While book clubs seem all the rage these days, gathering with the girls to discuss books leaves little room for a girl to express her creative side. Why not change up your next girls night in with a hip and soulful poetry party? With inspiration from National Poetry Month, Girlfriend Celebrations has created a party plan for girlfriends like you looking for a fresh, expressive outlet. A poetry jam for women who want a creative slice of life or an alternative to the humdrum girls night. Yes, you can create this party with poetic ease, even if you’re feeling at a loss for words.  So go ahead, get your guest list together and plan away with us. Read the rest of this entry »

With winter in full force, don’t let the idea of six more weeks of snowy cold give you the blues! Warm some hearts today by planning a charitable card party for your girlfriends. Sharing fun times and memories with the ones closest to your heart is a great way to stir up one’s soul in the still of winter. Girlfriend Celebrations has planned a unique way for you to show appreciation to friends who are loved, provide inspiration for charitable giving, and celebrate the life you cherish with your girlfriends. In honor of February’s American Heart month or March’s American Red Cross month, why not host a unique charitable hearts party for your next girl’s night in and spread some love. Read the rest of this entry »

The holiday season is here, girlfriends! Along with the snowflakes and cold, many out-of-town holiday guests will be dropping in soon.  Oh,’tis the season

to be jolly, but with everyone vying for time with the out-of-towners, it can quickly create seasonal chaos. But don’t get your panties in a wrinkle just yet, girlfriends! You can host a fabulous cookie fete for girls big and little, with just a bit of planning and possibly some help from our friends at Pampered Chef. Add a smidge of charity for the troops and Voila! you’ll have a wonderful occasion to create memories, a party to inspire goodwill in all and bring everyone in one fell swoop right to your door. Yes, wouldn’t it be nice for the out-of-towners to do a one-stop-see-all instead of scurrying around from house to house? Sit back and read on, for GirlfriendCelebrations has the perfect multigenerational party to end your holiday blues. Read the rest of this entry »

The change of seasons and chillier temperatures are enough to make you want to curl up indoors with a good book. But wait! Why not celebrate the season with your girlfriends? Yes, plan your own outdoor Patio Crawl. Savor some fresh Autumn brews and bites, and catch up with your buddies. What could be better? It’s reason enough to start planning right now! Read on, legal-drinking-age girlfriends: GirlfriendCelebrations has the how-to for an outdoor brewfest you and your girlfriends will remember.

Setting and Setup

First, decide who in your circle of friends will be among the hostesses of the patio crawl. The key ingredient to a successful crawl is a group of patios or decks within walking distance of each other. And take note: Even apartment dwellers can get in on the action. A huge deck/patio isn’t necessary—just one that’s big enough for a few people to go outside to enjoy some cool air and warm conversation.

The number of patio stops is up to you. A good number to start with is five. Plan on 30-45 minutes at each patio/deck.

It’s nice to print out an itinerary for each of the guests. This can be handed out at the first patio and will serve as a guide on where to go during the night.  Be sure to include the time you move on to each stop and specifically where each stop will be. You may also want to include the beers that will be served and a place to rate them from one to five. The list of beers can be a handy keepsake just in case your guests fall in love with some of the choices and want to purchase them later.

Invitations

It seems we are all becoming frugal consumers of late. So, conserve money for the party by sending simple invitations. Buying a simple invitation from a retail store such as Target or Goody’s is an inexpensive option. It doesn’t have to be fancy; sometimes the wording can say it all. If, however, most of your group is computer-savvy, Evite is the perfect tool for the frugal hostess. Your invitation might read something like this: Read the rest of this entry »

Only a few more days before football season officially begins for all of you fantasy football widows out there! Don’t miss out on the fun: Plan your own fantasy football league with the best of your girlfriends.

Remember the saying “If you can’t beat them, you may as well join them”? Well, why not?  Not only will it give you the perfect excuse to meet up with the girls more often, it may give you something to talk about with your other half besides kids, money, and what’s for dinner.

To start the season off in style, GirlfriendCelebrations has designed a party plan just for the occasion. A Fantasy Football Draft party can bring together players that are experienced, inexperienced and even clueless for some fun, friendship and laughter.

Setting and setup

There are only a few requirements for a football fantasy draft:  A big-screen TV if you actually plan on watching the games, a laptop for everyone to join the league on, wi-fi, which makes it a whole lot easier for your girlfriends to bring their laptops (the more laptops you have, the quicker the draft will go), a league name, a commissioner (person to be in charge of the league), and a team name. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s not often we find a party idea that rocks the house and the budget, but we did! Our girlfriends over at the DuPage Mamas Community recently inspired us with their guest blogger post from girlfriend Liz on how to have a  Waste Not, Want Not party. We found it so inspiring, in fact, that we thought we should share it with you.  

We loved the idea of this party because it is so easy to pull together. The total concept forces you to use what you have lying around instead of going to go buy “more things” to host a wonderful party. Not only do you get to save money and time while acquiring new treasures, it gives you the opportunity to catch up with the girlfriends in your life. (Which is a perfectly good excuse to plan a party all by itself!)  Here is what girlfriend Liz had to say over at DuPage Mamas community:  

Recently, my neighbor had a Waste Not, Want Not party. I had never heard of one before this, but after reading the invitation, I was intrigued.

“Empty out your pantries, freezers and refrigerators and bring all the extra food items to this brunch. We can then trade with each other and take home new and much needed goodies. Whatever is left over we will donate to a food pantry. Times are tough and there is no reason to waste perfectly good food. So don’t!”

It was the kind of party that would have been fun in any economy, but seemed all the more relevant in the current climate. I’ve never thought of giving someone a half-opened jar of food, but hey, why not? If it’s something someone else would use…

Since I regularly purge my cupboards, drawers and closets, and Freecycle, donate, or leave things at the curb, I was afraid I wouldn’t have anything worthwhile to bring. Somehow, though, I filled a big diaper box full of half opened boxes of tea, a set of old iced-tea spoons, a full bottle of mint liqueor, an extra bottle of molasses that wasn’t used during Christmas cookie season, some mason jar lids (large and small) and a couple of beautiful books on honey and tea that have been gathering dust for 6 years on my tea shelf, waiting for me to find some time to get inspired to start my own beehive.

Confession: the real reason I was excited to go to my neighbor’s party was the word ‘brunch’. And it wasn’t potluck. When I walked in, the table was spread with an amazing assortment of quiche, and cakes, breads, and salads – all made with items from her pantry she was trying to use up.

Sipping a Mimosa, I chatted with women from various parts of my friend’s life – her husband’s law school friends, her farm market friends, an ex-peace corps member who now works as an editor for the Tribune, the owner of my favorite natural body product shops, and a number of other radically different, yet essentially connected women.

Everyone seemed just as interested and excited as I was about this party.

(there’s much more if you click!) Read the rest of this entry »

By Melissa Mellott [Editor's note: Our girlfriend and guest writer Melissa has a tough job: She visits spas and reviews them for the rest of us. Hey, someone's got to do it! As summer gives way to the busyness of fall, we should all be adding some girlfriend time to the calendar. Here are some great ideas from a relaxation expert!]

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