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Come Party With Me: Graduation — The Look

partysugar — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 09:15:26 -0700

When creating the look for your graduation party, start by choosing a color scheme. The graduate's favorite colors or the school's colors make perfect selections. Cover the tables in pretty, printed tablecloths.

Make a "Congratulations" banner and hang in a visible location. Tie balloons to your mailbox, so guests know where the party is. Serve the pasta in modern serving bowls. Stack plain white plates nearby. Write the name of each dish on a small card, place in a place card holder, and set near the serving bowls. On the bar, line the glasses up next to the ice bucket and lemonade and iced tea pitchers.

Finally, don't forget fabulous flowers. A green and white bouquet is fresh and elegant.

Come Party With Me: Graduation — Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:15:54 -0700

At a graduation party make things feel festive and celebratory by setting up a small bar buffet that allows guests to mix their own drinks. Since the graduate is underage, the bar will have no alcohol. Instead stock the buffet with the fixings for jazzed-up Arnold Palmers! Pitchers of lemonade and iced tea, lemon wedges, sparkling water, grenadine, and fresh berries will sit next to an ice bucket and rows of glasses.

For the adults fill coolers with beer, white wine, and water. To check out the lemonade and iced tea recipes,

Come Party With Me: Graduation — Desserts

partysugar — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 15:00:41 -0700

A sheet cake is the standard dessert for most graduation parties. However, my party is all about pleasing the eighth-grade graduate, so we're serving ice cream sandwiches! The handheld, frozen treat is perfect for the party because everyone loves them and they have to be made in advance. A variety of ice cream flavors can be used for the filling. Let guests select their favorite.

Wrapped in wax paper, these sandwich resemble fabulous, little gift packages. To take a look at the recipe,

Come Party With Me: Graduation — Menu

partysugar — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 07:45:33 -0700

Since my cousin's graduation party is an informal, open house, we'll be serving crowd-pleasing, comforting dishes. The party should be all about the graduate, so choose an easy, Italian menu that will appeal to an 8th grader and her friends.

Pizza squares make an excellent appetizer because no forks are necessary. For the main course, set up a pasta bar: make a huge batch of pasta and invite guests to choose from three — pesto, tomato, or gorgonzola — pasta sauces. The classic Caesar salad side gets a contemporary update when made with spinach instead of romaine lettuce.

To look at these delicious recipes,

Come Party With Me: Graduation — Invite

partysugar — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 10:15:09 -0700

This week my cousin is graduating from eighth grade. I'm super excited for her and have been helping her mom prepare the party. Although graduating from eighth grade isn't as monumental as graduating from high school or college, all of my ideas and tips can be modified to suit any commencement ceremony. It's typical to send a paper invitation for graduation receptions. The invite not only lets people know about the party, but it also announces the important milestone. To check out how I made the invitation see here,