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Party Newsletter – June 2011

Themeaparty.com Newsletter
New Theme Ideas, Entertaining Tips and Special Offers For All Your Party Needs!

 

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June 14, 2011 

In This Issue…

 

 

 

Independence Day Party Ideas

Independence Day Party IdeasJuly 4th is a fun holiday for a party, because most people don’t have iron-clad traditions they have to follow from year to year (other than fun and fireworks). That leaves the door wide open to all kinds activities, menus, and excitement. Here’s a couple ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

For the kids – Flag Tag

Materials

  • Buckets of sand
  • Small American flags

To set up the race, divide the group into 2 teams. For each team, place a bucket of sand filled with small American flags (1 per teammate) on the opposite end of the yard.

When the race starts, the first child from each team races to the appropriate bucket, plucks a flag, and marches back to his team as quickly as possible (no running allowed!) to tag the next person.

The game continues in this way until all the members of one team have returned to the starting line with a flag in hand. The first team to finish should win a small prize, like bubbles for everyone.

Dessert Idea – Patriotic Fruit Kabobs

You’ll need bananas, strawberries and blueberries for these kabobs. Simply use bamboo skewers and alternately slide strawberries, blueberries and banana slices onto the skewers. Stand them upright in a glass, and they’ll look like fireworks.

Party Game – US Geography

Type out the names of all 50 states. Leave a blank space next to each state and ask your guests to name the capitals. The one(s) who guesses the most right wins a prize. A variation on this is to trace out a map of the U.S. without listing the names of the states but tracing all of the state’s borders. Then put the names of the states in a red, white and blue top hat. Each guest picks a state’s name and then tries to pin it correctly to the location of the state. The guests who correctly place the state in the right section on the map win a prize.

View more July 4th party ideas

Contest Winners

Party contest winners - congratulationsAt the beginning of May, we announced a party contest open to anybody who joined Themeaparty.com’s inaugural party newsletter. It was a fun month, with lots of interest and excitement. It’s already June, so close to summer we can feel it beaming on our faces when we walk outside. Time to close the contest and announce the winner. Thank you to everybody who has participated in our first party contest.

And the winners are:

1st place goes to Teresa Balderas. She receives a $50 online coupon code towards supplies at the party and costume superstore Celebrateexpress.com. Plus, she also gets her choice of party mystery murder game, courtesy of Murdermystergames.net.

2nd place goes to Elizabeth Reeves. She receives a $25 online coupon code at Celebrate Express.com

3rd place winner is Stephanie Moore, who receives a $10 coupon code at Celebrate Express.com

Finally, 4th place is Trish Rucker, who also receives a $10 coupon code towards a party from Celebrate Express.com.

You should have all received an email with your coupon code (if not, contact me). Congratulations to all the winners, and I hope this helps your summer’s party plans!

Can’t Decide on Your Next Theme? Poll Your Guests

So, you know you want to throw a party. You know when you want to have it. You already have your guest list in mind. But you can’t decide on a theme. Why not take a poll? If you already know who you want to invite, but just have too many good ideas for a theme, share those ideas with your friends and see what they’d prefer.

This is a fun way to get all of your guests involved and create a bit of friendly competition. Send all of your friends a list of the different party themes you’re debating and see which theme wins! Chances are very good that you’ll receive a lot of input and advice from your friends and this will help you throw an even better party once the theme is decided.

Once a specific theme receives the most votes, let all of your guests know which theme is the winner and plan your party from there. Because everyone was involved in deciding what kind of party you’re throwing, you’ll most likely end up with a higher turn-out and more enthusiastic guests!

This is also a somewhat persuasive way of getting your friends to throw their own parties. Hosting a party is fun, but being a guest at a party is just as fun, and by stirring up conversation about different party themes, you may inspire your friends to host their own party. You can never have too many parties!

Food Favorites Made Over for Parties

Sliders party foodSome of our favorite foods are difficult to translate into party-sized portions. Have you ever tried to eat macaroni and cheese while standing up? How about a full-sized hamburger? It isn’t easy. If you want to serve some of your favorites at your theme party, but want to cut down on the mess, here are some ideas for how to do it.

Hamburgers: These are easy. The new trend is to make “sliders,” which are, essentially, miniature burgers. Just buy Hawaiian rolls (small sandwich buns), and grill smaller burgers. You might want to use a toothpick to hold the sandwiches together. You can garnish with an olive or pickle on top.

Miniature quesadillas: Use round cookie cutters to cut out circles from tortillas. Fill two rounds with some cheese, chopped onion, and a piece of shredded chicken. Spear the centers with toothpics so they’re easy to grab.

Read More…

Recipe: Red, White and Blue Potato Salad

Red White and Blue PotatoesIngredients:

  • 4 red-skinned russet potatoes, cut into chunks with the skin left ON
  • 4 blue potatoes, cut into chunks with the skin left ON (Yes, blue potatoes exist!
  • 6 strips of bacon, cooked, cooled, and crumbled
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon of mustard
  • Salt and pepper

Directions: Chop and boil red and blue potatoes separately. The color of blue potatoes will leach, making a red and blue salad. Let cool, then mix gently with the rest of the ingredients. Chill overnight. It’s best to do this the day before, as it will be tastier the next day.

View more fun July 4th party recipes …

Theme Party of the Month: A Kid’s Fourth of July Party

Independence Day party flag balloonCelebrate the Fourth of July with a kids’ version in your backyard. We’re loving the idea – and we’re discovering that kids can be among the most loyal countrymen (and women) of all!

Here’s how to throw an Independence Day party for your child and his or her friends this year. Here’s some fun activities during the party:

Pool Party – If you have a pool, consider a pool party, but ONLY if all kids under 10 and/or who aren’t experienced swimmers wear a life vest and are accompanied by an adult. If guests are a little older, you can probably forgo the vests, but have clear, definite rules and make sure you enforce them. Also be sure to list in the party information on the invite that guests should bring a swim suit, a change of clothes and a towel.

Kid’s Parade – For kids up to about age six, a parade can be a truly awesome activity for the Fourth! Supply guests with inexpensive tambourines, drums and recorders (these can often be had for a buck at the dollar store), arrange them in a line and parade around the back yard or the neighborhood.

Double the above as a crafts activity by having guests make drums before the parade. Have a thoroughly cleaned, empty coffee can for each guest ready ahead of time. Make sure the top is completely off and you’ve filed down the sharp edges. Have guests turn the cans over so the solid end is facing up. Cover the outside of the can with construction paper, then allow guests to decorate their drums with stickers, glitter and markers.

Read more ideas for this party …

Coupon Codes for Online Party Merchants

Birthdayexpress.com10-save – Save 10% on your order. Discount is applied before taxes, shipping or duties, and can not be combined with any other offer. Use coupon code at checkout. Expires at the end of Monday, June 20th, 2011.

Shindigz.comSZKWPG – Save $10 off your order of $75 or more, or save $15 off your order of $99 or more. Order is before shipping, and can not be combined with any other offer. Expires at the end of Friday, June 17th, 2011

Birthdayinabox.comSave 10% on Luau themes – No coupon required, discount will be applied at checkout. Expires at the end of June 30, 2011.

Next issue in mid July. See you then, and thanks for reading!