Create My Event - Event & Party Ideas Blog

Easy Pre-Party Shopping

Your party is this weekend and you still have to buy all the food.  Save yourself extra stress at the grocery store by organizing your shopping list.  It may take a few extra minutes initially, but it's worth it in the end. 

Try organizing your list by categories, such as "Pantry", "Dairy", "Meat/Poultry/Fish", "Freezer", "Deli", and "Produce".   I always start my shopping with the pantry items first, which usually are in the middle of the store.  These items generally can handle being in the bottom of the cart and aren't going to melt or spoil while I'm doing the rest of my shopping.  I then make a loop around the edge of the grocery store where I find the rest of the items.  I end with the produce so as to avoid bruises on the delicate items.  My grocery store has the frozen section near the produce so I make a quick detour to the freezer section before the produce finale.

Taking a few extra minutes in the peacefulness of my own home saves me much headache and extra time at the grocery store.  I also find that I don't forget or overlook any item on my list.  I find that I have much more energy and time to focus on the other party planning necessities (of which I enjoy more than food shopping!).

Fly Home

We all long for the designer home goods that they show in the magazines… Versace tabletop, Frette linens, Jonathan Adler pillows, the list goes on.  What we could do without are the prices.  Now you can have your cake and eat it too with Bluefly Home.  Bluefly is a discount website, representing over 350 designers, that began with apparel now offering a home assortment.  All products are at least 40 percent below retail AND if you sign up for their emails, you will be clued in on special sales and promotions and save even more.  A great resource for home and for gifts. Enjoy!

PS.  Also a wonderful site to shop for fabulous party dresses!

Quick Pre-Party Cleaning

Don't spend hours cleaning your house before your party.  Clean the big items within the week prior to the big day and just do a speed clean minutes before the guests arrive.  Here is a how-to guide that shouldn't take you more than 1 hour:

Bathroom

• Wipe sink, mirrors, counter tops, shower doors, toilet seats.  I like to use a glass cleaner that smells good.  It makes the room smell clean even if you only used it on one spot.
• Squirt and brush out bowl.
• Make sure there is soap in dispenser and lots of easily accessible TP for guests.

Bedroom

• Make bed.
• Put clothes and books out of sight.
• Dust off night tables and electronics.

Kitchen

• Do dishes, dry dishes, put dishes away.
• Wipe down sink, stove, counter tops, faces of microwaves & ovens.
• Sweep floor.
• Wipe phone receiver with nice smelling cleaner.

Living Room

• Pick up visible floor lint with handheld vacuum or fingers.
• Fluff cushions and fold (or hide) throws.
• Wipe off tabletops.
• Straighten books and magazines. 
• Throw out newspapers.
• Hide all other junk.

Patio/Garden

• Hide tools & roll up hoses.
• If you have a garden in-progress, throw fresh soil on empty garden spaces. It is amazing what a nice layer of fresh garden soil does for your garden's appearance.
• Sweep leaves off patio/deck.

Office

• If you can, close doors to discourage entry.
• Tidy up paper piles, or better yet, hide them away.
• Dust counter tops.
• Make sure floor is clean.

This quick cleaning will make your home inviting to your guests.  Little will they know that it took you very little time!  You will also have enough energy to enjoy your fantastic party.

Is that my drink?

You've said it out loud. You've thought it to yourself. And without a definitive answer to that famous party question, "Is that my drink?" you march straight to the kitchen or bar or cooler and grab yourself another tall cool one - one that's never-been-touched brand new and backwash-free.

These oh-so-charming wine charms from Bellaceti will bring new and exciting ownership to your drinks! Attach to your glass stem, place glass on table and walk away. Yeah, it's OK. It will still be there when you get back, and you'll be able to make a positive ID by the nifty candy-colored bead. Color coordinate with your party outfit and you're good to go!

And speaking of party outfits, if you're looking for a stellar piece of jewelry to wear to your next gathering, Bellaceti has you covered there, too with gorgeous rings, bracelets, necklaces and earrings - all handmade by owner and designer, Linda.

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Post and images provided by the folks at Anna Bella Stationery: stationery & lovely things.

Secret Garden

Have you ever wished for a secret garden?  A little place nestled among trees, surrounded by flowers where you feel no one can find you?  And what sorts of parties would you throw in your secret garden?  Well, now you must decide.  The Marin Art and Garden Center, located in Ross, California, is just what you’ve been looking for.  Tucked away but centrally located, it is the perfect place for say a 40th birthday lunch, a baby shower, even a wedding.  Your guests will feel like they’ve been transported to another world, yet it will have taken them only minutes to get there.

Never stick a fork in it again!

Can't find your meat thermometer? No worries! Just poke yourself in the cheek.

Have you ever watched a cooking show and wondered why the chef is poking the meat with his fingers? They're checking the meat for doneness without a thermometer. While it's always best to use a meat thermometer, try the pro's tried and true in a pinch:

The Cheek Test:
Rare: Using your index finger, gently poke the most fleshy part of your cheek. This simulates how rare beef and poultry will feel.
Medium: Using your index finger, gently poke your cheek bone. This simulates how medium beef and poultry will feel.
Well: Using your index finger, gently poke the center of your forehead. this simulates how well-done beef and poultry will feel.

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Post and images provided by the folks at Anna Bella Stationery: stationery & lovely things.

/sm/"Vacation Memories" Jar Making Party

As the summer is ending, most of us have taken a fun trip or maybe several. We may even try to fit in one more weekend getaway before the kids go back to school. Sometimes we never get to scrapbooking all the pictures or souvenirs like we had planned. So here's a simple, fun and attractive way to do it. Get a few friends together, and have a "JAR MAKING PARTY".

If you saved some sand and shells from that beautiful beach you visited, postcards from another country or state, pinecones and nuts from a camping or backpacking trip or an invite and picture of a family reunion that you consider important to you, you will love this idea and so will your friends. 

Go to your nearest craft store, or visit The Jar Store for unique jars to fill your memories with.

This is a great idea for a party, family activity, kids activity or a fun, fast and simple way for you to preserve your memories with. Not only is it inexpensive and attractive, but they are visible memories you can often revisit.

Dinner Table Art

Bunny Rabbit? Pyramid? Lady Windermere’s Fan? Napkin folds of course! Something as simple as a napkin fold can add oodles of elegance to your next dinner party.  And, believe it or not, it really won’t take you that long. When it comes to the how to, Milliken Table Linens has one of the best sites out there, providing simple instructions along with diagrams and styles ranging from The Ice Cream Cone to The Bishops Hat.  Check it out and greet your guests with a Bird of Paradise next time they sit down for dinner.

A lunchbox with staying power!

It's an annual tradition; a right of passage from one grade to the next that every child and tween looks forward to: choosing a new lunchbox. And let's face it, lunch just tastes better when your lunchbox is as sparkly and fresh as your new white sneakers (*gleam).

But jeepers, the economics of buying a new lunchbox every year is hard to bite, chew and swallow - not to mention the waste that an average lunch can create with pastic bags and packaging. That's why you'll hear moms give three cheers for Laptop Lunches!

Laptop Lunches are American-style bento boxes designed to help families pack nutritious, environment-friendly lunches for school, work, and travel. Each lunchbox comes with several reusable and dishwasher safe containers that offer just the right portion sizes for even the hungriest child or adult. Also included in the price are a matching fork and spoon, carrying case and water bottle. A book of healthy lunch ideas and recipies is included,  too. How neat is that!

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Post and images provided by the folks at Anna Bella Stationery: stationery & lovely things.