Ever wonder how you can create a great party that is fun and safe for your children for less than $60 including gas?

Considerations for age appropriate parties:

1. Invite a maximum of children to match the age of the child. An easy guideline is to invite only as many children as your child’s age, plus one. This keeps the party small with young children reducing the opportunity for them to be overwhelmed. Each year your child learns to emotionally handle a larger group of children.
2. Have the child choose a theme. It makes your job easy (a favorite book, sport, movie, or a TV show. Then they can further help with the planning plus make decorations.
3. Keep the party simple.
4. Focus on structured group activities. Individual games focuses on a winner which leaves children out – maybe even the birthday child.
5. Always ask parents about food allergies.

Ways to cut birthday party costs without cutting the party experience:

1. Hold the party in your home
2. Avoid traditional meal times by holding the party between 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. and serve snacks & dessert.
3. Bake your own cupcakes and let the kids decorate their own cupcake for a fun activity.
4. Make and hand deliver your own invitations, or “be green” and send e-vites with an RSVP date.
5. Resist hiring an entertainer or bouncy castle! Kids only remember the fun activities and birthday cake.
6. Make it a family affair and ask family members plus the guests parents to assist with activities.
7. Source theme decor from your own home first, then purchase the rest of supplies from economy stores.

ACTIVITIES FOR A BEACH PARTY (GEARED TO 5 YEAR OLDS)

We chose a beach theme to counter against our snowy Calgary weather. Collect all your colourful beach towels to cover your
party table and inflate all beach air mattresses and balls to decorate the party room.
Welcome each guest at the door with a lei and a tropical sun visor (can be part of their take home goody bag).
Encourage everyone to dress the theme (beach shorts, T shirts, flip flops, sun glasses and visors)

Simple party activity starters:

1. Decorate the birthday cupcakes (while the children are calm) using an assortment of frostings and toppings.
2. Do simple crafts (stickers, buttons with yarn, straw crafts, using little sea shells with beads and pebbles etc. Glue these onto mini frames or juice-cans. You can even use lids and add a magnet on the back.
3. Save time and purchase simple craft kits for only $1-$2 at the numerous economy stores.

Games for children with energy:

1. Fill balloons with small treasure based on your theme before you blow them up. For beach we used mini fish, wiggly worms, costume jewelry. The children then pop several balloons and gather their treasures. You can hang, hide or put them in a large garbage bag or box.
2. Group hunting games (same as Easter egg hunts) This can be treats, treasure chest items or even a puzzle piece to a treasure map that all the children work collectively to put together.
3. A circle dance of ”Hokey Pokey” works great and is completely non competitive.

Move into quiet games:

1. Hand make Lei Necklaces made from yarn, drinking straws, and colored crinkled tissue paper.
2. Simple relay races such as potato-on-spoon using a beach water toy.
3. Pin the “crab on the beach”. No winner needed here too!

Holding the party mid afternoon reduces the cost on food. Create a mock tail with juice and give it a beach name. Snacks can
include vegetable sticks and dip, seasonal fruit kabobs, mini pita pockets or bagels and finish with the individually decorated
cupcakes.

BEACH THEMED GOODIE BAGS

For less than $9, our goodie beach pail was equipped with a shovel had a snorkel face mask strapped to the outside of the pail
and was filled with a house safe beach sponge ball, squiggly florescent worm, a motorized bathtub sail boat plus a colourful
slinky. The children go home in their colourful foam visors (we collected a mixture sharks, butterflies, monkeys and pink
flamingos) Always make a few more in case extra guests arrive – yes this often happens!

THANK YOU NOTES

It is never too soon to teach etiquette to children. Create a list of the guests’ names before the party, and then jot down each gift
beside the giver’s name as they are opened for thank you cards.
Take photos of the children dressed in theme or put them in front of a prop. Download the photo onto your computer and
colour print them into thank you cards.

The party is a quick two hours, organized with a logical rhythm for child interest and safety and it was super inexpensive. Plus
why not forget our Calgary snow for awhile and transport yourself to the beach? Happy Birthday!

Because there are all sorts of simply elegant ways to fold napkins that can make a dramatic impact on a table setting, we’ve decided to share six more napkin folding techniques with you.

Whether it’s a formal sit-down dinner, an everyday family meal, or a festive party buffet, artfully folded napkins add stylish flair and enhance any occasion. No matter how simply or intricately done, elegant and creative napkin folds transform meals into celebrations.

French Pleat

Fold napkin in quarters.
Roll the first layer of the napkin toward you to the center.
Fold the second layer toward you and under the first - Do not Roll.
Leave the same width of the napkin as the rolled edge.
Fold the next layer of the napkin away from you and under the second leaving the same width as other two folds.
Fold under the right and left side edges to center back.

Crown

Fold the napkin in half diagonally forming a triangle.
Fold the left and right triangle to the top forming a square.
Turn napkin to form a diamond. Fold the bottom point 2/3 of the way to the top point and fold the bottom point back again to the base line.
Turn napkin over and tuck the far corners into one another forming a round base.
Stand a napkin upright and flair out the two top corners to form a Crown.

Flame

Fold tall four corners of a flat napkin to the center.
Fold the bottom half under the top half.
Fold the right half over the left half.
Turn the napkin clockwise to create a diamond.
Roll the top layer toward center forming a band.
Turn the second layer under to form a second band.
Fold the left and right hand edges under.

Trifold

Fold the napkin in half diagonally form a triangle with the long point facing you.
Fold the far left and right had corners of the triangle toward you to the bottom point.
Fold the napkin in half bringing the bottom point under to meet the top point.
Lift the napkin at the center to stand upright on the two side edges.

Peak

Fold the napkin toward on end into quarters.
Fold the right and left edge under and towards you creating a triangle at the top of the napkin.
Roll the right and left edges up into the base edges of the triangle.
Turn the fold over standing the triangle point up with the open edge facing you.

Candle

Fold napkin in half diagonally forming a triangle.
Fold one-quarter of napkin’s base edges, forming a cuff.
Turn napkin over. Carefully roll from left to right.
Tuck the remaining corner inside the cuff to hold the Candle firm.
Position the Candle with the highest point of the napkin facing you.

Napkin folding is an art that is easy to master. These simple folds will enhance your table and delight your guests.

We at Simply Elegant know that an important part of ensuring that your event is a success has to do with paying special attention to the details. Those small finishing touches can make a big difference. And that’s why this week, we’re going to look at napkin folding.   

A perfectly set table is a small masterpiece. And a beautifully folded napkin adds an elegant finishing touch to a dining table. Napkin folding is also a perfect way to dress up your table without much extra cost!

Cloth napkins make your guests feel that the meal is an event filled with moments worth savouring. Intricately folded napkins on the empty dinner plates or in water goblets add beauty and a formal polish to the table.

There are a number of different napkin folding options, and here’s a pleasant surprise, they are actually a lot easier to fold than you may think.  

Here are five napkin folds and instructions on how to create them.

Opera House Fan

Fold napkin in half.
Fold the bottom edge of the halved napkin up about one inch and hold in place.
Fold it back under the napkin in the opposite direction another inch. Continue this pattern until you are within four inches of the top of the napkin, finish with the last fold down away from you rather than up.
Fold accordion pleats in half down the centre with folds facing the outside. A four-inch flat portion of the napkin now sticks out from the center of your folds.
Fold accordion in half with folds on outside; four inch flat will protrude from the center.
Fold the unfolded corners diagonally and tuck them under the accordion folds then open the fan and stand it up.

Bird of Paradise

Fold the napkin in quarters with the four edges toward you.
Fold the edges up to form a triangle.
Fold the left and right points of the triangle to the center and then fold the extended points under.
Lift the center and hold the base – pull the four napkin edges out of the center to create the bloom. 

Rose

Fold all four corners of a flat napkin into the center: then fold four points again to the center.
Turn the napkin over and fold four points again to the center pressing all folds tightly.
Turn napkin to form a diamond. Using one hand to hold two points at front center of the napkin and with the other hand reach under that point and pull up flap.
Repeat at three other points.
Holding center points, reach between petals and pull out additional flaps.

Cardinal Hat

Fold the napkin in diagonally forming a triangle.
Fold the left and right hand corners of the triangle to the top.
Turn the napkin over so that no folds are visible.
Fold up the bottom tip of the triangle and fold in half.
Fold the right side over the left making a circle.
Tuck one end of the triangle into the other.
Place the Cardinal Hat in an upright position and flare out points slightly.

Goblet Fan

Fold napkin in half with the edges at the bottom.
Accordion pleat form right to left.
Fold the bottom third up.
Insert into goblet and spread pleat to form fan.  

When it comes to the art of napkin folding, remember that each napkin fold will suit different themes and styles. For best results use square napkins when creating napkin folds. Well-starched napkins form the cleanest folds.

When was the last time you looked at table centrepieces and thought, “I’d really love to eat those….”

If the answer is never, you really need to hang out with us more. One of the things we love doing for events is coming up with unique, fresh, fun and GREEN ways to make your guests feel special.  What always goes over well are edible centrepieces for your tables.

We kid you not. We’re talking about centrepieces your guests can actually eat during or after your event. Edible centrepieces will generate conversation AND they will help you reduce, reuse and recycle, which your guests will appreciate. Finally, they’ll get to take home centrepieces they’ll actually use!

You can easily create edible centrepieces that set the perfect tone for your event, whatever the occasion.  And every season brings with it a whole new and exciting range of possibilities.

Doing a kids party? Pick up a half circle Styrofoam ball, cover it with any colour of burlap, dyed cheesecloth, Spanish moss, green or fall leaves, the list goes on and on…then stick lollipops in the base, one colour for each table.

Want to liven up a fundraising event? Make your centrepieces out of retro candy. You can use Elephant Popcorn or Crackerjack boxes as the base and artistically arrange your favourite candies, mixed with flowers and ribbon. Smart and original, just like you.

In a hurry? Cupcakes make great, easy desserts to serve – and you can display them all night with a beautiful cupcake stand. Functional and pretty all at the same time.

The possibilities are endless. And best of all, your centrepieces won’t just look good – they will be used instead of just thrown away. And that’s just plain good sense.