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Having a theme for your party makes the planning easier, and enables the guests to be more interactive, especially when asked to wear a costume, a hat, a color or print pattern.
Your theme can be based on a color (“pretty in pink” or “red hot mama’s”), a shape (stars, polka-dots or fleur-de-lis), a flower (roses, sunflowers or daisies), a flavor (chocolate, strawberries or lavender), a place (seaside, garden or French bistro), a historical period (Southern Plantation or Roaring Twenties), a holiday or a season (winter wonderland or summer picnic).
To plan a theme party, make a list of every item, food, color, costume, activity or fact that fits into your theme. You might need to do some research for historical periods or foreign countries, but it will make your theme more authentic. The things you select from your list will be your guide for choosing the colors, decorations, food and activities for your party.
And don’t forget to start with a unique invitation, such as a tiny straw hat with the party details attached and mailed in a small box for a garden theme; or the details written on a small pumpkin and hand-delivered for a fall theme.
Simply pick a theme then surprise and delight your guests with your creativity. The FREE recipes and party suggestions below for invitations, decorations, activities and favors are from several of my event planning and theme party books. Enjoy! |
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Host a Fun “Mad Hatter” Tea Party with FREE Recipes & Party Ideas |
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Everyone likes to play “dress-up”. Invite your friends to a tea party where each guest wears an outrageous or funny hat that she bought or made herself. You can find unusual ones at used clothing stores or garage sales.
For the invitation, decorate tiny straw hats with ribbon and silk flowers. Write the party information on a pretty note card. Attach to the hat with ribbon. Place the invitation inside a small hatbox or gift bag lined with colorful tissue. Don’t forget to tell your guests to wear their wild and crazy hats. Mail in a box or hand-deliver the invitations.
Create an arrangement of pretty, decorated hats for your tea table centerpiece. You can go really wild with your party color choices for tablecloth, napkins and china for this event—the brighter the better.
Use decorated hatboxes to serve some of your teatime treats, such as scones or tea sandwiches. Menu choices might include Mini Zucchini and Cheese Quiches (recipe below), Ham & Melon Tea Sandwiches (recipe below) and Cucumbers with Shrimp Salad (page 50). For sweets try mini Apple Scones (page 25) with Brown Sugar & Cinnamon Butter (page 32) and Mini Cheesecakes topped with cherry pie filling (page 54).
Have a fashion show where each guest models her hat on a runway. Award each guest a “prize” for her hat (funniest, most colorful, largest, smallest, most creative, etc.). Take lots of pictures of your guests wearing their fabulous hats or videotape the event and show it during the last half-hour of the party.
Make special “hat” cookies for favors by using a cookie cutter to cut out 3” and 1-1/2” circles from sugar cookie dough, rolled out to about 1/4” thick. Bake the cookies as directed for your recipe (you can use prepared cookie dough if you like). Glue one 1-1/2” cookie to the center of one 3” cookie using icing. Decorate the cookies with colorful icing “ribbons” and “flowers”. Place each cookie in a tiny hat box and tie with satin ribbon. |
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Mini Zucchini and Cheese Quiches
2 large eggs 1/2 cup half-and-half 1/4 teaspoon onion powder 1/4 teaspoon salt Dash of pepper 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese 1/2 cup shredded zucchini 1 (15 ounce) package of refrigerated pastry (2 crusts for 9” pie)
Preheat oven to 350°. Unroll pastry and cut into 24 circles using a 3” biscuit cutter. Line mini muffin cups with dough. Place about 1 teaspoon of zucchini in each muffin cup. In a measuring cup with a pouring spout, beat eggs, half-and-half, onion powder, salt and pepper. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full with egg mixture. Sprinkle about one teaspoon of cheese on top of each quiche. Bake 20-25 minutes until pastry is golden brown and centers are set. Let stand 10 minutes before removing from pan. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm or cold. |
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Ham & Melon Tea Sandwiches
1/3 pound thinly sliced smoked ham 1/4 cantaloupe, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced 8 slices of whole wheat or pumpernickel bread Butter or margarine, softened
Lightly butter each slice of bread. Place a layer of ham on 4 of the bread slices. Top with a layer of melon and remaining slices of buttered bread. Trim crusts and cut into 4 triangles or squares. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 16. |
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Click on the picture at right to view a Musical Greeting Card with more FREE recipes from If Teapots Could Talk |
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Try a Caribbean Sunset Caper From Flamingos, Poodle Skirts & Red Hots: Creative Theme Party Ideas
Write your invitation on hot pink note cards or on ones printed with a flamingo or beach scene. Ask guests to wear their most colorful island attire. Tuck the invitations into a seashell and deliver them in person or mail in a tissue-lined box.
Purchase or make your own pink flamingos from wood to decorate your party space. Add potted plants, wicker furniture, tropical flowers, a hammock, snorkels, flippers, straw bags or even colorful fake fish attached to fish nets hanging on the wall or fence. Use tiki torches if your party is outside or tiny white Christmas lights inside or out for a festive sparkle.
Arrange tropical fruit including bananas, pineapples, coconuts, mangos, etc. for your table centerpiece. Choose bright tropical-prints for the tablecloth and napkins.
Serve island foods like Jerk Chicken, Coconut Shrimp, and Mango Salad. Colorful drinks served in coconuts or stemmed glasses with tiny umbrellas are always fun.
Play recordings of calypso music in the background and encourage your guests to dance. Search for barefoot treasure by filling a child’s inflatable swimming pool with clean sand. Let your guests search for small trinkets using only their feet. |
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Play a game of limbo. Each person tries to go under a wooden dowel suspended between two braces. If he falls or touches the ground, he is eliminated from the contest. Lower the dowel for each round until only one person remains. Award a prize to the winner.
Get more fun theme party ideas from Flamingos, Poodle Skirts & Red Hots Sold at left |
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Feature a Chocolate Movie Party From |
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Chocolate-Cinnamon Popcorn Spice
1/2 cup powdered sugar 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, chilled & finely ground 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Combine all ingredients. To serve: Melt 1/4 cup butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons of spice. Pour over 3 cups popped corn. Stir well. |
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Click on the picture below to view a Musical Greeting Card with more FREE recipes from Hand Over the Chocolate! |
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Your invitation can be a small box of Junior Mints attached to your invitation, which is in the shape of a movie ticket. Mail in a padded envelope (if the weather isn’t too warm).
Serve Chocolate-Cinnamon Popcorn Spice (recipe below) over popcorn, White Chocolate Popcorn balls (page 16) and mugs of Decadent Hot Chocolate (page 6), plus any other chocolate treats you like from the cookbook. |
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Be sure to have plenty of comfortable seating for your guests, plus snack trays for munching party treats during the movie.
Dim the lights and show your favorite chocolate movie. It can be a silly movie like “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” or “Charlie & the Chocolate Factory”, more serious films such as “Like Water for Chocolate” or “Chocolat”. For this movie, serve Magic Potion Punch (page 4).
For favors give small bags of Chocolate-Cinnamon Popcorn Spice Mix and don’t forget to include the cooking instructions. |
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Get More Chocolate Recipes & Fun Chocolate Theme Party Ideas From Hand Over the Chocolate and No One Gets Hurt! (sold at left) |
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Get more Tea Party Recipes & Fun Theme Party Ideas From If Teapots Could Talk: Fun Ideas for Tea Parties (sold at left) |
