Summer may be coming to a close, but that doesn’t mean the
best of times are behind ya. Gather up your group, whip up a yummy spread, turn
on the tunes and live it up with an end-of-the-summer party to end all parties.
Here’s how to throw a bash your besties will be talkin’ up way after the first
day back.
You’re invited!
Pass on forgettable Facebook events and easy e-vites. Instead, opt for a
darling DIY your guests will treasure. Upload a favorite photo of you ‘n’ your
crew to a custom photo-printing site, choose a template (we love a vintage
postcard look) include the party deets and head to checkout. Our pick:
Snapfish.com. They’re super cheap and they’ll stamp and mail your cards for
you—all you’ve gotta do is have your buds’ addresses handy. Does it get any
easier?!
Think big
A huge backyard is just begging to be played on. So if yours is big enough,
split up into teams for kickball, capture the flag or throwback rounds of
Mother May I and Red Rover. Toss cameras to those who opt out to get them in on
the fun. Limited space? No sweat! Take over your neighborhood, a nearby park,
playground or practice field. Just be respectful of others sharing your area
(and get permission, if necessary).
Got a mixed bag? Make
‘em mingle
Split up into two teams (boys vs. girls always works!). Have
everyone write down a famous figure on a slip of paper, then toss 'em all into
a bowl and let the three rounds of guessing begin. In round one, the first
player picks a name and acts it out, charades-style. Once her team guesses
correctly, she grabs another name and repeats as many times as she can within
60 seconds, earning one point for each correct guess. After her turn, the next
team is up. Go back and forth until every player has had a turn and all the
names are used up. In round two, put all the names back into the bowl and
repeat the process—except this time, each player will describe the figure in
words (without saying the name directly, of course) for two points per guess.
In round three, every player uses just one word to describe the figure (so
choose wisely!) for three points each. Tally up the total points and declare
the winning team!
Old school eats
Give the goodies you gobbled down as a kid a grown-up twist.
CLICK HERE for our favorite recipes, or get creative. We love the idea of a
picnic spread with BBQ pork sliders, sweet potato wedges, summer veggie
flatbreads, tomato mac ‘n’ cheese’ and Southwest salad. Yum!
Fab favors
Your big night is 2 Good 2 B 4gotten! Send your besties home
toting treasures they’ll treasure. You don’t have to spend a boatload for
thoughtful prezzies. Photo flipbooks, homemade cookies, your playlist burned
onto a CD and the signed poster pics will be big hits.
BY BRITTANY TAYLOR ON 8/1/2012 5:32:00 PM
POSTED IN summer parties, backyard BBQ how-to, get outside, how to throw a killer party, Aug/Sept 2012