Weekend Edition--Who Wants Candy? I Do!

TGIF on another very cold day in NYC. I hope the deep freeze will finally be over as February ends and March begins.

Today, we'll take a look at some ideas for candy-themed parties. This is another theme where there are so many possibilities, from Candy Land parties for the very young to sweet-shoppe-themed school dances. We'll start off with offerings from the website Shindigz, which offers many of the supplies one would need for your party, including decorations, favors, tableware, and of course, candy! 

Personalized party favors from Shindigs.com

As always, a great invitation is key. For the DIY-er, here is an adorable Candy Land invitation created from a recycled Altoids tin and Candy Land game pieces. Step-by-step instructions are visual only. Photo courtesy of Kathleen Marie.

Jean from Hostess with the Mostess styled an adorable Sesame Street-themed party for a young client, which featured a candy buffet in a rainbow of colors. All candy came in bulk from the Sweet Factory

The owner of Couture Celebrations, a party-planning company in Oklahoma, saw her daughter's favorite childhood board game come to life with this Candy Land-themed party. All the components of the game, such as Lollipop Woods and Gumdrop Mountain, are featured.

Juliana Sohn from the site Momfilter posted an article about a candy-themed birthday party. I'm enamored with the decor, which featured a "candy button game" where each guest poked a button and found a surprise, along with a Candy Land obstacle course! The invitations resembled sticks of gum.

For more sweet inspiration, look to Hollywood Candy Girls for their unique edible centerpieces, party favors, and goody bags. I'm loving the sweet stick candy kabob shown below. They ship nationwide, too.

How about a Katy Perry Candy Land-themed party? This is an idea that comes from Maria Frufru Festas in Brazil. The buffet table featured gumballs in plastic ice cream cones, brownie toppers featuring her songs, a cake topped with Katy, and of course, framed photos of Katy. This is perfect for the tween Katy Perry fan!

The candy theme is extremely popular for Bat Mitzvahs and Sweet 16s. Here are some very cool centerpieces based on one of my favorite places, Dylan's Candy Bar. Photo courtesy of Mazel Moments.

We are offering a few candy-themed games at the shop and plan to expand in the future. Two items we feature are a "Sundae Brunch Word Scrambler" and a word search featuring Hershey's candy brands. Both games are tailored to fit your party theme with the name of the celebrant, date, color, and font scheme.

Listmania for the Weekend:

Black History month is about to come to an end. I hope you had fun reading the interesting facts that I provided each day. Today's Freebie Friday is a trivia matching game featuring African American "Firsts." As usual, just right-click the file to download and print. Answers will be published on Monday.

Black History Month Fun Fact of the Day: Dihann Carroll was the first African-American woman to star in a television series without having to play a stereotypical role such as a maid or servant. The series was called "Julia," in which Ms. Carroll played a widowed single mother who was a nurse and raising her young son.

Today's birthdays: Kate Mara (32), Josh Groban (34), Bobby Valentino (35), Brandon Beemer (35), Shonna Tucker (37), Roderick Clark (42), Chilli (44), Donal Logue (49), Noah Emmerich (50), Grant Show (53), Adam Baldwin (53), Leon Mobley (54), Johnny Van Zant (55), Paul Humphreys (55), Timothy Spall (58), Adrian Smith (58), Neal Schon (61), Debra Monk (66), Howard Hesseman (75), Barbara Babcock (78), Mirella Fireni (80), and Joanne Woodward (85).

Tomorrow's birthdays: Bobb'e Thompson (19), Quinn Shephard (20), Madisen Beaty (20), Michelle Horn (28), Geoffrey Arend (37), Rory Cocharne (43), Tasha Smith (44), Pat Monahan (46), Robert Shawn Leanord (46), Maxine Bahns (46), Rae Dawn Chong (54), Cindy Wilson (58), John Turturro (58), Gilbert Gottfried (60), Ilene Graff (66), Bernadette Peters (67), Mercedes Ruehl (57), Mike Figgis (67), Stephanie Beacham (68), Kelly Bishop (71), Frank Bonner (73), Tommy Tune (76), Sam the Sham (78), Don Francks (83), and Gavin MacLeod (84).

Sunday's birthdays (Happy March!):  Justin Bieber (21), Sammie (28), Ke$ha (28), Lupita Nyong'o (32), Donovan Patton (37), Jenson Ackles (37), Mark-Paul Gosselaar (41), Jack Davenport (42), Javier Bardem (46), George Eads (48), Chris Eigman (50), Bryan Batt (52), Jon Carroll (58), Tim Daly (59), Catherine Bach (61), Ron Howard (61!), Alan Thicke (68), Roger Daltrey (71), Mike D'Abo (71), Robert Conrad (80), Harry Belafonte (88!), and Robert Clary (89).

Today's Holidaze: Kick off the weekend with National Kahlua Day! This is a coffee-flavored rum liquor first produced by Pedro Domecq in 1936 and is found in drinks such as White Russians, B-52s, and Mudslides.

Today is also National Strawberry Day. Although this is the one fruit I don't really like, strawberries are enjoyed by millions in ice cream, cakes, smoothies, milk shakes, and fruit salads. They are low calorie and give you the benefit of potassium, Vitamin C, fiber, and folic acid.

Today we're also celebrating National Polar Bear Day. These beautiful creatures reach a height of 9 feet tall and weigh about 1,400 pounds. They live in extremely cold climates and are very strong swimmers. Due to global warming and other factors, the number of polar bears is on the decline worldwide.

Tomorrow's Holidaze: Lots of holidaze tomorrow! First up, it's National Public Sleeping Day. It's a day to take a long nap at the beach, park, bus, or any public place that you frequent. It's not a good idea to be caught sleeping at work, however!

Foodies everywhere are celebrating National Chocolate Souffle Day. The word "souffle" is a French past participle of the word "souffler," which means to "puff up." A souffle is made up of two basic components: a French creme patisserie base and egg whites beaten to a meringue.

Put a little beauty in your life on National Floral Design Day! Flowers are a way to show appreciation on all occasions from birthdays to tokens of friendship. This holiday was created to honor Carl Rittner, who founded a floral design school in Boston.

Tomorrow is also National Tooth Fairy Day. For many years, children who lose their teeth are promised a visit from the Tooth Fairy, who will give them money under a pillow. Hmmmm. I never got any money anytime I lost a  tooth. :-(

Finally, tomorrow we observe National Rare Disease day. This day was created in 2008 by and organization called Eurodis and raises awareness about rare diseases and the impact they have on patients' lives.

Sunday's Holidaze: We kick off the month of March with National Peanut Butter Lover's Day! This is one of my favorite foods and I love it in chocolate, with PB&J sandwiches, cookies, cakes, pies, and ice cream! Peanut butter started out as a food for the wealthy in the early 1900s and was served only in the finest restaurants. However, the holistic doctor John Harvey Kellogg and snack maker George Bayle saw the benefits of peanut butter and were the purveyors of the spread as we know it today. Peanut butter is an excellent source of protein and provides several essential vitamins and minerals. Americans spend approximately $800 million each year on peanut butter.

Another foodie holiday celebrated this Sunday is National Fruit Compote Day. This dessert originated in 17th Century France and consists of whole fruits in sugar syrup. Seasonings such as cinnamon, lemon rinds, cloves, almonds, and coconut can be added to the mixture.

On Sunday, we also observe National Horse Protection Day. This day was created by animal lifestyle advocate Colleen Page to raise awareness about the abuse, starvation, neglect, and slaughter unwanted horses.

Finally, March 1st is also National Pig Day. Many events for this day are celebrated at petting zoos, schools, nursing homes, and sporting events. This holiday was created in 1972 by two sisters, Ellen Stanley and Mary Lynne Rave in appreciation of the pig as an intelligent and domesticated animal.

Open access to the Internet lives! Yesterday, the FCC voted in favor of broadband Internet as a public utility. This historic ruling has made it possible for micro-businesses like ours to continue thriving without restrictions. Although the ruling received cheers from consumers and technology companies, lawsuits are guaranteed to follow. Stay tuned.

On a sad note, Hollywood has lost another TV icon. Leonard Nimoy, who played Mr. Spock on the classic sci-fi series "Star Trek," passed away from complications with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) at age 83. He also published books featuring his poetry and photography, and he was a singer as well. Although I was never a fan of "Star Trek" or its spin-offs, I deeply respected Mr. Nimoy as an actor and a person. May he rest in peace.

Coming in March: Celebrating Women's History Month, Purim (the "Jewish Halloween"), Pi Day, St. Patty's Day, baby shower ideas, and of course, shop updates! We will also be spending our time creating new games for the shop. If you have an idea for a party game, please comment here.

Have a PRINTASTIC weekend!

Kathy

What's Cooking (or Baking), Doc?

Good evening! So sorry for the late post. I had a very busy day today and didn't have a chance to sit down and write until now.

My mother wasn't exactly a gourmet cook, and the little baking she did left a lot to be desired. As a result, I really hate cooking--the shopping, the preparation, the clean-up, everything about it. However, I do enjoy watching cooking shows such as "Hell's Kitchen," "Master Chef," "The Chew," and "Chopped,"  With the growing popularity of cooking shows, along with the opening of gourmet bake shops over the last few years, it's no wonder that kids are aspiring to be the next Gordon Ramsay or Rachael Ray. With a cooking or baking party, kids can make pizza or cupcakes from scratch and learn valuable math skills at the same time. Every child leaves with homemade goodies. A cooking/baking party can be tailored to all age groups. Below are some fun ideas:

A successful party always starts with a great invitation. From the shop Mary Had a Little Party on Etsy, I love these adorable chef's hat invitations.

All guests at a cooking party should have chef's hats and aprons. When Jessica from Fantabulosity created a cupcake-baking party for a 7-year-old client, she added an apron-decorating station. She also personalize the chef's hats with letter stickers.

Jen from Passion for Parties styled a party for her daughter based on the show "Cake Boss." The party featured a baking challenge, where the guests measured, mixed, stacked, rolled, sprinkled, decorated, and displayed their homemade treats. They also set up an old-fashioned bake shop in keeping with the theme.

The blog Chickabug shares a customer's cooking party for her 5-year-old son. Although they did not do any cooking, they decorated aprons as well as their own cake slices with frosting and sprinkles. The goody bags featured a cookbook for kids, along with cookie mix, a potholder, and gummy "foods" such as fries and ice cream cones.

Pizza is one of the most versatile dishes for kids. There are so many different ways you can make and top a pizza pie. Jen from Sweeten Your Day Events made a pizza party for the kids in her church class. She seat up a table featuring toppings such as mozzarella, pepperoni, pineapple, and olives so each child could make his or her personal pizza.

Another fun activity at any cooking party would be a blind taste-testing contest, as done once each season on "Hell's Kitchen." Food Science Experiments shows you how. Use simple foods like pretzels, cheese, yogurt, fruit, or chocolate.

These are just a few examples of how you can throw a memorable cooking or baking party for your child. There are thousands of cooking schools, bake shops, pizza parlors, and restaurants that host all-occasion cooking parties. Check out the options are in your area!

Now for today's lists:

Black History Month Fun Fact of the Day: When the performer Josephine Baker moved to France, she smuggled military intelligence to her fellow allies during World War II. She achieved this feat by pinning secrets inside her dress, as well as hiding them in her sheet music.

Today's Birthdays: Taylor Dooley (22), Corinne Bailey Rae (36), Kyle Norman (40), Rico Wade (43), Erykah Badu (44), Jennifer Grant (49), Greg Germann (57), Michael Bolton (62), Jonathan Cain (65), Mitch Ryder (70), Bill Duke (72), Paul Cotton (72), and Fats Domino (87).

Holidaze: Once again, we have two foodie days today, National Pistachio Day and National Chili Day. I love pistachio nuts, but I avoid the ones that are dyed red. They tend to get all over my hands. Although pistachios have been cultivated in the Middle East since ancient times, they first arrived in the U.S. in the 1880s.

National Chili Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in February. Chili is a favorite dish in cook-offs. With meat, beans, and cheese, chili provides plenty of protein and comfort on a cold day. Chili can be used in hot dogs, hamburgers, baked potatoes, "Frito" pie, and much more.

Today is also National Tell a Fairy Tale Day. This is a day for all to read their favorite fairy tales or make up one of their own. Fairy tales originally catered to an adult audience but became associated with children's literature during the 19th and 20th centuries. Most fairy tales being "Once upon a time. . . ." and end with "Happily ever after. . . ."

We continue our foodie parties tomorrow with my personal favorite, candy.

Have a PRINTASTIC night!

Kathy

Page-Turning Book Parties for Kids

A couple of months ago, my husband and I attended the Bat Mitzvah of my friend's daughter. The Bat Mitzvah girl is a voracious reader, and her theme was books. I applauded her choice of theme because the issue of literacy is very important to me. Without literacy skills, the ability to write, to solve math problems, and accessing technology becomes impossible. Growing up, I spent more time with my nose in a book than playing outside with the other kids. Although this didn't make me the most popular person on the block, I learned so much about different cultures and moments of history.

Why not host a party based on your child's favorite book? Or you can turn your home into a "library." Today's blog post will explore some ideas for this theme, from invitations to decor to food.

Let's start with invitations. Although card catalogs are just about extinct at your local library, vintage library cards make great invitations. Here's a great example from the blog Johnson & Johnson.

You can also create invitations based on your child's favorite book character.  

My son was a huge fan of the Magic Treehouse series when he was in elementary school. He enjoyed Jack and Annie's travels through time and learning about historical events. Party planner Heidi Rew of Parties for Pennies created a Magic Treehouse-themed party for a 6-year-old boy. The party was held outdoors, so the decor was very rustic. 

One of my favorite book series growing up was Little House on the Prairie. For her daughter's birthday, the owner of Oh Amanda set up part of her home to look like Oleson's Mercantile and featured penny candy of the era.

Margarita Ellis of Party Inspirations created a party based on Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, her then-9-year-old son's favorite book series. I thought the decor and cupcakes were so adorable. 

Jeanette from J at Your Service styled a "Glitzy Bookworm" party for her 8-year-old daughter. For the centerpiece, she used a bookcase and filled it with her daughter's books. Among the foods she had were "Nerds on a Stick," gummy worms, Smarties, cookie tubes, and crispy rice worms. She had the party guests decorate their own book bags.

 

The owner of the blog Merriment Photography threw a book-themed party for her young daughter when she turned one. All of the food at that party was based on their favorite children's picture books. 

Other ideas can include Swedish Fish for the book One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, green eggs for Green Eggs and Ham, or gummy worms for Diary of a Worm.

For a bar/bat mitzvah, how about a book-themed party using school supplies? After the party, the supplies can be donated to charity. Mitzvah Market shows you how.

We have some book-themed games at the shop. Although I created these for Halloween, they can be tailored to feature any book or author. The first is a word search based on the Harry Potter series. I created the sample below as a party invitation using the Gryffindor colors of red and yellow. 

Our second offering is mainly for those ages 12 and up. This is is a freeform crossword puzzle featuring one's favorite author. In the sample below, I created a crossword based on the works of Stephen King. Once again, we can customize the crossword to feature your favorite book or writer. 

The book-themed party is also popular for baby showers as it gives a chance for expectant parents to build their libraries. We will explore that idea in a future post. 

It's now time for today's lists: 

Black History Fun Fact of the Day: Before Wally Amos created his "Famous Amos" chocolate chip cookie, he was a talent scout at the William Morris Agency. His clients included The Supremes and Simon & Garfunkel. He would send his cookies to potential clients to get business.

Today's Birthdays: James and Oliver Phelps (29), Justin Berfield (29), Rashida Jones (39), Chelsea Hanler (40), Daniel Powter (44), Sean Astin (44), Lesley Boone (47), Carrot Top (48), Téa Leone (49), Alexis Denisof (49), Veronica Webb (50), Mike Peters (56), Karen Grassle (73), Diane Baker (77), Bob Schieffer (78), and Ralph Stanley (88).

Holidaze: We have two foodies days today! The first is National Chocolate Covered Nut Day! Chocolate and nuts have been staples of our diets since ancient times. They each contain sources of vitamins and antitoxins that are necessary for a healthy lifestyle. The original chocolate-covered peanut candy is Goobers, which were first sold in 1925. There are so many chocolate-covered nuts on the market--my favorites are cashews and almonds. 

The second foodie day is National Clam Chowder Day. Clam chowder is a soup that contains clams and broth. You can add diced potatoes, onions, and celery. There are many different varieties of clam chowder, such as Manhattan, New England, Delaware, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Long Island. 

That's all until tomorrow.

Have a PRINTASTIC day!

Kathy