One of the fastest, easiest ways to create a bang at your party is to hire Leslie Vasquez to face paint your guests. She has designs for all ages ... yes, that's right face painting isn't just for girls and boys anymore. Teens love the glam and tribal designs because it's actually movie makeup she uses. Women love the elegant butterflies, grapevines, holiday masks, mardi gras masks, etc. and even men are asking for Tyson's tattoo, KISS makeup, sports logos, humorous designs, tribal, guitars, superheros, monsters and more. She's even facepainted a family's dog upon request.
Guests leave talking about your party for weeks/years.
There are several ways to make a party spectacular depending on your time and budget.
A Simple Party
Bake or buy a Cake.
Invite others over.
Boom! You have a party.
That's honestly the simplest, most inexpensive way to have a party -- just invite others over for cake and free play. That's it.
But if you want something a little more ... magical, hire a face painter.
That alone will add dimensions of fun and guests will remember it for a long time to come. Face painting turns an ordinary play-date into a special event that will make an impression on parents and children alike.
Children light up and jump into play-mode after being face painted. It helps shy kids interact with others. It gives everyone a topic of conversation. It sparks kids imaginations and suddenly they become the characters painted on their faces, running around activily being creative.
Adults' faces light up when they see Leslie's creations on their children ... imagine you are that child seeing your parent's face light up each time they glance at you. That's what it's all about for Leslie ... helping children feel loved.
If you want more magic, add more details.
My mother always told me it's the little details that make a party extra special. Add music, add bubbles, add decorations, add costumes, add food, add twinkle lights, add entertainment, add activities ... all the little things add up to a party that guests won't soon forget.
Here are some simple suggestions to turn basic parties into spectacular events:
Bubbles or bubble machine
Fog machine
Music
Dim lights and add twinkle lights around room (I use those tiny white lights off the Christmas Tree)
Swags - add swags of tule netting draped around the room with twinkle lights
Metalic ribbons - decorate with glittery ribbons on everything. Metalic ribbons catch the twinkling lights.
Activities - keep them simple and let their imaginations fly
Have a theme (see suggestions below)
Visit Family Fun Magazine's website (Disney) for loads of ideas
Search Google or another search engine for your theme for more ideas
Pony rides
Variations on a theme:
Frozen - Hire Leslie to come dressed as Elsa and paint all the kids with a frozen theme. Serve "Frozen" snacks, drinks, etc.
Video Game party - Hire Leslie to paint your child's favorite video game characters on faces. Recently she painted a Plants vs. Zombie party.
Despicable Me Party - make minion cupcakes using Twinkies and candies. Hire Leslie to paint minions on faces.
Tea party - Set up your porch or entryway as a dress up corner ... as guests arrive they can put on costumes over their clothing. Supply the area with feather boas, scarves, neckties or whatever you have. Get out your Halloween costume box and open the lid. Princess dresses, pirate costumes, crowns and hats, hats, hats. You can simplify this step by instead of costumes, hire a face painter to sit at the entrance painting faces as they arrive.
Announce each guest as they arrive giving them a title: The Duke of Sammy has arrived! The Dutchess Areanna! Lord Jimmy!
Serve tea sandwiches and finger size cookies and, of course, tea in beautiful tea cups. Use what you have or buy mix-n-match tea cups from a thrift store or buy new tea sets as a gift to cherish long after the party is over. The Dollar Store or party stores sometimes have inexpensive tea cups in shapes of animals to give as your going away gift at the end of the party.
Decorate with tea pots everywhere.
What's a tea party without the Queen? Hire Leslie to show up as the Queen and to face paint everyone as princesses, Kings, and knights in armor.
My point here is a few simple extras can really create a mood at a party. I went to a pirate party where they hired a young man to dress up as Jack Sparrow, act like him and challenge all the kids to a joust of wooden swords while balancing on a 2x4 "balance beam" set on blocks. The next year this same family hired him again to do the same as Darth Vadar at a Star Wars theme party only this time they used Lightsabers.
Other party ideas (note: all of these make excellent face painting themes by the way):
A mascarade party without the masks? Sure. If you've got a face painter.
Jungle animal party - tigers, zebras, cheetahs, snakes, monkeys
Princess party with dragons, knights in armor, kings, or pirates for the boys
Princess-ballerina party
Fairyland party with fairies, wizards, dragons, and magical creatures
Superhero party with Spiderman, Batman, Superman, etc.
Ballety party
Butterfly party - give away caterpillars which turn into butterflys.
Bug party - give away either plastic or live crickets bought at the pet store ... let parents decide which.
Fish party - Hire a bug expert to bring some bugs to show. Give away gold fish in a bowl and instructions on how to care for them.
Monster party
Pirate party
Harry Potter party
Sports party
Swan or peacock party
Simply Ducky party
Unicorn party
Pegasus
Your favorite character party - again, a face painter can turn everyone into that character.
No theme party (Anything goes) - The children pick, Leslie paints, everyone's happy.
Not sure how to handle some aspect of your party? Ask Leslie. She's been to lots of parties and she'd be happy to assist you with ideas for everything from the cake decorations to the punch. Email leslie@leslievasquez.net .
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