Prisoners of Love Bridal Shower

I recently had the honor of hosting a bridal shower for my friend.  She works as a Victim Advocate and is marrying an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney.  So, these are two people who have dedicated their careers to catching criminals and getting justice for victims of crime.  I thought a law enforcement themed bridal shower would be pretty fun, especially since almost everyone attending the shower would be their co-workers.  The official theme of the shower was "Prisoners of Love".  We had a blast!

The Invitation-  As the followers of this blog know, I am a big fan of creating a PDF or image file and emailing the invitation to guests.  This saves paper and maintains the integrity of your design.  If this had been a more formal shower, I would have printed out the invitations and mailed them, but as we all work in the same office, email was the perfect way to get the word out.  The benefit of the image file was that I could also print a couple color copies to hang in the office as a reminder.

 

The Decor - To go along with the theme - basically a mix of love and crime - I incorporated the colors from the invite, turquoise and red, to come up with a centerpiece.  All the tables had red roses in a turquoise vase surrounded by handcuffs or shackles (that the probation department kindly let me borrow for the afternoon!) 

 

The Activity - The guest of honor wanted NO GAMES.  And, of course, I listened to the bride-to-be!  But we had to have something fun to pass the time and make this more than just a luncheon with presents.   It was decided to have a photo booth.  I'd seen photo booths at weddings, run by professionals, but as this was a lower-budget affair, the co-host and I created our own photo booth with a twist.  We made a WANTED poster out of a cardboard display board.  I found a bunch of crimes - some from the Ohio Revised Code that were actual crimes, and some that we just made up for fun.  The "crimes" people could choose from were: Assaulting a Police Horse, Running an Illegal Gambling Ring, Hoarding Fabulous Shoes, Doing the "Footloose" Dance in a Public Place, Swearing in Front of Women and Children, Public Intoxication, Misuse of a Public Transportation System, Driving Too Slowly, Stealing Doug's (the groom's) Heart, etc.  Actually, at the shower, the bride-to-be started looking through the crimes and assigned them to different people, which in itself was pretty funny.  Plenty of props were around so people could be as silly as they wanted to be.

 

The Bonus - I edited all the photos from the shower and put them in an album for the bride as a keepsake of the day.  I also posted all the photos on an online site so that all the guests could laugh at the photos.  I filtered some photos in sepia tone or black and white so they would look more old-timey. 

A Party at the End of the World

There has been a lot of speculation that the world will end on December 21, 2012.  This belief is based on the calculation that a calendar made by the Mayans literally ENDS on that date. 

So, what better way to spend the last day of our existence than to have a rocking party, surrounded by our friends?  It's the last day to confess our transgressions, tell our friends how much we love them, and drink one last glass of scotch before God knows what disaster will happen on the morrow.  

Note that December 21, 2012 is a Thursday, but most people probably won't mind attending a mid-week party.  Just start a little earlier than usual.  I mean, it's the LAST DAY OF THE WORLD, so it's not like anyone will have to go to work in the morning anyways. 

HOSTESS IDEAS

ATTIRE - If this really is the last day of your life, what do you want to wear?  I say, tell the guests to wear whatever clothes they want to wear once more before the END OF TIME.  For me, this is going to be a fabulous floor-length gown, probably a boa, and definitely my wedding tiara.  For my husband, it is going to be his jammies. 

FOOD - Well, for once in our lives, calories REALLY don't count.  So you might as well indulge.  I'm thinking cheesecake, and sausages wrapped in bacon, and caviar.  NO veggie trays in sight.  Is there a food you always thought you should try before you die?  Order some of that for the party.

BEVERAGES - You might as well drink whatever you want because the best thing about the world ending is that you don't have to worry about a hangover.  Yay!

ACTIVITIES - Maybe you could play the old party game "I Never".  It seems really poignant now doesn't it?  Thinking that if you have to drink because you "never" did something, you really will never get a chance to do it now?   (To think my life is over and I never got a tattoo in a naughty place.  Sigh.)  Or maybe everyone has to make an end of the world confession.  They can have the chance to get some secret off their chest before the earthquakes, meteor, floods, and/or lava destroy the earth tomorrow. 

PLAY LIST - Okay.   I worked a long time on this.  I think I have most of the Apocolypse-related music here.  Let me know if I missed any songs we should play before the world ends.

"Until the End of the World"- U2

"It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)"- REM

"1999"- Prince

“Learn to Fly” - Foo Fighters

"Until the World Ends"- Britney Spears

"The End" - The Doors

"Five Feet High and Risin'” - Johnny Cash

"When the Levee Breaks" - Memphis Minnie/Led Zeppelin

"So Long It's Been Good to Know You" - Woody Guthrie

"Black Diamond Bay" - Bob Dylan

“Flirtin’ with Disaster” - Molly Hatchet

“Apocalypse Please” – Muse

“The Day the Whole World Went Away” – Nine Inch Nails

“London Calling” - The Clash

“99 Red Balloons” – Nena

“Bad Moon Rising” - Credence Clearwater Revival

“King of the World” - Steely Dan

“1812 Overture (Finale)” - Tchaikovsky

 “I Don’t Want to Wait (For our lives to be over)” - Paula Cole

“The Final Countdown” - Europe

“Death is Not the End” - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (by Bob Dylan)

“I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” – Aerosmith

“Highway to Hell” - AC/DC

“End of the Road” - Boyz 2 Men

“The End of the World” – Skeeter Davis

“Nothin’ But Flowers” – Talking Heads

“When the World Ends” - Dave Matthews Band

“Rapture” – Blondie

“Black Hole Sun” - Soundgarden

“Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall” – Bob Dylan (but love the Edie Brickell version)

“Gimme Shelter” - Rolling Stones

“O Fortuna” – from Carmina Burana (Carl Orff)

 

These songs are more on the funny/ironic side -

“Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” – Eric Idle

“Get Happy” – Judy Garland

“Come Sail Away” – Styx

“Apocolypso” – Jimmy Buffett

“Tomorrow” – from Annie

“Let it Be” – the Beatles

“Adios and Vaya Con Dios” – Zac Brown Band

“I’ll Fly Away” – O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack

“Last Dance” - Donna Summer

“People Get Ready” – I love the Ziggy Marley version

“Wastin’ Time” – Kid Rock

“The End” – The Beatles

Hosting a Direct Sales Party

The burp means it's fresh!

Lia Sophia, Thirty-One, Party-Lite, Pampered Chef, Mary Kay…. All are home sales companies and you probably know one or more people who sell their products. Every so often you will get the (slightly dreaded) request... "Will you host a party for me?"

As I’m sure your entrepreneurial friend has told you, there are benefits to hosting a direct sales party at your home. The free merchandise you can earn by being a host is the publicized draw, but if you are like me, the main reason you agree to host is to support your friend.

So, you want your friend to have a successful party and you want your guests to have a good time. How do you meet both of these goals?

Helping your friend have a successful party
1. The invitations. You need people to show up or this party will be a flop! Work with the seller to find out what kids of promises you can make to guests. For example, can the invitees get a bonus raffle ticket or free merchandise for every friend they bring to the event? Will they get to sample fantastic recipes featuring Pampered Chef dishware? If you are sending an email invitation, provide a link to the current catalog, so people can start getting excited about the products.

2. Have a table cleared off or some other space for the seller to display her wares. Find out how much room she needs. If you do not have appropriate space, ask the seller to bring her own table.

3. Lighting. If this is a jewelry, make-up, or bag party, it’s nice if there is bright lighting on the products. Mood lighting is great to create atmosphere, but this is a situation where people need to see stuff! (Unless it’s a candle party, then maybe low lights would be better!)

4. Offer to wear or display the products. The guests trust you because you are their friend. If you are wearing the Lia Sophia jewelry or using a Longaberger basket, they will probably comment on the item and then you can explain how much you like it. Even if it is a piece you haven’t bought yet, your seller friend would probably like you to model the merchandise.

5. CALL the invitees the day before the party. This is a good reminder and will force the non-committed to make a decision to come or not. Calls are more convincing than email; it’s really easy to ignore an email. If you feel a little uncomfortable making the call, come up with some pretext. “I am going to the store and was wondering if people would like to have ice tea or soda at the Tupperware party tomorrow. What do you think I should get?”

6. Don’t serve greasy finger foods. People will get grease and fingerprints all over the merchandise! Ew.

Making sure your guests have a good time
1. Serve food and beverages. No, it doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but you should have something to eat – it’s a party! Use this opportunity to try out a new dessert. Although you are not the star attraction of the party, you should still aim to impress as a hostess! I like having a simple, healthy appetizer (like fresh cut veggies and hummus), a yummy, impressive appetizer (like chicken salad in phyllo cups or meatballs), a dessert (cheesecake is always a winner), and a signature cocktail (you don’t have to serve alcohol, unless you have my friends over, then you do.)

2. Clean up the party room and the bathroom. Everyone feels more comfortable in a clean, uncluttered space.

3. Provide enough seating and places to write. Most of these parties involve catalogs and writing down orders and it’s always a pain in the butt when the only place you have to balance your beverage and your catalog is your lap.

4. Think about asking the host to donate a percent of the profits to the charity of your choice, instead of taking a hostess gift. I know that as a guest, I feel more ready to buy and just generally happier with the whole event when I know the host is doing this for a charity. My friend hosted a Pampered Chef party and made the seller give a percent of the day’s profits to cancer research, instead of taking a hostess gift/discount. Since her dad had just survived some cancer treatments, I thought it was a touching gesture. How do you say no to a party invitation like that!?! And I will admit that I bought more products knowing the proceeds were for a good cause (at least that’s what I told my husband when I came home with $100 worth of Pampered Chef gadgets.)

5. Alternatively, if you are really doing this to support your selling friend and could care less about getting free products (seriously, I’m just not a “basket” kind of person!!), ask your friend if she will waive all the shipping fees for your guests instead of giving you a gift/discount. As a guest, I HATE paying shipping charges on these products!!! It just seems unfair.

6. Prompt distribution. Once all the purchased products are delivered to your house, do your best to distribute the products to your friends quickly.

7. Don’t worry about entertainment. The seller should take care of the entire presentation.

And your obligation is complete!! That wasn’t so bad. (Hope your friend knows that she is getting the first call when you need someone to help you move… or your kid is selling Girl Scout Cookies…or you need to bring a guest to some other direct sales party…)

Girls Night In Movie Party

Sometimes it's nice to just kick the guys out of the house and have a Girls' Night In. One of the best excuses I've found for this is a DVD Release Party. In addition to providing cheap entertainment, movies instantly create a theme for the night. I'm thinking Sex and the City, the latest Harry Potter, the Sound of Music re-release, or my personal pick, Eclipse (the third Twilight movie). Go ahead and make all the cougar jokes you want, I love the romance and adventure of Bella, Edward, and Jacob! I've hosted parties for the previous two DVD releases, so when Eclipse comes out on Dec. 4, you'd better believe my friends and I will be ready for it!

Step 1 - Choose the movie for your party. Eclipse is actually the perfect choice for Girls' Night. The men in your lives will be more than happy to stay home and even watch your kiddos, as long as they don't have to watch this movie.

Step 2 - Invite friends who love the movie, or at least can appreciate it ironically, or at the very least, won't make fun of your love for it!

Step 3 - Food - Helps to choose a few appetizers that go with the theme. Maybe a dish they serve in the movie. In any case, remember that many women are watching their weight, so always provide a healthy option. On the other hand, this is a party for the ladies, so chocolate or some kind of dessert should definitely be served. For Twilight:Eclipse, I'm making little sugar cookies that have phrases like "Bite Me", "Imprint on Me", and "I *heart* E.C." written on them in icing. It's okay to be nerdy, you're among friends.

Step 4 - Decorations - Alright, so Girls' Night doesn't really demand decor, but your friends will appreciate a couple little touches. Put out a nice tablecloth and make sure all the paper plates and napkins are a fun color that goes with the theme. (Red for Eclipse, with a big bowl of red apples as the centerpiece to evoke the Twilight book cover art. Or maybe a red ribbon circling around the dishes on the table. Or a life-sized cardboard cut-out of Edward. Or not.)

Step 5 - Drinks - Girls' Night demands a great cocktail. Sex in the City - serve cosmopolitans, of course. Harry Potter - maybe a butterscotch schnapps cocktail, reminiscent of Butterbeer? Sound of Music - hmmm... champagne? (The only reason I say that is Liesl's line, "I'd like to stay and taste my first champagne!" Plus, champagne is awesome.) Eclipse - blood red wine.

Step 6 - The (Drinking) Game - Of course you can always substitute M&Ms or something instead of shots if your friends aren't big drinkers, but a Movie-themed drinking game can keep everyone's attention focused on the movie, and can be a laugh riot. Other movies, like Rocky Horror Picture Show and the Sound of Music have developed non-drinking audience participation that you could do instead.

Here are some links to drinking games for popular movies and TV shows out on DVD: (I did the Google search for you!!)

Eclipse

Sex and the City Movie or Sex and the City TV show

Harry Potter

X-Files

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Non-drinking audience participation movies -

Rocky Horror

Sound of Music and additional prop ideas