Hello me again.
So you are probably wondering why I said simplicity is king. Well this was actually a hard lesson for us. I mean we have big personalities, we have lived on little in the past, and of course we are Texan, (Go Big or G0 Home, Ha). That’s what they say anyway. Ha
So we love it when we go all out, I mean like holiday all out for birthdays. I mean we are really happy to be alive and together as a family. But….we had to work within reason. So on some parties, especially random ones with out any reason, we had to work with what we had. Or we concentrated on making some crazy unusually decorated food. Ha
So in those simpler days I had what you call an arsenal of party supplies, plus tried and true methods to make it a party. Now I am going to quickly give you a new meaning to the word ‘party’. We needed laughter and fun, even if it came in the form of simpler pleasures. And we haven’t forgotten to include simpler pleasures in everything we do, even more elaborate parties. So every time we have fun we call it little parties. When the whole family is together having fun, even unplanned we call them little parties. If many months would go buy and life got really, really mundane, we would plan a party. It is a great stress release and its never perfect but always a fun time.
FOOD
So I am going to start with food. What is a good time without food, right? Check out the picture above. I found that online and it is sited from Ilovevegan.com. It is actually an awesome idea, definitely going to try it. My family and all of the friends through the years loved a finger food buffet, especially decorated or in some odd fancy container or dish. Not sure why, but finger foods, chips and dip, cookies and what ever else that is finger accessible or tiny and adorable get raves every time! Crazy right?!?
We have done color themed where all of the food is one color, and even rainbow. We have put the food in all kinds of decorative dishes, toys, handmade containers, and even a tea kettle. Just make it funny. I found sticking to a theme that you have come up with helps, but odd ball works too. I love getting the funniest things to put food in at the different dollar stores or party stores. Even antique stores or yard sales. And don’t forget the clearance aisles, no matter what. You see, when you come across dishes, etc, that are out of the sets then new creative inspirations occurs.
Now just like the pic above you can find all kinds of fun creations to try. I know, those artists and creators are good, they are taking good pictures too, ha. But the fun is when everyone at the party tries to help put those funny things together. Put all of the ingredients out on the table, in funny containers of course, and let everyone have a blast. The messier the better.
This can be done with all kinds of buffet ideas, like tacos, baked potatoes, etc. But reach out and try some crazy ideas. Like sushi, with odd crazy ingredients. Or sandwiches with ingredients you would never expect to eat on a sandwich and dare everyone to at least try it for a prize. The prize could be a funky dessert. Ha
So many odd ideas that make life fun. We will be mentioning so many as the blog continues.
DECORATIONS
Here is another fun thing to do that makes any mundane Wednesday night, party night. Why not? So, now we come to the arsenal. I have all kinds of Rubbermaid boxes in my storage room and garage. Color coordinated too. There is one that is a old military trunk the soldiers would use to move. That is my everyday party box. Back in the day it would hold some crazy things. It still does, but it varies as you go along. I just wanted to share how we got started on this crazy little party journey.
I would keep things on hand like old bright colorful sheets that are great curtains, table clothes and can be cut into strips to hang in the doors. We even cut a bunch and braided them a lot and made a huge party rug for the main room. Great for movie parties. I kept colorful light bulbs to put into the ceiling fan lights, and even in the kitchen and hallways. I love to have every color of paper plates and utensils on hand. You always find these on the clearance aisles, especially at the party stores. Balloons are a must, every kind and every color there is. So much can be done with balloons and they never lose the fun factor. Rolls of streamers in every color! Oh my gosh the list is endless what we have done with those. Simple craft supplies are a must. It is like having that simple tool box or first aid kit. So much can be done with various tapes, glues, pins, tacks, nails, hammer, and so on. And of course paper. Colorful paper for sure. Another given is candles. All kinds and shapes of candles and candle holders. Now remember the crazier the candle holder the better. Another phenomenal thing is posters. Yes posters. They can be hung up as decorations or cut up into some funky collages. They list goes on. Again more will come to mind as we go through the blog.
MUSIC
Now this is another way to livin up any time any day. I will play music sometimes that is what is current and a mix of what each child or person likes. But sometimes I get a little crazy, and play extreme oldies or some music from another culture we are not familiar with or something we never heard of. Sometimes it is from a movie or play or orchestra. Just have fun with it. It is always fun to stick to a them as well. We have gotten out pans, spoons, cups and even used our hands and made a funny beat. Then we would make up a funny song by each person adding a line as we go in a circle and then we all have to remember it. Its a fun laugh. And don’t forget to dance. I know not everyone is fond of dancing, but it helps to make it funny. Like alien dancing or monster dancing. Its so oddball its hard to call it dancing, right?
GUESTS
This has always been a stickler for a lot of folks. Let me tell you have fun and decorating or dancing in your socks can be a blast on the one night you actually get to be alone, ha. Or it is an awesome way to bond and have fun with the family no matter how old anyone is. We have had some of the neighborhood kids fall in love with hanging out at our house for the parties. The kids would have friends over and we always invite people from work, school, the gym, and where ever we frequent. One time I invited my entire neighborhood to a party. Now it wasn’t a huge neighborhood, only about 25 houses. So not too bad. The biggest response I got at first was is it a MLM or a Tupperware party. Ha I was amazed but that was a tactic that would be used to get people to come to their demonstrations. So I had to do some convincing. I had an outdoor party so they could see it wasn’t a party to sell stuff, only to get to know my neighbors. When it finally happened it was a great time. We did sack races and volleyball.
And remember parties are definitely not just for kids, they are for everybody. I have enjoyed the company of neighbors that were in their 90s dancing with the best of them. They also had the greatest funniest stories. We had one neighbor who set up a big screen movie in their yard. Adults got to hang out to Tikki lights and wine while the kiddos slept. Look the idea is to enjoy life and not take it so seriously.
