The Kentucky Derby, also known as “the most exciting two minutes in sports” and “the run for the roses,” is a fantastic reason to hold a party! It’s held the first Saturday of May each year and is an exciting 2k race in Louisville, Kentucky.
Host a fabulous party to watch the event. There’s several ways to take this event: rose theme, horse theme, elegant or fun!

For a horse themed Kentucky Derby Party welcome guests using a Horse Personalized Vinyl Banner. You can customize the banner with your own wording and the heavy-duty weather resistant material is available in seven different sizes to fit your needs. Plus, you can choose from metal grommets or plastic tabs to hang the banner with.

Another option for welcoming guests and displaying where the party is being held is the Personalized Horse Yard Sign. Use it in combination with the personalized vinyl banner or on its own. Add your own wording to the sturdy plastic and metal sign.

Create an awesome focal point or photo setting for your party with the Silverado Horseshoe Entrance. The 7 ½’ high and 7’ wide arch is perfect for setting the scene at your Kentucky Derby party. Accent it with straw bales and corrugated cardboard horses.

The Haley Horse standee is a wonderful accent for this theme. It stands 4’ high and 5’ wide and stands on its own. Don’t forget horse mylar balloons or horse shaped electric lights!

Set a perfect horse-themed table with the My Horse Kit-N-Kaboodle. It includes tons of tableware items such as plates, napkins, cups and cutlery, plus matching invitations. There’s even matching decorations. The horse print is perfect for the Kentucky Derby.

Check out our other Kentucky Derby TipZ and share your ideas!

The Kentucky Derby, also known as “the most exciting two minutes in sports” and “the run for the roses,” is a fantastic reason to hold a party! It’s held the first Saturday of May each year and is an exciting 2k race in Louisville, Kentucky. 

Host a fabulous party to watch the event. There’s several ways to take this event: rose theme, horse theme, elegant or fun!

Invite your friends using invitations to reflect your party style. If you’re going with the horse theme, we suggest the invitation included in the My Horse Kit-N-Kaboodle. It matches the tableware included in the kit and is a fun start to your party. Just fill in the details of your event.

Another option is a personalized rose invitation.. Our beautiful invitations feature a gold or silver star and your customized wording.

Add My Horse Personalized Stickers to the envelopes for a fun party favor before the event. The stickers feature a vibrant horse decoration and your own wording. Guests will love them. Add each person’s name and they can wear them as nametags!

Check out our other Kentucky Derby TipZ for more ideas.

Only three ingredients, three pieces of equipment and two hours from plain old yogurt to exquisite taste sensation. This recipe is so easy you’ll want to make it every week. You can dress it up by adding fresh, frozen or candied fruit, toasted pistachios or other nuts but trust me: Try it naked first, your mouth will thank you for the pleasure.

Easy Frozen Yogurt

3 cups (1 large pot) plain yogurt.  (I use Liberté, from Wholefoods (2% lowfat) as it doesn’t contain gelatin)
1/2 cup sugar (If you keep a vanilla bean in your sugar jar you don’t even need the last ingredient)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix together the yogurt, sugar, and vanilla then place it in the refrigerator for an hour.
Pour into an ice cream maker and churn until set. (Mine took just 20 minutes)
Serve, or freeze until needed.

Light, easy, delicious, the perfect dessert or afternoon treat.

16 songs for Sweet Sixteen Birthday Parties.  
The sweet sixteen song lyrics to all of these songs are now listed on the Birthday Party Ideas 4 Kids website. 

You’ll also find fun birthday party themes, teen games and ideas to make the 16th birthday special.
 
1. Johnny Burnette - You’re Sixteen You’re Beautiful
2. Sam Cooke - She Was Only 16
3. Ronnie Milsap - Happy Happy Birthday Baby
4. Ringo Starr - You’re Sixteen You’re Beautiful …
5. Lenny Gomulka - Happy Birthday Sweet 16
6. The Crests - Sixteen Candles
7. Neil Sedaka - Happy Birthday Sweet 16
8. Hilary Duff - Sweet Sixteen
9. The Jackson 5 - Sixteen Candles
10. Billy Idol - Sweet Sixteen
11. Billy Ray Cyrus - Always Sixteen
12. Connie Stevens - Sixteen Reasons
13. Britney Sprears - I’m Not A Girl Not A Woman Yet
14. Jordan Hill - Remember Me This Way
15. Sound of Music - Sixteen going on Seventeen
16. The Beatles - Sweet Little Sixteen

Enjoy!  Birthday Party Ideas 4 Kids, Tweens and Teens

Just added to the Birthday Party Ideas 4 Kids website is our Sleepover / Slumber Party Guide.  It’s filled with fun sleepover games, activities and fun ideas. 

Fun Sleepover Ideas

Slumber Party Games

Free Truth or Dare Questions - Rated G and fun for everyone! 

Create a beautiful and festive setting for your Asian themed party or China Olympics themed event. The Chinese Take-Out Decorations are a perfect kit for transforming your venue into a fantastic Asian scene.

Start by setting up the Chinese Take-Out Boxes. They stand 10’ high x 6’ wide and create a great focal point for your decorations. Fill the boxes with red and white balloons for a full look.

Accent the take out boxes with an Asian Screen. It’s 11’ x 17’ and is composed by two sets of panels detailed with Chinese symbols and Asian patterned gossamer. Three symbols on the screen even light up!

Set up the fortune cookies for another fun accent. The cookies are 2 1/2 ‘ x 3’ and look fantastic paired with the take-out boxes. Finish it all off with the Chinese Symbols measuring 2 ½’ x 2 ½’ and fantastic for setting around the edge of your dance floor or the edge of the party space.

There are tons of decorating accents that go perfectly with the Chinese Take-Out Decorations. Place Chinatown Pails on your tables and fill them with confetti or favors for guests to take home they make functional centerpieces. The Chinese Character Mural is a great accent for your entrance, buffet table or other area. Add some Oriental Garden Lamp Posts for a soft glow and a sophisticated touch or the Chinatown Foil Dragon for a fun decorative touch.

Don’t forget paper lanterns. Chinatown Paper Lanterns are a wonderful accent to hang from your ceilings or doorways. Lighted round lanterns are another great idea.

Check out our other Asian Party TipZ for more decorating ideas.

Congratualtions! The winner of the 2Modern.com Easter Contest is:

Kelly Ashworth:

"I’m a horrible cook, but as a kid I loved decorating Easter eggs. On a whim, I nixed the messy dye pellets for my favorite shades of nail polish. Rather than a traditional tulip centerpiece for Easter dinner, my mom put my gloriously manicured eggs on display!"

Please Kelly respond to this post with your full name, shipping address, email address and telephone number by April 15, 2008. This information will not be published and will be kept private.

Thank you to everyone who participated! Check back often to Create My Event for more giveaways!

This spring, ShindigZ is excited to announce the Graduation Sensation Contest!

ShindigZ wants to help some lucky grads get a great start to their college years by giving away four fantastic scholarships. Starting college can be an exciting but stressful experience, and we are hoping to help make this time an especially good one for a few select grads. We will also supply twenty additional lucky winners with one of our personalized banners to help them celebrate this momentous occasion.

Here are the prizes:

Four lucky winners will be selected at random to receive a $250 scholarship
Twenty lucky runner-up winners will receive a personalized banner of their choice (not to exceed 30” x 90”)

Simply enter your email address at the ShindigZ site. One entry per site visit. All winners will be selected at random on April 14, 2008. Winners will be notified via email, so be sure to double check your email address!

Good Luck!

View Official Rules.

Sign up today!

 Making dinner is always difficult for a family of 6.  We are a blended family withdifferent palates to please but there is one dish that all the kids do enjoy and it issimple to make and that is Meatloaf. 

· 2/3 cup old-fashioned
oats

· 1/2 cup fat-free milk

· 1 pound 97% lean ground
veal or 96% lean ground beef

· 1/2 cup chopped fresh
spinach leaves

· 1/4 cup minced onion

· 2 large egg whites,
lightly beaten

· 1 tablespoon prepared
horseradish

· 2 teaspoons Italian
seasoning

· 1 teaspoon
Worcestershire sauce

· 1 clove garlic, minced

· 1/2 teaspoon salt

· 1/3 cup reduced-sugar
or unsweetened ketchup (such as Heinz One Carb)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly mist an 8 1/2" x 4
1/4" x 3" nonstick loaf pan with olive oil spray. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the oats and the milk. Let
stand for 3 minutes, or until the oats are slightly softened. Add the veal or
beef, spinach, onion, egg whites, horseradish, Italian seasoning,
Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and salt. With clean hands or a fork, mix well.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Press into the pan, patting the top
flat. Spread the ketchup over the top.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the
center registers 160°F and the meat is no longer pink. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Cut into 8 slices. Serve immediately.

Bon Appetit!!

Lynette P. Barkley, CEO for e2 (Elegant Events), a full service event production boutique, that produces spectacular events. She can be reached at 410-428-6076 or online at www.e2events.net