PARTY THEME: HOST A SPRING PLANTING PARTY AND BUILD A GARDEN!

Martie Duncan March 31, 2015

Need a great party plan for SPRING? When the weather starts to get warm, most of us are ready to freshen up outdoor spaces or get the garden started after a long winter. My Planting Party is one of my very favorite party ideas. It is not only fun- my number one criteria for a party- but it's also a great way to get kids and adults together to grow vegetables which will result in greater interest in healthier eating and the benefits will continue to grow and grow! Any occasion is right for a planting party: a birthday, wedding, bridal shower or wedding party at your house, neighborhood party, family reunion, or community garden day. You really don't need a reason to host a planting party. It's one of those do-good, feel good types of parties that I love!

Other dates to consider are Earth Day (April 22) and Arbor Day (the last week of April in most states) coming up and Mother's Day. Wouldn't it be wonderful to makeover your mom's patio or yard with some colorful new flowering or vegetable plants? Get my ideas for a spring yard makeover get-together...

GETTING STARTED

Many schools, youth organizations, and neighborhoods are growing community gardens. But if you don't have that movement happening in your area, start one! You don't need a lot of people. You can start small. Ask a couple of neighbors to participate and split the cost and the responsibilities of maintenance.

hosting a planting party for a community garden

how to build a community garden or host a planting party

There are plenty of sites with information on community gardens including tips on everything from getting started to funding. First you'll need a site. Once you have that, the rest is easy.

AMERICAN COMMUNITY GARDENING ASSOCIATION

URBAN HARVEST

ABC NEWS: HOW TO START A COMMUNITY GARDEN

THE PARTY PLAN

Think old-timey barn raising-- remember when neighbors would help a family build a barn? Friends would show up with tools and the barn would go up. The family would feed the guests or everyone would bring pot-luck. This is the same premise. Invite friends to come build a garden or plant an existing space.

GUEST LIST

If it is a community garden, invite the neighbors who will want to share in the chores and in the results. Start small; with one or two families. Once the garden is established, you can add to it each year and the planting party becomes an annual event.

If it is your own backyard garden, promise friends some of the harvest in return for lunch and a fun day outside. If the party is for a birthday or Mother's Day, guests can bring plants as gifts or contribute to a fund to supply them.

SUPPLIES

Provide all the tools you will need to plant and ask guests to bring what they have, too. You will want to have the ground tilled and prepared before guests arrive. Tillers can be rented in many home improvement or equipment rental stores. You will want to have a "survival kit" for guests including sunscreen, bug spray, wipes, bandanas, and inexpensive gardening gloves. You can find all of these supplies at the dollar store.

FOOD AND DRINKS

The host provides lunch and plenty of cold beverages. Keep it simple. Offer a picnic menu of sandwiches, a chilled salad, some fruit, and some homemade treats. My salad in a jar is perfect for a quick lunch on work day. You can prep in advance and store in the fridge or a cooler until it's time to eat. Put the dressing in the bottom of the jar. Guests simply shake it up and grab a fork. Get the how-to for my salad in a jar...

Have some Popsicles on hand for a mid-afternoon treat and for the adults, my Sangria Pops are refreshing and fun. Get the recipe for my Sangria Popsicles...

A big dispenser with chilled water, lemonade, and/or Sweet Tea (I'm from the South where Sweet Tea is essential) will keep everyone hydrated and happy. Plus, the serve-yourself option always makes hostess duties easier. Or, if you don't have a large dispenser, fill up a tub, wheelbarrow, or large planter with ice and chill your favorite beverages. I personally like the wheelbarrow because you can move it around easier. As the sun shifts, you can move the drinks into the shade so the ice won't melt.

DECORATIONS

While not mandatory, decorations certainly make the event more festive. Look at the pretty decorations from our own Garden Makeover party. Garden supplies that guests can take home after the party are a great idea. I love these colorful ceramic toadstools from JJ Potts. You don't have to set the table if you have a big crowd- just let everyone serve themselves. The place settings look fancy but they are paper or melamine- very easy for clean up afterwards.

Neutral colored painter's dropcloths found at the hardware store make an easy tablecloth (even the edges are hemmed) and your flowers for the garden can be used as a centerpiece.

PARTY THEME: HOST A NEIGHBORHOOD CAROLING PARTY FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Martie Duncan June 13, 2014

This has to be one of the coolest holiday traditions I know about. My in-laws (ex) host a huge neighborhood caroling party on the 23rd of December each year. It started out as an actual house-to-house caroling party but quickly evolved to a party at their home with a hundred folks gathered around the two beautiful Steinway concert grand pianos in the music room. (She's a classically trained pianist and has played at Carnegie Hall, twice!)

All of the neighbors come and bring a dish, many of them have become almost as much of a tradition as the party itself. The college kids always make it home from school in time for this party... everyone arrives early and stays late. Certain songs are sung each year and people wrangle for the best parts. The Twelve Days of Christmas parts are handed out and some of the youngest kids have a chance to perform, too. Many of the neighbors are also talented musicians and singers; many are involved in local theater and very respected church choirs. In other words... the music is good. Now, I am sure you are wondering how I am involved and why I still get to go even though it is the ex-in-laws... well, I bring all of the fresh cut greenery from the farm and help do all of the decorations. And I'm fun :)

This is a party for all generations and a wonderful tradition you should start in your own neighborhood.

THE FOOD

Like I said, everyone pitches in and the host provides the beverages and a couple of the most requested dishes. Amy's Egg-Nog is also one of the highlights... in both high-test (spiked with bourbon) and regular versions. Sam's famous Erma Bombeck Dip has been a Christmas tradition as long as I can remember. But it doesn't last long!

THE DECORATIONS

Since the house is already decorated for the holidays, decorating is easy. Vases of fresh greenery, Poinsettias, and candles (where the kids cannot knock them over) are all you need. Snip the ends of greenery and keep it outside in buckets of water until party day. Put your arrangements together the morning of the party and they should stay fresh through the holidays.

THE ENTERTAINMENT

Print copies of your favorite Christmas carols and staple them together so guests can have the words in front of them. If you are not lucky enough to have a concert pianist in your group, call the local college music department or a nearby church... and if you don't have a piano, get someone who can bring a keyboard. If all else fails, there are plenty of sing-along CD's or Karaoke tracks available. Have a well-rounded mix of carols to sing... include classics like Oh Holy Night to popular hits like Santa Baby and Rocking Around the Christmas Tree. One of the highlights of this party is when the men sing "Walking 'Round in Women's Underwear" to the tune of Walking in a Winter Wonderland. It is hysterical to see bankers and lawyers and even cops singing that one.

Here's to the holidays... create some memories with those you love. And your neighbors, too!

Photos: Arden Photography

PARTY THEME: HOST A SANTA'S COOKIE WORKSHOP PARTY

Martie Duncan June 11, 2014

I remember baking holiday cookies with my mom. I'd drag up a kitchen stool and stand on it while she mixed up the batter then she would let me spoon them onto the baking sheets. Baking cookies and cookie decorating is a timeless holiday tradition and creates wonderful memories for the kids in your family. Make this cookie workshop an annual party the week before Christmas. It’s a perfect holiday party theme for schools, churches, and neighborhoods, too.

A Santa's Cookie Workshop party is so easy to host and each child gets to take home his/her own special cookies for Santa.

holiday party ideas cookie decorating party for kids

Easy party decorations include cookie cutters and small kitchen tools as tree decorations.

Let the kids create their own cookie masterpiece for Santa.

Cookie Workshop Party MyRecipes.com 3.jpg

This is the perfect last minute party for kids hanging around the house waiting for Santa to arrive. They can make their own cookies to leave for Old St. Nick and all you need to throw the party is listed below.

Send an email or even call in your invitation since it is last minute during the busy holiday season. Do ask for an RSVP... you need to know how many guests are coming so you don't overbuy supplies.

Bake plenty of plain cookies for the kids to decorate before party time.

I usually bake all of the cookies in advance so the party doesn't take all day. I'll let each child cut out a few cookies when they arrive in their favorite holiday shape so there is that delicious smell of cookies baking as the party progresses. I like to make vanilla sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies and let the kids decorate them especially for Santa.

Clear off or pop up a large table and cover it with white or brown Kraft paper you can get at the craft store.

Put brown paper over your table to protect it. Place all of the decorating supplies in low plates or shallow bowls to make it easy for little hands.

Line the center of the table with supplies like tubes of icing, sprinkles, candies, gum drops, etc.

Make a work station for each child and write their name above it in crayon so they know where they are to create their cookies.

Design a few simple cookies in advance so the children can have an example.

Food and beverages should be simple. I like to offer bite size treats with a hot chocolate bar for this party. Keep it simple and self-serve so your hosting duties are easy.

Set up a pretty buffet of cookies and candy plus coffee, hot tea, hot cocoa, and other holiday favorites.

A few party games, caroling, a holiday movie, or a visit from Santa can keep the kids occupied while their creations dry. Make sure to have some paper bags, tin containers, Asian take-out boxes, or foil wrap available so guests can pack up their cookies to take home after the party.