Party Plannin'

2 bday parties & 1 work party are in my near future.

*Updated* The first is going to be the biggest challenge b/c I have exactly 8 days to pull it together & I'm still not sure what my budget is going to be b/c I'm not holding the purse strings.  What I do know is that it's going to have a Hello Kitty theme, I'm going to have to be very cost-conscious, and it probably won't have many attendees on such short notice.  Still, I love a challenge & party-planning is one of my biggest passions, so I'm going to rise to the occasion and pull it off.  Cuz that's just how I roll.  For this party, I'm envisioning a pink, white, red, & teal color scheme.  I'm thinking of setting up little makeover stations, then taking ghettofied "glamour" shots of the girls separately & together.  I'm also thinking the goody bags will include little girly things like lip gloss, smelly lotions, and whatnot.  I'm not at all talented in the ways of makeup application, but thankfully the girls are young enough that they won't care.  I could paint them up like clowns and they'd be none the wiser!

The next party in line is Justin's zombie apocalypse birthday bash.  I'm hoping the weather will be good enough that we can have a big outdoor zombie vs. survivor game of tag to kick off the party.  Our photo booth is going to be the "Quarantine Cam", and I've been gathering ideas online for snacks & decorations.  I'm hoping to have enough flameless candles to light up our living room/dining room area to make it like an authentic apocalypse w/out electricity.  (That is, until it's time to bust out some karaoke!)  I found an idea online to make cardboard look like pieces of wood that I can tack up over the windows to give the appearance that we boarded them up to protect us from a zombie invasion.  Instead of using nice plates & stuff, I'm going to make it appear we scavenged for dishes/utensils by using random lids, jars, etc.  I keep talking about stopping into the army surplus store for MRE's, but I'm not sure I'll take it that far.  I guess our guests will just have to wait & see. 

The third bit of planning I'll be doing is for a little event for my department at work.  I was at Goodwill last weekend & saw so many horrendously ugly sweaters that I couldn't contain myself.  I decided then & there that I MUST plan an ugly sweater party & since I've been wanting to throw an employee appreciation/morale boosting shindig at work for quite awhile, it worked out nicely.  My inspiration for this one are those awkward family photos we all see online.  We're going to have an ugliest sweater contest and the winner will receive a trophy.  We'll have some snacks & drinks, of course, and I'm going to bring in my camera & tripod for some departmental awkward family photos.  (Oh I can't wait to see how those turn out!)

My hubs & I were talking again yesterday about how he thinks I need to start a party planning business.  While I agree it would be fun, I don't believe I have the talent or the know-how to make it a profitable endeavor.  The parties I throw are for people I know well & who won't be mad if I have to cut corners or if I'm disorganized.  I'm worried that paying customers might not be as forgiving & patient.  One of my friends is seriously considering starting her own party-planning business & has asked if I'd be willing to help.  If/when she does get her business started, I'm excited to be able to help her in any way I can. Her and I both have experience throwing fun parties on a limited budget for our families, so it would be awesome to have the opportunity to get the thrill of throwing a party w/out the money coming out of our own pocket! :)   There's also the comfort in working with someone instead of doing it solo.  

For now, I'll stick to planning parties for my family & friends.  As the years tick by, maybe I'll come to a point where I feel confident enough with my skills to make it a business.  There is so much allure in making my own hours, doing a job that I love so much it hardly feels like work, and being able to support my family by following my passion.  I just don't think I'm anywhere near that point yet.