When you live to be creative and have a large family, what’s a better way to express your ideas other than putting your talent to the test while planning parties for gatherings and events. I have five children, which all of whom love celebrating their birthdays. I feel like I have a birthday to prep for every month….. and when it’s not someones birthday, it’s a holiday or some other reason to hold a gathering. I have parties that range from a one year old up to a fourteen year old, I even at times have thrown my husband a party.

When I’m not busy planning a birthday party, I’m doing graduation parties, baby showers, bridal showers, Friendsgiving, Galentines, and any other kind of celebration you can think of. The reasons to throw a party are truly endless. For gatherings as little as getting just your kids together to make Ginger Bread Houses or filling out Valentine cards can be seen as a little party. These are times where we find reasons to join together and share each other’s company; we do this by partaking in activities and creating an environment of fun and enjoyment.

You don’t need balloons, cake or streamers to create a party, although those are great attributes to any given occasion. All you really need is good company and a common reason to get together to laugh and smile with one another.

In the past, I thought that the more balloons, streamers, and candy meant the better the party. Nowadays, I have discovered that what works best for me, is a little more simple looking. I’m not saying that simple looking is simple all the way around, it’s actually at times a bit of more work, but in my eyes, far more worth it. Now this isn’t saying that simple isn’t always simple either, though. You can also be very simple in creating a party, and it coming out to look very tasteful and simply perfect! Personally, I have come to see that a room so full of balloons to where you have minimal room to walk around, isn’t always the best idea for every party.

Some cute and simple items to create an easy but adored party that I use are…..

• Builders Paper– you can find this in the painting section within Home Depot. Its the brown roll of paper! You can use this as a tablecloth or table runner, as a back drop, or even as a cute banner. I once threw a Dinosaur Party and used this as a tree stump; I crumbled and twisted it all up and ran it up the pole that held my backdrop up.
• CENTERPIECES! Using a centerpiece on each table is critical, for me at least! You don’t have to get crazy and put to much time or money into these either. You can use a simple cylinder vase, The Dollar Store carries these, and throw some cute flowers or roses in them. You can also use wooden dowels (sticks from a crafts store, Target or Walmart), which I do often, and create a centerpiece to shove into your vase. You can also take it up a level and use a charger; a charger is a decorative plate that you place under your focused attraction, such as a dining plate/place setting, or a centerpiece. You don’t always have to use a vase either, you can use anything: toys, pictures, a stuffed animal, a plant. etc.
• Place Settings! You don’t need to set out your china or your everyday dinner plates, you can use cute paper plates and plastic-ware. There has been times where I used a square paper plate underneath a different colored circle paper plate for contrast, almost as if I had a charger under my eating plate. You can also lay or fold your napkin cutely on top of the place setting, and then on top of that, put your plastic-ware. Or you can wrap your napkin around the plastic-ware and neatly tie a ribbon around them together. There are many ways to go about setting out your place setting!

These are just a few easy and inexpensive things that I use to create a simple party, but keep in mind that the way your party looks isn’t everything! You must have ways to keep your guests entertained. What’s your reason to bring these people together? How are you planning on keeping them from loosing interest in your gathering and becoming bored? This part can become stressful and intimidating, but just breath and everything will be okay.

Here are some ideas on how to keep your guests engaged.

• Ask yourself who you’re targeting; are you throwing a kids party, an adult party, a cocktail party, a holiday celebration, or any other kind of party to give reason to getting together and celebrating in the moment
• Games
• A snack area where you and your guests can hang out around and casually talk.
• Music
• Jumper, Sack Race, Pin the Tale on the Donkey, Musical Chairs- Children’s Party
• Sometimes, the games that we play at a child’s party is actually a lot of fun to play among adults as well-Musical Chairs, Sack Race, etc.
• Some other fun games to be played among adults are tossing a large, lightly weighed, rubber ball with a ton of questions on it. Once the b all is caught, the question that is facing up needs to be answered. Another idea is using a saran wrap ball with layered goodies. The goodies are according to the party theme or the aged guests that are playing. As you pass the ball around and unwrap the layers of the ball, the treats get better and better with each pass.
• If this is a cocktail or another kind of adult party that involves alcohol, make sure you have enough to keep your guests steady with a cup in their hand. Also, make sure that you have plenty of water on hand, this is a necessary if. You can have your guests all contribute by bringing and sharing their favorite drink or have them “BYOB, -Bring Your Own Bottle/Beer” this will help eliminate the stress of having to overspend or worry that there may not be enough. If everyone brings something, there should be plenty enough to go around! If these are not a worry at all, then just make sure that you have enough on hand to where no one is running to the store mid party, when they shouldn’t be driving at all.
• Cards
• Holiday related activities; coloring eggs, decorating Mother’s and/or Father’s Day cards, making Ginger Bread Houses, filling out Valentines Cards, making Christmas ornaments, making Christmas paper garlands, working on Leprechaun Traps, etc. etc.

Regardless of what occasion you are celebrating or what theme you are decorating, bottom line, have a good time and make sure that your guests are also having a good time! A party can be as beautiful as ever, but if you are only wow’d at the looks of the party, well then, it really isn’t a party at all!

As always, I hope you enjoyed this post! Love, Me.