What a great way to make a statement at a party.  And the best part is, they’re something new.  You might have seen pomanders made with real flowers, but I bet not like this!

So I asked Brittany if she would do a tutorial on how she made them, and she so graciously said yes.  Our lucky day!

Here are all the details, as told by Brittany…

Recently, I was looking for an alternative to your run-of-the-mill tissue paper flowers for an engagement party that I was designing. I ran across some beautiful crepe paper rose pomanders from Danielle at Homespun with Heart .

So, I decided that I would try these instead, but I wanted to put my own twist on them by using party crepe paper and tying them with wide ribbon.

So today, I am sharing them with you! Beware, these are totally time-consuming, but also totally worth it!

Supplies:

• Styrofoam balls of assorted sizes.  In this case, I used two 5” and one 6”.
• Crepe paper in the colors of your choice, roughly 4 large rolls for this project
• Hot glue gun and sticks
• Wide wired ribbon (2 rolls)
• Floral pins

1. Take crepe paper and measure out lengths around 20” each

2. Fold strips of crepe paper in half lengthwise.  This will make the crepe paper longer as you do it.

3. Hold the end of the folded crepe paper around your pinkie finger.

4. Wrap crepe paper around your pinkie a few times to secure. 5. Continue to wrap around your pinkie, folding over as you do.  This creates the “petal” look.  PS, I really need a manicure.

6. Be sure to wrap pretty tightly, otherwise, the “rose” will unwrap. 7. Secure the end of the rose with hot glue.  It only takes a touch.  And be careful with the hot glue, I burned myself, oh, roughly 500 times while doing these.

8. Once the rose is finished, glue the rose to the Styrofoam ball.

9. Repeat this 1 billion times, until you fully cover the ball in roses.

10. I recommend cutting or tearing the crepe paper as you go, since you don’t know how many strips you will need upfront.  Plus, once you start on this project, you can pretty much eyeball the lengths that you need. 11. Dry overnight preferably. 12. Wrap the completed ball in the ribbon and tie off at the top. Cut to the length desired to hang.

13. Secure the top and bottom of the ribbon by inserting floral pins directly into the balls. This will secure that the ribbon does not slide off the pomander.

14. Hang with ribbon! And voila, you have created a rose pomander that will never wilt, and saved you hundreds! I spent $24 on this entire project, so this is completely cost-effective and a great addition to your next party, or even a little girl’s room!

These pomanders are beautiful!  Thank you, Brittany, for the wonderful tutorial.

To learn about Brittany and read more of her party tips and ideas, check out her event company, Grey Grey Designs.  Plus, you can see more of her parties here at Catch My Party.  Also, if you’d like some pomanders for your next party, but don’t want to make them yourself, you can buy them at Brittany’s Etsy shop.

Do you have a DIY project from one of your parties that you’d like to share?  Please email me at jillian@catchmyparty.com.  I’d love to show it off!

Recycled number crayons from ivylanedesigns.  I thought these were cute, original, and not too expensive at $20 for 30 crayons.

Recycled number crayons party favors

For an all-girl slumber party, hair bows with a thank you note from FavorMyParty can’t be beat.

Hair bow party favors

An idea for those with an unlimited budget… super hero capes from Custom Kids.   At $10 each, these get pricey, but they’re cute and original.

Super hero party favor capes with customized initials

Crayon keepers to take to restaurants or on trips.  Here’s a mini one from bowssosweet that holds four crayons for $2.50 -$3.00.

Crayon keeper party favors

Cute personalized children’s bracelets for $3 each from stargazinglily. Depending on the bead choice I think these could work for boys and girls.

Children name bracelet party favors

And finally, to go with something simple and sweet, some gorgeous, individually wrapped cookies from FunFavors at $2.00 – $2.50 a cookie.

Festive and fun sugar cookies

I hope this has inspired you to go beyond bubbles and superballs.  But then again, bubbles and superballs can be pretty fun too.

Here are some other cute ones.  (These, however, I don’t want to eat.)

So to get some insight into what’s hip and cool right now in the world of Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, I talked to two event planners — Terri Bergman on the east coast and Carol Rosen on the west coast — who plan a lot of them.

Terri of Terri Bergman Events, based in Washington DC, says she likes to think of Bar and Bat Mitzvahs in terms of two party areas within one room — one area for the adults and one for the kids.

The adult area is usually more traditional with a seated meal at tables, but for the kids party, she likes to keep it casual.  She create lounges, renting furniture to make the party feel more like a club than an event.

A Bat Mitzvah lounge for the kids designed by Terri

Another one of Terri's lounges

And another...

Basketball centerpieces at a Bar Mitzvah designed by Terri

Lighting and video screens at one of Terri's Bat Mitzvahs

She also likes finger friendly food for the kids: sliders, Chinese food in take-out containers, Japanese food in bento boxes, fries in cones, etc…

And to keep the kids (and the adults) entertained, she likes to have activities going on during the party.  Some of her favorites are:  a casino table, a cell phone bling station, a temporary tattoo or airbrush artist, Guitar Hero, flip books (which I wrote about here), or Dance Heads.  According to Terri, people love personalized activities and they love having pictures or videos of themselves to take home.

When I talked to Carol Rosen of Party Designs by Carol, based in Los Angeles, she said she also likes to do lounges for the kids and sit down dinners for the adults.  She’s a big fan of casual kids buffets, food stations, and candy tables.

A kids' lounge at one of Carol's Bar Mitzvahs

A dramatic table at a Bat Mitzvah designed by Carol

A candy table at one of Carol's Bat Mitzvahs

Lighting used to highlight a room at a Bar Mitzvah designed by Carol

A "red carpet" set up outside one of Carol's Bar Mitzvahs

For activities, she likes setting up a karaoke station or a Rock Band video game station.  She also likes airbrushing, temporary tattoos, and Dance Heads.   But another way Carol likes to get the party started is by hiring DJs that provide trained dancers or “party motivators.”  These dancers get to know the kids during the cocktail hour, then keep them dancing and having a good time throughout the night.

In terms of party favors, here’s where we get an east coast/west coast split.

They are a big thing on the east coast.  Some of Terri’s favorite ideas are personalized sweatshirts, tank tops, boxers, fleece scarves, or beach towels.

On the West coast, favors are not as common.  Carol like to have cards on the table that say a donation has been made in the guests’ honor or she likes edible takeaways like a bag of bagels and cream cheese for each guest.

Please know, the parties I’m writing about are the big ones — we’re talking $50k and up.   Most of us can’t afford them, and according to Terri and Carol, budgets, even in this stratosphere, are coming down.

So use these ideas and photos as inspiration, but don’t be afraid to talk to an event planner if you are having a much smaller Bar or Bat Mitzvah, because believe it or not, with their connections and know how, they can actually save you money.  That’s right… save you money.

And if you don’t believe me, call Terri (on the east coast) and Carol (on the west coast) and ask them yourself.  They’ll be happy to talk to you.

Here’s how it works.  The Fry Girl sets up a mini donut machine at your event.  Your guests watch as they make their “healthy” donuts. (Each donut made with 100% canola oil, has 26 calories, 1 gram of fat, and 3.5 carbs.)  Then your guests get to top them with cinnamon sugar, vanilla, chocolate, raspberry, powdered sugar, Vermont maple sugar, or Oreo cookie crumbs.  Sounds like a big yum to me, don’t you think?

The Fry Girl is based in LA and already has a huge celebrity clientele that includes Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Denzel Washington, Adam Sandler, Ellen Degeneres, and Tori Spelling to name a few.   But don’t be surprised to see my name on that list soon.

The reason I love Lisa’s work is because she thinks in terms of unifying a party through a common theme or “brand.”

This usually involves a logo she designs and a complementary color palette that is use throughout the party on place cards, favors, napkins, centerpieces, etc.  Here are some logos she designed for some Bar and Bat Mitzvahs.

Her goal is always twofold — to add a personal touch to the event and to give it that “wow” factor.  Some of her logos and favors…

Lisa said that what makes a party special is the thoughtfulness that goes into it, and you don’t need a big budget to do this.

For example, when she threw her son a big Bar Mitzvah, one of the things her guests talked about most was the Photofetti, confetti made from personal photos, she used to decorate the tables.   This little touch cost her as little as $100 but it was personal because she used pictures of her son, and left a lasting impact.

Lisa writes a fabulous blog called Favorite Things about “all things parties.”

She even has a list of vendors on her site in the Washington, D.C. area that she personally recommends.  If you like parties, I recommend you give her blog a read, and if you want cool one-of-a kind party favors, trust me, use her.

What got me interested in Sharon is how one-of-a-kind her parties are.  In fact, I’ve never seen anything like it.

For her Musical Princess Tea Party, Sharon comes dressed in a big pink ball gown and tiara.  She brings a rack of princess gowns, shoes, tiaras, and magic wands for her guests.  She provides royal table settings, satin chair covers, room and table decor, plus she can even take care of catering (including gorgeous princess cupcakes) if you like.

The princess table.

The rack of gowns, with shoes, tiaras, and magic wands.

Since Sharon is a trained vocalist and educator, her parties aren’t just about the makeup and glamour (although that’s definitely part of it).  They involve musical stories and games, ribbon dancing, professional face painting, princess crafts, and beautiful hand-made princess favors.  Sharon’s parties are so complete, she also provides custom invitations and thank you notes for her hosts.

Princess Sharon leading her guests in ribbon dancing.

Princess Sharon face painting.

Her handmade favors.

Her custom cupcakes.

Her one-of-a-kind spa parties.

One of her happy princess fairies.

Even though Sharon throws these extravagant parties, what she prides herself on is creating warm, enriching, inclusive environments, so that all her guests feel like happy princesses when they leave.

If you live in the Boston area, and you want to give your daughter the party of a lifetime, hire Princess Sharon.

And for those of you who don’t live nearby, but want to partake in all-things “princess,” visit Princess Sharon’s online gift and favor shop where she sells many of her custom items.

However, my husband and I were recently in North Carolina visiting family and we went to a local Walmart, walked down the snack aisle and couldn’t resist the Hostess Cupcakes.  I probably hadn’t had one in twenty years.  But I have to admit, it was pretty darn tasty.  That’s why when I saw these pictures I had to post them.

Twinkies bring back a lot of good memories for me because they were my snack of choice in elementary school before my mother unfortunately discovered health food.  So I know if I were at a wedding and someone served me a Twinkie cake, I’d love it.   I’d probably go home, blog about it immediately and call all my friends and say, “You’re not going believe what they served!”  And I promise you, I’d never forget that wedding.

That’s a lot of impact for a cake that costs $60.

Yellow and White Twinkie Cake

Bride and Groom Twinkie Cake

Chocolate Ribbon Twinkie Cake

Twinkie Wedding Favors

If you go to the Hostess website, they’ll even show you how to make one.

So I asked her some questions to get her expert advice on how to approach throwing a party that doesn’t quite stick to the script, and here’s what she said…

What are your favorite kinds of parties?

I love parties that are guest-centric and the party hosts are relaxed, greeting all of their guests to make them all feel welcome, and all are having a great time.

For weddings, I really love it when the personalities of the couple getting married shine through, and when you feel that they have put a lot of thought into their guests’ experience.

Let your guests know what to expect. The best option is to let your guests know what to expect before they arrive at your party by posting information on a website or even sending out a follow-up to the invitation in the form of a newsletter. You can share things such as what the weather may be, if the party is inside or outside, where the entrance is, what food is being served, if you will have dancing, etc. Let your guests know that there will be some fun surprises, though!

Also, the flow of a party or wedding is extremely important! If your guests are left waiting for things to happen, they will be either bored or starving or both! Keep the flow moving and the food and beverages readily available. If your guests aren’t left wondering when they will finally have a drink or something to eat, they will be much more relaxed and in the moment with you. Also, have a place for guests to set their coats and any gifts that they may bring with them so they aren’t left lugging large items around.

It is so important to think of ways to involve your guests and to let them know that their presence is appreciated! Say hello to every guest if you are the host or guest of honor! And keep everyone happy and entertained!

Describe some of your favorite ideas to “shake things up.”

Have your cocktail hour before your wedding ceremony, but make certain that you serve an array of food items with the drinks. Try two specialty cocktails and lemonade/iced tea/or other summer winter non-alcoholic beverages. A full bar can be fun, but if you do it that way, keep the pre-ceremony time to under 1/2 an hour or your guests may start to become “unwieldy.”

Instead of a photo booth, try a photo backdrop with a camera that can capture more than 3-4 people. http://www.theflashdance.com/ has a great “Smile Booth.” See here: http://www.theflashdance.com/index.cfm?catID=19

To really make it fun, provide costumes! You can keep it simple with feather boas, giant sunglasses and mustaches on sticks. Or, you can really go nuts with full costumes from your local party rental store. In LA, Hollywood Toys and Costumes is a great place to purchase costume items: http://www.hollywoodtoysandcostumes.com/

Not everyone loves to dance, but everyone loves to be entertained! Interactive entertainment is what guests love. Try a balloon-maker, cotton candy spinner, a cigar roller (great if you have a lounge area), or, my favorite are mobie trucks for food stations. Think “In-and-Out Truck”. In LA, you can hire a mobile truck to bring you mini ice-cream sandwiches (my favorite is ,http://www.eatcoolhaus.com/, sushi, beers on tap, and more!

You can even follow many of them on Twitter to find where they are located on any day or at any time to go to an impromptu “menu tasting.” http://twitter.com/COOLHAUS (mobile ice cream sandwiches that you can even put your custom writing onto), http://twitter.com/fishlips_sushi (mobile sushi), http://twitter.com/letsbefrank (mobile hot dogs), http://twitter.com/sprinklesmobile (mobile Sprinkles cupcakes).

Think of your favorite things to do when you go out and incorporate that. Consider your guests. For example, when you are invited to a wedding, do you think, “Yea! I can’t wait to go!” or do you think, “Another wedding. There goes my Saturday night.” Make it fun for your guests and it will be fun for you, too!

Here are some pictures from one of Suzanne’s recent parties where she “shook things up.”

Flowers by Flower Wild, Photography by Phil Cosby

Having a party with different gathering areas minimizes the amount of centerpieces that you need, but you can still choose an area to flood with flowers for a huge impact.

Pepe on Guitar, Photography by Phil Cosby

Choose different styles of music for different lounge areas. It is really affordable to hire solo musicians for a few hours.

Rentals from Classic Party Rents, Photography by Phil Cosby

Keep your decorations simple. These are vintage table cloths owned by the bride. Flowers were purchased at the local Floral Mart and then arranged in jelly jars.

Big Mista's BBQ, Photography by Phil Cosby

Serve comfort food buffet style to save money on a formal dinner. Guests love food that makes them feel like they are a kid again. This buffet features amazing BBQ by Big Mista’s and good ol’ mac and cheese!

The Middle Class jug band, Photography by Phil Cosby

Save money by hiring a band that specializes in one type of music as opposed to a large entertainment group that does multiple types. You can cut your band budget in half!

(P.S. That is Billy Bob Thorton on guitar.)

What locations do you like the best for throwing unusual parties?

I love unique wedding locations. Unique locations are my specialty!

Two of my favorites are the Marvimon, downtown, and the Smogg Shoppe in Culver City (which is also eco-friendly despite the ironic name). http://www.marvimon.com/ The Smogg Shoppe (“LA’s greenest oasis”) is in a refurbished and beautified automotive center and has now achieved the US Green Building Council’s Platinum Certification. Not to mention that it is a great location and perfectly laid out for a smashing party!

The Marvimon is another oasis of vintage beauty nestled in the hills near China Town. Many beautiful weddings have been coordinated there. My favorite is one designed by Jo Gartin of Love, Luck and Angles. http://www.loveluckandangeles.com

One location to seek out is the rooftop of the Mercury on Wilshire. http://www.themercuryla.com/23.cfm It is a new, stylish condo complex, but we rented the rooftop for our event. It has stunning, almost 360-degree-views, of the city. You can see the Hollywood sign, the Griffith Observatory, the nearby Downtown skyline, the South Bay and the ocean. It has a grass area perfect for a ceremony and a pool area for cocktails. You could cover the pool with plexiglass for your ceremony, have cocktails in the grass/patio area and your reception with dancing in the pool area again. They also have room for caterers and you can have a custom tent pitched in case of inclement weather.

Have your reception in a restaurant. The ambiance, amazing food, tables, chairs and china are already in place. I went to a wedding at Lucques on Melrose that was just amazing. The ceremony was on the outside patio and the dinner was inside and served family style with dancing back outside on the patio. It was great fun! The Foundry on Melrose, owned by chef Eric Greenspan, is another great option with wonderful food.

More favorites of mine are the locations owned by Cedd Moses, such as the Broadway Bar, Cole’s Downtown (great vintage event space!), Seven Grand and the Golden Gopher. I am waiting for the perfect couple who has rocking style for a reception (or even an engagement party or rehearsal dinner) in Coles. The possibilities are endless!

Speaking of restaurants and unique locations. The Waffle on Sunset and Vine on the lowest level of the House of Blues headquarters. Chic diner fare and a patio, inside diner seating and an upstairs bar = crazy, cool, 50′s-chic reception! http://www.thewaffle.us/Site/Index.html

The Art Deco Society also has links to some of the swanky-est historic places in LA, perfect for a vintage, classy and elegant affair. You would not only have a stunning location, you would be aiding in the preservation of LA’s unique and storied history! http://adsla.org/links.htm

A very current and little-explored idea for weddings is something that Martha Stewart Weddings did this Summer in New York called a “pop-up” wedding. http://ritzybee.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/06/pop-goes-the-wedding.html There are so many unique locations that have been left vacant as the result of our economic downturn. You can approach the property manager and ask to have your wedding reception in one of their vacant buildings. You would probably need to do this on a shorter timeline as they would rather rent the space to a retailer, but you could haul in decorations and rentals and have your wedding in a gallery-like space that would probably never be duplicated. I would definitely suggest you seek the assistance of a wedding coordinator for this one! There are a lot of logistics to sort out, but everyone would always remember your one-of-a-kind wedding event!

What are ways that throwing a non-traditional party can help you save money?

Well, for starters, you can save money on the food. You don’t need to serve a 5-course meal. You can keep your party fun and alive by serving elegant comfort food or just good food period. It doesn’t need to be expensive. Think of your favorite foods to eat and serve those.

Love mac and cheese and BBQ? Go for that. Your guests will have more fun eating food that they enjoy. Also, if you have a lot of places for people to sit and eat as opposed to a formal seating plan for the entire night, guests will have the opportunity to mingle with more people. In LA, a great BBQ caterer is: http://bigmista.com/

Save money on your bar. Have 2 signature cocktails and an array of non-alcoholic drinks. That is a huge money saver! If you want, add wine and beer and include a few basics such as vodka, bourbon, and rum. Definitely have free something to drink, though. Include sodas, tea, coffee and water. No one has fun while dying of thirst.

Bands that are not formal are much cheaper! A local jazz band, bluegrass band or even a jug band will cost you around $2000-3000 or less as opposed to $5000-$10,000 for a band that can play jazz, swing and top 40. One couple whose wedding I coordinated found all of their musicians at their local Farmer’s Market!

Save money on wedding favors. No one really wants a wedding favor unless it is practical. Except for your parents. And you for your keepsake box. Seriously, no one else wants a mini candle with your names on it. Sorry to break it to you. Your guests DO want a candy bar, cotton candy, make-your-own sundaes, cupcakes, funnel cakes, and all of the things that they only eat when they are at a carnival or celebrating a major holiday.

So, instead of the traditional favor, give your guests the gift of entertainment and food. Wouldn’t you rather leave a party with fresh chocolate chip cookies and a mini milk, or a cheeseburger, or hot coffee in a to-go cup?

You can forgo a traditional wedding cake all together or you can have a small ceremonial cake for a topper on a cupcake tree. That will save you money on the wedding cake overall because cupcakes are apx. $2 each instead of the usual $6 per slice for wedding cake.

Instead of splurging on expensive centerpieces for every table, rent fun props from a prop shop. You could also use personal photos in frames with a few blooms on the table. Or, use live potted plants or succulents in boxes that are live and can be replanted. These are usually much less expensive than cut flowers.

Do spend money on lighting and candles, though. You need ambiance to set the mood!

How do you keep things feeling intimate and personal when throwing a big party?

Have different areas where guests can mingle and chat. If you break up a large party into 3 areas (more than that and your party energy becomes too diluted), guests can feel free to check out other things to do and meet more guests.

Have an area where guests can dance and then stage ottomans and benches around the dance floor where guests can rest their feet or watch the dancing.

Have an area for cigar smokers and whiskey drinkers. You could even throw in some card games where guests can place “bets” redeemable for tickets to a drawing.

Have a lounge for the kids with activities, games, coloring books and hire off-duty nurses or LVNs (Licensed Vocational Nurses), or Certified Babysitters who know First-Aid (just in case) to watch and entertain the kids.

Think about the flow of your party and imagine yourself navigating your event in your mind. Where would you enter? Would someone greet you? How would you know where to go next? Having live people guide guests is the ultimate guest service. Navigational signs are a great option, too. You can also have frames staged throughout the event that describe what is going on in that area and what guests can do there.

Thank you Suzanne for your fabulous advice. We may steal some of your awesome ideas like the mobile ice cream sandwiches, the photo backdrop, and the “pop up” location (I love that!) for our Catch My Party launch party. Stay tuned…

Well, I found this cool site called the Sweet Lollipop Shop that makes custom lollipops for all occasions and I thought what a great, inexpensive party favor idea.  They’ve got birthday and holiday pops, wedding and shower pops, and lots of pops for kids, of course.  Here are a few of my favorites…

A birthday lolly

Some baby shower lollies

Some musical note lollies

I also love the flavor selections.

Orange – orange
Strawberry – pink
Lemon – yellow
Lime – green
Cherry – red
Raspberry – blue/teal
Cheesecake – yellow
Bubblegum – pink
Apple – green or red
Maple – brown
Blueberry – blue
Watermelon – pink/red
Root Beer – brown

Plus white, milk and dark chocolate.

Yum.