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"For~Play": Party Props & Essential Event Decor - a list by tatorandtots
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About this list:
Don't make the mistake of rushing through 1st, 2nd and 3rd base on your Party Prep To Do List. You may get lucky and still score but no one will go home as satisfied as if you'd put a little time and creativity into it. Throwing a spectacular soiree- whether for 2 or 200- is a lot easier and more cost-effective than you might imagine. Really, it's not hard. (...she writes, giving herself little kisses for sneaking in a naughty pun.....) ~~ ~~ ~~Ready? Let's go.
Qualifications:
I've shamelessly done every type of event to come my way.
Disco Ball
First to recommend
3 people recommended this item
Description
Do I have one myself? I have three. Yep. Three. In different sizes from mega-huge to demure for different spaces. That's how much I love these and how often I use them.
All you need to transform a room- I've even used them in garages- into a fun and funky party palace is a ball and a pin spot. If you want to go all out you can grab the motor, but it's not absolutely necessary.
This is one item that is a small investment with a big pay-off. I promise you won't regret it and will use it more often than you might imagine.
And really, what a great XMas gift. Who expects to unwrap a disco ball???
Updated Jul 1, 2008
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Dazian Fabric Collection for Your Next Party
First to recommend
Description
How do you transform a 12,000 sq ft unfinished building into a multi-level simulated New York City on a limited budget in two weeks? Several late nights, a ladder and yards and yards of clearance-priced theatrical grade (flame retardant to pass fire code) fabric staple-gunned to the walls for a start. And a lot of cocktails for energy. It was actually kind of fun.
So imagine what YOU could do to your basement, garage, living room or whatever space you have that is in need of a little "somethin' somethin'" for the amazing party you plan on throwing.
The whole fabric genre is, in my opinion, a very underutilized decor category for home events. People spend more on- pardon the phrase- absolute crap they find in the "party supply" stores (which subsequently gets thrown out after) than they would have to if they instead grabbed some theatrical fabric and a few good lights. Not only does it deliver far more bang for the buck and cover a much greater area in your party blueprint but it can also be REUSED over and over in different ways. And just imagine your friends' reactions when they walk into your beige living room only to discover walls of deep red silk instead that night.
Check out the prices per yard in the Dazian clearance section, to get an idea. For far less than you would pay for most traditional banquet table length tablecloths, for example, you could buy even more sumptuous, elaborate fabrics from a theatrical supply source AND glass table tops from your local home improvement store to protect them.
Planning a wedding? Consider buying your OWN table coverings instead of renting. You'll get years of use out of them after.
Need new drapes? Aside from just perusing the fabric category here, make your way to the "Used Drapes" link where you may find gorgeous velvet drapes for a fraction of the price you would normally pay.
Decorating a room in your house? Or for one of your kids? You can scoop up some gorgeous silks in amazing tones and shades, take a staple gun and simply make a little pleat every several inches as you attach it to the wall. The effect is stunning. Simply stunning.
I tend to buy flame-retardant fabrics or if they aren't already certified that way, I grab a jug of the spray found on these sites and do it myself. Just takes a few minutes.
Have a look around and see what you think. I bet you'll be inspired.
Updated Jul 2, 2008
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Message in a Bottle bottles
First to recommend
Description
Ok, it's summer. You need to have a party. Really. You do.
And to show everyone how fabulous you are before they even arrive, here's an ultracool and inexpensive invite idea. Grab a case or two of these bottles and swing by your local craft store for packs of teeny beach balls and/or paper cocktail umbrellas. Pick up a bag of sand and some cute computer stationary (they even make some with burned-out edges, like a pirate scroll). Voila. You're already cool and they haven't even sampled your ham roll.
FYI- there are a lot of fun twists on the treasure map theme for this.
FYI #2- get extras and fill them creatively- like vertical dioramas- to use as table decor
FYI #3- for party entertainment, set up a "craft table" with these, sand and a variety of fun and funky fillers for them. It's a great keepsake for your guests to take home. To remember, once again, that you are a fabulous host/hostess.
And you can get these with boxes, too. Hand-deliver the invites or just swing by the post office. They're quite inexpensive to send- just remember to not go all-out crazy with the sand if you're mailing them due to the weight. As with most things in life, a few inches will do you. Not all things, mind you. But most.
Updated Jul 2, 2008
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Queen Double High Air Bed Air Mattress for Your Next Party
First to recommend
Description
Time to let you in on a little secret.... My most successful New Year's Eve party ever- EVER- owes a large part of its fabulosity to this inflatable mattress.
It was not a sex party. Let me stop ya right there, you dirty thing you.
Here's the scoop- I'd heard so many people complain for so long that NYE was too much pressure. They either didn't have a date or they didn't know what to wear or they DID know what to wear but their sassy new heels were causing blisters an hour after leaving the house or they got in a fight with their husband because he wouldn't admit he had to much to drink and wanted to drive.... blah blah blah. It's a night with a lot of hype but not a lot of fantastic success stories afterwards.
I got sick of all that yapping. So I decided to throw a party with a twist. A Pajama Party. Yep. You could come dressed HOWEVER you wanted or usually wear when you go to sleep (with the disclaimer that any nude sleepers would have to submit polaroids first before gaining Full Monty clearance. For the visual protection of all.)
The ladies who love to vamp it up could come in baby dolls and stilettos. The husbands who throw a fit when you try and get them out of the house twice a year could come in sweat pants and white undershirts. Flannel pajamas and cozy slippers were a favorite too. Basically, wear whatever you feel most comfortable in was the idea. Let all that come second to the drinkin' and the fun.
Oh, that worked well. To say the least. Not only did it add huge entertainment value because of all the different directions people took it in, but people kept commenting on what a RELIEF it was to just feel comfortable all night long. Really, really comfortable. So that was good.
Also good? The purchase of a couple of these air mattresses. Queen size is key. And while I put them on two-by-four pallets I quickly nailed together, I could have just as easily gone without that step. I tossed some colorful bedding and a ton of cushions on them, set a breakfast-in-bed type elevated tray in the center of each with hors d'oeuvres (sidenote: cereal bar was also a hit, as was the gourmet popcorn- think slumber party snacks) and voila! The place was transformed into a giant bedroom. Best of all, guests were told ahead of time they were welcome to crash there after and avoid the drive home. Which many did.
One of the best nights ever. And have since re-used those air mattresses for everything from camping trips to out-of-town holiday guests to napping zones in the backyard for the kids.
Love these.
Updated Jul 2, 2008
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PartyPhoton Party Lamps
First to recommend
2 people recommended this item
Description
When Debby Boone belted out "You Light up My Life" back in the day, she was unknowlingly handing me a decidedly uncool yet 'impossible to get out of my head' theme song.
How so? Let's just say I spend a decent percentage of time every month engaged in the activity known as Putting Up Lights. it may not be a Beijing-worthy sport but hey, there are some mad skillz involved. And always, always that song gets stuck in my head while I'm standing on some ladder somewhere.
Lights set a mood, change the ambiance, deliver a tone, highlight something wonderful, camoflauge, conceal, reveal, arouse and invite. They're pretty important to just about any event. A birthday cake with no candlelight? Not so happy.
So over the years, I've come across every imaginable way of facing the divine challenge, "Let there be light." I have an arsenal of timers, dimmers, strings, ropes, lanterns, washes, dj lights, pin spots, bulbs.... it's like God finished his "Let there be light" by handing me a trunk of crap and saying, "Ok, it's working. Now YOU deal with it. I'm going to go make a sandwich." Sigh.
Thus I wasn't expecting to be quite as impressed as I was with PartyPhoton.com's color-changing LED party lights and lanterns. I've used this type of product. A lot. An awful lot. They're all the same for the most part.
And that is where PartyPhoton differs. Right out of the box, I was impressed by the actual thought- HARK! yes, some companies seem to put real THOUGHT into the packaging of their product- and quality behind these lights. Take the hardware accessories, for example. There are SEVERAL styles of attachment hardware to choose from so that no matter what surface (treebranch, wire, etc.) you are going to hang these from, no scurry to the store or basement is needed. It's ALREADY included. I don't mean that one style is conveniently included in the box. I mean they give you A FEW to choose from. Amazingly rare.
The lights themselves assemble in seconds. You could open the box ten minutes before guests arrive and have them assembled and placed and be an inch or two into your first cocktail before the doorbell rings. So easy a husband could do it.
My daughter made a project out of timing how long the LED lasted. We were expecting 3 days of continuous usage, meaning once we turned the lights on they stayed on 24 hrs a day. The site itself said 50 hours with the enclosed replaceable standard AAA alkalines. She gave up tracking after 6 days. Over 6 days of lights. Incredible.
And as much as I wouldn't advocate leaving anything important outside in the rain, these little ladies had no one around to take them inside one day during a particularly ferocious thunderstorm. When I pulled in that night, every single one of them was still glowing and intact on the branches of the tree. Wow. Great quality there.
Finally, the last thing I'll mention: the colors themselves. the LED cycles through a gorgeous spectrum of colors, changing every 20-30 seconds. Instead of just the classic red, blue, green combos, hues like purple and turquoise can be seen rising up and then melting away. Really, really lovely.
So it's fair to say that I'm pretty damn impressed. For once, a company didn't just deliver on a product. They did it divinely.
Get these. You'll love them.
Updated Aug 16, 2008
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Floralytes
First to recommend
Description
I can't state this strongly enough- THESE ARE FANTASTIC!!! I have used them for parties at my house, large black-tie galas.... they are one of the quickest and most effective ways to add the "wow" factor to any shindig.
You can order them in many colors and replace the batteries- most importantly you can submerse them in water. You just grab one, twist it to turn on the light and stick it where you want it to go.
If I'm in a rush (when am I not?) and have guests en route, I grab a tall clear vase, stick some water glass rocks and a one or two Floralytes in the bottom and then place one long-stemmed rose in the center. It produces an ethereal glow that immediately sparks comments.
Really, there are thousands of ways to use these in your entertaining lifestyle so my advice is to keep at least a box on hand at all times. LOVE THEM!
Updated Dec 9, 2007
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Color Light dvd
First to recommend
2 people recommended this item
Description
Great for big events or a party at home. This 20-minute dvd will take you through the entire color spectrum.
Updated May 12, 2008
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Retro Color Changing Globe Lounge Light
First to recommend
Description
Very cool party prop/room decor item at a nice price.
AC adaptor so you won't plow through batteries.
Updated Jul 2, 2008
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Changing Color Floating Lights
First to recommend
Description
I just grabbed a couple for the hot tub and bathtub at my house. But here's another use- Party Prop. Think summer BBQ.... grab a couple of $5 inflatable kiddie pools and scatter 'em around with these in them. And water. I guess I should add that. I'm blonde so I know how it goes some days. Easy to get distracted and forget things. So don't forget the water.
Even better? Throw ice in the water. Lots of it. And beer, soda, coolers.... lots of those too. Now you've freed up table space that the bar area would have used and morphed into Martha Stewart with your creative use of inflatables at a non-sex toy event. Well, unless it actually IS a sex toy party. In which case, yay you!
Updated Jul 1, 2008
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4-Piece Polished Chrome Par16 Cans Set
First to recommend
Description
Never used par cans before? Ok. Take a deep breath and relax. Don't be afraid. You are about to enter the world of fabulous party lighting.
Feel free to start out more simply- this site and those like it carry single pin spots and separate gel filters (a colored film you place over the unit to change the color of the light) as well. You just grab a disco ball, for example, and point a pin spot at it. Voila. S-W-A-N-K-Y. Or use a can to flood a wall with color, backlight fabric for lush ambience or highlight an architectural detail. Or a tree. Whatever.
Even one will have quite a visual impact. But be warned- once you experience how powerful of a decor element these can be, you will want more.
Thus, ya might as well just give in to the craving you didn't even know you had until now and grab this gorgeous remote controlled polished chrome four piece LED set. Also available in black. Then go play. They'll be your new favorite toy.
Updated Jul 2, 2008
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