I love giving parties, do you need some ideas?

[ShirleyKnot]

Hello!

If you don't know me I'm Shirley and I'm a great lover of planning parties. I do a blog about it (which I'm not going to link here, but if you look on the bloggers network for PartySpanner you'll find me)

ANYWAY

If you're chucking a do, I might be able to help - I'm not a business, I don't charge for my ideas or owt, I just love to trawl the internet find good invite ideas, games and food.

Jump in and I'll see if I can help.

Oh thanks Shirley. maybe learning the moves to the hustle will keep her and big sis entertained tomorrow when they're climbing the walls willing it to be sunday.

I really like the CD idea, thank you. I think they'll look great as necklaces.

Deffo limbo too.

Rightio. (so you like all of them! )

Here is the link for the movie parties.

Cheerleading

Invites - cut out some triangles on coloured paper like a <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=pennant&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1280&bih=827&tbm=isch&tbnid=bc-gH5NH5iS5sM:&imgrefurl=cae2k.com/cell-phone-photos-gallery-0/pennant-image.html&docid=6iAIWRIPpC5VWM&w=481&h=319&ei=K66FTq-3GITA8QOq8c0x&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=204&page=1&tbnh=134&tbnw=198&start=0&ndsp=25&ved=1t:429,r:16,s:0&tx=73&ty=97" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pennant. Either write the details on there, or do it on the computer. You want something like:

"GOOOOO! DD!
Join us for our Cheerleading party!
on - Details, Details"

You are going to need to learn some moves I'm afraid! Unless one of your friends is a cheerleader or gym instructor?

Have a look on you tube for Basic easy cheers. (sorry having trouble linking some of those vids) Obviously v complicated, but I think you could incorporate a bit of the simpler bits HA!

Seriously, the kids aren't going to be too fussed and you can make it as simple as anything. It might be nice to do a "Birthday Cheer" Something like:

(Let's say your DD's name is Emma")

"E...M...M...A...E...M...M...A...E...M...M...A...SPEEEELLLS! EMMA! " (yeah, I know..)

Homemade pom poms I wouldn't bother buying bloody plastic bags, just use whatever you've got hanging around!

Food - as I say go American style, which is stupidly easy to achieve. Popcorn, crisps - Hotdogs would be terrific and are so easy (if there's a kitchen facility)

um...have I left anything out? I found a BRILLIANT website earlier but I can't bloody find it now. Grrr.

Grrr, Sister had to back out of a Christmas party because of DD's birthday party. Reaction from friend was - "but that's rubbish, it's Christmas!"

It is also my Daughter's birthday. The world doesn't stop just for bloody Christmas!

Thank you! Dd is loving the cheeleading idea and is now digging out a cheerleader game for the wii for some tips. I really have no coordination but might be able to find a willing teenage girl to come and help out, fingers crossed! It's not for a little while but I am so looking forward to organising it now

blathers put a message on poncetastic thread for you about cake charms and will be posting your moulds this week. Sorry. Had really busy time with appointments for the bump.

I'm having a nightmare over the Gruffalo shindig. Its now up to 42 people in my little house, 12 kids. Unless I deliberatly clash with DD's little friend so that my MIL can attend. If I do that then it cuts 7 people off my list. But DD would love her little friends over her grandmother I'm sure. But then my name will be mud in the family. There's a parish hall literally across the street so I though sod it, lets book that! it's only 35 quid but they are all booked up DD's birthday weekend. I'm gonna have to arrange it for MIL to come I'm sure. I'd cancel the whole thing and take DD out for the day but she keeps telling me all the things she wants at her party. It's the first year she really gets birthdays.

We've been invited to a halloween party

And it's a costume party! double

I've spent far too much on a super cute outfit for DD, DS wants to be a pirate (for which we already have an outfit in the dressing up box thankfully) but I need something cheap and not too embarrassing for me. No-one else will really bother so I need something good but low-key - I need some inspiration and knew just where to ask

Hi I am giving a party to my 4 year old daughter and 16 friends on Sunday in a hall. We have a face painter and my dh is going to dress up as Peppa Pig. I have a bubble machine music and food but I am a bit nervous re games. I have a parachute and a list of games. The party is 1 and a half hours and I dont want to play party games where there is only one winner as that hurts the others. Can you recommend any good games please? I was thinking of apple bobbing and sleeping lions at the end. thank you!

p.s. the theme is princess/fairies

It's all gone very quiet on here!

I've been trying to get my head round halloween, DD's birthday and Christmas all at once and am feeling a bit frazzled!

estobil have you considered a pass the parcel? You still get a "winner" who gets the big present in the middle, and (as long as you make enough layers and fix the game slightly) everyone can have a little prize...

hi Shirleyknot - i could do with some of your amazing help. Early next year - so in Jan 2012 I will be holding a party at home for my amazing friends and family who are supporting me through divorce. I want it to be a big celebration of the rest of my life so it needs to be FUN and to kick of the New year with a bang! Any ideas gratefully received...........

DoctorsWife - could you not push it out a week (or more) - I always try to have DC's parties after their birthdays so that the actual birthday doesn't end up being an anti-climax. DS's was 2 weeks after his birthday last year due to clashes with other family stuff, and he was fine with that? I think the parish hall sounds like an excellent idea - Gruffalos need their space, you know

Can someone link to poncetastic cake charm thread please as if I don't have enough on my plate?

estabi1 - I wouldn't worry about "winners" at all for 4yos - they seem to just keep playing quite happily (for example, musical statues - they never drop out ). The only game with an identifiable winner that we play is pass the parcel - with a small chocolate in each layer and a prize in the middle (with a large group I tend to have 2 parcels to speed things up a little). I wouldn't bother with winners or prizes for parachute games at all, IIWY - just keep playing until they (or you) get bored.

veryconfusedatthemoment - as you're celebrating, how about champagne cocktails for your new years/new life party? You could ask everyone to come glam-ed up then have some lovely canapes and a selection of scrummy cocktails.

Stealth on my phone so hard to find the thread with ease but google jewellery enchancements and then type in christmas pudding on search. You'll see the charms. Blathers is worried about using ribbon when she flambes the pud.

Sorry hit send too early i dont wanna do party later at dd birthday is 25th nov. From 1st i do my poncetastic advent activities like christmas tree festival and victorian market so want a clean cut between xmas and birthday.

Ah - that's hard, DoctorsWife. I know that problem - some of the many DC birthdays I am involved with at this time of year start to run into Christmas stuff (and even now I am having trouble finding non-Christmas wrapping paper ). Have you reached a decision about dates yet? You can't give up on Gruffalos, however politically tricky, because I am looking forward to vicarious enjoyment of gruffalo theming too much

I found the poncetastic thread, BTW - thanks!

Yep i decided to just go with the 26th. It'll clash with the other kid although there's an hour left of mine if any want to straddle it. DD is gonna be 3 so first time she really gets it and i cant keep juggling for other people. So ive geared it round her god/grandparents nieces and nephews. Lesson learned get the invites out early. Mind you the other mum hasnt sent hers just booked a hall and told everyone so technically she got in first.

Oh and now i know i can get the village hall for cheaps as a resident i'll book it for next year to get first dibs and steer her towards a fairy theme as gruffalo is way trickier! I'm even mentally planning dc2 christening in village hall now and they aint due til feb!!!

Gruffalos are more fun than fairies, though (she says, having caved to DD's pre-emptive "Mummy I am having a Princess party, and I have invited X,Y & S" when she was 3 )

Nice that your village hall is used lots, though - ours is cheap (£20 for residents) largely because it is so small (this may be the last year we can fit DD's party in there unless we scale them down) but hardly ever used. I did check and book before I sent out invites, just in case, but I would have been gobsmacked if it had been booked for the date I wanted.

I booked our local hall in July to make sure it was free for DD's birthday! The hall is used for all manner of groups and clubs so I knew that if I wanted it for the last Saturday before Christmas, I was going to have to move fast :)

They only charge £9.50 an hour so it's very popular and will be full of Christmas parties in the run up to the 25th.

Thanks for reminding me about wrapping paper stealth. I must remember to get some soon so that I don't have to wrap her present in Christmas paper

I havent lived here very long and the hall is literally opposite the house. Sneaked a peek and its all been done out so its immaculate, not some damp smelling scout hut stylie ha ha. I better get in quick with my bookings.

Well now I've sorted the date, I've got the invites being sorted by my dad who's in the print. He's photoshopped a brill gruffalo picture holding a birthday cake changing it to three candles and DD's name on it.

When I collected DD from pre-school (located in the middle of a park) earlier, I persuaded her to collect fir cones for me. She whined a bit but we talked about "a mouse took a stroll in the deep dark wood...." and then all the things you find in a wood. Got two massive bags full of fir cones and some good handfuls of sycamore seeds.

Ordered a grass effect tablecloth and now I'm thinking of making big trees for the walls (if i can persuade her to collect leaves I'll get her to stick them on!) Gonna get some herbs from garden centre/supermarket pot them up and use them down the middle of table with fir cones scattered in to make a "woodland" style table. thought I could use the herbs and wouldnt matter if a kid tries to eat them. I'm also going to do little toadstool touches so ordered some red bunting with white spots that will look good.

To be honest my heart sank when she asked for gruffalo theme as I thought how can I do it? But twisting towards woodland has made for some really great autumnal stuff to do with my little pre-schooler! If she was a bit older I would have done it at 4pm as the light dropped having lanterns and sparklers and a winter BBQ but I dont think thats fair on all the kids that arent even 3 yet. And one of her 3 year old friends goes to bed at 5.30pm til 8am!!!!!

It all sounds amazing DoctorsWife. You really, really must post photos when you're done because I'd love to see. Love that you've managed to get your DD so involved too.

Sorry, been in and out of the internet like a..[insert an inn-ey/outey thing here]

estobi - the parachute will keep them going for AGES, honestly and by the time you've done food and a few other games you'll be fine. Some ideas here for you

veryconfused. Congrats on the divorce (IYKWIM?!) Um, is it an actual NYE party or just a party in the new year? Would you like to do food or is it primarily a drinks and dancing thing you're after?

Sorry for my absense. Damn RL and work and dieting business

For some reson this morning, I'm panicking about party bags!?!

They're going to have to be cheap as I've got about 25 of them to make, but I can do that, I did the last set for just a couple of pounds each. It's the age ranges that are going to make it hard. I ideally don't want to end up making 5 different types but I can't work out how to make 1 sort suit everyone.

It's the cousins that cause the problems because they're all so much older and DH's friends children - We've got:

Nephew 1 who is 13,
Niece 1 who is 10,
Nephews 2 and 3 and DFriends DD1 are 8
DFriends DS1 is 7
Neice 2 and DFriends DS2 are 5.

DS and his 7 friends are all 4,
Child 17 and DFriends DD2 are 2.3,
DD at 2,
Child 20 is 1 day younger so also 2,
Child 21 is 22 months,
Child 22 is 20 months
Neice 3 is 17 months
Child 24 is also 17 months
Child 25 is 8 months
Child 26 is 4 months

How can i make a party bag that will suit them all? The bigger ones won't be too put out if we say "it's a 2 year olds birthday party so the bags are going to be a bit baby-ish" as they're all nice children but I don't want to make them totally irrelevant.

I was thinking of getting some cellophane bags and some ribbon so that we can package up the gingerbread teddies they decorate to go in the bags, obviously a mini bag of jelly teddies will have to go in and maybe a chocolate teddy lollypop too. Food is quite age-irrelevant but I don't really want to put much more in after that so was thinking of a teddy shaped balloon, and a mini notepad and pencil?

Would that do? Any suggestions?

What you need is something like these (but shipping to the UK is quite painful with these people - been there, done that)

Failing that, IME older children are so delighted to get party bags at all that they are supremely unfussy about the contents.

Bouncy balls are another "ageless" hit, too.

put "polar bear" into the search box on that website - they have some really cool things - maybe the shipping pain would be worth it after all???