Party Favorites on Shine

Speak For Yourself: Do you do patriotic party decorations?

nospam@example.com ()

Trust me, I am all for theme parties (and if costumes are involved, even better). But part of what I like about a theme party is choosing the theme; at Fourth of July parties, it is decided before you send the first invitation. So then the question becomes, do you go all-out stars-and-stripes-and-Uncle-Sam-hats, or just use some combination of red, white or blue party supplies to set the mood. Or do you skip the patriotic thing altogether and just focus on the food? I scanned the Independence Day-themed items on Plumparty.com and found plenty of options for all of the above.
So now, the informal poll: Which of these items would guests most likely find on your Fourth of July table:

The literal and cheap: set of three stars and stripes snack bowls for $4. You won't be using these again (and they wouldn't hold up even if you wanted to).

Party Favorites: Wine gift tags

nospam@example.com ()

I don't know why it is that there are so many tacky wine-related accessories out there—I shuddered at the wave of wine glass charms that flooded the market a few years ago (apologies if you didn't; it's a personal, irrational shuddering)—and although I like the idea of cute wine tags to add to hostess-gift bottles, they are often lacking in the style department. Leave it to (previous Blog Crush of the Week nominee) SwissMiss to find some that are actually funny and charming. Popptags come in a set of 6, each with a different message, like, "Nothing says thank you like a bottle of wine I know nothing about." Ah, it hits so close to home! All that's missing is one that says, "I picked this just because I thought the label was cute." $19.99, popptags.com [via SwissMiss]

(Click through to see the rest of the tags.)

Party Favorites: custom-printed wooden ice cream spoons

nospam@example.com ()

[Ed. note: Since these are a little splurge-y, I can almost see them more as something you'd get for a summer outdoor wedding, with the bride and groom's names stamped on them. What do you think? I wonder if you could also try buying blank wooden spoons and stamping messages on them yourself. I suppose the ink might come off on your fingers, but it could be cute while it lasts. Has anyone out there ever tried it?]

Paper+Cup's customizable Wooden Icescream Spoons are the perfect addition to your next pool party or birthday. Choose your own text or Paper+Cup's signature design (for an additional cost) that is hot-stamped into the wood.

Party Favorites: the perfect white plates

nospam@example.com ()

When it comes to dinnerware, my school of thought centers around the idea that if it's all white, it all works–indoor, outdoor and for any occasion. Matte or shiny, organic or finished, the most interesting table settings are made up with pieces from different sources and styles—which really comes in handy for accommodating small groups or big ones at a moment's notice.

The 9x9 inch Plaza square dinner plate is a Heath Ceramics classic. $33 per plate.

Party Favorites: customizable banners

nospam@example.com ()

About a month ago, I was knee-deep in planning a semi-surprise 30th-birthday party and simultaneously neck-deep in planning the launch of this site. The conditions were far from ideal for pulling off a once-in-a-lifetime affair with handmade decorations and party favors (although I did manage to pull off homemade cupcakes). Anyway, as I was frantically scouring the racks of the local party-supply shop just before the big day, I absentmindedly picked up a shiny-lettered Happy Birthday banner, only to find out when I got home that it was actually a make-your-own whatever-you-want-it-to-say banner. Now, perhaps I am easily excited, but I think this is just the kind of detail that is even more fun to mess with because it flies under the radar. You expect the shiny letters to say "Happy Birthday", and then when they say, "You're a real dinosaur now," or "Hope you wore some butt pads because you're about to get spanked," it's even more subversive.

Party Favorites: cut-out cupcake papers

nospam@example.com ()

If North America were to be suddenly and violently smothered in volcanic ash and preserved, Pompeii-style, as a giant 3-D time capsule of western life in the 21st century, and scientists and anthropologists came back to study it in a few thousand years, I would only be a little bit surprised if they determined that our current stage of human development should be called The Cupcake Age. Specialty cupcake shops have flooded our cities, leaving a trail of icing-dotted noses and crumpled wrappers in their wake, and cross-town flour wars have even broken out over whose goodies reign supreme. Not that I can't understand why—I mean, cupcakes are delicious, after all, and not even that dangerous since the portion control is built-in. Most important, they are perfect for parties—no slicing, no fumbling with stacks of plates—and Estilo Weddings' beautiful, laser-cut cupcake wrappers make them just that much more festive.

Party Favorites: art-photo jigsaw puzzle

nospam@example.com ()

Welcome to Party Favorites, the place where I’ll be sharing ideas for entertaining others, entertaining yourself, and occasionally, just being entertained. This week’s idea is to buy a modern, almost-avant-garde jigsaw puzzle. Now, I can imagine that you might want to dispute the...

Party favorites: non-scary children's masks

nospam@example.com ()

Hosting a children's party in which all the kids wear masks seemed like a really bad idea in the movie El Orfanato (The Orphanage): I mean, it is a horror film after all. What's scarier than a bunch of strange kids who could be ghosts or killers (or both!) all running around in creepy masks that completely obscure their identities? (Don't make me post the photo. Okay, I can't help myself. Scroll to the bottom if you want to see it. I'll make it tiny, though.) Anyway, then I saw Holly Becker's post about affordable art for kids on RealSimple.com, and way down at the bottom were Abigail Brown's "creature mask" kits, and I had a total change of heart. At $9 each (or 5 for $30), they're a bit of a splurge, but they could turn a backyard scream-fest into something more like a charming woodland performance-art piece.