AA Gifts & Baskets Idea Blog

Archive for September, 2010

1. Set A Budget - Before you get started, set a budget and stick to it!  Throwing a birthday party can get really expensive, so don't rule out the idea of asking family or friends to bring a dish to share.  Often the food becomes the most expensive part.
2. Set A Date & Time - Surprise parties are a great milestone birthday option, if you can pull it off.  Pick a date within a week or two of their actual birthday.
3. Pick A Theme - Last week's blog post listed a bunch of fun birthday party themes.  Theme parties also add a little extra fun to the event, and can help people in buying their gift for the birthday boy or girl.
4. Choose A Location - Having the party at someone's home is the lest expensive and also works well no matter the weather.  Other ideas are a restaurant, country club, bowling alley, local park or neighborhood pool.
5. Guest List - How many people to invite depends on the location of the party and your budget. Typically the guest list includes close friends and extended family. If you're able to invite a lot of people you may want to include people they work with and old friends too.
6. Invitations - Mail party invitations at least 2 weeks prior to the party date. Give guests any special instructions regarding gifts or the party theme and ask them to RSVP by a specific date. Giving them a phone number AND e-mail address to RSVP to seems to decrease the number of people who don't respond. This way you can plan how much food and drink you'll need.  Include directions for those who may need it.
7. Menu - Consider food choices that also tie in well with the party theme. If it is a humorous party, you could make a special section of food for 'old people' such as a bowl of prunes (as a gag).  A pig roast may be a good choice for your Luau themed party. You can really get create with the birthday cake. A humorous cake such as a tombstone, or a photo cake with a photo when the birthday boy or girl was young are 2 ideas.  Check online or with your local bakery for more great ideas.
8. Decor - Decorations really help set the tone of the party. Numerous online supply shops carry over the hill birthday tableware, invitations, balloons, centerpieces and more.  Blow up pictures of the guest of honor throughout their life and tape them to walls for some fun memories.
9. Party Games - Not every chooses to have party games - it depends on the type of party you are hosting, the guests that are attending that the personality of the birthday boy or girl.  Look online for some fun and funny games that will have everyone laughing.
10. Party Favors - Give your guests a little something to take home with them to remember this special day. Some great birthday party favor ideas are lemonade or cocktail mix favors, personalized birthday chocolate bars, and birthday candles.

I s someone you know celebrating a milestone birthday soon?  Throw them a party! There are two different ways you can celebrate - either an over the hill humorous birthday bash or a sentimental party that celebrates the life of the birthday boy or girl. When deciding what type of party to throw, consider the personality of the person because you want them to feel special on their big day!

Birthday Theme Ideas:

Memory Lane:  A sentimental birthday celebration may be your theme of choice. Feature poster boards or a slide show with photos of the birthday boy or girl throughout their lives (from birth through the present). A great idea is to send guests a blank 'scrapbook' page where they can add their own thoughts or photos of their dear friend or relative. Mention in the invitation that you would like the guest to bring photos or mementos to contribute to this one-of-a-kind memory book.

Over The Hill: If your birthday boy or girl has a great sense of humor, an over the hill themed party is entirely appropriate. Use over the hill themed invitations, decoration and tableware available at many local party supply stores or online. Decorations are usually black - black balloons, black streamers, etc. When you send out the invitations, be sure to tell guests that gag gifts are entirely appropriate. You'll be amazed at the funny ideas that people come up!  Some gag gifts include canes,  laxatives, adult sized diapers and more!  Make sure you have your camera ready for the gift opening portion of the party!

Hawaii 5-0 Party: For a 50th birthday, a Hawaii 5-0 party is a fun theme because so many party stores sell luau themed supplies which make this type of party an easy one to plan and throw. Just ask guests to dress in tropical themed attire. Be sure to have the guest of honor wear a grass skirt and lei! Decorate with blow up palm trees and colorful lanterns. Serve drinks in coconut or pineapple glasses and have tropical themed food such as pineapple-chicken kabobs, fresh fruit and blue Hawaiian drinks. And don't forget a game of Limbo!

Fabulous 50's! (or 40's or 60's !): Celebrate The Decade that the birthday boy or girl is entering! For instance if it is a 50th birthday party, have a fabulous fifties (1950's) themed party and for a 60th birthday, have a psychedelic sixties party. Ask guests to dress in decade appropriate clothing (e.g. tie dye, leisure suits, etc). Decorate with movie posters, vintage home appliances and colors associated with the particular decade. You could even play games like Hula Hoop. The most important aspect of a decade party is the music. You should have mix CD's with songs just from that decade playing. You could even consider having a Karaoke machine with songs from a particular period.

Cocktail parties are regaining in popularity!  It's a great way to host a group of people from business associates to neighbors.  A typical cocktail party lasts about 2 hours and is more casual and possibly less intimidating than a dinner party for both guests and host.

Invitations:

You can get the word out about your cocktail party in a number of ways.  E-mail invites work well so the person you are inviting can just reply back to RSVP.  Formal invitations can be sent too.  Make sure to mention the date, time (beginning and end), location (with directions if needed), call back number and/or e-mail, dress code & if you would like them to bring anything.

Stock your Bar:

Plan ahead the type of drinks you will be serving.  If you are serving wine and/or champagne only, then have 1 bottle per 2 guests for a 2 hour party.  Other popular cocktails to serve are Manhattans (Bourbon), Martini (Gin), Vodka & Tonic, Whiskey Sours, and Screwdrivers (Vodka).  It's also good to have beer on hand for those who do not like hard alcohol.  Bottled water is also a nice option to have for your guests.

Garnishes: Olives, Bitters, Lemons and Limes, Tabasco,  Horseradish, Worcestershire Sauce and Grenadine.

Mixers:  Orange Juice, Soda, Tonic, Ginger Ale, Cola and Tomato Juice.  Don't forget LOTS of ice!

Glasses: Wine Glasses, Straight-Sided Glasses for tall drinks, Tumblers for spirits and juices; and Martini Glasses.  Wine Charms to identify glasses are a great thing to have on hand if you will have several people drinking wine.

Tools: Ice Bucket, Ice Scoop, Strainer, Long Handled Bar Spoon, Cutting Board, Paring Knife, Jigger, Corkscrew, Bottle Opener, Cocktail Shaker and Lemon Zester.

The Menu:

It's a good idea to serve finger foods at a cocktail party.  It's up to you to decide how fancy you want the foods.  Hors d'oeuvre ideas could be crackers with a spread, meatballs and cocktail wienies, tarts, cheese ball, bruschetta, stuffed mushrooms, etc.  There are great resources online for appetizer recipes.  For bite-sized foods, plan about 6 bites per person.  It's always better to have too much food than not enough.

Are you interested in having a cocktail party, but all the preparation and planning too much for you?  Check with your local caterers.  There are some who specialize in bartending and will stock and serve drinks so you can spend more time mingling. If you are attending a cocktail party and looking for a hostess gift, consider a wine gift basket as a perfect complement to the party theme.

A perfect sentiment for any occasion - or no occasion at all - is making someone breakfast in bed!  You don't have to be a master chef to pull this off.  Here are some tips on creating a great surprise for someone you care about.

1. Plan Ahead - Think about what things they love to eat.  Are they really into omelets filled with cheese and ham, or maybe they love fruit-topped waffles instead?  Either way, create a meal plan and make sure you have all the ingredients on hand.  Some things may be able to be prepared the day before like mixing the ingredients for an egg bake or cutting up fresh fruit.  You don't want to spend too much time in the kitchen the morning of the surprise!

2. Setting the Scene - Make sure you have a good way to serve the breakfast.  A large serving tray works best.  To make things really special use your best dishes and linen napkins.  A fresh-cut flower in a small vase is also a nice added touch.

3. Buy pre-made - If pastries are on your menu, but you don't have a lot of time to bake, you can purchase them from your favorite bakery.  Things like muffins and scones can be bought fresh and served with your breakfast.

If the idea of breakfast in bed appeals to you but your loved one lives far away, we offer breakfast baskets and muffin gifts that would just as nicely send your message of care!  Check out our selection, including those below, at All About Gifts & Gift Baskets.