The first obstacle to overcome in throwing a surprise party of any kind is to make sure the person(s)-to-be-surprised will be there to enjoy all the hard work you’re going to put into organizing this party.

My suggestion off the bat is: don’t do it alone! More people invested in this party’s success means less stress, more brainstorming, and more time efficiently managing and implementing all the tasks a party entails.

Our Easter celebrations usually take place in the enclosed back garden of our apartment building (the weather is breezy and balmy in Athens this time of year) between the 3 families/neighbors and friends of ours that come to us to spend Easter Sunday BBQ-ing and stuffing our faces full of yummy goodies!

April 2020.

It’s time for Spring and new beginnings, Easter, egg hunts and celebrations but the circumstances of these times call for «Social Distancing» due to the pandemic that affects the whole world.

Clean Monday (Καθαρά Δευτέρα) is the first day of Great Lent in Greek Orthodox countries. «Clean» signifies the cleansing of the body (from non-fasting foods) and spirit (from sinful attitude).

Welcome to the second installment of the series «A Year of Parties», Valentine’s day edition. In a previous post here I mentioned that you can celebrate Valentine’s day three ways:

Can you see the light at the end of the tunnel yet? You’re almost there…you just need to give proper attention to these last details and your event is a GO!

This post is the first installment in a new series called «A Year of Parties» for 2020. I plan on highlighting an opportunity to throw a party suited for each and every month of this year. The theme of each party will be dedicated to something special and characteristic to each month. I aim to show you that setting up a party isn’t necessarily costly and doesn’t have to be elaborate to hit the «feel-good-meter’s» highest point for hosts and guests alike.

When color experts at Pantone decide next year’s «Color of the year», they rely on extensive research in fields as diverse as the art market, the beauty industry, automotive manufacturing, tech, etc. This particular shade of blue really gives the feeling of confidence and stability.

As with everything decoration related, there’s no right or wrong, too much or not enough. Your personal style will always be influenced by factors in and out of your control. There are seven steps that are “essential” for every festive tablescape…

Edible gifts appeal to the foodie in everyone. Especially those that are homemade carry an added value that no store-bought item can offer.

In Greece, the month of December tends to be a bit chilly but more sunny than snowy (with the exception of the mountains) so it doesn’t have the natural “Christmassy” vibe of Europe’s many snow-covered cities. If you’re in a milder climate (like Athens) you might find it difficult to get your Christmas hat on even if all the shop-vitrines are decorated, clove and cinnamon smell is in the air and Christmas music is playing non-stop everywhere.

The topic of decorations is the last “big” thing to consider / think on and decide before your party / event is almost a go! I think, we can all agree that decorations for any event, big or small, can be as limited or as elaborate as your budget, style and/or theme dictates. It is the “last touch” that will bring everything together, making an event aesthetically pleasing

Following our previous blog post about the benefits of crafting with children (you can read all about it here) I’d like to showcase a few ideas and techniques that you can implement into this year’s crafting

Many studies have been published about the benefits of children crafting. All talk about how crafting …

First and foremost let’s separate at-home parties from catered events at venues, because usually at-home parties are “catered” by family and friends while venues either have in-house catering or you can/have to hire a private caterer for your event.

The last day of August, 2019 wasn’t just another hot and sunny summer day in Athens. After a whole year of dreaming, envisioning, implementing and organizing your wedding-plans it was the day of your wedding.

Social events, even if we make them as unique and tailored to us as possible, have a few key vendors that are common for all. Depending on the event itself you’ll need a few or an array of vendors to contribute to the success of the event.

Compiling a guest list is your next big thing to tackle so you can make decisions that’ll produce an awesome event. Depending on your event-purpose this task might be a 10-minute-case, a multi-day-brainstorming and everything in between.

Modern-day Mother’s Day began in the United States, at the initiative of Anna Jarvis in the early 20th century and it’s celebrated on the second Sunday of May for more than 90 countries. It is a celebration honoring the mother of the family, as well as motherhood.

THE EASTER DATE “ALGORITHM”

Each year the date of both Catholic and Orthodox Easters change weekends and more often than not, the Orthodox happens later by some weeks.

When you’re done with the dreaded job of budgeting it’s time to go venue hunting if you’re organizing a formal event or a party you do not want to “house” at home. (For a reminder about place and date, please, refer to this post)

The last year of high school for a student means your nose is glued to the books, sleepless nights to cram a little more knowledge into your head, not enough hours spent trying to catch up on sleep.

Step by step, you are getting closer to establishing a memorable event that’ll reflect your personality and style, please all your guests and will leave you satisfied with all you’ve achieved. A rather dull and sometimes uncomfortable but absolutely necessary aspect of event planning is finances.

In my quest for the true meaning and real story behind Valentine’s day I came upon numerous articles and blog posts that recount the story of a Christian priest named Valentine , the Lupercalia , the Roman Emperor Claudius Gothicus II and a blind girl who happened to be a jailer’s daughter. The only safe conclusion to these stories is that the way we celebrate this day has nothing to do with St. Valentine himself or the reason he was martyred for.

The next step in organizing a successful and memorable event is choosing a team that will make sure that your vision will come to life. As awesomely organized and creative you might be, nobody establishes an event on his/her own.

It’s only fitting that we start the new year with a blog post about the «Color of the Year 2019». It is an annual announcement from the U.S. based Pantone Color Institute, best known for its color matching system, enabling color-sensitive decisions for designers and manufacturers in the graphic, fashion and product design industry.