Ghosts of Parties Past and Pre-pre-party Prep
I love hosting parties. I'm not sure what drives me to do it but I get such satisfaction from making sure my guests are tipsy enough to enjoy my mediocre food. I have hosted so many parties in the past and now with having the Kid, I am just so grateful that at least I can still have our annual Halloween party. Number 8 baby! I was thinking about all the parties I have hosted in the past and decided to make a list.
Baby showers:
Sea Theme: I only knew the guest of honour. Was a little strange that nobody talked to me, in my apartment. But the decorations and food were awesome!
Lord of the Rings: This was a lot of fun and I used a lot of green and fake foliage and I spray painted a few styrofoam rings just cause I could.
80's Yuppie Theme: Totally epic. I may or may not have made lines of white baby powder on mirrors as part of the decor. Yes!
Dr. Zhivago: Such a great party! The only problem was I had been informed the day before that I was being terminated and the Husband and I had also been trying to conceive. I was an emotional wreck at that point but I had a party to host and I was damned if I wouldn't be the hostess with the mostest.
Surprise shower: The idea was from a common friend. The guest of honour was actually only a couple months ahead of me so it was a sober event for me. It was a fun and intimate party.
Themed parties:
Come as your favourite Austrian: This was so much fun. I printed out music sheets from Strauss and Mozart, hung an Austrian flag, served Austrian food and played Austrian hits. We had a couple of Falcos, Arnie (the face make up was half Terminator and incredible!), an old lady who had stepped in dog crap, Nikki Lauda, a famous Austrian dance instructor and luckily, no Hitlers. I was a golden lady from a Klimt painting. Fun. Fun.
White Trash Party: Please note that this was not a judgement on social or economic situations but rather a play on tacky dressing and reality stars. My favourite was the miniature Nascar sand pit I recreated on our copper Kenyan antique coffee table. Oh, and the trailer cake with Oreos as tires. Awesomeness! (And now that I'm older, I realize that this was not the best theme and I am very very sorry if I caused any offense)
Jersey Shore Party: This was such a great party save for the fact that I was pregnant and didn't know it. Apparently everybody else did, however. One friend walked in and exclaimed "YOUR BOOBS ARE HUGE!!!" and another noted that I had switched from wine to Coke Zero half way through the night. I had even taken an early pregnancy test earlier in the week that said "Go get blottoed at your party" but alas, I was preggers. I should have known seeing that half way through the party I took a nap and remember, I hate to sleep. But the funniest part about the party is that the men were all strangely turned on by the fake tanner and slutty clothing. Who knew?
Toga Party: Tova in a Toga. Greek food and people in sheets. This was for my 29th birthday and such a blast! I kind of want to do one again in a couple of years. It was a good look.
And besides the theme parties and showers, I have hosted Canada Day parties, Christmas gatherings and Canadian Thanksgivings. I heart all the planning. Of course, with the Kid in the picture, I have had the pleasure of hosting 2 birthdays so far. His first birthday was a Ratatouille theme. French food and French decorations and two little plastic rat characters from the film. Raphael wore a bowtie. It was great! And last February was a pirate theme but I was in the throws of undiagnosed bronchitis and I hate to say it but I have no recollection of that party. There were people, we sang and then I went to bed. When I say I am going to host a party, I mean it. His next party will be a Mardi Gras theme because I am guessing this is the last year that I will have complete artistic control over the theme and execution. Curses!
So in about 6 days is the big show; the Halloween party. It takes a lot of work and prep because a) I'm obsessive about my parties and b) we do not have a car so there is nothing such as "one stop shopping". Food is bought and lugged in intervals. This weekend was spent cleaning out the fridge, organizing which dish to be used for which dish to be served, seating layout and of course the purchasing of basics such as paper plates, forks, knives, cups and paper towels and toilet paper. Very very important. I have also spent a ridiculous amount of time planning my day off on Friday down to the minute. It's what I do and it is what I love to do. If I didn't hate the hours or the bad pay, I totally would be a party planner. But alas, I'm not sure how many people would appreciate themes like "Come as your favourite obscure 1980's PSA" or "Heroin chic!". And please take a minute and check out these trophies. If you are attending on Saturday I want to you to fight for these. I want to see your game faces. I want carnage and smack talk! Be in it to win it! Or just bring something to drink. That'll work too. Happy Sunday!
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Baby showers:
Sea Theme: I only knew the guest of honour. Was a little strange that nobody talked to me, in my apartment. But the decorations and food were awesome!
Lord of the Rings: This was a lot of fun and I used a lot of green and fake foliage and I spray painted a few styrofoam rings just cause I could.
80's Yuppie Theme: Totally epic. I may or may not have made lines of white baby powder on mirrors as part of the decor. Yes!
Dr. Zhivago: Such a great party! The only problem was I had been informed the day before that I was being terminated and the Husband and I had also been trying to conceive. I was an emotional wreck at that point but I had a party to host and I was damned if I wouldn't be the hostess with the mostest.
Surprise shower: The idea was from a common friend. The guest of honour was actually only a couple months ahead of me so it was a sober event for me. It was a fun and intimate party.
Themed parties:
Come as your favourite Austrian: This was so much fun. I printed out music sheets from Strauss and Mozart, hung an Austrian flag, served Austrian food and played Austrian hits. We had a couple of Falcos, Arnie (the face make up was half Terminator and incredible!), an old lady who had stepped in dog crap, Nikki Lauda, a famous Austrian dance instructor and luckily, no Hitlers. I was a golden lady from a Klimt painting. Fun. Fun.
White Trash Party: Please note that this was not a judgement on social or economic situations but rather a play on tacky dressing and reality stars. My favourite was the miniature Nascar sand pit I recreated on our copper Kenyan antique coffee table. Oh, and the trailer cake with Oreos as tires. Awesomeness! (And now that I'm older, I realize that this was not the best theme and I am very very sorry if I caused any offense)
Jersey Shore Party: This was such a great party save for the fact that I was pregnant and didn't know it. Apparently everybody else did, however. One friend walked in and exclaimed "YOUR BOOBS ARE HUGE!!!" and another noted that I had switched from wine to Coke Zero half way through the night. I had even taken an early pregnancy test earlier in the week that said "Go get blottoed at your party" but alas, I was preggers. I should have known seeing that half way through the party I took a nap and remember, I hate to sleep. But the funniest part about the party is that the men were all strangely turned on by the fake tanner and slutty clothing. Who knew?
Toga Party: Tova in a Toga. Greek food and people in sheets. This was for my 29th birthday and such a blast! I kind of want to do one again in a couple of years. It was a good look.
And besides the theme parties and showers, I have hosted Canada Day parties, Christmas gatherings and Canadian Thanksgivings. I heart all the planning. Of course, with the Kid in the picture, I have had the pleasure of hosting 2 birthdays so far. His first birthday was a Ratatouille theme. French food and French decorations and two little plastic rat characters from the film. Raphael wore a bowtie. It was great! And last February was a pirate theme but I was in the throws of undiagnosed bronchitis and I hate to say it but I have no recollection of that party. There were people, we sang and then I went to bed. When I say I am going to host a party, I mean it. His next party will be a Mardi Gras theme because I am guessing this is the last year that I will have complete artistic control over the theme and execution. Curses!
So in about 6 days is the big show; the Halloween party. It takes a lot of work and prep because a) I'm obsessive about my parties and b) we do not have a car so there is nothing such as "one stop shopping". Food is bought and lugged in intervals. This weekend was spent cleaning out the fridge, organizing which dish to be used for which dish to be served, seating layout and of course the purchasing of basics such as paper plates, forks, knives, cups and paper towels and toilet paper. Very very important. I have also spent a ridiculous amount of time planning my day off on Friday down to the minute. It's what I do and it is what I love to do. If I didn't hate the hours or the bad pay, I totally would be a party planner. But alas, I'm not sure how many people would appreciate themes like "Come as your favourite obscure 1980's PSA" or "Heroin chic!". And please take a minute and check out these trophies. If you are attending on Saturday I want to you to fight for these. I want to see your game faces. I want carnage and smack talk! Be in it to win it! Or just bring something to drink. That'll work too. Happy Sunday!
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