Scurvy Prevention

Sometimes the idea for a party starts with one little detail that titillates me.  Scurvy prevention orange boats make me want to have a Pirate Party.  Well, that and rum drinks.  You could puddle a piece of blue fabric on your table and write your guest's name on the sails (S.S. Herkemer).  The options for scavengers hunts are limitless.

Factory Party

Another party I did not have time to throw was a Factory Party.  The Factory was Andy Warhol's famous New York Studio during the 60's.  Almost every surface was silver so that makes decorating a cinch.  Silver Mylar Balloons were actually first created at the Factory for a Velvet Underground show.  They also ran around injecting people with speed during that show---so maybe stop short of that authentic touch.

My party thoughts are this:  turn on some Velvet Underground or Lou Reed, drop $25.00 at Dollar Tree for Mylar balloons, and create a four panel print of each of your guests.  There are plenty of computer applications that do it for free.  If you are feeling particularly brave you can watch one of Warhol's movies but you may be better served by a movie about the old silver weirdo himself like Factory Girl, or I Shot Andy Warhol.

Free to Be

One party I am very sorry never came to fruition was the Free to Be You and Me Party based on Marlo Thomas' fantastic film from 1972 (coincidentally, my birth year).  I made a table runner before Shindig Spree even started with this party in mind.  I pictured the film projected on the side of the house at twilight  paired with a ice cream social.  I found these glass ice cream cone containers for this very purpose.

You can watch Rosey Greer singing "It's Alright to Cry".  That one is my personal favorite.  But there is also Alan Alda singing "William Wants a Doll" and, ironically, a young Michael Jackson and Roberta Flack singing "You Don't Have to Change at All".  I will still have this party.  Someday.

That's Nacho Party

I have talked with some friends about hosting a "Good Bad Movie Night" party series.  I would love to have a Nacho Libre Party.  It is not for everyone:  it is lowbrow, dumb, dim humor.  But it makes me cackle like crazy.  You could lay out a lovely nacho bar plus corn on a stick.

For party activities, other than watching the movie, you could design your own wresting masks either by decorating cotton face masks or just applying face paint directly to your face.  Alternatively, you could cut the fingers off of white cotton gloves and design lucha libre masks for your thumbs.  Thumb wrestling tournaments!  I would make brackets with everyone's wrestling names. 

Clowns ARE Scary

Alright, here is the score:  four weeks left and only one party remaining.  The final party will be on March 19th and called "Orange You Glad It's Done?"  It started as a working title and then it just kinda stuck.  I did an audit the other day just to make sure I really had done all 51 parties and it is legit!  Huzzah!  There is a bittersweet feeling as this all ends.  I have enjoyed it very much.  I joked to a friend that I needed to develop some soundbites because it very much seemed like a normal year, just one where I threw 52 parties.  As I am winding down it occurs to me that I did not have all of the parties that I had planned.  Often spontaneous parties took precedence over the scheduled ones.  For instance, how can you not have a party when Betty White is hosting Saturday Night Live?  I will use these last few weeks to share some of the unsung parties with you.

 

My friend Mary tells her son, "Clown are like bees, ignore them and they will leave you alone."  I really wanted to have a Scary Clown Party and even found this vintage paint by number set.  I used Matte Transfer Gel to make additional paint by numbers on canvas for guests.  Snacks would have included circus peanuts, cotton candy, hot dogs and the like.  I made this tray shortly after deciding to follow through with Shindig Spree.  I did not use it for any of my parties.  Fifty one missed opportunities.  I was going to teach myself to make balloon flowers for decorations.  Insert sad clown nose honk here.