Block Party Idea: Baked Goods Auction

Planning a block party is a great way to meet your neighbors but can get overwhelming. However, this block party is simple to plan, is something that everyone will enjoy, and won't break the bank.
Block Party Idea: Baked Goods AuctionSetup and Planning

Planning and setup preparations are fairly simple. You will want to set up plenty of chairs. You will need a table for the baked goods and a table where people can receive their tickets. You will also want to find an auctioneer; you can enlist a friend or get a professional auctioneer for the party.
Make sure to ask everyone to bring a baked goods item

Set up your ticket questions. When you talk to people about bringing a baked good, you can ask them if there is something that very few people know about them. Then set up a paper that says things like: "Who has been to Tahiti?" and "Who worked as a jewelry store clerk during college?" and so on; only your questions should reflect what you find out about people.

Create auction paddles by stapling a paper plate to wooden paint stirrers. Use a black marker to write different numbers on each paddle.
The Party

As guests arrive hand them copies of the questions and a pencil then encourage them to talk to people and get to know each other. Explain that for each question they fill out, they get ten tickets and that the tickets will be the "money" they have to bid with for the auction.

As people finish their questions have them come to the table to have their answers checked and redeem their tickets. They should also be given their auction paddles.

When you feel that people are ready, have the auction begin. Hold up each baked good and let people bid for them. Everyone will have fun with this, and will enjoy being able to leave with a treat.

Hosting the Perfect Barbecue

A barbecue is the perfect warm weather get-together! By cooking, eating, and socializing outdoors you get to enjoy the beautiful weather and enjoy things you couldn't indoors. Here are some tips to help you plan the perfect barbecue

Invitations for a barbecue can be informal. If the majority of your guests are close friends and family, simply call or email them to extend the invitation. For people you don't know as well, simply drop a casual invite in the mail.

Location

Your backyard, of course! If your home cannot accommodate a barbecue, you can instead hold one at the local park. Or, find a friend or relative with a big yard and ask if you can host your barbecue there. Most people will be happy to get involved if they can!

Decorations

Keep the decorations simple. A festive red and white checkered tablecloth over the picnic table and a few coordinating balloons or streamers tied to the legs will do. For your centerpiece, try an attractive citronella candle. Citronella works as a natural bug repellant, and a fragrant citronella candle will help prevent pesky mosquitoes and flies from crashing the party!

Food

The food is the best part of an outdoor barbecue! Fire up the grill and try some of these traditional and not so traditional dishes: hot dogs, hamburgers, steak, chicken, pork chops, fish, eggplant and corn on the cob are all fantastic when grilled! For fantastic side dishes, choose cool and creamy recipes that complement the grilled fare. Some good ideas: macaroni salad, potato salad, Greek salad – basically any cool, freshly prepared salad will work! To round out the meal, get a few bags of potato chips or pretzels in various flavors. Dessert can be something light such as strawberry shortcake in angel food cups. Gelatin desserts are a good choice as well!

Make sure you fill coolers with lots of ice, bottled water and canned soda. If you like, fill a second cooler for adults only and stock it with favorites like light beer and wine coolers.

Other great ideas for barbecue fare include fresh fruit like watermelon, homemade Sno-cones and funnel cakes, ice cream, and frozen blender favorites like iced coffee or daiquiris.

Games and Activities

Set up a net and recruit players for some volleyball or badminton. If you've got a pool, then swimming is a must! You could even take the volleyball into the pool for a fun, wet twist! Great activities for land lovers include tug-of-war, potato sack races, and traditional backyard games like croquet or horseshoes. Above All, Have Fun!

Don't stress too much about what you're serving or what games to play. The best thing about a barbecue is the casual atmosphere. You and your guests will have a blast eating, socializing, lounging, and enjoying quality time spent with friends and family!

10 Exotic Centerpieces for the Holidays

1. Shoe Magic - Buy gleaming fuchsia (stylish) or red (festive) colored high heeled glass bottom stilettos and fill one of it with flowers of appropriate size for a trendy table top which will set off a trendy, modern theme. - Fill a goblet with cranberries and tie a bow at its stem for a quick, festive table top.

3. Candle & Sand - Fill a clear glass bowl with colored sand (available at Crafts stores) and stick red or white or a combination of red-white or red-green candles in the sand. Use about 10 candles and arrange them creatively. Light all of the candles together for a lovely shining effect.

4. Tabletop Trees - Mini Christmas trees make lovely tabletops. Artificial trees can be bought or crafted. We have some Christmas Tree crafts at our Crafts section. Alternatively, you can also buy a baby Christmas tree or use a branch of a tree and decorate it in the same fashion as you would decorate your Christmas tree.
http://www.celebrating-christmas.com/crafts/christmas_trees.shtml

5. Snow Globes - Snow Globes or Snow domes lend a whimsical touch to your room. Use them on your table for a touch of fantasy. You can make a snow dome yourself using easy to follow instructions in our Snow Domes project at

www.celebrating-christmas.com/crafts/snowdomes.shtml

6. Ornament Glitter - Fill clear glass bowls or baskets (tied with a red bow) with Christmas baubles in bright red, green or blue and glittering silver and golden colors for a sparkly tabletop.

7. Candle and Bloom - Place 4-5 pillar candles of same color (preferably white) but different sizes in a plate. Place a poinsettia or any red flower and a twig of holly in the same plate. Light all the candles.

8. Snowy Village - Just like snow domes, a Thomas Kinkade or any other snow village scene compiled with snow clad buildings and tree replicas, available easily in stores, will bring lots of holiday cheer and fantasy to your table.

9. Hurricanes and Votives - Fill glass hurricanes with scarlet cranberries and red roses and flank the hurricanes with votives.

10. Tapers and Tulips - Creamy white tulips in silver cups flanking a candelabra filled with white tapers make simply sensational centerpieces. For more Fresh and Dry Holiday Flower Arrangements, visit http://www.celebrating-christmas.com/decorating/christmas-floral.shtml

It's Party Time! Let's Decorate!

Holidays are here and so is the spirit of partying. Here are some wonderful ideas for transforming your home into an innovative party scenario and giving your guests an occasion that will forever remain etched in their memories.

1. Entrance: Do up your entrance. The entrance to your home should be magnificent and welcoming. Line the driveway with luminaries. Place a guest book at the front door for expressing sentiments. Clean up clutter near your entrance. Decorate the entrance traditionally or with something unusual to set a celebratory mood. You could also decorate according to the theme of your party. Sleigh Bells or wreaths for Christmas, ghoulish figures for Halloween etc.

2. Lighting: Lighting sets the mood for the party. Interesting ways to play with lighting are to cover light bulbs with multi-colored cellophane strips, cover lights or battery-torches with soft white cloth and place them separately to give the room an air of mystery, or use all your beautiful candles together instead of lights to create a romantic mood. If using candles, combine candles of various colors, shapes and sizes together.

3. Flowers: Flowers will never go out of Fashion. Use lots of seasonal flowers to add freshness and fragrance to your decor. Use garlands to decorate tall structures, floral arrangements on mantels and corners and floating displays of seasonal flowers and floating candles for an eye-catching centerpiece. Visit our Flower Arrangement Gallery (http://www.dotcomwomen.com/home/floral.shtml) for some great ideas. If you expecting kids at your party, place such arrangements out of reach of children or use wooden or metal vases and bowls instead of glass and porcelain.

4. Fabric and Linen: The color and texture of the fabric in the room should be decided according to the occasion, theme, season etc. Cool fabrics go for summers. Rich brocades and Velvet go with a Victorian theme. Red, Golden and White will give the room a Christmassy feel.

5. A Special Touch: Give the party scenario a special touch by placing an object which will be the center of attraction for your guests. A party is the right time to show off your beautiful collection of dolls or your set of original oils by a famous artist. A set of rare books placed together as a 'mini-library' in your party room will also become a major attraction if your guests are Literature-Lovers. Apart from collections, you can use mini-aquariums, waterfalls, miniature indoor gardens etc. These will not only beautify the room, but also give your guests a beautiful theme to start a conversation.