October Party Themes

October is almost here and I love sharing new party ideas. Themed home parties are so much fun.  It is easy for the hostess and I am able to help her keep things simple.

Here are some theme parties for the month of October (or anytime):

How about a Football Wives party?

I am football fanatic but what a great way to pass the time for those who are not into football (or hockey).  I told my hubby just the other day, he got me hooked on football and now I am the one yelling at the TV during football games.  We have some NEW Fall prints which will give you a chance to shop for the men in your life so they can sport their favorite team’s colors.

Chocolate Lovers Party – Serve chocolate goodies. Guests bring their favorite chocolate bar.  We play a chocolate game and the winner takes home ALL of the chocolate bars.  I mean who doesn’t love chocolate…

Fundraiser Party – October is Breast Cancer Awareness and Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Why not support your favorite cause at the same time guests are doing their shopping? I will donate 25% of all sales to your organization or cause.  Encourage guests to bring their gently used bags to be donated to a local shelter and I will give them a discount on their new purchase. A win-win for everyone.Halloween Party – Do you like Halloween? Challenge your guests to come in costume and earn a gift.  Trick or Treat bags from me.  Serve apple cider,pumpkin pie or candy apples.

Brunch – Nights too busy?  Busy moms would love a moment in between dropping the kids off and the next errand to grab a bagel or donuts, and a fresh cup of coffee or tea. This is can be done as an Open House but for a shorter period of time. It solves so many concerns – no time, what to serve & keep things short and sweet. A great way to spend a Saturday or Sunday morning or that week day morning when the kids are at school.

Men’s Only Party – Invite the men for an afternoon of football, pizza, soda (or beer) and Thirty-One.  Set up a display and let them shop for Christmas presents during halftime, tell them that when they place a $35 (or whatever) order, I’ll wrap the gift for them.  I will help you gather a wish list from your friends (their wives/girlfriends) to make the shopping easy.

What are some of YOUR favorite October party themes? Share them with us.  Better yet, when you have one, take a picture and post it here so we can all see the fun!

Have a Thirty One-derful day!

Hostess Coaching and Party Games

This party idea is courtesy of Melanie Moore, and Melissa Feitsam.

Do your parties need a boost?  Do they seem dull and boring?  Are you struggling with Hostess Coaching? How about adding some more excitement just 24 hours prior to the party?  Here is what you do:

Call your hostess 24 hours before the party. You say, “I need you to call everyone and tell them they need to bring a candy bar. Doesn’t matter what kind, but they HAVE to bring one. And there’s a prize involved that they don’t want to miss!”. You can even send a text picture with this information that she could send a reminder RIGHT BEFORE the party the next day!

So, besides re-confirming the party; you are creating some excitement.  This will get your hostess to call her guests to reconfirm that they will be coming to the party.  You get everyone thinking about the party and NOW they want to be there.  Of course, chocolate will spark some interest because who can resist a reason to buy their favorite chocolate bar.

After the guests arrive, give points for their chocolate bar as follows:

• Milk chocolate – 1 Point
• Dark chocolate – 5 points
• White chocolate – 10 points
• Without nuts = 1 point
• With nuts = 5 points
• With caramel = 10 points
• In aluminum wrapper = 5 points
• If you bought it before tonight = 10 points
• If you bought it on the way here = -5 points
• If you forgot yours & borrowed this one from the hostess/friend = -10 points
• If it is a mini bar = 1 point
• If it is a regular size bar = 5 points
• If it is a king size bar = 10 points

Bonus points can be given for a tie AND it is also a way to plant booking or recruiting seeds:

• 5 points = if you arrived on time tonight
• 15 points = Say sweetly that you want to host your own sweet party with me in the next 30 days
• 20 points – Ask me sweetly for a quick “no-risk”, it’s just paper info pack on our business opportunity
• 25 points = share your best “chocoholic shuffle” days moves right now!

Time for a Winner:

1) Collect all of the chocolate bars from the guests
2) Add up your point totals on your sheet, the person with the highest score wins ALL of the chocolate bars that night (provide a nice gift bag to hold them all in!)
3) Everyone glares at the winner and wishes her acne breakouts and 10 pound weight gain from all of the chocolate!

This is a fun way to kick off your party – I mean everyone LOVES chocolate, right?  The most important part is that your hostess is connecting with the guests about the party.  If they can’t make it, she is reminding them to order online.  If they were on the fence about coming, this may be the deciding factor for them.

Now, you can change this up by having guests bring canned food to donate to the local food pantry or old purses to donate to Dress for Success.  The possibilities are endless – use your imagination and have fun.

Hostess coaching is the key to successful parties!  Whose ready to try “Death by Chocolate”?

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!