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BRIGHT Ideas for a Blacklight Glow Party- The BEST blog entry on planning a glow party!

How to Host the Perfect Blacklight Glow Party
(Click photos for larger views)
This is the most informative set of how-to instructions for a glow party you'll find on the internet.  Don't see what you need?  Send me an email.
 

GlowPartyCover

The first thing we needed to do was set the mood for our glow party.  Below is a copy of the invitation we used...

GlowInviteSm

We wanted to make sure the kids were prepared for lots of glowing fun so we included the following insert with their invitation, giving parents ideas of how to dress the kids for the blacklights.

WhatToWearSm

One thing people might not realize when planning a blacklight party, a.k.a. glow-in-the-dark party or glow party, is that NOT everything that LOOKS neon is UV-reactive which means that not everything that looks like it would glow actually GLOWS under blacklight.  The best thing to do before you start buying things for your party is to get a UV flashlight like this one.

 Uvflashlight

This is the same kind of flashlight you would use to look for scorpions (Yes, they DO glow but don't buy one for your party!).  You don't have to spend a ton of money on this but it's important to have at least one when getting ready for your party. You can get a decent one for anywhere from $5-$15.  Here's a sample of some I found on Amazon.  Just search for UV flashlight and you should find lots of choices.   Here's why you want one BEFORE the party...

You might surprise yourself with the things you already have in your house that glow.  My daughter had tons of fun one night running around the house with the UV flashlight and bringing back things that glow.  Just about anything white will glow a really cool blue color so don't count those out!  We found some nail polish, various clothing, some of her room decor including a throw blanket and some pillows, a beading kit, some plastic popcorn bowls, and other things that surprised us with their glowing color under UV light.  Make a list of things you might be able to use for decorations before you start buying.

Now to the fun shopping part...

I spent probably 20 or more hours scouring the internet for good sources of glow items and making decisions on what to buy.  You don't need everything, but to start off, here are some things I think you HAVE to have:

1)  BLACKLIGHTS (duh)
which come in two basic types: 

Blacklight fixture
a) tube fixtures

Blackflood
b) bulbs or floods

I HIGHLY recommend that you spend the money here and get as many blacklight tube fixtures as you can afford.  It is better to have two 48" blacklight tube fixtures than 10 of the blacklight bulbs.  Blacklight tubes put out a great deal of blacklight.  You may be very disappointed with lightbulbs on the night of your party.  There is a reason they are so inexpensive.  They really don't work very well.

You might be asking how many lights you will need.  This really depends on how large your room is, including your ceiling height.  In a standard 10' x 10' room, a 48" tube light does a pretty good job lighting the entire room if it is mounted near the ceiling.
A good source for blacklights is Blacklight.com or American DJ (a bit more expensive but also a good source for strobe lights and other lighting effects) but you can find good deals on Amazon and Ebay as well. Another tip is to wait until after Halloween and buy them on clearance.  Put them away until you're ready for your party.

2) A DARK ROOM (another duh)
It may seem obvious that you need a dark room in order to have a blacklight party but I mean it- you need a really dark room.  Plan your party for after the sun goes down and if you have street lights outside, or are having the party on the night of a full moon, prepare yourself ahead of time by covering your windows and walls.  Even light-colored walls can give off the illusion that the room is brighter than it is.  Which leads me to the next thing you really should have...

3) BLACK KRAFT PAPER/BUTCHER PAPER ROLLS

Blackkraftpaperroll

I bought my black "fadeless art paper" 48" x 50' roll at a local teacher supply store (Parent Teacher Connection in Tucson) for $22.  It went a long way and was well worth it.

How do you hang the paper?  So glad you asked.  That leads me to #4 on the Things You Should Have list...

4) UV-Reactive Gaffer Tape

BLTAPE4PK

This is the COOLEST stuff to have for a blacklight party.  Gaffer tape is typically used by stagehands and prop departments for blocking and marking a stage for a play or performance.  It is HIGHLY UV-reactive, has good adhesion while still being removable, and comes in various widths so you can use it to decorate in a huge variety of ways.

Run gaffer tape around the edges of your black kraft paper to stick it to the wall and the result is a glowing neon frame!  You can line doorways, write words, stick it in patterns around vases, make designs on serving platters, mark the outline of a dance floor, and more.  There are so many uses for this stuff, I just can't even get into them all.  The point is... spend the money on gaffer tape.  If you don't buy much else that glows, this will go a long way.

 More things you may want for your party...

UV-Reactive Paint

WF161IND
Let me just tell you that from experience, there are GOOD glowing paints and there are BAD glowing paints.  Unfortunately, the good ones tend to be pretty pricey.  The photo above is for Wildfire Luminescent Paint which is FABULOUS (For more information and to browse their store, visit Wildfire FX) .  If you've ever been on Rockin' Rollercoaster, you'll know what Wildfire paints look like in use.  They REALLY glow and they have great coverage which means you don't need as much.  Some acrylic paints at your local craft store will glow, but you should take the UV flashlight you bought (I know you bookmarked this page and ran out to get one, didn't you?) with you to check the glow quality.  Remember that the cheaper paints tend to be thinner so you may end up having to do three or more coats to get good glowing color.  This ends up being a money waster and a big time waster too.

So- what to paint with these cool paints?

Remember that black craft paper roll you have on your shopping list?  THAT is a great place to start!  Get out your paint brushes and start splattering!  Graffiti, handprints, peace signs, guests' names, splotches and random splashes of color are all easy and will look very cool when you turn on those blacklights.  Just look at this glow wall...

GlowWall
You can paint other things too.  Just look at the twisted willow branches I painted in the photo below- they made great decorations in vases in our niches...

Hann

How did I do the rest of the vase?  Easy peasy.  The zebra print is just black & white wrapping paper wrapped around a tall glass cylinder vase. I fastened the wrapping paper to the vase with guess what?  Yes!  Gaffer tape!  Just for fun, I left a 1/2" gap at the bottom of the vase so that I could slip a glow bracelet in the bottom just before the party started.  Since we're talking about GLOW bracelets, another thing you might want to have at your party is...

GLOW STICKS, BRACELETS, & NECKLACES

GlowRingsInVasesSavOnCrafts

You'll find these everywhere cheap, cheap, cheap!  Dollar Tree sells tubes of 10 sticks for $1 and I see them at Target & Michaels in their dollar sections on a regular basis too.  There are SO many uses for these at a glow party.  The obvious thing to do is to hand them out to guests to wear at the party.  But there are not-so-obvious uses for them as well:

Hannah8BdayGlowCenterpiece

In the photo above, glow sticks and glowing "ice cubes" light up simple clear cylinder vases filled with water for a cool effect.

Hannah8BdayCake&Drinks

Look closely in the photo above and you'll see the eerie green glow of the lemonade.  There are very few drinks that glow (some say Mountain Dew but it is minimal), especially for kids (tonic water would probably not be accepted well by 8-year-olds).  Glow sticks are an easy and fun way to light up your drink.  Just to play it safe, put your glow sticks in a clear container like a vase and set it down into your drink container so that if it were to rupture, the contents (although supposedly non-toxic) won't mix with the beverage.

UV-REACTIVE BALLOONS

BlacklightballoonsBLCOM

The balloons shown above are specifically designed to glow in blacklight.  Remember that just because the colors look bright in the store, doesn't mean they will glow.  Take your trusty UV flashlight with you, or order your glowing balloons from here: Blacklight.com

GLOWING CUTLERY AND UV-REACTIVE PLASTICWARE

Glow_utensils_gs

The glowing cutlery above is from Glowsource.  They have a ton of fun glowing items you'll be wanting once you visit their site.

Platter

Plates

The above photos are products found at Blacklight.com.  Their plastic partyware is very reasonably priced, particularly their serving platters and chip bowls.  If you take care of them, you can use them again for your next glow party!

 
FLUORESCENT POSTER BOARD

Fluorescent poster board

Get out your scissors and die-cutters and have a blast!  Ok, so maybe cutting them out isn't that much fun.  I cheated and used my Cricut machine but if you do a few a day in front of your favorite show, you'll be done before you know it. The sheer number of glowing wall decorations you can get out of a single sheet of poster board will astonish you.  You can cheaply buy it at Office Depot, Walmart, and craft stores.  In the photo below you can see peace signs and hearts I cut out of poster board and put up on the wall on the right...

Hannah8BdayCraftTable

 

HILIGHTERS
Highlighters

In addition to covering walls with black paper, I also covered an 8' x 10' wall in my entryway with white paper and left a basket of hilighters in a prominent place nearby.  Guests enjoyed leaving the birthday girl glowing wishes and who doesn't love being allowed to write on a wall???

FIBER OPTICS

Fiberopticassort

Hannah8BdayCakeTable1

Hannah8BdayCakeTableside

You might think that fiber optics are an expense you don't want, however, I have found a good source where they are actually very reasonably priced... Save On Crafts .  Besides their fiber optic centerpieces for under $5, they have these fun barrettes called Glowbys which in addition to being fun to use in your hair, make great accents on cakes and food trays (see the use of them on the photo above).

Glowbyscolors

Glowby in hair

You can find Glowbys here: Save On Crafts 

So your house is glowing with neon.  Now what do you do to entertain these kids???

FUN ACTIVITIES AT A GLOW PARTY

Host a Glow-in-the-Dark Scavenger Hunt:

This involved some work on my part, but the kids LOVED it.  I purchased invisible ink pens (enough for each child to have one, plus a few extras) on Ebay.  I also purchased a mini UV flashlight for each child (yes, the same ones I told you to buy earlier but smaller) also on Ebay.  Before the party, I wrote letters of the alphabet to spell out the location of a top-secret prize on individual index cards in invisible ink.  When we were ready for the scavenger hunt, I broke kids into teams and sent them into another room with their goodie bags to prepare for the hunt.  Their goodie bags were fluorescent rope-handled bags with the following:

an assortment of hilighters
a blacklight bulb
an invisible ink pen
a mini UV flashlight
a mini notepad
some black velvet stickers to color
an assortment of fun candies including a pack of light-up gummy worms

Also in the bag was a Top Secret Decoder sheet with blank lines making up a Secret Message.  Kids were to go through their goodie bags and prepare for a top-secret mission.  They were to get out their UV flashlights, a hilighter, and their decoder sheets and come up with team names.  In the meantime,  I and a group of cohorts ran like mad hiding the invisible ink lettered cards and turning out the lights INCLUDING THE BLACKLIGHTS.  In about five minutes, I was giving kids instructions.  They were to use their UV flashlights and search for letters.  When they found them, they were to write them on their sheets and then unscramble them to spell out the location of a secret prize.  I yelled "Go!" and they were off in complete darkness except for the purple glow of their UV flashlights.  The hunt took about thirty minutes for the kids to find and unscramble all of the letters and claim their prize.  I was told after the party that this was one of the most fun games they've ever played!! :)

Host a Dance Party

Both before and after the scavenger hunt, kids enjoyed dancing in the blacklights accompanied by a disco ball and a strobe light to today's hit music.  I provided more glowing balloons to toss into a glowing basketball hoops, as well as a glowing jumprope for a game of limbo.  Blacklights + music = instant fun without much parent involvement!

 Hold a Glowing Autograph or Graffiti Session

In addition to the graffiti wall you can set up with hilighters, have guests wear white t-shirts to the party and have them get autographs.  Kids will love the chance to write all over each other with hilighters.  Just be sure to set the ground rules first.  If you don't want to see them with hilighter "make-up" and tattoos, or if you don't want hilighter on your furniture, make sure you tell them first or save this activity for older guests!

Don't forget to send Thank You cards!

GlowTYsm

A fun reminder for guests is to send thank you cards with photos of the party.  Taking photos of a blacklight party can be VERY difficult so I have a few hints that I got from a photographer friend of mine. 

1) When photographing your glowing items, DON'T use a flash!  While you'll be able to see everything in your photos, the glowing effect will be gone.

2) Set your shutter speed as low as you can and keep a steady hand.  Because it will be dark, you will need the shutter to remain open long enough to let the light of your glow items in.  The longer the shutter is open, the more chance their is to get blurry pictures, particularly motion blur if what you are photographing is moving.  Be prepared to play with the settings beforehand so you're not missing out on the pictures the night of the party.

 

Here is a forum with some more help on
Photographing Glow Stuff

As always, I am here to answer your questions and help you to have a fabulous party. If you need custom invitations, favors, or help with decorations or personalized party decor, give me a call at THE FAVOR MAKER 520-299-0831 or visit our website at www.thefavormaker.com.  

 

Jennifer on July 05, 2011 in Party Themes | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)

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A Rockin' Baby Shower

OK, I admit it!  I've been just terrible about posting to this blog.  Between my Facebook Fan Page, the transfer of my online store to a new host (still in progress by the way), and trying to get Twitter figured out, I've really let this go.  I PROMISE you will be bombarded with posts from here on out!  Here is a post that I've had on Facebook for a while but is long overdue  (no pun intended, HAHA) here.

One of my favorite customers created this fabulous Born to Rock Baby Shower using favors and paper products from our store The Favor Maker.


Borntorockcake1 
Not your typical baby shower cake!  Not only is this baby born to rock, I think Christina is born to do cakes!
If you are in southern California and need a special cake, cupcakes, or specialty cookies for any occasion, be sure to look her up at Cakes by Christina!

 Borntorockcupcaketoppers
A cake can't possibly be enough!  These cute cupcakes are topped with custom cupcake picks.

Borntorocktable 
Table view

Borntorockcups 
Here's a simple way to incorporate your theme without breaking the bank.  Colored cups were adorned with personalized round labels for instant theme coordination.

Borntorockwater 
Everyone loves water!

Borntorockwatercaps
She even found more uses for our small envelope seals

Borntorocksilverwareeditjpg
If you couldn't tell... It's a Boy!

Jennifer on June 29, 2011 in Party Themes | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

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Save $ with a Pink & Brown Leopard Baby Shower

One of our customers, Zully, came up with this adorable pink & brown leopard theme that looks a lot more expensive than it is.  Read on for some money-saving ideas to get the most "bang for your buck" out of your next shower.

CakeClose

 Instead of an elaborate, expensive shower cake, opt for dainty cupcakes instead.  Zully used 40% off Michael's coupons to purchase the ribbon and leopard/pink cupcake liners you see above. The silk flowers were purchased at a local dollar store. The adorable cupcake stand?  Nothing more than some old US Postal Service Priority Mail boxes, wrapped up in white paper, stacked, and lined with ribbon.  You can use shoe boxes, old gift boxes, you name it.  Just make sure they are solid and sturdy enough to support the cupcakes around the edges.

Caketopper

A simple, yet precious "cake topper" became the focal point for Zully's cupcake stand.  A brown crinkle paper "nest" (found near the tissue paper, bags, and wrapping supplies at craft stores) became the home for an adorable little bird, "Emma".  Emma's name can easily be made by painting small wooden letters or purchasing pre-cut and colored chipboard letters in the scrapbooking department.  Mount them on toothpicks with a glue gun and they make adorable cupcake picks too!

Leopardguestbook 
The above is a shot of Zully's guest sign-in table.  Rather than going overboard with leopard print, she incorporated plenty of solid pink and pink polka dots like the guest book shown above.  Photo albums and guest books can often be found at stores like the Dollar Tree, Big Lots, or Walmart.  And the sign-in pen?  A pink silk flower was attached to a plain pen with green florist's tape.  Just look at this ingenious idea for the table centerpieces below...

Leopardcenterpiece 

I think this idea is just fabulous- SO inexpensive and yet SO practical!  Zully used pieces of fabric for the center of the tables (save $ by buying a big piece with a 40% off coupon at JoAnn Fabrics and cut them into smaller pieces) and purchased small glass vases at the Dollar Tree.  She made up a number of flower-topped pens to make cute pink floral centerpieces for the tables.  And how convenient is the location of the pens when it is time for the baby shower games?  Very creative Zully! No need to throw away flowers at the end of the shower- guests can take the pens home.  And just look in the background at that practical decor- color-coordinating onesies instead of balloons.  Not too expensive, and they double as gifts for the mom-to-be.

Leopardpopcorn

Popcorn wrappers purchased from our online store at www.thefavormaker.com were dressed up in girly fashion with a little pink ribbon bow glued in the corner.  Precious party favor! 
Leopardrefreshments

 Above is a shot of Zully's refreshment table.  Coordinating personalized water bottle labels purchased in our store (www.thefavormaker.com) made a nice accompaniment to the table and once again, doubled as take-home favors for the guests.  Even the punch is color coordinated!

Leopardguesttable

Zully's guest sign-in table and favor display.  Personalized, coordinating favors, really tied in this baby shower's theme.

If you have done a leopard baby shower or are thinking of doing one, and have any ideas of suggestions, please feel free to post here.  We'd love to hear from you!

Jennifer on November 03, 2010 in Money-Saving Party Tips, Party Themes | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

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More Options for Edible Cake Toppers

While most customers that order our edible cake toppers use the sheet in its entirety on the center of a white store-bought cake, there are other options for using the image as well.  Below are some cakes that use edible images in a slightly different way...

SaundersOceanCake

The center blue part of the cake is the traditional 7.5" x 10" edible cake topper, printed edge to edge in a blue ocean wave design.  Most of the seashells you see on the cake are actually edible images, not real seashells.  Photos of shells were printed onto edible paper and cut out, then placed on the cake individually.

GroovyCake

The above cake was a two-layered cake covered with fondant, then decorated with colored balls of fondant (brushed with water to make them glossy), white fondant flowers, and peace signs & lettering done on edible icing sheets.  Like the seashell cake above, the letters and peace signs were printed onto edible icing paper and cut out, then placed individually on the cake using a bit of water to help them adhere. The upper tier was topped off with poured tie-die fondant, a ribbon, and a giant swirl lollipop with its birthday message done on a vinyl sticker sheet.

Chocolatepiratecake

 

The cake above uses the edible icing sheet in a more traditional way, but gives it an entirely different look when placed on a chocolate cake.  A treasure map design done in natural shades of tan, brown, and green, blend in better with a colored icing rather than the traditional white vanilla.

Jennifer on June 10, 2010 in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

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Perez Holy Communion

It seems like it's been ages since I've posted to the blog with the end of the school year being followed immediately by our summer vacation, but I hope to get back to doing it regularly again.  Here are a few photos from the Perez Holy Communion last month.  The event took place at night so I tried to do a lot with lighting including white string lights, stacked paper lanterns, and custom candle holders on all of the tables.

PerezCake

The cake was a simple Costco half sheet cake with a monogrammed edible cake topper and satin chocolate ribbon.  This photo was taken before the event but once the sun set, the candle holder behind the cake to the left of the cake lit up the image of the communion boy.

PerezCenterpiece 

In sticking with the color scheme of chocolate brown, ivory, and burnt orange, each guest table had a chocolate brown table runner and mirror centerpiece.  On the mirror were two custom glass candle holders covered in vellum that lit when a candle was placed inside. (See photo below for the effect in the dark).  A rectangle vase was filled with branches, orange flowers, and fresh coffee beans.

PerezCandleHolder

The photo above shows one of the custom vellum candleholders once the sun had set and the candles were lit.

PerezFavor

Each family took home these elegant carved wooden boxes, each with a rosary to complement the holy communion theme.  Boxes were tied with a satin ribbon and custom favor tag to match the theme.

Jennifer on June 09, 2010 in Party Themes | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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