Traditional multi-colored paper flowers are easy to make. Put them everywhere! Polish off the hanging decorations with a burro piñata from your grocery or party store, and some strands of lights. Use plenty of green, white and red for Mexican flag colors, or all the bright colors you see in a beautiful mexican serape.

You’ll think you’re in the heart of Mexico on Independence Day if you play an assortment of Mexican guitar music, mariachi music and some salsa. Your library should have a good selection. They may also have some instructional DVDs to teach you a few salsa dance steps you can teach to your guests during your fielta. You may be surprised who’s the best dancer!

Completes the south of the border setting with Mexican goodies: tortilla chips, queso and homemade salsa on the tables for snacking, with warm quesadillas, tacos and fajitas on the food bar. Cold Dos Equis,  a big pitcher of Margaritas or  refreshing mojitos on ice fit the bill, as do delicious Mexican wedding cookies and coffee flavored with cinnamon, vanilla or cocoa for dessert.

Enjoy these important times with close friends and family, and you will have the best of old Mexico!

The graduation invitations are received and the big day is coming. If you didn’t have a budget, you could get the graduate something incredible… like a car, vacation, or a new laptop. The list for their new adult life is endless. In the real world, on a budget, you may be looking for some ideas for practical gifts that will really be used and appreciated. Here are some favorites for less than $200.

1. Prepaid Cell Phone – start at about $79

Teens and young adults consider cell phones to be more than just a convenience. They are the main tool of their social life. If the mom-sponsored cell phone is ending when the graduate moves out, a great gift is a prepaid cell phone. You can get a prepaid kit, like one from T-mobile that includes a cool wireless phone, starter minutes, a battery, a charger, and a hands-free headset. You can add more starter minutes if you have a slightly larger budget.

2. Camera

There are plenty of fun times ahead, without the family camera available. Does the graduate own a decent camera? When choosing one, don’t necessarily get the first one you look at. Choose one with the longest optical zoom. (Digital zoom and 12 megapixels won’t really help you capture better photos.) Also, make sure the camera has a rechargable battery. Cameras that use AA batteries will cost the grad a fortune in batteries just to keep the camera going. Check Consumer Reports for a fast comparison. We love our Olympus and Sony cameras and recommend them often.

3. Dorm Refrigerator

If the new dorm does not provide refrigerators, which many are doing now, it is a college-life necessity. Then when you go visit the cramped and cluttered dorm room, you can have a cold drink, and your student can keep perishable snacks available.

4. Luggage

What student has decent luggage? About none. A good, sturdy suitcase will hold up for years of student excursions, weekend jaunts and trips home. If left to their budget, they may only be able to afford a cheap suitcase that will not weather many luggage handlers. Check the bag ratings. The wheels need to last!

5.  Resume Writing Service

Does your grad have goals, but trouble getting started? Great background and experience but no presentation? Or an interesting job history which needs careful translation? A professional resume writing service can provide a great start to their job search by presenting all the details in a positive, succinct and beautiful resume. Just add job leads. Check out grandresume.com

6. Soft-Sided Briefcase

If your college grad is going into business, a professional looking briefcase is necessary today. Taking work home is the norm, often with the company laptop. A quality, versatile briefcase is a nice polishing touch to their new business persona.

A versatile soft-sided briefcase makes the trip to and from work a breeze. Consider a leather messenger bag for a trendy look that will make a good impression at school.

7. iPod or MP3 Player

Kids today download the songs they want onto their MP3 player and take them everywhere. Since they travel, they also get beat up. How about a gift of a fresh new iPod to take to college?

8. A Small TV with DVD Player

A TV is a necessity to any student today, making it more appreciated as a gift. Two items any student will want for her dorm room, or first apartment, and for many years to come.

9. Clothing Gift Card

The young grad always appreciates the opportunity to get some new outfits for their new life. A gift card to their favorite clothing store ensures that they will feel good about their wardrobe in their new life: work, college or travels.

The Stand-by Gift for All Occasions

10. Money

OK. This one is obvious. Money is the one thing that works with any need, at any store. Maybe it doesn’t seem personal or caring to give cash, but it is always appreciated by the graduate. He is saving toward some big purchase… computer, tuition, car… and you can be a part of that goal.

Guests could opt to wear their best biker gear, or let them add it at the shower with a supply of bandanas or biker hats from a party supply store. Offer temporary tattoos with a baby theme. The favorite of the party will be the tiny biker gear for the newborn. Check the preferred bikes website for logo gear on various items. Can you hear the response? LOL.

This free PDF is available only with a matching invitation purchase. Also available is an inexpensive PDF file for the print-at-home pennants you can cut and attach to a string to make a splash of color on your party wall. Looks great above the dessert or gift table. Or both!

For centerpieces, consider the colorful theme-wraps which can be bought separately to go around your flowers or balloons, or our new table decoration kits which include the wraps plus stickers, card holders and cards to spell out B-A-B-Y on each table. Just fill the theme wraps with shredded paper, balloons, tissue paper or small plants.

For quick and colorful party favors, add matching stickers to clear bags of candy.

Naptime Productions also offers shower activities to match your theme including baby gift bingo cards, advice cards to have guests fill out for the mom-to-be, and matching thank you notes. Just add plain color plates, napkins and table covers from your dollar store.

To make these super cute candies, all you need is one box of mini Nilla Wafers, one bag of peanut butter chips, Hershey’s Chocolate Kisses, and a tiny bit of milk. These snacks are extremely easy and fast to make! First put about two tablespoons of peanut butter chips into a bowl and melt them in the microwave. Stir the peanut butter chips to melt them. To get the right glue consistency, add a teaspoon of milk and stir it in. Add more milk if necessary until you have a white glue consistency.

When your peanut butter glue is ready , grab a Nilla Wafer, unwrapped Hershey’s Kiss, and a peanut butter chip. Dip the bottom of the kiss into the peanut butter glue. A small amount of the glue should stick to the bottom of the kiss. Then put the kiss and the flat side of the Nilla Wafer and push them together. Then do the same with the peanut butter chip, but push it to the rounded side of the Nilla Wafer (as shown in the picture). Voila! You now have an acorn! Once you have a fair amount made, loosely cover and refrigerate to protect them from melting.

The acorns are delicious! These snacks are perfect for candies at parties. Because of the small size, they make excellent snacks at school Halloween parties or a tiny treat for your kids’ lunches!

Display your acorns on a fall-colored plate or tray, or layer them over paper leaves (the kind you use to serve cheese on a tray.) Not only do they make a great impression on your table, but offer just the right amount of chocolate to satisfy a craving.

The first step: Irish baby shower invitations that set the scene and let your guests know all the details of the baby shower. Be sure to share helpful information like registry information, nursery theme, and if the baby is a boy, girl or a total mystery.

Next, plan some Irish into the shower with traditional Irish foods and music. This menu for an Irish Bridal shower would work just as well for a baby shower. Serve wild rice and barley stuffed mushrooms for an appetizer. Feature salmon, Irish broccoli and cheese pie (quiche), roasted mustard potatoes, Irish coffee, and Irish chocolate truffle cake for dessert. Other fun classics you could serve are scones, tea, Baileys mini brownies, and lemon lavender cake. Yum.

For Irish music, choose any contemporary or traditional Irish music. Since people will mostly chat and mingle during the shower, play your music softly to provide a pleasant Irish background. Music by the Chieftains, or perhaps a compilation of folk songs like O’Malley’s Irish and Celtic Folk Classics or this collection of Irish Classics.

Add some green to your tables, and possibly a touch of orange for an accent. Try one of these idea for cute Irish/green centerpieces:

• Grow wheat grass in cute containers and stick in springs of lavender (reminds me of Ireland) or small orange flowers.. inexpensive and really charming!
• Use green glass bottles and jars with fresh cut daisies and orange accent flowers for a light, simple countryside look.
• Put a couple small shamrock plants on each table and add a colorful wrap around the pot. If it needs a bit of filler, try popping in a few small flowers.
• Use bouquets of white and green flowers in simple white vases and green table covers.

Gifts for the little one are part of the fun. Take a look at these fun finds for ideas for your gift to the mom-to-be for the biggest “awwwww” response at the shower…

Cupcakes are workable for the amateur baker with a helpful kit like this one with wrappers and picks. More adventurous bakers can try creating fondant music notes, guitars, drums and miniature vinyl albums to decorate their cupcakes. Limit yourself to the color scheme you have chosen for your party for all your dessert table items and table items to coordinate with your decorations. Black and white with a bright color or two seems to work easily into a rock and roll look.

Include chocolate music pops with your party favors, tied with coordinating ribbon colors. These can be found in the shapes of music notes and guitars from online favor or candy shops. For children’s favor bags, add a pack of Pop Rocks, a rock candy stick and a kazoo. Decorate colorful favor bags with black music notes for an easy tie-in.  Favors for grown-ups may include chocolate pops, dark sunglasses, and a toy microphone. The latter will likely be found in the hands of enthusiastic divas during the party.

For your tables, top your table decorations with cutout black music notes and guitars. These can be used on the tables like confetti, or attached to tooth picks or longer sticks to add them to arrangements. Add some 1950′s rock-n-roll cafe fun by providing drinking straws that have been decorated with coordinated flags as well.

Invitations

Champagne Invitations from www.naptimecards.com

Cost effective anniversary party supplies can start with a reasonably priced anniversary invitation that is special enough to draw the crowd you want. This anniversary invitation is an example of a very popular photo design that is a joy to receive. Customers love the positive comments they receive about the invitations which capture the then and now of this lasting relationship.

Sending out Save the Date cards is a good idea if your guests will be coming from out of town and you want them to have plenty of time to plan. Where invitations normally go out 4-6 weeks prior to an event, you can send out save-the-date cards much earlier, increasing the odds that more special guests can attend.

R.S.V.P. Card

You may want to include a separate R.S.V.P. card which will add a touch of formality to the event. Many people today are simply requesting their responses via phone or email, eliminating the separate enclosure. The separate card does help to remind guests to respond, but it is perfectly acceptable to simply include this as a line at the bottom of your invitation.

Sharing Cards and Memory Album

If you would like to encourage guests to provide some comments toward a scrapbook or anniversary album, one of the easiest ways to do this is to include a sharing card in with your invitation. The card can be used to collect comments, stories and well wishes to put into an album with photos. Display the album at the party, or provide the cards to guests at your tables and make the scrapbook afterwards with the resulting collection. Either way it is a memorable and meaningful gift to the anniversary couple … made easier.

Golden Centerpieces

Most options for banquet table centerpieces will add up to quite a lot of money. Some options to decorate your tables include:

• Hire a florist to make floral centerpieces for your tables ($25-50 per table minimum)
• Scatter the tables with gold confetti and gold finish frames of a variety of photos from over the years ($5-10 per table and time to buy frames, order prints, and put them together.)
• Order anniversary photo centerpiece kits like the ones from Naptimecards and assemble them at the event. ($13 each)
• Use gold pop-up table centerpieces from the party stores. (about $6 each)

Signature Photo Mat

A popular alternative to a guest book is to offer a large white photo mat for guest messages and signatures. Craft stores like Michaels carry these in stock. Add a current photo of the lovebirds, and set it out at the entrance of your party. Be sure to put the first comment and signature on the mat so that guests understand they are supposed to sign. Give this to the anniversary pair after the event in the frame it came with.

Party Favors

While not required, offering small party favors to your guests is a nice touch. It serves as an immediate thank you, the guests get something to take home, and the favor itself becomes a decoration on your tables. Easy and inexpensive options include chocolates in little white boxes with a gold bow, gold wrapped truffles, small gold frames that double as place cards, and gold pens. Many items sold as wedding favors make excellent anniversary favors as well.

Memorabilia Display

Open that box in the attic! Display mementos from the original wedding day. You can display everything from the wedding dress, marriage certificate and cake topper, along with photos of the couple through the years, to create a great conversation center at the gathering. Arrange photos on the wall  bulletin-board style, or form the snapshots into a large numeral 50.

Thank You Notes

Required! Be sure to send hand-written thank you notes to the people who attended the party for sharing the day, especially if they gave an anniversary gift.  Not only is this good manners, but it also lets you share your feelings and strengthen your friendships.

1. Organize your bookshelf alphabetically by author. This activity will likely get you reading things you forgot you had and help you find something you did not know you’d misplaced.
2. Clean out a junk drawer or toy box. You’ll feel more organized, enjoy the sense of completion and probably spend more time playing with old toys than cleaning.
3. Read your favorite childhood short stories. You may be amazed at how short they are now.
4. Research a favorite subject, i.e. albino dolphins, and make a power point to show your parents. You get computer time for an educational project and get to play with a fun program.
5. Make an interesting lunch. Assuming you can eat, try making your peanut butter and jelly sandwich jelly first, or try a cream cheese, cheddar and Parmesan cheese bagel. Then clean up your mess. Leaving a trail of crumbs and dishes does not make the day better after Mom gets home.
6. Crafts. Do what you like. Clay, collage, drawing, painting or a sculpture from Popsicle sticks. Once again, clean up the mess.
7. Find all the loose change in the house and count how much there is. (This does not make it your money! How many states can you find on quarters? How many state parks on quarters? Any really old pennies?
8. Draw a sketch of your dream home or dream bedroom. Write a story or explanation to go with it.
9. Play with your hair style while no one can see. Try a new hairstyle, or comb it the other way.
10. Write a blog article for your mom or dad. You know they are overworked and will appreciate it.

Enjoy your day off from your normal schedule and get well soon!

Re-gifting. Rather than to store or discard gifts that you can never use, spread the sunshine by giving them to someone who can enjoy and appreciate them. Once a gift is given to you, it belongs to you, it is yours to do with as you please. Caution: do not give the gift to someone even remotely connected to the person who originally gave it to you.

Giving cash. Cash is the usual ‘go to’ when you just can’t think of anything else. It’s a safe bet for teenagers who have very definite tastes and would like to do their own shopping and the elderly who may need the extra spending cash. It’s generally not appropriate to ask for cash as a gift for yourself. A way to make it seem more appealing to the gift giver is to specify that the cash will be used for a specific purpose. Saving to replace an old car, school tuition or a donation to your favorite charity. When the goal has been met then send a thank you note to anyone who contributed and they’ll have the good feeling of knowing they helped accomplish something real and meaningful.

Wedding gift registries. If the bride and groom are specific about wanting gifts from a particular store and from a set list of gifts try to stick to that list. If the items on that list are out of your price range, get a gift certificate from that store in an amount that you can afford and include a note saying that you hope they can use it towards the purchase of something they may not receive as a gift.

Gift cards. Back in the day it seemed impersonal and lazy to give someone a gift card. Today, gift cards are available for a never ending variety of items in-store and online. A generic gift card from a major credit card company is less personal than one chosen from a store that could provide something that the recipient would enjoy. Give it some practical thought. If giving a gift card to a specific store, consider their price points. Don’t give a $10 card for a store where they won’t be able to buy anything without adding their own funds to buy something.

Anniversary. Any anniversary is cause for celebration not matter the year. There are common gifts to give on certain years, but unless the invitation specifies ‘no gifts please’ you should bring a gift along for the couple. Many invitations will request that you do not bring gifts with a phrase like “warm greetings only” or “your presence is their present.”

Baby showers and Bridal showers. Baby showers are generally given before the baby is born to ‘shower’ the baby with necessities. Moms-to-be usually register at particular stores and it is highly suggested that you stick to what Mom requests on her registry. She knows what she needs and wants. The same holds true for a bridal shower. If the invitation specifies a particular theme, then the gift should be purchased within that theme because it follows the wishes and needs of the bride.

Retirement. Retirement parties can be given by employers or family members. Gifts can range from items that add to a hobby collection, a watch, gag gifts or travel gift certificates.

Flowers, flowers, flowers….it used to be more common than it is now, but the gift of flowers is a good old standby.

Just remember, gift giving is a way to show the celebrant of any occasion that you care for them. Don’t break the bank and give them what they want or ask for. Large or small the gift you give should be a cause for joy for both of you. You’ve given them something that shows your regard and they in turn know that you cared enough to give it.