PARTY THEME: BACKYARD CAMPING PARTY

Longing to take a trip but your budget has you staying home this year? Why not recreate your favorite vacation right in the backyard? My brother and his family love to camp and they have this backyard camping party when time or money keeps them home. If you love to camp, bring all the elements of a camping trip to your own backyard. Pop up a tent, grab a sleeping bag and build a campfire! And hey, if you don’t have a backyard, indoor camping can be a lot of fun, too.

Make memories and have more fun than you can imagine when you go backyard camping.

This is a great party for almost anyone: the kids, a birthday party, a dads and daughters get-together, a neighborhood party… it could even be a romantic date night… (You know, campfire and all?) It could even be the perfect wedding shower for that couple you know who love the great outdoors. To encourage spending time outdoors, the National Wildlife Federation hosts an annual campout called The Great American Backyard Campout. Find out how to participate!

Quilts, blankets, sleeping bags, plus other camping equipment like these inexpensive pop-up tents are all you need for a backyard camping party.

THE FOOD

Start with a super easy menu. Barbeque Hobo Packs are perfect. You remember those aluminum foil packages you can put right on the fire? Hobo packs make cooking simple. Even better, they are easy serve and easy clean-up. If you can’t build a fire, you can do these on the grill or in the oven. I like to start with onion, tomatoes, potatoes and add a hamburger patty. Add a splash of olive oil, season with salt and pepper.

I like to cook fish this way, too. Add a squeeze of lemon, some fresh herbs, shallots, and a drizzle of olive oil—so easy and so good. For a more sophisticated menu, try my Fish in Parchment recipe but wrap it in foil instead of parchment paper. 

If you want to keep it simple, you cannot beat a delicious fire-roasted hot dog!  Other great menu items depending on the weather could be hot chocolate, chili or soup served in a big cast iron pot, roasted corn-on-the-cob, and baked potatoes. These are all easy to cook over a fire.

NEED MORE INFORMATION ON HOW TO START A FIRE? SMOKEY BEAR HAS SOME TIPS FOR STAYING FIRE SAFE

Have a designated area for your fire and make sure to follow all of Smokey Bear's rules for fire safety and keep a hose or bucket of water handy.

Make sure adults help the kids with any sharp objects used to grill or roast hot dogs and there is always plenty of adult supervision around the fire.

You’ve got to have S’mores at a campout. It’s a requirement! S’mores have really evolved. I love to put together a s’mores bar. It’s a lot of fun and everyone loves it. I put all of my ingredients for the S’mores bar in bowls so guests can select their favorites. In addition to the standard s’mores ingredients, Hershey bars, marshmallows, and graham crackers, I like to include Nutella, the hazelnut and chocolate spread – You don’t have to wait for the chocolate to melt!!! I also include raspberries or sliced strawberries, peanut butter, and different types of cookies. This will be a huge hit for the kids AND the adults!

Build a S'more Bar with plenty of toppings and add-ons: sliced strawberries, raspberries, bananas, peanut butter, Nutella. coconut, pineapple are all delicious options.

Other easy menu items include popcorn, popsicles, granola bars, or fresh fruit.

You know, I always like to see what I have that I can use before I run out to buy any decorations for a party. For this party, camping lanterns, tents, sleeping bags, cots, or anything else you’d take on a camping trip works. Ask guests to bring their camping items, too.

Find inexpensive cotton ticking at the fabric store to use for the table--- and bandanas make the perfect napkins. You can even find paper plates in a bandana print! Tin pails are cheap and make great containers for serving food or icing down beverages and they even make good seating--- Bonus---you can re-purpose them to wash the dog or the car after the party is over!

ENTERTAINMENT

For entertainment, you most certainly have to invite that guy you know who plays the guitar--- what’s a campout without singing around the campfire? Brush up on your ghost stories… that’s another camping essential. For the kids, you can have a game of hide ‘n seek or hide lots of small prizes around the yard and let the kids look for them. Get a telescope and star gaze; give prizes for the person who finds the most constellations. Baggo, the beanbag game, is always a winner! You can buy a baggo game online or make one with scrap plywood. Decorate the wood to match your party theme. Brilliant!

Make sure to have a “summer survival” kit handy for backyard entertaining: include bug spray, sunscreen, wipes, cheap sunglasses and even cheapie flip-flops so your guests can be comfortable. If it’s a cool night, make sure to have a few quilts or blankets available. Stack them or pile them up in baskets…

Make a backyard party survival kit with everything your guests will need to be comfortable.

OK, are you ready to go camping in the backyard? This party will bring back old memories and make lots of new ones…. I have to admit, this is my favorite way to camp—my warm bed and a hot shower are just inside!

PARTY THEME: HOST AN OUTDOOR MOVIE NIGHT PARTY!

Years ago, I saw an ad for a huge inflatable movie screen in one of those airplane shopping magazines and immediately thought---yippee! Drive-in movie party! This party is perfect for so many occasions. It’s a great casual get together for the big game or an easy birthday party for any age. It’s also perfect for that neighborhood party you’ve been putting off! For the bride and groom, it's a fun alternative to a boring rehearsal dinner or the perfect shower for movie buffs. I even had a movie night party for one of my Food Network Star viewing parties and everyone loved it. The menu is classic snack bar food and since it’s all self-serve, all you have to do is set it up and grab a good seat for the movie!

Thank you to the Sonnet House in Leeds, Alabama for hosting our party!

Using an inflatable movie screen to show movies out on the lawn is one of summer's best party ideas!

We screened an episode of Food Network Star at one party - so much fun to watch it on the big screen!

EQUIPMENT

The big star of our show was the twelve foot Airblown Inflatable Movie Screen. Fantastic! It self-inflates in a matter of minutes and presto! You have a movie theater in your yard! It was just as easy to take down as it was to put up and it stores in a tote bag. You can make a screen from an old white sheet if you don't want to invest in the inflatable screen but I ordered an Airblown brand inflatable screen for only $150. You do need a projector to show the movie but there is new technology out there. Search online for the type that suits your budget.

Be sure to check the length of the movie before you make your choice. I would recommend selecting a movie less than two hours in length and one that will appeal to men and women. If you have a large crowd, you’ll need speakers. If you’re not the technical type or if you’re having a large party, it is worth the money to hire an entertainment company. Not only will they set up everything to show the movie, they can play music to get the party started. Another fun idea? Have them instantly screen photographs of your guests arriving as they walk the red carpet! When I am in Birmingham, my great friend Geoff Carlisle from Jamm Entertainment always does the sound for the party and also provides some music before and after the movie. Makes the party a lot more fun.

DECORATIONS

Decorating for this party couldn’t have been easier because you can find “movie night” items like popcorn boxes and supplies almost everywhere, including the $1 store or the $1 bin at Target. Better yet, find one-stop shopping for movie night decorations at Oriental Trading Company.

Line the entrance to the party with colorful patio lights and you can probably score movie posters from a local theatre. Next, you’ll need lawn chairs, quilts, blankets, etc., or simply ask guests to bring their own seating. If you have a large yard or are holding the party at a park, you can even let guests drive up, drive-in style.

Ask guests to bring their own blankets, quilts, and lawn chairs to make sure you have enough seating.

Set up a special VIP seating area for the guest of honor with quilts, pillows, or chaise lounges. The sign is from Oriental Trading.

Make an authentic drive-in style snack bar with movie candy, popcorn, and other snacks.

Create a topping bar for hot dogs so guests can make their own favorite style dog.

FOOD AND DRINKS: Think snack bar favorites for this menu or select your own easy to make, easy to serve foods. We served deluxe hot dogs with tons of toppings so guests could create their own favorite combos.

Next, we built a huge candy and snack bar complete with boxed movie candy that I got on sale at Walgreen's. You can also find it at most discount or dollar stores. Make fresh, hot popcorn; put the popcorn in boxes to make serving easier. Roasted peanuts in small brown bags are another good choice.

Invite your local popsicle man to come- you can pre-pay or guests can pay for their own.

PARTY THEMES: HOST AN EASTER EGG HUNT WITH CRAFTS AND GAMES

Easter always signals the end of a dreary winter and the rebirth of spring.  Why not have some fun with the kids and make memories that will last a lifetime? A cute and crafty Easter Egg Hunt that includes egg decorating along with a craft station is interactive and creative… much more fun than simply stuffing plastic eggs with candy and throwing them around the yard. Add an easy to assemble kid friendly buffet with a mix of healthy and fun treats to make this party hopping good fun for everyone. Get one of your kids to write their own Easter story. Print and let the kids have one to take home. Make this a family party, a neighborhood get-together, or just plan some fun with your own kids. They’ll never forget it!

DECORATIONS

To keep decorating costs to a minimum,  I used items from around the house or yard. A collection of borrowed birdhouses were used to help bring the outside indoors. I made an indoor egg tree by using a pot of pansies as a base and added tall branches from a shrub. Daffodils (about $2.99 each) from the garden center were potted in colorful tin pails ($1 each at Target) and can be planted in the yard after the party. We added branches of yellow Forsythia, straw bunnies, and decorated eggs to a flat of wheat grass to create a preview of spring days ahead.

FOOD

After surveying the kids, we put together a buffet of their favorites. To keep it simple and safe, we didn’t include hot dishes. Since we were boiling lots of eggs for decorating, deviled eggs were an obvious choice. To give the adults options, I included my signature DYI toppings bar so everyone could create their own deviled egg creation.

The kids requested peanut butter and jelly sandwiches which were made on white whole wheat bread and cut into Easter shapes with large cookie cutters. Lots of “rabbit” food was on the menu: a platter of carrots and ranch dip and red and green apple wedges with peanut butter fluff were healthy choices.

Because Easter traditionally includes lots of candy, we kept desserts to a minimum. The marshmallow Peeps® cake we made using tiers of brightly colored Peeps® was the hit of the party. At about $1 per box, they are a cheap and fun decorating accessory, too.

ENTERTAINMENT

In addition to the egg hunt, we came up with a few games that were easy to manage. A wind-up bunny race and carrot shaped balloon racers ($5.95 per dozen at Oriental Trading Company) were a hit with the kids and adults, too. An activity table loaded with pre-dyed colored eggs for decorating and other crafts kept little hands busy between games.

MARTIE’S PARTY TIPS

1. A  colorful craft table is always a good way to keep kids busy at a party and it’s a great idea to have designated people to lead the fun. We found a former teacher and craft expert willing to don a bunny suit to assist the kids with craft projects and help keep them focused. Hire an artsy teenager if you aren’t crafty.
2. We dyed the eggs in advance to avoid a big mess but gave the kids lots of  stickers, glitter glue, flowers, and ribbon to customize their own eggs.
3. We put  down a strip of indoor/outdoor carpet purchased by the yard at a home improvement store ($2.99 a yard) to define the play area. The kids enjoyed  a variety of easy to contain games.
4. Bring  the outside in with daffodils, pansies, and branches from the yard to  create a spring-like setting. If you don’t have a yard, you can find what you need at a florist, garden center, or craft store floral department.
5. Get extra mileage out of food or beverages by using them as decorations. These plastic glasses filled with colorful drinks make a bright and cheery display.
   

No matter if you’re expecting rain, snow or sun this Easter, make some memories for your family and friends with this simple party plan that can easily be recreated indoors or out.

Photography: Arden Ward, Arden Photography