 3-5 activities to keep the little goblins from turning into little ghouls.
Set up an area with crayons and Halloween themed pictures so they can release their artistic abilities.
Purchase miniature pumpkins and let each child decorate their own with paint or stickers. This will keep them busy and they will have a nice party favor to take home with them. If some of the little goblins are too young to go trick or treating, scatter your adult guests around the party area and give them some treats to hand out to the kids. This will allow the little ones to join in on the fun of this Halloween tradition.

Let your inner DJ out and mix up a set of Halloween tunes using Itunes so everyone can get into the Monster Bash!

Witching you a Happy Halloween!

Receive 10% off your Halloween invites at Paperlicious.com with code TRICKORTREAT (expires 10/15/08).

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Party Like a Rockstar



Well, it’s almost that time of year again… the best month of the year, Rocktober. And nothing says rock better than a rock star party, of course. Here are some tips from our favorite Rockin' Music Maven Nikki to make your party a hit. Drum roll please…

Invitations:
Paperlicious gets your party started right with the perfect electric guitar invites and rock star tee invites
that won’t put a dent in your starving artist budget. Or, make your
guests feel like VIPs with Paperlicious’s backstage pass invites!

And with coordinating rock star thank-you notes, the beat goes on.

Decorations:
Oriental Trading Company has the perfect paper goods and utensils for your
party, like these rock-themed plates with coordinating napkins.
While you’re on their site, add some flavor to your event space with
matching center pieces and inflatable guitars!
Dazzle your guests with
personalized guitar picks at American Promotions. Great for gift bags or added table décor, and you can even upload your
own artwork to be printed on them.

For kiddies, send them home with their own laminated backstage pass luggage tag. You can get self-laminating sheets at most office supply stores or Wal-Mart. Make your own art on your computer or have them color their tags when they arrive then laminate them while your party is raging.

Food/Drink:
For true rock stars (we're talking the over 21 responsible drinker kind who don't drink and drive), stock a full bar with the three wise men (Jack, Jim, and Johnny) and you’re good to go.

For kiddie parties, try these fun mocktails (give them a rockin' name, serve in a fun cup or add an umbrella or silly straw for a little flair): Sprite + lime gatorade, Sparkling grape juice, or lemonade and fresh juiced watermelon

To capture the backstage catering feel, outfit a buffet-style table with a
typical A-lister spread, specifically a bowl of M&M’s with all the brown
ones removed. And there's always a deli tray. Seriously. Here’s a great article on the Top 10 Oddest Tour Riders for further inspiration:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-world/2008/05/28/top-ten-oddest-tour-riders-115875-20432536/

Activities:
Obviously, the no-brainer games for your rock star party are Guitar Hero
(www.guitarhero.com) and Rock Band (www.rockband.com), but not everybody
can afford Playstation, Xbox, or Nintendo, and that doesn’t make you a bad
person. Personally, I prefer a little DIY karaoke. It’s classic and much
less expensive. Free Karaoke (www.freekaraoke.com) has more
than 1500 instrumental tracks ready for download, and Karaoke.com has all
the software you need. Not a fan of embarrassing yourself in front of
your closest friends? Try a new spin on the classic favorite ‘Name that
Tune.’


Entertainment:
Bring it on home with the perfect music mix to get your guests in the
mood. If your cable provider has Music Choice, tune into their Hit List
or Rock channel, and let your TV do the work for you. If that’s not an
option in your area, hook your computer up to some speakers and rock out
to the hottest 80s videos from our friends at Universal


Follow these steps and your guests will want an encore. Just remember,
it’s a long way to the top if ya wanna rock ‘n’ roll.