How to make edible bird's nests

For a recent baby shower a cohost and my vice president of ideas, Angie, came up with the idea to make edible bird's nests filled with candy eggs as the party favor. The theme of the shower came from the bedding the mom-to-be had chosen.

Edible birds nests filled with pastel eggs were the perfect take away to go along with the theme! Upon googling, we found a fabulous recipe from Martha Stewart, of course!

This is what we learned, however. Shredded phyllo is not the same as phyllo that you find at the grocery store. Don't buy 4 packages of it! I found the shredded phyllo at Mediterranean Grocery on Park in Memphis. I bought 4 packages because I didn't read the amount on the recipe before I went. It really would have only taken one 16 oz package to make 30 nests.

The most important note is that it does not take 15-20 minutes! The first batch came out like charcoal. The second batch we did for 10 minutes and those were still a little crispy on the edges. Another tip is to not spread out the phyllo so much. The first batch we practically separated each strand and then put it in the muffin tins. After a couple of tries we figured out that wadding it up more than spreading it out, made better nests.

After letting the nests cool we added Cadbury mini eggs (the greatest candy EVER). We were lucky to be having the shower close to Easter so that we had lots of eggs/candy options! If you are having it at another time of the year, you can use Jordan almonds.

After the eggs were in the nests we carefully slipped them into cellophane bags. This is why the more compact instead of feathered out nests are better because when you try to put the feathered out ones in the bags, a lot of the nest breaks off.

Tie the bag closed and there you have it! The cutest shower favor ever:
Now I am not going to lie. These were hard to make. Once we got the hang of it, it was ok, but it took us several attempts to get it right. However, I highly recommend this project. Like childbirth, you soon forget how hard it was and are interested in trying it again! I also recommend making them at the location they need to be on the day of the shower! We made them at my house and transported them to the shower location. Once all put together they are bulky and delicate, so transportation is a little cumbersome.

The best thing is that this project was very inexpensive (if you calculate the actual cost of materials for the finished product and not the money we spent on the wrong phyllo and too many tubes of Cadbury mini eggs because someone couldn't just find a bag in the entire Northwest AR area!)

Here's the breakdown of the expenses:

1 16 oz package of shredded phyllo $3
1 bag Cadbury mini eggs $3
Cellophane bags $2.70
ribbon $1

So for an actual cost of less than $10 we were able to make 30 super cute party favors that matched the theme like nothing else could!

Party idea: 16 in the city!

For my niece's 16th birthday she did not really know what she wanted to do but knew that she wanted to rent a limo. And, not just any limo, a zebra print Hummer limo. So, that is where we started! What goes with a zebra print limo? At first we were thinking zebra and hot pink for the party theme, but then, since they were going to be riding around Memphis (the city), we thought 16 in the city! would be cute.

What says 16 in the city! like a shimmering silver background with a 3D cityscape invitation? Nothing, except coordinating hot pink herringbone and teal lined envelopes. With the invitations and envelopes created we took our color scheme from there.

The first hour of the party was going to be drinks and sweets at my house. We went with mostly chocolate treats including a chocolate fountain.The chocolate fountain was purchased from Amazon and is great for small parties/events. To dip we had marshmallows, bananas, pretzels, strawberries, vanilla cookies and Rice Crispy treats. Because of dirty drips and for added flair, the table was "clothed" with black herringbone wrapping paper. Wrapping paper is a great alternative to a table cloth for narrow tables because you can find so many different patterns to match your theme. The plates from Target matched the theme perfectly and were paired with solid teal napkins. We even found toothpicks on Amazon that matched the theme!

The second treat table featured black and white Capote mini cupcakes from Muddy's Bake Shop, black and white cake rolls, a veggie tray (not really themed, but we had to have something to cut the sweet) and a candy dish with pink and white M&Ms, black Twizzlers and multi-colored Jelly Belly jelly beans. The highlight of the table had to be the chocolate covered strawberries served on black and white herringbone playing cards. Playing cards were perfect serving pieces for the strawberries because they easily hardened after dipping but did not stick. Also, they were $.50 at Michael's, so really we had to use them for something!

The decorations were mostly Christmas decorations displayed with black curly ribbon. Because I had all of the decorations, there was no expense. The focal point of the decorations is the chandelier over the food table. Nothing says 16 in the city! like a borderline gaudy chandelier. The only thing purchased was the lamp shades. They came from Home Decor Outlet in West Memphis for $4 each. My sister hand painted them to have them look zebra print.

The drinks station was in the kitchen and featured 2 "mixed" drinks for the gals to drink in hot pink martini glasses. We chose pina coladas and blue margaritas to match the theme. The martini glasses were from Party City but can also be found here. Water and soft drinks were served in a teal drink tub from Target.

Throughout the party we confettied the food, drink and gift tables with mirrored glass disks. They looked really funky reflecting off the ceiling in the dim lighting and were a great deal for just $6.99 at Oriental Trading.

Finally after the first hour of mingling it was time for the real party to start. The limo arrived and the girls all posed.The limo came from Sterling Limos out of Southaven.

Once loaded up, the girls headed to Huey's for more snacks and alittle game of dare. Huey's was chosen because we knew it would still be crowded and would have a wide range of people eating. Any restaurant or bar (or older participants) would work. The way the game was played is each girl drew a dare out of a bag. The dares were typed up to match the theme and presented in a hot pink bag, of course. As you can see the dares ranged from "Have a stranger sing Happy Birthday to Lennon" to "Ask a stranger for a french fry." The girls who did their dare wrote their name on the back of the dare and put it back in the bag. Those entries would later be chosen for the prize at the end of the night.

At the end of the night the limo took each girl back to her house where Lennon presented them with a thank you CD which had also been playing at the house and in the limo. I always have a playlist for the party just because it sets the mood and are so much fun to do. The natural next step from a playlist is to burn the CD for your guests. It is an easy, inexpensive favor to give that the guests will love! Of course, the party girl wanted to be on the cover and chose all of the songs. Blank CDs and pink and teal jewel cases came from Walmart. To wrap, we simply tied with hot pink grosgrain ribbon bow.

At the end of the night 16 in the city! was a big hit. Thanks to my co-planner, my sister Jennifer who is a pretty good party planner and decorator herself!

Party idea: Safari/Zoo party

Every year when planning my son's birthday party, the zoo is mentioned. He and his father love the zoo. I don't hate it, but I do dislike being hot and the zoo on July 7th tends to be hot. While we were looking at the zoo's website, though, we found a great idea. If we could not go to the zoo, we'd have the zoo come to us with Wildlife on Wheels!

Once we scheduled Wildlife on Wheels, I started thinking invitation. There are tons of animal/zoo invitations on the market. Of course, I wanted to do something myself so this is what I came up with:
I would like to point out the wording. The best way to set the tone for the theme is the wording on the invitation. And, don't worry about being corny. That is what makes them cute and fun.

On the day of the party, which was held at our house, we decorated different areas of the house as different areas where animals would live. The kitchen was the jungle.The vines, snakes and tropical birds handing from the ceiling were all purchased at Dollar Tree. We went with concession type foods to play off the zoo theme. Popcorn, nachos and hotdogs were the main food items. Small tree frogs and snakes, also from Dollar Tree, decorate the food and drink areas. Animal cups came from Big Lots and flamingo straws came from Dollar Tree.

After the jungle you move into the Serengeti of the dining room. The dry grass is grass skirts from Dollar Tree. The lamp shades are hard to see but they are cheetah print. Four of them came from The MIFA Store for $.25 ea. The other one was a cream one I found at Home Decor Outlet (used to be Vintage Veranda outlet) and cheetahed up myself with black, brown and tan markers. The small animals came from Wal-Mart, as did the Planet Earth posters on the wall (clearance). Small bowls from Dollar Tree are decorated with animal stickers from Dollar Tree and hold goldfish, gummy worms and animal crackers (even food/snacks should fit the theme!). The cake came from Gene Stimpson's Big Star. I also like Cakes by Mom and Me, but they are always on vacation during Elliot's birthday, so we had to find a new supplier. I have to say that Big Star was much cheaper and made an awesome cake.

Around the house (in the entryway, bathroom, den, living room) we decorated with animal print balloons from Oriental Trading. Here's a tip: buy an at home helium tank instead of having them blown up at a florist or store. It probably works out to be the same cost (maybe a little cheaper), but the biggest difference is that you don't have to run out and pick up balloons when you are in the middle of decorating, cooking, keeping a child away, etc. We always get this one from Balloon Time from Wal-Mart or Target (don't even look at party stores because they are much more expensive). The tank comes with ribbon and colored balloons. In this case I used my own balloons and kept the enclosed balloons for another project.

The last thing to add to the ambiance of the party is music. Paul is always in charge of music. This time he was able to find Exotic Jungle from Ultimate Natural Sounds, Vol. 2 on iTunes. We wanted to play Welcome to the Jungle by Guns 'N Roses, but we didn't think everyone would enjoy that the way we would! The jungle sounds ended up sounding a little risque at times but only the adults noticed that, so it was ok!

Now that everything is set up, it's time for the fun! The great thing about WOW is that the party activity comes to you so you don't have to entertain children. Plus, the adults find it interesting, too (at least I did!). They brought out 5 different animals (that you can choose, to some extent, and a lion's head):





In the photos notice the safari hats on the kids. That was the party favor (found at Oriental Trading)along with treat bags filled with animal themed stuff including goldfish, gummy bears, animal print balloons, animal-shaped Easter eggs filled with candy and maybe some other stuff that I've forgotten. The animal print treat bags came from Target's Dollar Spot.

That's our safari party. I hope you enjoy!

Tip of the week: Plan ahead (way ahead)

During a play date last week my friend (and co-crazy party planner)
Vanessa said, "Ok, Colin's birthday is exactly 6 months away. We have to start planning!" Most people think that that sounds crazy. I do it and admit that it sounds crazy, but planning ahead is the best way to do a great party on a budget.

You don't have to plan everything but at least come up with a theme early, especially for parties that have a set date that you know well in advance, like a birthday party. Coming up with a theme early allows you to leisurely search for the perfect items and to get deals rather than waiting to the last minute and just buying everything matchy-matcy on aisle 9 of Party City!

Of course, if this doesn't not sound like your cup of tea, let me do it! The Paper Gal is also a party gal and can help you plan your party from beginning to end!

Last minute tip for Super Bowl party planners

If you are hosting a Super Bowl party, head's up, Target has their football themed party wares on clearance. I don't remember if it was 30% or 50% off but it is located on an end cap across from the regular party supplies. They had cute paper plates, plastic table clothes and cups.

Also, if you are having a party, consider having it support one of 2 great Memphis causes. Habitat for Humanity(Home Team Huddle) and MIFA(Souper Bowl of Caring) both have fundraising opportunities tied to the Super Bowl. Check them out and consider giving back while watching the big game!

Party idea: Beatles Mania

Editor's note: this party was canceled due to illness, thus no real photos. Future party ideas will have more photos. Promise!

The day I heard Rock Band was making a Beatles edition I started planning a party (sadly, I am not exaggerating!). There was already a built-in activity so that was covered. It is always good to think about what you'll be doing at the party before you send out the invitations so that you can put any pertinent information that your guests might need. If it is costume, put it on the invitation! BYOB? Put it on the invitation. So, just because the invitation is first and goes out well in advance, you do have to have thought through the entire party before sending it out.

So now that we have that settled, move on to the invitations.

The first thing you think of is, of course, music so why not make a CD invitation? That is what I decided to do. The outside jacket is a simple black and white iconic image of The Beatles with the party date. What really makes it look good is using the same font as The Beatles used. You can download it for free here. You can also find Magic Mystery Tour and Hard Day's Night fonts to use in other projects for the party.

The inside of the CD jacket has the same image in grey scale with the party details. And, of course, no CD would be complete without the play list. This list was compiled by my co-planner in crime, Paul, who is always in charge of music at my parties! His list is of first favorites starting with Birthday (duh) and ending with The End (pretty clever).

The cheapest way to get these invitations out is to pass them out. Still put them in an envelope but just hand them out. If you are willing to put in the extra money purchase protective envelopes and spring for postage. They really should be safe in regular envelopes, but just in case I'd use either the cardboard ones or the padded ones. A trick that I often use is make one up and mail it to yourself in the least desired packaging. If it comes to you clean, you know you can go with that. If not, try plan b.

Now that the guests are invited the second most important thing is food. Food is even more important than decorations because food are decorations. Once you plan that out you can see what needs to be filled in. For this party I had the idea to have Beatles' songs themed food. It took a lot of thinking but this is the menu I came up with:

Here Comes the Sun chips
Glass Onion rings
Lady Madonna Fingers
Yellow Submarine Sandwiches with Mr. Mustard
Sergeant Pepper poppers
Strawberry Fields cupcakes from Muddy's
The long and winding Rocky Road snack mix

For drinks I planned:

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
4 oz Lemon Lime Soda
2 oz Blue Curacao
3 cubes of ice
The British beer of your choice
Pimm's Liqour (a favorite of The Beatles)
White Russians (for Back to the USSR? Ok, maybe a stretch)

One very important thing to note about the food is that it will have to be labeled! No one will get it if it is not. Use place card holders in front of each item for the full effect.

After the food is settled you can decide on plates, napkins, etc. Some parties don't need plates so don't waste your money. This one does, though. I first wanted to go with Union Jack plates like the ones below and found here b/c come on, nothing says British like Union Jack. Aren't they cute? But they are hard to find in stock, expensive to ship and British, not Beatles, so I decided to just go with plain white squares from Oriental Trading to represent the white album. Black napkins looked cool (you always need less than you think b/c no one uses napkins) and I didn't need cutlery.

Glasses are another thing that can carry out a theme. British beer almost requires a pint glass. You can get them at Dollar Tree or Old Time Pottery for $1 or $2. Do it! It is worth it for the effect. Plus, you'll be able to use them over again. Or, get crazy and etch them and give them out as favors. If you do one glass up big (real pint glasses) the other glasses for the mixed drink can be cheapies.

Now for the decorations. Don't forget that your serving pieces are decorations, too. A great decoration for this party is vinyl records. Even you don't have any laying around go to a thrift store. I like The MIFA Store! And don't think you have to look for Beatles records. Buy whatever you can find (big and little) and simple made a new label for it. You can make labels that reflect you and your party or Beatles records or whatever you choose. You can also make bowls out of records to hold the chips. It is super easy. Here's how to do it:

1. Preheat your oven to around 200-250 degrees
2. Place your record on the center of an upside down pot or metal bowl. Put this onto a baking sheet.
3. Put this into the oven. Keep a close watch because each vinyl starts to "flop" at a different time. It usually takes 4-8 minutes.
4. Take the whole thing out of the oven (wearing oven mitts, of course) once you notice some real "flopping" going on.
5. Put your record into another bowl and shape it around that, or you can hand mold it. Sometimes, you might like the way it looks right as you take it out of the oven; if so, skip the molding.
6. Let it cool for 10-15 minutes.

Your finished product will look something like this:

Use the records as chargers for other foods and remember to add height to your table by raising some of the foods are different levels. Simply put a small bowl or box under the record to add height. Just make sure that it is still sturdy so that you don't have an accident.

You can also hang the records all around the house. For the best effect decorate all of the rooms that guests will be in. Don't forget the bathroom! This added touch will really be noticed by your guests. Other decoration ideas include printed images of different Beatles album covers, photos, etc. These can be hanging around, laminated or turned into coasters. If you want to get real crazy, you can buy collectables or cardboard cutouts of the band, but that will definitely cost you!

Once you have all of that set up, have fun! During the party everyone takes turns playing Rock Band and making fools of themselves. Be sure to take plenty of pictures and lots of video so you can post it on Facebook later and thoroughly embarrass those in attendance and show others what they missed! It is also nice to thank everyone how came by sending them photos from the party via email. If gifts were brought to the party, post-party thank you notes should be mailed. I fall down on this sometimes myself, especially with kids parties, but this is one of the most important aspects of a party. Not only is it nice to do, but when the thank yous match the theme, it reminds your guests of what a great time they had at your awesome Beatles Mania party!

The Paper Gal blog begins

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