Tag: Halloween;

Tips on getting cheap party favors

Party favors are often at the bottom of the list when it comes to parties and special celebrations. And one cannot blame the people for doing so. After all, anyone will just rather spend the amount on a birthday cake and some food than worry over little gifts that no one even notices after the party.

Unessential as they are, party favors can still add a lot of life into your party. It will also make your guests remember what great time they had in your party, (granted of course that they had a great time. But thats an entirely different story.) What is really important for a party favor is actually not how expensive it is but how useful it is to the guests even after the party or even during the party.

There are actually ways to ensure that you still have party favors in your party without having to pay so much. Here are some tips on how to get cheap party favors that your guests will just adore.

1. Plan early and buy early

It is good if you plan months ahead of the party. That way, you can take advantage of sales and discount and promos being offered by different establishments. One worthy to mention is of course the 4th of July sale which can go as high as 70 percent off. This is a huge savings for you. There are also great party favors that you can do with Halloween stuff that have not been bought after the Halloween celebration. They will of course be on sale, days after the event. So prepare.

2. Shop at discount store or thrift stores

Party favors need not be matchy matchy. You can give different ones to different guests provided that they revolve around the same theme or concept and that they have the same price range. Some people do not shop at thrift stores because they feel that they wont find anything good there. But on the contrary, there are a lot of good finds there. You only just have to look.

3. Make your own

Why buy party favors when you can do them on your own? Check on the stuff that you have in the garage and see if there are items that you can recycle or redo into useful party favors. This way, you have nor only made party favors for your event, you also uncluttered your garage. Those are two works for the price one.

When making your own party favors, make sure that you have your timetable right and that you can finish it on time. There have been a lot of great beautiful ideas that have gone down the toilet just because they were executed poorly and made in haste. Dont let that happen to you.

If you are not interested in making your own gift then just shop for whatever you need. There are cheap party essential store all across the metro. Haggle with the owner and really look for great deals.

Which Foods are Common for Mexico’s Day of the Dead

Which Foods are Common for Mexico’s Day of the Dead

Mexico welcomes departed souls that come back to earth, at Day of the Dead celebrations. This occurs every year on November 1 and 2nd. Families gather at their homes and cemeteries to remember their relatives. Many Americans have seen Skeletons when reading about the celebration, and automatically think it is Mexico’s version of Halloween, but it is not meant to be scary, it is a time to reflect and honor the deceased.
Many Americans have no idea of how much effort is put into this holiday. Women spend hours organizing flowers for gravesites. Music can be often heard, because families play the deceased favorite songs. Food is a very important part of honoring them.

In homes, families make alters and cover them with flowers and burn incense for the spirits to enjoy. Usually there are photos of the deceased and statues of saints. Also on the table are fruits and vegetables along with other foods that are later given away and eaten. The food is made to please the spirits, so naturally the best foods to make are the ones that the deceased enjoyed the most on earth. Families make the deceased favorite dishes. It is popular to see Moles and Tamales made for the Day of the Dead celebration because they are hard to make dishes and are usually for special occasions.

Breads are common in Day of the Dead celebrations. The breads are sweet and rich with eggs, but they vary in different regions of the country. Bakeries hire extra workers to make more bread during this time. The breads are made into different shapes. Bread that is round shape is the most common, but they can also be shaped as people and animals to represent the deceased.

Sugar Candy skulls are popular amongst children. It is a big treat for them similar to Christmas and Easter candies. Sugar skulls are traditional folk art that is from central and southern Mexico which is used every year to celebrate Day of the Dead. Vendors sell many colorful sugar skulls the week before the celebration. The skulls are made by the sugar being pressed into molds and then dried. Once the skulls are dried, they are decorated with colorful icing and even sometimes with non-edible items such as colorful feathers and sequins. Although the skulls are popular, traditional Halloween candy is now competing with the sugar skulls making the skulls hard to find in the South of Mexico.

Besides the sugar skulls, chocolate is another common favorite. Pumpkin candies can also be found where there are children celebrating the day. It consists of big green Mexican pumpkins that are grown for specifically making the candy.

It takes much planning and hard work to take part in this event. It makes the families proud to remember and honor their family members. If ever in Mexico, try to visit during this time of year. It is beautiful to see how much love and respect people have for their loved ones that have passed away.

Cake Decorating: How About Birthday Cakes For Adults

Cake decorating for adults are a bit different than those you would do for a kids party. It doesn’t mean they need to be boring or ugly. Below are some great ideas for adult cakes that are fun to make and fun to eat.

Crunchie Rice Cake

In 2 square cake pans, make 2 batches of rice cereal treats according to the recipe found on the back of the box of cereal. When they have cooled, do not cut the treats, take them from the pans like they are.

Cover the top of the first layer with icing, and then a layer of chocolate chips, and a second layer of icing, and then a layer of multicolored sprinkles, and a third layer of icing. Place the second layer of the crunchie cake on top and frost the whole thing as you would a normal cake. Place a layer of colored chocolate candy on the top. You can even put the name of the recipient in candy. This is a whimsical cake that can be used for adults or children.

Over the Hill Graveyard Cake

Bake two cake mixes in a roasting pan. Make a gray icing with 2 drops of green and red food coloring and mixing it with white icing. Turn the cake out on a cake board ice the entire cake with this icing. Line a sidewalk with thin black licorice, and dot candy corn along the outside edges. Rectangular cookies can be iced with a darker gray icing. These can be used as gravestones.

You can find gummy skeletons at Halloween, or make your own out of toothpicks and use jelly beans for heads. Ghosts can be made from cotton balls, but you need to make sure no cotton gets in the icing you may want to make some out of construction paper and stick them on a popsicle stick. That might be a good idea for the skeletons too.

Ball and Chain Birthday cake

This is a great idea if commissioned by a husband or wife. Bake two round cakes and let them cool completely. Remove the cakes from the pans. Cover the top of one cake with the recipient’s favorite fruit pie filling. Place the second layer on top and ice the entire cake.

Buy a bag of small cake donuts and frost them the same as you did the cake. On the cake board place one of the doughnuts up against the bottom of the cake. Follow this with several other doughnuts to make a chain. You can add different decorations on the cake, or leave it plain, it’s up to you.

No matter what theme you choose, the cake decorating will be appreciated by the person having the birthday. Make sure you add candles and bring a cake server when you attend the party. Every time you make a cake and decorate it, you are honing your cake decorating skills and the more practice you get, the better you will be at cake decorating.