Creating The Tropical Indoors

Everyone loves the beach.  Everyone loves a party.  Sometimes you want both and that is where a beach party theme comes in handy. Unfortunately depending where you live or the time of year, an outside beach party isn’t always possible. So what do you do – throw a beach party indoors!

Decorating For The Beach Experience

Throwing a party with a tropical theme indoors isn’t as hard as it would seem. In fact, an indoor beach or tropical party theme works very well for back to school parties or birthday parties for kids and adult. Teens will love this party theme and the tropical drinks that go along with it.

As far as decorations go, you’ll want to have as many tropical items as you can possible fit in your indoor area.

To go all out rent some palms from local florist. If palms are not available for rent try a party supply store. They often have inflatable palms or even card board cut out palms or other tropical items. Add a little pizazz to table centerpieces by cutting holes in pineapples (like you do with pumpkins) and place votive candles inside.

If you’re an especially daring party thrower, set up a kiddy pool inside filled with sand. If your not that daring then buy an awesome party cake decorated like a  beach party and use it as your room’s focal point.

Beach Grub Is A Must

Beach food is all hands on – literally.  So finger foods need to fill out the beach party menu. You can pick these items up at a deli or make them yourself.

If your planning this party for your teenager, you’ll want to serve hot dogs and hamburgers. Of course you’ll need a signature drink. Make tropical drinks such as (non-alcoholic) blue Hawaiians by using blending ice cubes, a lemon-lime type soda and a few drops of blue food coloring. Serve the drink in an inexpensive margarita style glass. You can find plastic ones at party supply stores. Ta da, you’ve got great tropical drink. For a super fun fruity idea get some ice trays and add small pieces of fruits such as pineapple chucks, cherries, raspberries, blueberries and freeze them in ice trays covered with water. Pop them out of the ice tray and put them in an ice bucket for the kids to add to their fruit punch or other tropical drink.

With just a bit of creative decorating, you’ll find that a inside beach party is easy to do. This party theme is  great fun for teens, kids or even adults. So get started now planning your beach party right under your own roof. Oh, don’t for get to tell the invites to dress in their best swim and beachwear.

A special thanks goes to The Party Place & Bakery, a Herber Springs bakery for letting me use the picture of their beach cake.

Do you have a teen who wants to be a rap artist? Then this is the party you need to throw them, so they can experience their inner rapper. To have the ultimate rap party, you will need to do a few things:

Rent a space to hold the party.
Although you could hold the parties outside, I recommend an indoor space. Why? Because you will be using a lot of electrical equipment. Outdoor locations are great but they make it more complicated with the chance of weather. Electronics and bad weather do not mix well.

You will need to rent a stage
All rappers need a stage. If the place you have secured for the party does not have one, you’ll need to rent one. The stage rental place should also be able to help you with the lighting and a sound system, as well. Remember this is the Ultimate Rap Party and every rap artist needs the right atmosphere. So, you’ll want lots of lights and a great sound system for the rap artist to work their rap skills on.

Gotta Have The Lingo
Print of some rap lyrics from the Internet. Have your teenager help you pick out the songs from their favorite rapper. Have them printed on some colorful paper to hand out to the party goers. They can choose a rap lyric sheet to take to the stage to show off their skills or even free style. Don’t forget a video camera or hire a videographer. You’ll want to catch all the rapping action!

Party Decoration: Gotta Have The Bling
Flashy – that’s the goal of the decorations. So bling is a must. Use any type of bling like item you can think of as the room’s decor. Take a que from Rappers who like styling cars. Giant posters of cars and maybe posters of your teens favorite rappers can be used to decorate the party room. Don’t forget strobe lights. A stage, lights and a rapper atmosphere will have the party goers flowing with their own rap lyrics about this ultimate rap party.

Summer is finally here! School’s out and it’s time for a vacation! You probably wont get to see your friends much, so what better way to catch up on things and have a good time than by throwing a summer pool party! It’s time to do some planning and make a few phone calls.

When it comes to summer, the main thing most teens focus on is going to shop for that perfect swimsuit. With that in mind, what better reason to throw the ultimate summer pool party? Who doesn’t think about going to the tropics for a summer vacation getaway? How about creating your own tropical paradise at home!

Decorations- Here comes the most fun part to throwing any party. Being a tropical paradise theme you want to think outside of the box to make this a very memorable summer party. Let’s begin with the back yard, since it is a major part of this party. Putting up a couple of inflatable palm trees around the pool area would definitely give the party a more tropical feel. Setting up 2 or 3 picnic tables around the yard could be used for eating, or even to set some exotic tropical centerpieces on top. This party is more than likely to last through the night. A creative, inexpensive idea would be to buy a few mini beach bucket tea light holders. Setting these throughout the pool area or the backyard would definitely lighten up the place. Now for the pool, just throwing in a few beach balls and a few pool rings would do the trick.

Entertainment- To help your guests work up an appetite for delicious tropical party foods, the right party games and activities are necessary. Here are some ideas that might interest you and be fun for your friends too.

Music- Playing reggae music, beach songs, or the songs you know your friends like would be perfect for this tropical party.
Limbo Contest- Who doesn’t love to limbo? Having a limbo contest would keep the fun times going.
Beach Games- Some beach games to include could be volleyball or even water fights.

These are all activities your friends are sure to enjoy.

Food- Of course, no party is complete with out a delicious food menu. This being a tropical paradise party, exotic foods is what comes to mind.You could start off by giving an appetizer, some sizzling chicken skewers, this would only get them ready for whats coming next. A very exotic main dish idea would be to cook a pan-grilled salmon with pineapple salsa. How much more exotic can it get! Finally, for dessert cooking up a key lime pie will leave your friends full, but satisfied.

Voila! You have thrown an unforgettable pool party. Your friends had a blast and are sure to be waiting for another one. Be thinking on how to throw your next summer party, and by the looks of it, it’s sure to come soon!

It’s finally your senior year of high school, the year every student waits for. Of course its obvious to know why, after 12 years of being in school, this is finally the last year! How exiting! Preparing for graduation can be a long yet exciting process. What better way to top of this moment, than by throwing your graduating friend a graduation party. It’s time for party planning!

Theme- Having a themed party always makes the atmosphere a lot more fun. A very popular theme used for many parties is a Hawaiian theme! Hawaiian colors are bright and tend to make people think of either the beach or a Hawaiian shirt. It’s your decision whether you want the party indoors or outdoors. Personally, I d prefer an outdoors party. Having a party outdoors gives you a lot more space. Meaning more room to PARTY!

Decorations- Decorating is one of the best parts when it comes to planning and throwing a party. The decorations are one of the first things your guests will notice. Think about making them really stand out! Try using different outstanding bright colors (neon orange, baby blue, lime green, etc.). One idea that is easy and fun to set-up up would be some colorful beach chairs and even a few lit-up tiki torches. Another decorative idea would be to go to your local party store and shop for a few party supplies. You could include Hawaiian-colored plates, cups, napkins, etc.

Food- Yummy, here comes the best part! An easy cooking idea that everyone is sure to enjoy would be to have a grill-out. Grilling out some buttered shrimp, Hawaiian flank stake, or Hawaiian grilled chicken and having a fresh Hawaiian salad as a side dish would be a delicious idea. To drink making a homemade Hawaiian fruit punch would be very fruity and delicious. A tasty suggestion for dessert would be to have a large platter of mixed mouthwatering fruits like strawberries, cantaloupe, pineapple, etc. After all, the pineapple is one of the most common fruits found on the island. But if you really want to sweeten things up a bit, a coconut cake would definitely be the icing on the cake for your overall meal.

Music- Since this is a graduation party, you’re more likely to have many people there with different tastes in music. What better way to please everyone than to get a DJ to entertain the party. A DJ is definitely a great choice, since they usually have a wide variety of music choices to play. This way everyone gets to dance out to their favorite music thought the party. The fun will never stop.

This graduation party is to celebrate for a couple of reasons. One, to throw them a party and congratulate them for getting this far. And two, to celebrate for this chapter they have completed in their life, and the start of a new chapter that’s about to begin. Not only will they appreciate the party you threw for them, but this is sure to be a memory they will never forget!

Coming up with a party idea for a teenager is difficult. If I can come up with a party theme, I find it usually helps.  A friend of mine decided that her son’s passion for the environment would make a great theme for his 14th birthday party.  This teenager is all about being eco-minded and recycling.  So going “green” for his party was a natural choice.

She bought recycled birthday party invitations, paper plates and napkins. They held the party at one of our local parks.  For entertainment, the kids participated in a trash scavenger hunt.  Of course, she pre-arranged this activity with the park rangers.  Yep, my friend had a good idea, one that provided entertainment for the kids and a community service for the park.

Each scavenger (kid) was given a list (on recylced-paper) of trash items: soda bottles, water bottles, papers, etc. The first to bring back all the trash on the list won a prize.  In my friend’s case, she went with a green prize (as in cash). It wasn’t much money, but, the teens sure enjoyed the hunt for trash.

As party favors, she gave each guest a pair of cotton gloves (used during the scavenger hunt), a few packets of seeds, and peat pots filled soil.  Her bakery made a recycle birthday cake that was unique.  No, it wasn’t previously used.  It was in the shape of a recycling container including a recycling symbol with a number 14. Although decorations were kept minimal, she was able to find recycled products including napkins and plates at her local party store.

All of this she did for her son, the eco-friendly kid.  This party was a hit with his friends and one that he whole-heartily enjoyed. I heard him tell her “it was the best party ever, it was fun and not wasteful”.

Side note: they recycled everything they used that day and collected.

la fiesta Quinceanera- A Young Woman’s Fifteenth Birthday Celebration

In Spanish “quince” means fifteen and “años” means year. Originating with the Aztec culture, the la fiesta Quinceañera or Quinceaños is the custom of having a special 15th birthday celebration. Later the celebration was incorporated into the Mexican and Latin American cultures.  Through the years these cultures have added their own traditional elements to the celebration.

Historically the celebration has been referred to as Quinceaños and the celebrant as the Quinceañera.  Many today refer to both the party and the participant as Quinceañera.  Although this is a cultural celebration, the symbolic atmosphere surrounding this coming of age party offers a way for any family to recognize the importance of family and community in the transformation of a young girl in to a young lady.

A Quinceañera - Where It Begins
Traditionally, the quinceañera begins with a very important ceremony held in a church where a special mass is celebrated. During this ceremony, the priest presents the young lady as an adult member of the congregation.  This begins the formal recognition of the young girls transformation into adulthood.

After the church service (similar to a Bat Mitzvah), the young lady continues on to a reception similar to a sweet sixteen party. Since community and friendship play an intricate part in this celebration, she is accompanied by seven female attendants (damas) and seven male attendants (chambelánes) as she makes her entrance at the party. Every component of this celebration plays an special part in the symbolic nature of this young girl’s emergence into adulthood.

Appropriate Attire For A Quinceañera

In keeping with the formality of the celebration the attire is also very formal. The young lady shows her respect and honored status by wearing a beautiful ball gown usually with a petticoat or hoop slip. Pure or soft colors, such as white or pastel colors like pink, blue or yellow, are often the dress colors chosen.

Customarily, the quinceañera girl chooses to wear a white dress and has her damas wear a pastel color in the same style of dress. With cumber buns that match the damas’ dresses, the chambelánes wear tuxedos. Although these are the more traditional colors, this celebration is defined by the personality of the young lady.

Many young 15 year olds want their special celebration to be unique. So, you may see them wear dresses that are red, purple, or even a mixture of colors.

Invitations For A Quinceanera

Quinceañera invitations are just like any other party invitation. Styles can vary from very formal to theme invitations and sent several weeks in advance of the party.  Invitations should be sent no later than a month before the quinceañera.  This will give guests plenty of time to find a formal outfit for the party.

Formal invitations are sent inviting special friends to be the attendants for the celebration. These invitations are sent several months prior to the celebration.  This allows for coordination of all the participants as well as time for dress and tuxedo fittings.

Accessorizing The Quinceañera

You will find accessories hold great importance in this celebration. Some important accessories are gloves, scepter, tiara, a quinceañera doll, as well as ring or bracelet. A tiara and scepter signify not only that she is a princess, but that she reigns over her past childhood and looks forward to being a responsible young lady.

The quinceañera doll is usually given to her by her grandparents and will often be made of porcelain and have the same style and color dress as hers. The doll symbolizes the last doll she will ever get as she has now stepped into womanhood.  This is only one of many symbolic gifts given to the quinceañera.

Her “padrinos” (godparents) present her with a very special gift of honor; usually a bracelet, necklace or earrings.

Celebrating the Quinceañera – Decoration, Music and Photo Ops

The party can be a very lavish affair or a simple get together. Decorations can be anything from balloons to streamers as well as candles and flowers. Yes, even themed quinceañera parties, such as a 50’s theme, can be found at these celebrations. Basic traditions still apply. However as with any party, each girl has her own unique way of celebrating her fifteenth birthday. Some young ladies choose a horse drawn carriage to take them from the church to the reception area. Others may choose a limousine which can transport all her attendants.

The celebrated young lady often takes her first waltz or dance with her father. After she has danced with her father, the quinceañera is free to dance with her chambelánes or even her damas. You may even find a bit of a new twist on the dance floor with a choreographed dance done by the quinceañera girl and her damas and chamblanes. This is often done to more contemporary music played by a live band or by a Disc Jockey. Video is recommended for this part as photographs don’t capture the fun movements of the dance. You will also want to make sure that you have hired a photographer for formal pictures of the young lady with her damas and chambelánes as well her family.

Treats For Quinceañera Guests – Party Favors, Food and Drink

Most quinceañera celebrations are catered. While any food can be served for the party, Latin food is often served. Items such as enchiladas, peccadillo, and tamales make great choices. The main attraction at the food table is the cake which is ornate and similar to a wedding cake. Some cakes have cute cake toppers, while others are elaborate multi-tiered cakes with artistic ornamentation. Beverages run the gamut from  punches to soda and from wine to champagne.  You will often find punch fountains, champagne fountains and even chocolate fountains at these celebrations.

Just like any birthday party you will find party favors. Decorate the tables with party favors such as little mint tins with the name of the young lady and the date, chocolates that go with the theme, or even place cards held up with commemorative take home candles. All make sweet gifts to say thank you for celebrating this special day with me.

A quinceañera is a very special tradition that many Latin cultures hold dear. It is a time to say goodbye to their young daughter, cousin, sister, or friend and say welcome to the beginning of adulthood and responsibility. It holds religious significance as well and often the priest will ask the young lady’s friends to commit to her, to help her in making good decision as she grows older. It is a time to say goodbye to her childhood and embrace her newly found womanhood.

While rooted in Latin American tradition, you can have a quinceañera party for any one who’s turning fifteen. Taking the basic idea of this tradition and making one of your own for your teen, will make an outstanding party any teen will proud to have. Since “quinceanera” is merely Spanish for fifteenth year, all you need is a beautiful party dress, some attendants and of course a soon to be fifteen year old and viola! A quinceañera party is well on its way.

A special thanks goes to:

Get The Picture Inc , an Austin Texas Photographer, who shared their beautiful photo of a Quinceanera with tiara.

Ella Park Bridal, a Wedding and Quinceanera dress company in Newburgh Indiana, who gave a gorgeous example of a Quinceanera gown.

Festive Ice Sculptures and The Chocolate Fountain Co., a provider of awesome chocolate fountains in the Watford Ontario area, for the fantastic photo of the chocolate and fruit table.

After prom parties are popular for many reasons, mainly because many teens aren’t ready to call it a night with their friends.  By hosting an after prom breakfast, you provide a safe place for the teens to hang out after prom.

First thing to do is to set guidelines with your teen. Discuss what is acceptable at the party and what is not acceptable.  Some parties go on all night. While others have a cut off time for everyone to leave and go home.  Take time to talk this over with your teen and if possible get a few other parents involved.  Make the time period and guidelines for the party known well in advance of the event.  This can be done with the party invitations you send.

You can go all out with your decorations or you can be very minimalistic. Either way, you will need to decide whether to go with the prom theme or in a different direction all together. If you want to change it up, try a pajama party theme.  All the teens can come to the party location and change from their prom wear into pj’s (you might want some guidelines for acceptable attire).

Deciding which type of food to serve is simple.  Any Breakfast food will do: eggs, bacon, bagels, fruit. Buffet style works best for these types of food and hungry teens. You may want to have several carafes of flavored coffees available or other drinks such as orange juice, milk and soda. To add pizzaz include a chocolate fountain. If your hosting a party for a huge crowd of prom goers, you’ll need to rent warming dishes and other tableware.  Of course, the most convenient way to serve the food is to hire a caterer.

An after breakfast prom party is a wonderful way to extend the prom in a fun and safe way.  It is also a way for them to create memories that will last a lifetime.

A great party idea for a teen party or a kids party is to make it a “favorite things” party. This idea works whether they’re 12 or 18, boy or girl. Although, this idea might be best for a 13^th, 16^th or 18^th birthday party.

Have the event on their favorite day of the week, choose invitations in their favorite color, decorate with their favorite team colors or theme. For example, if they really love a particular baseball team, decorate with those colors and set up the site to look like a stadium. Serve their favorite baseball foods, beverages and dessert. For activities, choose their favorite games and movies, along with their favorite movie snacks.

Another party idea is to have your guests dress in accordance with the theme. You can also do this if the birthday boy or girl is really into a particular hobby or if they love a certain vacation destination, like music or the beach.

The important thing with this teen party idea is knowing your guest of honor. So if it is a surprise, enlist the help of his or her friends. This way you can really tailor the party tho their favorite things. Including their interests will make this an unforgettable birthday party that truly reflects their unique personality and style. What would be an ordinary party will become a fabulous celebration.

Get ready to sing, laugh and have a good time with a karaoke birthday party for your teenager. It is hard to resist karaoke especially for teenagers. Make music and performing the party theme for the birthday party, set up a karaoke machine as the entertainment. Replace the regular birthday cake with a cake in the shape of a stage decorated with microphones, speakers and maybe a drum set. Hold contests for the best duet, best rendition of a song from mom’s time, etc. Give the winners a cd or gift certificate to a music store to Read the rest of Teenagers Karaoke Birthday Party »

Need to throw a party to thank some one? Need a Theme? Throw a fond-of-you Party. A fond-of-you party pays tribute to a special person. The theme is all about the party honoree and his/her personality, hobbies or interests. A variety of party decorations should be available to fit the personality of the honoree. You may even want to hire a celebrity impersonator or some other form of entertainment depending on the special guests personality.

Since this is a fond-of–you party, what better way to serve some tasty treats than a fondue bar. You can hire a cater to prepare and supply the fondue or rent fondue pots and prepare the treats yourself. Have several Read the rest of Fond-of-You Party Theme »