137 My Space

Nothing livens up a party like party decorations.  The colors, the patterns, the details and all the gimmicks are what make parties fun in the first place.  Nobody really wants to listen to a person talk about his or her feelings and how much he loves everybody, right?  They’re just looking for the beer and cake line (or maybe for beer and cake in one)?  Seriously, if you want to throw a good party, try and make fun your ultimate goal.
Don’t get too bogged down in over-organizing an event that’s supposed to be laid back and enjoyable.  Focus on creating positive energy and enhancing everyone’s experience rather than creating it.

What kind of party decorations should you do?  It really depends on the type of party.  Baby showers, wedding showers and girl sleepovers tend to have richer colors and more lace in the surroundings.  Men aren’t necessarily opposed to lots of color, but they do get a wee bit suspicious if a fellow stag puts in six hours of home decorating just for a soccer game.

The truth of the matter is that if you want to put up exciting party decorations make sure they complement the overall theme of the night.  If there isn’t a theme, then choose colors you know the guest of honor or at least most people in general would appreciate.
There are a variety of party decorations to choose from, including confetti, door curtains, flag banners, hanging decorations, party poppers, scene setters, streamers and table centerpieces.

True, it does help a fellow to know a little bit about home decorating, or at least the basic laws of creating some positive feng shui in the room.  Without getting into anything heavy, just try and remember not to crowd any small areas with too much information.  Let your guests take in the room and enjoy the “exhibits” one at a time.  You don’t want the room empty and should do your best to create a rich color scheme.  However, you want to avoid cluttering up the place as well.  People do come for a party, so don’t skimp on the details.  Just plan the event well by decorating according to “sections” of the room so you can get a good sense of time and space.

If you are trying to stick to a budget, then try looking for deals on party decorations online.  Decorations run cheaper when you buy in bulk.

Copyright (c) 2007 Pat Brill

Do you think you have to spend a lot of money in order for your party to be successful? You can stay within a budget and still create a wonderful time for yourself and everyone at your party. Here are some helpful ideas for a successful and budget oriented party.

I found that my most successful parties were planned and not necessarily expensive. Most parties need thought and attention to the details to create a fun experience for everyone that is coming. What do you need to plan?

What’s the Occasion?

If there is a special occasion that you are celebrating, then you already have the theme of your party. If you just want to bring friends and family together, then create a theme for your party. Be creative or loving…a “just because I think you are all so special” theme. Whatever your theme, include it throughout all of your planning.

What’s the Budget?

Create a budget and stick to it. Be specific about the amount you can spend on food, decoration and drinks.

-If you want to minimize the food costs, have a gathering at a time of the day when people have already eaten, such as mid afternoon and you will only need to provide snacks. How about an appetizer or dessert party? These ideas keep your food requirements to a minimum.

-Plan on making most of the food yourself to keep the costs down. You can also elicit the help of people coming to the party by asking each person to contribute a dish. Potluck gatherings are festive and fun.

-Send your invitations via email. There is a great website, http://www.evite.com, where you can create an online invite and email everyone on your list. This service is “free”…a great word.

-Include the costs of the paper products, decorations, and drinks. Don’t spend lots of money on decorating…candles, music and balloons add a festive flavor to your home without breaking the bank.

What Has to Be Done?

Create Your “To Do” List

What does your “to do” list look like? Include everything you have to do as soon as you decide to have a party. The list includes sending out the invitations, menu planning, shopping, cooking, cleaning, setting up and cleaning up, and possibly planning fun activities.

Create Your Party Day TimeLine

Create a timeline of what needs to be done on the day of your party…from setup to clean up after the party, and everything in the middle. Did you ever forget to do something you planned or leave a favorite dish in the refrigerator? I know that I have!

The timeline of your party day includes everything you have to do: decorate, candles, pick up balloons, set table, and every item that has to be cooked and when. Be specific with your time…when are you going to do it and how long will it take. I know this sounds like a lot of effort, but the effort you put in planning will make sure you don’t forget something, know when you need helping hands, and decrease the stress around organizing the success of your party.

Helpful Hands

Ask your family or friends to help. Is someone great at cooking desserts or maybe a friend has a wonderful music collection that would be perfect for your party? Think in terms of your resources. Most people are happy to participate in the celebration if asked. What do you need extra hands for? Go through your “To Do” party list and add your resources against some of the activities on that list.

What is Most Important?

To have fun! With some new ideas and careful planning and organization, you can stay within your budget yet create a space for everyone to enjoy themselves and others. Good party memories are in the details.

How many people can honestly look at their home and determine that their house could be considered functional art? If you are lucky enough to own one of the houses created by the new home builders in Houston, chances are your house is right up there with some of the most exquisite artwork. New home builders in Houston do not just build buildings with kitchens and bathrooms, but they create a transitional flow from one line to the next that lives and breathes artwork to its fullest, yet proves to be fully functional with the latest technology and design features.
The new home builders in Houston have been very busy as they land a multitude of contracts for planned communities, new luxury homes, and state of the art private custom homes. And the new owners have reported being very happy indeed. And who wouldn’t be? After all, the new home builders in Houston have managed to deliver some out of this world design features that can leave one breathless, or at least speechless. One home was fortunate enough, despite the ample kitchen space, to have an entire hide away island placed into the floor plan.
It is more of a peninsula, really, but I don’t think we call additional counter tops anything other than islands. Regardless, with the press of a button the chef of the evening can bring forth and upward from the wall and floor a full size kitchenette island complete with a rotating top. Can you imagine how convenient this is going to be at every holiday party from here on out? For preparing food, the island comes out, gives the chef ample time and more than enough space to create party masterpieces and then, if more kitchen space is required, the island sinks back down into the floor and the wall with a simple press of another button.
If the party hosts wish to turn the island into a secondary mini bar, a simple rotation of the island counter top by 90 degrees and they have a whole new counter space. And to top it all off, it is beautiful. The counter top is created from marble and the deep cherry accents create once again, functional art. The new home builders in Houston know how to bring a luxury home to life by combining the best of technology with the beauty and grace of tradition.
Of course, these incredible islands are not available in every home. That’s the point of having a custom home, so that yours is different from everyone else’s. However, stair cases that conjure up images of Scarlet O’Hara come in many of these powerhouse homes, and you don’t have to request a custom home to get one. Additionally, sliding glass doors that are voice activated behind tapestries that appear so fragile you’re afraid to sneeze.
That is until you watch Rover plow through them and realize their appearance is an illusion. Now that is the type of brilliant design feature (granted designed by a decorator and not a builder) that one would expect to find in one of Houston’s luxury homes. The craftsmanship throughout the homes built by new home builders in Houston is impeccable. Natural woods combined with beautiful brass or silver create tremendous accents in many of the bathrooms. Not to mention, the attention to every detail throughout these homes speaks of some of the finest basic skill knowledge, a simplicity that makes all the difference when looking into a luxury home.
The custom homes have the same attention to detail as the luxury homes. Each of these homes has every specific minute detail from the corners of the molding to the curve of the basement stairs taken into consideration. These homes are not just for living, they are for admiring from afar, from up close, and from inside. For anyone who has found less than perfection from their custom home builder or their luxury home explorations, they certainly haven’t been seeking out homes created by new home builders in Houston.
Many people from various places throughout the country have actually come to see the homes that have been built in the last two or three years, as the new home builders in Houston have developed quite a reputation in the luxury home and custom home industry. In reality, they are quickly becoming the ultimate leaders in home building. Perhaps it’s nothing more extraordinary than paying attention to every single detail and creating the absolute best with what is in front of them. Perhaps it is a function of extraordinary talent. Whatever it is, these homes are extraordinary and are drawing national attention as functional works of art.

Dressing up is always a lot of fun, especially when you pair the dressing up with getting together with good friends at a party. If you really want to give your friends a scare or just a good laugh at your next costume party you should consider wearing one of the very realistic special effects masks that are out there.
These masks are second to none where realism and fun are concerned and you will have everyone at the party making a double take. Whether you want to go funny, scary, or simply out of the box you will find that there is a mask that will provide you exactly what you are looking for.
Fun with Realistic Silicone Masks
The great thing about Special Effects Masks is that they look real, and not just in the dark like those old Halloween masks that we thought were so cool when we were kids. These masks are made of the finest silicone and actually move with your face when you put them on. No need to continually adjust so that you can see out of the mask, instead you simply need to pull the mask on, make sure that it fits right, and you’re ready to impress. These masks really are a lot of fun because they look so real and so un-mask like.
The most common Special Effects Masks that you’ll see on the market include the zombie, the clown, wolf man, thug, old man, and the vampire. These are timeless options that you can wear again and again, year after year, and still get a rise out of your friends at your costume parties. The nice thing about these silicone masks is that they not only look more realistic and fit better, they actually last longer. SPFX masks, the original silicone masks, are known to have a shelf life of 25 years and they will never crack, chip, or become too brittle to be worn.
While the masks will last longer and look better you have to be willing to pay a bit more for them. Because they are made of the highest grade silicone the masks do cost a bit more to make and so the cost is passed onto the consumer.
You can find the masks for varying prices depending on what company that you buy from, but if you want a mask that will hold up well year after year you will likely pay a couple hundred dollars for it. When you consider that you could buy 20 different $50 latex masks in that time, this is still a better deal even though you’ll be paying more at one time.
It does not matter how old you get, costume parties never get old. And even if you do not have an actual costume party you will find that it is fun for you to wear a costume even when no one else is! Great masks add an element of fun to a party that you simply cannot get from anything else. Whether you wear the masks on Halloween or just for fun you’ll get a lot of enjoyment out of them!