divaparty...ideas & parties, proven to be fun!

build your own nachos children's blocks for letters DIVA

Great idea for an interactive Super Bowl Party…simple to prepare… with very little cleanup…
OR… what about serving “Chili for a Crowd”!

Attending ski college at Park City Mountain Resort is a favorite pastime of several couples we know. You never graduate…I’ve been going so many years I should technically have my PHD. Relaxing and watching movies is all we have energy for after 5-6 hours of skiing. So, this was Chuck’s eating solution for us. What a guy!

Set up a nacho station in the kitchen for guests to make and bake their own… when they are ready and hungry!
Have small disposable metal pie plates for each person.
Set out your chosen ingredients. Here are some ideas:
tortilla chips, shredded rotisserie chicken, chili, refried beans, black beans, corn, sliced roasted peppers, sliced olives, chopped onions (white, green), green peppers, green chilis, sliced jalapenos, chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce and shredded cheeses-jack and cheddar.
Guests “build their own plate” by layering on the ingredients. Pop it into the oven for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese melts. Then top with salsa, avocado, mango, cilantro and sour cream.
Place your pie tin on a plate and take it with you to join the rest of the guests to watch the Super Bowl. Have fun!

a divagourmet feature…

Fifty Ideas for a
Fiftieth Birthday…
60 for a Sixtieth…
70 for a Seventieth…

Signs leading up to the party spot…like the old Burma Shave signs…
A trivia game about their life…Grandpa did this or that at age 14…multiple choice or True/False
70 of something…80 of something…
Little giveaway bags with (85) personalized
m & ms for everyone- www.mymms.com
Map of the world and places the ‘Birthday Boy’ has traveled
Fun personal napkins – www.foryourparty.com
Family photo calendar – www.shutterfly.com
Photos with frames and captions…Happy Birthday Mom! www.shutterfly.com
A usable ‘take home’ party gift that has Grandma’s photo on it, such as a key chain, mug, apron…www.shutterfly.com
A hard cover post-party book with photos from the party…www.shutterfly.com
Newspaper of events on the day Grandpa was born and possible events in each decade he lived
Life size cardboard stand up of Grandma in her ‘nurse’s outfit’ and have photos taken with her likeness...www.lifesizecustomcutouts.com
Photo collage…a power point presentation with a screen to make it easier for more people to watch during the party…
Request that each family provide 10 photos of their family members with Aunt Nancy from any time period. This makes a slide show more interesting for everyone to see various families at various times in their lives
Birthday masks with faces of the birthday boy from a younger time…stapled on popsicle sticks with ribbons
Contributions from family members such as …I remember when Grandpa…said…did…etc…
Toasts at the party by family members
8x10 enlarged ‘old photos’ of the birthday girl placed strategically around
Remember a few carefully chosen activities, decorations etc. make the ones you choose more special…
Personalize a 50’s, 60’s song about the joys of aging…
‘Do your boobs sorta sag…’ get some instruments to play and sing to the birthday girl or boy…having an accompaniment with instruments is always better and funnier…
Grandchildren write poems or letters to their grandmother expressing what she means to them…
Favorite martinis named for the ‘Birthday boy’…as a Rickitini…
Cakes with a photo of the birthday boy when he was young (notice 65 was his age instead of his football number)
Depending on the career path of the birthday individual(for example-advertising)…create a game with 3 contestants using ads from the past as the questions
Karaoke at the party adds much…
use music from the decades the person has lived…
As a place holder on the table, have small frames with the birthday boy and each guest…keepsake to take home…
85 cupcakes…instead of a cake…
Gifts for the person that represent ‘favorites’ in their life…politics…reading… family…spirituality…
Always a family photo…
If a lot of grandchildren are present…give them a children’s book titled…Grandpa Bud…Fancy Nancy…May Belle…whatever the birthday person’s name is…
Sheets with facts about how old Dave was when something happened in history…21 years old when the first man stepped on the moon…
Photo notepad cubes with a fun photo of the birthday girl…www.exposures.com
Pop the plastic out of cheap sunglasses and put in photos of the birthday boy as the lens…
Family T’s
Fireworks and bonfire…
Lots of people at an affair make it harder to get everyone on board with an activity…don’t have too many…
The birthday boy’s photo from his youth glued on a wine bottle as the label…

Oops, only half way there…I need more ideas…
help me!