Welcome Your New Arrival With Pooh and a Little Honey Baby Shower

May 1, 2013 — Shindigz

“Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. “Pooh?” he whispered.
“Yes, Piglet?”
“Nothing,” said Piglet, taking Pooh’s hand. “I just wanted to be sure of you.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

This Pooh – Little Hunny Decorating Kit helps your shower to be both classy AND adorable.

 

 There is something almost intangible about the fondness we have for Winnie the Pooh and the House at Pooh Corners. Maybe it’s looking back on our own childhood, remembering fondly tea parties with our own stuffed animals and hearing stories about Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Rabbit, Owl, Kanga and Roo, and of course, Eeyore, but there’s more. There is a timeless joyful wisdom in A.A. Milne’s classic stories that resonates with children and adults of all ages.

Remember when Pooh gets stuck?

Whether or not your new bundle of joy is having his or her nursery decked out in Winnie-the-Pooh paraphernalia (Poohphernalia!), celebrate at your baby shower with tableware, favors, and decorations that conjure up the smile (I know you smiled) that’s on your face right now from watching Winnie the Pooh get stuck.

This may go without saying, but plan ahead and make sure to get invitations straight from the Hundred Acre Wood. All things Pooh are gender neutral, so your guests won’t think they’ve guessed anything from the color scheme, and it sets up the theme for the shower.

One of the elements at the heart of all things Pooh is whimsy. It may be springtime now, but no matter when your shower is, adorning windows and bare walls with brightly colored 100 Acre Woods themed paper fans will transport your guests to that childlike happy springtime place the instant they arrive. It is also easy and inexpensive to serve up delicious snacks and dessert on the sweet face of our favorite “hunny” loving bear with matching dessert plates and napkins.

Now, there are obviously tons of different options for baby shower games, but here’s one to stick with the theme:

What Flavor is the Hunny?

Typically, you can play “guess the baby food” by just taking the labels off of baby food jars and having guests taste them. This time, take it up a notch.

Use paint designed for painting on glass (ask someone at your nearest craft store to point you in the right direction) and paint the baby food jars blue or cream colored after you’ve removed the labels. Next, use either a black sharpie or a glass paint marker in black and write “hunny” on each jar. Now you have an adorable baby shower game that matches the theme.

Bonus: You can use them as centerpieces until you’re ready for the games!

“We’ll be Friends Forever, won’t we, Pooh?’ asked Piglet. Even longer,’ Pooh answered.”

 

Finishing touches:

For the pièce de résistance that would make even grumpy ol’ Eeyore perk up, create your own diaper cake for the star of the shower. Never made one (or seen one)? Instructables has some fairly easy to follow instructions you can follow along with. However, instead of “boutique style,” how about using Winnie the Pooh printed crepe paper streamers (try gold along with it!) and different colored confetti to decorate?

Hopefully, now your baby shower with a bit of “hunny” is really on a roll. For some extra motivation, here’s another clip to remind you why Winnie the Pooh is a good idea.

Posted in 1st Birthday Party, Baby Shower, Decorating TipZ. Tags: , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Gamble on These Creative Uses for Poker Chips

April 10, 2013 — Shindigz

Poker chips are loads of fun, there’s no doubt about that. It doesn’t even matter if you’re a poker player — just ask anyone who has a spare set of poker chips and a toddler or two! The small, smooth with a few embellishments, multicolored discs are just… fun.

“Play with me! Spill me onto the floor! Toss me in the air!” It’s practically begging you.

There are lots of blogs out there with tons of great ideas on poker-themed parties and uses for poker chips. There are definitely of few of them right on this site, like this one on adult-themed parties, a fun corporate event in this one,  or this one about a casino party!

Poker chips don’t have to be all fun and games, though (well yes, yes they do end up always being fun!); consider a few other creative ways to use them. For birthdays and special events, poker chips can be used as gift tags. Use a permanent marker to inscribe the recipient’s name on the smooth white clay surface. Adhere with double-sided tape and/or some fancy “ribboning” and you have unique and durable gift tags. Unlike the typical cardboard ones, these aren’t going to get bent, creased, ripped in half, or otherwise marred beyond recognition.

“Put the key to the minibar on me!”

If you have loads of keys to keep track of (office, safe, shed, storage space, minivan, gym locker, etcetera), key tag poker chips in different colors are a fun and different way to organize. Also: use the poker chip key tags as prom or other school dance “tickets” to give the party-goers the keys to the dance!

Whether you are in education in a school system, if you home school (or know someone who does!), or have a toddler of your own to keep busy, sorting, matching, and color recognition games are important part of development to incorporate in learning and playing.  If you already have some poker chips and your little one found out about it, you know how much they enjoy them. Why not get gobs of poker chips in blue, green, gold, purple, green, red, yellow, and black that you can use with your child, children, or preschool or daycare that are specifically for them? An added bonus to this is that you’ll never have to fuss with sorting out the jumbled and sticky chips before poker night again.  Here are some fun learning activities to get your play-magination going.

Finally, here are some DIY ideas for the crafty readers out there. Glue clothes pins to poker chips personalized with your event (graduation, bat mitzvah, military homecoming…) and use them to do any or all of the following:

  • hold tablecloths onto tables
  • hold and weight name cards for seating
  • display photographs (clip the clothes pins onto ribbon and then clip in the photos)
  • whatever your imagination dictates you need to clip!

At the end of the event, you can even let guests take the personalized poker chip clips as favors!

Another DIY craft idea is to create a unique gift for that special person who loves poker. Make wind chimes! Using an assortment of mini bells, sleighbells, poker chips, and florist wire, you can wind together your own unique design and create something that looks and sounds beautiful. You could even host a craft party and have this be the project. Don’t worry, if you need to use a spot of hot glue to help the florist wire along, we won’t tell.

Remember, don’t be afraid to step outside the box and use something that is already fun in a totally unique way — take a gamble!

For being brave, you get a cookie!

Posted in American Heroes Party, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Confirmation Party, Construction Party, Corporate Event, Craft Party, Decorating TipZ, Graduation Favors, Party Ideas, Party Planning, Party TipZ, Personalized Favors, Poker Party. Tags: , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Sail Over and Under the Sea at Your Next Party

April 4, 2013 — Shindigz

Combine a sea cruise with an undersea adventure for an oceangoing theme party your guests will remember as vividly as a vacation.

The tools for building this maritime setting will be nautical decorations and under-the-sea props. The combo is ideal for entertaining large parties such as weddings, proms, boat shows and post-regatta receptions, though it shouldn’t be hard to downsize the model a bit for smaller venues, too.

Start by examining your party entrance to see how you might transform it to suggest guests are embarking a ship. A nautical style banner over the door, such as Anchors Away or Nautical Customized Memories, would be a festive choice and coordinate with anchor cutouts, porthole cutouts, signal flag garland and other oceangoing wall and hanging decorations.

Continue wall decorations on the inside of the entrance, but do vary them, for example by hanging up ship’s wheels and life preservers. Also, on this side place a life preserver arch and ship’s rails to guide guests onto the “deck.” (This will make a fine photo op, so be sure to station the “ship’s photographer” there when the time comes.)

Next, you’ll build a transition from the ship to the under-the-sea portion of your decorating. Set Sail wave standees, draped lengths of dark blue water patterned gossamer, beach room rolls or bubbles-patterned flat papers are just a few of your transitional options.

Your choices for creating the underwater backdrop are equally numerous and you can check them out in Undersea Backgrounds. Compose a palette of background colors that include both blues and greens to widen your options for props and other decorations – for example, wouldn’t our new teal floral sheeting prove breathtaking on party tables?

From there you’ll be ready to add large decorations and lighting. We love the string lights with the Under-the-Sea kit as shown above, because the imagination will turn the twinklers into streams of rising bubbles. Place fairy berries in clam shells as glowing pearls, too.

When it comes to favors for this combination theme, may we suggest personalized bubbles, a frame favor such as the simple “Water” frame, or a glassware favor from the Bursting Bubbles collection.

Ready to play Poseidon? So are we! Explore our marine party themes today.

Posted in Decorating TipZ, Nautical Party, Party Planning, Prom Themes, Under the Sea Party, Weddings. Tags: , , . Leave a Comment »

Trendy for 2013 Graduations – Giant Greeting Cards

April 2, 2013 — Shindigz

Here are graduation greeting cards that recipients are sure to show off: giant cards you can customize, personalize, and use to surprise!

Giant greeting cards come in 18”, 24” and 36” and envelopes are available, too. Select from 15 designs — but that’s just where customization begins. You will also be choosing colors, uploading one or more photos (depending on design) and composing text for the front as well as the content of the message inside.

One way or another, 2013 giant grad cards are sure to become keepsakes and there are several ways to use them.

Note of congratulations. Pass around a card with a “You did it” or “Congrats” type message to as many of the extended family to sign as possible before you give it to the grad.

Graduation announcements. Imagine delivering glad grad tidings to grandparents and other individuals who’ve played formative roles in the life of your new graduate.

Part of the party. Place a giant card on an entrance or gift table at a graduation party as an informal guest book for grad party-goers to sign.

For any of the above ideas, you also could attach additional photos and captions scrapbook-style to the inside pages of the card to further personalize it.

Now, let’s say that you have an interest in coordinating one or more giant grad greeting cards with your graduation party décor. In that case, start by selecting your party colors first. If the scheme will be the graduate’s school colors or favorite colors, shopping for party supplies by color is a good strategy.

If you’re looking to put on a theme party, shop by theme to check out the colors used in the props and decorations you like.

Luau is one of the most popular grad party themes, so we’ll use it as an example. You’ll notice that luau decorations tend to be pink, red, yellow, green and blue in some combination of two or more of these colors. Once you’ve decided upon the one or two dominant colors for your luau, you can use them in the background and text of your card decoration.

Place your luau grad card on an easel at the entrance of the party, or use it as a centerpiece. Drape a coordinating silk lei jauntily over the front corner to finish.

In addition to graduations, we make giant greeting cards for birthdays and holidays, too. Customize a giant card as a surprise element for your next event.

Posted in Decorating TipZ, Graduation Favors, Graduation Party, Luau Party, Personalized Favors, Photo Ideas, Theme Party. Tags: , , . Leave a Comment »

Run for the Roses Kentucky Derby ® Party Ideas

March 28, 2013 — Shindigz

Kentucky Derby ® fans, you are in for a treat: exclusive new products that will make your Kentucky Derby event the odds-on favorite for party of the year.

The keys here are licensed designs you won’t find anywhere else, combined with a fabulous level of personalization you can add to so many items from large, show-stopping props down to details such as water bottle labels and mint tins.

Make a “Derby by design” yours from the start with a slogan that both describes your event and immediately personalizes it:

  • “The Cantors’ Julep Party”
  • “Smith’s Neigh-borhood Watch”
  • “Derby with the Kirbys”

You could also make a play on the “Run for the Roses™” slogan and tie it to a garden club event, Relay for Life fundraiser or retirement party. Triple Crown events are May 4, May 18 and June 8 this year, so any event this spring might be a candidate for a race-themed party.

Red roses, brown horses, silver horseshoes, or black hats trimmed in gold are a few examples of the colors and symbols you might employ as you re-create Churchill Downs and environs.

The photo above right contains the Winning Horse and Winners’ Platform standees. We favor a grouping such as this as a focal point in the room, perhaps fronting a background photo illustration of a race. One piece of a grouping can be personalized – in this case, the horse — and you might further offer embellishment by flanking it with rose trees and adding an artificial grass. Think of the snapshots!

It’s very easy to coordinate an official Kentucky Derby grouping with signs, banners and entrance pieces because we’ve built a stunning selection that’s sure to put you in the winner’s circle.

For tables, we like to mix a race design with gold or black solid tableware. Finish with red rose topiaries and personalized party favors in either a Kentucky Derby or Red Roses design.

Some themes may call for less horse and more julep, and in that case we recommend giving the bar area and cocktail accessories a prominent place. Set up a julep-themed personalized standee, pour mixers that have personalized Derby-design bottle labels and consider providing glassware favors for the occasion.

In any case, the Kentucky Derby is coming up fast, so claim your winning party products today.

Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs are licensed indicia owned by Churchill Downs, Inc and used under license.

Posted in Decorating TipZ, Kentucky Derby Party, Racing Party. Tags: , . Leave a Comment »
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