Birthday Ideas For You

Butterfly Theme Birthday Party & Fun Butterflies Party Supplies

sarita — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:56:47 +0000

Why do we like a butterfly theme birthday party? First, the brilliant colors and distinctive motifs allow for infinite decorating possibilities. As a common motif in poetry, religion and folklore, butterflies are universally respected and perfectly unique. A butterfly’s transformation from larva to pupa into an beautiful winged, flying adult is a lovely metaphor for a girl growing up. Since butterflies feed off nectar from flowers, you can also incorporate flowers into this butterfly birthday theme.

Spring is coming, and some great butterfly birthday party activities for kids would be kite-making where guests can decorate their kites with a butterfly motif and fly them. Many nature centers have butterfly gardens, where kids can learn about butterflies and even have a chance to hold one. If you have a yard or garden, An inside activity would be gathering for a butterfly story book such as From Caterpillar to Butterfly (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 1).

Since butterflies are such beloved creatures, it’s easy to find inexpensive butterfly fabrics and craft supplies to serve as party decorations. Hanging butterflies made from paper or mobiles with several butterflies are great to hang over the table. To fully transform your home into a butterfly garden, hang photos or printouts of butterflies on the walls around the table. From the craft store, you’ll find decorative foam or plastic butterflies that can accent plants or flowers.

For the special butterfly birthday girl, you can make a set of butterfly wings for her to wear and even cut out wings from posterboard with fabric straps that kids wear like a backpack. Re-enact the transformation of a larva into a butterfly.

For food, You can achieve the butterfly’s recognizable shape using cookie cutters or molds. Cut out everything from sandwich bread to jellow with butterfly cookie cutters.

Here are a few cute butterfly decoration ideas we came across:

Tabletop Butterfly Balloons

13″ Butterfly Shaped Mylar Balloon Each

Butterfly mask

Mardi Gras Butterfly Mask Each

Butterfly pinata

“Butterfly 21″” Pinata”

Dinosaur Birthday Party Theme Activities: Ideas To Get Your Hands Dirty

sarita — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:43:14 +0000

One great thing about a dinosaur birthday party is that the theme is enjoyed by a large age range. Kids from 4 to 12 are fascinated with dinosaurs, making this a great option where you have a mix of ages. Apart from the dinosaur party trimmings like decorations, plates and dinosaur balloons, we like to offer dinosaur-related activities that will get kids engaged while thrilling them with surprises. A dinosaur theme party offers lots of ways to get kids involved in the fossil action.

Consider taking kids on a fictitious dinosaur hunt or expedition. Arm them with temporary dinosaur tattoos and binoculars and go on the hunt for dinosaurs. The hike ends in a sandbox or other area where you’ve hidden dinosaur “eggs” or “fossils,” that kids can keep as prizes. You may bury things like large dinosaur “eggs” with a dinosaur figurine inside. Award the junior paleontologists for their awesome discoveries and hard work!

Most kids have a favorite type of dinosaur. Cookie decorating is a great indoor party activity so with a Dinosaur Cookie Cutter, you can create a variety of dinosaur shapes, letting kids pick their favorites to decorate and eat. You may also reserve some dinosaur cookies for goodie bags.

Kids also love watching dinosaurs grow with magically expanding dinosaur figures. Called Grow Your Own Dinosaurs, all you need is a tub of water. Have kids place the small dinosaurs in water and see them grow larger before their very eyes.

Older dinosaur enthusiasts will love this Dinosaur Skeleton Assembly Kit as a party activity or favor.

We have always loved pinatas and a dinosaur pinata like this
“Little Dino 21″” Pinata”is a really fun way to celebrate a dinosaur birthday. Fill the pinata with gummy dinosaur candies.

Classic Cocktails Party Birthday Celebration Ideas, Food

sarita — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 23:29:07 +0000

Is it strange to plan your birthday party around alcoholic beverages? Not to us! How about a grownup birthday cocktail party idea where attendees dress with more panache than usual, and enjoy retro cocktails and cocktail party food and hors d’oeuvres?

First, you need to select the cocktails. You may want to start with one of the definitive guides to cocktail recipes. (Try The Craft of the Cocktail by Dale DeGroff for major inspiration). If you’re not an experienced mixologist, consider making batches of cocktails or punch in advance, or you’ll be making drinks all night and never have a chance to enjoy the party. Even martinis can be made in advance in a pitcher for your cocktail party! You can also hire a bartender for a few hours. Many bartenders can suggest a variety of popular cocktails your guests are sure to love. They will also help you gauge the amount of alcohol you’ll need to purchase.

Select a diverse range of cocktails for the cocktail party. Offer cocktails that feature different liquors, so there is a white rum cocktail, a vodka cocktail, a gin cocktail, etc. You also want to have some fruitier options like a cosmopolitan, as well as something more classic like a Rob Roy. Perhaps a chocolate martini! Cocktail selection also depends on the time of day and theme of the party, but try to offer something that people don’t have the chance to enjoy every day. Mojitos are fairly simple to make and can be made in advance if necessary. People also enjoy a spicy bloody mary at any time of day. If it’s a cool time of year, you may also offer a hot beverage such as Irish coffee or spiced cider that you can keep warm in a crockpot and have guests serve themselves with a ladle.

We suggest going with high quality liquors and mixers for this special occasion birthday cocktail party. Make sure you provide not just fabulous cocktails, but suitable drinks for people who prefer beer or wine only. A wine spritzer, sangria or a beer with lemonade can resemble a cocktail and keep non-cocktail folks happy.

Cocktail party appetizers are essential for a cocktail party. A cocktail party menu features finger food that is easy to prepare in advance. But what to make? We love having a wide variety of cocktail party foods for the casual snacker, but enough substantial options so that guests can enjoy a light meal if they like. Consider Asian treats like mini egg rolls or fried wontons stuffed with seafood or mushrooms. Different types of bruschetta are also a great make-ahead option. You can arrange toasted bread slices with white bean puree and a drizzle of olive oil, or a classic combination of tomatoes and garlic. Mixed nuts, olives and an antipasto platter are crowd pleasers. If you’d rather not prepare all the food, many grocery stores offer excellent frozen hors d’oeuvres such as mini quiches or meatballs, where all you need to do is heat, insert toothpicks and serve.

You may also want to offer water and non-alcoholic options, so that people can opt out or take a break between cocktails. Depending on where you live, you can arrange for a trusted, non-drinking friend or family member to shuttle your party attendees home from the party. This way, guests can relax and enjoy the evening without drinking and driving.

Cheers!

Buying a Flowering Plant As a Birthday Gift; Easy Flower Ideas

sarita — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 19:16:40 +0000

A brilliant, cheerful bouquet of flowers will make anyone’s birthday special. But we love a floral gift even more if it’s in a planter, and will last longer than the blossoms of cut flowers.

Even unskilled gardeners are delighted to receive a flowering plant as a birthday gift. As long as they have instructions and a little motivation, a plant can be a personal and unique gift that can last for years to come.

One idea for a birthday flowering plant is an amaryllis bulb garden, usually given as it’s ready to begin sprouting. The receiver will have stunning blossoms to look forward to in the coming weeks. But keep in mind a bulb garden will require some effort to properly water, fertilize and store bulbs.

A bonsai tree also makes a wonderful gift. It doesn’t take up too much space and looks beautiful with nearly any decor. Caring for a bonsai tree is fairly straightforward. A bonsai tree needs light, misting and regular fertilizing.

An azalea plant generally requires only some light misting and pruning. It represents abundance and will keep blooming season after season.

A miniature rose bush also makes a nice birthday gift. It needs plenty of light to bloom indoors, but once they are planted outside in a sunny spot, they can be quite resilient, and show their happy flowers again and again.

An exotic orchid can be the ultimate gift, but most require considerable attention to water, humidity and drainage, and are known to be tempermental. These typically aren’t recommended unless the birthday recipient has an affinity or knack for taking care of plants.

If these options still seem like too much responsibility, a wreath made from beautifully preserved fruits and
flowers can smell wonderful and serve as a lasting decoration; minimal care required.

Prices can range between twenty and seventy dollars for a flowering birthday plant, depending on the
presentation and vessel used. To reduce your carbon footprint, go with what’s in season and sourced locally, if possible.

Birthday Gift Ideas For Teens: Where To Start?

Fun Birthday Party Cake Candles For All Styles

sarita — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 02:45:36 +0000

I can’t get over the options you have in birthday candles today. Today’s bright, thematic, crowd-pleasing birthday candles are a far cry for the waxy little twigs we used to use back when we carefully counted those things.

How do you like these Birthday Girl Pick Candles (12), a set of 12 pink candles that spell out the words “birthday girl” on a cake. (There’s a sweet birthday boy version in blue as well). The candle wicks sit at the top of each letter, generating gorgeous light that makes for a stunning birthday cake presentation. These birthday candles are so photogenic, you’ll capture some wonderful memories of the birthday girl blowing out the candles.

Molded character candles are a kids’ favorite. If you’re having a cartoon theme birthday party, you’re sure to find related character candles like Sesame Street or Dora. We also loved these pink Princess Candles (4) that are just the right candle addition to princess birthday cupcakes. Each candle is a cute pink crown that will be adored by the princesses. These can get pricey, but they’re unique and worth keeping.

For both kids and adults, we loved the color possibilities in these . It’s these small, inexpensive details that can tie a party theme together and reinforce the experience. Say you’re having a gold-theme party, why not use these
Gold Cake Candles (16) They are similar your standard 2 1/2 inch high birthday cake candles but they come in fabulous colors like gold and lime green. Another advantage to this type of candles is that it is easy to light one from the other. So, rather than fumbling with matches or burning your finger as you try to light them all, you can use one candle to light the others.

But in the end, who can resist these fat, adorable wax number candles like the Blue #2 Molded Candle that always brings smiles and good wishes.