Hawaiian Beach Wedding Ideas

A Hawaiian beach wedding can help give your ceremony a romantic and intimate atmosphere.

If you're planning a wedding and want to do something other than the traditional chapel ceremony, you might want to consider having your wedding on a beach in Hawaii. Having a Hawaiian beach wedding is an effective way to create a romantic atmosphere for your wedding ceremony. The ocean backdrop and sandy shoreline can help create a wedding ceremony you and all your guests will never forget. If you need help with ideas for your Hawaiian beach wedding, just turn to the natural landscape and Hawaiian culture as inspiration for your ceremony.

Time

The time of day you have your wedding is an important element to consider when having an outdoor ceremony. Take into consideration the weather conditions your guests will be exposed to before and during the ceremony. With a beach wedding, you'll also want to think about the time of day when there is the least amount of people present. This is why it's important to have your Hawaiian beach wedding early in the morning or in the evening to protect your guests from sitting in the hot afternoon sun and to avoid large crowds.

Attire

Think of colors seen on a beach when selecting the attire for your Hawaiian beach wedding. Ocean blue, sandy beige and coral green are ideal colors for bridesmaid dresses and accent colors for groomsmen. Think about free-flowing, thin material for clothing to help combat warm weather.

Decorations

White folding chairs draped with light colored tulle can be used for guest seating. Give each guest a seashell shaped fan ceremony program so they can have something to cool themselves with. Incorporate driftwood, starfish and tropical flower arrangements into the wedding decor to help further set the scene for a beach wedding.

Music

Use traditional island sounds for your wedding music. Walk down the aisle to the sounds of steel drums playing "Here Comes The Bride" or use a conch shell horn blower to announce the arrival of the bride.

Tags: beach wedding, Hawaiian beach, your wedding, Hawaiian beach wedding, your guests, your Hawaiian

Hawaiian Coconut Crafts

Hawaiian coconuts are useful for creating crafts around the home.

For Hawaiians, the coconut tree symbolizes life. It symbolizes life because of the various materials and food that can be made from its wood, palm branches and coconuts. The tree also symbolizes deep ancestral roots of the Polynesians that populated the islands because of the coconut tree's strength and flexibility. You can make many crafts from the Hawaiian coconut that are useful, as well as beautiful.

Coconut Preparation

For crafts using coconuts there are certain ways the coconut will need to be prepared in order to begin the project. Examine the coconut for three small holes. One of these holes will be off to the side from the other two, this is where the preparation begins. The hole that is off from the other two is where you will drain the milk from the coconut. Use a knife to remove the soft-shell covering over the hole. Once the cover is removed, gently press the knife into the coconut. If the knife doesn't go through, use a hammer and nail or drill bit to form a hole. Drain the milk from the coconut. Saw the coconut in half, length wise, and use a clamp to safely hold the coconut in place. Remove as much meat from the inside of the shell using a spoon and rinse out any remaining meat. Allow the coconut to dry before using.

Coconut Candle

After the coconut shell is cut, clean and dry, one of the projects you can make with your coconut shell is a candle. You can make coconut candles two different ways. To make the first candle, use a hot glue gun to glue the bases together, the inside of the coconuts will be facing outwards. Set the glued shells on a table top with the inside of one coconut facing upwards and the other facing the bottom of the table. Pour hot, melted wax into the inside of the top coconut shell. Add a wick and let the wax harden. For another version of a coconut candle, glue one half of the coconut shell on top of a piece of bamboo. Stick the bamboo stick in the ground and pour in hot wax and add a wick. This is now a tiki candle for outside use. Use the other half of the coconut shell to cover the candle so the wick doesn't get wet when the candle isn't being burned.

Maracas

Maracas are musical instruments that make not only an educational toy for children, but also serve as a decorative piece for your home. Add 1/2 cup of dried beans or small rocks to one of the coconut halves. Glue the other coconut half on top of the half that's filled, inside to inside. Glue a wooden dowel or piece of bamboo to one side of the shell. Add embellishments as needed and when the maraca is dry, hold the stick and give it a shake to create some musical noise.

Coconut Head

Create a summer centerpiece to display on the dinning room table in your home using coconuts. This is a project that can be done at any age because it requires no cutting. Use craft glue to glue wiggly eyes and other embellishments to make your coconut head unique. Use felt fabric to make a hat or hair for your head or use paint to add other facial features. Set on you table and enjoy.

Tags: coconut shell, candle glue, coconut half, coconut knife, coconut tree

Christmas Themed Birthday Party Ideas

Combine Christmas and a birthday for a special party.

Christmas birthdays are rough because attention is split between the birthday and the holiday. Parents who opt to celebrate a child's birthday on Christmas may even find it hard to get guests to the party, as they have family obligations. Christmas themed birthday party ideas aren't reserved just for those with a holiday birthday. The same ideas work at any time of the year. Does this Spark an idea?

Where is Donner?

Mystery parties involve party guests working together to determine what happened in a specific crime. While the idea often involves a murder, center a holiday party around the missing reindeer Donner. Explain to the party guests that Donner mysteriously disappeared, when Santa Claus took the sleigh out on a trial run before Christmas. Hide clues to the location of the missing reindeer around your house. Give the guests one clue, which leads them to the next clue and so on. When they find the last clue, they discover where Donner is hiding and what happened to him. If you're hosting a party for older kids, teens or adults, then you can work on a Santa Claus is dead story, where a Santa look-alike gets trapped in a chimney. The guests must uncover the fake Santa's real name and what happened to him.

Holiday Crafts Party

A holiday crafts party gives guests the chance to make small gifts and crafts. You won't need to buy goody bags and, in some cases, the guests use the crafts as Christmas gifts for their families. Create different stations around the party room, where guests make different crafts. They make Christmas tree ornaments, stockings, picture frames and candy cane reindeer. Carefully explain to the guests make each piece, especially if you're hosting a party for younger kids.

Traditional Birthday Party

Fill large bowls with Christmas themed candy, small toys and Christmas type gifts. Give each guest their own stocking and let them fill it with items from the bowls, for quick birthday party goody bags. Set a miniature Christmas tree on one table and decorate it with streamers, small balloons and birthday party favors. Encourage guests to leave their presents underneath the tree. Play traditional birthday party games, but give each one a Christmas twist. One idea is a relay race where teams race to dress as Santa Claus, fill a bag with gift boxes and get back to the finish line.

Tags: birthday party, Santa Claus, what happened, Christmas themed, Christmas tree

Girl Birthday Party Ideas

Girl Birthday Party Ideas

When it comes to having a girl birthday party, you should consider what the birthday girl wants. Ask her what she would like to do for her birthday and use your imagination to make it happen. You may not be able to do exactly what she wants, but you can create a variation of her request that can still make her happy. Does this Spark an idea?

Location Parties

Consider having her party at a location other than your house. If she likes animals, take her to the zoo. Many zoos also have a petting zoo where children can enjoy feeding and petting animals. You can also reserve a party area at the zoo where you can have cake and presents. Remember to make all the birthday party guests wash their hands thoroughly before they eat anything.

Donation Parties

Ask your girl if she is interested in donating to a good cause. Find out what she would like to donate and what cause she would like to help out. She can donate things such as money, food or toys. Her birthday party guests can be asked to bring presents, money or food to donate to the charity. Canned food and blankets can be donated to a homeless shelter. Bags of dog food and blankets can be donated to an animal shelter. Toys can be donated to a children's home. Donation parties can instill good character and encourage girls to help others.

Themed Parties

If your girl likes a specific cartoon, television show or movie, take advantage of it. Decorate the birthday cake with specific characters and have plates and napkins that also have characters on them. Use decorations like balloons and banners that represent the theme. To get all the guests involved, ask them to arrive dressed as a specific character. Play a video of the cartoon, show or movie during the party so everyone can watch it. Ask trivia questions pertaining to the theme during the party and give out prizes to those who answer correctly. Also, you can hand out theme-related party favors to the girls. There are hundreds of options when it comes to girl birthday party themes. Some options include: Tea Party, Princess Party, Barbie Party, Pirate Party and Carnival Party.

Tags: birthday party, would like, also have, Birthday Party, birthday party guests, Birthday Party Ideas

About Jamaican Themed Parties

Cheers to the island getaway. As summer approaches and you start craving that beachy breeze, don't fret if you can't scurry to the party-packed island of Jamaica just yet. Kick off the summer with a Jamaican-themed party. Invite your family and friends over for a day of fun filled with games, island cuisine and, of course, reggae. Does this Spark an idea?

Food: Bring on the Jerk

Food is a major part of the party. Typically, Jerk chicken, oxtails, curry chicken, plantains, rice and peas, festival bread, beef and chicken patties, and ackee and saltfish are the most popular Jamaican dishes, and tend to be the dishes that Americans like the most (see Resources for recipes).

Turn Up the Reggae

Turn up the island charm and bring on the reggae. Reggae music was first created in Jamaica in the late 1960s, and traveled to the United States, giving it mainstream popularity. Bob Marley is one of the most famous reggae artists with hits like "Buffalo Soldier," "One Love," "I Shot the Sheriff" and "Redemption Song." His albums, "Confrontation" and "Exodus," are island faves and a great way to start any Jamaican-themed party. "Time Magazine" dubbed Marley's "Exodus" album, the "greatest album of the century." Black Uhuru's "Red" album and Peter Tosh's albums "Legalize It" and "No Nuclear War" are also popular reggae albums. Dancehall music is also a crowd-pleaser at clubs in Jamaica. To throw this into your party mix, sample songs from Elephant Man, Beenie Man, Spragga Benz and Bounty Killer.

Decor

The decor of a Jamaican party should be big and bold, much like the culture of the island. Decorate with the Jamaican flag and its colors--red, yellow, green and black, as well as posters that have pictures of the island on it. Posters of Bob Marley, and faux or real coconut shells also add authenticity. Add balloons that are the colors of the flag.

Party Games

Feature party games that reflect the island's culture and the beauty of the island itself, such as fill-in-the blank games that have only Jamaican terminology or trivia games that focus on the culture and history of the island. While you're blasting reggae music, play musical chairs, or have guests form teams of two to try to guess as many names of the songs as possible and the artists that are singing them. After about 10 songs have been played, give the team with the most right answers a prize. Guests can also play a Jamaican food guessing game, in which they are blindfolded and have to guess the Jamaican dish that they are tasting. This game should be played before dinner or lunch is served, so that guests can't cheat by asking questions about the food at that time.

What to Wear

The vibe of Jamaica is laid back, so the attire required for a Jamaican party should be a reflection of that. Guests should wear casual clothing, such as jeans, T-shirts, shorts and flip-flops. Consider wearing the colors of the island's flag.

Tags: games that, Jamaican party, Jamaican party should, Jamaican-themed party, party should, that have

Birthday Boy Party Ideas

Birthday Boy Party Ideas

The best party ideas are created specifically for the birthday boy. Whatever idea you choose, you need to use matching cake, food, decorations, party games and party favors centered around that basic theme. Though it may take a little work to find items that fit your theme, creating the ideal birthday party for any child is worth the extra effort. Does this Spark an idea?

Adventure Birthday Party Ideas

Boy birthday party ideas that create an adventure theme are a smart match for energetic kids. Serve a treasure-map-decorated cake, jungle fruit punch, gummy bugs, compass cheese-topped crackers and hidden treasure pizza pockets. Use vine-patterned streamers, tablecloths, napkins and dishes to create a jungle appearance. Add rubber snakes, plastic spiders, plastic bleached bones, cardboard pirate ships, skull-shaped balloons, primitive masks and toy spears scattered around.

Set up a scavenger or treasure hunt, complete with maps, for the birthday boy and his guests. Keep everyone occupied with silly games, such as "Treasure Hunt Bingo." You can also have pirate ship races using a tub of water, plastic straws for the boys to blow with and toy boats with plastic sails to catch the wind. Use toy compasses, plastic swords and/or water guns in plastic treasure chests with gold-foil covered chocolate coins for birthday party favors.

Gruesome Birthday Party Ideas

Birthday party ideas with a gruesome theme are well-suited for boys interested in horror, vampire, wizard or general macabre-related tales. Serve cherry "blood" punch, tombstone-topped cupcakes, eyeball jawbreakers, gummy worms, finger-shaped sandwiches and eye-decorated deviled eggs. Decorate the party with plastic skulls, cardboard vampires, black streamers, black balloons, dangling paper bats, dangling spider webs and plastic spiders. Add a few clear jars filled with plastic fingers, eyeballs or bloody organs scattered around.

Play "Pin the Head on the Zombie," "Eyeball Ball Toss," "Monster Trivia" and other gruesome games to keep the birthday boy and his guests entertained. You can also fill a zombie decorated pinata with gruesome candy and let the boys have fun destroying the evil monster. Use eyeball bouncy balls, plastic vampire teeth, foam-glider bats and/or a skull-shaped erasers as party favors.

Space Birthday Party Ideas

Party ideas for a space theme can be as elaborate as your budget allows. Serve a space-shuttle-shaped cake, star-shaped cookies, orange-flavored "astronaut" drinks, flying saucer pizzas, moon cheese crackers, meteor meatballs and freeze-dried ice cream. Decorate the walls and ceiling with glittering star stickers, yellow balloons, planet-decorated balloons, asteroid-patterned balloons and sky-themed streamers. Use silver, spaceship-patterned or star-patterned tablecloths, napkins, plates and cups.

Keep guests entertained at the space-themed party with amusing games, such as "Best Moonwalk Contest," " Lunar Ring Toss," "Pin the Alien on the Flying Saucer," and "Venus Balloon Volleyball." Give away foam-glider spaceships, alien slime, flying saucer throwing discs, plastic parachute spaceships, star-shaped candy and glow-in-the-dark planet stickers as party favors.

Tags: party favors, Birthday Party Ideas, Party Ideas, with plastic, birthday guests

Flash Stick Games

Some stick flash games contail violence and profanity.

Stick figures are simple drawings of people and objects that include little--if any--artistic detail. Though the drawings themselves may lack luster, flash stick games can be quite advanced by way of graphic art and animation. If you enjoy stick figure art and online gaming, try playing free flash stick games online.

Stick Arena Ballstick

The X Gen Studios website hosts an interactive flash stick game called Stick Arena Ballstick. You can play the game for free right in your web browser and compete against other players worldwide. To create a private game, register for an account and log into to invite friends to play. In the game you use your mouse and keyboard to control a flash animated stick character. Maneuvering him around a maze-like on-screen battlefield with the arrow keys picking up weapons, the object of the game is to wound and kill other stick men---or players---until only the winner is left standing.

Unicycle Rider Stick Games

The Stick Flash Games website offers numerous flash animation and stick flash games including the Unicycle Rider Stick Game. In this game of balance you use your mouse to control an animated stick character riding a unicycle. Move your mouse from left to ride to move the wheel forward and backward balancing the rider. You can use the space to bar to make him jump to avoid the colored balls that bounce at him. The objective is to finish the course without falling off of the unicycle.

Stick War

The Stick War game---hosted by Stick Page---is an animated flash game where players become one of six different stick characters---each with different weapons---to fight a war defending an imaginary nation. An instructional outlining each character and which keys control their weapons remains on the web page just below the playing screen and the arrow keys control forward and backward movement for each one. You can build armies adding multiple stick characters, build units and plan attacks to defeat other armies and capture their nations.

New Grounds Stick Games

The New Grounds gaming website has over 50 flash stick games that are geared toward adult players. Most of the games on the site contain violence and obscene language. In the Johnny Rocketfingers fingers game you portray an ultra-cool stick figure man named Johnny, who finds himself in a number of strange and violent predicaments such as bar fights, kidnappings and sexual encounters. Each time Johnny stumbles on a obstacle use your mouse to click on multiple choice questions to control the outcome. You can also help Johnny by clicking on objects that he can use as weapons.

Tags: your mouse, flash stick games, Stick Games, stick games, animated stick

Elegant Party Decoration Ideas

Elegant Party Decoration Ideas

Hosting an elegant party requires decorations to set the mood. Avoid overly bright and and busy decor. The decorations should provide a backdrop to good food and good conversation and the event shouldn't revolve around the decor. Any party can be elegant regardless if its a dinner party, tea in the garden or a brunch. Use simple elements to bring understated beauty to your next event. Does this Spark an idea?

Colors

Choose three colors to use in your decorating scheme. A neutral such as black, white or cream and a bold color such as red, navy or green will coordinate together well. The third color will encompass your dinner ware and serving dishes--silver, gold, or transparent glass or crystal.

A black tablecloth with silver-rimmed white plates and white napkins is a striking combination. Add bright red flowers to the centerpiece vases and red napkin rings for a modern and elegant appearance.

An elegant, yet relaxed, event such as an afternoon party or lunch event uses softer colors. Creams and pastels with glass-serving bowls lighten the mood while remaining refined. Use a light-colored tablecloth with pastel napkins. Porcelain dishes and napkin rings add to the relaxed feel of the party.

Lighting

Use lighting to control the mood of your event. Bright lights make an event seem more casual than dim. Soften daytime events with sheer curtains that diffuse the light coming into the room. Outdoors, weave tulle or other sheer material through the top of a pergola.

In the evening, candles offer the most elegant lighting choice. Place votive candles along the table, spacing them on either side in front of each guest. Dim the light further with tinted glass votive holders. Floating candles can be used as a centerpiece or in conjunction with flower centerpieces on long table. Place a narrow and shallow rectangular bowl along the center of the table and fill with water. Float candles in the water and light. Set your flower arrangements on either ends of the bowl.

Themes

A theme helps pull together an entertaining plan, but avoid going overboard with it. A few key elements go much further. Stick with your color plan and use a neutral backdrop to make the few theme-specific items pop.

For an Oriental theme, dress the tables in white and black. Square plates and dishes carry the theme in an understated way. Place chopsticks in pretty paper or fabric pouches by each setting. Avoid festooning the room with bright-colored paper lanterns and Asian-style fans.

Themes that have a single simple element work well too. A butterfly theme is perfect for a spring daytime soiree. Butterfly picks in the flower arrangement and delicate butterfly napkin rings will carry the theme in an elegant way. Use a background of soft pastels or ivory to carry this theme successfully.

Tags: napkin rings, carry theme, Decoration Ideas, Elegant Party Decoration, Party Decoration

Allinclusive Vacations In California

Vacation California

Whether looking to enjoy the sand and surf, visit wine country or take a ski trip, travelers will find that California's diverse climate make it a premier vacation destination. To make traveling easier, there are numerous all-inclusive resorts throughout the state that will provide a fun-filled trip for visitors.

Cambria Pines Lodge

Whether planning a romantic getaway for two, a family trip or just looking to relax solo, Cambria travelers should keep in mind that Pines Lodge in Cambria, California offers packages for any occasion. Located on 25 acres of lush forests and gardens, this location is ideal for a rustic vacation away from the hustle and bustle of city life. The town of Cambria boasts several fine wineries and is less than 30 minutes from the beaches along the central coast. Amenities at Cambria Pines include on-site dining and day spa, free wireless internet access, in-room fireplace and an outdoor pool.

Cambria Pines Lodge

2905 Burton Drive

Cambria, CA 93428

805-927-4016

cambriapineslodge.com

Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa

If they travel 50 miles south of Los Angeles, visitors will step into the lap of luxury at Laguna Cliffs. Exclusive packages allow guests to take advantage of numerous on-site activities like beach volleyball, spa services and 18 holes of golf. Laguna Cliffs offers several specials designed to meet every need and is a perfect place to find rest and relaxation. With two restaurants and bars, bicycle rental, full-service fitness center, heated pools, hot tubs and direct ocean access, once guests check-in to Laguna Cliffs, they may find it difficult to leave.

Laguna Cliffs Resort & Spa

25135 Park Lantern

Dana Point, CA 92629

949-661-5000

lagunacliffs.com

Granlibakken Lodge

Located on 74 private acres in Lake Tahoe City, the Granlibakken Lodge offers activity packages that are second to none. The conference center is the perfect place for a work related retreat and families are sure to enjoy Snowfest in the early spring. Various rooms and suites are available and accommodate up to eight people or guests can opt for a luxurious townhome on the property. In the winter, guests should be sure to check out their affordable ski and snowplay specials, that provide lift tickets and rental credits to several area slopes.

Granlibakken Lodge & Conference Center

725 Granlibakken Road

Tahoe City, CA 96145

800-543-3221

granlibakken.com

Tags: Laguna Cliffs, Cambria Pines, Granlibakken Lodge, Pines Lodge, Cambria Pines Lodge, perfect place

Classic Luau Party Ideas

Leis are a big part of the Hawaiian luau tradition and experience.

You can throw a classic luau party for just about any occasion. A luau is a Hawaiian party that features Hawaiian food, drinks and entertainment. Luaus are common party themes because they provide a relaxing setting that make guests feel they are on vacation on a tropical island.

Backyard Luau

When sending out the invitations, recommend dress attire, which may include Hawaiian shirts, sandals, leis and raffia skirts. Decorate your backyard with lights, tiki torches and flowers, and find some traditional Hawaiian music to play in the background. Purchase a variety of single flowers for female guests to place behind the ear or in the hair. Luau parties should have a wide variety of virgin and alcoholic fruit cocktails for the guests to consume. To enhance the luau theme, pour drinks into colorful cups and long straws.

Beach Luau

The beach is the perfect location to hold a luau-themed party. With the ocean or lake in the background and sand slipping between your toes, guests will automatically feel like they're in Hawaii. While decorating the beach may not be very practical, you can set the mood with some Hawaiian music and bond fire. Have a little station where each guest can make a drink. The nice thing about having a luau at a beach is that there is plenty of room to play games. Playing volleyball, doing the limbo or having a three-legged race are all enjoyable activities that everyone can participate in.

Home Luau

Even though it may be cold outside, it doesn't mean you can't have a luau party indoors. With a little imagination and creativity, you can turn your basement or living room into a festive luau party. Even if you have limited space, it does mean you can't have activities. Guests can dance with each other, have a hula-hoop contest or make creative leis. In addition to serving drinks, having a luau in your home is ideal for creating authentic Hawaiian dishes, such as fruit platters, chicken kebab, roasted pineapple and guava cake.

Tags: having luau, Hawaiian music, luau party, mean have

Carolyn Bessette Kennedy And Fashion

Carolyn Bessette Kennedy will be remembered for her influence on style.

Carolyn Bessette Kennedy died tragically young in 1999, but her legacy as a fashion icon endures well into the 21st century. Classically beautiful with model proportions, she wore minimal clothes glamorously, and mixed-and-matched high and low fashion effortlessly. Her devotion to fashion was apparent through her work as an executive at Calvin Klein, her relationships with designers such as Narciso Rodriguez, and her commitment to a simple yet striking aesthetic. She epitomized '90s American style, and is continually referenced today as one of the few examples of timeless chic.

Calvin Klein

Carolyn Bessette Kennedy began her career in fashion as a saleswoman at a Calvin Klein boutique. She quickly worked her way up to director of public relations, and later to director of show production, at Calvin Klein, according to a 1996 profile in "The New York Times." In the article, former colleagues remembered her as the consummate stylist and brand representative, with a knack for pulling together original looks for important clients as well as herself.

Narciso Rodriguez

Bessette tapped her friend and former Calvin Klein designer Narciso Rodriguez to create the dress for her wedding when she married John F. Kennedy Jr. in 1996; the simple, bias-cut column dress became a sensation after she was photographed in it. Upon Bessette Kennedy's death in 1999, Rodriguez publicly cited her as his soul mate and muse, according to Voguepedia.

Neutral and Minimal

Carolyn Bessette Kennedy was often pictured in neutral colors such as black, white and camel. She wore little in the way of accessories, save for the occasional red lip or pearl stud earrings and her signature highlighted blond hair. She stuck to classic fabrics and cuts -- jeans, leather jackets, wool coats, men's cotton shirts and little black dresses. Her ability to make simple styles look glamorous was part of her widespread appeal, as well as her timelessness.

Avant-Garde

When Carolyn Bessette Kennedy did dress up, she favored the striking and the avant-garde, even while sticking to her commitment to simplicity. According to a 1999 tribute to her in "The Baltimore Sun," Tom Ford, then a designer for Gucci, was quoted as saying "[Bessette Kennedy] chooses simple, severe looks that not everybody would wear." These looks include, according to the CBK blog, the Gaultier pantsuit she wore to the 1999 White House correspondent's dinner, and the ruffled Yojhi Yamamoto jacket and pants that she wore to the 1999 Newman's Own/George awards gala -- both slightly masculine and severe for women's evening wear, yet simple, sexy and modern.

Tags: Bessette Kennedy, Carolyn Bessette, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, Calvin Klein, Narciso Rodriguez

Bakery Ideas For Clown Cake Decorating

Prepare clown cakes for customer's circus-themed events.

Professional cake decorators working in a bakery can make a multitude of intricate cakes for a customer's birthday celebration or other special event. Try a few different ideas and take pictures of the finished product. Have the pictures of your favorites augmented on photo paper and display them in the bakery for customers to see. Does this Spark an idea?

Multi-Tier Circus

Make a three-tier circus cake topped with a fondant or plastic clown figurine. Make a large square for the bottom tier topped with two round tiers. Cover the bottom tier in a smooth layer of butter cream icing. Decorate the bottom edge with gumballs and cover the cake with fondant star cutouts. Cover the second tier with a different color butter cream icing, apply a row of gumballs around the bottom edge and decorate it with diamond, circle or triangle fondant cutouts. Cover the top tier with another layer of butter cream icing in a different color, make a row of gumballs and add fondant stripes to the sides. Form a circus tent top from triangles of fondant and place it on top of the cake. Place a plastic or fondant clown figurine on top of the tent.

Three-Dimensional Clown

Make a three-dimensional cake in the image of a clown. Prepare three sponge cake batters and bake the batter in rectangular cake pans and one 8-inch round cake pan. When the cakes have cooled, cut off a small side of the round cake. Apply a thick layer of icing to the flat side of the round cake and press the icing firmly onto a cake tray to stand the cake upright. From the rectangular cakes, cut two small rectangles for the legs, two rectangles for the arms and a circle for the face. Insert a wooden dowel into each piece and attach the pieces to the round cake. Use colorful icing and a pastry bag with a star icing tip to decorate the clown's body. Use a smooth butter cream icing to cover the face. Make the hands, feet and facial features from fondant and attach the pieces to the clown.

Three-Layer Cake with Icing Clowns

Make a simple three-layer cake and top the cake with piped clown bodies with fondant faces. Cover the three-layer cake with a bright colored butter cream icing and add candies, gumdrops, gumballs or candy-coated chocolates to decorate the sides of the cake. Use butter cream icing and a pastry bag with a large star icing tip to pipe the bodies of four or five clowns onto the top of the cakes. While the cake firms, make fondant balls and decorate them with edible paint to make the faces. Top each head with a fondant clown hat. Insert a toothpick into the bottom of each head and insert the toothpick into the piped clown body on the cake.

Clowns on a Carousel

Make a multi-tier carousel cake that really turns. Prepare a three-layer round sponge cake and cover the cake in a layer of butter cream icing. Decorate the cake with icing ribbons and gumballs or other candies. Cover a cake-decorating turntable with the same icing as the cake. Place another round sponge cake on top of the turntable and decorate it to make a carousel top. Prepare a batch of sugar cookies and cut out horse shapes using cookie cutters. Insert a wooden skewer into the top of each horse and bake. Decorate the cookies once they cool with royal icing. Insert the tops of the wooden skewers into the underside of the carousel top. Make clown figures from fondant and arrange them on top of the horse cookies. Gently push on a wooden skewer to see the horses turn.

Tags: butter cream, butter cream icing, cream icing, cake with, round cake, with fondant

Hawaiian Color & Cut Children'S Activities

Kids can easily create Hawaiian color and cut crafts at home or in school.

Bring the tropics closer to home with simple Hawaiian crafts for kids. Children of all ages will enjoy activities that allow them to color, cut and paste. With inexpensive materials such as crayons, paper, scissors and glue and a little help from adults, children can use their imagination in creating their own Hawaiian crafts. Whether it's to learn about Hawaii, for a children's luau party or just for plain fun, children will surely enjoy creating crafts.

Hawaii Lei

A lei is not just something that your children can look at but something they can wear when they're done. Your child can draw floral shapes on different-colored construction paper, cut them out and punch a hole in the center of each flower. For an added touch, kids can use crayons and markers to add more color to the flowers or use a glitter stick to add sparkle to the lei.

Cut straws into about 2-inch pieces until you have 12 or more pieces. Alternate stringing the straw and flowers through a 24-inch yarn. When finished, the lei can be ties around the neck and worn proudly.

Coconut Tree

Hawaii is full of coconut trees and kids can create their very own with this simple cut and color craft. You can print out coconut tree templates form websites such as dltk-kids.com or draw your own set of branches, coconuts and tree trunk. Kids can cut out each branch and coconut and tree trunk and color each piece using crayons, markers or paint.

Piece together the tree by gluing the pieces on a piece of paper. For the finishing touch, kids can draw an ocean scene as the backdrop. Other things to color and cut are a hibiscus flower, pineapple or a volcano.

Tiki Bookmark

To begin creating a tiki bookmark, kids should start by drawing a 3-inch by 6-inch rectangle on a brown paper bag. They can then cut it out and and glue it onto a piece of cardboard the same size. Kids can research on the different designs of Hawaiian tikis, totems and masks and draw their own designs on the piece of paper that they cut using crayons and markers. Punch a hole in the center at the top of the bookmark and string yarn or rafia through the hole. You can also add fringe to the bottom of the bookmark using yarn or rafia.

Tags: crayons markers, coconut tree, Hawaiian crafts, hole center, piece paper

5 Steps To Throw A Birthday Party

Celebrating a birthday doesn't have to cause a lot of stress.

There are a lot of details involved in hosting a birthday party. If you follow a plan, however, it will ensure that everything be done and nothing get overlooked. While the task may still seem a bit overwhelming, it might surprise you to learn that you can actually throw a fabulous birthday party using just five simple steps. Does this Spark an idea?

Make a Guest List

Make a list of people to invite, and consider where you want to hold the party, as this may determine the number of guests. If you hold the birthday party outdoors, plan for a secondary location to use in case it rains. Ensure ahead of time that the secondary location can accommodate all the guests.

Choose a Theme

Choose a theme for the birthday party. Unless you are planning a surprise party, ask the birthday boy what type of birthday party he would like. While younger children may like cowboys and Indians or fairy princesses, teens may prefer a movie or sports theme. If the birthday person is an adult, consider themes based on a favorite hobby or some other type of interest that he likes.

Send the Invitations

Purchase invitations that match the birthday party theme. Many party stores now offer a large selection of invitations for birthday parties in a variety of themes. Mail the invitations three weeks before the date of the party. This not only allows the invitee to save the date, but also gives you enough time to receive a reply.

Plan the Decorations

Create a list of the decorations you need for the birthday party. Even if you have a certain theme in mind, you may still want to incorporate balloons or a "Happy Birthday" banner for the birthday person. Plan to decorate at least three days before the party. This gives you enough time to see if you have everything and also helps keep you from rushing.

Create the Menu

Coordinate your menu to match the theme of the party. Although you may purchase nonperishable items prior to the week of the party, plan to purchase grocery items at least three or four days before the big event, and keep the cake fresh by picking it up the night before. If the birthday party is for adults, remember to stock the bar with bottles of red and white wine, as well as beer. This will provide guests with a beverage selection without breaking the bank or your budget.

Tags: birthday party, birthday party, birthday person, days before, enough time, gives enough

Escambia County Florida Campgrounds

Choose a campground that meets all your needs.

With four beaches, 19 lakes, 17 bays and 75 streams, there's a lot of fun to be had camping in Escambia County. Located west of Florida, the county is made up of 73 cities, towns and populated areas that have many attractions for campers. Whether you want to go tent camping, RV camping, cabin camping, camping in wooded areas or near lakes and streams, Escambia County has many campgrounds to choose from.

Big Lagoon State Park Campground

Big Lagoon State Park is located 10 miles southwest of Pensacola in Escambia County, Florida and is open all year round. The 655 acre park opened in 1978 and offers 75 tent, RV and group campsites that come with water, electricity, restrooms, fire rings, picnic tables and a dump station. The shallow waters of Big Lagoon bordering the campground allow campers to enjoy fishing, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, crabbing and boating. Other activities campers can engage in include hiking on the nature trails, picnicking at the West Beach picnic area and bird watching. The campground also has a 300 seat amphitheater that can be rented for weddings and concerts. Leashed pets are allowed in the park. Nearby attractions include the Pensacola Museum of Art, shopping downtown Pensacola, Fast Eddies Fun Center and Gulf Breeze Zoo.

Big Lagoon State Park

12301 Gulf Beach Highway

Pensacola, Florida 32507

850-492-1595

floridastateparks.org

Lake Stone Campground

This 100 acre campground is located in northern Escambia County near a fresh water lake. The campground has 77 campsites that can accommodate RV campers and tent campers. Electrical and water hookups are available as is a sewage dump station. Other facilities at the campground include a playground, restrooms, showers, a fishing pier, campground store and picnic areas. Activities include boating, fishing and picnicking. Maximum stays up to 14 days are allowed and leashed pets can accompany their owners.

Lake Stone Campground

801 W. Highway 4

Century, Florida 32535

850-256-5555

myescambia.com

Tall Oaks RV Park Campground

Tall Oaks campground is located nearby shopping and dining facilities, golf courses, Pensacola Beach, the Five Flag Auto Racing Speedway and Pensacola Naval Air Museum. The tree-lined, family-oriented campground allows year-round RV camping and provides full hookups, Wi-Fi Internet and cable television access and telephone hookups. There is a park, bath house and laundry facility on the premises and leashed pets, 10 pounds and under are welcome. In order to camp at the RV campground, your RV will have to be in good condition and from the year 2000 or newer. Unsightly vehicles are not permitted. Daily, weekly and monthly rates are available.

Tall Oak's RV Park

9301 Pine Forest Road

Pensacola, FL 32534-9386

850-479-3212

talloaksrvpark.com

Tags: Escambia County, Lagoon State, Lagoon State Park, State Park, campground located, camping camping, campsites that

Creative Adult Birthday Party Ideas

Arrange an evening of games of chance for the next birthday party.

Birthday parties were not just made for children, they can be fun for adults as well. Plan a simple or elaborate birthday event around a theme that exemplifies the personality or interests of the guest of honor and consider the conventions of the guest list when planning activities. Does this Spark an idea?

Arabian Nights Party

Host an Arabian nights themed party with rich-colored decorations and authentic Middle Eastern foods. Hold the event in a large party tent and drape the walls of the tent with silk fabrics in red, orange, purple and gold. Place Persian-type rugs on the floor and use large cushions for seating. Have Arabian music playing in the background. Arrange for belly dancers to perform throughout dinner and then provide lessons to interested guests. For party favors, provide guests with bottles of scented oils or tulle-wrapped scented candles.

Casino Night Party

Host a casino night party at a hall or banquet center. Set up a variety of game tables using felt tablecloths for blackjack, poker or roulette. Rent some slot machines for the evening as well. Decorate the venue with large or light up dice, casino banners and poster-size playing cards. Provide each guest with a predetermined amount of play money for the evening and award the top winners with a real prize, such as a gift card, a bottle of wine or a spa gift basket. Serve a buffet of foods, such as egg rolls, quesadillas, Swedish meatballs and small sandwich wedges. For dessert, put out trays of petits fours, truffles and clairs.

Luau Party

Host an outdoor luau party during warm months of the year or bring the luau indoors for a little bit of warmth amidst the cold of winter. Decorate the venue with real or imitation tiki torches and hang twinkling clear or colored lights from the ceiling or veranda. Decorate each party table with colorful leis and vases of real or silk Hawaiian flowers. Have tropical music playing in the background throughout the event. For a limber crowd, plan a limbo contest or two and arrange for a hula instructor to teach guests a little bit about the dance. Serve a barbecue lunch and have fresh tropical fruits available on platters. Add some tropical drinks, such as piña coladas and mai tais.

Murder Mystery Party

Host an evening of murder and mystery for the next adult birthday party. Design a script for the event or order a pre-planned script with instructions on organize the evening. Send out a short note about the party with invitations, along with a description of the guest's character for the night and encourage each guest to come in costume. Organize the party venue to coordinate with the script and when all guests have arrived, explain the purpose of the game and begin with a narration of the murder mystery scenario. Have the guests act out the scene until the mystery has been solved and provide the winning detective with a prize, such as a new murder-mystery novel. Have guests vote for the guest in best costume and award a token prize, such as a costume mask.

Tags: Party Host, prize such, birthday party, Decorate venue, Decorate venue with, each guest

Escorted Fall Foliage Tours

Explore the scenic beauty of autumn on a fall foliage tour.

A fall foliage tour is a truly relaxing vacation experience. Escorted tours take the hassle out of traveling. Your guide knows just where to go to see the best displays of those red, gold and orange colors and she'll take care of your accommodations and even some of your meals. Though the New England region is perhaps most famous for autumn colors, the southwestern and western U.S. also offer scenic beauty. Several tour operators offer escorted motorcoach, train and boat tours with a focus on fall colors. Does this Spark an idea?

Escorted Trafalgar Tours

Escorted Trafalgar Tours offers an escorted, eight-day Autumn Colors tour. Travel is in an air-conditioned motor coach with an on-board restroom. The tour includes accommodations in first-class hotels, tips and gratuities, 11 meals, airport transfers and the services of a professional tour director. Tours run from mid-September until mid-October. Begin the tour in Boston, then drive up the coast to Maine. Explore Bar Harbor and Acacia National Park before driving through New Hampshire's White Mountains with their colorful forests. Tours of rural Vermont, upstate New York and Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, round out the tour.

Escorted Trafalgar Tours

Atlas Cruises & Tours

9091 North Military Trail

Suite 14

Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410

800-942-3301

escortedtrafalgartours.com

Mayflower Tours

Mayflower Tours offers five escorted autumn foliage tours throughout the U.S. Tours range from five to eight days and include some meals, accommodations in four-star hotels, admission fees, transportation and round-trip airport transfers. A professional tour manager travels with the tour group. Ride in air-conditioned motor coaches, trains and boats.

Tour options include New England and Cape Cod and foliage-viewing in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Rhode Island by motor coach. New England Rails and Sails includes scenic rides on trains, ferries and sailboats. Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta tours New Mexico's forested canyons. Trains Across Colorado combines scenic rides on four trains across the state. Yosemite, Lake Tahoe and San Francisco includes a variety of urban and wilderness area tours. Autumn foliage tours operate from mid-September through mid-October.

Mayflower Tours

1225 Warren Ave.

Downers Grove, IL 60515

800-323-7604

mayflowertours.com

Globus Journeys

Globus Journeys offers two "America's Historic East" escorted motor coach tours that include fall foliage viewing. The tour begins in Washington D.C. and travels north through Maryland and West Virginia to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, stopping at historical attractions such as Mount Vernon, Colonial Williamsburg, Valley Forge, the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.

Fall foliage departures run from mid-September through mid-October and show off the colors at the gardens and grounds of attractions such as Thomas Jefferson's estate at Monticello, the historic park at Valley Forge and Shenandoah National Park. You can choose the eight-day trip or an added two days in Washington D.C. Tours are fully-escorted and include all breakfasts, four dinners, nightly accommodation at deluxe or first-class hotels, transportation and admission fees.

Globus Journeys

5301 South Federal Circle

Littleton, CO 80123

866-755-8581.

globusjourneys.com

Tags: Escorted Trafalgar, Escorted Trafalgar Tours, from mid-September, Globus Journeys, Mayflower Tours, motor coach

Free Party Games For Adults

Adults love playing games indoors and outdoors.

Adults have loads of fun at parties in which they play games together. It's all good, clean fun. Party games get the adults up off of their seats, interacting with each other, laughing and having a good time. It is not expensive to organize fun party games at adult parties. Dinner parties, baby showers, bridal showers, or any party for adults is more fun and brings out the inner child in everyone when games are included. Does this Spark an idea?

Apple

Fun-loving adults who wish to play games at dinner parties will enjoy "Apple." This game works best with couples. Tell your guests you are having a dance contest. Give each couple an apple to hold between their foreheads while dancing. Start with slow music, and gradually play faster and faster tunes for the couples to dance to. Continue to play varying beats of music, slow, fast, medium, fast, slow... The last couple with the apple held firmly between their foreheads wins.

Truth or Lie?

Truth or Lie is a great party game for adults. It can be used as an ice-breaker for groups in which some people have just met, but is also grand fun for groups of old friends. When people know each other well, they tend to get more clever, creative, and funny with their lies.

This game is easily played while sitting in a circle. Each person tells three things about himself, two truths and one lie. The others write down which one they think was the lie. After everyone has had a turn, players go down the list comparing what they thought were lies. Of course, the person who detected the most lies wins.

Oh Baby!

People love to play games at baby showers. It is not necessary to purchase party game supplies for a baby shower, and free games are sometimes more fun than store-bought games. At your next baby shower, give every guest one clothespin to attach to her clothing. Tell the guests that they must not say the word "baby." Every time one guest catches another using the word "baby," she gets to take the clothespin. At the end of the baby shower, the guest with the most clothespins wins.

Tags: baby shower, play games, baby showers, between their, between their foreheads, each other, party game

Christmas Finger Food Ideas

Christmas Finger Food Ideas

Finger foods are perfect when you're hosting a casual holiday get together, attending a Christmas potluck or when you just wish to spread some holiday cheer among your family, friends and co-workers. They are easy for people to handle when they just want a nibble and usually won't even require you lug along plates or silverware for everyone. Christmas food should look as good as it tastes if you want it to be festive for the occasion. Versatile recipes make preparation easier and the spread more enticing. Does this Spark an idea?

Devilled Eggs

Eggs are a great choice because most people eat them, they are inexpensive, easy to prepare and can make quite a cheerful display. The white cup with the yellow filling is nice and bright, but try dressing it up even further for the holidays. Sprinkle half with chopped fresh green herbs over them to finish them off and the other half by sprinkling something red over it, such as finely diced red peppers, paprika or pimentos. Lay them out on a bed of leafy greens placed on a silver tray for an attractive presentation.

Finger Sandwiches

Finger sandwiches are always a hit, and you can make a variety of types without much trouble. Some people might prefer sandwiches consisting of cheeses, lunch meats or chicken salad, while others might appreciate vegetarian options such as spicy black bean hummus, cucumber or flavored cream cheese with strawberry jam. Use different breads, such as white, rye, pumpernickel and wheat, for a lovely array. Instead of cutting your finger sandwiches into boring squares or triangles, make them festive by using holiday cookie cutters to cut out sandwich shapes into stars, bells or holly leaves. Toast them or grill them before serving to add warmth and texture.

Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

They make the perfect bite-sized vehicle for a savory stuffing, since sweet cherry tomatoes go with so many different flavors. The fact that they are bright and red for a great Christmas presentation is a huge bonus. Think of things you might normally serve sliced or wedged tomatoes with, and come up with a variation of them to stuff the tomatoes. Try stuffing them with crumbled bacon and diced lettuce for a mini BLT; with mozzarella cheese and pizza spices; with chopped lunch meats mixed with a ranch dressing; or with tuna and diced onions. The only thing to remember when stuffing cherry tomatoes is to slice a very thin slice off of the bottom of the tomato with a sharp knife so it will sit upon a sturdy base and not roll around on your tray.

Vegetable Trays with Dips

Since so many people overindulge during the holiday season in heavy, rich, fattening foods, vegetable platters are often a welcome sight for more health-conscious individuals or those who are beginning to worry about the added holiday pounds. Raw vegetables are easy to handle and make a colorful display on a platter. Cut bell peppers, zucchinis, carrots, cucumbers and celery into 3- or 4-inch sticks. Add some broccoli or cauliflower florettes and cherry tomatoes. Provide an assortment of dips, such as cream cheese, onion dip and ranch for a bit of extra flavoring.

Desserts

Finger foods are not just for appetizers or potlucks. Bite-sized desserts served as finger foods make it easier for your guests to enjoy a variety of sweets. Instead of baking your cheesecake, cake batter or fruit tarts in a large pan, make them in smaller portions in mini-muffin tins. Cut your brownies into bite-sized pieces instead of large squares. Opt for smaller cookie cutters when making your sugar cookies. Pipe puddings into miniature chocolate mold cups so they can be popped right into the mouth.

Tags: cherry tomatoes, Christmas Finger, Christmas Finger Food, cookie cutters, cream cheese

Fun Bridal Shower Invitation Wording

Wording the bridal shower invitation

A great bridal shower begins with a fun bridal shower invitation. As the first indicator of the shower's date, the invitation should set the tone for the fun fete to come. Send guests an invitation to remember by getting creative with the wording on the shower invitation.

Rhyme Time

Creating a personalized poem for the bride-to-be can be a fun and easy way to give your invitation some pizzazz. One example could include:

The time has come to celebrate,

Lauren's soon-to-be wedded mate,

A few gifts, laughs and food,

We'll all set the mood,

So don't forget the date!

Rhyming invitation wording is great for theme showers, which can inform the content and style of the poem. Don't forget to add the day, date, time and address to the bottom of the invitation.

By the Letter

Another way to make your invitation fun is to spell out the bride-to-be's name on the side of the invitation and making each letter a part of the invite. For example, Karen can turn into.

It's time to stock the Kitchen

With Aprons, pots, and pans

Join us at our Residence

To celebrating the Engagement

of our Newly engaged friend

Another option is to assign guests to bring a gift that corresponds to a letter of the bride-to-be's name.

Potent Quotables

Whether it's a bride's favorite quote, fun song lyric or a quote from a movie, start the invitation off with a quotation to set the mood. You can find quotes by searching such topics as "Romantic Quotes," "Famous Movie Quotes" or "Wedding Quotes" online. Bookstores with books of poems or advice may also be a good resource for finding the perfect quote for your invitation. A few examples might be:

"Well, my friends, the time has come

To raise the roof and have some fun

We're going to party

Karamu, fiesta, forever

Come on and sing along!" - Lionel Ritchie, All Night Long

"We can make this thing into a party, instead of a memory." - Will Rogers

"This kind of certainty comes but once in a lifetime." - The Bridges of Madison County

"I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." - When Harry Met Sally

Read Before Sending

Once you have chosen the wording for your invitation, be sure to have someone else read over the invitation to make sure there are no errors. Ask yourself if the invitation's wording clearly sends the message about the tone of the shower and gives guests enough information to easily RSVP and find the shower's location.

Tags: your invitation, bridal shower, shower invitation, bridal shower invitation, bride-to-be name, forget date

Gag Ideas For A 40th Birthday

Traditions for a 40th birthday differ from those of regular birthdays. Though gifts are still given, it is common for people to give gag gifts poking fun at the person celebrating the birthday. A major theme of the 40th birthday is that the person is now "Over the Hill," so most decorations and gifts imply that it's all downhill from here. Most gags for a 40th birthday involve common items associated with old age. Does this Spark an idea?

Decorations

Most decorations you'll find for a 40th birthday party are black. You can buy black balloons that say, "Over the Hill" on them in white letters. You can also buy black banners, wall hangings and streamers. Alluding to the fact that the 40th birthday is close to death, many people will buy Styrofoam tombstones and display them in the front yard for others to see, or place them around the room or hall if you're throwing a party.

Attire

Dressing up the birthday girl or boy is one of the best gags for a 40th birthday. There are 40th birthday variations on the traditional birthday hats, which are black and say, "Over the Hill" on them. You can also buy "Over the Hill" t-shirts; a common style is black with the text "You know You're Over the Hill When..." and has a list of age related jokes. They also sell black hats that say, "Over the Hill," as well as sashes, buttons, and pins.

Gifts

There are a variety of gag gifts you can buy a person for their 40th birthday. For instance, Spencer's Gifts sells an inflatable walker, and an "Over the Hill" cane with a horn and "Slow Moving Vehicle" traffic sign attached. You can also buy fake bottles of Viagara with candy inside. OvertheHillGifts.com also sells 40th birthday gag gift baskets, blankets, coffee mugs, books, and much more. These items are sold online. Another clever gag idea for a 40th birthday is to create a custom made "newspaper." At TrixiePixGraphics.com, you can order fake newspapers with a pre-written headline such as, "Cake Fire Claims Local Home," and an accompanying article with the 40-year-old's name and personal details. You can also write your own headline and article. You can order several copies and place it at the birthday girl or boy's house, office, and gym.

Cake

Over the years, cake making has become an art. Thanks to this new creative outlet, you can have a cake designed in any shape, for any occasion. There are many amusing ideas for "Over the Hill" cakes, from cakes that you can make yourself, to ones made in cake shops with elaborate details and designs. One common theme for a cake is a tombstone or graveyard shaped cake. Another design is taking the phrase "Over the Hill" literally with a cake that looks like a hill, or a cake that is designed like a hilly roller coaster. When it comes to a 40th birthday cakes, the sky is the limit.

Tags: Over Hill, 40th birthday, 40th birthday, birthday girl, cake that, gags 40th

Best Things To Do In Hawaii

Best Things to Do in Hawaii

Planning a vacation in the Hawaiian Islands conjures up an array of seductive images. A popular one is the luau, where participants, wearing flower leis and clad in Hawaiian fabric shirts and muumuus, feast on kaluah pig, poi, pineapple and rice while local musicians strum on ukuleles and pretty girls dance the hula. Traditional Hawaiian vacations include visits to volcanoes, sight seeing and soaking up the sun on sandy beaches. The 50th state also offers an array of activities to those visitors who wish to engage in the Hawaiian experience.

Instructions

1. Explore the Hawaiian Islands by engaging in a unique sight-seeing experience. Visitors to Hawaii can choose from helicopter, airplane, off-road, ATV, and bike tours, along with traditional tour buses to see what Hawaii has to offer.

2. Discover the sights beneath the ocean by engaging in a submarine or glass bottom boat ride. For those who want to get closer to the sights, there is snorkeling and scuba diving. Depending on your level of expertise, companies offer lessons and equipment rentals.

3. Get physical and try ocean rafting, sailing, jet skiing, or rent a kayak to explore coves or take a parasailing ride and get a fresh perspective on the surroundings. For those who seek a greater adrenaline rush there are zipline rides, where you Tarzan through the jungles, soaring like a bird over streams and tropical foliage.

4. Go inland and discover the islands on horseback. A thrifty and equally satisfying experience is to explore the hiking trails on foot.

5. Meet the local ocean celebrities by participating in a dolphin, shark or ray encounter. If the idea of climbing into a shark cage and being surrounded by sharks is a bit too intimidating, perhaps a dolphin encounter would be more your preference.

6. Venture to the sea for sports fishing, a traditional Hawaiian activity. There are many charter trips available.

7. Enjoy the local entertainment. There are a wide range of entertainment opportunities, from the traditional luau, to sunset dinner cruises, musical and dance shows, Kupanaha Maui Magic Show, Maui Theatre, Cirque Hawaii and much more.

Tags: Best Things, Best Things Hawaii, Hawaiian Islands, Things Hawaii

All Inclusive Wedding Destination Packages

Having an all-inclusive destination wedding makes the planning easier.

Weddings can be stressful and time consuming. If you want a wedding in a nice location without having to deal with all the minute details, a destination wedding may be right for you. With a destination wedding, especially at a resort, all the details are taken care of for you in an all inclusive package. All inclusive packages typically include accommodation at the resort, full wedding services depending upon your budget, and a wedding venue.

Grand Velas All-Inclusive Wedding Packages

The Grand Velas in Riviera Nayarit, Mexico is a luxury resort and spa with 267 suites. The resort offers two all-inclusive wedding packages for their guests. The smaller Deluxe wedding package is for two to 10 guests and includes the minister, bouquet and boutonniere, one hour of photography, an hour of music, a wedding cake and a bottle of wine. Newlyweds also get breakfast in bed the next morning. For more guests, the Half Moon package is for up to 25 guests, and includes hors d'oeuvres, a bigger cake and music for two hours. As of 2010, the price is $1,800 for the Deluxe package and $3,500 for the Half Moon package. A catered sit down meal is extra. The Grand Vallarta wedding coordinator can help you plan the menu, live music, and floral arrangements.

Breezes Grand Resort & Spa Negril

Breezes has a wide array of all-inclusive resorts throughout the Caribbean, Central America and South America. The Grand Resort and Spa in Negril, Jamaica is their flagship resort with 210 suites to choose from. All Breezes resorts offer three levels of all-inclusive wedding packages. The basic dream wedding package is free and includes an officiant, a wedding cake, bouquet and boutonniere, music, just married t-shirts and a framed photo. The Sweet Dream package, at $799 in 2010, includes a private candlelit dinner, rose petal turn down service, breakfast in bed, a free tour or excursion, and a private cocktail party. The Sunset Dreams Package, at $1,299, adds on his and her robes, keepsake knife and cake server, Moet champagne and fresh flower centerpieces at the cocktail party. All packages require a minimum six-night stay at the resort.

The Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman

The Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman is a top-of-the-line luxury hotel in the Cayman Islands. The hotel features its own private beach, 365 guest rooms, two pools and five upscale restaurants. Grand Cayman offers five different all-inclusive wedding packages. If you book the hotel's Reconnect Package, you can have a complimentary wedding which includes an officiant, location decor, bouquet and boutonniere and a three-night anniversary stay. The Two If By Sea Package, which is $5,700, is a beach wedding that includes a decorated cabana and one night stay and a necklace from Tiffany's. The most expensive wedding package, at $15,000, is the Caribbean Sunset Package which includes a wedding planner, photography and videography for two hours, BMW transfer to and from the airport, three nights in an oceanfront room, manicure and pedicure for the bride, a private beachfront dinner and wedding singers. Catering is extra.

Tags: all-inclusive wedding, all-inclusive wedding packages, bouquet boutonniere, destination wedding, Grand Cayman, wedding package, cocktail party

Banquet Gifts

Banquet Gifts

Depending on your budget, the right gift ideas for a banquet can pose a unique challenge to planning your event. After all, you want your guests to have a little memento to remember the occasion. From small items to extravagant, you will have to decide what kind of keepsake and memory you'll want to give your guests. Whether it's practical or silly, your gift might be the only thing they remember years from now. Does this Spark an idea?

Gift Bags

If you're not so concerned about a lasting impression, gift bags are a wonderful option. Depending on your group, you can stuff a lot of different things into one of these little bags. From special soaps to chocolate, you'll want to think about what idea encapsulates your organization's message or goals. If you're planning a themed banquet, your gifts may focus on this central idea.

Door Prizes and Raffles

A great way to distribute those gifts is by having a door prize for everyone or a raffle competition. With the raffle, you can add in a few extra larger prizes, like a coupon for a one-hour massage or spa treatment. Slightly smaller gifts can include coupons for free pizzas, movie tickets and gift certificates for a nice restaurant. The smallest gifts can range from silly slogan T-shirts to scented candles.

Competition for Gifts

Everyone loves a good competition and you'll get your guests active by having them participate in a fun game that offers a reward for winning. A quick, easy way to break up teams is by tables. Any group game like charades or trivia-based games work great for this occasion.

Table Gifts

Besides the mouth-watering spread of food you may be preparing, a little table gift can be a nice little touch. It can be a small chocolate on everyone's dessert plate or an airplane-sized mini-bottle of liqueur for the after-dinner coffee. A nicely ornamented keepsake banquet program also adds a bit of class to the evening. Small little personalized gifts, like customized pins or pictures, also work great.

Awards and Recognition

Simple awards and recognition work great to round out a banquet. These can be serious like "Most Valuable Player" award or silly like "Person Least Likely to…" Offering gifts for their achievements or embarrassments is an excellent way to end the evening on a high note.

Tags: work great, your guests, Banquet Gifts, Depending your

Fun Quarter Games

Use quarters to play a variety of games.

A quarter is a United States coin worth 25 cents. Use quarters to play a variety of games at home or with friends of all ages. Quarter games are perfect for carnivals and birthday parties, too. At the end, you can award the "perfect" prize: a piggy bank to hold all of those quarters.

Quarter Coin Toss

For a coin toss game, line up six pails in a straight line and mark a standing line 6 feet from the first pail. Give each player six quarters to try to toss into the pails. For a carnival style game, write "S," "M" and "L" on the last three pails. The players must make a quarter in the first three pails to try for a prize. If they make it into the "S," they win a small prize. The "M" is for a medium prize and "L" stands for large prize. For small children, award a small prize to each player who makes a quarter in any pail.

Tic-Tac-Toe with Quarters

Cut out small X's and O's with construction paper. Tape the letters to both sides of quarters. Make five quarters of each letter. Create a tic-tac-toe grid on a table with masking tape. Players must stand 5 feet from the table and try to toss the quarters into the tic-tac-toe squares. The first player to make a tic-tac-toe wins the game. For another idea, you can tape the grid on the ground and have players toss the quarters on the ground.

Quarter and Plate Toss

Make a square grid with vegetable or soda cans (five horizontally and five diagonally) on a table. Place a real plate on top of each can and mark a standing line 6 feet away. Give each player three quarters to try to toss on the plate. If one out of three of the quarters lands and stays on the plate, that player wins a prize. If playing the game for fun, give each player 10 quarters to see how many he can get to stay on the plates.

Quarter Hand Squeeze

Play this game with several players. Divide the players into two teams of equal numbers. The teams should line up beside one another, with each team facing each other 3 feet apart. You stand at the front of the line holding a quarter. Place a chair at the end of the line with a ball in it. Have the players of each team hold hands and have them all close their eyes except for the first player in each line. Flip a quarter in the air in front of the first two players in line. If the quarter lands on tails, they do nothing. If it lands on heads, they must squeeze their teammate's hand. Each teammate must pass the squeeze down the line. When the last player in line feels the squeeze, he can open his eyes and grab the ball. The team who grabs the ball first earns a point. The first team to earn five points wins the game.

Tags: each player, each player quarters, each team, feet from, first player, Give each

Elements Of A Work Plan

A work plan is an important tool in business management.

A work plan is essentially a proposal that presents problems in a work environment and the ways you intend to resolve them. The main text of this standard management tool is known as the argument, for its purpose is to present the problem along with logical, active steps to resolve it. According to author, editor and trainer Phil Bartle, the best time to start writing a work plan is several days after a periodical review.

Introduction/Background Info

The introduction provides your audience with knowledge of the nature of the problem that your work plan is intended to solve. Avoid long narratives on the history of the problem. Instead, focus only on the period your plan covers.

The background section, however, can be longer. It should contain a review of information you have acquired from previous quarters, or six-month periods, including recommendations. Also include any pertinent changes that have affected the project that is the focus of the work plan, or that could do so in the future and lead to a project design change.

Goals and Objectives

The "Goals and Objectives" section focuses on the solutions to the problems the work plan is designed to solve. Goals are broad targets, while objectives are the precise steps the company is to take to reach those goals. Objectives often have time limits on them, but take care that those are not inflexible. However, if you find it necessary to change the deadline for any reason, you should justify the alteration. The Hands On Network suggests using these objectives to create a rubric for employee job descriptions and performance evaluations.

Resources

The "Resources" heading provides you with an opportunity to indicate the factors that will or could contribute to the work plan's success. Talk about partners, employees, volunteers, supplies or land, or any other pertinent resources, either cash or non-cash.

Constraints

The "Constraints" section includes any obstacles you must overcome to reach your objective. These can be difficulties such as staff or volunteer shortages, under-performing employees, or lack of appropriate funds for the project.

Strategies

This section includes any strategies that will enable your company to resolve the problems listed as constraints. Detail whether you intend to hire more staff, increase your monitoring and evaluation of employees to target workers you need to let go, recruit additional volunteers, or raise more revenue.

Appendices

The appendices are for including supporting or additional documents, such as budgets, schedules or any other data that is useful but not appropriate for inclusion in the main text.

Abstract/Summary

A summary highlights the main points of the plan. It should be brief, one to two paragraphs at most. Both Bartle and the Hands On Network recommend you write this part last, even though it is the first part of your report. You will be better able to summarize the main points after you have written the entire report.

Tags: work plan, work plan, Goals Objectives, Hands Network, main points, main text