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.

DH hates bouncy balls. Not sure why

I considered putting bears in but as everyone will be bringing a bear, I wondered if it was worth it. Maybe if I get my knitting/crochet needles out soon and learn to knit and crochet I could create a snuggly scarf for each furry guest?

That website is really cool. Is it price or time that;s the nightmare with the shipping?

Hoping it's time as I have until December

Blathers when i did dd's teddy bears picnic i got personalised choc bar for each child that had a teddy image on it.

I made party bag cakes, individual ones they had teddies holding lollies. The tops were filled with smarties. I put each cake in a cellophane bag with their personalised choc bar and it worked a dream for all ages.

Like this but mine looked better ha ha.

www.google.co.uk/m/search?site=images&gl=uk&client=safari&source=mog&hl=en&q=teddy+bear+party+bag+cake&spell=1&ei=xTyQTujgDMni8APOugE&ved=0CBUQBSgA#i=129

I've found somewhere that does personlised teddy bear chocolate lollies for 70p each. I could have the tag saying "Thank you for coming to DD's party" maybe?

Where did you get your choc bars from DW?

I was thinking I could personalise the cellophane bags for the gingerbread bears too with each child's name so we know who's is who's.

Did you know the pottery shop near you will do parties DW? DNiece had her party there earlier this year. We all painted something and had food and cake there and she fired and returned the items to DSis to deliver. It was fun.

Blatherskite - it's just that they are not really set up for international shipping (other than to Canada) - they will do it, but you have to contact them and they will work out the weight of the order and quote accordingly. The real pain is that the package will probably then get held up in customs and will arrive with VAT to pay (which I don't mind) and a thumping surcharge from the post office for handling it - which I do mind. The ideal answer is if you have a US-based friend or acquaintance who would take delivery and ship it on to you - much easier.

Having said that, when I did get stuff from them it was still cheaper than getting it in the UK - for DS's knights party, I got little cuddly dragons and made bags - party bag contents were a dragon with some gold (chocolate coins) for the dragon to guard. The next morning, a dozen little dragons got taken to school by their new owners

Even if you don't order from them, I think you need to steal borrow the idea of "pin the hat on the polar bear".

Oh that's so cute! I want to cuddly dragon and some gold coins now! :) I bet the children were thrilled.

No friends in the US though and I really don't want to end up paying surcharges.

I found little wooden picture frames in Hawkins Bazaar for DS's last party that were really popular. There was nothing as good in there when i went to check last week though.

That website does teddy bear paper plate craft kits. I could do them easily

Blathers I got the chocolate bars from "Foxy Lots" if your sis could collect them for you? The website is www.littletoms.co.uk

On the website you cant see the teddy ones but im sure the lady could email you an image. They did boy and girl teddies respectively too. Think they were about 1.25 per choc bar. I also had thank you for coming to DD's party printed on the reverse for no extra charge.

I didnt know that about the pottery place. I'll keep that in mind for next year. My problem is that when the niece/nephew come to party with SIL it means MIL/FIL and their partners all want to come to see the grandkids all together. So then I'm compelled to invite all the other grandparents. DD has three sets of godparents and so all their kids come too. This year its already 44 people because I cant exclude the adults. My friend is having a party for her DC tomorrow and i was discussing catering etc. She said she's only doing food for kids not for adults. I cant do that because so many childless adults get invited that I know they will be expecting to be fed.

Ive just taken delivery of a grass effect tablecloth, some forest green plates/cups and some tiny little toadstools that I can put in amongst the herby table! Im getting excited. Until I contemplate the gruffalo cake

• can we talk gruffalo cakes? What did you have in mind?

this is my favourite gruffalo cake - except I would put him on a leafy background, and she has missed the poisonous wart off the end of his nose. It's not that hard really....

Ha ha im thinking of making a cake with leaves all around the edge grass effect top with rocks, logpile etc and the characters.

Go on give me your ideas. I dont wanna do just the gruffalo because dd adores the mouse.

OK I have a challenge for you all.

6 girls -DD2 is 9 and is the youngest, rest all friends of DD1 whose 13th birthday party it is. We are going shopping in the nearest big town in the day and I'll stand lunch, but they want oh dear lord above I am dreading it already a sleepover that night.

Ideas to give me peace keep them happy please?

Yes ive been going through google images some should be on cake wrecks! I'll show you my fav and inspiration hold on.

Argh i cant find it now!

Oh dear fluffy at that age i was watching freddie krugar at sleepovers eeek. Pamper party? Let them all loose on each other?

gruffalo and mouse? (I'm kidding - that one is hard)

Have you got little characters, or are you going to make them? I think woodland with the core settings (logpile, treetop, rocks) is a great idea. My top tip would be to get one or more leaf plunger cutters like these and just cut out loads in lots of shades of brown and green - they cover all sorts of "issues" in icing (see my pumpkin cake for an example of this cheat technique in action )

Pamper party might be a good idea but DD1 isn't massively girly. I was going to risk giving them my GHD's and make up.

And doing loads of snacky stuff for tea - wee small pizzas and kievs and that kind of stuff.

But there must be a suitably tacky cake, wouldn't you agree?

And put the tv/video combi into DD1's room and send them all in there with popcorn to watch shite DVD's in bed?

Helllo. just seen this thread... What a fab idea!

Amy ideas for Halloween parties? Stupidly agreed to do one in the house for ds (4.5) and 10 of his wee friends at the end of the month.

I want it to be fab.....

Not the one i was trying to find but this is like what i had in my head.

www.google.co.uk/m/search?site=images&source=mog&hl=en&gl=uk&client=safari&q=gruffalo%20cake&sa=N#i=81

fluffy - if they would put up with those nail varnishes designed for children which peel off to limit the solvent sniffing to a minimum then I think pamper party would be great - otherwise karaoke or wii dance game (if you have one, you could get them to bring extra controllers with them?)

which one, DW (google images does funny things when I click links in MN - I get a series of little pictures )?

Stealth thats exactly it i have leaf cutters mostly holly and ivy from a christmas cake i made before. Im gonna make the lot. I love sugarcraft but only done about five cakes before.

Fluffy shirley knot had great idea before about american type theme, loads of hotdogs pizza etc could you do a movie night around that? Shirley will come along and tell you some good ideas but scroll back through the thread she has good ideas for teens.

Happy birthday jack. Loads of leaves round edge.

oh never thought of that they could do the wii and there's 4 controllers for that.