Kiddie Pool + Shaving Cream = Good, Clean Fun!

Wanna save the dough you'd spend on a Chuck E. Cheese's birthday party but worried today's youth will mutiny without animatronic amusement? Take a tip from my friend Liz (whose son, Asa, is pictured here celebrating his sixth birthday): Blow up an inflatable kiddie pool, hand each guest a can of shaving cream and let them learn to entertain themselves!

Between squirting each other with Barbasol and building shaving cream sculptures, they'll have the time of their young lives. P.S. For safety's sake, don't try this with toddlers, and keep an eye on the pool, Hasselhoff.

no caddy required

As a loud and proud mini golf fan, I am all about this mini golf set I saw on Uncrate. Available from Unica Home, my mini golf course comes complete with a putter, balls, holes, banks and a loop de loop.

It's pretty pricey ($420), but you can get tons of use out of it. Take the course, in its handy carrying case, from a kids' party to your office Olympics to any casual get-together, indoors or out.

new year, old food

Every year on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, I have friends over for the tradition of eating apples dipped in honey to toast to a sweet new year. And every year, I buy a dozen apples and a couple bears of honey, even though we never make it through more than an apple or two. Epicurious has the answer. The site compiles a collection of recipes that contain both ingredients (and some for challah) so you can put your leftovers to good use.

A search of “apple” and “honey” brings up some fantastic recipes as well. The Apple, Goat Cheese and Honey Tartlets recipe (pictured above) is at the top of my list to try.

Check out the High Holiday section at Epicurious, which has features on different types of honey, how to make your own challah and lots more. Shana tova!

welcome to the evite blog!

Watch this space for the latest tips, tricks and advice from the Evite party experts.

Do you have any party-related topics or tips you want us to address here? Contact us!

mmm, beer

Homebrewed beer: It makes a great gift, spices up your parties and is easier than it sounds, at least according to Erik and Kelley Ingvarson, who brew up all sorts of good stuff at home. And, full disclosure, Erik is my brother, so I have firsthand knowledge of just how excellent their beer is. Erik (pictured above working his beer magic) fills us in on the benefits of DIYing it and why life is better when you don't have to worry about running out of beer.

Why did you decide to brew beer?
My wife and I decided to brew our own beer because, like baking bread or making pasta, it is a fun process and you can fairly easily make an excellent product. We enjoy a variety of styles of beer, and homebrewing has deepened our knowledge and appreciation of beer and what goes in it. We make excellent brews at a fraction of the cost of retail.

How did you get the equipment, and how much does a batch cost?
There is a brewers supply store in our town as well as a number of online options. The basic equipment to get started costs about $75. A kit to make 5 gallons of beer (about 50 12-oz bottles) is less than $30 — so after the initial investment in equipment, it's about 55 cents a bottle.  It takes about 2 hours to brew a batch, followed by about a week of fermentation. Then bottling and re-priming takes another hour followed by a couple of weeks of aging and waiting (the hardest part). 

Read on for more about this strange brew...

how to combat the flake factor

Everyone has to bail on plans sometimes, but why are they always your events? Luckily, Evite sends handy reminder emails and has a "send to phone" function to help guests keep the party's date and address in mind.

But what can you do? Incentives like guest speakers are great for networking events, but office-bonding activities need something that's not so, um, work related. When you invite people, mention perks like the killer happy hour specials or the awesome band that'll be playing. Then recruit friends and coworkers to spread the word. And, of course, keep up your end of the bargain and don't flake on others.

a lovely impression

We all know people who just get the do-it-yourself thing, but some of us weren’t born with that crafty gene. When it came time to start planning my wedding, I hired a coordinator. (I’m pretty sure that’s the antithesis of DIY.)

Planning a wedding is full of spend-or-save decisions, and I quickly shuffled printing to my “save” list. I may have breezed through the DIY save-the-date and invitation kits at the stationery store, but I did come across this handy embosser that I snagged in favor of paying for printing my return address on envelopes. The result is oh-so-chic and enticingly tactile. And with each stamp, I marvel at my DIY-ness.

S'more Martinis: No Campfire Necessary

Get toasted with this grown-up toasted-marshmallow treat in a glass! Sweet for September's last al fresco soiree or after-dark barbecue. For glasses you can dip right into the jar of marshmallow creme, try ones like this with a narrower brim.

Read on to take a big sip of our S'more Martini recipe...

evite etiquette: reply now

People sometimes ask me if they have to reply to their Evite invitations. Well, yeah.

Look at it from the host's perspective. They want an accurate headcount so they can get enough food, drink and space for everybody. And nobody likes to open their Evite invitations and see names in the "not yet replied" section. It's depressing, and it's a good way to get yourself disinvited from future parties.

And speaking of the host's perspective...they can totally see the date you last viewed the invitation, so don't make them bust you on it. Just take the 2 seconds to go to the invitation and reply. And no, you don't have to include a clever comment, but it would be nice if you did.

how to throw a networking event

Like this design? Create an Evite invitation with this image.

First off, a networking event isn't just a party. People show up because they want something — a date, a job, a backer for their new start-up — and they want you to help them get it. And after all, you wouldn't be throwing this thing if you didn't want those things too. Be prepared to talk to everyone.

But don't do anything until you've reserved the bar or restaurant. Pick a place that's mid-city and mid-price, and book it mid-week to make it the most manageable for everyone. Also, make sure to remind people to RSVP. Not only will you get a headcount, you'll get a leg up on who should get most of your attention.