Planning a Party for the 'Big Game'?

Are you hosting a party this Sunday for the Big Game? We've got some great entertaining ideas for you:

food and drinks

• buffalo chicken dip


• Hostess with the Mostess pizzas


• Food Network 'Big Game' recipes


• Food Network's Potato Skin recipe for every Football team! AFC and NFC
  
• Hello, Cupcake! Chex Mix cupcakes

• Bakerella's Oreo Truffle Footballs

• Hello, Cupcake! Football Cupcakes
  
  

decorations

• Printable Decorations from Paper & Cake - invitations, bottle charms, banners, napkin rings and food labels

Happy Groundhog Day!

These Punxsutawney Phil Pudding Pops were posted by Junior Society. These would be fun for a kids celebration or just a special treat for the day. Thank you to Susan of Poca Cosas for pointing out this fun treat.

Santa Bob - looking to hire Santa for your holiday party?

Today's featured business is Santa Bob. We are interviewing Bob Grinnell, owner and Santa. Are you planning a holiday party? How about making it extra special by having an appearance by Santa? This Santa is extra special and donates a portion of his appearance fees to help families in need. And even if you're not having a holiday party, Santa Bob could use your help with donations for the families he is adopting this holiday season.

What is the name of your business and what is your role with the business? Visits with Santa - I am the owner, Santa Bob

Please tell us a little bit about yourself. I am a proud parent of 5 beautiful children and I have been blessed to put a Red Suit on for almost twenty years. I see children at St Vincent DePaul, Phoenix Children's Hospital (The Rainbow Kids) at the Phoenix zoo, about 400, St Joe's hospital and Los Ninos hospital on Thomas. I'm also blessed to see Hospice children on their last journey. For the rest of the year I'm a financial advisor with Prudential Financial.

Please tell us a little about your business and specifically what you can provide for those planning a party in Arizona. Santa Bob adds holiday cheer, sprinkles magic on all, shares smiles,giggles and surprises and reminds us the Season of Giving lasts all year long!

Santa Bob ...
• Real-bearded Santa
• Real-tummy Santa
• Great HO HO HO voice
• Warm-hearted
• Jingles as he walks
• Reminds kids to be good all year long
• Available all year long, just like the green Christmas trees
• Member of AORBS (Amalgamated Order of Real-Bearded Santas)
• Member of Santa America
• Certified volunteer for Hospice of the Valley, Phoenix, AZ.

What parts of town does your business service? Flagstaff to Tucson or anywhere in Maricopa County.

Do you have a professional or personal blog that you would like to sharewith us?http://www.freewebs.com/santa_bob

Besides, Desert Parties, what are your favorite blogs? I also like viewing the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santa Claus' http://www.aorbsinc.com/ and also my daughter's photography blog. I like to check it out once in a while to see what she is up to.http://kristengrinnell.bigfolioblog.com/.

What tips can you share with our readers? Love your children unconditionally and remind them every year to give tothose who are less fortunate than them, and to always say Thank You.

How do Desert Parties readers contact you?
Cell (480) 235-5357 or (602) 667-4783
Email rpgrinnelljr@yahoo.com or robert.grinnell@prudential.com

Do you have any new services or products you would like to tell us about? Personalized "Letters from Santa" The letter is written with special emphasis given to the comments parents provide. The child's name is used in the letter to give your loved one a personal gift that only Santa can deliver. Santa's letter will be mailed on bright colored Christmas paper and delivered in a festive envelope.

What are the 3 adjectives that describe your businesses style?
Fun, happiness and value.

What is the best part of your job? Being able to give to those families who don't have a Christmas and provide them not only with presents from donations, but to spread the true meaning of Christmas. Most of the income I receive goes to about 20-35 families every year that I sponsor. These are very poor families who are not going to have a Christmas.

What is the highlight of your career to date? I have a prosthetic leg after an amputation from a car accident. At one party, a little boy was hiding in his room because he was too embarrassedto come out and see Santa with all the other kids. When I visited him privately with his parents in his room, I told him about my leg and showed him my leg. When he heard this, he pulled up his pants to reveal two tinyprosthetic legs and exclaimed, "Look Santa! I have two!" I nearly cried, but instead swept him up and hugged him. His smile is forever burned on my brain. His mother said "That will be with him the rest of his life."


Describe your ideal customer? Any child that feels loved and special after I leave.

What time-line should a customer have when using your services to plan a party? Book at least 6 months in advance, the days fill up quick come November.

What advice would you give our readers when selecting a vendor in your line of business? You have to feel comfortable with your Santa and he must put the children's well being first and foremost. Otherwise, the spirit of Christmas is lost.

What is the best party you ever attended? I love the parties where the kids are the main focus. A child can melt my heart in a second with a smile, then I know I'm doing a good job.

Real Parties: Halloween Cookie and Cupcake Decorating Party

Dana Brown is the owner of Simply Sweets and Desert Parties.

This year I hosted a cookie and cupcake Halloween themed party for some of my girlfriends. My husband and I host a large kids cookie decorating party but for Halloween I decided I wanted a night of fun with my girlfriends. I baked Halloween shaped sugar cookies and some of Simply Sweets' double chocolate sourcream cupcakes but left them bare ready to decorate. I colored buttercream for the cupcakes and royal icing for the cookies and put together a huge tray of sprinkles and candy.

I demonstrated 2 cupcake decorating ideas and then everyone got creative designing their own.

Food and Drinks:

• Spiced Apple Cider - Penzey's makes a great mulling spice mixture. I just added a table spoon of the spices into a crockpot filled with cider and let it warm up for awhile. yum!
• Witches Brew - this drink was a big hit! Its a mixture of gingerale, white cranberry juice and orange selzer with a little green food coloring. The recipe is from Matthew Mead's Halloween Book
• Jones' Halloween sodas
• Jello brain with gummy worms
• Gummy worms
• Simply Sweets Candy Corn Bark
• Halloween Snack Mix - this recipe was also from Matthew Mead's Halloween Book
  
  

Decorations - the house was already decorated for Halloween so no special decorating was needed other than just arranging tables for the decorating and adding a few vinyl Halloween themed tableclothes.

Invitations - I kept it simple and used a Halloween themed evite from evite.com

I LOVE Flickr

If you've never spent time browsing around Flickr you should try it out - there is sooo much there. There are groups for everything - and its not just photos, there are some great discussions too!

I've found a few great Flickr groups that are great for party ideas:

Little People Parties
Kids Birthday Parties
Party Decorating Ideas
Baby Shower Ideas
Victoria's Tea Party
Children's Parties
Children's Birthday Memories
Fairytale Parties
Bridal Showers
First Birthday

Do you have a favorite party planning Flickr group you would like to share?

You can also find Simply Sweets and a group we started, Cupcake Towers on Flickr.

Congratulations Busy Bodies Planned Play!!!

Congratulations Busy Bodies Planned Play in Glendale for winning the Nickelodeon's Parents Connect Best of Phoenix Kid's Party Place. They also won for Best Indoor Play Place.

As owner of Simply Sweets, I have delivered several party cakes and as a mom of a 4 year old also attended several parties and have always been very impressed with their facility and staff. I was just there last weekend and my son had a blast - the play area has a lot of great things to play on including a jumpy, play house and lots things to climb on. The staff organized some fun games for the kids including parachute play getting the parents involved. Then it was time was pizza and cupcakes in their party room to complete the party experience.

Samaha Photography - photographer

Today's featured business is Samaha Photography. We are interviewing Jenifer Samaha, business owner and photographer.

Please tell us a little about your business? As an on-location photographer, we are able to document birthday parties through our photography. We can also offer customized invitations or thank you cards with portrait sessions.

What parts of town does your business service? We serve Phoenix, Scottsdale, Anthem, Glendale, Peoria, Paradise Valley.

Do you have a professional or personal blog that you would like to share with us?
http://www.samahaphotography.com/blog

Do you have a special discount you would like to offer our Desert Parties readers? $50 print credit with a paid portrait session or $25 off a Party Collection

How do Desert Parties readers contact you? Through the contact form on http://www.samahaphotography.com

What are the 3 adjectives that describe your businesses style? Fun, Modern, Quality

What time-line should a customer have when using your services to plan a party? We tend to schedule our sessions a couple of months in advance.

What advice would you give our readers when selecting a vendor in your line of business? Don’t skimp on your photographer. Portraits are heirlooms that your family will treasure for years so you want to be sure to research photographers and select someone with proven experience.

What is the best party you ever attended? I photographed the 7th birthday party for a sweet little girl. It was a horse theme and took place at a private stable in Scottsdale. The children made adorable stick horses and then had a “race” & horse show in the arena. It was so much fun to be there as the photographer so I can just imagine how much fun it was for the children!