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.

Food sounds perfect. Have you thought about making the sandwiches using a teddy bear shaped cutter like this- the rocket and star sandwiches went down a storm, and I'm convinced more got eaten because of the shapes!

It all sounds fabulous. I'm getting party envy - I can see this getting quite addictive!

And yes, yes, learn from my mistake and take photos before the little horrors lovely little guests destroy appreciate all your hard work! I really regret not having more photos

Shirley - surely you have to start another thread when this one is full?

BlastOff - I never take enough photos. And I take bloody LOADS for the blog!

Another thread? I think we've become a quiche! (A special PARTY quiche with sparklers and buttercream icing )

We need another thread! We'll go through 71 posts easy before my party and you can't all leave me before the end!

Plus we've got DW's Christening to plan

BlastOff, I have a cutter but I was wondering of having teddy bear pizza, gingerbread and sandwiches was a going a little too far. Plus the waste really puts me off. I thought maybe triangles might be more picnic-y too?

Triangles are perfect for the picnic theme IMHO.

OK, OK another thread it is...

Gawd, you do know that 2012 is the year I'm planning on getting a boyfriend and new teeth and a surprise which I can't wait to tell you all about?

Oooh, a surprise.... I can't wait

I think I probably told you at the meet...didn't I?

It's possible Shirl but I'd had a lot to drink

Ooh I was hoping this thread would pop back up! Shirley it's DD's 5th party next weekend. We're having just over 20 kids and the same amount of adults (mostly family) and it's at our house! Am I insane???

We do have a nice big open living area. We've got a puppet lady coming for the first hour and thought we'd do a floor picnic after that. Tell me it's not going to be a disaster and what I can do to minimise carnage and make sure everyone has a nice time! Please!

Yes, actually when you put it like that I think triangles are much more picnic-y and there are a lot of teddy bears!

Ooooh surprises... I love surprises

Thistle!

Firstly, you're not insane (slightly tapped maybe ) and it will be FINE! So is the party this weekend (the 10th) or next weekend (the 17th)?

Carnage minimising is tricky - I would go with having a big black sack on the go and just doing a quick whip round every ten minutes. With this many adults attending it should be easy to recruit helpers to keep on top of things.

A party for 40 is pretty ambitious, I presume that you're planned as far as food and drinks, games and music is concerned? If not tell us now and we can help you! You've arrived on a thread where the help is extraordinary and I think we manage to solve most issues - even last minute panics!

Blathers - I can't WAIT to tell the boys and EVERYONE IN THE KNOWN UNIVERSE! It's been hell! Only three weeks left before I spill my guts!

I'm more frustrated now because I might know and I've forgotten!! Can't you DM me a reminder? :)

Thistle, if it helps, my party is for 20-odd kids and about the same amount of adults so I've got a similar amount of people to keep amused. I posted a huge list of everything I'm doing at the moment above so feel free to steal ideas. DD is going to be 2 but the majority of the children will be 4.9 so a similar age to yours. I am doing mine in the local community hall though, mostly because my house is too small to get everyone in otherwise and i don't fancy the mess on my carpets :)

Blathers - NOPE!

My lips are sealed.

Sounds like I'm in the right place - what a relief!

OK so it's the 17th. Party bags, birthday cake and entertainer are sorted. My mum might take some of the older rellies out for a walk during the worst of the kiddy party as they'll be here all day and the kids only for a couple of hours. DH will do music (when I remember to ask him to.)

I do NOT have food sorted. Got a slot booked at Tesco for the night before so I don't have to schlepp round the supermarket, but have not got beyond sausage rolls and jelly (DD wants lots of jelly). I need help with that (the food, not the jelly)

Oh and what do I cover the floor with? Picnic blankets and chuck in the wash after?

Do I need to do games too? Entertainer starts 15 minutes into the party, will do puppets for 45 and face-painting for 45 (during the picnic?). Then 15 mins left for Happy Birthday, cake, party bags and goodbyes. Is that naively optimistic?

I'm sure there will be kids who don't eat much and will be haring around 5 minutes into the picnic - what do I do with them? They can be first to get their faces painted I suppose but maybe I should set up an activity or something? Kids aged between 1 and 7 (I know, I'm an idiot).

Christmas decs will be up and DD has chosen some extra 'party' decs which are all red with white polka dots. Very cute.

Any help gratefully appreciated! I like having a houseful of people but last time we did it was August and most people were in the garden. Damn Winter birthdays!

Thistle - are you theming it or is it just a traditional party?

This will help us with the food!

As to the entertainer - I think the puppets for 45 minutes is fine (that's quite a long time though for her to keep them engaged though) but the following 45 minutes of face painting will require some games to keep the children amused TBH. You can't expect 20 kids to line up waiting to have their faces painted patiently. It's OK, we can source you loads of games to keep them amused...Although I'm a bit confused as to where the food factors into this plan...

Shall we get you all sorted with some timelines and stuff?

I know, it all sounds a bit vague! Entertainer is happy to paint faces while the picnic's happening - maybe not when they've got their mouths full though! She's quite quick apparently.

DD just wants traditional party food - sausage rolls and jelly is all I can get out of her! Hello Kitty red and white will have a bit of a presence (balloons etc). MIL is doing birthday cake which apparently is a zoo.

I generally throw EXTREMELY informal parties and I'm a bit worried I've bitten off more than I can chew this time! Thanks!

And yes please!

OK, sausage rolls and jelly.

You need a couple of plates of sandwiches - I'd go for cheese. Some ham, some both (cheese and ham), some chicken roll, some jam (I know this sounds awful but the kids love it)

Get some quiche, lots of bowls of crisps, some pre-made chicken drumsticks and some pizza ready. Chicken nuggets, coleslaw, dips and nachos. Plates of veggies (carrots, baby tomatoes, cucumber sticks) and some pre made chicken satay and veggie parcels (I'm thinking feta and spinach parcels)

Have you a slow cooker? Get some mild chilli con carne going in the slow cooker, and some rice cooking - provide some french bread, You could serve hot dogs (dead easy - get the frankfurters boiling. keep them warm in the pan and serve) or bake sausages in the oven.

These are all just ideas - you don't have to do all of them obviously!

Wow you ARE good!

oooh chilli....I do good chilli..... that might keep the grownups in the kitchen! OK back to Tesco...

And I can't believe I forgot chicken. DD's absolute favourite.

Thank you!

Blathers - picnic rug - see tablecloth/teatowel on my cooking cake - if you get gumpaste you can roll it really thin and then leave it to dry on a sheet of crumpled foil to get a slight "crumpled" effect. Make it as soon as you can - leave it to dry for a few days, and then paint on the checks with paste colour & vodka (for the tablecloth, I marked the lines before it was put to dry so that I had a guide to paint to)

can't wait for surpise, Shirley - we need a new thread established in plenty of time

thistle - the insane bit, IMHO, is doing it at home. However, since you are, I think you need to shelve any ecological principles and get disposable everything-you-possibly-can to minimise washing up. If you have access to one, Costco are great for big packs of plates, serving platters, cups/glasses (including for hot drinks) and the like - plain, but a fraction of the cost of fancy ones - I would go for plain tableware and more decorations every time, given the choice.

I know squiggle, I figure we should try it once and if it's a disaster we'll know never to do it again! There's no-one coming I need to impress or who will think badly of me if it's a bit chaotic, luckily!

Disposable sounds good, although I am borrowing a load of plastic plates. Didn't even think about glasses/plates for grownups, I've very glad I found this thread!

I was going to drape the cloth over the cake though stealth. It'll crack if I try to do that after it's dried.

Can you link back to your photos again so I can pinch ideas get some inspiration?

Going for trip 1 to Hobbycraft after DD's been dancing. I forsee many, many trips over there :)

My party is the 17th too Thistle.

link here, Blathers - so what you want to do is more like the tablecloth than the tea towel - I just lightly marked (indented) the lines on it and then painted it once it was draped, rather than trying to move it without smudging the paint, IYSWIM.

I just spent £40 in Hobbycraft

I have gumpaste though. I am a little worried that the plates I need to make are going to be too big though. To keep them in scale, they need to be about 5-6cms across I think.

Good tip about the tablecloth stealth. I have white roll out icing and red gel. I'm pretty sure we have Vodka somewhere although it might be a lemony one.