Tweens are sometimes the hardest age-group to have a party for when it comes to games. They’re a little old for piñata, yet you can’t think of anything else to play but Pin the Hair on Zac Efron. Here are a few games and activities that you may already have around your home, or are fairly simple to make up.

• Pop Culture Trivia: No need to go all out for this. Visit a few websites or read a couple of magazines your child has lying around. Pull easy questions from what you read, break the kids into teams and voila!
• Who Knows The Birthday Boy/Girl Best?: Come up with a few questions about your child (favorite book, celebrity, etc.), and have them write their answers on a separate sheet of paper. Again, you can break the kids into teams, or have them compete individually writing down their answers on their own paper. Whoever gets the most right wins!
• Apples to Apples, Jr.: This is a great game that can last for minutes or hours. Kids have to make the best match of a noun to the given adjective (e.g. Heavy = a bowling ball, elephant, car, etc.)
• Make Your Own…: Now pick what to make! Pizzas, tacos, and snack mixes are all great food options. or, you can let the kids make their own party favors by making necklaces, decorating journals, or cd cases.
• Scavenger Hunt: Hide different clues around the house (or even the neighborhood) to find prizes or even party supplies.

When choosing the games and activities for the party, keep the birthday tween involved in as much of the planning as possible. They’ll appreciate the grown-up responsibility. Also, let them choose their invitations and decorations on Big Dot of Happiness. They’ll take so much pride in decorating their own party; it may just be effortless for you!

Posted by Jillian, a Dot-arilla Blogger

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Check out all of our birthday party packs available at SimplyBirthdayStuff.com!

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Is the mini-swashbuckler in your life is singing, “Yo-ho-ho, a pirates theme for me!”? Let him know that Big Dot of Happiness feels the same way. We now offer a Pirate Birthday theme, sure to have guests saying “Ahoy, Mates!” as they join you on the deck to celebrate your little one.

We offer you need to throw a great party. Start with personalized invitations and matching return address labels. Get the place ready with a customized banner, some balloons, and streamers. Then set up a pirate’s feast with our themed tableware, complete with personalized placemats. Don’t let guests leave without some booty. Fill a small bucket with a pirate’s treasure of personalized mini candy bars. How sweet! Big Dot of Happiness also offers Thank you cards for after guests have shipped out. 

Don’t walk the plank. Instead, let your fingers do the walking… right to Big Dot Of Happiness as you pick out everything you need to throw a party any parrot would be proud to

attend!

Posted by Jillian, a Dot-arilla Blogger 

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Want to get the best deal on flowers, venues, music, and more? Here are a couple of tips for getting the best deal on major expenses for any event:

1. Know your budget. Vendors are better equipped to help you out when they know what you can spend.
2. Know what you need. Don’t get sucked into things you don’t really need, like a coat check for a summer event. Ask what packages your vendor can offer and make sure the one pick has things that you need, then ask about the cost of extras.
3. Adopt a friendly, but firm, attitude. Being polite and assertive helps you and your vendor when working out the details, and encourages the vendor to come up with creative solutions for your budget.
4. Be prepared to walk away. If negotiations aren’t working out, politely say “No, thank you” and continue looking for a different vendor.
5. Know what’s in season. This applies to everything from flowers to food. If you’re booking an event in the summer, know that things will be more expensive because it’s wedding season. As far as things like flowers and food go, ordering what’s in season helps to cut costs because there will be no need to ship special orders just for your events.
6. Keep it as simple as possible. The easier the request, the more likely it is you’ll get a better deal on it.

Don’t forget that your supplies are already available at a budget-friendly price by Big Dot of Happiness. We have everything from the invitations and party favors, to the decorations and tableware. There’s no need to stress when everything is ordered in just a few clicks!

 Posted by Jillian, a Dot-arilla Blogger

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For the tween who loves movies, a Hollywood party is a great theme. Go with Big Dot’s Modern Black & White Floral theme and accent it with red tablecloths and tableware. You can pick up a strip of carpet remnant at a flooring store for that all-important red carpet. Serve sparkling cider in pretty glasses and hors d’oeuvres on elegant platters for an upscale twist.

Ask your guests to dress to impress, and take pictures as everyone enters the party (parents can act as paparazzi). You can print out the photos later as party favors. For games, write a celebrity’s name on a Post-It, and stick on a child’s back. They have to ask other guests yes-or-no questions about their celebrity to figure out who they are. First prize for this one? How about a pair of movie passes to the local Cineplex! If you’re making it a sleepover, let the kids pick movies that all about the Hollywood life like Beverly Hills Chihuahua or The Hannah Montana Movie.

This theme is a great option for tweens because they are just beginning to be old enough to contribute to the party planning. Give them options. Surf Big Dot of Happiness together to choose the invitations and other decorations and tableware, so that they feel really involved in the process. When all is said and done they are the star of the evening!

Posted by Jillian, a Dot-arilla Blogger

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Our Ladybug theme is a hot seller for birthdays. It’s no wonder since Big Dot of Happiness offers everything you need to add whimsy to the party. Start with our personalized invitations, and then add our Ladybug tableware like personalized placemats, plates and cups. Then complement these with red and black tablecloths and flatware. For decorations, Big Dot offers Mylar balloons in the shape of ladybugs, plus more red and black balloons, personalized ladybug banners, and streamers.

To continue the theme beyond décor, ask guests to dress up in black and red. Make a round cake or cupcakes in red velvet or chocolate with red frosting (add food coloring to vanilla frosting). Top them off with mini chocolate chips and voila: easy ladybug cakes. You can even turn this into a great activity for kids: set out the frosting and different brown/black candies and let them make their own edible ladybugs!

Don’t forget the party favors! Big Dot offers lots of different options for do-it-yourself goodies. Get personalized candy bar wrappers for a sweet treat or, for older kids, try our body butter or lip balm decorated with personalized stickers.

The Ladybug theme is adorable and affordable, a great combination when it comes to throwing any party. And don’t forget, Big Dot of Happiness offers many different themes, so keep us in mind for other events too!

Posted by Jillian, a Dot-arilla Blogger

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Big Dot of Happiness has all of the birthday party supplies you need for any age! Need supplies for a child’s birthday? We have over two dozen to choose from. Check out our themes for milestone 30, 40, 50, and 60-year birthdays, too.

Once you’ve chosen your birthday party theme, our supplies will astound you! Here is a list of just a few of the supplies Big Dot of Happiness provides:

• Invitations you can personalize and send out as soon as they arrive!
• Tableware including tablecloths, flatware, and personalized placements.
• Personalized banners and candy bar wrappers.
• Decorations
• Favors

Not only does Big Dot provide all of the birthday party supplies you could possibly need, but also for baby and bridal showers, weddings, and baptisms. Buy your birthday party supplies at Big Dot of Happiness once and you’ll never want to brave the party stores again!

Posted by Jillian, a Dot-arilla Blogger

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Every child loves balloons, and that love nearly always carries into adulthood. When planning decorations for your event, don’t forget this fun and whimsical element! Big Dot of Happiness carries balloons for all occasions to match our themes!

Looking for a few fun ways to incorporate balloons into your party beyond the standard pile on the floor? Try these out:

• Balloon Games: How fast can people pop a balloon? How long can make it stay on their head or a wall with static electricity? How many can they stuff in a bag or box without popping them?
• Centerpiece: Glue or tape a few blown up balloons to the base of a vase for a large, festive display.
• Artwork: Tape alternate colors together on one wall to make fun designs like flowers, stripes, or anything else you can think of!

You can purchase regular balloons in a variety of colors or go with one of our special Mylar designs, many of which match different themes. All of Big Dot’s balloons are helium quality too, so you can have them blown up and ready to fly anywhere!

Posted by Jillian, a Dot-arilla Blogger

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Monkey see, monkey do! Check out our new Plush Monkeys that match our Monkey Boy and Monkey Girl Themes! Perfect for baby showers and birthday parties.

Plush Monkeys are now available at BabyShowerStuff.com and SimplyBabyStuff.com.

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