Happy Monday! If you caught the Cake Blog yesterday then you know that we are Super Bowl Bound! 

Whether you are a San Francisco fan or a Baltimore fan or just a football fan chances are you are planning to have a gathering of some sort to watch the game. Well, today's Party Blog is aimed at you!

 Obviously most of us are not having a big enough party to require invitations but how fun are these? 

 What you do need, however, is food and lots of it! Setting the theme is very easy. You can either buy a tablecloth that looks like the gridiron or make one! Just take a paper or plastic tablecloth and then use masking or white medical tape for the lines and scrapbooking number stickers for the numbers! That is most certainly what we are doing here at our house!

 But you don't have to stop with the food! Save up some larger empty cans, wash and dry them well and then tape brown construction paper on the outside and paint on some "laces"! Perfect for holding anything you want from your flatware to napkins to straws!

 If you look around this week you will see all sorts of football themed plates and bowls that are either paper or ceramic. If you have a lot of football themed gatherings during the season then invest a bit in the ceramic forms like the one shown above.

 For most of us, this is a once a year deal so paper works just fine. Remember that white medical tape you used for the yard lines? Well, if you have kids coming, wrap their juice boxes with more of the brown construction paper and use the tape for the laces! Perfect and easy!

 Yes, there will be a lot of different types of food at your party. Try to remember to serve a few veggies as well as the deep fried foods. One fun way to serve dips is to hollow out some cabbage heads and fill with dip! And there's no bowl to clean up in the end!

 Super Bowl Parties are not known for healthy food. But you can serve them in healthy portions and cook them in healthier ways. These mini chili bowls are just big enough to give your crew the option of chili in a smaller size.

 And these taco cups, filled with everything your crew loves about tacos, are baked! That makes them healthier right there while keeping the great taste.

 BIG sandwiches are a tradition on many Super Bowl tables. You can certainly make your own but many deli's are running specials this week so you could give yourself a bit of a break with this one.

 But if you are known for your sandwiches then take it one yard further and make your own on personal sized buns (ie: rolls) for your guests. These pulled pork with slaw sandwiches would be SO good to add to your buffet.

 Football themed foods are fun too. This cheese roll is a really fun way to add to your theme.

 And I just had to laugh at these Deviled Eggs. Regular eggs with green onion "laces". Perfect!

 With as cold as it is across the US this week I felt I needed to add a bit of sweet you can stir into your hot chocolate or coffee. These are just plastic spoons dipped into melted chocolate with melted white chocolate laces. Just dry them upside down and you have more perfect footballs for the table!

 And, while you definitely want something sweet, you still want it to be bite sized and easy to eat while sitting on a sofa! These football cupcakes from Cat's Cakes would be perfect. They are easy to make so hop on over to the blog to find out how to make them!

 While most of us are still stuck to the couch during the commercials there is always Half Time to fill. There is about 45 minutes of great musical acts that sound terrible with the poor sound system in the stadium so why not get up and play a game or two. If it's too cold to go outside then how about "Field Goal Pin"? Easy to tape up on any door...and you still have leftover brown construction paper from the decorating for the footballs right? Just use double stick tape on the back and you have a quick and easy game for your guests!

Warm enough to go outside or have a "safe" inside corner? Then challenge your friends to the Football Throw! See how well your couch potato friends can actually throw the pigskin and how many just talk a good game!

Whatever you do, make sure that there is enough food, and enough types of food for all of your guests. This is one of those parties where there can't be enough food or enough types of food to fill your table! Part of the fun of Super Bowl is the week of leftovers that follows so go crazy! Just make sure to buy some disposable containers for your guests to take home a "doggie bag" so they can share in the leftovers as well.

Have a great time and a fun party! We will be rooting for the 49'rs here in our home...our Bay Area Hero's...so I know we'll have a great time!

Next week I have a Vintage Wedding theme with a Modern twist for all of you Bride's out there still trying to figure out what direction to take for your wedding day! See you then!

Cat

 Happy Monday! The past two weeks we have been giving daily tips and craft ideas over at our Facebook fan site so today we are featuring a Valentine's Day Wedding Party Plan. 

 Yes, hearts and flowers are very much a part of this particular theme so why not start off with invitations that make it clear that this is the theme for your wedding day. These from Your Invitation Place start at just 1.06 each which includes the gorgeous lined envelope!

 Even double backed invitations are affordable. These are also from Your Invitation Place and start at just 1.27 each. VERY affordable!

 Make sure to play up the theme in your photographs. Have your photographer take shots that includes hearts or big red painted LOVE letters. SO cute!

 This doesn't mean your wedding can't be elegant. These amazing beaded bridesmaids dresses from Melissa and Beth are simply stunning. 

 There are so many glam heels out there that it would be hard to choose which one you want to wear but what if you are not a "heels" girl or walking on grass or sand? It doesn't mean you have to give up the Glam. These beaded flats from Jimmy Choo are so beautiful you will keep figuring out occasions to break them back out to wear after the wedding!

 For your dress you have lots of color options. With lining and big ribbons in red you can definitely add that gorgeous touch of color to your dress. Are you incorporating black into the color palette? Then tie with a black ribbon and carry red flowers! Beautiful!

 If you are a true fashion icon then maybe a white dress for this "red" day is just too tame. Well, rest assured that they now make red wedding dresses too! You would make quite the stir in this gorgeous gown on your wedding day!

This aisle look is so very very easy to attain! All you are doing is setting down a red carpet and covering it with an aisle runner that is partially see through. Scatter real or silk petals down the sides and then accent with red flower bouquets. Along with the standard white wedding chairs you have a beautiful setting for your walk down the aisle.

 If you are looking for a more simple "cute" idea for your aisle or maybe for the walk way up to the reception, then these little hearts on sticks is just so sweet! And it's easy to do too! Just double back construction paper hearts, different sized or same size, onto wooden skewers and stick them into the ground. You can use all different colors like they did here or just red, pink and white for your Valentine's Day theme.

Colored sand for your sand ceremony can be a beautiful touch, not only for your ceremony but also for your home after your wedding day. Do you have family members you want to include in your ceremony? Just give them their own color and layer them up inside the container or frame. 

 Scrapbooking stickers come in all sorts of colors and patterns. You can use them to write out little love sayings such as this one or use the sayings on Conversation Hearts. Frame them and set them up on your guest book table and gift table for an easy adorable detail for your day.

 Fortunately the color palette for a Valentine's Day wedding is an easy one to coordinate and decorate with for your reception space. Broad red ribbon tied into a simple knot will add a splash of color to each chair or even every other chair.

 And don't forget the area over your guests heads. Extra large balloons, size 3-4 feet, or paper lanterns along with twinkle lights will help to complete your space and add drama to the space as well.

 If you are having a more intimate setting with a smaller guest list then you can add more detail to each table with their own groupings of balloons or lanterns. If you only have 4 to 5 tables then you have the chance to really make a big splash with your budget.

 The details on your tables really matter as well. If you have decided to include disposable cameras to your party plan then make sure to get those that work with your theme. These "LOVE" cameras fit the Valentine's theme perfectly.

You can even fit your bottles of wine into the theme! Printing out labels you design or ordering personalized labels online will add another special touch to your tables.

If you used the hearts on sticks leading up to your altar or into your reception space you can use these little hearts to coordinate. Just paper hearts on toothpics and then stuck into Kisses makes these really easy to add to your day. You can scatter them onto the tables or use them as place cards. Cute!

 Mini champagne bottles are very hot this season. Why not tie on a heart covered paper straw with ribbon on each little bottle and set them out on a table for all of your guests?!

 Boxed favors can be the way you add the chocolate to your Valentine's Day theme. Just pop a few chocolates or Kisses inside a white wrapped box and top with red ribbon and a silk heart or flower. 

 And don't forget the kids! Just use plastic shovels, slip them into plastic candy bags and then fill with candy and tie with a ribbon. The kids will love it!

 Or just place colored M&M's into little glass jars and place at each place setting. You can get 20 of these jars for about 20 dollars at Michaels...use a 40% off coupon and you save even more!

And finally there is cake. This Valentine's Day Wedding Cake from Cat's Cakes would be the perfect final detail to your day. Pleated like the Groom's white cummerbund, topped with a red bow and ribbon and with the added detail of the LOVE plaque this cake fits the Valentine's Day Wedding theme perfectly.

Next week we focus on Super Bowl! We always throw a party for Super Bowl but we are looking forward to it even more now that the San Francisco 49'rs are going to be playing in it! So next week we'll share a great party plan to make your party even better in your home! See you then!

Cat

 Happy Monday! Today we spotlight one of my very favorite themes...Alice In Wonderland! We are huge Disney fans in our family, which is how we fell in love with Alice in the first place, but I have come to love the "Classic" version as well. We hope you enjoy our "Alice" Birthday Party Plan!

First comes the invite. There are SO many different ones in this theme that it would be hard to choose which one is perfect but I'm sure one like this one from zazzle.com would definitely fit the bill for most. 

If you want to incorporate more than just the usual wording consider these fun invitations. Keep in mind that you can always print out your own invitations at many of the websites so you can choose any wording that you like!

 This table was for an Alice themed Bridal Shower but uses all the fun elements that would work great for a birthday as well! From mismatched teacups to handpainted teapots to actual grass in the planters, each element plays well with the others to create this intimate whimsical tablescape.

 But if your party is anything but intimate you can add a lot of extra fun touches in a big space such as these multicolored hanging lanterns and twinkle lights for a bright and colorful presentation!

 A super easy detail are these clock face coasters made from cardstock and thin cardboard backing. Just print out the clock faces on your computer onto card stock and then use spray on adhesive to attach to the backings. Something fun for your guests to set their glasses upon.

One pack of these cards would allow you to place a few on each table as charming accents that continue your theme for hardly any cost!

 Banners are a huge part of parties this year and an Alice inspired banner is easy with all of the Alice themed stickers out there online. Using solid colored scrapbook paper for the background and fun heart covered paper for the top layer you can easily add all different fonts and colors of stick on letters and then a sticker or two of the Alice themed stickers for your accent! Perfect!

 Not everyone has such a perfect dessert server as this one but even a regular tiered tray (you could make one yourself with plates and candlesticks glued together) would work great for a formal service of tea and cakes for your party. One or two of these on each table would serve your charming appetizers as your guests take their seats.

 And what is an Alice party without hats? These from Oriental Trading Company are a low cost super fun way to include your guests into your theme. Just place one of these on each seat and let them be discovered!

 I also found rubber stamp sets online that could be used to create the traditional "Eat Me" "Drink Me" tags that can be attached to each cup or favor.

 And speaking of favors. If you do a quick search on "small bottles" you will find lots of choices for your party favors. Everything from these cute little bottles with stoppers to test tubes that stand up in a metal tray filled with a yummy drink (either alcoholic or not) or some fun candy to munch on would make an easy fun favor that fits the theme perfectly!

 And don't forget to get some fun "critters" to place around your venue. We loved these colorful versions of flamingos who's heads swayed between their extenda-legs with the slightest breeze. Too funny!

 Dessert can come in many forms with this theme so I couldn't just choose one version for this party plan. How about a wonderful dessert table which include teacups filled with cupcakes and topped with multi-colored frostings to start.

Then add in a woodland themed cupcake display that includes these totally cute "toadstool" cupcakes. These are easily made with red frosting and white M&M's!

Of course you could have a stunning cake like this one from Caketopolis as your grand centerpiece. This one is totally copyright safe because it doesn't feature any of the copyrighted characters but rather uses the "feeling" from Alice to make it undeniably Alice in Wonderland themed. Absolute Genius!

As I mentioned, we have done this theme before but with Alice there are just so many great ideas that you could do several parties of this theme without repeating a single idea! Too much fun!

See you next week with a Valentine's Day Wedding Party Plan!

Cat