Laken Watts

July 6, 2016 by Laken Watts

Daniel Tiger Birthday Party

The new spin on the old Mister Roger’s Neighborhood is such a hit with toddlers! This updated version includes putting on his sweater and tying his shoes just like the old show, plus visits to all of Mister Roger’s friends. If your little one loves Daniel Tiger, we’ve got some great party tips to throw the greatest Daniel Tiger Party!

Daniel Tiger Food
Tiger tails—pretzel sticks dipped in orange colored almond bark and drizzled with regular milk chocolate.

Mandarin Orange Fruit Cups—except turn them upside down! Drawing little tiger faces on these with a permanent marker is such an easy and cheap snack!

Cake—anything tiger striped should do the trick! If you are making your own cake, try making a round layer. Use buttercream for a delicious, cheap and easy icing. Color the icing orange and drizzle with chocolate to make it look like stripes!

Not interested in a cake? Cupcakes are an easy alternative. Try using an icing bag with a star tip for a more clean look. It is easier than you think! Drizzle with tiger stripes of course.

Kat’s Fish—gold fish should do the trick on this one!

Banana Bread—because it is Mom’s favorite! Made in Baker Aker’s bakery.

Find more Daniel Tiger food inspiration on the PBS Parents site.

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June 29, 2016 by Laken Watts

Impress Your Guests With Special Touches

If you are searching this blog for party ideas, chances are you already host lots of parties. Maybe you are looking for new fresh ideas? Here are some small touches you can add to your next party to help break up the monotony of just the mundane, run-of-the-mill get together!

Chocolate Dipped Spoons
These are so easy and so fun! Simply heat your favorite chocolate over a double boiler and dip the spoon in. Line the spoons on parchment paper and pop them in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. Store in a cool, dry place until ready to serve with your favorite hot drink. Use plastic spoons for more casual night or try your fine china to really wow your guests! This sweet treat will add a special touch to your party.

Photo courtesy of My Baking Addiction.

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June 15, 2016 by Laken Watts

Party Planning Tips & Tricks

Planning a party can be overwhelming at times. Our best piece of advice is to get organized on the front end, and save frustration at the end. Here is a quick checklist to help you start planning for your next party!

Five Weeks Out
Invitations! These days, snail mail is thing of the past and e-vites are so much more simple. You can create amazing invitations online and email them or even text them! Start planning and creating your invite five weeks out from your party, and get the invite sent within the next week. The ideal time to have them sent is by four weeks from the date of the party. Try websites like hobnob to plan your event and invite people through text! They can respond right on their phone. They even have an app for your smart phone! [Read more…]

May 18, 2016 by Laken Watts

Three Outdoor Parties

Springtime has hit and celebrating outside is way more fun than staying indoors! Check out these three fun parties we have lined up for you today.

Promotion Celebration
A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of celebrating a big promotion with a friend. The weather is beautiful in Utah, so naturally for the celebration we set a beautiful table out on the garden patio and enjoyed the weather. We used simple place mats and napkins for linens and had a fancy dinner under the lights! We had a blast enjoying good food, good company and victories in life. Here are the details:

On the Menu—Honey Glazed Spiced Table, Garlic Roasted Asparagus, Strawberry Spinach Salad and big chunks of Artisan bread. Strawberry Jello Cake for dessert. Cucumber Lime Spritzer, and French Mules for Signature drink.
Decor—Rattan red place mats, red, yellow and white striped napkins, white plates, silver flat ware, clear glasses. Yellow tulips from the garden in a glass vase. SIMPLE SIMPLE SIMPLE!

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May 11, 2016 by Laken Watts

Adult Birthday Party Ideas

When did it become okay for us to stop celebrating birthdays? Some of my favorite memories are of my summer birthday parties at the swimming pool. At Wedding and Party Network, we believe in celebrating everything, especially adult’s birthdays! Here are a few ideas to celebrate those special grown-ups in your life.

For Men…
Adults definitely don’t get celebrated as much, but guys really get the short end of the birthday party stick. The dads and husbands in our lives really deserve so much celebration! So this year, why don’t you take a whole Saturday to celebrate your man? What are the things he loves? Organize something big, with all of his friends. My favorite idea for a manly grown up birthday party is a whiffle ball tournament. First invite all of his best friends, then you gather the supplies (whiffle balls, bats) and create a bracket for the day! Men love a good competition. Afterwards, grill burgers and hot dogs and celebrate the victory with his favorite sweets!

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March 7, 2016 by Laken Watts

Trending Kid Party Favors

In the age of Pinterest, everything is customizable. And with social media at our fingertips, we get to see the best of the best. Moms everywhere have raised the bar with birthday parties. You creative gals have won our hearts with your smash cakes and tutus. No longer are party favors a bag of candy. Check out these fun custom party favors for your kid’s next birthday party!

Us moms are so creative and will put a monogram on anything that can handle the stitching. Customizing is our forte and Etsy is our friend. It’s a new year so that means new and fresh ideas for birthday parties. You’ve probably already nailed down a theme, but what about party favors? Noise makers are things of the past. Check out these fun custom party favors for your kid’s next birthday party!

Custom temporary tattoos
Because what kid doesn’t love temporary tattoos all the way up their arms, and on both sides of their cheeks? You can order these online. On most websites, you can email in a design or have a designer work on some for you based on your ideas or theme of the party. They’re actually not as hard on the wallet as you would think. You can order the tattoos in sheets and then cut them up yourself to save money. Your kid’s friends will at least remember the party for a few days any way!

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January 27, 2016 by Laken Watts

Top 3 Brunch Ideas

Brunch. The most versatile meal of the day. The time can be 11:00 in the morning and last till 3:00 in the afternoon. Relaxed, formal… You name it. We’ve got a few spins on the original brunch ideas on the blog today.

Bloody Mary Brunch
Nothing says brunch like a strong Bloody Mary. Currently trending on the DIY websites are Bloody Mary Bars. The idea is instead of having one signature Bloody Mary for your brunch, you give your guests the luxury of having all kinds of toppings, seasonings, alcohol and garnishes. To see this play out, we suggest getting ideas from a few different Bloody Mary recipes and laying it all out on the table (literally) for your guests. Make sure you have your BM mix ready and prepared and let the guests do the rest! Let the BM Bar be the star of the show while you offer light and simple brunch apps to enjoy. This is a super relaxed brunch, so feel free to send e-vites through email, social media or even texts. It’s a co-ed brunch too!

Champagne Brunch
Because just yes, we all need to feel a little fancy in our lives every once and a while. Champagne brunch is reserved for those very special occasions; bridal showers, baby celebrations, etc. This one’s for the girls, so leave the guys at home in bed and really do this thing up right. I’m envisioning glitter, gold and gorgeous flowers. Use light and airy florals along with white linens to give an elegant, timeless feel. Your invites should be formal, and include guest’s attire of “Sunday Best.” Menu should include decadent items such as chocolate covered strawberries, a thick crusted quiche, and big ol’ buttery croissants. Set the tone for your guests by having a frozen champagne cocktail when they arrive and meet and greet. For the actual meal, change it up to have a simple, classic champagne. Finally, top it off with a rose’ champagne to go with those delicious strawberries. Bringing different champagne drinks to your brunch really turns this party from a regular brunch to an actual champagne brunch! Your girls will feel honored and a bit bubbly by the end of the afternoon!

Love Brunch
Since we are quickly approaching the most celebrated day for love out of the whole year, we thought we’d do a special write up on a Valentine’s Day Brunch. Now, where most any other party you would invite your friends and family to come, this one is just for your and your love bird. Enjoy this meal at home. Could be served at the dinner table or hey, why not brunch in bed? You really need to know your audience for this kind of party. What is your sweetie’s favorite breakfast items? What is their favorite drink? Try incorporating their favorite into every element of the brunch. Do they love fresh flowers? What about bacon? (Can you ever go wrong with bacon?) Cater all the features to your one and only to make them feel special, loved and celebrated this Valentine’s Day.

There you have it. Fresh takes on brunch that you can use at your upcoming parties this spring. Happy planning!

For more great ideas and tips, visit the Wedding and Party Blog!

January 6, 2016 by Laken Watts

Trending Parties for 2016

A new year has come and 2016 has big things in store for us. We’ve got three fresh, new party ideas to go along with events and movies of 2016!

1. Finding Dory Themed Party
We’ve wait been waiting for this one for a long time! The sequel to Disney’s Finding Nemo has finally arrived and I know it’s going to be a favorite for the year. The movie comes out this summer, so it’s perfect for summer swim parties. This is also a great gender neutral party! For food, keeping it light is best. PB&J sandwiches cut out fish shapes (use a cookie cutter), gold fish crackers, and watermelon cut out to look like an open mouth shark are a few simple ideas. Kids can run and grab a bite then head right back to the pool fun! Use a blue table cloth and tie some green streamers to the table to look like sea weed and you’re set!

2. Olympic Themed Party
The 2016 Olympic games are being held in Rio De Janiero, Brazil, and we are so excited about this theme! The possibilities are endless and ages don’t matter with this one. You can make your own mini Olympics with outdoor yard games like potato sack races, corn hole games, tug of war and a basketball shoot outs. Give gold, bronze and silver prizes to the winners. Have a decent amount of food since guests will be working hard. It would be a great time to grill out! Keep it simple for the main course—burgers and chips are easy. You can get fancy with your dessert by making cupcakes that look like the Olympic rings. Don’t forget to light a (tiki) torch!

3. Transit of Mercury Party
It’s been 10 years since we have been able to see the planet Mercury pass by Earth. This May, we will get to witness this spectacular event. Space themed parties are easy to put together and the main show will wow your guests. Have your telescope ready and be sure to have NASA’s website pulled up to see estimated viewing times. Just put out light snacks for your guests. Cheese puffs can be labeled as the planet Mercury, rice krispies cut out as stars, and last but not least, the Bomb rocket popsicles!

This year is going to be filled with many great memories and times to celebrate! For more great party tips and trends, visit the Wedding and Party Network Blog!

December 1, 2015 by Laken Watts

Trending Tuesday: Holiday Table Setting

The holidays are here and decorations are in full force. They’re everywhere we turn, from the grocery store to picking up the mail–the season is officially here.

It’s a wonderful time of year and this year a simple tablescape will make your holiday events really stand out!

Bring the outside, in! Use pine branches and berries to decorate your table and sprinkle cinnamon sticks and dried orange slices in glass vases. Go with a cream colored table runner and you are all set with a beautifully simple holiday table!

For more great ideas and tips, check back with the Wedding and Party Network Blog.

September 14, 2015 by Laken Watts

Wedding Tip of the Week- Naked Wedding Cake

Looking for a non-traditional cake for your special day? Consider this new trend: a naked wedding

So what is it? The naked wedding cake is essentially a wedding cake without the outer frosting layer. Bakers make these cakes and can basically decorate with ANYTHING, and don’t have to spend lots of time and money on intricate icing details.

We’ve seen cakes decorated with gorgeous delicate flowers, fall harvest themed with apples and fall leaves, fruit that pairs well with type of cake, and even just simple greenery. Our personal favorite is a tall cake, with each tier a different flavored cake and filling. This new take on a traditional wedding cake will wow your guests with this simplistic new trend!

Check back next week with Wedding and Party for more great tips and tricks!