Thursday, November 18, 2010

The Perfect Bridal Shower gift

What is better that a Personalized Cookbook for the Bride to be! Whether she is a Seasoned cook or a beginner.... this is one of the most thoughtful gifts you can give.


Once you order a CUSTOMIZED cookbook binder, Add free recipes that you print from the internet OR download this FREE Crockpot recipe ebook. Print & add to the binder.

Not only will the bride to be love your thoughtfulness the the Groom to be will be happy to have some great dinners!

Friday, October 29, 2010

Santa Letters.... do you have good boys & girls?

Holiday Letterhead Santa Letter Christmas letterheadLetters from Santa will light up your child's eyes.

Holiday Letterhead Santa Letter Christmas by kjscreations

Start a Santa Letter Business!
Order pre-printed Letterhead with matching envelopes, stickers & postage stamps. These have LOW minimums.

All you have to do is get some information from your customer... type it into the letter & mail to the child.

I have seen these sold from $7 up to $15. Add a Color sheet & sticker.... you can make a few bucks for the Holidays!

Choose from several Santa letter sets at KjsCreations

For a FREE Coloring Sheet & 2 letters to choose from... click here ... download or print this PDF file. Then add the personalized information. Print on plain paper & hold it up to the light to make sure the text is positioned right. Print the final copy on your pre printed sheet of Santa Letterhead.

Then to promote your new business... read creative web promote.
there are some great ideas to promote your Santa Letter business.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Finished look to your invitations

We all think of sending out our invitations for parties, weddings or announcements & think, we are done. You have just sent out an expensive invitation that you spent alot of time designing, addressing & placing on the postage. What have you really sent out? a BORING PLAIN OLE Envelope. What is on the outside of the envelope is the first impression your guests will have, & set the tone for your party.

Matching envelopes & invitations always make a great first impression!


Sunday, August 22, 2010

Rules for Sending Business Greeting Card


If you want to simply Hand Out a "Greeting with a Treat"
have plenty of
with YOUR company Logo & Message available.
Otherwise, send out Custom Greeting cards.
When it comes to holiday business greeting cards, to send or not to send is the question. Once you have decided to send, you then have to determine who to include on your list, what kind of business greeting card to choose, and how to address the envelope.

Business greeting cards can:
•enhance your current business relationships
•attract new customers
•remind old clients that you exist
•show appreciation to supportive clients

Use proper business greeting card etiquette. What is a well-meaning gesture can offend the people you want to impress when it is not done properly.

The 8 Rules of Business Greeting Card Etiquette

Buy Quality Cards: Start with a good quality business greeting card to show that you value your clients and colleagues. Skimping on your selection can be interpreted in a number of ways. Your recipients might take it as a sign that business has not been good or that they aren't worth a little investment.

Update Your List: Make sure your list is up-to-date with correct names and addresses. If you do this on a regular basis, it does not become a dreaded holiday chore. As you gain new contacts throughout the year, take time to add them to your database for your business greeting card group. This way you won't embarrass yourself by sending the card to the old address.

Sign Cards Personally: Even if you have preprinted information on the business greeting card such as your name, you need to add your handwritten signature. The most elegant business greeting cards should have your personal signature and a short handwritten message.

Handwrite the Address: If you are ready to throw up your hands at this point and forget the whole project, then have someone else address the envelopes for you. Don't use computer-generated labels. They are impersonal and make your holiday wishes look like a mass mailing. You may save time and even money, but can lose a client in the process.

Mail to Home Address: Mail your business greeting card to the home if you know the small business owner. Be sure to include the spouse's name. The card is not sent to both husband and wife at the business address unless they both work there.

Use Titles: Whether you are addressing the envelope to an individual or a couple, titles should always be used. It's "Mr. John Doe," not "John Doe," or "Mr. and Mrs. John Doe, rather that "John and Mary Doe."

Be Sensitive to Traditions: Find out whether your business greeting card recipients observe Christmas, Hanukah, or Kwanzaa. Make sure your message is appropriate for each individual. If you decide to go with one card, choose a generic one that will not offend. "Season's Greetings" and "Happy Holidays" are safe bets.

Avoid the Mail Rush: Mail your business greeting cards in time to arrive for the designated holiday. If you find yourself addressing the envelopes on Super Bowl Sunday, keep the cards until next year and send out a high-quality note thanking people for their business during the previous year instead. To avoid the last minute greeting rush is to have all your envelopes addressed before Thanksgiving. Then during December you can leisurely write a short message - one or two lines are all that is necessary on each card, sign your name and have them in the mail with a minimum of hassle.

You now have all the time in the world for the shopping, baking, decorating and celebrating that accompany the holiday season.

Lydia Ramsey is a business etiquette expert, professional speaker, corporate trainer and author of "Manners That Sell - Adding the Polish That Builds Profits" For more information visit her web site http://www.mannersthatsell.com

Monday, July 19, 2010

SpongeBob Squarepants Party


Under the Sea at Bikini Bottom ...
transform your back yard or pool into SpongeBob's "hometown".

Start with the perfect invitations... SPONGEBOB BIRTHDAY PARTY INVITATIONS
Send invitations 2-3 weeks in advance.
To add some excitement... add those "pop up" sponges from the dollar store. The kind that are thin & flat until you add water.

Matching Party Supplies.... you can purchase "
party in a box" where all your supplies are matching & you don't have to run all over!

Any party supply place will carry plenty of SpongeBob Party supplies too.


Party Favors..... SpongeBob Custom Candy will be a great addition to goodie bags or at place settings.. Chocolate Bars for indoor pool parties or Smarties or Push Pops for outdoor parties.
Make tabletop cards or signs to put near each food item.

Search online for the specific character's image and print it on to cardstock.
Then print the party food name next to the image and place it on the table.

Crabby Patties - SpongeBob is a fry cook at the Krusty Krab with an insatiable appetite for "Crabby Patties," which are basically hamburgers. Sliders or mini hamburgers are the perfect food to serve at your party.

Patrick's Star Sandwiches - Use star-shaped cookie cutters to stamp out peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that resemble Patrick.

Sandy's Soda and Beverages - Slap a sign on a big plastic tub full of ice and beverages for a Sandy the Squirrel watering hole.

Gary the Snail's Snack Pails - Purchase new plastic sand pails and fill them with goldfish, pretzels, and other salty favorites as Gary's snack pail.

Decorate with plenty of Seashells.... Sand pails ... fish nets.
Remember to call your local Bakery for a special birthday cake as well!



Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Party favors for Life's Occasions

Life's Occasions need special Favors from www.candybarwrap.com

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Beach Wedding or party Centerpieces

Beautiful Centerpieces for your tables with a Beach theme.

Surround your
custom candles with the look of the beach. Seashells and starfish are going to make your guests remember your beautiful tables.
Easy & inexpensive to make yourself.

Custom Beach theme Candles with the Bride & Groom's name works the best for these.










Materials: Alot of these I have found at the Dollar Store & bags of starfish & misc. seashells at Craft stores like Michaels or Hobby Lobby.

•STYROFOAM* Brand Foam:
Wreath, 6" x 1-1/4" x 1-1/4"
•Seashells, 2" or smaller, about nine assorted pair
•Sea glass, 1" or smaller, pale blue/green/white assortment
•Shells: Misc. small, about 50
•Starfish small... 5 or 6 per centerpiece
•Votive or pillar candle
•Low-temp glue gun and glue sticks
•Thick, white craft glue
•Small starfish, five
•Optional: Matte-finish white spray paint

Shell w/ Sea Glass Rings:
1.Wash and dry shells and sea glass if needed.

2.For formal look (front), glue pairs of shells to foam wreath, opposite one another. Begin with largest shells, moving to smallest. Fill spaces between shells with sea glass.

3.For more casual, natural look (left center), glue a favorite large shell to wreath, then surround with smaller shells and sea glass. Continue until entire top of wreath is covered. Glue sea glass to inner and outer foam edges.

Shell/Starfish Ring:
1.For starfish ring (top), paint turrid shells white if desired; let dry. Glue shells around wreath edge, close together with points up; let dry.

2.Glue large shells to top of wreath, facing one direction and slightly overlapped. Glue starfish to top of shells as shown. Let dry.


Instructions from http://www.favecrafts.com/Candles/Beach-and-Seashell-Glass-Candle-Rings

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Summer Time Pool Party or BBQ!

Plan a backyard BBQ or a pool party to cool off your friends & family.

Plan it in your backyard.... Park... Pool /Party room at your condo/apt or at the beach
First plan on the day, make any reservations for pool or picnic area.

Order your invitations. Stay in the theme of your party. Flip flop invitations are a GREAT touch.
Beach Decorations can be bought at Dollar Stores ... Oriental Trading or http://www.partysupplieshut.com/
Some ideas... have plenty of beach balls, sand buckets to serve chips ... fruit salads etc.
Custom Smartie Favors can be in the Sand Molds used as candy dishes.

Or put in Adorable Treasure Chest Favor boxes at a Child's Birthday Party.



Having a Weenie Roast right on the beach &
Fruit Salads in hollowed out Watermelon or in colorful sand buckets & use the plastic sand shovels as serving spoons. OR serve pasta or potato salad in the pales as well.

If you are serving a punch... freeze some JUICE that you are using in the punch so as it melts, it won't water down the punch.

Add Gummy fish or candy fish into the "ice cubes". Do NOT use plastic fish because as the cubes melt... someone could choke on them.
Small blowup pools or small plastic pool filled with Ice makes a GREAT soda, beer or wine coolers "ice chest".

Sea shells available at Dollar stores.... Hobby/Craft stores.... toss small ones on the tables for decorations & serve dips & candies in the large seashells.

For adult evening pool parties, add clear bowls of clear or colored water & add floating candles on each table.

CUSTOM LIP BALM should be a must at any outdoor party as a great party favor!
So there are a few ideas for your next Pool... beash or BBQ Party! Simply use your imagination & have fun!

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Dinosaur Birthday Party!


There is something that is breathlessly exciting about dinosaurs. We love to imagine these gigantic, powerful prehistoric creatures roaming the earth millions of years ago. Dinosaurs are a great kid's party theme; it has excitement, adventure, the thrill of discovery, and it can be a learning experience too (we won't tell the kid's if you don't). So invite everyone over for this prehistoric celebration!

Dinosaur Birthday Invitations

A personalized dinosaur invitation is a great way to start this dino-mite party! If you want to add something special to the invitation, sprinkle some dinosaur confetti in the envelope. Everyone will be super excited to receive such a unique invitation!

Get the kids involved: You can have the guest of honor help make the invitations. Cut out dinosaur footprints from cardstock or construction paper and write all of the party details on one side. Use fun wording like "You are Invited to a Prehistoric Party" or "Come have a ROAAARing good time!". Then let them add a dinosaur drawing or stickers to the other side of the invitation.

Remember to let the moms know to dress their kids in play clothes! If you party is for a younger crowd 1 1/2 to 2 hours is a good party length. The older the children, the longer the party can be, but for the sake of the parents 3 hours should be your limit. The dinosaurs may have been around for millions of years, but you don't want your party to feel like it is dragging on that long!

Dinosaur Decorations and Party Supplies
Cut out dinosaur footprints from green construction paper and have them lead up to your doorstep, or use colored sidewalk chalk to draw gigantic footprints. A few homemade signs that say "Dinosaur Crossing" and "Don't feed the T-Rex" (with a big bite taken out of it) will be a hit!

Have a CD with jungle sounds playing as your guests enter the party. Hang brown and green streamers from the ceilings and across the doorways to simulate vines in a jungle. You can also use inexpensive fake ivy from the craft store as prehistoric garland.

Fill the room with bunches of green dinosaur balloons. Balloon bouquets are great for your entrance, tables and the corners of the party room. If your party is outside, use balloons around the perimeter of the space to help define the area. Use a mini brontosaurus bean bag as a balloon weight for extra fun!

Here are a few more of our favorite dinosaur decorations:

■ Dinosaurs Giant Wall Decals - big decorations make a big impact
■ Dinosaurs Mylar Balloon - this balloon will really add to the room
■ Dinosaurs Removable Wall Decorations - love the dino footprints

Dinosaur Birthday Party Table and Menu
Dinosaur paper goods will help you set a fun, prehistoric party table that will be easy to clean up! At each place setting have a card with a short fun fact about dinosaurs. The kids will love sharing their new-found knowledge with each other! If you are going to have more than one table, name them after the periods of the Mesozoic Era, and maybe include a few fun facts about which dinosaurs lived in which periods -

■ Triassic Period - About 251 to 205 million years ago - Ichthyosaurs, Iguanadon and Plateosaurus ■ Jurassic Period - About 205 to 141 million years ago - Stegosaurus, Diplodocus, and Allosaurus
■ Cretaceous Period - About 141 to 65 million years ago - Triceratops, Ankylosaurus, and Tyrannosaurus rex
Not only will it make a great decoration, but it will be an opportunity for learning!

Simple table decorations are easy with this dinosaur centerpiece. If you really want to go all out make a paper mache volcano for your centerpiece, science fair style! Just make sure the kids are all gathered to see it "erupt"! A personalized dinosaur water bottle label at each place setting is a fun touch as well!

For the menu serve food that the kids will like but give them fun dinosaur inspired names -
■ Fossilized Fries
■ Cretaceous Chicken Fingers
■ Paleontologist Pizza
■ Volcano Veggies with Lava Dip (add a touch of red food coloring to ranch dip)
■ Stegosaurus Snack Mix
And for dessert serve this tasty treat -

Dinosaur Dig Dirt Cups
■ Fill clear plastic glasses or dinosaur cups 2/3 of the way with chocolate pudding.
■ Mix in a few dinosaur gummy snacks into the pudding.
■ Top the pudding with crushed Oreo cookies.
■ Add a few more gummies to the top of the cup.
■ Refrigerate until serving.
You can include a dinosaur theme birthday cake too. Add a dinosaur and volcano cake topper to a sheet cake and you are all set! All your little omnivores will love this dino-inspired meal!

Dinosaur Birthday Party Games and Activities
Fill a plastic pool with play sand and let the kids dig for "dinosaur bones" and fossils. Make them ahead of time with craft clay. Give each child a plastic pail and a shovel, and one of those really inexpensive tiny paint brushes. They will have a great time playing paleontologist! You can even place a dinosaur sticker on some of the bones, and let the kids trade them in for small prizes like candy, dino squirt toys, bubbles, chalk or dinosaur tattoos.

A dinosaur piñata is another fun activity. Fill it with plastic dinosaur noses and fun sized candy.

If you have a young group a fun yet quiet activity is to have the kids color dinosaur coloring sheets. Buy a few dinosaur coloring books, or Purchase & print out these coloring sheets we created for you:
■Dino Coloring Sheets

You can also play classic kids games with a dinosaur twist. What about "Fossil, Fossil, Dinosaur" instead of "Duck, Duck, Goose"? Or "Hot Potato" with a dinosaur egg? Here are some other fun Kids Birthday Party Games.

Dinosaur Birthday Party Favors
Pith hats make a great dinosaur theme party favor. Hand them out before you start your dinosaur dig so the kids can feel like real paleontologists.

Another great party favor is a
personalized dinosaur candy bar. It matches the personalized invitations and ties the theme together. Another tasty party favor are personalized dinosaur mint tins. You can't go wrong with sugar!

Or go with a dinosaur favor box filled with favors -

■Grow Your Own Dinosaurs
■Dinosaur Bitty Bucket
■Dinosaur Sticker Sheet

Don't forget that you will be sending your guests home with larger than life memories of this dino-mite birthday party!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Mother's Day Brunch for 100


Mother's Day is May 9, 2010 this year. Are you helping your church or organization plan a Mother's Day Brunch? Here are a few Buffet food calculations & recipes that everyone will enjoy & there will be plenty of food for everyone.

Decorate the buffet table with plenty of flowers too.
After your Buffet.... give each mom a
custom Hershey Candy Bar as a great mother's day favor!
Festive Family Brunch for 100... from Ellen's Kitchen Website

MENU PLANNING ..
This is the planned menu, and the actual amount consumed by 78 people, ranging in age for 2 to 82, including a dozen athletic teenagers and young 20-somethings, who ate like locusts. We had a number of pans of various food left over which went into various people's freezers, were made up in to "doggie bags," etc.

Ellen's note: Geri's quantities would be fine for 100 normal eaters.

Appetizers - (served for about 1 1/4 hours)
Meatballs (140 count)
B-B-Q sausage slices (3 pounds)(Geri notes she would increase to 6 pounds- Little smokies or cocktail sausages are another option)
Spirals (slices of lavash, wraps, whatever you call them, purchased from Costco) (60 pieces)
Mini-quiche lorraine (60 pieces)
Sausage balls (75) (Bisquick recipe, made at home)(could have used 150)
Mini muffins (3 dozen)
Fruit tray (small, the type the deli says is for 10-12 people)
Veggie tray (same, less than 4 pounds total)
Cheese cube tray (3 pounds total)
Deviled egg spread (1 gallon) w/ crackers (3 pounds)
Spinach dip (1 gallon) w/ party pumpernickel (2-3 pounds)
(There were also chips, pretzels, nuts, etc. around, virtually untouched)

Main table and entrees
Green beans almondine (1 3/4 # 10 cans, approximately 1 1/2 gallons)
Cold pea salad (4 pounds frozen peas)
Cream cheese date-pecan strata (tripled a 9x13 recipe, baked and served in 2 half-steamer pan- could have used more) Recipe follows!
Chicken tetrazini (3/4 of a half steamer pan) Recipe follows!
Impossible breakfast pie (spinach/cheddar) (a half-steamer pan) Recipe follows!
Impossible breakfast pie (sausage/cheddar) (a half-steamer pan) Recipe follows!
Hash brown Potato casserole (2 half-steamer pans full) Recipe follows!
Platter of various smoked, pepper, honey roasted, etc. turkey (this was virtually untouched)
Rolls and butter (also virtually untouched)

Ellen's note: If this had been a coffee cake or sweet rolls, more might have been eaten.

Beverages
Orange Juice (6 1/2 gallons)
Champagne (1 case, served mostly as mimosas in pitchers to adults, since we had two cases, we could have "pushed" it more)
One 2 liter bottle of each - cola, diet cola, sprite, ginger-ale
1 gallon iced tea (sweet tea)
Coffee (maybe 50 cups?)(1 pound)
Decaf coffee (maybe 15 cups)
(1/2 & 1/2, sugar, 3 varieties artificial sweeteners, shakers of cocoa and cinnamon, and a bottle of Italian flavoring syrup, can't recall the flavor)
Hot Tea (a dozen cups, tops, many varieties offered, English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Amaretto, plain old Lipton's)
Milk (1 1/2 qts)

Dessert
Purchased sheet cakes (less than 1/2 sheet was actually eaten, but they were GREAT cakes, Costco, and we enjoyed them for the next week)
Also, cookies, brownie bites, etc. virtually untouched

This menu may seem redundant, with a lot of sausage, too many nuts, a lot of eggy-cheesy stuff, but the things offered for variety (veggies, fruit, lean meat,) were little used.

The items people would have eaten more of, or asked for the recipes for the most (although literally every recipe was requested by at least two people,) were the cream cheese and date strata, the B-B-Q sausage (embarrassingly easy,) and the sausage balls.


For more set up instructions & some recipes... be sure to go to Ellen's Kitchen site

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Party Food Calculator

Ever wonder just how much food you need for your next party?
Well... here are a few tips from www.candybarwrap.com that may help you.

Party Food Calculator

The question of party food quantities to prepare for your guests is as old as hospitality itself. Party food planning is only a little trickier, though. As you will see, there are several different ways to look at it, but the main answer is:

1 Pound Of Food Per Person For Snacks
1 1/2 Pounds Of Food Per Person For A Meal

Those are averages figured in between the linebackers and the little dainties. We will break them down into averages for particular kinds of parties and party foods.

Appetizers: On average, your guests will consume 5 hors d’oeuvres per person per hour for the first 2 hours and 3 per person per hour for each additional hour. So for a 3-hour long party of 10 people, you will need to prepare about 130 appetizers, a little less if the party is to be followed by a meal.

Dips: Add the total weight of the main ingredients and use the 1 to 1 1/2 pounds per person rule.

Pizza: Adults & Teens… average 3 slices per person. Younger children allow 2

Here is an excellent
large-quantity party food planning site you may want to refer to for company barbecues, weddings, etc.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Your Worth a Million Birthday Party

Your "Worth a Million $$$"
party theme is a fun way to tell your Birthday girl or boy just how much they mean to you.


First get the right invitations for your Million Dollar Party!

Decorations can be
chocolate coins , Custom Hershey Kisses with Dollar signs on the bottom & $$$ confetti on the tables.

Large money "bills" on the walls.

Gifts can be wrapped in "money" wrapping paper. I found it At Party City.

Money themed custom candy bars used as favors

Gifts can be in theme as well. I found "money printed Shirts" & "money printed boxer shorts & ties". Cold hard cash is always "in theme" as well.

A Great Gift Idea is to dry out a plastic water bottle (put the cap back on)... cut a slit down the back & stuff 20 (or however many) single dollar bills in it. Then print on regular paper "Your worth a million" & tape it around the bottle. It is a Unique way to give money!

Candy center pieces are a great addition. Have fake bills & plastic coins added.

Green LIGHT UP ice cubes for a green punch or in drinks!

Green balloons & streamers.
Dollar sign necklaces as favors.

Food can be Appetizers or buffet style of whatever the Birthday girl or boy likes.

But don't forget to Decorate the cake in Money theme. Get a picture of a Million dollar Bill printed on edible sheets from any cake decorator.

Have fun with it!

Friday, January 29, 2010

Casino Theme Graduation or Birthday Party

Go all out to simulate the excitement and amusement of a night in Vegas for your grad or birthday boy/girl. Actually day or night, Vegas never goes to sleep. This theme is perfect for the guest of honor who likes fun, adventure and chance. Get ready & get out the chips... settle in to plan this "Take us to Vegas" Graduation or Birthday party.

For a personalized
invitation that matches the theme, take a look at these personalized PLAYING CARDS as invitations. 52 cards to a deck.
Graduation Party or Birthday Party! If you are having a corporate Casino night... get playing cards with your company logo as well.

* Casino Night Custom Candy Bar Wrappers are the perfect party favor to give to your guests.

* Have plenty of disposable cameras on tables so your guests can take party pictures for you.

* Loads of fake money, confetti, poker chips &
Custom Hershey miniature candy bars spead out in the middle of the tables.

* Giant Money as banners on the walls. I found these at Party City too.

* Bowls of Chocolate Gold coins

* PERSONALIZED Money with the guest of honors photo on the bills

* Casino Game rentals for blackjack, roulette & poker. They include dealers as well.

A buffet of finger foods is the perfect way to go at your casino party (because what says casino more that buffet, no?). This way your guests can take it with them to all of the game tables! Some tasty ideas are:

Chicken fingers
Spinach & feta filo pastry triangles
Satay chicken
Cocktail samosas
Spring rolls served with sweet/sour sauce
Marinated turkey nibbles
Shrimp cocktail
Thai fishcakes served (hot or cold) with yogurt/coriander dipping sauce
Cocktail club sandwiches
Spinach crepes filled with cream cheese and hot-smoked salmon
Sushi rolls with a variety of fillings
Rare beef skewers with horseradish
Antipasto including all the favorites like tapenade and pâté


You & your Guests will enjoy this unique Party Theme!