PartyPail.com Blog: Party Planning Tips, News, and More!

Here at PartyPail, we sure love picnic season. It’s a chance to take to the great outdoors with friends and family and enjoy an alfresco feast.

That’s why today, June 18, we’re celebrating International Picnic Day. You don’t want to miss out on this holiday! Grab a blanket, fill a picnic basket with the contents of your fridge, and enjoy an outdoor meal for lunch or dinner.  Even if you don’t have time to prepare a meal, pick up some sandwiches from the deli and enjoy them at the local park!

To further inspire your picnic planning, be sure to check out our Picnic Basket party supplies, which feature a gingham and wicker pattern. Our Juicy Watermelon party decorations, which look like a slice of sweet watermelon, are also picnic-perfect!

Then, take a peek at our Picnic Ideas Pinterest board, where we’ve collected a bevy of clever picnicking ideas, from mason jar salads to picnic decor inspiration!

And before you head out the door for your picnic, don’t forget to reference our Picnic Basket Checklist. Go through the list — and check it twice — to make sure you don’t forget any odds or ends, like your cork screw, bug spray, or salt and pepper!

Happy International Picnic Day!

Going strong since 1996, Pokemon is one sensation that’s not going away any time soon. And with the upcoming release of Pokemon X and Y, there is sure to be a surge of kiddos who are begging for Pokemon birthday parties this year.

To meet this demand, we just added a slew of Pokemon party supplies to our store, including plates, cups, napkins, decorations, and lots of fun favors. Our party planners also pieced together some party planning tips to help you breathe some creativity and fun into your child’s Pokemon birthday party!

Pokemon Birthday Party Invitations

Our Pokemon birthday party invitations are bold and will gear the kiddos up for the party! They feature Pikachu and Pokeballs in a primary color palette of red, blue, and yellow. The invitations are postcard style, so turn them over to reveal spaces to write all of the party details:

If you’re the crafty type, then check out these DIY invitations by Craft, Interrupted. She made her own pocket-style invitations in the shape of Pokeballs for her son’s seventh birthday party:

These would be easy to replicate yourself with red, black, and white card stock, a printer, some glue, and a little creativity!

Pokemon Birthday Party Decorations

For the party decorations, focus on a color palate of primary colors with white and black. Naturally, also be sure to include as many Pokemon characters as you can. Begin decorating the party space with solid-colored basics, such as twisted yellow and blue streamers, red balloons, and black honeycomb tissue paper fans. Accent the party space with our Pokemon party supplies, including the Pokemon Crepe paper, Pokemon 12 Inch Latex Balloons, Pokemon Swirl Decorations, and the Pokemon Jumbo Letter Banner.

For the tables, cover and brighten the tabletops with our Pokemon Plastic Tablecovers and use the Pokemon Table Decorations Kit for the centerpieces. On some tables, make your own centerpieces by filling glass apothecary jars with your own DIY ping pong Pokeballs! To make these, take basic white ping pong balls and use red and black permanent makers to color on the Pokeball design, as demonstrated by Just a Frugal Mom:

We also love these other decoration ideas from Just a Frugal Mom, which would be easy to replicate yourself:

Pokemon Birthday Party Food

Keep the Pokemon Trainers fueled with these tasty ideas:

• For the main course, bake a large Pokeball pizza! To make this, make a basic cheese pizza, and use black olive and pepperonis to replicate the ball markings.
• Mix up a fruit salad using the primary colors featured throughout your decor. For example, you could use watermelon, blueberries, pineapple, and green grapes. For a fun touch, put the fruit on skewers instead of making a salad.
• To drink, make up a batch of Pokemon “Berry Juice,” which is used in the game. You can also serve “MooMoo Milk,” which is a healing item in the Pokemon games.
• For dessert, bake up a cake shaped like a Pokeball or Pikachu! It’s also easy to ice any number of desserts like a Pokeball, including cookies, cake pops, and cupcakes, as demonstrated by Maxabella Loves:

Pokemon Party Activities

To keep the kids entertained, set up a series of activities to complete to become a Pokemon trainer. These training activities are inspired by the game and adapted from Craft, Interrupted. They can be modified depending on the age of your party-goers:

1. Catch a Pokemon — For this activity, set up a scavenger hunt full of clues and challenges.  At the end, have the prize be a Pokemon figurine for each guest.
2. Care for your Pokemon — Now that each guest has a Pokemon, they must care for it! Help each guest earn badges by playing our Pokemon Oshawott Party Game, which is a spin off of Pin the Tail on the Donkey.
3. Teach your Pokemon moves — Set up some physical activities to have the kids teach their Pokemons moves. Use our Pokemon Flying Discs for a throwing challenge and our Pokemon Bounce Balls for a hand-eye coordination challenge. Another fun idea is to set up an obstacle course for this portion of the activities. Equip the kids with our Pokemon Sweat Bands and our Pokemon Drink bottles, because they’re sure to work up a sweat!
4. Battle your Pokemon — A pinata is a battle must! Make your own Meowth pinata filled with candy and Pokemon party favors.

Once each guest is a certified Pokemon trainer, make it official with our Pokemon Confetti Award Ribbons.

For more ideas, be sure to check out our Pokemon Party Ideas Pinterest board!

And the winner of our Summertime Entertaining with PartyPail Pinterest Contest is….[drum roll]

Ody Infante!

Congratulations to Ody, whose Summertime Entertaining with PartyPail board features a sampling from our oh-so summery Market Street, Juicy Watermelon, and Lazy Days party themes.  Ody says her ideal summertime celebration is a yard party with bright colors, fresh flowers, tiki torches, paper lanterns, bbq food, lemonade, and a dessert bar. Lovely!

Ody won $75 to spend at PartyPail.com … party at Ody’s place!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the contest. Stay tuned for future contests and more chances to win!

Father’s day is right around the corner this upcoming Sunday, June 16. Have you planned a special day for your old man yet? This is the year to thank dad for all those times he fixed your car or “lent” you $20!

There’s still plenty of time to pull off a party, especially since we did the hard for you by collecting the 10 Father’s Day ideas below!

1. Western Lasso Barbecue 

Our Western Lasso party supplies sure make for a fun Father’s Day celebration! Fire up the grill, make a big pitcher of iced tea,  get some hay bale seating, and throw a backyard picnic with a western twist. If you’re looking for a new grill recipe, then check out the steak recipe below…

2. Achiote and Beer-Marinated Steaks via Laylita’s Recipes

If your dad is a meat and potatoes kind of guy, then he’ll love this steak, which is marinated with the drink of choice of many men, beer! This steak is topped with a spicy jalapeno cilantro salsa — yum!

3. Vintage Dude Saloon Party

Throw a Father’s Day celebration with a retro twist with our Vintage Dude party theme! With its saloon vibe, serve a spread of your dad’s favorite bar foods and cocktails.

4. Father’s Day Car Wash Kit via Inner Child Fun

This clever car wash kit is great for the guy who treats his car like another child. Simply purchase a bucket and fill it with everything he needs to pamper his ride!

5. Sugar Daddy Father’s Day Cake via GreyGrey Designs

If your dad has a serious sweet tooth, bake up a caramel cake and adorn it with Sugar Daddy candies for a fun play on words!

6. Casino Game Night Party

If your dad loves a fun game of cards, gather the family for game night with our Card Party supplies. Stock the fridge with dad’s favorite beer, set around bowls of his favorite snacks, and play his favorite games!

7. Shirt and Tie Quesadillas via She Knows

How fun are these shirt and tie quesadillas?! Fill them with your dad’s favorite flavors, and use cheese, peppers, caramel, and chocolate chips for the tie accents.

8. Golf Party via Cakes Likes a Party

If your dad loves golf, then check out Cakes Likes a Party for a ton of golf decor inspiration, including turf table covers and golf shoe planters.

9. Spiked Arnold Palmer via Dooley Noted Style

Speaking of golf, there’s nothing more refreshing on a Sunday afternoon than an Arnold Palmer. Spike it with Absolut Wild Tea for an extra kick!

10. DIY Trophy Succulent Planter via Creativebug

Show dad your appreciation with a vintage trophy that doubles as a succulent planter. This sophisticated gift would look great sitting in your dad’s office or man cave. Be sure to check out Creativebug for a free pennant printable!

Take a peek at our Father’s Day Pinterest board for more party ideas!

How is your family celebrating Father’s Day?

Who knew that a smartphone game would turn into a sensation that deserves its own party theme?! If you know a kiddo who loves Angry Birds, you’ll be happy to know that we just added not one, but two Angry Birds party themes to our store! Our basic Angry Birds party supplies feature the classic cast of characters, including Red Bird, King Pig, Yellow Bird, and Blue Bird. We also have a fun collection of Angry Birds Space party supplies for a fun twist on the classic.

There are tons of fun and creative party ideas to go along with an Angry Birds birthday party, so we took to Pinterest to choose our 10 favorites.

Get inspired by the following 10 Angry Birds party ideas, and for more, hop on over to our Angry Birds Party Ideas Pinterest board!

1. King Pig Lantern & Feather Vase via EVIEwhere Events

For a fun centerpiece, fill a clear glass vase with red feathers, put an Angry Birds sticker on the outside, and top it off with a King Pig paper lantern! You can easily make your own lantern with one of our Citrus Green Lanterns, some construction paper, and googly eyes.

2. King Pig Watermelon via Catch my Party

A little construction paper and a watermelon are all you need to make your own King Pig watermelon. Slice into it during the party for a tasty and refreshing treat!

3. Angry Birds Food Table via Kidspired Creations

Isn’t this food table fun?! This hostess cleverly constructed an Angry Birds structure, complete with pigs, and hung flying Angry Birds balloons overhead.

4. Angry Birds Cupcakes via The Crafting Chicks

The Crafting Chicks made a handy tutorial on how to make these Angry Birds Cupcakes. A little creativity and lots of sugar are all you need!

5. Angry Birds Pizza via The Paquettes

The only thing that can make pizza better is adding an Angry Birds face to it! You can ask your local pizzeria if they’ll make an Angry Birds pizza for you. Or, simply order a pepperoni pizza and use olives, mushrooms, and a slice of cheese to add your own face!

6. King Pig Sandwich via Susan Yuen

For a lighter option, make King Pig sandwiches. Use oval and round cookie cutters to make the shapes, chocolate chips and cheese for the eyes, and sandwich picks for the crown.

7. Angry Birds Bagels via Karina Cooks

Another fun idea is to make Angry Birds bagels! Get creative with salami, olives, cheese, and cream cheese spread. The kids will love this!

8. Angry Birds Fruits & Veggies via Creative Food

Entice the kids to eat some fruits and veggies by arranging them into fun Angry Birds shapes! From fruits arranged to look like bird faces to cucumber pig snouts, you’ll be surprised how quickly these healthy options disappear!

9. Angry Birds Slingshot via Honey Mommy

A life-size Angry Birds slingshot will keep the party-goers occupied for hours! Use a kickball as the ammo and some empty boxes for the target.

10. King Pig Bowling via Simply Styled Home

For another fun activity, set up a game of King Pig bowling. Make the colorful bottle bowling pins by coating the insides of 2-liter bottles with paint. Get a lime green plastic ball and use permanent markers or paint to add King Pig’s face. See which party guest can get the most strikes!

Have you thrown an Angry Birds party with equally clever ideas? Drop your best ideas in the comments below!

Littlest Pet Shop is an adorable party theme fit for an adorable kiddo. And, with lots of opportunities for handmade and DIY projects, Littlest Pet Shop is definitely easy to add lots of personal touches to.

Our new Littlest Pet Shop party supplies are bright, sweet, and feature a big-eyed  cast of critters that will have your young party goers smiling and laughing. By scooping up our Littlest Pet Shop supplies and decor and checking out the 10 party ideas below, you’ll be ready to throw a fun Littlest Pet Shop party before you can say, “Little Pets, BIG Personalities!”

1. The Littlest Pet Shop party theme is cute and bright with a color palate featuring apple green, raspberry pink, lime green, and lemon yellow. Mix and match the Littlest Pet Shop supplies with lime, yellow, Bermuda blue, and hot magenta coordinating solids. Suspend a rainbow of streamers from the ceiling and adorn chair backs with balloon bouquets. For centerpieces, create flower arrangements featuring the brightest gerbera daisies you can find.
2. Lead your party guests to the doorway with large animal footprints. They could be cat or dog paws, or even frog prints! Spray paint the prints onto your lawn using a stencil, or cut them out of poster board.
3. Get creative with the food! A veggie tray of carrots and celery can be labeled as “bunny food,” gummy worms are “bird food,” and a cheese plate is “mouse food.” Get new dog and cat food bowls from the store, wash them out, and serve Chex Mix, puppy chow, and other snack foods in them and label them as “dog food” and “cat food.”
4. For sweet treat, make cupcakes and round sugar cookies, and use icing to create paw prints on each.
5. To drink, serve bright drinks that match the bright color palate. For example, lemonade, limeade, fruit punch, and blue Kool-Aid would all match the theme well.
6. Get large appliance boxes and pieces of cardboard from the store. Paint and arrange them to look like a storefront. On the top “awning,” write “______’s Littlest Pet Shop,” using the birthday boy or girl’s name on the sign. Cut windows out of it and make flower boxes on the windows. Also cut out a door and set up a pet shop play area behind the boxes. This doubles as fun decor and a play time opportunity!
7. For a fun activity that the kids will love, incorporate some real animals! Either take a field trip to the local petting zoo, or reach out to local farms and see if any can bring a petting zoo to the party.
8. Get the kids moving with a frog-hop relay race, as well as a game of Cat, Cat, Dog, which is played just like Duck, Duck, Goose!
9. For a fun favor, get Littlest Pet Shop toys for the kids or small plush stuffed animals. Set up an “adoption” process, let the kids choose names for their animals, and fill out adoption certificates for each child, which you can easily make on your computer.
10. For more favor surprises, fill Littlest Pet Shop Lootbags with Littlest Pet Shop blowouts, notepads, rubber bracelets, magnets, bracelets, and candies.

Share your own Littlest Pet Shop party ideas in the comments below!

Hello Kitty is a sweet birthday party theme that’s fit for a sweet birthday girl. In fact, we love Hello Kitty so much that we have two different Hello Kitty birthday party themes:

On the left, Hello Kitty Balloon Dreams is a purrfect party theme featuring all of the Hello Kitty party supplies you need to make your little girl’s day special. And on the right, Hello Kitty Tween features a design that appeals to Hello Kitty’s older fans.

While putting together our Pinterest board of Hello Kitty Party Ideas, we were so impressed with the homemade and DIY creativity we found that we couldn’t resist sharing these 10 Hello Kitty party ideas with you:

1. Hello Kitty Floral Arrangement via Hostess with the Mostess

So sweet, creative, and fun, you can make your own Hello Kitty floral arrangement by cutting floral foam into the Hello Kitty shape. Use white mums for her fur, blackberries for her eyes, a billy ball for the nose, black pipe stem cleaners for her whiskers, and a big pink bow to top it off. This floral arrangement would make a fun addition to any buffet or gift table!

2. Hello Kitty Tissue Paper Pom via Sweet Little Peanut

All you need are scissors and tape and some black, yellow, and red glitter card stock to make a white tissue paper pompom into a cute Hello Kitty.  We even did the hard part for you with our white honeycomb tissue paper balls.

3. Hello Kitty Dessert Table via the Carters

Isn’t this table sweet? This hostess dressed up the Hello Kitty Balloons Dream party theme with pink, mint, and white accessories. Isn’t that Hello Kitty doll cute sitting on top of those jade cake stands?!

4. Hello Kitty Dessert Table via Loves of Life

Pink and white balloons and streamers are all you need to make this pretty Hello Kitty table backdrop. And the mason jar filled with baby’s breath and pink carnations is an adorable addition, too!

5. Hello Kitty Japanese Food via Wright by Me

This hostess stayed true to Hello Kitty’s Japanese roots by serving chicken yakitori, chicken fried rice, egg rolls, California rolls, and fortune cookies. What a fun and tasty menu!

6. Hello Kitty Bottles via Leslie Miller

Serve strawberry milk in these DIY glass bottles! To make them, collect and clean out Starbucks bottled drinks. Use our Hello Kitty stickers to dress up the bottles for the party!

7. Hello Kitty Bow Ruffle Cake via Tori Spelling 

Hello Kitty face cakes are very popular, but we think this white ruffle cake with a Hello Kitty bow on top is darling, too!

8. Hello Kitty Bow Cupcakes via Bespick

The Hello Kitty bow also looks cute on cupcakes. These chocolate cupcakes are topped with white icing, coconut flakes, and the classic bow.

9. Pin the Bow on Hello Kitty via My Blissful Space

You can easily make your own game of Pin the Bow on Hello Kitty by sketching Hello Kitty’s face on a white piece of poster board and cutting a bow out of pink card stock. Even the non-artistic can draw Hello Kitty’s simple shape!

10. Hello Kitty Hair Clips via Heck Fridays

For a craft project, have the party-goers make these sweet ribbon hair clips! If the kiddos aren’t old enough, you can make the clips in advance for handmade party favors that your guests will love.

Do you have more cute Hello Kitty party ideas? Please share in the comments below!

If you have a little girl who is between the ages of two and seven, then chances are you’re very familiar with the Lalaloopsy phenomenon. In fact, you probably have some of those adorable button-eyed dolls around your house.

If your little girl is crazy about Lalaloopsy, then you’re in luck, because we just added a bevy of cute-as-a-button Lalaloopsy party supplies to our collection of girls’ birthday party decorations. And the best part? The Lalaloopsy party theme is so easy and fun to add creative, DIY touches to. Read on for some of our Lalaloopsy party ideas!

Lalaloopsy Party Decor

• Our Lalaloopsy party supplies feature a bright color scheme of purple, blue, pink, yellow, and orange. Crumbs Sugar Cookie, Bea Spells A Lot, Jewel Sparkles, and Mittens Fluff ‘N Stuff are the featured dolls, and they’re posed with some of their animal friends. Adorable! Add some candy pink, lavender, and lime streamers, helium balloons, and paper lanterns to the party space for a bright start.
• Create a rag doll-esque garland by collecting a variety of fabrics. Cut inch-wide strips that are about two feet long from the fabric. Tie the strips on a piece of white cord like tassels to make a cute rag garland to hang across the wall or above the sweets table.
• Cover the tables with our Lalaloopsy table cover.  For centerpieces, purchase silk flowers from the craft store. Hot glue a button onto the center of each flower for a very Lalaloopsy touch. Another centerpiece idea is to simply fill glass mason jars with buttons, spools, and thimbles.
• Purchase an embroidery hoop for every letter of the birthday girl’s name. Stitch or glue each letter on a piece of cloth and hang the hoops up for decoration. After the party, the birthday girl can hang this in her room!

Lalaloopsy Party Food

• Add some creative Lalaloopsy-inspired food to your menu. One idea is to serve a tray of caprese skewers, and in the center of the tray, set a large tomato dressed up to look like a pin cushion tomato. Get a button candy mold and make button pops, and also serve Candy Dots labeled as “buttons” and Red Vine labeled as “thread.” Turn plain marshmallow pops into “spools” by using a fine-tipped icing to look like thread.
• In addition to these themed foods, serve a variety of dainty tea sandwiches and finger foods for a very Lalaloopsy spread! To drink, go with fresh-squeezed lemonade and a frothy pink punch.
• For the cake, make a pretty pink confection topped with the birthday girl’s favorite Lalaloopsy doll made from fondant clay.

Lalaloopsy Party Activities

• Set up various craft stations, and at each station have the girls make a different Lalaloopsy accessory. For example, you could make Crumbs Sugar Cookie’s black bow, Jewel Sparkles’ tiara, and Pete R. Canfly’s hat.
• If age-appropriate, get kids sewing needles and have the girls make threaded cards.
• Make or print a giant Lalaloopsy doll and play “Pin the Bow on Lalaloopsy.”

Lalaloopsy Party Favors

Send the girls home with fun favors to help them remember how much fun they had. The adorable button photo frames above are keepsakes that fit the party theme and that the girls can cherish for years. Our Lalaloopsy temporary tattoos make fun favors, or you could even give the girls mini Lalaloopsy dolls!

Does your little girl love Lalaloopsy? Please share your party ideas in the comments below!

Do you know a birthday girl or boy who is in love with the Nick Jr. show Ni Hao, Kai-Lan? Then you’re at the right spot, because we just added an adorable Ni Hao, Kai-Lan party theme to our collection of kids’ birthday party supplies! Featuring Kai-Lan and her friends Rintoo, Tolee, Hoho, and  Lulu, and a vibrant color palate of  red, yellow, orange, and powder blue, these party supplies are as adventure-ready is Kai-Lan!

Read on for party ideas, and then scoop up all of the Ni Hao, Kai-Lan party supplies you need to throw a fun birthday party!

Ni Hao, Kai-Lan Party Decor

Kai-Lan loves adventure and teaching her friends about Chinese culture, so be sure to incorporate these themes into your party decor with these ideas:

• For the party colors, focus on warm hues of red, orange, and yellow, and also tie in a cool powder blue as an accent. Drape twisted orange and yellow streamers across the walls and tie powder blue balloon bouquets on the backs of the chairs. Hang red paper lanterns from the ceiling for a hint of Chinese influence.
• Cover the tables with light yellow solid table covers. For centerpieces, put peony stems in small vases; peonies are China’s national flower. Another option is to use bamboo plants for the centerpieces. For the place settings, use Ni Hao, Kai-Lan plates, napkins, and cups with coordinating cutlery.

Ni Hao, Kai-Lan Party Food

Make your menu influenced by Ni Hao’s Chinese heritage! Check out these ideas:

• For snack foods, set out trays of favorite Chinese restaurant appetizers like spring rolls and crab rangoon.
• For the main course, serve the kids sweet and sour chicken nuggets and an Asian noodle salad or lo mein.
• A really fun dessert idea is to make Rice Krispie Treat sushi rolls. Get creative with this and shape the Rice Krispie treat mixture into different sushi roll shapes. Use gummy snacks and Swedish Fish as the fillings and toppings. Green Fruit by the Foot is a pretty convincing nori!
• To drink, serve caffeine-free iced green tea, as well as juices.

Ni Hao, Kai-Lan Party Activities

Keep the kids entertained with these activity ideas:

• Kai-Lan loves teaching her friends Chinese words and phrases, so begin by teaching the kids some basic Chinese words, such as hello (ni hao) and goodbye (zaijian). Then, teach the kids some basic commands like jump, run, and dance. After the kids get the hang of the commands, play a game of Kai-Lan Says, which is played just like Simon says, but with Chinese commands!
• Kai-Lan also loves adventure, so set up a fun scavenger hunt for the kids. At the end of the hunt, have a bowl of fortune cookies waiting for the kids as a prize!
• Next, teach the kids how to use chop sticks! Give each child a set, show them how to use them, and let the kids practice on small objects like cotton balls. Stage a race to see who can move the most items from point A to point B without dropping anything!

At the end of the party, send the kids home with some fun loot! Fill Ni Hao, Kai-Lan goodie bags with Ni Hao, Kai-Lan notepads and stickers. We also have fun Chinese-inspired fans and pretty silver fortune cookies.