Desert Parties - Party Planning in the Phoenix Metro Areas

Coming soon...

2010-07-18T17:49:00.001-07:00

Its been quiet over here at Dessert Parties but thats because we have something better in the works - new blog launching....Cupcakes and Cactus! stayed tuned.......

Happy Earth Day: Eco-friendly Party Tips

2010-04-22T16:14:00.000-07:00

Last year in honor of Earth Day I wrote a post about eco-friendly gift wrap ideas. This year I'd like to discuss eco-friendly party tips.

invitations

use email invitations such as evite.com

partyware

Skip the disposable plates and cups - use reusable instead. Purchase a set in a color that you can use year after year. Also do this for tablecloths and napkins. White always works great or pink/blue for kids parties and baby showers. Stores such as HomeGoods, Target and Ikea are great resources.
For a tea party, shop Goodwill for an assortment of teacups so that each guest has a unique cup - send them home with the guests after the party (I got this idea from a friend's birthday party and I still have my special tea cup)
For a bridal shower purchase wine or martini glasses from a restaurant supply shop and have the guests decorate them with glass paints (available from craft stores) - serves both as their drink glass, craft project, and take home gift!
Use a party rental shop to rent plates, glasses, and tablecloths instead of purchasing disposable partyware. Some great local party rental shops include Party People, Andrews Party Rental
Use craft paper in place of a table cloth for a kids party and place crayons on the table for the little artists - recycle when the party is over.

food

Skip the individually wrapped snacks, water bottles and juice boxes
Purchase natural, organic and locally grown food when possible

decorations

Make your cake or party favors your table centerpiece instead of purchasing those paper and plastic themed centerpieces that will just be tossed after the party.
For kids parties, use toys that go along with your theme as decorations (either borrow from your kids collection or make the new toy part of their birthday gift)
For baby showers, purchase nursery decorations and use them for your party decor. You can also purchase some cute onsies and hang them from a clothesline, giving them to the mom-to-be as a gift after the shower.
Instead of balloons, use chinese lanterns or party pom poms which can be used for fun room decor later or reused for a future party

party favors & prizes

Skip the kid's goodie bag filled with small plastic toys - these don't usually work very well and got tossed right after the party. Instead give a gift that will be used long after the party - books, t-shirts, art supplies all would make great party favors.
Instead of cut flowers, use potted plants for room decor - these can be planted later or sent home with the guest of honor.
For prizes (for all those fun baby shower games) give gift certificates to a nail salon or coffee shop.
Edible party favors are always a hit
Skip the party favors and make a donation to a local charity in all of your guests names.

Not only are these tips eco-friendly but some save money and reduce clutter - all great things!!

Here's a few related articles I found:

Do you have an eco-friendly party tips to share?

Dr. Seuss Birthday Party by Nesting Instincts

2010-03-22T22:53:00.000-07:00

{nesting instincts}

Most parties featured on Desert Parties are parties held in Phoenix metro areas but I wanted to share this adorable Dr. Seuss and ABCs party by one of my favorite home decorating blogs, Nesting Instincts. I love the mix of Dr. Seauss and ABCs - prefect for a first birthday and even a preschooler or a baby shower.

I read a LOT of blogs - last time I checked my reader (I'm a huge fan of Google Reader) I was up to 160 blogs that I follow! Cake decorating, mommy bloggers, crafting, decorating and social media....I'm addicted to reading blogs. How many blogs do you follow? Do you have a favorite reader?

Added a another great party planning blog to our blog roll: Glorious Treats

2010-03-22T09:49:00.000-07:00

Our blog roll of great party planning blogs continues to grow - today I added Glorious Treats to the list. Have you seen the pictures from her daughter's candy themed 3rd birthday celebration? So cute!

photos from Glorious Treats

Custom Party Invitation Using a Digital Scrapbook Kit: Tutorial

2010-03-15T20:53:00.000-07:00

I've gotten a lot of questions about my invitations for my son's 4th birthday Knights and Dragons party so I decided to do a tutorial. If you know some basic digital scrapbooking skills or have experience with a photo editing program such as Photoshop it's a very easy and affordable way to create custom invitations and cards.

STEP 1: First you need to find a digital scrapbook kit to fit your party theme. My favorite shop is Sweet Shoppe Designs (the owner of this great site lives in Arizona). If they don't have what I want, than I just do a Google search such as "knight digital scrapbook kit". For the Knights and Dragons party I used "A Knights Tale" from ScrapMatters. The kits are also useful for creating party decorations and you can use it again to scrapbook your event.

STEP 2: Determine the size file you need for your invitation. Sometimes I use a 4 x 6 and print the invitation as a photo. You need to also purchase envelopes that are 4 x 6 - the ones I purchased were a little small so I end up having to trim a little bit off to get the invitations to fit in the envelopes. This year I used Costco's photo cards blank template for the 6 x 7 1/2 Photo Greeting Cards. $14.50 for a set of 50 cards and that includes envelopes! I didn't need 50 but saved a few for scrapbooking later and one to display at the party.

STEP 3: Open your favorite digital scrapbook program. Create a new file in the correct size for your invitation. Make sure when you are selecting your file size you are using inches instead of pixels. Set your resolution to 300 pixels/inch.

STEP 4: Design your invitation. Start with a background paper. Because the cards are smaller than a typical scrapbook page I like to reduce the size of the paper so the pattern is proportional to the invitation. Add some text, embellishments and even photos of the guest of honor.

STEP 5: Save the file as a .jpg

STEP 6: Follow the directions for the photo printing website you have selected (or print from home if you have a photo printer).

To use Costco's photo center: Upload your file to the Costco photo website. Create a greeting card project. Select "More Holiday", scroll to the bottom, and click on "Custom Template". Select horizontal or vertical. Select the correct photo from your album. Place your order and pick up your order in a few hours from your local Costco. Helpful hint: they even sell stamps at the photo center so don't forget to pick some up.

STEP 7: Put your invitations in the mail

Here are a few more examples of invitations I created for birthday parties (these were printed as 4 x 6 photos):

Updating Our Blog Roll

2010-03-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

I updated the blog rolls adding a large list of some great party planning blogs - do you have a favorite we should add?

I wanted to highlight some local Arizona party planning blogs since one of my main goals with the Desert Parties blog is to support local party planning businesses.

TomKat Studio

Kim the blogger behind TomKat Studio is based out of Chandler and sells custom party supplies (invitations, tags, cupcake toppers) and printables through her Etsy shop. Her blog focuses on party planning and home decorating.

Poca Cosas

Susan, the blogger behind Poca Cosas, is an interior design with an interest in party planning and entertaining. She shares seasonal decorating ideas and party planning ideas she finds on the web along with highlights from parties she is planning - check out her recent Wii birthday tournament

Knights and Dragons Party featured at The Creative Party Place

2010-03-14T22:01:00.000-07:00

Check it out here

This is a great blog for party planning ideas - everything is organized by type of party (first birthdays), theme and boy verses girl ideas. You can also submit your party and you might end up featured!

REAL PARTIES: "Hear Ye, Hear Ye" Knights and Dragons Themed 4th Birthday Party

2010-02-22T16:54:00.000-08:00

Dana Brown is the owner of Simply Sweets and Desert Parties Blog

This year my little boy turned 4 and the theme for his party was knights and dragons. He's been pretty set on this theme for awhile - since I work in the party business and he sees a lot of cakes, he loves to discuss the theme for his next party. He hasn't settled on a theme for his 5th birthday party yet but has discussed already pirates, transformers, monsters and star wars as possible themes - I'm hoping for pirates.

I created the invitations using a digital scrapbook kit and Photoshop and printed them at Costco - its a really easy and affordable way to create custom invitations.

I also used the digital scrapbook kit to also create a welcome sign, decorations for the pinata bags, straws and tags for the marshmallow pops party favors.

We rented a castle bouncer from Mr Bs Moonwalk (our second year with this company and once again great customer service). I ordered a dragon pinata from Arizona Pinatas - they create custom pinatas in any design, color and size (they even ship). I ordered the medium sized pinata and it was huge!

We planned 3 activities for the kids - the bounce house which is always a huge hit with the kids (and according to my son, it was his favorite part), a shield and crown craft project and a treasure hunt.

For the craft project I order shields and crowns from Oriental Trading company and we had jewels, stickers and markers for the kids to use for decorating. The shield shaped plates were scored at Target's Halloween clearance sale where I also picked up some candy for the pinata (I love to look for party supplies from the Halloween and Christmas clearance sales).

The treasure hunt was a group activity - the reward was the cupcake and candy buffet hidden in the tent.

Treasure hunt clues:

All knights need a quest. The King's gold has been stolen by the red dragon. He needs your help! Your first clue to find the treasure can be found where the birds build their nests. (clue was hidden in a tree)

You're one step closer towards reaching your goal. Your next clue is in Sir Brendan's house (clue hidden in play house)

Find the red dragon to get the treasure map (a treasure map taped to the inflatable red dragon that led them to the sand box where gold coins were hidden)

Once each child found a gold coin they were allowed enjoy their reward - dessert!

The dessert buffet (with everything done in blue, yellow and silver) included:

Cupcake tower topped with a 3D knights castle. The cupcakes were topped with shields, swords and monogram Bs (Simply Sweets)

dark and white chocolate dipped pretzels (Simply Sweets)

milk and white chocolate marshmallow pops (Simply Sweets)

dark and white chocolate dipped oreos (Simply Sweets)

milk chocolate dipped rice krispie treats (Simply Sweets)

milk chocolate castle suckers (Simply Sweets)

white chocolate dragon suckers (Simply Sweets)

hershey kisses - silver

Hershey's cookies and cream kisses - blue foil

blue M & Ms

The kids were given knight and dragon tatoos and we also sent them home with Simply Sweets marshmallow pops party favors.

Local Resources:

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T09:08:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day cupcakes by Simply Sweets

Chinese New Year - Year of the Tiger

2010-02-12T10:36:00.000-08:00

This year the Chinese New Year falls on February 14th as the Year of the Tiger is welcomed. Looking for some party inspiration?

chocolate dipped fortune cookes by Simply Sweets

Valentine's Day Party Ideas

2010-02-11T10:22:00.000-08:00

Are you planning a Valentine's Day party? I did a little searching on some of my favorite blogs and found some great ideas.

Valentine's Day Cupcakes by Simply Sweets

Planning a Party for the 'Big Game'?

2010-02-05T15:27:00.000-08:00

Are you hosting a party this Sunday for the Big Game? We've got some great entertaining ideas for you:

food and drinks

buffalo chicken dip

Hostess with the Mostess pizzas

Food Network 'Big Game' recipes

Food Network's Potato Skin recipe for every Football team! AFC and NFC
Hello, Cupcake! Chex Mix cupcakes

Bakerella's Oreo Truffle Footballs

Hello, Cupcake! Football Cupcakes

decorations

Printable Decorations from Paper & Cake - invitations, bottle charms, banners, napkin rings and food labels

Happy Groundhog Day!

2010-02-02T08:52:00.000-08:00

These Punxsutawney Phil Pudding Pops were posted by Junior Society. These would be fun for a kids celebration or just a special treat for the day. Thank you to Susan of Poca Cosas for pointing out this fun treat.

What parties are you planning for February?

2010-02-01T20:19:00.000-08:00

February is filled with so many reasons to throw a party - what do you have planned?

Groundhog Day

Valentine's Day

Chinese New Year

Mardis Gras

Olympics

Santa Bob - looking to hire Santa for your holiday party?

2009-11-18T09:01:00.000-08:00

Today's featured business is Santa Bob. We are interviewing Bob Grinnell, owner and Santa. Are you planning a holiday party? How about making it extra special by having an appearance by Santa? This Santa is extra special and donates a portion of his appearance fees to help families in need. And even if you're not having a holiday party, Santa Bob could use your help with donations for the families he is adopting this holiday season.

What is the name of your business and what is your role with the business? Visits with Santa - I am the owner, Santa Bob

Please tell us a little bit about yourself. I am a proud parent of 5 beautiful children and I have been blessed to put a Red Suit on for almost twenty years. I see children at St Vincent DePaul, Phoenix Children's Hospital (The Rainbow Kids) at the Phoenix zoo, about 400, St Joe's hospital and Los Ninos hospital on Thomas. I'm also blessed to see Hospice children on their last journey. For the rest of the year I'm a financial advisor with Prudential Financial.

Please tell us a little about your business and specifically what you can provide for those planning a party in Arizona. Santa Bob adds holiday cheer, sprinkles magic on all, shares smiles,giggles and surprises and reminds us the Season of Giving lasts all year long!

Santa Bob ...
• Real-bearded Santa
• Real-tummy Santa
• Great HO HO HO voice
• Warm-hearted
• Jingles as he walks
• Reminds kids to be good all year long
• Available all year long, just like the green Christmas trees
• Member of AORBS (Amalgamated Order of Real-Bearded Santas)
• Member of Santa America
• Certified volunteer for Hospice of the Valley, Phoenix, AZ.

What parts of town does your business service? Flagstaff to Tucson or anywhere in Maricopa County.

Do you have a professional or personal blog that you would like to sharewith us?http://www.freewebs.com/santa_bob

Besides, Desert Parties, what are your favorite blogs? I also like viewing the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santa Claus' http://www.aorbsinc.com/ and also my daughter's photography blog. I like to check it out once in a while to see what she is up to.http://kristengrinnell.bigfolioblog.com/.

What tips can you share with our readers? Love your children unconditionally and remind them every year to give tothose who are less fortunate than them, and to always say Thank You.

How do Desert Parties readers contact you?
Cell (480) 235-5357 or (602) 667-4783
Email rpgrinnelljr@yahoo.com or robert.grinnell@prudential.com

Do you have any new services or products you would like to tell us about? Personalized "Letters from Santa" The letter is written with special emphasis given to the comments parents provide. The child's name is used in the letter to give your loved one a personal gift that only Santa can deliver. Santa's letter will be mailed on bright colored Christmas paper and delivered in a festive envelope.

What are the 3 adjectives that describe your businesses style?
Fun, happiness and value.

What is the best part of your job? Being able to give to those families who don't have a Christmas and provide them not only with presents from donations, but to spread the true meaning of Christmas. Most of the income I receive goes to about 20-35 families every year that I sponsor. These are very poor families who are not going to have a Christmas.

What is the highlight of your career to date? I have a prosthetic leg after an amputation from a car accident. At one party, a little boy was hiding in his room because he was too embarrassedto come out and see Santa with all the other kids. When I visited him privately with his parents in his room, I told him about my leg and showed him my leg. When he heard this, he pulled up his pants to reveal two tinyprosthetic legs and exclaimed, "Look Santa! I have two!" I nearly cried, but instead swept him up and hugged him. His smile is forever burned on my brain. His mother said "That will be with him the rest of his life."

Describe your ideal customer? Any child that feels loved and special after I leave.

What time-line should a customer have when using your services to plan a party? Book at least 6 months in advance, the days fill up quick come November.

What advice would you give our readers when selecting a vendor in your line of business? You have to feel comfortable with your Santa and he must put the children's well being first and foremost. Otherwise, the spirit of Christmas is lost.

What is the best party you ever attended? I love the parties where the kids are the main focus. A child can melt my heart in a second with a smile, then I know I'm doing a good job.

Real Parties: Halloween Cookie and Cupcake Decorating Party

2009-10-30T11:54:00.000-07:00

Dana Brown is the owner of Simply Sweets and Desert Parties.

This year I hosted a cookie and cupcake Halloween themed party for some of my girlfriends. My husband and I host a large kids cookie decorating party but for Halloween I decided I wanted a night of fun with my girlfriends. I baked Halloween shaped sugar cookies and some of Simply Sweets' double chocolate sourcream cupcakes but left them bare ready to decorate. I colored buttercream for the cupcakes and royal icing for the cookies and put together a huge tray of sprinkles and candy.

I demonstrated 2 cupcake decorating ideas and then everyone got creative designing their own.

Food and Drinks:

Spiced Apple Cider - Penzey's makes a great mulling spice mixture. I just added a table spoon of the spices into a crockpot filled with cider and let it warm up for awhile. yum!
Witches Brew - this drink was a big hit! Its a mixture of gingerale, white cranberry juice and orange selzer with a little green food coloring. The recipe is from Matthew Mead's Halloween Book
Jones' Halloween sodas
Jello brain with gummy worms
Gummy worms
Simply Sweets Candy Corn Bark
Halloween Snack Mix - this recipe was also from Matthew Mead's Halloween Book

Decorations - the house was already decorated for Halloween so no special decorating was needed other than just arranging tables for the decorating and adding a few vinyl Halloween themed tableclothes.

Invitations - I kept it simple and used a Halloween themed evite from evite.com

I LOVE Flickr

2009-09-29T12:12:00.000-07:00

If you've never spent time browsing around Flickr you should try it out - there is sooo much there. There are groups for everything - and its not just photos, there are some great discussions too!

I've found a few great Flickr groups that are great for party ideas:

Little People Parties
Kids Birthday Parties
Party Decorating Ideas
Baby Shower Ideas
Victoria's Tea Party
Children's Parties
Children's Birthday Memories
Fairytale Parties
Bridal Showers
First Birthday

Do you have a favorite party planning Flickr group you would like to share?

You can also find Simply Sweets and a group we started, Cupcake Towers on Flickr.

Congratulations Busy Bodies Planned Play!!!

2009-08-19T16:00:00.001-07:00

Congratulations Busy Bodies Planned Play in Glendale for winning the Nickelodeon's Parents Connect Best of Phoenix Kid's Party Place. They also won for Best Indoor Play Place.

As owner of Simply Sweets, I have delivered several party cakes and as a mom of a 4 year old also attended several parties and have always been very impressed with their facility and staff. I was just there last weekend and my son had a blast - the play area has a lot of great things to play on including a jumpy, play house and lots things to climb on. The staff organized some fun games for the kids including parachute play getting the parents involved. Then it was time was pizza and cupcakes in their party room to complete the party experience.

Samaha Photography - photographer

2009-07-09T12:15:00.000-07:00

Today's featured business is Samaha Photography. We are interviewing Jenifer Samaha, business owner and photographer.

Please tell us a little about your business? As an on-location photographer, we are able to document birthday parties through our photography. We can also offer customized invitations or thank you cards with portrait sessions.

What parts of town does your business service? We serve Phoenix, Scottsdale, Anthem, Glendale, Peoria, Paradise Valley.

Do you have a professional or personal blog that you would like to share with us?
http://www.samahaphotography.com/blog

Do you have a special discount you would like to offer our Desert Parties readers? $50 print credit with a paid portrait session or $25 off a Party Collection

How do Desert Parties readers contact you? Through the contact form on http://www.samahaphotography.com

What are the 3 adjectives that describe your businesses style? Fun, Modern, Quality

What time-line should a customer have when using your services to plan a party? We tend to schedule our sessions a couple of months in advance.

What advice would you give our readers when selecting a vendor in your line of business? Don’t skimp on your photographer. Portraits are heirlooms that your family will treasure for years so you want to be sure to research photographers and select someone with proven experience.

What is the best party you ever attended? I photographed the 7th birthday party for a sweet little girl. It was a horse theme and took place at a private stable in Scottsdale. The children made adorable stick horses and then had a “race” & horse show in the arena. It was so much fun to be there as the photographer so I can just imagine how much fun it was for the children!

Want to be featured on Desert Parties' Real Parties?

2009-07-08T12:04:00.000-07:00

We'd love to hear about your fabulous and creative parties! We're looking for people who want to share the details about parties they've hosted here in the Phoenix metro area.

We want to see your creative ideas. We want to learn about great vendors and resources in the Valley. We want read about your helpful hints.

Party type and theme - what was your inspiration?
Party location
Invitations - do you make them, order them, or use evite?
Decorations
Games and Activties
Food - what was your menu? did you make the food yourself? any special recipes you'd like to share with us?
Cake - was there a cake or cupcakes? Did you make it or order it?
Party Favors

Please include your name, part of town you reside in and something about you that you want to share (how long you've lived here, something about your family, or do you own a local business?). We'd love to see photos of your party especially all the fabulous details. Please also include the name of vendors you used (local or web) and any postive reviews you would like to share.

*By submitting photos to us, you are agreeing that the photos are your property. Please make sure that the people in the photo have given you permission for their photo to be posted online. When you submit your party and photos you are giving Desert Parties permission to post your description as a whole or parts as decided by Desert Parties.

*This blog is owned by Dana Brown, Simply Sweets. Real Parties featured on this blog, are not exclusively Simply Sweets customers. We welcome parties where the cake is home made of purchased from another bakery.

*Desert Parties reserves the right to choose not to feature a submitted party. Desert Parties is a family friendly blog.

To submit your party, send us an email with the header "Real Party"

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T14:25:00.000-07:00

Hope your day was filled with friends, bbqs, sweets and fireworks!

Dinosaur party featured on Creative Parties and Showers

2009-06-10T09:56:00.000-07:00

The "Real Life Parties - Dinosaur Themed 3rd birthday" is being featured today over at the Creative Parties and Showers blog. Check out the blog for some really great party ideas. And while you're there, show a little blog love and leave them a comment!

Eco-Friendly gift wrap

2009-04-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

After finishing a Christmas morning with a 3 year old, I was amazed at the amount of trash that was generated during the gift opening process - several garbage bags of gift wrap and toy packages. I like that some retailers such as Amazon are working to reduce the toy packaging.

In honor of Earth Day, I want to discuss some alternatives to traditional gift wrap that more eco-friendly.

Eco friendly gift wrap
Gift bags -keep the ones that you receive with gifts and reuse them. The dollor stores have a great selection.
Newspaper - sports, finance or comics depending on your recipient.
Maps - have some extra maps from a recent trip?
Make the 'wrap' part of the gift. I once gave a cooking magazine subscription wrapped in a kitchen towel purchased off a registry for a bridal shower. I wrapped the magazine in the towel and tied the ends with ribbons.
Create a gift basket either using a traditional basket (which can be reused for decor or storage). My favorites places to find baskest include Cost Plus World Market, Michaels craft stores, and HomeGoods.
Be creative with your 'basket' - items such as a flower pot, serving bowl, cookie plate, stock pot, or colander work great for themed gifts.
Give your item in a reusable grocery bag - there is such a huge selection of bags available so you can find one to match your gift recipients personality. And everyone can always use an extra bag.
Gift tags - reuse holiday cards from a previous year. Cut the images out with some fun shaped scrapbooking scissors, punch a hole and tie onto your gift.

We'd love to hear your ideas for eco-friendly gift wrap!

Real Parties: Dinosaur Themed 3rd Birthday

2009-03-24T09:45:00.000-07:00

Dana Brown is the owner of Simply Sweets and the Desert Parties Blog. She resides in Phoenix, AZ with her husband and 3 year old son.

This past January we hosted a dinosaur themed party for my son's 3rd birthday party. Everyone had a blast and he's already planning his next birthday party - he's already been talking about a monster shaped cake.

I made the invitations using Photoshop and a dinosaur digital scrapbooking kit (by Michelle Swadling, Gotta Pixel). The invitations were 4 x 6 inches and I had them printed as photos at Costco.

My son has many dinosaurs that we used to decorate our house for the party. We found the large T-rex at Toys R Us - my son's room is also decorated in a dinosaur theme so many of the decorations we were able to use in his room once the party was over. I cut out dinosaur footprints from green cardstock and taped them to the sidewalk and entrance to our house. On our front door I posted a dinosaur crossing sign that I made in Photoshop using the digital scrapbook kit that I also used for his invitations - his favorite dinosaur is triceratops I tried to use this species as much as possible. I also picked up a dinosaur Happy Birthday banner from Dollar Tree.

Because the guests ranged from ages 2 to 6 we didn't have many planned activities and mostly let them run around and play in the backyard and in our large sand box. We rented a dinosaur jump house from Mr B's Moonwalk (excellent customer service from this company - I highly reccomend them!) - this was a huge hit and the kids spent much of their time jumping away - I'm sure all the kids napped well that day! We also had a Triceratops pinata (Target) which I filled with candy, play-do (that I picked up during the after Halloween sales), and stickers. I bought blue colored lunch bags from Target (much cheaper than the party bags from the party store), wrote the kids names on the bags ahead of time and added some stickers from Dollar Tree. Helpful hint - have a bowl with extras for the kids who didn't get much in their goody bags once the pinata broke.

We served pizza for lunch - one of my son's favorite foods. And what's a party without cake? Simply Sweets, of course. I made a dinosaur volcano cake because my son has always been interested in volcanos. The volcano part of the cake is double chocolate sourcream with chocolate buttercream icing. The base of the cake is white sourcream, strawberry mousse filling and American buttercream icing. The dinosaurs are plastic figurines. I found dinosaur napkins from the Dollar Tree and I bought plain blue and green plates. The noise makers were also from the Dollar Tree - they didn't work too well but that was fine as we didn't need all the kids making a lot of noise. I rented the kids chairs from Party People and used our adjustable folding table (love that table - it adjusts to 3 different heights).

All of the kids got dinosaur tattoos which I picked up at Oriental Trading Company and Party City. The explorer hats were also from Oriental Trading Company. We also gave out plastic eggs filled with small dinosaurs that I gots from Oriental Trading Company and Michaels, dinosaur rings were from ABC Cake Decorating, and Simply Sweets chocolate dinosaur suckers.

Happy St Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T22:06:00.000-07:00

Did you host a St Patrick's Day party? We'd love to hear about it and feature you for our 'real parties' segment.

St. Patricks Day chocolate dipped oreos by Simply Sweets

Do you have some great St. Patrick's Party ideas to share? We found a few on the web.

Pot of Gold Scavenger hunt - great kids party activity
More kids party activities
Shamrock Treats - cookies, cupcakes and even shamrock shaped pancakes!
Apple Martinis
How to pour a Black and Tan
Leprechaun's Irish Coffee

Memorable Weddings and Events, LLC - wedding and event planner

2009-03-04T12:43:00.000-08:00

Today's featured business on Desert Parties is Memorable Weddings and Events. We are interviewing Migdalia Johnson, owner and main consultant.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself. I was born and raised in Ohio. I hold a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration/Management. I moved to Arizona (from Connecticut) seventeen years ago where I live with my wonderful husband and daughter (oh, let’s not forget the puppy, a Bichon Frise). After working in the corporate world for twenty years, I decided it was time to do what I love the most, planning the most important time in a couple’s life together, their wedding, thus Memorable Weddings and Events, LLC was born.

Please tell us a little about your business and specifically what you can provide for those planning a party in Arizona. In addition to wedding planning, Memorable Weddings and Events can also plan Bridal Showers, Rehearsal dinners, Anniversaries, Birthdays, etc. We can help you plan your event by saving you time, stress, but most importantly money, yes, I said “money”. Call us to find out how we can make your event a success!!!

What parts of town does your business service? Memorable Weddings and Events serves its neighbors in Phoenix, Surprise, Peoria, Glendale, Avondale, Sun City, Scottsdale areas, as well as all of Maricopa County.

Do you have a professional or personal blog that you would like to share with us?http://blog.memorableweddingsandevents.com/

What tips can you share with our readers? Want to save money, time and stress planning your event? If the answer to any of the questions is “yes”, then please, hire a Wedding or Event Coordinator. Losing control of the budget can create a lot of stress, both before and after the event. At the end of the day you want your guest to be happy and have memorable memories of your event…not a stack of bills!!! A Wedding or Event Coordinator can help control and manage your budget, while saving you time and stress.

Do you have any new services or products you would like to tell us about? We also offers invitations and party favors for all occasions.

What are the 3 adjectives that describe your businesses style?
Quality

Personalization

Fun

What is the best part of your job? Helping others make their dreams come true.

What is the highlight of your career to date? Everything!!!

Describe your ideal customer? One that has a vision of what they want.

What time-line should a customer have when using your services to plan a party? It depends on the type of party. At least 6-8 weeks.

What advice would you give our readers when selecting a vendor in your line of business? Since you will be spending a large amount of time with your planner, make sure you “connect” with him/her. Make sure they understand your vision and what you want to accomplish.

What is the best party you ever attended? My daughter’s birth. I know, it wasn’t your “traditional” party, but trust me, that was the best party I’ve ever attended!

What is the best party you ever hosted? My wedding

How do Desert Parties readers contact you? We can be contacted by calling 602-295-6897 or by e-mail; info@memorableweddingsandevents.com. You can also visit our website at http://www.memorableweddingsandevents.com/

Card Shack Greetings - Custom Cards, Invitations and Announcements

2009-02-26T11:27:00.000-08:00

Today's featured business on the Desert Parties Blog is Card Shack Greetings and we are interviewing Margherita Scardaci, owner.Please tell us a little bit about yourself. I am married and have one 19 year old son, who is a student at Scottsdale Culinary Institute. Card Shack Greetings has been in existence since 2004. My family and I are originally from New York, where I worked for a top advertising firm on Madison Avenue for ten years.

Please tell us a little about your business and specifically what you can provide for those planning a party in Arizona. Coupling creative writing with customized illustration (I have a fabulous resident artist), renders one of a kind invitations, announcements. Clients also have the option of choosing from my art library (existing drawings) for an illustration that will suit their needs. We have the ability to put the perfect words and illustrations together for any type of celebration.

What parts of town does your business service? All parts of Arizona and we have done business outside the state including California, East Coast and France.

Do you have a special discount you would like to offer our Desert Parties readers?
10% off until June ’09.

Do you have a favorite party story you would like to share with us? Worked on an absolutely beautiful invitation for a client who was so pleased that she invited my husband and I to the party. It was a magnificent holiday party. One I will never forget! The reception I received was so incredible -- I felt like royalty being introduced as the person who designed the invite!

What tips can you share with our readers? Don’t be afraid not to follow what everyone else does. My work attracts people who like thinking way outside the box.

Do you have any new services or products you would like to tell us about? Working on a new line of personalized stationery….should be ready in a few weeks.

What are the 3 adjectives that describe your businesses style?
Unprecedented
Clever
Amazing

What is the best part of your job? Every job is different – my mind is constantly working to come up with new tag lines, new designs, new color combinations – always evolving.

What are your most popular products or services? Stationery and announcements

Describe your ideal customer? One who craves uniqueness.

What time-line should a customer have when using your services to plan a party? It truly depends on how intricate each card is. Once a proof has been approved an order of say 50 cards can be turned around in a few days. Large quantities and the number of jobs I am juggling at any given time need to be taken into account.

What advice would you give our readers when selecting a vendor in your line of business?
To get the best possible results, it’s best to have a good idea of what you would like (colors, theme, etc.).

What is the best party you ever attended? It would have to be a holiday party held at the Waldorf Astoria in NYC. I was working as a conference manager for Estee Lauder Cosmetics Company. Each employee received the most incredible invitation with a request to wear white. To see such lovely women all in white --- it was a sight to behold.

What is the best party you ever hosted? We hosted a barbecue every July ten years in a row (for my husband’s birthday). At the time we lived in New Jersey on a beautiful acre of property that included weeping willows, apple and pear trees. Our guests swam, played volley ball and the kids had a ball with our “mini-golf” course. Over 100 friends were invited. It lasted from 1:00pm until the wee hours. Not only did we cook everything ourselves – all the produce came from our 50’ garden. Amazing memories….our friends back east reminisce each summer and so do we.

How do Desert Parties readers contact you?
My website: csdesigns.net
my e-mail: cardshackgreetings@cox.net
my phone: 623-229-0025

Simply Sweets - speciality cakes, cupcakes and chocolates

2009-01-26T09:56:00.000-08:00

Today's featured business on the Desert Parties Blog is Simply Sweets. Dana Brown is the owner and sugar artist for Simply Sweets in addition to the owner and blogger for the Desert Parties Blog.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself. My family moved to Arizona almost 3 years ago and we reside in North west Phoenix. My son recently turned 3 and is the biggest fan of my sweets. He loves cake especially fondant – he’s one of the few 3 year olds that knows what fondant is. I was a scientist when we lived in San Diego and I started cake decorating as a hobby. After moving to Arizona I decided I wanted to open my own specialty cake business and it continues to be a success. I took many years of classes in San Diego and have traveled all over the US to learn more techniques including Florida, Kansas and Las Vegas.

Please tell us a little about your business and specifically what you can provide for those planning a party in Arizona. Simply Sweets speciality is party cakes and chocolate party favors - we do all types of parties include children's birthday parties, adult birthday parties, baby and bridal showers, graduations, anniversaries, and holiday parties. We also create chocolate or cookie gifts that are popular as hostess gifts.

What parts of town does your business service? Our shop is located in North Central Phoenix but we offer delivery service to all parts of the Valley including Scottsdale, Mesa, Gilbert, Glendale, Peoria and farther locations including Surprise, Anthem, Queen Creek, Maricopa, and Buckeye.

Do you have a professional or personal blog that you would like to share with us? Besides running my cake business, I am also a blogger. I have a personal blog and currently 3 professional blogs: Simply Sweets, Desert Parties and Savvy Moms Network.

Besides, Desert Parties, what are your favorite blogs? I read A LOT of blogs. Currently I have 102 blogs on Google Reader. I can’t pick just one. My favorites are:

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Polka Dot Mom
Samaha Photography Blog
Stem Fabulous Parties
Hostess with the Mostess

Do you have a special discount you would like to offer our Desert Parties readers (please include expiration dates if applicable)? 10% off any custom cupcake order (discount code DPB2009, offer expires 6/30/2009, code must be given when order is place)

What tips can you share with our readers? We specialize in custom so there more information you can give us, the more custom design options we can give you. Inspiration includes party invitation, partyware, nursery bedding for a baby shower, favorite colors, hobbies and interests,

How do Desert Parties readers contact you? We can be reached at 623.399.3408 or by email., simplysweetsaz@gmail.com. Also, please visit our website: http://www.simply-sweets.com/

What are the 3 adjectives that describe your business' style? Personal, Sassy, Fun

What is the best part of your job? Hearing back from my customers after a party and doing children’s birthday cakes for repeat customers – its exciting to watch them grow up and see how their interests change.

What are your most popular products or services? Baby shower cakes and party favors, and children's birthday cakes,. Our most popular cake designs are sassy circles, zebra print and princess castle cake.

Do you have any new services or products you would like to tell us about? We now offer a mid-sized cupcake stand for $30 (plus a refundable deposit) which is perfect for birthdays and showers. This stand holds 30-50 cupcakes. We also have larger stands and smaller stands available for rent to our customers.

What time-line should a customer have when using your services to plan a party? 3 to 4 weeks before event is best. Earlier is you want some unique where I may need to order special supplies or if you want to reserve a cupcake stand.

What advice would you give our readers when selecting a vendor in your line of business? Arizona law requires all food business to work in a licensed kitchen - make sure all of your food vendors are licensed and insured. Ask, to see photos of previous work so that you can get an idea of their style to make sure it is a match for the style of your party.

Desert Parties is officially launching this month!!!

2009-01-13T13:25:00.001-08:00

We are very excited to announce the launch Desert Parties, a blog full of resources and articles for planning parties in the Phoenix metro area. We will be covering all types of parties including children's birthdays, adult birthdays, baby showers, bridal shower, bachelorette parties, reunions, bar and bat mitzvahs, graduations, holiday, bunco nights, and so much more! We may also cover a little bit about weddings but we'll leave most of that to all the wedding planning blogs and websites that are out there - our focus is parties!

HELP WANTED:

We are looking for the following:

Party related business who would like to be featured on our blog
Party planners (professional or not) who would like to be guest bloggers
Real-life party hosts - have you hosted a great party? We'd love for you to share all the planning details, helpful hints and photos of your party
Sponsors - businesses who would like to advertise on our website

Please contact us for more information

coming soon

2008-11-01T21:09:00.000-07:00

We're getting ready to launch this exciting new project...check back in January 2009 to see what its all about!!!!

We're looking for party planners who would like to be guest bloggers. Please contact me if you're interested.