I need major party planning?!
I need major party planning?
o.k so my little sister is going to be 15 on march 16th and we are going to celebrate it on saturday the 17th and well i wanna make it good she a major tomboy and a vegetarian. her freinds(about 13) will be here and her brothers and sisters and parents and its a pretty tight budget like really tight. and the house is pretty small and the back yard is even smaller and ther are no availible parks around and beaches might not be a good idea since there will be no transportation(we live in l.a)i was thinking a st. patricks day theme since it is the 17th but i dont know what to do....i need advice major advice to please and thank you : ]
Answers:
The St. Patrick idea is cute, why not?
Get some decoration in green (lots of stuff you can make, you can buy paper and cardboard at a local Home Depot, and spray-paint in green for a fraction of the cost of a visit to a party store), add green napkins and stuff.
At the party store you want to find a GREEN crown for your sister, so that she can stand out - and ask her friends to come with something green on them.
You can pick a common theme for the presents as well: everybody should give her something either St.Patrick related, or green... or wrapped in green paper.
Then get a tape of irish dances at the library, or put in close circuit a DVD of irish dancing (or irish dancing courses, I've seen some at my library!!!), the music is quite entrancing - and be ready to switch to more palatable tunes!!! You can get lots of stuff for free at the library.
Food - again, green theme. Get a cake at the local supermarket (they can make a cake with any picture you bring them!!!), and serve salads, pasta with broccolis and almonds, baked chicken with pesto (hehe).
For drinks, mint syrup and water (but alas that tastes like breath rinse), or instead make "green" lemonade - usual lemonade recipe, and a few drops of green colorant (any party decoration supply store will have that, or check the supermarket).
THERE! if budget is tight, you can enroll family to bring some of the dishes, just explain what you are doing and they will help, I am sure.
I would suggest a dance theme party. You can set up dinner for your guest. Then you can have activities like a dancing contest e.g DANCE DANCE Revolution .You can give prizes for whoever wins. You can also arrange for a Karaoke contest as well. That would be lots of fun.
st patricks for minors?? no man sorry lol. But you can ask her friends what she would like to do. Since she is a tom boy you could do a paint ball tournament party. You can do it at a paint ball park or in your back yard.
How tight of a budget is it? Are you doing just appetizers or a full meal?
cake carrott strawberry
can of beer for everyone
a baked potato for everyone
can we do a walking tour of a nearby neighborhood and talk about all the drive byes
I love OneLilith's ideas! at the party stores I'm sure you can score a can of green hairspray paint. They'll have fun with that. Without your sister knowing you can have her friends show up with their own poster board decorated with why your sister is such a good friend and wishing her a happy birthday. you can have these in the back yard or around the house. borderline cheesy but she might be really surprised.
It's your sister's bday, so don't mix St Pats day with "her" day. Think of a theme for her. What does she like to do? Then once you come up with the theme, go from there. If she likes surfing for example, make it a beachy type party. Have tropical punch, think jerk chicken skewers with pineapple served over rice, Chips and salsa, Fruit salad, Buy some salt water taffy and put in bowls around the house. Party stores have great tablecloths, etc. for any theme, or also try craft stores, even Dollar stores for cheaper itemns.
Whatever you do, and on any budget, as long as you focus on "her" it will be great, she is the one you are looking to impress, not her friends!
If the budget is tight, I suggest asking family members to bring food and drink items. Personally, I won't attend a party without offering to bring something to help the host. If she's vegetarian, a veggie tray is probably a very good idea...
The St. Pats green decor idea is a good one as far as theme is concerned :)
If she's a tomboy and into sports have guest wear their favorite team jersey. Decorate with her favorite teams colors. If she's into music have guest wear their favorite rock tour t-shirts. Put together a collage on poster board with her friends pictures. Leave space and have her friends write personal messages to her. Play some music and serve Chili, pretzels and chips. Here's a simple and very good Chili recipe.
Vegetarian Chili:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
3 cloves garlic, mined
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup diced zucchini
1/4 cup red wine (optional)
1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 oz. can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 oz. can white beans (cannellini), rinsed and drained
2 cups your favorite salsa (homemade or from a jar)
2 Tbsp. chili powder
In a large pot, saute onion and garlic in olive oil over med heat 3-4 minutes. Add peppers and cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes more. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer 20-30 minutes or until flavors combine and chili is thick. Serves 10 (you may need to double).
VANILLA CAKE
Here’s a simple white cake recipe (serves 8 so double).
1/2 cup soft soy margarine
2-3/4 cups all-purpose white flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup soy milk
1/2 cup water
1-3/4 cups sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Spray two round 8" x 1-2/3" pans with Pam, or lightly oil and flour. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. Mix Egg Replacer and 1/4 cup water and set aside. Mix soy milk and 1/2 cup water, and set aside.
In large bowl of electric mixer, beat soy margarine until it is creamy, about a minute. Gradually add sugar until well creamed. Beat in vanilla. Add mixed dry ingredients and mixed soy milk/water alternately to creamed margarine, sugar, and vanilla, beating after each addition. Begin and end with flour mixture. (Add flour in 4 steps, liquids in three.) Add mixed Ener-G along with the third addition of liquid. Turn evenly into pans.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, or until done (wooden pick inserted into cake comes out clean). Remove from oven and let cool on cake rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and let cool on rack until cold. Frost as desired.
I would suggest a dance theme party. You can set up dinner for your guests. Then you can have activities like a dancing contest with or without DANCE DANCE Revolution .You can give prizes to whoever wins. You can also arrange for a Karaoke contest. That would be lots of fun!!!!