Sadly, this is the last week of our Friday Freebies. I want to thank everyone who’s commented over the past 4 weeks. I also want to congratulate Jennifer Perez who won last week’s set of Blue Wave candle holders with a very touching moment she shared with us about her father. I also want to thank the folks at PartyLite for hooking us up with some great stuff for the past month, and boy did we save the best for the last.
This week we’re going back outside to go out with a bang! Check out PartyLite’s Linear Lites Collection. The new Linear Lites 3-wick holder, a dazzling centerpiece with a glass cylinder insert to protect candle flame when used outside. Along with that, we’ve got 3 Linear Lites Pillar Holders in three sizes (14 ½” short, 16 ¼” medium and 18″ tall) and a Linear Lites Votive Pair for votives and tealights. And of course, don’t forget the candles: one Petite 3-Wick 3×5″ , one dozen votives , and another dozen tealights! All in Citrus Bloom Citronella scent, a tangy and surprising Citronella oil from fragrant Asian grasses combined with the tangy scent of citrus blossoms. A great fragrance for outdoor entertaining.
Total package Worth: $270
All you have to do is answer this week’s question in the comments below with a valid email address before Monday Night @ Midnight Eastern. We’ll pick a random winner from all of our comments. Its that simple!
We love parties here at HGTV, so we want to know what’s the best party you’ve every thrown and why?
While you’re trying to decide between the great beach bash of ’99 or new year’s ’88, take some time to check out some of the other great stuff we’ve got going on over here ta Design Happens. This past week we celebrated National Pink Day in style and are already thinking ahead to Christmas with LEON day. We’ve also got some killer stuff going on in our other blogs. Last week saw $250k Challenge wrap up, but starting this Sunday its time for an HGTV Showdown with Lisa LaPorta and Carmen De La Paz taking on Taniya Nayak and Steve Watson. And we’re only a few weeks away from Design Star kicking off in Hollywood.
My brother, sister and I threw a 40th anniversary surprise party for our parents. They could not have been more surprised and they had a wonderful time celebrating with their friends, family and wedding party. Even the flower girl showed up.
The big get together bash right before we sold our house in Breckenridge. It was our last summer in the mountains and the weather was spectacular. The gang all got together on the deck for some good food and excellent friendship. We had some drinks while admiring the mountain view from the deck. The view of the Ten Mile Range can be quite beautiful in the summer. It was an unforgettable afternoon with a nice bunch of people we had come to call friends. I only hope we can have more parties like it in years to come.
Ah, my best party ever would have been my “SuperHero Party”.
To join in the frivolity, guests dressed as their favorite superhero. They brought “hero” (or sub sandwich) fixings. We played all sorts of superhero games (“Pin the Cape” on Superman, etc.) and had quite a silly time of all of it.
I remember one guest couldn’t figure out who her superhero was, so she dressed as a pea in a pod (or was she a grape?!?). It would be great to say she was ‘Veggie Woman”…but this was long before such things were hip.
And why did this party matter? Because we did it just to have fun. We were a bunch of college girls on a Friday night. And I swear there was no alcohol involved…just a bunch of girls laughing, eating and being silly till it was much too late. It was the sort of party memories are made from. And that’s always a good thing!
The best party we’ve thrown recently was for our wedding! (aka Reception) One our own, we planned & executed a beautiful party complete with lots of candles, great food & plenty of flowers. We made all the decisions on our own, and I wasnt sure if it was all going to come together for the party, but it turned out perfectly!!!
I think the retirement party I gave my step-father had to be the best party I ever gave. He worked for many years at a brick plant. He needed a new pair of workboots but since retirement day was so close, he continued to patch them up with duct tape. A friend of mine who worked near my step-Dad saw him on his last day at work—he took off his boots and put on his tennis shoes. As he dropped the boots in the dumpster he said, “I will never have to look at those things again!” My friend told me this and I urged him to go to the dumpster and see if the boots were still there. Sure enough! I put silk flowers in these boots and used them as an arrangement by the guest book. You should have seen my step-Dad’s face when he saw them! Lots of laughs and fun for all!
my youngest son’s 1st b-day party in the park. he saw that all his friends were walking and playing without holding on to their mommy or daddy’s hands or their walkers. next day he let his truck walker go and started to walk. he wanted to be a big boy like his friends. it was a wonderful gift. i thought my son was never going to let that toy go but he did to our astonishment.
I threw my mom a ‘little naughty/little nice’ bridal shower. Because she is a little older and was definately not into the whole bachelorette party thing, this was all in one. The best part were the seven deadly sin gift baskets people won from the games (like a pretty embellished pocket mirror for VANITY). Everyone had a sinfully good time.
My late dad’s surprise 70th birthday party. My dad served in the army for many years in many countries, to include 2 tours in the Korean War. As a result from the war, he suffered from hemorragic fever which later led to kidney failure. Along the way he was diagnosed with diabetes and sufferd 2 strokes, a possible silent heart attack and more things later. My siblings and I wanted to honor him for serving his country and being the best father anyone could be; thus, his 70th party. With family and friends we honored him and his life knowing our time with him was short so we needed to celebrate every minute of his life.
The best party I threw was for my son on his 3rd birthday. My husband and I did a pirate party for him. The best part was just watching his face light up at all the decorations and games and the PIRATE CHEST CAKE,(which was his favorite). Just watching his expressions and his excitment over everything, made you see it through his eyes. There is nothing I would take for just for getting to watch him having fun not even caring about the presents!!!
We had my twin sons’ birthday Party at Chucky Cheese one year and they invited several friends. They had so much fun playing games and eating pizza. The adult relatives and grandparents had fun as well.The best part, I didn’t have to clean up the kitchen!!!
We once threw an outdoor wine party in October. We put white lights in the trees, candles on the tables and used white linens. For dinner, we put pizzas on the grill. It was a huge success!
The best party I ever threw was my Crazy College Halloween Party. My roommate and I wanted to throw the best Halloween party with costumes, games, drinks and music. Just a fun time dressing up and having a good safe time with friends. We each dressed in full costume, myself in a green fairy costume complete with sky blue contacts and pink hair and my roommate as Strawberry Shortcake. We had current music mixed with Halloween tunes and a beer pong table set up in the living room. To complete the party with drinks and munchies we marinated apple slices in green apple vodka, crumbled up oreo cookies with chocolate pudding and gummy worms, and served eyeballs (frozen grapes) in wine coolers. It was such a blast that the two other parties going on in the same building merged into our’s!
My mother in law turned 50 this year and we threw her a surprise party at her fav restaurant with family and friends (past and present)… We had to keep the secret from her for about three months….my daughter wanted to spoil it but in the end it bought tears to her face bc she had no clue
I threw a surprise anniversary/wedding vow renewal for my sister’s 20th anniversary. She was not able to ahve a traditional wedding when she got married initally, so I made sure she had all the bells and whistles this time, wedding dress, brides maids, cake and all! It was the perfect day and prefect surprise wedding!
Regarding the Last Friday Freebies. I just want to try to keep the food and drinks light on a hot summer night. Have a great summer everyone.
My best party was for my daughter’s 5th birthday, it was a princess party! We went out after halloween and bought tons of costumes for like 1.50 each and we dressed all the girls up, hair and makeup, the works! Then we had royal snacks and little shaped sandwiches and played royal games, like stop and go waltzing! Every releative showed up just to watch! It was a lot of work but a ton of fun!
We have thrown a few family parties where we would pick a country and have fun trying new recipes to make the native food and drink. We would play the native music, too. The kids would get involved and draw maps and make a welcome sign for the front door in the native language and provide the adults with some interesting facts about the country. We would also try to dress like the country natives. So far we have done Germany, France, Greece, and Spain. What fun!
um. don’t. throw. parties. need to fix up house first
I enjoyed the party celebrating my daughter’s graduation from law school. As one wave of people left, another wave came. It was a party that transitioned from day to night. Never had a party which lasted that long!
For my daughters 5th birthday, we gave her a very girly tea party. My Mom used all of her decorations she uses for weddings, and it was a fabulous atmosphere. All the little girls were dressed up in their best and had a great time.
I just got done doing a cheap princess party for my 3 year old daughter. My daughter wanted a princess party and I was a little bit panicked since I lost my job. So I thought I’m creative what could I do with what I have. So I made a castle out of all her foam puzzle pieces covered it in tissue, made the tissue look like bricks and then placed the castle in one corner of the room for party decor. I then made a frog, crowns, and set that up for a frog prince game. My daughter and I also found princess clip art online printed them off and stuck them all over the wall to put a princess effect in the room. I also went to the dollar store bought shimmery balloons and streamers to fest up the room. She loved it and we had a blast. I ended up spending all together for decorations, lil princess prizes, and food items $20.
. I’m not sure if I’ll beat the one but it was so fun not only for her but I as well
I was so proud of myself and made my little girl sooo happy for her birthday
I LOVE OUTDOOR GTHERRINGS GRILLING WATCHING PEOPLE HAVE FUN AND THE PARTY IS ALL OLD FRIENDS AND FAMILY HAVING A GOOD TIME RELAXING AND EATING RELIVING STORIES TO LAUHG ABOUT AND PONDER.
The best party I threw was a Hawaiian/Beginning of Summer party. Great grilled Hawaiian kabobs, drinks with little umbrellas and of course everyone dressed up in their best Hawaiian Gear! A nice fire and hula hooping dancing (substitute for Hawaiian Island dance), finished the night off! Good times and haven’t had a party as much fun since!
The best party I threw was a Hawaiian/Beginning of Summer party. Great grilled Hawaiian kabobs, drinks with little umbrellas and of course everyone dressed up in their best Hawaiian Gear! A nice fire and hula hooping dancing (substitute for Hawaiian Island dance), finished the night off! Good times and haven’t had a party as much fun since!
My husbands birthday falls on Leap day, so he only gets an actual birthday every four years. Well anyways for his 36th birthday,(didn’t want to have his party for his 40th-as he would be expecting that.) So i had a surprise party for him on his 36th. I invited all of his friends-new & old. He had a great time!
One of the best parties that I’ve ever thrown was New Year’s eve ’08. I & group of my friends had been calling each other during the few days before trying to figure out what to do to celebrate the dawn of a new and exciting ’09. All of us were coming up empty handed. We didn’t want to deal with crowds, entry expenses, etc… So on the morning of, I remebered one of my clients giing me a “Murder Mystery” dinner party game that she was going to put in her garage sale. I’d placed it up on the shelf in a closet w/other accumulated games. I hadn’t even opened it yet, but when I did, I discovered that I had New Year’s Eve ’08 in a box! It included recipes, costume ideas & even room decor tips. I called everyone, assigned them their characters and violla…success at the last minute. Sometimes the best parties are the ones without extensive planning & tons of work. A little creativity, a theme, some time to shop at the grocery store and the participation and enthusiasm of friends is all you need!!
PLEASE READ MY POST ON JUNE 26th @12:18pm IT WAS THE BEST BEST PARTY FOR ME !! REALLY IT WAS !! ONCE YOU READ IT YOU WILL UNDERSTAND !! JUST ME & MOM VISITING GETTING TO KNOW EACHOTHER AFTER YEARS OF BEING APART !TALKING ONMY BACK PATIONEXT TO MY FLOWER GARDEN !! JUST HER AND I TOGETHER WAS THE BEST PARTY I EVER HAVE HAD !! AND I HAVE HAD MANY !! SO PLEASE GO BACK TO MY EARLIER POST & READ IT JUNE 26th AT 12:18pm !! THANKS SO SO MUCH !! MOM AND I LOVE ALL OF YOU AT HGTV !! ~XO~
The best party I have ever thrown was a surprise anniversary party for my parents. I had a limo pick them up for the day and pre-planned their stops for lunch and shopping (sent gift cards along w/ them). The last stop of the day was at the local winery where all of their friends were waiting to surprise them. We crowned them King and Queen for the day, enjoyed wonderful food, cake and wine to celebrate. It was a great day and a memorable party.
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Definitely would have to be my wine and chocolate tasting party. I made everyone bring a different wine and I created tables so that people could make notes about the wines. I also bought single origin chocolates from all over the world and made a table for our chocolate tasting as well. Probably one of the best and intimate (about 8 women) parties I've ever hosted.
The best party i ever threw was my husbands college graduation. It was a mexican theme.we had special salsa dishes shaped like red chilis everything was bright and colorful like ponchos. had my brother playing and singing mexican songs and i even sang spanish songs. Everybody was dancing and eating tamales, chile colorado and bunuelos. Candles lit up the backyard and fresh roses floated inthe pool.
I guess the best one would be my son's wedding rehersal dinner. We took out all the furniture in the living room & dinning room. We brought in two other dinning room tables and turned the rooms into an Italian resteraunt with outside and inside dinning. My husbands best friend (a chef) catered the whole italian meal. We fed 30 people in a sit down meal with china and all.
Open House Party. Our company was moving up. North that is. We moved into a building that was four times the size of our old building. It was the best party ever because we were able to invite everyone; employees and their family, vendors, bankers, accountants. It was huge. We had appetizers in all the departments, cake in the cafeteria, a magician in the lobby. The owners gave a great speech and everyone cheered to the company's success with a glass of champaign!
My daughter's birthday is Nov 2, so when she was 7 years old we throw her a halloween birthday party. The kids wore costumes and we had a scary house decorations treats and horrors. Everyone had a great time even me.