One of my favorite themed party’s is circus themed. Not sure what to wear? Check out some of my suggestions below.
The Circus with Style
Tag Archives: themed party
Stylish Superhero Costumes
Not sure what to wear to your kids/kids friends superhero themed party? Or maybe you want to throw a adult superhero party on your own. Here are some creative ways to be a superhero with style!
Click on the image to get more ideas and get more superhero costume ideas.
4th of July Party with a “BANG”
The 4th of July is vastly approaching and so is your planning preparation. The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays. It’s a great chance to get together and enjoy a great barbeque, fireworks and spend time with family and friends.
If you are looking to organize your own party this year use these 4th of July suggestions.
Appetizers
Consider serving appetizers since most guests struggle with travel, getting the kids together and parade traffic not everyone will arrive at the same time.
- Have mini-burgers
- Blue , Red, and White tortilla chips with salsa
- Blueberry, strawberry and Banana fruit tray
Main Course
For the main course I would suggest sticking to the classics. Nothing says 4th of July like a good old hamburger and brats. If you are looking for a twist on the classic consider these hamburger suggestions from punchbowl.com.
“The All American” – bacon, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo
“Uncle Sam’s Favorite” – barbecue sauce, Cheddar cheese, onion rings, lettuce, tomato, mayo
“Hot as Fireworks” – jalapenos, pepper-jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, chipotle mayo, hot salsa
“Declare Your Independence”- Set out a variety of burgers and toppings for guests to make their own burger creations. Encourage guests to come up with patriotic names for their burgers, then share the names and ingredients with other guests! Here’s everything you need to set up your burger bar:
- Burger patty: beef, turkey, garden burger, etc.
- Vegetables: lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions, mushrooms, etc.
- Cheeses: American, Cheddar, Swiss, Provolone, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Gouda, Brie, etc.
- Sauces and condiments: ketchup, mustard, Tabasco, A-1, Worcestershire Sauce, ranch, etc.
- Additional toppings: relish, bacon, pineapple, guacamole, onion rings, etc.
Desert
Use Better Crocker’s Recipe for fruit pizza but with a twist by using the fruit to design an American flag.
Or conside
r some of these tasty Pinterest treats.
Which include Chocolate sprinkeled pretzel sticks and strawberries.
Entertainment
Pull out the old backyard games. Big hits include:
- Bean bag toss
- Horse Shoes
- Latter golf
- Bocce Ball
- or create your own 4th of July game
Beverages
Get inspired with Independence punch
What you need:
- Cranberry Juice
- Blue Gatorade Frost
- Diet 7-Up
- Ice cubes
How to Make it:
- Fill your container with ice
- Pour In the Cranberry Juice.
- Next Pour in the Blue Gatorade Frost, BUT make sure that when you’re pouring the Blue Gatorade Frost that you pour straight onto some of the ice to gently add the layer. If you pour it directly into the juice it will mix!
- Next, pour in the Diet 7up, also pour onto an ice cube to prevent them from mixing.
Last but not least every good party needs a great playlist. Here is a patriotic lists of music to add to your ipod. (created by punchbowl.com)
- “Spirit of America” — The Beach Boys
- “Travelin’ Soldier’ — Dixie Chicks
- “Star Spangled Banner” — Jimmy Hendrix
- “R.O.C.K. in the USA” — John Mellencamp
- “Independence Day” — Elliot Smith
- “America” — Neil Diamond
- “American Pie” — Don McLean
- “Fireworks” — Louis Armstrong
- “America the Beautiful” — Frank Sinatra
- “4th of July” — Shooter Jennings
- “Shed a Little Light” — James Taylor
- “American Girl” — Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
- “Light the Fuse”— John Mayall
- “Stars and Stripes Forever” — Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
- “Yankee Doodle” — Broadway Quartet
- “You’re a Grand Old Flag” — Mormon Tabernacle Choir
- “God Bless America” — Celine Dion
- “American Woman” — Lenny Kravitz
- “Red, White and Blue” — Lynyrd Skynyrd
- “The West Point March” — United States Army Band
- “This Land Is Your Land” — Pete Seeger
- “Born in the USA” — Bruce Springsteen
- “God Bless the USA: Proud to be an American” — Lee Greenwood
Throwing a Themed Party
Now let’s be honest who doesn’t enjoy a themed party? I know some people think they don’t like them but really they do. So let me give you 10 easy steps to throwing a memorable themed party.
Step 1: Pick your theme
I know that this sounds like a simple tasks but there are so many options to choose from. Here are some different categories as well as my favorites from each one.
Image by Lakeside Reflections
Decade Themed
- The 1920’s – have your guests dress in flappers and incorporate fun old fashion drink ideas.
- The 1960’s – get back into the groove with bell bottoms and tie-dye
- The 1990’s – Retro, remember all those things from your past that you are embarrassed of now. Let them out, where those jean jackets, hot pink pants and plastic sunglasses.
Movie Themed
- Alice in Wonderland – Play crochet with plastic flamingos and melt wax into tea cups to create your own excentric tea party.
- Dr. Seuss – Use pool noodles to create Seuss trees, wear your hair in wires with braids, be Seuss like.
- Glee – Have a karaoke bar for all your friends to sing and dance.
- Harry Potter – Keep water and dry ice in caldron to create a misty environment, serve up butterbeer and chocolate frogs.
Games and Toys
- Candy Land – Create a game board on your sidewalk or floor, use pool noodles to create large candy canes and create oversized gum drops out of bean bag chairs.
- Barbie – Have all your friends dress up like their favorite Barbie or Ken, such as Malibu Barbie, vet Barbie or bride Barbie.
- Superhero – Dress up like your favorite super heroes, classics include Captain America, Batman, Superman and more.
- Angry Birds – Set up wood structures and a sling for your friends to play life-size angry birds.
Additional Themes
- Casino /Vegas
- Christmas Themed
- Circus
- Around the World
- Academy Awards
Step 2: Create the Agenda
Have a general idea of how you want the party to flow. You should have your agenda in place before you do any shopping so that you can prioritize the list and make sure you have everything you need.
Some agenda items include:
- Time for food and snacks
- Socializing
- Games
- Backyard fire pit, desert time such as s’more making or ice cream bar.
- Any other activites you want to include in your party
Picture by Wazzupolitan.com
Step 3: Create your List
Your list should include
- Napkins
- Plates
- Decorations
- Food
- Drinks
- Games
- and anything else you might need for the day
Step 4: Create your Guest List
You should be sure your guest list is one of the frist things you do when planning your party. This gives your guest enough time to RSVP and to prepare costumes, present or food items.
Make sure to keep in mind the type of people you are inviting. You want to make sure that the people you invite will participate. For those that wont you may want to have extra small things that they can wear or use if they show up unprepared.
Step 5: Invitations
This is the best way to communicate to people your theme. Your invitations should be in line with your theme as well as direct instructions as to what they should come with, what they should wear, and what the general idea for the day is.
Example: Fiesta theme, your invitation can be a mexican flags and say “Come prepared to dance and drink and be sure to wear your favorite sombrero.”
Step 6: Create a Budget
Creating a budget will help in knowing how much you can spend on games, food and decorations. You want to stay within your budget. So plan your budget early on because it may also determine the amount of people you invite to your party.
Step 7: Decorations
There are lots of great places you can find decorations for themed parties. PaperWarehouse, PartyCity as well as general places like target and the grocery store. Sometimes the best thing to do is to be creative and have an open mind when envisioning your party. You may want to take a look around the house first to see if there are any items you currently have that fit into your theme.
Step 8 & 9 : Keep the Party Moving & Have a Backup Plan
Make sure that you have extra games, extra food and a back-up location in case you have unexpected rain. The best way to keep your party moving is to make sure you have things to keep kids busy, have drinks to people to mingle with and make sure that all major issues are being handled. Back-up plans are crucial to a good party. Not only for location but also for games. In case one game bombs maybe have a few extras in your back pocket just to make sure.
Step 10: After party
No I don’t mean the “after party”. what I mean is what do you plan to do when the party is over. If you have a lot of things to clean up make sure you have some help, if you have tables or decorations that need to be returned make sure they are put in the correct spot for easy return. Most people are willing to help after the party ends but just make sure you have a plan in place.
Happy Planning!
missmyrvold 