Throwing a First-Class Travel Party for Kids

The ongoing cold temperatures of this month, along with the snow that just won't go away, are giving me a serious case of cabin fever. Spring can't come soon enough! There are thousands of "snowbirds" who are lucky enough to escape to warm climates for the season. Not all of us have that luxury, but we can take a trip in spirit! Winter is a perfect time to host a travel-themed party, which you can tailor for all ages and budgets.

First up, from blowoutparty.com, we have a cute airplane  party for a child's first birthday. I love the "check in" passports with pictures of all the children invited (see below). This creative mom also used suitcases for her centerpieces. She also created plane ticket invitations, complete with bar codes.

Check out these adorable miniature suitcases from Dream Factory! They make excellent goody bags. The blogger does not indicate where she got them from, but you can contact her directly.

No party table would be complete without some confetti! Airplanes, suitcases, clouds, anchors, and shapes cut from maps are popular. You can either purchase the confetti (see below the cloud confetti from the Etsy shop Olden Design) or you can make it yourself with either a hand punch or die cut machine (such as Cricut).

You can host a party dedicated to one country. London, Paris, Mexico, and Japan are common themes. The Paris theme is especially popular for teen and tween girls. You can find all the supplies you need at Birthday Express.

A Japanese-themed party is ideal for crafting activities. You can have party guests create cranes, boats, boxes, fortune tellers, and more at an origami-making station, make some rice paper scrolls with ink and paper flowers, or paint some parasols. Picture courtesy of the blog Buttercream Buzz.

Bon voyage! Cruises are another very popular travel theme. For this Bar Mitzvah party, the family used the map of a ship for their seating chart. Photo courtesy of The Prop Factory.

You noticed I haven't talked about food yet. That's coming. How about some hot air balloon cupcakes? Tip Junkie shows you how!

Blovelyevents.com shows us their version of a travel party. According to them, the key to a successful event is maps, maps, maps. I love maps and globes and there are so many ways you can incorporate them in a travel-themed party. The vintage airplane theme was used for a boy's 7th birthday party. The dessert table features candy, cookies, cake pops, cupcakes, and macarons. 

Maya Rivera, blogger for In Flight, served foods from around the world for her son's birthday party: Hot dogs, PB&J, apple pies, and Cheerios represented the U.S., she used drinks for Germany, a pizza cake for Italy, sweets for Mexico, and candy sushi for Japan.

There you have it. Check out more ideas from party planners, bloggers, and Pinterest boards. Look at travel brochures, atlases, and globes for ideas. You can buy inexpensive suitcases at a second-hand store and either paint them or decoupage them with travel labels. 

Now for today's Listmania:

Black History Month Fun Fact of the Day: In 1905, Robert Abbott became the first African-American millionaire with the newspaper that he founded, The Chicago Defender. Robert L. Johnson, the founder of BET, became the first African-American billionaire in the year 2000. BET was sold to Viacom in 2001.

Today's Birthdays: Alexander Koch (27), Brandon Brown (32), Bonnie Somerville (41), Billy Zane (49), Michelle Shocked (53), Mark Moses (57), Sammy Kershaw (57), Paula Zahn (59), Debra Jo Rupp (64), Helen Shaver (64), George Thorogood (65), Edward James Olmos (68), Rupert Holmes (68), Barry Bostwick (70), Dominic Chianese (84), Steven Hill (93), and Abe Vigoda (94) (contrary to popular belief, Mr. Vigoda is still very much alive).

Holidaze: Today's foodie holidaze is National Tortilla Chip Day! Tortilla chips are among the most popular snack foods in the U.S. This crunchy snack is usually served with salsa, guacamole, Chile con queso, or cheese dips. Although they are perceived to be a Mexican food, hey were first mass-produced in Los Angeles in the late 1940s. Rebecca Webb Carranza discovered the triangle-shaped chips as a way to use the rejects from their automated tortilla-making machine. She and her husband started to sell the chips from their shop for a dime per bag.

On a more serious note, today is also National Spay Day. This day was created by the Doris Day Animal League in 1994 to bring attention to unwanted animals and overpopulation of pets. The League encourages neutering your pet as a means of population control. 

After a good workout at the gym last night, I'll be glad to go home and get some rest this evening.

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Have a PRINTASTIC Day! 

Kathy

Party Theme of the Day--Initial Impressions

Good afternoon! I hope you all have recovered from your Oscar-viewing parties. There were some good moments by host Neil Patrick Harris, along with a lot of corny jokes. We got to view and comment about what the stars were wearing. Unfortunately, I fell asleep before the ceremonies were over. The official Oscar website has a complete list of winners. The night before, the Golden Raspberry Awards (known as the "Razzies") are held. The Razzies "honor" those with the dubious distinction of the worst movies and performances of the year. Former child star Kirk Cameron, who I loved so much on "Growing Pains," was the "big winner" with "Saving Christmas."

Yesterday was a very nice day here in the city, so I decided to take advantage of walking through Soho. I made a pit-stop at the P.S. 3 Antiquarian Book Fair first. Despite the mandatory coat and bag checks, I loved looking at the first-editions and ephemera even though I couldn't afford to buy most of the items.

Beginning with today's blog, I will be talking about party themes. I will be concentrating on one theme per day, along with some ideas related to that theme. I haven't talked too much about party ideas for kids and teens, so I will be covering this topic for the next couple of weeks.

A great idea that can work with both girls and boys is the initial or monogram-themed party. The use of initials and monograms has a preppy vibe that's always appealed to me. I love looking at the monogrammed cups and initial wall decorations in stores like Anthropologie. One can go in many directions with this theme.

Here are some monogrammed plates from A Blissful Nest. They come in a variety of colors and fonts. 

From Amanda's Parties to Go on Esty, these printables are perfect for a teen's party.  Supplies range from cake toppers to signs to candy bar wrappers. 

The website Mom4Real has a great DIY tutorial for making monogrammed Solo cups. They make great gifts as well as party decorations. All you need is desktop publishing software, a cutting implement, card stock, and transfer tape.

Baking website Sugarelle provides a recipe for monogrammed sugar cookies. Although these are tailored to a girl's party, you can modify the icing for a boys' party.

Rachel from Maison de Pax used block letters as party favors for her sons' chalkboard-theme party.

For younger children, One Charming Party provides instructions a DIY favor bag. You just need striped paper bags and glitter paper, along with an alphabet printable file.

How about a milk and juice bar for a first birthday party? After all, you can let those sippy cups go empty! Here are simple step-by-step instructions from About.com,

From Kara's Party Ideas, here is a centerpiece that uses block letters. This centerpiece was used for a boy's second birthday party. You can paint the letters in any shade you desire or add some glitter. The possibilities are endless!

Having a cookie decorating party? Create these monogram aprons for your guests! Fiskars shows you how. 

These sea-glass initial cookies look too good to eat! The recipe is from 1 Fine Cookie.

Finally, the blog Stylish Children's Parties. provides suggestions for a navy-and-green boys' monogrammed-theme party.

To make a memorable monogram-themed party, surf the web, check your local party-supply store, or troll craft stores such as Michaels or AC Moore for inspiration.

It's now time for today's lists:

Hattie McDaniel

Black History Month Fun Fact of the Day: Hattie McDaniel was the first African-American performer to win an Academy Award for her portrayal of a maid in "Gone With the Wind." She was also the first African-American woman to sing on the radio.

Today's Birthdays: Dakota Fanning (21), Emily Blunt (32), Aziz Ansari (32), Josh Gad (34), Kelly Macdonald (39), Niecy Nash (45), Daymond John (46), Marc Price (47), Kristin Davis (50), Kirstin Dunst (50), Howard Jones (60), Patricia Richardson (64), and Peter Fonda (75).

Holidaze: We have two foodies holidaze going on today! First, it's National Banana Bread Day (yum!). This is a popular recipe for a quick-bread that uses mashed bananas and basic ingredients such as flour, baking soda, eggs, and sugar. You can add extras such as raisins, nuts, or chocolate chips.  It was in the 1930s that banana bread first became a standard in American cookbooks. 

Celebrate National Dog Biscuit Day with your pooch! Your pup deserves a treat all year round, whether it's for obeying a command or just showing your unconditional love. 

It was a busy week at the shop. We worked on some custom crossword designs, along with some movie-themed game orders. In March, we will be expanding our baby shower offerings and adding some new games for graduation parties. Of course, In keeping with our "100% customization" policy, we can include your monogram on all our games!

Have a PRINTASTIC day!

Kathy

Weekend Edition--The Battle for Best Picture

Good afternoon from another frigid day in NYC. However, I don't feel so bad since it's been cold in the south, too. 

Last night, I watched the series finale of "Two and a Half Men," along with the new version of "The Odd Couple." Both were pretty awful. However, "Big Bang Theory" handled the death of Howard's never-seen mother very well. If you remember, Carol Ann Susi, the actress who played Mrs. Wolowitz, passed away in November.

I just learned they are relaunching Laurel and Hardy cartoons. Can't Hollywood come up with anything new?

Speaking of Hollywood, today's blog post will cover the granddaddy of the Academy Awards--the Oscar for Best Picture. The award for Best Picture is the most prestigious of all since it represents the efforts of acting, directing, composing, editing, screenwriting, and technical achievements in a single film. Since the first award for "Wings" was handed out in 1928-29, there have been 520 pictures nominated for this award. Which one is your favorite? Here are some fun facts and trivia about this award.

• Only two novels that were made into films won both Best Picture Oscar and the Pulitzer Prize ("Gone with the Wind" (1939) and "All the King's Men" (1949)/
• Talia Shire is the only actor to have starred in three consecutive even-year Best Picture winners ("The Godfather (1972)," "The Godfather Part II," (1974), and "Rocky" (1976)).
• A handful of actors have starred in an Oscar-winning best picture two years in a row: Clark Gable, Walter Pidgeon, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep, John Gielgud, Ian Charleson, Russell Crowe, and John Goodman. 
• Adjusted for 2015 inflation figures, "Gone with the Wind" is the highest-grossing picture. However, "Titanic" is the first recent picture to gross over $1 billion at the box office. On the opposite end of the spectrum, "The Hurt Locker (2009), was the lowest-grossing Best Picture winner, with only a $14.7 million box office at the time of the award.
• "Gone with the Wind" was also the first all-color picture to win the Best Picture Oscar. The last entirely black-and-white film to win best picture was "The Artist "(2011).
• With a few exceptions, the most-overlooked genres in the selection of the Best Picture are science fiction, action-adventures, thrillers, Westerns, and comedies. These are known to the industry as "popcorn films."
• The longest Best Picture winner is "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962) (3 hours, 52 minutes). At just one hour and 30 minutes, "Marty" (1955) clocks in as the shortest Best Picture winner.

For more trivia about the Best Picture award, please check out Filmsite.org.

This year's nominations for best picture are:

• "American Sniper"
• "Boyhood"
• "Birdman"
• "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
• "The Imitation Game"
• "Selma"
• "The Theory of Everything"
• :"Whiplash"

Once again, the race seems to be between "Boyhood" and "Birdman." "Boyhood" won the Golden Globe for Best Drama. However, "Birdman" took home the big-three prizes from Directors Guild of America (DGA), the Screen Actors' Guild (SGA), and the Producers Guild of America (PGA). On the other hand, both "The Imitation Game" and "American Sniper" did very well at the box office. You never know what will happen in this race.

It's time for this weekend's lists:

Party Idea of the Day: Need table centerpieces for your Oscar party? Check out HG Do It Yourself for 30 different ideas! I like the way this table is decorated with chauffeur place cards and toy limousines.

All the Oscar party ideas I've been discussing over the past two weeks can also be tweaked for a movie-themed party, such as a bar/bat mitzvah or birthday milestone celebration.

Oscar Fun Fact of the Day: There are three films that have won the "Big 5 Awards" (Best Picture, Best Leading Actor, Best Leading Actress, Director, and Screenplay): "It Happened One Night" (1934), "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975), "The Silence of the Lambs," (1991).

Black History Month Fun Facts of the Day: Alexander Lucius Twilight was the first African-American to receive a college degree. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College in 1823 and went on to become a minister and educator.

Edward Alexander Bouchet was the first African-American to earn a Ph.D. in 1876. He was also the first African-American graduate of Yale in 1874.  He went on to teach physics and chemistry before becoming a high school principal.

Today's Birthdays: Rhianna (27), Jessie Mueller (32), Majandra Delfino (34), Chelsea Peretti (37), Lauren Ambrose (37), Brian Littrell (40), Lili Taaylor (48), Andrew Shue (48), Cindy Crawford (49), French Stewart (51), Ian Brown (52), Joel Hodgson (55), James Wilby (57), Anthony Stewart Head (61), Walter Becker (65), Peter Strauss (68), Brenda Blethyn (69), J. Geils (69), Sandy Duncan (69), Buffy Sainte-Marie (69), Nancy Wilson (78), and Sidney Poitier (88)

Tomorrow's Birthdays: Sophie Turner (19), Hayley Orrantia (21), Corbin Bleu (26), Ellen Page (28), Ashley Green (28), Charlotte Church (29), Jennifer Love Hewitt (36), Eric Wilson (45), William Baldwin (52), Ranking Roger (54), Christopher Atkins (54), Jack Coleman (57), Kim Coates (57), Mary Chapin Carpenter (57), Kelsey Grammer (60), William Peterson (62), Jerry Harrison (66), Alan Rickamn (69), Anthony Daniels (69), Tyne Daly (69), David Geffen (72), Peter McEnery (75), and Gary Lockwood (78).

Sunday's Birthdays: Daniel E. Smith (25), Zach Roerig (30), Tom Higgenson (36), James Blunt (38), Drew Barrymore (40!), Jose Solano (44), Clinton Kelly (46), Jeri Ryan (47), Paul Lieberstein (48), Rachel Dratch (49), Kyle MacLachlan (56), Ellen Greene (64), Julie Walters (65), John Ashton (67), Jonathan Demme (71), and Paul Dooley (87).

This Weekend's Holidaze: Awww, today is National Love Your Pet Day! This is a day to give some extra TLC your dogs, cats, birds, fish, and more. Personally, I've never owned a pet, but they give unconditional love, don't talk back, and are a major reliever of stress. So treat your pets to a new toy or just spend some extra time with them!

In the foodie category, it's National Cherry Pie Day. Since Sunday (2/22) is George Washington's actual birthday, this day is appropriately placed on the calendar. We all know the legend of George Washington and the cherry tree. This dessert was also a favorite of the English and they brought their recipes upon settling in the colonies.

Tomorrow is another foodie holidaze--National Sticky Bun Day! When Germans settled in Philadelphia in the late 18th century, they brought this recipe with them. A sticky bun consists of rolled pieces of leavened dough with brown sugar and/or cinnamon. Prior to baking, the pan is lined with "sticky" substances such as maple syrup, honey, butter, sugar, and nuts. They are a popular breakfast food but a treat in which I indulge only once in a while.

Sunday, we celebrate National Margarita Day! This is one of America's favorite bar drinks and is made with tequila, triple sec, and lime or lemon juice. You can also add different flavors such as strawberry, cantaloupe, blueberry, or even red chili.

We also celebrate National Cook a Sweet Potato Day on Sunday (to go with those margaritas!). Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of nutrition (vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, potassium, and iron). Best of all, they are only about 105 calories each!  With sweet potatoes, cooks can create dishes from casseroles to fries.

Today is Friday that only means one thing--another freebie from the shop! Today, we have a printable Oscar ballot for your viewing party. As usual, this is a JPEG file where you just right-click the picture, download to your hard drive, and print. This is for personal use only and not for sale.

Personally, I enjoy the red carpet coverage more than the actual awards ceremony. I also love seeing all the comments and snark about the ceremony on Facebook and Twitter.

Have a PRINTASTIC weekend!

Kathy

Gung Hay Fat Choy--Happy Chinese New Year!

Good afternoon! Wishing everyone "Gung Hay Fat Choy"  or  Happy Chinese New Year! In China, this holiday is also known as the Spring Festival. Celebrations run from Chinese New Year's Eve (the last day of the last month on the Chinese calendar) to the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated on the 15th day of the first month. The festivities will be celebrated by one-third of the world's population!

Chinese New Year dates back thousands of years and was initially a festival to honor deities as well as ancestors. The Chinese Zodiac is based on the Lunar Calendar, which is associated with the Chinese Zodiac. There are 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. You can calculate your Chinese Zodiac sign based on your birth year. I was born during the Year of the Tiger. This year, we are celebrating the Year of the Goat (which some people confuse with sheep).

Because Chinese New Year is a major celebration, there are many customs and traditions associated with the holiday. Those who celebrate clean their houses and throw out the things they no longer need. This is called "sweeping the dust," which symbolizes the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. "Sweeping the Dust" is similar to the custom of cleaning out the "chametz" (or leavened products, such as bread, cookies, pasta, and crackers) for Passover. Both traditions are considered forms of spring cleaning. 

Typical Chinese New Year''s Banquet

People buy food, decorations, and new clothing in the days before the New Year. This year, goat images will appear on the windows, as well as door gods, which symbolize power. Celebrants also place spring couplets, which are verses written in Chinese that are believed to ward off evil. Some people write them, but most are store-bought. Other decorations include New Year's paintings and paper cutouts. Paper cutouts can depict farming, myths and legends, flowers, or birds. 

Now comes the best part, the food. On the eve of the New Year, Chinese families get together for a big feast. The website Chow provides a list of 10 "good luck" foods for the New Year, including oranges, whole fish, long noodles, and sweets. 

Another tradition of the New Year is the red envelope. Children are given red envelopes by their parents, grandparents, and other relatives as New Year's gifts. The red envelope is a symbol of energy, happiness, and good luck to the receivers. However, there are some gifts you should never give for the New Year. China Highlights kindly provides a list of the "wrong" gifts, including sharp objects, anything with the number "4" (which is similar to the word for "death"), and shoes (the Chinese word is similar to that of "evil"). The site also lists traditions that have disappeared during modern times.

Red envelopes

Flushing has the largest population of Asians here in New York City and a bustling Chinatown. In that neighborhood, activities for the Lunar New Year are in full swing and continue through March. This includes Saturday's big parade down Union Street and 37th Avenue. In Manhattan (home of the original Chinatown), check out Chinatown Online for a list of their events. The holiday is also very popular in London and Hong Kong, where it's a big day for horse racing. 

Once again, for those who are celebrating, enjoy the festivities!

Now it's time for today's lists:

Oscar Party Idea of the Day: What Oscar viewing party would be complete without a popcorn bar? After all, it's a night about the movies? You can provide plain popcorn, along with a selection of toppings, for your guests. Good choices are chocolate pieces, various seasonings such as cinnamon and Parmesan, and toppings such as caramel drizzle and sea salt, Another choice would be to provide various types of popcorn, from plain to caramel to cheddar-flavored. From Hello Productions, here is a great example of a classy popcorn bar.

Oscar Fun Fact of the Day: Last year's Oscar telecast had an average rating of 25.6%. The ceremony is most popular in households with more than $100,000 in income (rating of 36.1) as well as those in which the head of the household had 4+ years of college  (rating of 32.8). The audience of the last five telecasts had a median age of 50. (Source: Forbes).

Black History Month Fun Fact of the Day: On February 19th, 2002, bobsledder Vonetta Flowers became the first African-American athlete to win a Gold Medal in the Winter Olympics. A native of Alabama, she was inducted into that state's Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.

Today's Birthdays: Victoria Justice (22), Bellamy Young (45), Benicio Del Toro (48), Justine Bateman (49), Jon Fishman (50), Jessica Tuck (52), Seal (52), Dave Wakeling (59), Jeff Daniels (60), Tony Iommi (67), Lou Christie (72), Smokey Robinson (75), and Carlin Glynn (75).

Holidaze: I'm in heaven because it's National Chocolate Mint Day! I love this combo in everything from peppermint patties to mint chocolate chip ice cream to Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies! Chocolate mint is a member of the herb family with edible leaves that taste like chocolate and mint. FYI, the Girl Scouts sold their first boxes of Thin Mint cookies in 1953.

Our weekend edition of the blog will cover the final major award before the big night: Best Picture. 

Have a PRINTASTIC day!

Kathy