It
IS Easy Being Green�on St. Patrick�s Day�
by
Phyllis
Cambria
For
PartyPlansPlus.com
Invitations:
* Write your invitation on the leaves of a paper shamrock.
*
Let the kids get in on the fun by decorating plain stationery with rainbow
stickers.
*
Attach your invitation wording to a snack pack size of "Lucky Charms."
* Decorate your party envelopes, name tags, place cards or gift tags with delightful St. Patrick's stickers.
*
Send your message in an empty, Irish whiskey
or green plastic bottle decorated with stickers.
Add a couple of shamrocks or shamrock
stickers, a St.
Patrick�s Day pencil so your guests can pencil in the date and gold
coins and tell your guests they'll find the rest at the end of rainbow
(your house).
*
(Have your friendly neighborhood pub save plastic bottles for you.)
*
Pen your invitation wording in green ink.
*
Affix a pre-addressed mailing label.
*
Take to your post office for postage and to mail.
PARTY
POINTER: Mail an invitation to
yourself to judge the length of time of mailing and it�s condition upon
arrival.
Atmosphere:
*
Roll out a green carpet or leprechaun
yard stakes or shamrock
path markers from the street to your front door.
*
Your guests will immediately recognize your party site with a giant
St.
Pat's banner attached over your front or garage door and green
shamrock bunting along your fence.
*
Line your walkway with luminarias
you created from green snack bags sand, votive
candles and a shamrock-shaped paper punch.
*
Let them know they're close to the pot of gold with a rainbow pinata
mylar balloon over your front door.
*
Create a table filled with
emerald
green,
foil,
or shamrock-designed
paper goods.
*
Show off your heritage or Irish spirit to your mail carrier and neighbors with a
leprechaun
perched on your mailbox
* Let them feel as if they are back at the "old sod" by draping your space with all things Irish.
*
Illuminate the night with all the green and white candles you purchased at the
after-Christmas sales or by floating
shamrock candles in a glass bowl or shamrock-shaped container.
* Accent an area or line your walkway with shamrock-design novelty lights.
*
Dangle blinking
shamrock beads over your dining table or from your chandelier.
* Pull them into the fun with a fluffy green boa.
*
Make everyone Irish for the day and part of your decor by decking your guests in
green with a collection of St.
Patrick�s Day party hats or accessories.
It
will be hats off (and on) to your serving staff (or guests and hosts) with
multiple styles of neon
green, glitter
green,
all-over
shamrock derbies, stovepipe, baseball,
or sequined
leprechaun hats, headbands
or shamrock
head-boppers or pick one style for everyone to wear.
*
For a smaller budget, give your guests a metal,
resin,
glowing
or
clay novelty pin, beaded,
or blinking
necklace or shamrock
lei or beaded
and/or vinyl
bracelet to wear to make them
feel part of the party.
*
Designate your serving staff (party hosts or VIP guests) with festive green St.
Patrick�s Day paper or laser
foil vest, sequined
tie, shirt,
and/or sequined
leprechaun shoes
*
With all the drinking of green beer, it's likely your restroom will be getting a
lot of use. Delight your guests
with shamrock-print
toilet tissue.
*
Gather the gang to sing rousing Irish songs (Print
outs available on site.)
If you want some Irish music, you'll find a collection of favorite ditties here.
*
Find a balding pal with a good sense of humor and declare his naked dome the
"blarney stone" and ask guests to kiss it.
*
What's more Irish than a potato? St. Patrick's Day is a great reason to play the
ever-popular hot potato game. Get everyone into a circle and start a potato
going around from player to player keeping the potato in the air at all times.
However, before someone can toss the potato to the next person, they must name
something Irish -- a famous person, group, sport, city, movie, song or food (no
repetitions, please). If they stop moving the potato for longer than 2-3
seconds, they're out.
*
Hold a �best-dressed lass or lad� contest.
Award the �Colleen� a porcelain doll
and her male-counterpart a Claddagh
pin and bookmark set or a
bottle of Irish whiskey.
* You can't walk into any Irish pub without finding a game of darts. Here's a set of darts that will work in almost any environment.
*
Test their gift of blarney with "Tell me a story, Lad or Lass." Seat
guests in a circle and start a story that begins with: "Once upon a time
there lived a man named O'Shea, one day he.... " The object of the game is
that each person must add a sentence to make the story continue forward. You
can't change the direction of the story and you can't "double back" by
saying something like "but first this happened." The host will declare
the logical end of the tale once each of the guests has had a chance to add at
least one sentence to the story. You can play as many rounds of this as you want
allowing each guest to have a chance to start the story.
*
Keep the �little leprechauns� bubbling over with delight with �Blarney
Bubbles� for them to blow or a St.
Patrick�s Day pinwheel
*
A make-your-own
derby craft kit will do double-duty to keep the kids quiet and give
them a gift-to-go as well.
*Green
foil plates are perfect for cakes and cookies frosted with green icing.
*
Use
rainbow-colored
toy springs or bracelet
as napkin rings.
*
Your guests will go nuts over a Leprechaun
nut cracker on your buffet table.
*
Serve up a healthy helping of Irish stew and soda bread.
*
Their green beer will stay colder longer when served in a shamrock-covered
insulated mug
*
Bring a touch of an Irish pub to the party with mini �yard�
and shot
glasses.
*
Tired of playing the �where is my glass� game?
No problem when you wear your
shot glass around your neck suspended from a beaded necklace.
It also a perfect for when you�re pub-hopping (with your designated
driver).
*
Here's a link to a wonderful collection of
best-loved
Irish recipes .
*
You'll find a
Hot Irish Punch recipe
here
along with a collection of other Potent Potables.
*
Irish coffee
in
a shamrock
mug will warm the cockles of their hearts after dinner.
*
And after-dinner
mints or shamrock
suckers are a perfect dessert adornment or treat for your young guests.
Party
Favors Finale:
*
Your guests will feel as if they're tops with you when you give them an Irish
costume piece to wear and keep as a memento.
*
Show them the way to go home with
shamrock
lightsticks
*
Send your guests home with a lasting reminder of their time on the "old
sod" by giving them a packet of clover they can plant themselves.
Send a FREE St. Paddy's Day Card
Here
About The
Complete Idiot's Guide to Throwing a Great Party
If you have any questions about this page, searching for products or services, send an e-mail to: Phyllis Cambria
Content on this page may not be published without the consent of the author.
Contact for permission: Phyllis Cambria
DON'T MISS THIS!!
�2002 - All Rights Reserved