I have to admit that when it comes to planning my kids' birthday parties, I tend to be a bit of a slacker. Occasionally, though, I come across party inspiration that is so fantastic, I am throttled in to wanting to plan the best parties I can imagine. That's how I'm feeling after reading Mena's post about her daughter's It's a Small World party. After getting fed up by "cool" versions of commercialized characters, she decided to devote the party to something her daughter loves: the It's a Small World ride at Disneyland. Only mildly daunted by the fact that she landed on a theme with no purchasable decorative components, she went on to create one of the coolest birthday ensembles I've ever seen. Read on to see how she pieced together a fantastic backdrop, decorated cupcakes and made personalized handmade party favors for each child.

I love what Heidi Kenney of My Paper Crane has done with these paper party streamers to make them extra special. She's sewn and ruffled them in multi-color strips. Fantastic!

Another reason I like these is streamers in general are thought of as disposable. They are thin, cheap, and rip easily. But when sewn like this the streamers become something you can use over and over again. The sewing/stacking/ruffling makes them feel real sturdy and thick.

Sarah James at Instructables shows how to make these Halloween-themed mummy dogs, which would be a perfect snack for your party!

Christy Canida at Instructables shows us how to make an easy, delicious, successful roast chicken first by trussing the chicken (securing the legs and wings so they don't dry out by being overcooked), and then roasting the chicken. If you've never roast a whole chicken before, give it a try!

Perfect for a fall dinner party or even Thanksgiving, check out these felt autumn napkin rings, via The Kitchn.

I love the bright, simple, fun style of these printable pennant cupcake toppers from Rachel at Fog and Thistle.

By Lindsey North, projects intern

So your best friend calls -- you're to attend a fancy dress party, costumes mandatory. But you have nothing to wear! However, you see fun beads and feathers sitting on your crafting table ...

From these small items, along with a clothes hanger, a headband, and a few scraps of fabric, you can make the perfect cocktail hat. (And if you want to make it completely outrageous, you can cover it in peacock feathers and sequins.)

In CRAFT Volume 10 we featured a Fancy Cocktail Hat and showed readers how to make a basic hat form. You start with a piece of metal wire -- an old clothes hanger works wonderfully, since it's light enough to bend easily but strong enough to hold its form.

Instructables user sleepingkills has a tasty tutorial for fried ice cream, what a treat!

Don't these flowers just scream celebration? This set of grouped dahlias makes a lovely arrangement for late summer. Photographer Michelle Feileacan created the scene for her 10th anniversary party. I think she struck the perfect balance of shape, color, and height. Each vase is a standout, but doesn't detract from it's bloom, or it's neighbor. The effect is elegant and complex, while being simple and attainable at the same time. Just like any good soiree!

CRAFT Twitter follower @mommyknows posted up this nifty tutorial for making "sushi" rolls for kids' birthday parties using flat sheets of rice krispies treats and various colorful candies. The results are enticing, and they look fun to make! Gotta love that Swedish fish!

It's Rachel's birthday! Happy Happy Joy Joy! In that spirit, here's are three stunning garlands that I would love to use to decorate her house! The first is a stained glass garland from Pamela Angus in France, the second is a sweet tutorial by Anna Maria Horner, and the third is an epic and popular fabric flower garland from Dolci Odille.

For more party madness, check out Ga-Ga for Garlands on Flickr.

For your next party, try freezing your spirits in a sheath of ice to keep them chilly.

More:

How-To: Basic Bar Essentials

Yarn & Quilled Paper Place Card
By Ann Martin

Here's a place card design that's quick and easy enough to make a large quantity in a short amount of time, assembly-line style. They would look pretty at a bridal shower luncheon or could even grace your Thanksgiving table.

The flowers were made with colorful 2-ply yarn I'd been saving in my sewing box for ages, leftover from a crewelwork pillow kit. I love it when I finally find a use for extra bits that were just too nice to throw away.

A few strips of quilling paper were rolled and folded to make the flower centers and leaves. If you don't have quilling paper, you can easily cut your own strips with a paper trimmer. Just use any paper that's similar in weight to standard computer paper. If you need to join two strips to make a longer one, tear the strip ends before applying a small amount of glue to each, overlapping the ends slightly. The torn edges will blend better than straight cuts and the join spot will barely be noticeable.

Decor it Yourself shows us how to make a simple backyard tiki bar for a festive summer party "getaway" on a budget. Meg even has some cocktail recipe suggestions!

More:

How-To: Basic Bar Essentials

Cheapie party favor squirt guns are hard to fill without a small stream of water, so Instructables user gabebillings hacked together this clever squirt gun filling station for his son's birthday party.

I'm always on the lookout for new fonts and love these stitched typefaces in a roundup compiled by iDiY.

I'll admit it -- I got into drinking Cosmopolitans because of the TV show, Sex and the City. Before that, I was happy to order a Sea Breeze, or even just a Cranberry-and-Vodka. But after a few episodes of watching Carrie and her ladies, I moved on to the harder stuff. They always looked so confident holding their Cosmos. They were all so perfectly dressed, their hair perfectly coiffed. They were fabulous and having a fabulous time. I gotta get me some of that!

I could lie on my couch in my grubbiest pajamas, my hair a big mess, heck, even with an avocado mask on my face, but I still felt stylish and fabulous when I drank my Cosmo and watched the show. When I lived in New Zealand, Sex and the City aired once a week on regular cable, so some lady friends and I got into the habit of making Cosmopolitans and watching the show together, every week. It was a perfect end to a long day. I strongly encourage you to invite a few girlfriends over and host your own Cosmo Clache!

The Classic Cosmopolitan

Ingredients and Utensils
Vodka Higher end brands are better. Something like Stoli always works well.
Cranberry juice You want sweetened, cocktail-type juice, not just pure cranberry.
Cointreau You can substitute Triple Sec or Gran Marnier, but it won't be quite as good. Really.
Limes or the juice of several limes. Some people prefer lemons and lemon juice. I've been known to use whichever I had in my house.
Ice For shaking up your Cosmo.
Shot glass
Martini drinking glass Stick the glass in the freezer while you mix up the Cosmo. Chilled glasses are a nice touch.
Cocktail shaker
Juicer
Garnish (optional) Lemon or lime peels cut into small curls work nicely.

Directions

1. Fill your cocktail shaker halfway to two-thirds full of ice.


2. Add 2 shots of vodka to the shaker.


3. Add 2-4 shots of cranberry juice to the shaker. You'll have to experiment with different amounts to find the taste that you love.


4. Add 1 shot of lime juice to the shaker.


5. Add 1 shot of Cointreau to the shaker.


6. Put the lid on the shaker and shake the drink vigorously for 20 to 30 seconds.


7. Retrieve a martini glass from the freezer.


8. Slowly pour the shaken Cosmo into the glass, stopping just below the rim.


9. Garnish, if desired.

Now, take a small sip and savor your drink. And savor your mad mixicology skills. Savor your fabulous friends. And savor yourself, because you're perfect!

I tasted my first mojito in the mid- to late 90s in a bar called Absinthe in San Francisco. A co-worker named Mike Little insisted that I taste his, and one sip later I was hooked. Back at home, I searched for various recipes, did some testing, and at the next backyard BBQ with friends, I declared, "The Mojito! This is our new summer drink."

Another summer, quite a few years later, we instituted a Mojito Thursday at the office. Speaking in code, we'd let people know that there was a Mr. Mo J. Ito wanting to see them in the kitchen. Seriously, a call from Mr. Ito helped get more than one person out of a long meeting.

Big thanks to Mike and Mo J!

The Classic Mojito

Ingredients and Utensils
Rum Light or dark, depending on your preference.
Club soda
Sugar or Simple Syrup
Limes They should be washed and cut in half (you use a whole half in each drink).
Mint A generous handful of washed leaves per drink.
Ice Lots of ice makes the drink wonderful.
Shot glass
Tall drinking glass Mojitos are best served in a tall glass. I'm not sure why this is true, but it is, trust me.
Muddler A wooden spoon works well; we use a piece of driftwood we found a few years back.

Directions

1. Put a handful of mint leaves (20 or so) into the bottom of your drinking glass. Add 2 teaspoons of sugar or an equivalent amount of simple syrup. Add a splash of club soda, and begin to mix this with your muddler. You want to really press down on the mint leaves, smoosh them against the sides of the glass, for a good 10-15 seconds, maybe longer, to release the aromatic oil from the leaves.


2. Squeeze half a lime into the glass, dropping the whole rind into the glass as well. Add a shot of rum (or 2, depending on the size of the glass and your taste for rum) and mix well.


3. Fill the glass with ice, and then add club soda to the top.


4. Mix again, and then garnish with a sprig of mint, a long, thin piece of sugar cane, or both.


5. Take your first sip, smack your lips, and say "Ahhhhh." You're done!

My son's fifth birthday was yesterday, and because he's obsessed with all things LEGO, we had a LEGO-themed birthday party. When we got to the presents portion of the party, he madly ripped into his packages. When I picked up this set of gifts, though, I stopped him and made him (and everyone else) admire the ingenious hand-made wrapping paper. I asked my friend, Amy, how she did it, and she said that she was working on putting together a tutorial for the quick and easy project. Better yet, her son (who made the wrapping paper) even made a short video on how to get the brick effect on the paper. She posted the tutorial and video this morning, and I'm so tickled to see it. I love that their wrapping was not only unique and fun, but that her son got in on the crafy action. I'm the kind of mom who always intends to do something like this with my kids, but can never seem to quite get it together. Amy makes it look so easy! Enjoy!

As for decorating the cake, I ordered a plain cake with the intention of decorating it at home with some of my son's LEGO mini-figures. However, he decided he didn't want to see them submerged in icing, so I had to come up with a backup plan. I picked up some of these brick candies in the bulk section of Whole Foods to sprinkle on top. Then I went on to the LEGO web site and downloaded some of their sticker sheets that they provide for various play sets. Instead of printing them on sticker paper, though, I printed them on shrink plastic. Once they were cooked, they were the perfect size and structure to embed in the icing and decorate the cake. He made sure I included all his favorite LEGO mini-figures. And, yes, R2D2 is on there twice ... because he's just that cool. My son loved it, and I loved that it was so super simple. Now we can take the Shrinky Dinks and stick magnets on the back and use them on the refrigerator! Sometimes I fret about the fact that I'm somewhat of a slacker when it comes to party planning and decorating for my kids, but this just reminded me that simple is fantastic, and the kids love it just as much!

Here's an easy project for your next party: crepe paper leis! Just don't combine it with your pool party, or you might end up with paper dye all over your self and suit!

Denise Nicole Francis, who's usually making jewelry, wanted a guitar birthday cake. So her friend Kristen Fowler and her sister Shalisa Francis helped her create this beauty!

She writes:

As you all know I love and play guitar. Naturally I wanted the most creative birthday cake, so I decided to make a guitar cake! I have to admit it took forever to make and there was A LOT of leftover cake, but all in all it was an awesome experience.

You can see the entire step-by-step process in the Community section of Denise's website, Cre8tive Soul.

Paper Flower Centerpiece
By Cathy Callahan

A centerpiece made with fresh flowers adds a nice touch to the tables for the guests at your wedding reception, but unfortunately fresh flowers can cost a small fortune. You love the idea of fresh flowers, but the thought of doing them on the big day (along with getting hitched) may be out of the question. If you're crafty (or have friends who are), there are lots of alternatives to fresh flowers that can be even more special because they're made by hand!

Paper is a great choice for making flowers. The good news about paper flowers is that they can cost next to nothing to make. If you break down the costs of what I made as pictured, it's probably no more than $2. These can be a little time-consuming to make, but would be great to do well enough in advance. I think it would be super fun to have a centerpiece-making party. Have some friends and family over and serve some snacks!

I just love working with crepe paper but it can be hard to find and sometimes a little pricey if you have to make a lot of flowers. For this project I used crepe paper streamers, which are available at most party stores and cost less than $1 per roll!

Creature Comforts has a tutorial for creating simple flag cupcake toppers and a matching garland from repurposed scrap paper.

Kathleen from Twig & Thistle shares details of a fun office Stache Bash party in which coworkers voted on colleague's mustaches. She shows how she made the handy prize ribbons and has included a download with instructions for making the mustache on a stick!