Easy Summer Party Themes
With the Independence Day holiday behind us, many families have already returned from summer vacation and face at least a month of long, hot summer days ahead.
Daytime is great for swimming and playing in the sprinklers, but what do you do for
excitement when the sun goes down?
There's no better time for an outdoor party than on a sultry summer night.
The best part of an outdoor evening party is that you really don't even have
to cook. Here are some ideas for party themes and planning:
Celebrate America!
Patriotic parties are not just for the 4th of July or Memorial Day.
Show your American spirit any time. Decorations and food don't
have to be expensive. Hang strings of red, white and/or blue twinkle lights
around the perimeter of the party zone and in a few trees or
shrubs. Disposable plates, cups and plasticware in an assortment of
red, white or blue solids will do. Use red, white and blue craft ribbon
tied around simple white glass vases with a couple of red carnations
or white daisies. One or two larger patriotic items, like a decorated
birdhouse or an eagle figurine. Keep the fare simple and cool. Chicken salad
made with crisp celery and waterchessnut, juicy red grapes or
mandarin oranges, sweet onions, walnuts or almonds and a touch
of spice to your taste, then spread on croissants or wheat bread
make a good start. Add a tray of cool fresh vegetables and ranch
or raspberry vinegarette dressing for dipping. Watermelon is
a summer must-have. Dress it up by hollowing out a seedless
watermelon, making melon balls as you go. Ad fresh blueberries,
strawberries, chunks of pineapple and honeydew melon balls,
all mixed together in a large bowl and poured back into the
hollowed melon. For drinks, serve raspberry iced tea and
pink lemonade. Place a few red, white and blue tealights
around the party zone to add some soft lighting and spread
the patriotic color theme around.
By the Seashore
You don't have to live by the ocean to bring a bit of the seaside
to your party. Start decorations with strings of white lights and
seafoam green and ocean blue napkins, plates and cups. Add
seashells, dolphins or lighthouse knick-knacks to complete the
theme. Use a large nautical themed centerpiece on the serving
table. On each table, place a small blue or seafoam green
votive holder with plain white votives, or use clear glass
votive holders with blue, seafoam green, or sandy/ivory candles.
If you don't want to use candles, use simple clear glass vases
filled with seashells and light blue colored water (add a drop of
blue food color to plain tap water) or with plastic craft pearls and
water. Place few seashells and craft pearl on the tables. If you
don't have any shells or craft handy,
check your local craft store. For the main course, serve lettuce
wraps with romaine lettuce leaves, firm vacuum
packed albacore tuna, and thinly sliced cucumber, tomato, onion.
Add finely chopped celery and water chessnut for a refreshing
crunchy texture and madarin orange for a tropical kick.
Serve citrus salad, made with fresh oranges,
fresh pineapple, red grapefruit and kiwi. For a more personal
touch, halve and hollow out the oranges and use the shells for
serving the fruit salad. Add party toothpicks instead of forks
for a more festive feeling. For refreshment, serve ice cold
lemon tea or cranberry juice mixed with equal parts of Seven-Up
or ginger ale. If you serve using a punch bowl, dress it up by
making an ice ring in a jello mold and include chunks of pineapple,
mandarin orange and maraschino cherries. Macadamia nuts and
pretzels make nice snacks.
Fantasy Garden Party
With the stars and fireflies lighting the night, it's not much of
a stretch to produce a mystical setting for your party. Keep
decorations soft and airy, and use pastel shades of green, blue,
pink, yellow and lavender. Use one or two fairy features for the
serving table centerpiece. Decorate the tables with clear glass
vases filled with colored water or pearlescent glass marbles,
adorned with gossamer ribbons
and graced with a sprig or two of silk lily-of-the-valley and fern,
twigs or even short plumes of grass make a fine resting place
for the party nymphs! For a healthy main course, serve chicken
the same chicken salad mentioned earlier on a bed of mixed
greens with long slices of cucumbers, carrots, green, yellow,
orange and red peppers and jicama. In clear plastic cups or
champagne "glasses", serve a fruit salad made with red raspberries,
blueberries, blackberries and strawberries topped with a dollop
of lemon yogurt. For a creamier treat, put a layer of fruit in a
the serving cup, then a layer of lemon yogurt, a layer of fruit,
a layer of vanilla yogurt, another layer of fruit, then lemon
yogurt topped with a single berry.
Some other suggestions for refreshing summer desserts include
sorbet, homemade ice cream or italian ice. Again, neither the food
nor the decor need to be extravagant or expensive. Use one
or two feature items - figurines, decorated birdhouses, fountains,
lamps or candles, to anchor the theme, then accessorize with
inexpensive paper goods and decorations around the party zone.
The most important thing is that you're making the most of your
summer, spending time with friends and family, and enjoying the
cooler summer evenings outdoors.
Until next time.......
Have a wonderful day and Happy Summer !
Cathy Carlton
CarltonsGifts.com
Quikonnex:
http://quikonnex.com/channel/page/carltonscorner-gifts
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http://carltonscorner.quikonnex.com
email:
carltonsweb@att.net
You can find many styles of Americana decor, fountains, fantasy features,
candles, oil lamps, and other home and garden decor items
at my website.
CLICK HERE for July New Arrivals.
If there's something I can help you with, just
QMTP me. (QMTP stands for Quikonnex Message To Publisher. It's sort of like
email, but the message you send gets posted to my private message board so I
can see it and respond to you.)
