Gobble 'Till You Wobble

We give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way. ~Author Unknown

This time of year, we're thankful that nobody expects you to diet. And that there are still 34 more shopping days till Christmas. Here at the office, we came up with (off the top of our heads) a random assortment of other things that we are thankful for:

Spanx

4-wheel drive

Internet shopping

Portable heaters

Furry dogs

Tums & Rolaids

Ziplocks

Fuzzy slippers

The thing I'm most thankful for right now is elastic waistbands. ~Author Unknown

And of course, For Your Party is always thankful for YOU the customer! Remember, you can use code Turkey09 at foryourparty.com and receive 20% off your holiday purchase*. Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

May your stuffing be tasty

May your turkey plump,

May your potatoes and gravy

Have nary a lump.

May your yams be delicious

And your pies take the prize,

And may your Thanksgiving dinner

Stay off your thighs!

~Author Unknown

*Valid through 11/27/2009. Cannot be combined with any other discounts. Does not apply to custom art or shipping charges.

Daylight Saving Time Ends 11.01.09...How Much Did You Save?

There are two kinds of light - the glow that illumines, and the glare that obscures. ~James Thurber

Summer has come and gone. It's time to set the clocks back an hour (Sunday, 2 AM, November 1, 2009. [Note: For the U.S. and its territories, Daylight Saving Time is NOT observed in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, and Arizona. The Navajo Nation participates in the Daylight Saving Time policy, even in Arizona, due to its large size and location in three states.]

This is also a good time to:

* Change the batteries in the smoke alarms (More than 90 percent of homes in the United States have smoke detectors, but one-third are estimated to have dead or missing batteries. A working smoke detector more than doubles a person's chances of surviving a home fire.)

* Flip your mattress (The old rule of thumb is Flip in Fall, Spin in Spring)

* Change out water filters and central air filters

* Clean the gutters

* Purge your wardrobe of items you didn't wear last winter (and probably won't wear this winter either), and donate them to help keep others warm

Now that the longer nights are here it is tempting to hibernate, and adding little touches to your home can help make it cocoon-cozy for these long winter nights.

Build a fire in the fireplace. Or (if you don’t have a working fireplace) gather a few candles together on end tables and/or a coffee table. Firelight and candlelight instead of harsh overhead lights will help create a cozy nest. Put thick warm comforters on the bed and fleece throws on the sofa.

Set aside some time for you. Curl up with a bowl of hot soup. Settle in to watch some movies, or maybe catch up on some reading.

Firelight will not let you read fine stories but it's warm and you won't see the dust on the floor. ~Irish Proverb

Happy Fall Y'all!!

Host a Celebration of the New Moon at Twilight 11.20.09

Love give me strength and strength will help me through. ~ William Shakespeare

Thou art to me a delicious torment. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I miss you even more than I could have believed; and I was prepared to miss you a good deal. ~ Vita Sackville-West

There is no remedy for love but to love more. ~ Henry David Thoreau

New Moon, the sequel to the movie Twilight, is almost here! The bestselling book series (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn) has won the hearts of both teens and adults alike. Watch the tale of Bella and Edward continue to unfold on the big screen on November 20.

As a great before-going-to-see-the-movie fete, consider throwing a Twilight/New Moon inspired theme party. Have the Twilight and/or New Moon Soundtrack playing. Use the book series colors for your decor. (Maybe even have the colors as an attire suggestion.)

Colors: Blood Red, Black-as-Midnight, & Deathly Pale White

Decor:

Bowls of red apples

Red candles

Red cocktails, sodas, & juices

Twinkle lights

Add a bloody touch to white candles by drizzling melted wax from a red candle on top of the white candle.

One really great site to visit for more ideas is:

http://www.hostessblog.com/2009/04/host-a-twilight-theme-party-at-home/

After the leak of a portion of author Stephenie Meyer's (www.stepheniemeyer.com) manuscript Midnight Sun, Ms. Meyer graciously allowed for the first twelve chapters (264 pages) to be posted on her site. Midnight Sun re-tells the story of Twilight, but from Edward Cullen's point of view.

While Ms. Meyer wishes her fans to not read Midnight Sun before it is complete and officially published, I'm afraid the temptation was too strong. And quite frankly, loved it. But maybe you can resist the lure of the vampire...

http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/pdf/midnightsun_partial_draft4.pdf

Additional vampire movies:

Dracula (1931)

Salem’s Lot (1979)

Fright Night (1985)

The Lost Boys (1987)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)

Interview With the Vampire (1994)

Blade (1998)

Shadow of the Vampire (2000)

I Am Legend (2007)

And You Can Quote Me…

I quote others in order to better express myself. ~ Michel Eyquem De Montaigne

There are times we don't have the words to express what we are thinking or feeling. But sometimes, someone else has already expressed it. When personalizing our napkins, coasters, matchbooks, and other items, go ahead and use a quotation. (Be sure to check out our Idea Gallery for even more examples.)

Some of our recent memorable items include "Quotable" napkins for a wedding reception with a relevant theme...

* The 4 most important words in any marriage..."I'll do the dishes."

* In my house I'm the boss, my wife is just the decision maker. - Woody Allen

* I never mind my wife having the last word. In fact, I'm delighted when she gets to it. - Walter Mathau

* I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life. -Rita Rudner

* Never go to bed mad. Stay up and fight. - Phyllis Diller

And some great party quotations we've seen:

Alcohol...it's cheaper than therapy!

Friends are therapists you can drink with.

It's got to be 5 o'clock somewhere...

What whiskey will not cure, there is no cure for.

Water separates the people of the world; wine unites them.

Happy quoting!!

Express Yourself!

We have ways of making men talk. - Douglass Dumbrille in Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935)

They say women talk too much. If you have worked in Congress you know that the filibuster was invented by men. - Clare Boothe Luce

They say talk is cheap; So I bought every word you said...

It's good to talk. - Bob Hoskins, advertising slogan for British Telecom

Say what you mean and mean what you say. - The Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland

Sometimes it’s not what you say, but how you say it. We'd like to help you express yourself...

A clever cook may admonish ‘Save room for dessert!” on our napkin. Our matchbooks may declare that the loving couple getting married are "A Perfect Match”. A cocktail party-throwing friend may share her favorite drink recipe on our coasters. A favorite spa puts their name and logo on our tea favors for their customers. A memo pad with your contact info (instead of the usual business card) can help clients remember you and your company.

Our site lets you be your own designer, plus, you can preview your item right there on the site! You can personalize napkins, matches, coasters, gift tags, bags, ribbons, mint boxes, and many other items.

What do you want to say?

Take Back Your Time Day-October 24th

One today is worth two tomorrows. - Benjamin Franklin

The days are too short… There’s too much to do… Not enough time to do it... Have you said anything along these lines recently?

Chill Out is the theme of the Take Back Your Time Day 2009 on October 24^th (nicely falling on Saturday this year) . This movement, at www.timeday.org, is dedicated to challenging the epidemic of overwork, over-scheduling and time famine, and regaining balance between work and family in American life. Here at ForYourParty.com, we fully support taking a day to kick back and using the time to reflect and ask ourselves if we are focusing on what’s important instead of just getting caught up in what’s urgent.

The urgent finds you; you have to find the important. Importance is not fast. It is slow. It is not superficial. It is deep. And as a result, it's extremely powerful. When important matters go wrong, they undermine everything. When they go right, they sustain everything. - Stewart Brand

Carve out some time to read. Our former Vice President Al Gore and his wife Tipper look deeply into the effects of overwork, over-scheduling and time pressure on the American family, presenting powerful arguments and data in their new book JOINED AT THE HEART. They call for a campaign to regain balance in American life between work and family and for new national policies that could help turn us in the direction of balanced lives.

We like what one of our customers did with their matchbooks. It makes a great reminder about slowing down and enjoying the here and now. And it is SO appropriate to this season with its colder days and longer nights...

Each time they light a votive; they are reminded to Take Time to Smell the Candles. Something we probably all need to remember to do, especially during the holiday frenzy.

Our Laurel Denise necklaces can do the same (Look in Grab & Go under Laurel Denise). With a single word, like laugh, love, or dream, suspended from her necklaces, her work reminds us to do these things and to do them joyfully.

Please feel free to share with us what you plan to do to "take back your time" and get yourself and your family back in balance! We look forward to reading your comments!!

We do not remember days, we remember moments. - Cesare Pavese

Take a moment to celebrate the everyday, today!

Eat, drink, and be scary...

Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble. - Shakespeare's "Macbeth"

From ghoulies and ghosties and long leggety beasties and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us! - Scottish saying

I'll bet living in a nudist colony takes all the fun out of Halloween... - Author Unknown

Hold on, man. We don't go anywhere with "scary," "spooky," "haunted," or "forbidden" in the title. - from Scooby-Doo

This Rock-tober, scare up some friends for a howling good time. Plan a ghoulish and glam party, order some boo-tiful invitations, and get ready to eat, drink, and be scary!! We have some spooktacular items to help you have a terror-ific time at your grave affair.

Lame party favors won't stand a ghost of a chance. Our website lets you design and preview your items right there on the site! For your fright night, order some blood-red personalized napkins, black-as-midnight embossed matchbooks, and some skull-decorated stir sticks for your bubbling-brew cocktails. The memory of the event will haunt your guests for weeks to come!

Some additional movies to get you into the right Halloween (& maybe even scared!) mood:

Young Frankenstein

Ghostbusters

Dawn of the Dead

Shawn of the Dead

Zombieland

Friday the 13th

Halloween

Nightmare on Elm Street

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Night of the Living Dead

Happy Haunting!!

Falling into Autumn

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. - Albert Camus

October's poplars are flaming torches lighting the way to winter. - Nora Bair

Tuesday was the first day of autumn and we are loving the crisp mornings and the inspiring colors of fall foliage. Mother Nature is begging us to take a long walk in the woods! Think about having a tea party to usher in the harvest season (hint hint Sari...an excuse to use that antique tea set!). Get some branches, leaves, vines, and other interesting pieces to provide a timeless seasonal backdrop to your fall wedding or party. Have pumpkins and gourds and use nature to add little touches that have great impact. Look into taking a fall foliage trip sometime between now and mid-October to take in the glorious hues of Autumn!


According to Pantone's Master List report on color from New York's fashion week, some of the hot colors for Fall are: Honey Yellow (deep yellow-orange), Burnt Sienna (pinkish-orange), Warm Olive (olive green), and Creme Brulee (beige). (Interior, textile, and fashion designers, artists, and others in design related fields use this list, as do we.) These hot colors are both vibrant and cozy warm; just right for nesting, cocooning, and getting ready for colder weather.

Bring on Fall!

Favorite Things 2009

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with strings... okay, maybe not THESE favorite things, but the girls at For Your Party have put together a little sampling of items we adore, and think you will too!

You can personalize matchbooks, stir sticks, coasters, napkins, and many other items — and preview them in our website. Check out our design gallery for some great ideas, and then get started planning your next party today!

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night, I hate to go and leave this pretty sight...

It's Spring, Welcome Wedding Season!

We are so excited in our desk chairs today as the promise of warm weather, cook outs, Cubs games, and weekend weddings are on the horizon. Chicago is defrosting! With new designs of spring flowers and showers in our designer's minds we were overjoyed to see the wedding images of our Words designer Laurel Denise. 

She handmade many details of her day and is an inspiration to all those artists that hope their wedding day is truly unique. She cross-stitched the labels for the programs among others. Her wedding day pulled from the natural beauty that surrounded the happy couple with some sweet, southern accents.

The tea and lemonade station before the ceremony was a favorite of ours. Enjoy her wedding day highlights! Congratulations Laurel and best wishes!

Love, ForYourParty

Napkin Lady

Chicago's own Red Moon Theatre is amazing! They will turn your event into a magical experience! Judith, a friend of mine is a wonderful actress that works for Red Moon and shown here is a picture of her as a napkin lady! I really can't believe it! In our world of napkins here at ForYourParty, we are thrilled that other people love them as much as we do. This napkin dress is truly a work of art, and is made so carefully that guests can take a napkin from the napkin dress with every passed hor'deurve. Hats off to the talented minds that envisioned the napkin lady and other characters at these spectacular events! 

"Redmoon's mission while impressing your guests with ingenious mechanical devices that create magical and unforgettable atmosphere, Redmoon's artists and builders have designed and hand crafted unique Food Service Items, Atmosphere Enhancers, and Specialty Items that transform any party into a living work of art."

Tea for Two or More.....Sari

While getting ready for the big Valentine's day party last weekend, I was cleaning out my china cabinet only to discover a long lost treasure. Behind the platters and serving pieces I discovered I had long ago inherited and forgotten about my husband's grandmother's collection of antique bone china tea cups.

Now I know I'm not the only girl to have inherited one of these charming collections and can't wait to find a reason to host a tea party! Perhaps a bridal or baby shower. Or maybe my Mothers birthday (it is next month...hummm, could be a good idea but I think she would prefer the martini type party more these days!!). I have it - a tea honoring all the great women in my life and their Mom's, for Mothers Day! What do you think?

And the best reason...to celebrate this charming collection lovingly passed on it me by a woman I never had the honor to meet, Minna Morrison.

The Party of the Century

In 1967 Truman Capote had a party that was billed as "The Party of the Century" and when our friends Julie and Kim were deciding how to commemorate their anniversary, they decided to throw the 2009 version. Held on Saturday night, the 7th February in the Grand Ball Room of the Intercontinental Hotel, over 200 people arrived in black tie attire to this "masked" ball! What a great way to get the party started - with no one recognizing each other! 

The team at BeforeYourParty.com designed the "flash back to 67 " invitations while save the dates went out months before. We LOVED this party's theme and applaud our customers creativity! 

Did you have an unusual party lately? Tell us about it and we will post our favorites!

Isaac Mizrahi Calls Us 'Caché'

This is a fun video, entitled Harvest Activities, where Issac Mizrahi looks at our matches and coasters and says they are so "Caché", so fun and chic! He also affirms the fact that our customers think ahead about their parties so that your guests know how much you mean to them! (Watch the second video, Harvest Activities, (2 min 28 seconds) http://www.isaacmizrahiny.com/watch_isaac/web-i-sodes/457/jessica_romm_harvest_activities

Love to Party on Valentines

Monday morning, Sari entered the office proclaiming, "Valentines Day is the best day to have a party!" We have heard many phone calls from her guests who could not have agreed more! The girls of BeforeYourParty designed a custom Lazer-cut invitation for the soirée and Sari made sure there were enough cocktail napkins, stir sticks, and match favors to go around. Sari's best friend, Linda, whose upcoming nuptials were the reason for the party, said, "It was a great party, Sari really is in the right business!" While spending Valentines with your sweetheart is romantic, hosting a party is another great alternative!

WHISPERING POWERFUL SOMETHINGS

While in NYC at the Stationery Show, many artists caught ForYourParty’s eye, but a Jersey girl, Laurel Denise, had the items we couldn’t live without.  She designs delicate necklaces that whisper powerful something to those around you.  Here is a little bit about her unique story, as stated on her website:

“The Laurel Denise Jewelry line came to Laurel in a dream in the middle of the night. Months that seemed like days passed and Laurel's small room quickly became a studio, completely covered in sterling silver & gold chain, glass, scraps of paper, and sketches. Many tested designs, tested materials, and glass cuts later, Laurel Denise Jewelry Design was born.”

Rachel, who purchased a necklace, loved the idea of showing others that she wants to represent joy.  Her mom always called her the “sunshine” child, mostly because she was a girl between two excitable lads, and because she wants to bring more joy to the world through her actions and love.  After meeting Laurel, Rachel was sure they shared the same goal!  Laurel’s necklaces are perfect for bridesmaid’s gifts because they say something deeper about the relationship between two women. 

If you are looking for more memorable items, think about also making cocktail napkins with sweet quotes about love and marriage for your special day!

Look for Laurel's designs on the ForYourParty website !

ANGELS AT FORYOURPARTY

ForYourParty girls were Angels among Kings last night!

Rachel and Lesley, with two exclusive invitations, attended the opening of celebrity Pete Wentz's Chicago bar Angels and Kings, where ForYourParty napkins and coasters were tastefully littered throughout.

When Wentz's people called our people we were thrilled to make party accessories for his local event, as Lesley is a huge fan of Fall Out Boy - and, well, we just love parties! Both the FYP gals met Wentz and his new wife, Ashlee Simpson, and took photos for our (and your) viewing.

DADDY'S DAY

We've had a lot of recent coverage about products for Father's Day and we're excited to receive sophisticated designs and text for our customers' fathers.

However, this hand-drawn match cover was so unexpected and cute that we just have to feature it! This was a custom art that someone had drafted for their father, a smoker. Now every time he lights up, these matches will remind him of his toddler's first attempt at creativity.

Happy Father's Day everyone!

Chicago is a land of many cultures – and we’re always happy to see a multi-cultural wedding. Lesley recently attended the wedding of her cousin, a Mexican-American, to a Filipino-American in a Chicago suburb. In the business, we all see how stressful things can get, and in the case of this marriage, the groom was the one who worried about all the little details! (Yes, ladies, it is possible!)

The ceremony and the reception was a nice mix of both the families’ cultures. The dual lighting of the candle is a Mexican tradition that they practiced (see the photo above). Later the groom’s father, who had flown in from the Philippines, gave a unique speech about their beautiful day, accent and all. The food, however, was a nice blend of American food with fruit, salad and grilled chicken. And finally, because the Philippines has its own Spanish roots, Latin music filled the reception halls as people danced the night away. Lesley felt that the wedding had a unique culture because of the blend of them all.

Multicultural weddings are being employed more and more and we are thrilled to see such diverse and creative ways of celebrating two people. Inspired by this wedding, Lesley has made a new design, the double happiness, for those who are looking to use multicultural motifs on their ForYourParty products.

Thanks to Cliff and Anabel for sharing their special day!

WINTER BLUES lead to all shades of OCEAN BLUES

How can we forget the dark and dreary winter that plagued the Midwest this year? With our

photos, we at least remember how we escaped it!

Sari this year made a "hand-delivery" in the dead of winter to her long-time friend's Malibu

beach home. Sharone celebrated her birthday this year with ForYourParty's own stir sticks

and napkins as people (including celebrities) soaked up the sun and summertime refreshments.

Upon arriving from Malibu, Sari was filled with summertime inspiration - inspiration that is

still manifesting itself in our designs and color palettes (inspiration that was impossible to

acquire in Chicago). Thanks to Sharone - ever the best hostess for this treat!

We think it was snowing in Chicago during this trip!

Yes, that's Nicolette Sheridan!

Left to right: Sharone, Sari and Arley