Beanbag Toss + Ring Toss are easy and fun games to host in the backyard, and treats like corndogs, popcorn, cotton candy and homemade apple pie will make your guests feel like they’re enjoying an afternoon at the fairgrounds. Striped paper straws will add a fun element to glasses of lemonade shake ups and lollipop party favors give your guest something fun to take home with them.

Don’t forget to adorn yourself with a perfectly colorful dress + striped bag to match!

1.Favor Affiar 2. Courtney Jade Photography 3. Buckets of Grace 4. Courtney Jade Photography 5. ModCloth 6. Pickled Parlor 7. Favor Affair 8.HWTM 9. Mike Rogers 10. JCrew

Some see glitter, whether dusted onto your shoulders or incorporated into eye makeup, as gaudy and ostentatious. Others see it as a fun way to express themselves.

Image courtesy of Flickr and Holly Occhipinti

Before we get into the debate, let’s clarify. I don’t mean the fine shimmer that most of us use in our eye shadows and lip glosses. Instead, I’m talking about the coarse, shiny sparkles you can see clearly from a few feet away.

Does glitter have a place at your party?

When glitter is appropriate:

• Lively dinner parties. These are the parties with your closest, sassy friends. They know you’re cool enough to pull off some glitter eye shadow.
• Nighttime backyard barbecues. When it comes to a night of fun, friends and barbecued meats, all beauty bets are off.

When glitter isn’t so appropriate:

• Solemn or serious dinner parties. If your husband’s boss is invited, you might want to leave glitter out of the equation.
• Daytime, outdoor parties. Glitter is best at night, so a picnic party isn’t a very good place for it. If you’re still bent on busting out the glitter, stick with glitter nail polish: it’s a good compromise.

You see a trend here, right? If it’s at night or is all about fun and friends, then glitter is fine for the party. If it’s serious or during the day, glitter isn’t as appropriate.

But, like with all fashion rules, you’re free to break them! Use your own discretion when it comes to party glitter.

Image courtesy of culinarycreationswchefjay.blogspot.com

Cinco de Mayo falls on a Saturday this year, so there’s no excuse why you can’t celebrate with a tasty tequila-based drink in hand. Not sure what to have? Try one of these cold concoctions and get your fiesta on with friends!

For a classic go-to for guests, try a tequila sunrise (recipe from chow.com).

For a trendy treat, try blood orange margaritas (recipe from margaritarecipes.org):

Ingredients:

• 1 quart fresh blood orange juice or fresh orange juice
• 1 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2 cup Cointreau or other orange liqueur
• 3 1/2 cups silver tequila
• Coarse salt
• 1 blood orange wedge or orange wedge
• 12 thin blood orange slices or orange slices
• Ice
• 12 small sage sprigs or leaves

Directions:

In a large pitcher, mix the juices, Cointreau and tequila. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 30 minutes.

Spread a small mound of salt on a small plate. Moisten the outer rim of martini glasses with the orange wedge, then dip the rims into the salt to lightly coat.

Add ice to the pitcher and stir well, then strain into prepared glasses. Garnish each drink with a blood orange slice and sage sprig.

Serve immediately; repeat as desired.

For a decadent dessert, try margarita mousse (recipe from foodnetwork.com):

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup limeade concentrate or tequila
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice or Triple Sec
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon grated lime zest
• 1 cup whipping cream

Meringue:

• 3 egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon cream or tartar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Custard

Directions:

*Fun fact: Cinco de Mayo is NOT Mexico’s Independence Day (that falls on September 16th). In 1862, the French tried to take over Mexico and make the people pay the debt it owed the French, but they were unsuccessful. Instead, May 5th celebrates Mexico’s defeat of the foreign forces in Puebla, Mexico.

If your answer is “I never dress up for my parties,” then it’s time to bust out your nice clothes. You’re dressing up.

Image courtesy of Flickr and Evil Erin

5 Reasons to Get Dressy for Your Next Party

1. You want to try out that new dress. It’s been hanging in your closet for months now. Bite the bullet and wear it out.
2. There are people you want to impress. You’ve invited your boss, your mother in law or your latest crush. Impress them all with your stylin’ outfit.
3. You need a change of pace. And you’re sick of the jeans and t-shirts.
4. It fits your party’s theme. Perhaps it’s a dinner party or a holiday party. A Vikings sweatshirt isn’t going to work.
5. It’s time to grow up. Keggers were fine when you were 21, but that just won’t fly now that you’re getting older and wiser. Make your clothes match your new wiser status by kicking the class up a notch.

Don’t forget to take pictures of the results! Then, the next time you’re not sure if you want to dress up, you can reminisce about the time you totally wowed your guests with some fancy outfit and a ton of style.

Host an old school game night with your friends or family with place cards made from Scrabble tiles, vintage Bingo cards at every place setting and take pictures with fun mustaches on a stick resembling the Monopoly man.

Decorate with vintage game boards found at thrift stores or garage sales and serve game piece resembling food like the Domino cookies below.

A night of board games, fun food + fun photo opportunities – what could be better?

Doesn’t that make you want to break out the Monopoly board?

Links: 1.realsimple.com 2.countryliving.com 3. Edison Photography 4. Squidoo.com 5.Daily Candy 6. Restoration Hardware 7. Celebrations at Home 8.Regina’s Studio 9. Celebrations at Home 10. Morning Cloak

We’ve already told you about pastels for spring, so as an alternative we love the new trend of bright, almost-neonlike colors. Striking liners, shimmery shadows, colorful lips and spring-ready shades of polish will all take your look from blah to bold. To make your accent color pop, keep the rest of your face simple. A swipe of color on lids complements a sheer gloss, and a pretty pout paired with only a swipe of mascara on lashes looks summery with sunglasses. Read on for our top products that pop.

FOR EYES:

Don’t be scared of green liner. This grassy shade works because the shimmer keeps it from looking drab, and the color–not too light, not too dark– is vibrant enough to stand out against your lashline.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Graffiti. Image courtesy of sephora.com

This palette offers not only bright shades of pink, purple, blue, green and gold, but also three everyday white-beige neutrals that you can use as highlighters to enhance your look.

Kat Von D True Romance Eyeshadow Palette in Mi Vida Loca. Image courtesy of sephora.com

Makeup pros know that MAKE UP FOR EVER is the go-to for true-to-form pigments, and this rich royal blue would make anyone’s eyes pop.

MAKE UP FOR EVER Pure Pigments in Blue. Image courtesy of sephora.com

FOR LIPS:

A poppy pink lip paired with summery shades is the best way to look flirty at the beach or at the pool with minimum amount of effort.

YSL Rouge Volupte Lipstick in Provocative Pink. Image courtesy of amazon.com

A glamorous mouth in a deep pink gets a look-at-me enhancement when the color is glossy with mirror-like shine.

MAC Pro Longwear Lipglass in Full Speed Ahead. Image courtesy of realbeauty.com

Orange-based lipsticks are still huge, but if you’re too scared to try the look, opt instead for a more subtle gloss version. A sheer wash of melon also looks fresh, fun and on-trend.

Maybelline New York Shine Sensational Lip Gloss in Mad Melon. Image courtesy of amazon.com

FOR NAILS:

Katy Perry rocked this color at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards, and now years later we’re still swooning over this summery shade, which would look amazing against a tan.

China Glaze Nail Lacquer in Yellow Polka Dot Bikini. Image courtesy of ulta.com

Essie’s summer collections never disappoint. This year our top choice is Action, a vibrant light orange that’ll have your feet sandal-ready in no time.

Essie Nail Polish in Action. Image courtesy of essie.com

Upon drying, this posh polish releases a spring-ready scent of roses. This shimmery soft green is the perfect spring-to-summer transition color.

Dior Nail Vernis in Waterlily. Image courtesy of amazon.com

With the Hunger Games craze, what’s more appropriate than having a Hunger Games themed party? For activities, have an archery contest (with a fake bow and arrow of course) or have a Hunger Games scavenger hunt where players have to use clues to find different things from the movie.

Serve fun food from the movie like berries, bread, apples and goat cheese and have gorgeous Hunger Games themed treats for dessert. For decoration, make gold origami birds and hang them from the ceiling, and serve the ‘Effie Trinket’ Martini as a fun drink.

Have you seen the movies or read the books?

Links: 1. Fable and Lore. 2. Wedding Chicks 3. Tres Sugar 4. Confessions of a Cookbook Queen 5. Fictional Food 6. Hostess with the Mostess 7. Infinite Musings 8.Elizabeth Banks 9. Wedding Chicks

Image courtesy of Trisha Bartle

But does that mean you have to incorporate pastels into your wardrobe, makeup and nails? What if you don’t like these sweeter-than-sweet colors? While that would certainly put you right in line with the trend of the season, it’s okay to break the rules.

Situations Wear Pastels Don’t Work

• Your signature color leaves pastels in the dust. If you’re known for rocking hot pink or a deep shade of emerald green, don’t be afraid to keep this trend going through spring. After all, it’s your signature color. It be weird if you didn’t wear it!
• You’re getting ready for a night on the town. Pastels seem out of place during a fancy dinner at a five-star restaurant or on the dance floor of a darkened nightclub. Leave your pale pink tennis skirt and lavender tank top at home and bust out the dark, sultry colors instead.
• You just plain hate them. It’s okay; you don’t have to like pastels. Not everyone does. If it doesn’t match your interests or personality, leave the pastels to someone else. Just because it’s spring doesn’t mean you have to look like an Easter egg, after all.

Color trends are just like any other fashion rule: they’re just a guideline. You won’t be nabbed by the fashion police if you go a different direction this season.

Food:

What else? Whether BBQ to you means pulled pork and pulled chicken or hot dogs and hamburgers, the right food can set the mood of your summer soiree. Make sure to provide plenty of napkins.

For dessert, make these delicious cake batter milkshakes from A Beautiful Mess.

Cake Batter Milkshakes. Image courtesy of abeautifulmess.typepad.com

Don’t know what to serve them in? Try a cute mason jar with a handle so people can walk around and mingle after dinner.

Libbey Drinking Jar. Image courtesy of libbey.com

Drinks:

Serve water in tall washed-out wine bottles and have guests pour it into colorful glasses like the ones below.

Decorations:

Look for decor with natural wood elements. For example, you can adorn these stakes with long-stemmed flowers, and the clear wine bottles to hold the blooms tie in well with the ones you can put on the table and fill with water for refreshment for guests.

Bottled Garden Stakes. Image courtesy of anthropologie.com

When the sun sets, use mini lanterns to light up the night.

Luminous Mini Lanterns. Image courtesy of favoraffair.com

Image courtesy of Flickr and Alisdair

Whether you’re slinging the burgers yourself or you’re arriving fashionably late as one of the invited guests, the following fashion and beauty tips will save you from any foibles during the party.

1. Wear flats. You may be tempted to try on your new fancy peep-toed high heels, but leave these at home. If you’re going to walk or stand on a lawn, your spikes will sink right into the ground. Instead, choose a pretty flat shoe that will keep you where you belong: above ground.
2. Avoid white. While white is normally the perfect color of clothing for spring, it’s best to avoid white for a barbecue. Grass, stray barbecue sauce or a drop of red wine are all conspiring against you to cause a nasty stain. While you can always use a stain remover if accidents happen, white is still the hardest to clean and the easiest to notice when something goes wrong.
3. Embrace pastels. Pastel is the color choice of the season. If you’re looking at your wide array of eye shadow and don’t know what to do, always reach for the pastels in soft pinks, light blues and cool lavenders. It will suit an outdoor barbecue far better than a super dark smoky eye.

With these tips, you’re now prepared for the best outdoor barbecue party of the season.