party planning Archives - Graceful Order

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The holidays are not just for the kids and Halloween is no exception. On Halloween day we do make it about the kiddos and their cute costumes but I also love the idea of the adults getting together to celebrate before the 31st. Today I will share with you 2 things – How to put together a BOO kit (I will get to that later) and how to put together a little dessert party for your friends and family. I promise that both ideas are super easy and super fun!

First I want to share with you a little party that I put together and how quickly it came together. I chose an empty wall in my home and placed a small 4ft table against the wall. Then I placed a black tablecloth to cover the ugly little table (sorry table). Then I propped up a piece of cardboard on the table and rested it on the wall. I covered that with another black tablecloth and got to work on my favorite part – the decor!

Part of the ease of this little party is that everything is store bought. I purchased pumpkin scones and caramel apples and used the white pumpkin to hold the chalkboard sign. I found a pack of those chalkboard signs for a dollar a while back and I had not used them until now. I am not sure if they are re-usable since they are made out of cardboard but hey…$1.00? I’m not complaining.

Tip: Think of the backdrop for your party. Will it be greenery (if outside) or a blank wall? Adding a piece of cardboard to rest on the wall creates an easy and inexpensive backdrop.

I found these caramel apples at Walmart. I dressed them up with a little ribbon and placed them on a stand.

Tip: It is important when setting up parties to think of varying heights on the table. Cake stands can be used for more than just the obvious. If some items are high up and others low on the table, there is more visual interest.

Everyone loves tiny desserts, at least I hope they do because I made a whole bunch of these! These little containers and spoons are disposable which is a plus. Inside is greek yogurt (you can also use a quick cheesecake filing), caramel drizzle and a TWIX® for a finishing touch!

Delish!

Fall is in the air and in your punch with this yummy fall drink. It’s a 2L bottle of 7UP®, 1 orange sherbet, 8 oz or orange juice, 8 oz of cranberry juice, cinnamon sticks, sliced lemons and oranges.

I rested the dispenser on a small, black cupcake stand and these cans were a perfect fit underneath it.

Cute straws also decorate the table. I have so many colorful straws in my party stash! They are inexpensive and I often buy a pack before I even need it. If I don’t use it for a party, my boys will gladly use them for their juices. I also scattered little M&M’s® on the table as little edible “confetti”.

In the beginning of this post I promised that I would help you put together a BOO kit. To be honest I had never heard of this but now I love the idea! BOO’ing is when you put together a kit that usually includes yummy treats and other Halloween inspired items and you place them inside a bag, and finally you drop it off on your neighbor’s doorstep. Although dropping it off at our neighbor’s is a great idea, this year I will use these BOO kits as teacher’s gifts! I love any excuse to treat my boys’ teachers and extend my gratefulness to them.

So here is what I did:

1- I printed the card and sign. You can download the sign here.

2- I cut the “We’ve Been BOO’d” sign. You can use this to place on the outside of your bag or inside so the recipient can continue to BOO others!

3- I folded the “You’ve Been BOO’d” sign and taped the edges. This card will be placed inside the bag. I signed this card with my boys’ names since they are giving them to their teachers.

4- I chose the bag that I would use for my Boo kits. I chose simple black paper bags.

5- I decided what I would place in each bag. I used chocolates, pencils, teeth, paper straws, soda can, necklaces and a little pumpkin.

6- I made tags that read “You’re a Spooktacular Teacher” and used a 2 inch round cutter to cut. If you don’t have a round cutter, you can use scissors and cut a square shape. You can find the free printable here.

I hope they love it because we sure had fun making them!

Take advantage of this coupon to create your own BOO kit: Save $1.00 on TWO (2) 2L or 6pk 8oz cans of any flavor Sunkist® Soda, 7UP®, Canada Dry®, A&W®, Squirt®, or Sun Drop®

Here is a shot of where I found the items at Walmart. Speaking of Walmart, make sure to enter (look below) for your chance to win the #BOOitForward sweepstakes for $1000 Walmart gift card!

You can also enter to win a $1,000 Walmart eGift Card! How exciting is that?! See below for details.

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Have you ever decided at the very last minute that you are going to host a get together? Sometimes as a holiday approaches my husband and I will be talking in the morning, sipping on coffee and he will tell me “you want to do a little something for the 4th and invite a few friends?” And that’s how this post was inspired. I want to share with you how easy it is to put together a little party that looks like it took a whole lot more planning than it actually did.

Our backyard (the pool) is under construction, but that is no reason to not utilize the terrace. Just becasue everything isn’t perfect doesn’t mean you can’t create a perfect little nook. I first placed this 4 ft table on the terrace, in front of our kitchen window and got to work.

I then added a blue stripe fabric to the table that I had purchased at Walmart (way less expensive than an actual tablecloth). As a backdrop I used a patriotic pleated fan that I purchased at Target a few years ago. All those fans and flags go on a steep sale right after the fourth and that’s your chance to grab a few.

I inverted a plastic beverage bowl to create a little height for the drinks, which I placed on a galvanized tray.

This little white pail holds the straws – of course, red and blue (they were leftover from our boys’ birthday parties).

Another pail holds a ton of glow sticks. Kids love those and they also go on sale after the fourth so stock up.

Now onto the food. Like I said this is last minute so we won’t be fussing over preparing a ton of food. Enter hot dogs, everyone loves a good hot dog.

Another item that I usually have on hand is pesto in a jar. You can dress up any dish with pesto by adding it to pasta, or in this case creating a little caprese salad.

And you already know that I had a ton of salsa on hand since I shared my recipe last week. You can find it here. So I just opened up a bag of chips and this is always a crowd pleaser!

So let’s add some sweets to the mix. I purchased these already made from the store but they are so easy to make at home. Simply layer vanilla pudding with masserated fruit and top off with whipped cream. The other container has pudding with crushed cannoli and topped with whipped cream and chocolate chips. It looks super fancy but it’s also super easy. Of course you can also buy a ready-made cake.

This whole party is laid back but we do need some plates and utensils. I found these gorgeous plates at Sur la table (60% off!) and the best part is that they are plastic!

Here is one last tip for outdoor entertaining: Place a plant on the table that repels insects. I chose this lavender plant but basil and rosemary work as well.

I hope you enjoyed these tips and that they inspire you to gather more often despite short notice plans.

How are you all celebrating the 4th this year?

Spooky and Sweet Halloween Entertaining

Short Notice Entertaining for the Fourth of July