Friday Freebie: Eclipse Viewing Party Ideas and Printables

I am a die hard Twi-hard!  I love, love, love the books, the movies and R. Patts (he's my celebribeau).  In honor of the release of the next movie in the series, Eclipse, I took a break from creating items for my Etsy store (coming soon!) and designed some toppers, napkin rings and a fill-in invitation for anyone else who shares my love for the Cullens et. al. If you might happen to throw an Eclipse viewing party, maybe these items with fit in with your decor.  You may download these items via the links at the end of the post.

To host your own party here are some tips!

Guests

Mostly chicks dig the vamps and wolves, but there appears to be a growing trend among men who really like the movies.  Either way, invite good company - and since it's a viewing party you should decide if you are going to watch the movie before the bash or after.  Don't forget to buy tickets in advance!

Food & Drink

Keep the menu simple. I'm all about coming up with fun names for food and there is so much you can do:

Vamp Bites (Roast Beef Bites) - The Cullens dine on deer meat - but since venison is not always something you can find at your local supermarket, make a nice beef tenderloin or sirloin and slice it into medillions, top with sauteed mushrooms and serve on a small bed of with mixed greens.

Once Bitten, Twice Diced (Bruschetta) - Historically, Vamps don't like garlic so if you're on Team Jacob - this will keep bloodsuckers at bay.  Toast up garlic bread, dice some tomatoes, chop some fresh garlic and sprinkle with fresh basil.

Bite Me & Die (Red Velvet Cupcakes) - Bake mini red velvet cupcakes, top with a to-die-for cream cheese frosting and create fang marks in the frosting using red icing gel.

Forbidden Kisses & Blood Suckers (Hershey Kisses & Twizzlers) - A simple bowl or a tall cylinder vase filled with these favorite candies makes this idea super sweet and super simple. 

Drinks

Why blood of course!  Just kidding.  Seriously, you definitely need a cocktail - why not an apple martini (apple is the forbidden fruit, after all) or Vampire wine.  If you aren't into spirits (no pun intended) then try a red colored party punch.

Games & Activities

Trivia Games are always a hit - you can download my Eclipse quiz here.  Whoever wins will have proven themselves to be the biggest fan and wins a fabulous prize.  A fantastic prize or thank you gift would be Stephenie Meyer's new novella The Second Short Life of Bree Tanner.  For an activity have a t-shirt making contest and have your guests create their own Team Jacob or Team Edward shirts.

Dazzling Decor

Red, black and silver are the colors to go for - find a good balance of the three and you can create a charming soiree for you and your 'covent'.  Accessorize with a good blend of classical and modern elements like chandeliers, candelabras and crystals (representative of diamonds) and elegant silverware....fill bowls with apples, print out pictures of the characters and put them in photo frames and hang twinkle lights in your party area for a 'sparkling' effect.  

You can download free party printables here:

Eclipse Movie toppers, tags and napkin rings

Eclipse Movie Viewing Party fill-in invitation

(Invitations can be printed on 8-1/2 x 11 cardstock and cut to size or on A7 size paper (5x7)

Keeping Busy

In between getting items designed for my upcoming Etsy store, I recently finished a Red Velvet Casino themed cake for a friend's mother's 70th birthday party.  You know I tend to stick to my cupcakes - mostly because cakes can be very unforgiving, but I do loves me a challenge and nothing has been more challenging than this cake.  I had a whole different design in mind for decorating it, but what I came out with was this:

I'm still getting used to my new camera - so the exposure is off a bit - but there was a decorative spray of stars, hearts, diamonds, clubs and spade shapes on top of the cake which you can't really see.  It came out better than I expected if I must say so myself.

For the Memorial Day holiday, I came across this video on making Dogs and Burgers cupcakes - a perfect idea for a summertime celebration.  Over the weekend, I decided to put some together with the help of my trusty assistant (aka - The Mini Diva).

This is a really fun idea and they were so easy to make and great for the kids to be involved with.  If you make them, I'd love to see how they come out - send pictures!  Well, back to designing more adorable items for my store!