Smarty's Official Blog

Blog Menu

Napkin Fold Tutorial: Decorative Blooming Bouquet

Posted by Milena Kukurekovic · May 26, 2020

Impress your guests before they even start their meal.

I think I caught it... spring fever. If you're inspired by spring colors and ready to design bright events, then you've caught it, too. While waiting for spring's full bloom outside, bring flowers and vibrant colors to your tablescapes with this bold and brilliant napkin fold. A beautiful napkin quickly adds style and elegance to any setting, and the blooming bouquet fold I'm about to show you is so easy!

You don't need anything fancy to get started — just a few napkins and these easy step-by-step instructions. Follow our tutorial, and you'll have stunning place settings in no time at all.

Here's what you need:

Dinner napkins. We used our beautiful Fresh Lime Green.
Ribbon. We used light pink.
Flowers. We used artificial floral stems from our local hobby store. Fresh flowers work great in this fold, too.

Directions:

Step 1: Fold napkin in half and find the middle point on the fold.

Step 2-6 : Roll napkin from right left to make a cone shape.

Step 7-8: Cut a 30 inch length of ribbon and tie around napkin. Tuck flower inside.

Congratulations, you have successfully folded your plain and ordinary napkin to a Decorative Blooming Bouquet! Now show off your new-found napkin folding skills to your friends and family at your next party or get-together. Unexpected and exciting, this napkin fold tutorial will impress all of your guests, no doubt about it. The only problem: They might find it too beautiful to unfold :).

Blooming bouquet napkins are the perfect touch to your spring party tablescapes! | Smarty Had A Party

Complementary Smarty Products:


Baroque Silver Cutlery Plastic Silverware Set	Fresh Lime Green Paper Dinner Napkins	White with Silver Glitter Rim Plastic Dinner Plates	16 oz. Clear Tall Plastic Ice Tea Tumblers

For more spring inspiration follow our favorite ideas on Pinterest!

Party on, Smarties! With love Smarty had a Party!

Throw an Epic Memorial Day Party

Posted by Milena Kukurekovic · May 24, 2020

Summer may not technically start until June 21, but we all know Memorial Day is the real kickoff to the season of sun. Warmer temps meantime outside with family and friends, and what better way to celebrate than with the perfect Memorial Day party? Even though Memorial Day isn't the official start to summer, we'd like to officially throw summer a welcome back party! Part patriotism, part summer fun, this idea will help you throw the perfect bash to kick off summer. Summer, we've missed you. Never leave us again.

Take this Memorial Day to make a memorable weekend! Host an outdoor party complete with a selection of red, white, and blue partyware. To embrace the warming temperatures, Memorial Day weekend is the right time to bring out the patio furniture and decor. If you haven't set up already, get the outdoor chairs and tables out of storage and onto the deck. Once everything is in its place, it's time to accessorize for the larger summertime holiday parties. Cocktail tables are a great choice for allowing guests to mingle while they try tasty eats and drinks. Our polyester tablecloths are fabulous for outdoor parties because they don't drag the ground and stay perfectly in place. Heat the BBQ and serve some appetizers with our brand new cocktail forks or and mini tongs. Layer treats in our mini cube cups, and toss back some cold beverages in Pilsners and cocktail glasses. Festive plates come in three sizes so start with appetizers on 9.5" plates, serve the main course on 10.75" plates (sturdy and large enough to hold a huge feast), and dessert on 6.5" plates. No more soggy paper plates making an appearance at your backyard BBQ! So what are you waiting for? Start planning your Memorial Day party now!

Shop this selection of Memorable Memorial Day partyware:

Featured Smarty Products:


7.5 oz. Clear Plastic Mini Wine Carafes	12 oz. Crystal Clear Fluted Plastic Cups	Shiny Metallic Silver Plastic Cutlery Combo Set	Red Square Plastic Plates Dinnerware Set

Party on, Smarties! With love Smarty had a Party!

Memorial Day Rooftop Picnic

Posted by Milena Kukurekovic · May 22, 2020

Memorial Day Rooftop Picnic

Memorial Day celebrations usually involve parades, flag ceremonies, and other formal public recognitions to honor the brave men and women of the American Armed Forces who’ve died protecting the land we live, preserving peace, protecting the defenseless, and defending the liberty. However, the COVID-19 pandemic social distancing requirement is causing American cities to cancel the favorite traditions and find new ways to honor their fallen heroes, but that doesn't mean you can't have a good time (while practicing social distancing, of course). It's important to have a safe space in today's world, to go outside and find a safe place to have a picnic with the family and stay safe at the same time. Smarty had a Party have a fantastic idea for you to Celebrate Memorial Day safe and with style.

I hope no one's afraid of heights, because, for this idea, we're taking the party to the next level… the roof. That's right - the idea is hosting a rooftop picnic. Just like any picnic, you'll need the basics: the food, the drinks, and some entertainment materials (like music or a good book). But for this picnic, we're making things a little more festive. Okay... a lot more festive. In honor of Memorial Day, we decided to stick with the red, white, and blue color scheme, down to every detail on the menu. We kept the menu simple, but the sky is the limit for what else you can add.

Here's what we chose:

Tea sandwiches using white bread, filled with cream cheese and tomatoes.
Blue chips and salsa
White chocolate covered strawberries dipped in blue sugar sprinkles
Blueberries
Champagne

Directions:

After purchasing all ingredients and preparing lunch, we headed up to the roof. Luckily, Smarty had a Party has all the best picnic gear. :) We laid out a White Polyester Tablecloth as our blanket and piled everything on.

The tea sandwiches will be a huge hit, and you should line them up on Smarty's White Oval Eco-Friendly Bagasse Platters, each with a pretty frilly toothpick stuck in the center.

For our chips and dip, we used a really convenient White Rectangular 6-Section Eco-Friendly Bagasse Serving Tray. We packed the sections with blue chips all the way around, but with the built-in separations, you can easily vary between different chip flavors.

The chocolate-covered strawberries will really pop against the white wave plates. It is all about presentation, you know. :)

Then place blueberries along the edges and down the middle of a second wave plate. Chop up the remaining strawberries and use the pieces to fill in the spaces between the blueberry rows.

Confession: My favorite part was the champagne. We even got a little fancy by putting the champagne in an ice-filled bucket and using classy champagne glasses.

To bring it all together, we used the most beautiful cocktail napkins, which were, you guessed it... red, white, and blue.

Other awesome food ideas could be:

A fruit bowl filled with watermelon and blueberries. (Use a star cookie cutter on the watermelon for a patriotic feel.)
A red, white, and blue layered cake (Food coloring does the trick.)
Red or blue Kool-Aid
Red or blue Jello shots
Red, white, and blue popsicles
Strawberries and whipped cream
Cookies or cupcakes decorated with colored icing

Beyond serving as a relaxing spot to lounge around and eat, the roof is ideal for spreading patriotic vibes and enjoying a safe Memorial Day! So find yourself a rooftop, sit back, and celebrate Memorial Day as you watch the sky light up!

And in the meantime, check out Smarty had a Party online store now and get your own protective care (3-Ply Blue Disposable Face Masks with Elastic Ear Loop, KN95 Disposable Protective Face Mask with Adjustable Soft Ear Loops and 4-Layer Filter, Clear Professional Protective Face Shield Mask with Elastic Band and Comfort Sponge, Non-contact Digital Infrared Forehead Thermometer Temperature Measurement, Clear Lens Wide-Vision Adjustable Anti-Fog Protective Safety Goggles) from our fantastic offer to keep yourself and your loved ones safe and sound and play your part in preventing the virus spread.

Picnics are fun for everyone... families, friends, couples... so go ahead and let us know how it went on the Smarty Facebook page.

We're kinda experts for a good party, so feel free to ask us for any picnic suggestions.

Stay protected, stay healthy! With love Smarty had a Party!

Fantastic Memorial Day Table Decoration Ideas

Posted by Milena Kukurekovic · May 19, 2020

Are you getting ready for a big Memorial Day gathering? Memorial Day is right around the corner and I thought that you might like some quick and easy ideas to make the festivities even more special! So get your party going with thiese awesome American-inspired decorations. This table decoration would work well for a Memorial Day or for the 4th of July event, really any patriotic celebration.

Snack boat place cards are a triple threat and are sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Not only do they act as place cards, they can also be a great snack for your guests during cocktail hour! If you have more of a sweet tooth, try putting small candy in the boats instead. Also, you can potentially reuse the boats at your next event, such as 4 July, and have guests refill the boats to take them home as favors.

What you need:

2.3 oz. Clear Plastic Disposable Mini Bowls
Straws
Navy Blue Card Stock
White Gelly Roll Pen - medium point pen

Directions:

Step 1: Cut the card stock in the shape of an isosceles triangle (so that two sides are the same length and the third side is a little shorter).

Step 2: Place the triangle so that the short side is on your left.

Step 3: Write your guest's table number in the bottom left corner of the triangle.

Step 4: Write your guest's name on the right side edge of the triangle.

Step 5: Cut the straw about 2/3 of the way to the top.

Smarty Party Tip: Make sure not to make the straws too tall or the sail might "sink." You also want them short enough so that you can see everyone seated at your table.

Step 6: Line the straw up with the top corner of the triangle and glue it from the corner all the way to the bottom of the triangle.

Step 7: Fill your boat with nuts or candy.

Step 8: Place the sail into your boat.

The finished placecard snackboat. | www.SmartyHadAParty.com Set sail and show off your boat by pairing it with a stunning, matching tablescape.

The finished placecard snack boat in a beautiful setting. | www.SmartyHadAParty.com

Complementary Smarty Products:


Clear Plastic Disposable Mini Bowls	Navy Blue Paper Cocktail Napkins	Crystal Clear Plastic Disposable Tall Iced Tea Cups	Red Square Plastic Plates Dinnerware Value Set

Party on, Smarties! With love Smarty had a Party!

Creative DIY Table Centerpiece Decoration

Posted by Milena Kukurekovic · May 17, 2020

Add a perfect finishing touch to any occasion with this eye-catching, easy-to-make centerpieces.

Make something special to add happiness and delightful to the gathered family around the Mothers Day Table Centerpiece. Try to gather ideas and make your table look spring-like or summer-like simply decorated, fresh, and lovely colorful and bright for this holiday.

This DIY works double duty as a Mother's Day table centerpiece and a gift for Mom to take home with her after the party. No one wants beautiful centerpieces to go to waste after an event, and with our mini treat buckets, you don't have to! Mini treat buckets are perfect for gifts and favors and have a metal handle that makes them easy to grab. Here's how we used them to create flower centerpieces for Mom!

Get creative, make your own table into a masterpiece!

What you need:

Bamboo picks
"If moms were flowers I'd pick you!" tag (or some of your choice)
Lavender 3/8" satin edged organza ribbon
Floral dinner napkins
Mini treat bucket
Daffodils

Directions:

Step 1: Take a daffodil bulb and place it in a mini treat bucket with potting soil.

Step 2: Open up a cocktail napkin and lay it colored side down. Place the bucket in the center and pull napkin up to wrap around the sides. Tie a piece of ribbon around the napkin to secure.

Step 3: Adhere tag to bamboo pick and stick pick in the soil.

Step 4: Repeat to create the desired amount of centerpieces for your table!

DIY Potted Daffodil Centerpieces for your Mother's Day Table that double as favors for mom to take home! | SmartyHadAParty.com

This fantastic idea can be adapted to any event, so whether you organize a Mother's day, baby shower, wedding reception, Thanksgiving dinner, or any other occasion, you can simply change the tag according to the theme of your party, which makes this DIY project very practical for any type of your magical parties.