Mar.
8
2013

DT header

In an effort to stretch my duct tape even farther, I have been investigating alternative materials that can be used for the “base” of my duct tape fabric. The issue is when you are creating something large out of duct tape, such as a purse or backpack, it can take upwards of an entire roll of tape just to make the base fabric. For those of you unfamiliar with duct tape projects, fabric is made by overlapping strips of tape to create a sheet of tape. The fabric needs to be taped on both sides, so if you are making a piece of fabric to make a 4 by 6 inch clutch purse, you’re going to need about 15 feet of tape, which is about half of a roll of patterned tape. That’s just to make the base fabric! At $4.99 a roll, you can see how it adds up.

Knowing that my audience using this tape has limited budgets, I thought it wise to start investigating alternative materials to use instead, the idea being that one could embellish like crazy with fun patterned and designed tapes as long as one had a good base that adhered to the tape. And thus the search began!

Fabric can work... I’ve used felt before... but the issue is that the item becomes sort of bulky, and thinner materials such as cottons fray. So what to use that has strength, flexibility, thinness, and will adhere to tape? The answer came to us (I say us because we were all sitting around brainstorming about this... and I believe it was Simone who threw out the final answer) in a flash of brilliance when we were considering some of the reusable bags piling up in the corner of Simone’s office... PAINTER’S TARPS!

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Mar.
1
2013

I know it’s a very un-California way of thinking, but I like my plastic grocery bags. I love how I can load those paper-thin bags onto my arms like a string of fish on a line, lugging 50 pounds of groceries up the stairs in a single go -- even if the thin, twisting handles wrapped around my wrists cut off my circulation for the trip! I save them, I use them, I make crafts out of them. And yes, I know they eventually end up in landfills and water systems, and that they’re bad for the environment, but I still have an affinity for them.

This may be why I’m having such a hard time accepting this “no plastic bag” policy that is sweeping our state. The thing is, I have so many reusable bags -- in fact I’ve got about 10 of those giant blue tarp like ones from IKEA alone -- but I can never seem to remember them! Instead, they sit piling up in the corner of Simone’s office. There are so many now that they’ve set up a permanent residency on the paper supply shelf (much to the chagrin of the office supplies).

In an effort to save myself the 10 cents retailers now charge for bags, and to hopefully inspire myself to break my illicit love affair with plastic shopping bags, I researched ways in which I could remember to take my own bags with me wherever I go. Here’s what I came up with...

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Feb.
27
2013

Obviously, I do not advocate underage drinking (and after chaperoning a Sweet Sixteen party where I had to keep a sharp eye out for teens trying to sneak alcohol, I definitely do NOT!), but that being said, I still love the idea of a “kids’ bar.”

At most of my large events now, it has become common practice to have a designated bar that is just for kids. This bar usually consists of fruit juices, sodas, waters, and the main staple of kid’s mocktails: the Shirley Temple (a mixture of ginger ale and grenadine with a cherry). Glowing glassware purchased from online sources like Windy City Novelties and Flashing Blinking Lights add to the magical quality. And while some bars might offer specialties like smoothies and milkshakes, most just offer the basics. That’s why I think it’s fun to add a creative twist by naming the bar thematically (to suit the host or the party theme) as well as the drinks.

Below, I’m offering up a few themes and possible ideas to inspire you to create your own thematic bar at your next event!

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Feb.
22
2013

I love to read kid novels as opposed to adult novels.  Yes, I could blame my reading habits on my young clients, claiming that it’s all research, but the truth of the matter is I just enjoy the subject matter much better.  Case in point, the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan.  One of the kids at my library program suggested I check it out a few years ago, and since then, I’ve been gobbling up the books whenever a new one is released.

I think what I love best about the series is that, like Harry Potter, it lends itself so readily to a party!  So with that in mind, I give you a few ideas for a Percy Jackson party.

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Feb.
20
2013

At the risk of shooting myself in the foot, I’m going to make a statement that might shock some people: I think that some kids get too many birthday parties. I realize that my party planning business’s clientele is not the norm, and that I live and work in a tiny pocket of the world that is privileged and sometimes trends towards excess... But when I see the same kid three times in one weekend, I can’t help but think that there may be too many parties.

I’m not making this up -- this happened to me recently!

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