Sharing a love for party planning and entertaining.

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Game Night

Game Night!!! A great way for friends and family to get together and have fun.  But how to decorate and what to serve???  Below are my ideas for our church's game night.  I decided to use game pieces for decoration, including the dice I showed in my last post.  Cards, dice, scrabble letters, and balloons made up most of my decorations. 
At the entrance to the church, I setup two stacks of dice (see previous post for instructions to make), and made a banner using scrabble tiles.  For this banner, I printed letters on pieces of paper that looked like wood grain.  I then stenciled little numbers on the tiles, exactly like the Scrabble tiles.
I made bunches of balloons with my colors, red-black-white, using a small helium tank, and for the weights, I used two Dominoes (again with the theme!).  A couple bunches were set in the atrium of the church, and each table in the game room had a bunch of balloons as well.
Of course I forgot to get pictures before the evening started, but you can see here I placed black tablecloths on each table, and added the games and a bunch of balloons. There were three tables setup on each side of the church, with four more in the center for eating. 
Here are the four tables for eating.  I added two more of the dice towers.
The doorways into the sanctuary seemed dull, so I added streamers.  I made these using card suites cut out of card stock and connected them with white streamer paper.  I added a card onto the bottom of each.
For the food, I wanted easy to eat things, so guests could grab some snacks and head to their next game.  The following picture shows the food table.  I used black tablecloths to cover the four appetizer tables and one short table.  I used some small dice I made to decorate the table and placed some of the food trays on top.  Some cards and dice are thrown around the tables, and each food & drink item has a scrabble-inspired card.

Food & Drink Table: Dice are used to add height to the table, with food trays served on top. Dice and cards decorate the black tablecloths.  I served various foods.
The menu for the event included: water and raspberry lemonade to drink, and for the food, I made white chocoloate popcorn, red velvet and chocolate cake balls, hazelnut-fruit pizza, cheesecake bites, puppy chow, taco cups, and turkey quiche.

The event went well!  We had over 70 people attend and all the food was eaten!  So if you think you'd like to host a party, go with a Game Night.  Very easy to plan for and loads of fun.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Decorations for Game Night

So I wanted to show you all a new decoration that I made for my church's upcoming Game Night.  This is just a sneak peak into the event decoration, but I thought it was very clever and gave it a shot.  I'll post some other ideas for my game night later this weekend, and then post the final event pictures next week.

Dice
For a game night, I was searching around for ideas on how to decorate.  Of course I'd thought of using game pieces and such, but wanted a more adult feel, so I thought of using cards and dice.  While searching through images, I found one of a large box painted like a piece of die, so I made some that I think will work great. 




Directions are very simple. 
  • Step 1:   Purchase shipping boxes from your local packaging store or from an office store, such as Staples, Office Max, or you can even get them at WalMart.  I had to purchase brown boxes and paint them white, but buying white boxes will save you a lot of time, but they will be more expensive.  If you decide to paint brown ones, make sure to use paint, not spray paint. 
  • Step 2:  If using brown boxes, shape the boxes and tape them with clear shipping tape.  Paint the boxes (use a small roller and basic white paint).  If using white boxes, shape the boxes and tape them with white duck tape.
  • Step 3:   Find a circular shape to trace the dots on the dice.  Make sure that the shape is balanced to the size of the box.  As you can see above, I made different size dice, so I had to find different circular size shapes to match the boxes. 
  • Step 4:   Trace the circular shape onto the boxes with a pencil, making sure to follow the pattern of a die. (I pulled a pair of dice from our Monopoly game:) 
  • Step 5:   Fill in the penciled in circles with a permanent black marker.  I used a Sharpie Magnum Marker that had a fine enough tip to trace the boxes but a large enough tip to fill them in without it taking a whole day. 
I plan on stacking these around the room.  So stay tuned for more on how these will be used for my Game Night, including picture! 

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Superb Idea of the Week: Tissue Poms

Tissue Poms

I think Tissue Poms are one of the neatest, cheapest, funnest ways to decorate for a party on a low budget.  Heck, I'll still use them on a large budget!  But please, give these a try on your own before you shell out double the price on packaged tissue poms.  With only four items (2 of which you already have at home), you can make your own tissue poms that look much better than a packaged version!

There are a lot of websites out there that show you how to make poms, and lots of youtube videos that can help you out.  I've posted a few of my favorite videos and a couple pics of my tissue poms. All you'll need is a package of tissue, scissors, a stapler, and some clear fishing line.  That's it!!!

Try this video:

How to Make a Tissue Pom

Jenny does a great job at showing each step. I will add a couple points of my own here.
  • Jenny used 9 sheets on her large pom.  I use 10, because I like mine very full.  For a medium size pom, I cut the sheets in half, and use 8 of them.  I've also done small poms, at about 1/3 of the large size and use 5 sheets.  Give each size a try.
  • I staple my poms in the middle once I fold up the sheets.  It holds them together well.
  • I use clear fishing line and wrap and staple around the middle of the pom so that I can hang it up after seperating the sheets.  Make sure and do this right after stapling.
  • Like Jenny says, you can round or point the ends of the poms.  I prefer the point look, but try what you like!
Another youtube video I watched was this one.  Distracting, but you get the idea:

Purple Pom

Here are a couple of my pics:
You can see here the difference in sizes.  I made large, medium and small.




These small poms I just placed on the tables as decorations.
So give tissue poms a try.  They would work for weddings, baby showers, game nights, graduations, anniversaries, etc!  Enjoy!
Ingrid

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Star Spangled Cupcakes

So for Memorial Day, I wanted a patriotic treat to take to our Life Groups cookout.  I'd used colored cake batter before, but decided to try it out with American flag colors.  For the icing, I planned on going with basic sprinkle decor, but had a brain wave on the way to the register (love those!).  I decided to use a template and create a "star" on the cupcake.  The outcome is below. 


To make these, I went the quick route and bought a basic white cake mix.  Once I added all the ingredients, I seperated the batter into 3 bowls, and added red and blue food coloring to two of them.  I then put the batter into 3 plastic bags (side note here: I use plastic bags as piping bags because they are cheaper, but hope to get a piping kit soon.  Plastic bags work wonderfully.  Just fill, seal, and cut the tip off), and taped the three bags together toward the top and at the tips so that the tips were all the same level.  I then applied even pressure over all three bags and piped into the cupcakes at the same time. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes per batch (I cooked 6 at a time). Here's a picture of the inside of the cupcake.


Please forgive the upside down picture.  The system won't upload correctly today!
 Once baked, I let the cupcakes cool, added Vanilla frosting, and laid my template on top.  The template I made by drawing a star on a paper plate and cutting out with a knife.  I dusted the sprinkles into the template and gently pressed to make sure they stayed in place. 


Try using these for the 4th of July, or change the colors and template on top to match any holiday.  Enjoy!
Ingrid

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Chocolate Carmel Cake Balls

Last night I made cake balls for a client who was heading on vacation with friends.  She wanted chocolate and carmel, so I created the following chocolate carmel cake balls with toffee chips.  I documented every step in the process, so please give it a try on your own!

Cake balls are such a great way to be creative and versatile.  I can use these for any type of party, merely by changing the flavor, color, size, or shape.  There are many websites that show very neat ideas for cake balls; one of my favorites being bakerella. (I apologize in advance, as some of my photos will not download in the correct direction.)


These are the ingredients I used for the cake balls.  Very simple, but very luschious!  You can use any type of cake mix, chocolate chip flavors, or toppings.
   I start by baking the cake.  Use a basic cake mix, bake as directed, and set out to cool.
Here is my chocolate cake direct from the oven.  I put it on a cooling rack to speed up the cooling process. 
Next, I crumble the cool cake into a stand mixer and add a can of icing.  During this step, you'll want to choose an icing that compliments your cake.  I've used Red Velvet cake with Cream Cheese icing, or Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Icing.  Since my friend wanted a Carmel flavor, I bought the following and added the full can to my cake:
Duncan Hines now has icing that you can flavor!  Amazing!  You buy the base icing to the left, then add a flavor packet of your choice.  I picked Carmel, but I saw many options like Mint, Strawberry Shortcake, and Chocolate Almond.  Simply add to the icing and stir well.  I then added to the crumbled cake.
After adding the icing to the crumbled cake, I mixed on medium in my stand mixer for a few minutes.  Make sure that you scrape the sides and incorporate the two ingredients well.  After mixing, I clean my hands and spray them with Vegetable Spray.(This is such a handy trick, trust me!!! As you are rolling your cake balls, it will keep your hands free of sticky cake mix.) 

Scoop the cake mix into tablespoon size balls.  I simply roll into a perfect circle and lay in rows onto a piece of wax paper on a baking sheet. (Make sure the baking sheet can fit into your freezer or frig.)  I then place a candy stick into each cake ball.  This makes it easier later when you are dipping  your balls.  (More to come on the sticks.)
Once all my balls are rolled, I place the baking sheets into the freezer.  You can also place these into the frig.  The premise is that you want them to get cool and hard so that the sticks stay in the balls, but they are cold enough to roll without melting in the dipping chocolate.  I'm impatient; so the quicker the cake balls get hard the better.  I leave them in the freezer for 30-45 minutes and they are perfect for dipping.

Once chilled, I start my double boiler for dipping the chocolate.  As I don't have an official double-boiler, I use a pot with two cups of water with an oven-safe bowl placed on top.  You want the water to get hot, but not boiling.  It can burn your chocolate. Add your chips, 16 ounces, to the bowl once the water is steaming.  I leave on the burner until the chips melt all the way down, then set to the side so I don't risk burning it. 



Now that the chocolate chips have melted, I add my 'secret' ingredient (really it's everyone's secret, but I didn't know it for quite awhile, so I like to call it my secret), Crisco.  I really detest this product, but have to admit that when I add a tablespoon to the chips and mix thoroughly, the mix is much thinner and more flexible for dipping.  I then take one ball at a time and dip in the chocolate, using my spatula to cover.  Then I shake the chocolate a few times and give it a side-to-side jiggle.  This removes any excess chocolate from the cake ball.  Once I get it back to the wax paper, I gentle remove the stick from the cake ball and cover the hole with chocoalte. (I've left the sticks in these before and called them cake pops.  Very fun idea also.)



Now it's time to cover the cake ball with your topping.  I give the cake balls a few seconds to start to set, so that the toppings won't fall off.  I started using basic chocolate sprinkles for the top, but had an inspiration for toffee chips.  I thought these would work well with the Carmel flavor and give a little crunch with the cake balls. (Next time, I will probably add these chips into the cake mix, that way the balls have a little crunch to them.)
Once they are all dipped and covered, I set the tray back into the frig for an hour to set the chocolate.  They are now ready for taste testing!!!  I packaged mine into tuperware for the client's trip in a cooler, but you can add these to cute favor bags and tie with ribbon for a gift to a friend.  I've pictured a completed ball below.

I hope you found this post helpful for making cake balls.  They are really pretty simple and a great treat for a party.  I'll be making some red velvet balls for a Game Night I'm planning for next month, and will post some pics. 

Enjoy!
Ingrid

Friday, May 25, 2012

Superb Idea of the Week

For today's Superb Idea of the week, I look to a fellow crafter, Craftaholics Anonymous, for a wonderful, creative take on Poms.  I've done tissue poms (see my MOD Baby Shower post), but these fabric poms give you a whole different look.  Envision these being hung from a door or over the fireplace during the holidays, piled in a bowl as a centerpiece, or even as a decoration in a baby room.

how to make a pom pom

Another idea for these fabric poms to 'jazz' them up a bit is to use sparkles.  You could use sparkly fabric for an all-over twinkle or brush the ends of the poms, once completed, in some fabric glue and add glitter.  Add some well-placed light to your room and voila, sparkly poms! 

I've listed the link to the directions for the poms below, as well as a few pictures.  I'll be giving these a try soon and will update you on my results.  Please share any tips or tricks if you give it a go. 

how to make pom poms


Best Wishes for a Wonderful Memorial Day!
Ingrid


Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Mod Baby Girl Shower

In April, a friend of mine, Paige, helped me throw a baby shower for one of my dearest friends, Hannah.  The event was for her last baby, and I wanted to make it special.  We put our heads together and threw a fabulous shower!  Pictures aren't so good, but I'll work on that for future blogs! 

Here is a picture of the food table.  We served chicken salad sandwiches, fruit kabobs, red velvet cake balls, sparkling strawberry lemondae, and various goodies.  I added ribbon to the table to tie in the mod theme, which was bright pink, bright orange, and brown.  Each of the cups in the pic has an orange rind twisted on it for pop.  Roses in bright orange accent the table, with some of my tissue poms hanging over it.  More of those to come!
Here are some close-ups of the food table.

These are the tables for guests.  We used the small poms, flowers, and ribbon to decorate the tables over basic white tablecloths.  Each setting had a plate with napkin, fork, and spoon wrapped in a napkin of the matching color, as well as a favor (see below).  Various size poms were hung around the room.  I also created a name garland for the baby that I hung on the present table.
Here's a close-up of the poms.  I used all three colors, pink, orange, and brown, in various sizes.  I'll post a link soon with a video showing how to make these poms.  You can also check out YouTube for various videos.  So simple to make, but really eye-catching and fun. 
These are the favors I gave out to all the guests.  Each one includes a hand scrub that I made and put into little plastic containers.  They also include chocolate (Can't go wrong there!).  I used three different colors for the ribbon and placards, again going with the theme, because I divided the guests up into color groups for games.  Worked well for design and for organization of the the games.
These are the gifts for the winners of our games.  I bought these mason jars, cleaned them out, and layered them with the ingredients to a Cowgirl Cookie recipe.  Very important to level each layer and pat down so that all the ingredients fit!  I added colored M&M's, and pink and orange ribbon to match the theme.  And since it was a baby shower, I added a bottle nipple to the top for fun. 

This shower had a wonderful turnout, and I think everyone enjoyed themselves.  I'll post links soon to a video on how to make the poms. 
Enjoy!
Ingrid