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31 Oct |
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11:33 pm Posted by Nicola |
As folks in the Northeast can attest, the outdoor summer birthday party has officially moved indoors. One of the most beloved children’s birthday parties, particularly during the colder months, is the slumber party. We’ve highlighted tips for slumber party readiness, but the first slumber party of an eight-year old boy is quite different from that of a tween girl and her BFFs.
Activities for the tween girl sleepover party do not need to be elaborate or expensive; the suggestions listed below involve such simple items as nail polish, tin foil and standard craft supplies.
Create commemorative pillow cases or T-shirts. Buy inexpensive t-shirts, tank tops or pillow cases and provide permanent markers so your guests can create matching designs and then each sign the others’ creations.
Decorate picture frames with paints, stickers, jewels, glitter, etc. Then take photos of all guests and place them in the frames as keepsakes.
Nail Polish Spin Game. Place several colors of nail polish the middle of the circle and have someone spin a bottle of nail polish. Whoever the cap points to when it stops spinning must paint one of her fingernails in that color. This person should then spin another colored nail polish bottle, etc. Include toes to make the game last longer.
Foil Make Over Game. Divide the guests into teams and give each team 1 or 2 rolls of aluminum foil and some rubber bands. The teams must try to create the most fabulous tinfoil outfits possible – skirts, tops, sunglasses, hats, boots and belts – anything goes! Be sure to take photos of those silver creations.
Makeovers, manicures and pedicures are always a staple at a tween girls’ birthday slumber party.
Allow some time for meals, a movie (or two!) and the activities above – and you will be sure to have a successful sleepover for your tween. To set the mood for your fun party, send a festive birthday party invitation such as Birthday Banner by designer Eliza DeVogel, shown above. An order of 10 beautifully customized invitations from LookLoveSend.com costs just over $20.
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31 Oct |
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11:26 am Posted by Kristy |
Baby showers are a relatively new tradition, becoming popular with the baby boom that followed World War II. As a relatively newer tradition (when compared with, say, a bride’s dowry!), when you receive a baby shower invitation, you probably feel pretty familiar with the playbook of rules. As with many traditions these day, however, people everywhere are changing those rules. We thought we’d look at what’s changing when planning a baby shower today.
Who Hosts?
A close friend or neighbor traditionally hosted the baby shower, rather than a close family member, in order to avoid the impression that the expecting mom and her family was looking to cash in on baby shower gifts. Today, however, it is increasingly common and acceptable for a closer relative such as a sister or even mother in law to host the shower. One steadfast rule remains: the guest of honor really still shouldn’t host her own shower, but she can have plenty of say on almost all aspects of planning it!
Who receives a baby shower invitation?
As a practical matter, today’s mom to be’s should provide a guest list to their host and both should discuss any space or budget limitations openly. Close friends, neighbors, and family members from her side as well as the baby’s father’s family traditionally top the list, but many moms today also invite coworkers. If either you as host or as the guest of honor isn’t sure about a guest, think about whether you would ask that person to buy a gift, since that’s what’s a shower is really all about.
What about the men?
Changing lifestyles has meant that more and more baby showers are bringing male guests into the mix. While it’s ultimately up to the guest of honor whether she wants to keep her shower a women-only event, many modern couples decide together to have a different style of baby shower, such as the couples shower. The couples shower trend has formalized the concept of men’s presence and certainly can change both the party dynamics as well as the menu and types of gifts a couple can expect. But even if the mom to be isn’t officially wanting a couples shower, many want male friends or relatives present. Even more common today than a couples shower is the presence, however brief, of baby’s father. Its perfectly acceptable and even a gracious gesture for the expectant dad to make a brief appearance thank everyone for the gifts.
Where to Shop for Modern Baby Shower Invitations?
The Internet is the best new source for shopping the latest designs in baby shower invitations. You will find an extensive selection of styles as well as a range in print quality, so be sure to look for a source like www.looklovesend.com whose original designs are always printed on high quality papers. LookLoveSend has a wide selection of baby shower invitations and corresponding baby thank you notes that reflect more modern styles. Many designs can also be personalized with a photo, and you can always customize your text online. When you order 50 or more, shipping is free.
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31 Oct |
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11:25 am Posted by Kristy |
If you live anywhere from Maryland to Maine, your head is spinning right now. You may have pumpkins too frozen to carve, or a trick-or-treating costume that needs some serious thermal under layers. This weekend’s nor easter has covered jack-o-lanterns with a heavy layer of snow. Meteorologists are predicting some sun today to melt some of the snow for trick-or-treating tomorrow, but not much can fix the 3 million people with no power!
What to do in your cold dark house for the next few days? Well, grab a frozen Milky Way and a pad and pencil, and take inventory of what you have on hand to get you through the next few days.
Recipes for a Disaster
You can find clever ideas for non-cook recipes using typical pantry ingredients on many websites. The important thing is to check and see what you have to work with! (And in the future, make sure you have these things ready when a potential weather disaster is on the horizon.) For a list of useful pantry foods to have on hand, see Pantry Staples. Here’s a start:
- Low-sodium canned and dried foods kept in a cool, dry place. Soups, beans, tomatoes, tuna fish, etc.
- Low-perishable, shelf-stable ingredients like juice boxes, boxed broths, parmesan cheese, dried fruits, crackers, cereal, etc.
- Basic utensils like a can opener and paper ware plates and bowls, plastic ware cutlery (spoons, forks, etc.)
- Room temperature-happy fruits and veggies, like apples, pears, bananas, tomatoes, squash, onions, potatoes and peppers will keep longest in a cool, dark location.
- Bottled water on hand for drinking, washing and rehydrating foods, and flushing toilets, especially if you are on a well. Fill a bathtub ahead of time. TIP: Drinking water rule is at least a gallon of water per day per person.
- If you can grill outdoors, Dinner Packets assembled in heavy duty foil can be a terrific trick, but require some planning and prep before the weather turns bad.
If you’ve planned a party and party invitations have long been sent, it might be worth making sure you’ve also got plenty of wine on hand, and a cooler filled with ice. My neighbors pulled off a great Halloween party last night during the thick of the snow, and while power wasn’t an issue for them, for other guests who arrived at the party from homes in the dark, it was a welcome respite!
Go ahead and plan your next party for the heart of this year’s winter holidays. A blizzard party at Christmastime or a New Year’s Party afterwards might be just what people want when the weather turns nasty. For an inspiring selection of holiday party invitations, check www.looklovesend.com. Ground shipping is free when you order 50 more more!
