Wednesday, August 3, 2011

{Party Ideas} End of Summer Celebrations

With only a month left of summer vacation, this is the perfect time to start planning an End of Summer Celebration. Over the next few days, I will be sharing some fun, easy, and inexpensive ideas to help make your Summer Celebration a memorable one.

Today's Summer Celebration Idea: Host an End Of Summer Picnic

Image: myrecipes.com

Throw down your best plaid blanket and get ready to celebrate! The relaxed style of a Summer Picnic will allow you and your guests to casually celebrate the summer as it comes to an end. Highlight some of the season's best, offering fresh salads, juicy watermelon, and some easy-to-prepare (and handle) wraps and sandwiches. Here are a few menu ideas to get you started on the right track: A Three Bean Salad, Mediterranean Layered Sandwich and a Sweet Chili Wrap, and Watermelon Sticks.

Help your guests cool down with some favorite warm-weather beverages. Whether serving lemonade, iced-tea, or fun chilled cocktails, be creative with your presentation while trying to stick with the relaxed, Summer Picnic theme. Mason jars or empty jelly jars, for example, are an inexpensive and fun way to serve beverages and are much more sheek than a paper cup!

Image: Mixing Bowl

Don't forget dessert! There are so many options for Summer Picnic themed desserts. Homemade ice cream, a fresh fruit cobbler, strawberry shortcake... or how about Chocolate Almond Ant Cupcakes?!?! I love this cupcake idea from What's New, Cupcake? , which I came across over at Hostess With the Mostess. Not only are they relatively easy to put together, but they go along with the picnicn theme and are sure to be a hit with young and old alike. To create, frost cupcakes with green icing and roll the edges in colored coconut (use food coloring). Use chocolate-covered almonds and dark chocolate frosting to create the ant toppers and accessorize a few with purchased watermelon candy fruit. Love it!

Image: Hostess With The Mostess

Remember to keep things simple and relaxed so that you are able to enjoy the party, too. And don't forget to have fun! 

1 comment:

  1. Great idea to host an end-of-summer party! Seems summer just zipped by...but then autumn is such a lovely season for celebrations, too. :-)

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