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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,

Come Party With Me: Graduation - Music

partysugar — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 07:11:18 -0700

No graduation party is complete without a playlist of sappy songs with lyrics that discuss lost innocence, having the time of your life, and parting ways with old friends. At my sister's graduation party, I'll be serving up her favorite foods (empanadas and a frozen chocolate peanut butter dessert) amongst her school colors while Green Day's "Good Riddance" plays softly in the background. Compile a playlist of old and new songs to please the wide range of ages that will be in attendance at your backyard bash. Throw in the grad's favorite songs and my dear fabulous friend BuzzSugar's graduation playlist and you'll have several hours of music for the soundtrack of your party. Got a great grad song? Tell me below so I can add it to my playlist!

Come Party With Me: Graduation - The Look

partysugar — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 07:07:31 -0700

While I prefer to keep all of my party decorations as chic as possible, every now and again it's fun to take one kitschy item - like a brightly colored tablecloth - and create the look around it. This tablecloth can be made in the color of your choice and since my sister will be graduating from the University of California, the colors blue and gold will be used throughout the decor. Shiny blue balloons will fill the corners of the backyard and the deck. Since graduation parties are normally attended by lots of people, save dishwashing water and invest in gold paper napkins, plates, and plastic silverware.

Teeny white votives will line the railing of the deck, casting a glowing white light. Yellow floral arrangements, with lemons in the tall vases, will act as centerpieces. The napkins will be rolled and tied with blue ribbon. Purchase plastic champagne glasses that can be washed and reused at another party. If your seating is limited, rent chairs for older relatives to rest in. There will be no cake, so make a big blue and gold Congratulations! banner with butcher paper, glitter, and paint.

How will you be decorating for your graduation party?? Tell me your awesome ideas below!

Come Party With Me: Graduation - Drinks

partysugar — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 05:58:31 -0700

If hosting a graduation party for recent high school grads, be sure to keep a close eye on the alcohol. While I wouldn't suggest not serving it at all, I would make sure that your underaged guests know what they can and can not drink. The last thing you want is some kids parents suing you for serving them drinks at your grad bash! Luckily the party I am planning this week is for a college graduate, meaning all of the guests will be of drinking age. The invitation stated that champagne will be consumed, so I'll make sure to have plenty of bubbly for everyone to make a toast together. Not everyone enjoys more than one glass of champagne, so I'll offer a specialty cocktail appropriately called The Graduate. Cold beers are perfect for dads and a refreshing pineapple mint lemonade is a perfect non-alcoholic option. Take a look at the recipe and make sure you have all of the ingredients before you go to the store,

Come Party With Me: Graduation - Menu (Dessert)

partysugar — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 14:32:18 -0700

I know it's traditional to serve a large sheet cake that says Congratulations, but I love to surprise guests by breaking the usual party rules. Besides I'm all caked out right now and want to serve an extraordinary dessert that's summer appropriate. Make a dessert that will please your grad by asking them what they want. My sister's favorite dessert combination is chocolate and peanut butter, so I'll make frozen choco peanut butter bars with a hot fudge sauce. Sounds decadently delicious doesn't it? Well, take a look at the recipe and start drooling, just

Come Party With Me: Graduation - Menu (Vegetarian Appetizers)

partysugar — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 10:01:01 -0700

It's really easy to get carried away and make enough food to feed an army at your graduation party. However, keep in mind that usually several graduation parties take place on the same day, on the same weekend, so your guests might be party hopping and therefore not too hungry. Small snacks, cooling dips, and flavor packed bite-sized appetizers are excellent ideas. Pay special attention to the presentation and make everything look super scrumptious so guests will be tempted to take a sampling. I'm offering options for both the meat-lovers and vegetarians by serving empanadas, a gourmet salsa with grilled pineapple and tomatillos, and Smoked Mozzarella and Sundried Tomato Cigars. Don't these recipes sound absolutely mouth watering? Check them out now, just

Come Party With Me: Graduation - Menu (Meat Appetizers)

partysugar — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 06:01:18 -0700

When planning a menu for a graduation party, the first thing you need to think about is what the person of honor, the graduate, likes to eat. Much like a birthday party, this party is all about the person, so go straight to the source and ask what she wants to serve at her party. Even if the suggested dishes aren't your personal favorite, what you had in mind, or new exciting recipes that you've been wanting to try out, make them anyways. After all, you want your grad to be happy.

After living in Buenos Aires for a year, Trish (my sister) has taken a liking to empanadas. These savory pastries can be filled with just about everything, and are the perfect bite-sized appetizer to pair with a glass of bubbly or a cool beer. I'll be offering two kinds: one filled with sherried mushrooms and another filled with beef picadillo. You want the recipes?! Well,

Come Party With Me: Graduation - Invites

partysugar — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 07:08:19 -0700

If you are in charge of planning a graduation party this year - whether it's for a sixth grader who's heading off to junior high or a medical student who's finishing their PhD - be sure to follow along in this week's party plan. All week I'll be providing you with inspiring ideas, delicious dishes, and much more to help make your grad bash the most memorable party around. Remember it's your party and you can be as traditional or nontraditional as you want. Sure you could spend a bunch of money on formal announcements with matching invitations, but you could also create an equally intriguing invitation on your computer at home like I'm doing for my little sister. To see what I've put together in no time at all