The Party Planner to the Stars is in the News!

This morning we were featured in two newspapers about our famous Bake-a-Cake parties!

Take a look:

Herald Online, March 21, 2011

Party planner to the stars offers 'bake-a-cake party' tips

ANDREA PYROS - http://www.retailmenot.com/

 

When Linda Kaye's two children were young, she was like any other mother: busy, sometimes harried, and always short on time. One day she looked at the calendar and realized her daughter was turning six in a few weeks, and she hadn't planned anything for the party: no location, no invites, no entertainer. Nothing. "I'd been doing a lot of volunteering at my son's school and didn't realize my daughter's birthday was two weeks away. I thought, 'What am I going to do?' Then I thought, 'What about baking a cake with the kids?'"

Kaye's first-ever Bake-A-Cake Party was held: Her daughter and her friends made a cake from scratch, and the experience was such a hit that Kaye launched a successful business from the idea. Kaye and her staff would go to clients' homes, bringing everything necessary (save for a few eggs) to help them have a simple, successful, hands-on party. Ultimately, the New York-based party planner, who's thrown major events at FAO Schwartz and the Central Park Zoo and claimed Madonna, Kelly Ripa, and Chris Rock as clients, decided to write the "Bake-A-Cake Party Book," so any parent could plan and host their own baking bash on their own. "I think that the simplicity of this is a fantastic thing. People worry it might be a mess, but it's not. It's a great bonding experience for the children, and a bonding experience for the mother with the child." It's also a unique way to entertain your guests - without having to spend a small fortune.

Want to make baking a cake the party itself? Kaye says keep the following in mind:

- Guests should be a minimum of 4 years old. For this age group, pre-measure all ingredients before the kids arrive.
- Shop ahead of time so you don't realize you're missing an ingredient the morning of, and make the frosting ahead of time, too. Let guests add food coloring to it at the party.
- Set up the workspace with your birthday child the morning of their event as a nice way to spend time together one-on-one.
- A total of eight children works best. Break the groups into two so that each group is charged with making one layer of a two-layer cake. If your child wants more guests, think about having another adult or two on hand to help, and making a second cake.
- Where there's one job to do, make it for two! Have one child hold a bowl while the other whisks, and then switch roles so each kid gets a turn.
- No toothpick? Use a raw strand of spaghetti to test doneness.
- Give your pint-sized bakers pastry bags (or freezer-weight zippered plastic bags) to make decorative flowers and other pretty designs. They can do their creations on parchment rounds while the cake is baking (Kaye suggests cooling it in the freezer for faster results). Once the cake is frosted and ready, help the kids slide their edible artwork onto the cake with a small spatula.
- All oven activities are strictly for adults.

For more tips, yummy recipes, and 12 adorable, easy-to-do design ideas (like a Fourth of July pinwheel cake to a rainy day cake), pick up Kaye's book or visit her website, partymakers.com. Andrea Pyros lives in New York's Hudson Valley, where she raises her two kids and writes for http://www.retailmenot.com/, the No. 1 coupon site in the world.

Read more: http://www.heraldonline.com/2011/03/21/2924780/party-planner-to-the-stars-offers.html##ixzz1HGBfpMie

A Colorful Spring Celebration

As we tire of the snow and wish for warmer weather, we all want to welcome Spring. March 20th is officially the first day of spring so why not welcome it with a Spring party? Here is a great idea that one of our partymakers Sara, Owner of Stardust Cakes, came up with for a sweet and colorful Spring celebration.

She started with  brightest tablecloth she had. She bought a couple of colorful chinese food boxes and colorful pails from the dollar store. She pulled out all her glassware- you don't need fancy items to make great decor.

She grabbed colorful twizzlers and drooped them from the glasses and pails. For the glassware, she bought some fake grass and filled them with it. She also used paper butterflies to give the spring feel that we all look for in Easter.

No guest went home empty handed either. She bought extra pails and filled them with a variety of candy.

She also found some egg shaped candles and arranged them with pastel colored jelly beans.

It's very easy to create a party ambiance with what you have at home. Don't take for granted all the miss matched porcelain or glassware you may have lurking in the back of your cupboard, it just may help you pull together the most creative party!

Sharing Ideas Too Good Not to Share With Us

There are so many fantastic  ideas that are created in the course of planning a party. The Party Times is the perfect place to let other party givers benefit from great ideas that you have seen while both attending parties as well as hosting them.

We love for you to send in any of your special party ideas!

Our First Idea Contributors are Debbie and Linda

My  friend Debbie received our newly launched blog The Party Times and immediately called me to tell me about her friend Linda who created a fantastic cake for her husbands birthday. The concept was unique, the cake was created with four blank fondant “canvases” and the artists were four family members ranging in age from 3-40!

Here is Linda's Story:

"I am a professional cake decorator. Recently I had to make three family
birthday cakes in one week. When I got to the third cake (my husband's) I
felt I needed a new approach to impress everyone. I asked my daughter, my
son-in-law, and my two little grandsons (ages  3 and 5)to each paint a
surface of the cake, using food coloring as paints. I painted the letters
on the top. The result was an original, colorful cake which showcased
everyone's amazing artistic talent. My husband love it!"

We love this idea, how original and easy! Try this at your next birthday party, allow the children to paint on a fondant covered cake (marzipan-like coating) with edible paint markers, the result will be a surprise for everyone!

Irish Coffee 101- St Patty's Day Specials

My favorite neighborhood restaurant is Neary’s , an Irish pub that is truly a New York Institution.  A family owned business celebrating it’s 44^th year in NYC.

St Patty’s Day at Neary’s is a must do for my  family and friends. While coffee is not on most peoples mind for St Pattys Day, we always end the evening with Irish Coffee - a delicious way to top off a fun filled evening of Irish Songs, Irish dancing, bagpipers and the best corned beef and corned beef hash. 

Irish Coffee 101 

Jimmy Neary  offered to share with us the special secret behind a perfect Irish coffee.

1. Swirl boiling water around the glass to warm it up, then pour out.

2. Add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar to the glass.

3. Fill the cup halfway up with Irish wiskey.

4. Fill the rest of the cup with hot coffee, leaving a little room on the top.

5. Put some heavy cream on top to finish it off.

6. Enjoy!

Now, of course we love our music to set the ambiance so how about the international ambassadors of Irish Music the Irish Rovers, to make that party even merrier.

If you are feeling super adventurous, how about trying to make an Irish Soda Bread from Scratch? King Arthur Flour has a fantastic recipe for it that's quick and won't have you slaving in the kitchen all day.

And here are some party items which we love to celebrate the luck of the Irish.
Or you can get this fabulous full party pack. You don't have to worry about all the party essentials separately!

And how about making your own St Patty's pub-style poster to announce your party? eighteen25 allows you to download the print out below and then you can frame it and display it anywhere you like!

Celebrating Women Around the World

On Tuesday, March 8^th, I joined thousands of women to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of International Women’s Day by walking over the Brooklyn Bridge. 

This event was organized by Women for Women International and Google, Take a look at their Google Map to see all the different Bridges all over the world that were walked!

Zainab Salbi, the founder and CEO of Women for Women International, was inspirational  reminding us that women were meeting on more than 300 bridges in over 50 countries around the world!
 

Each participant was given a beautiful tie dyed piece of fabric to wave in the air as we made our way towards City Hall Square.  The enthusiasm and spirit were infectious, all with one single hope- to have a world of peace and equality for women .

 

Elizabeth Jordan captured the spirit of the day with some amazing photos.  She has an impressive portfolio of images from places all over the world including Burma, Bosnia, Rwanda, and Ghana.

Women for Women International is a leader in educating and empowering women in war torn countries. Its   fantastic sponsorship program helps women rebuild their lives, earn an income, take care their families, and become a voice in their community. The program encourages sponsors to correspond with their “sisters.”  It's a rewarding experience in itself, I recomend anyone to join.

I am helping Women for Women International to organize a luncheon on May 18^th,  which will feature a  stimulating program on The Future of Afghanistan. So if you missed the walk, come join us on May 18^th.  Save the Date!

Race Car Birthday Party

Linda Kaye's Partymakers just had a fun filled weekend hosting many children's Birthday Parties. Here is a highlight of one of the birthday parties, the Race Car Birthday Party for a 3 year old.

Race-Car-Themed party goods and festive bouquets of helium balloons greeted the guests as 21 three-year-olds entered a gym filled with fun filled activities. There was a large personalized Race Car banner  displayed prominently just above the birthday table to highlight the birthday child.

 

 

Popover cupcakes in race car cupcake holders awaited the children to try their hands at  a cupcake decorating station. Children added sugar cars,  traffic light colored candies and sprinkles to make their individual cupcakes a masterpiece.. The children loved this activity because it meant they could eat cake just after breakfast! The parents would have loved for the kids to wait to eat their cupcakes later but they gave in when they saw how much fun they were having.

A  facepainter granted the wishes of each child for a special design to wear, including a very special unicorn princess and a spiderman. Even the grown ups loved having their faces and hands painted with colorful designs.

And there was no physical activity lacking either, between the toddler tumbler and a VW car filled with balls. the children couldn't have asked for a better way to spend their sunday!  They were also thrilled with the carnival games which offered them a multitude of prizes- no winning necessary!

The children also received a very fun surprise visit from a Race Car Driver (Entertainer) who led them through a series of physical activities such as the limbo, tube crawling and even showed them how to make balloon figures! After having completed all the race car tasks the children 'graduated' from Race Car training with their very own Race Car Cap.

The afternoon continued delicious refreshments and a fabulous race car cake designed by Chef Sara Pereira for Partymakers.  The color of the car reflected the birthday child's favorite color: green. 

And of course no birthday party is complete without a few goodie bags given out at the end of the party for each child:  toys, stickers and their individual personalized place mat!

This was a fantastic party, lots of fun and play, the happiest birthday a child could ask for, and that's all Partymakers asks for!

Bringing New Orleans to Your Party on Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras has a special meaning to me as my father Jack Stewart  lived in New Orleans and was a Mardi Gras King in the 60’s. It is a holiday embedded in tradition and color. And now celebrated throughout the country.

You can bring the magic of New Orleans to your mardi gras party by having all the items delivered directly from New Orleans, giving the economy of New Orleans a boost and your party a true sense of authenticity.

  

MasksAndMakeBelieve.com has fabulous mardi gras party packs for 12 that come with all your festive needs, beads included! 

For the DIY-ers visit Zatarains  for recipes  and mail order mixes for Jambalaya!

The dessert of choice for Mardi Gras is a King Cake which you can get from Nonas King Cakes.

And Jazz from New Orleans legends such as Jelly Role Morton can serve as great background music to add to the ambiance of the evening.