Party planning is such a fun and broad topic and I decided it was time to pass this on to someone who could write some well though-out and awesome party ideas! I am very excited to inform you that Deb Ng, who is a well seasoned blogger to say the least, will be taking over SKP. You guys are in for a treat! I know she has some great ideas to bring your way.

Deb writes several blogs for b5media. You can find her blogging away at Simply Thrifty, She Plays Music, The List Maven and Burning the Scale. Be sure and stop by to tell her hi tomorrow! I know I’ll be back off and on.

Thanks Deb!

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But imagine the process of making a wedding cake. It takes a lot of work, creativity, patience and dedication to create cakes as beautiful as the ones in the video below. Watch the video and see the wedding cake creations from Ellen Bartlett. They are gorgeous!

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Isn’t this one of the coolest cake pans you’ve ever seen? It’s the Nordic Ware® Stadium Bundt Cake. This is obviously the perfect cake for a Super Bowl Party or a sports themed birthday party. Your guests would definitely be surprised!

You can personalize the cake with your team’s colors and add other decor like the little flags pictured above. Serve with some ice cream and you have one yummy dessert!

The cake pan is $31.95 from Sur la table.

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My husband and I usually don’t go out on Valentine’s Day because most restaurants are packed and we don’t want to spend our date waiting in line. If Valentine’s Day falls on a week night, we put the kids to bed and then have our "date" at home. As our kids get older this won’t work as well, but for now, we look forward to our special Valentine’s night.

So what do we do? Well, we order Chinese food to be delivered right after the kids go to bed. We rent a romantic movie and cuddle on the couch. What’s for dessert? Cut-up fruits and chocolate fondue. Sounds yummy doesn’t it. One year I also cut up fruit, put them in champagne glasses and poured chilled champagne over the top. Very tasty!

Be creative with your Valentine ideas this year and see what great ideas you can come up with!

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As I was searching around for some dinner party ideas, I found tons of good ones. Here a couple of my favorites:

$$: ASIAN BANQUET

Treat your friends to an exotic evening with an affair inspired by the Far East. Turn down the lights, fill the room with delicate glowing candles and lanterns, and enjoy plates of sumptuous sushi made at home.

• Setup: Clear out as many knickknacks as you can from the room in which you’ll be hosting, to create a more minimalist space. Hang Japanese paper lanterns and place glowing tea lights all around. Set up pretty Asian fans and wear a gorgeous silk jacket or a silk dress. Use only chopsticks for eating.

• Food: California rolls are easier to make than you may think. Teriyaki is a consistent crowd-pleaser, and sashimi and tempura are also fun to try. Put out a bowl of fortune cookies too, and make everyone read his or her fortune out loud.

• Signature drink: Sake and hot tea.

$$: SPANISH EXPRESS

Spaniards have the right idea: Prepare lots of small plates of bite-size morsels, tasty delectables for everyone to pass around and share. What better format for a party? Play Spanish music (flamenco! tango!), and let the lively Mediterranean vibe take over.

• Setup: Get your guests into the party mood with vases of large festive tissue-paper flowers, and have the Gipsy Kings’ songs fill the room. Cover the table in a bright cloth, and set out maracas for people to shake along with the music — in between sips of wine and mouthfuls of olives.

• Food: Everyone eats Spanish-style with their fingers or with toothpicks — stuffed olives, empanadas, Spanish omelets, chorizo, garlic shrimp, cheese cubes and meatballs in spicy tomato sauce.

• Signature drink: Sangria.

 

For more great dinner party ideas click here.

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I think this is a great idea for those bachelors who want to be "one with nature" before they say "I do".

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Mexican Seven-Layer Dip

Ingredients
1 9-ounce can bean dip
1/4 cup picante or taco sauce
1 8-ounce container refrigerated guacamole
1 8-ounce carton dairy sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar or taco cheese (4 ounces)
1/4 cup sliced green onion (2)
2 tablespoons sliced pitted ripe olives
2/3 cup chopped, seeded tomato (1 medium)
8 cups tortilla chips or crackers

Directions
1. Combine bean dip and picante sauce; spread into a rectangle about 9-by 5-inches on a serving platter making a layer about 1/4 inch thick. Next carefully layer avocado dip and sour cream. Top with cheese, green onion, and olives. Cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours.
2. Before serving, sprinkle with chopped tomato. Serve with tortilla chips.
3. Makes 16 appetizer servings

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The 2008 Super Bowl is right around the corner, which means it’s time to start planning that Super Bowl Party! Woohoo!

I would love to hear what you have planned for the Super Bowl and for you to share party ideas, recipes and anything Super Bowl Party related. I’m a huge football fan, so even though my team (Cowboys *sniff sniff*) won’t be playing, I’ll still be watching because it’s just something I look forward to every year.

Alright, send them in! I want to hear how you are going to celebrate.

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It’s called the the Toddler to Teen Party Planner! First pick your child’s gender, then age and then from the list of available birthday party themes. Click submit and they’ll take you directly to the party planning page.

They have themes for all kinds of parties including: pirates, dinosaurs, beach party, chocolate party, casino and haunted house party – just to name a few.

This is a very useful tool and I think it can help you out quite a bit if you are stumped for a kid’s birthday party idea.

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A High School Musical party theme is a big hit these days and with High School Musical 3 on the horizon, this party theme isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

I found this video about some ideas for party favors at your High School Musical theme party. She gives some good ideas for what to send your guests home with when the party is over.

I know that when my kids go to a birthday party, they are always very excited to see what they get in their gift bag when they leave. I do teach them not to expect one, but to be thankful when they do get one to take home. Some parents choose not to buy party favors and I understand, because they can add to the party expense quite a bit. But I always try to send the kids home with something since they came and brought a gift.

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