Potter Pallooza!

Attention hosts & hostesses. All the hopeless hostess posts received a stylish new make-over & updates before moving to www.ColorMeCourtney.com. Click here to check them out & refer to Color Me Courtney from now on!

How to plan a Harry Potter Party

You're Invited:

Start with a magical invitation. Here is a copy of the invitation sent out to all the guests. I create my own e-vites and send them via the free site: www.punchbowl.com over the world wide wizarding web!

The Details:

I am in love with Harry Potter books and the movie series franchise, so what better way to celebrate the newest film's premier then to host a Harry Potter Pre Party ? The night before the movie premiered my friends joined me for a night of magical festivities. Then at midnight we headed to the theatre to watch the movie!

The Decor:

Simple Decor tricks can go a long way. I made "house" emblems by printing out the symbols, attaching them to foam and adding safety pins. Then I placed them all in an old witch hat and "sorted" people as they arrived by having them pick from the house. Place harry potter books and candles around to grasp the theme while incorporating dark and regal colors, I choose maroon and gold for Grinfindoor. Set the table in a T shape and cover it with Harry Potter related items, I used miscellaneous "quidditch" balls.

The Dinning&Drinks:

Although authentic Harry Potter food would be ideal, it is not really logical. So make food that remains true to the theme without going overboard. For appetizers I made Dragons Eggs (deviled eggs) while the main course was Hogsmede Holiday Ham (honey glazed ham), Herbology Salad (garden salad) and Hagrid's Hot Rolls (basic rolls). Desserts were fun! I made Pretzel Wands by dipping thick pretzel sticks in frosting and covering them in sprinkles and cauldron cakes by adding licorice handles to chocolate covered cupcakes topped with sprinkles. Drinks were also exciting, I constructed Butter Beer (a mixture of creme soda and butterscotch syrup) and made a bubbling Polly Juice Potion (party punch) by adding dry ice! Be sure to add explanations for your guests who may be less Harry Potter informed.

The Dress:

Have everyone come in their finest Harry Potter attire, think scarfs, glasses, robes, wands, lighting bolts, really anything magical will do. 

The Games:

For games I made a simple "who said that" quote and trivia game. Simply print out famous Harry Potter quotes, split into teams and battle it out. "TEN POINTS FOR GRIFFENDOR"

Lets Party:

Take a look at some of the pictures from the magical evening.

I hope you have as much fun as we had!

A Night In New Orleans

This marks my 1st official dinner party as a solo host in my new house and what better way to kick things off then a New Orleans themed night: A Night In New Orleans

The Dinner:

For food I served New Orleans style Gumbo over rice, with salad and rolls. For dessert I served mini Pecan Pies along with custard stuffed pastry puffs and eclairs!

The Dress:

For outfits, everyone wore cocktail attire and Masks, for a Mardi Gras feel.

The Decor:

I had recently traveled to New Orleans (hence the inspiration for this event). While there I picked up some pretty Mardi Gras Masks and placed them around the table and the dinning area for some Big Easy Flair. Also I played Jazz in the background to add to the ambiance.

The Documentation:

Take a look to see how it all turned out...

 

Mad Tea Party

Greetings hosts && hostesses! This post just received a stylish new make-over complete with detailed recipes && party printables! Please view it here && be sure to check out all of the hopeless hostess posts on color me courtney here, thanks!

How to Plan an Alice in Wonderland inspired Mad Tea Party ....


You're Invited:
Here is a copy of the invite sent out to all the guests, I used E-vites via www.punchbowl.com and created my own invite

The Details:

On Monday I turned twenty and had one of the most amazing birthdays ever mostly thanks to my amazing friends and extraordinary mom. Here are some of the images so I can share some of that amazement with all of you! For my party the theme was "Mad Tea Party", partially inspired by Alice in Wonderland


The Dinning&Drinks:

Food! We had so much food, four rounds to be exact! first three types of finger sandwiches, second scones and jam, third sweets like brownies and fruit cookies and peanut butter cups (oh my) and finally cupcakes! Although it was my birthday, it was everyone else's "un birthday" so everyone got a cup cake and a candle! For drinks we had multiple kind of tea and kept it coming, hot or cold everyone was able to enjoy a great glass of Tea!

The Dress:
As listed in the Invitation, everyone was instructed to come dressed in their "Most Outrageous Tea Party Ensembles", my friends Karlee and Paige always do everything full out so check outfits, courtesy of Goodwill....

My fashionable friend whitney also looked amazing, her inspiration "The Queen of Hearts", check her out...

The Decor:
Start your decorating with the door, simply print out "Mad" signs. I had so much fun decorating and trying to capture the “Mad hatter” theme! Take a look for yourself, tell me what you think, was it mAddd enough for you? :)

Then I covered the entry way table with cards, tea pots and signs. I also decorated with hat boxes and used candy in jars!

Create a Mad Tea Party inspired long skinny table with mixed matched chairs and dishes. We just purchased a bunch of bright tea sets and dishes from Goodwill and borrowed some from friends. Using cards, I wrote guest names and used them for name cards for the table setting along with their candy apples I made for each person! I also used fun napkins, and made "drink me" signs to mimic Alice in Wonderland.

The Games:

Games are always fun, especially for a day party. Some of my favorites include the “Draw a picture on a plate and over your head game” where you simply draw a picture on the plate without looking! All you need are paper plates and pens! We also played BINGO and used the buttons as markers, as well as charades, always a crowd favorite! The winners got different candy as prizes!

Plate Game!!!!

Buttons for Bingo!

Charades!

The Documentation:
My mother's best friend is an amazing artist who painted this somewhat "Mad" giant portrait that we used as a background for awesome pictures take a look...

Email me or leave a comment for more information on planning a similar event or on specific recipe information