Party Venue: Delicere

Private and Intimate. Exact words to describe this beautiful venue in Marikina.

Delicere is a garden inspired café and restaurant in Marikina City. Outside the resto is their glass-enclosed events venue that is simple yet beautiful.

This cozy and charming function room can accommodate up to 50 persons only and is perfect for intimate gatherings like christenings and small family reunions. However, if you have up to 100 guests and is open for an outdoor party, they have the whole garden available for your exclusive use.

Perfect for day time parties but I bet this is equally stunning for evening affairs especially with their huge trees adorned with fairy lights.

 

Rental for the venue is free for a minimum consumable amount of Php50,000 for food and drinks. They have buffet menus to choose from and additional food may be ordered from their restaurant.

How About A Cheese Fountain?

I hardly use our chocolate fountain lately to serve, ummm, chocolate. Instead, I do this...

It's unbelievably easy to put together and your guests would surely love it.

Bento Boxes for Kiddie Parties

What's the usual food parents serve at kiddie parties in school? I bet 5 out of 10 would say Jollibee and the other 5 would announce McDonalds'. Fast and easy food that are popular among kids, right?

We, too, have served the same food over and over for each of my kids' birthday held in school. It's easy but then it's already predictable.

Then one day, I came across a post from an acquaintance who served bento boxes for her son's party. I thought it's a really good idea especially that the boxes are colorful and the food looks enticing for the kids. But a bento box costs an average of Php250 each (pasta, chicken, dessert and a drink) and requires at least 2 weeks lead time for orders.

photo grabbed from Alphamom.com

So the budget-conscious but adventurous me decided to try my hand on making a bento box for my son's birthday. I didn't have any "drawing board" on what to put together or to design. My mind was simply focused on what kids normally want to eat and then make the bento box as colorful as possible.

Here's what I managed to put together...

I bought a microwaveable lunch box with partition (lucky to have found one!) and cupcake liners to separate the dessert and meat I planned to serve.

My mom-in-law is great in the kitchen so I was very confident about cooking our own spaghetti. Then I just bought Purefoods chicken nuggets because they come in various shapes as meat to accompany the pasta. I threw in an Oreo cookie and grapes and mallows skewer as dessert to finish off the bento. 

It's simple and easy to consume. Normally, we would serve chicken and spaghetti from either Jollibee or McDonalds so our bento is just similar.

Tips:

1. Given more time to prepare, I would have bought a cookie cutter so the cheese toppings could be in fun shapes too, like stars perhaps, instead of just grated cheese.

2. Microwaveable lunch containers with partitions are not easy to find in supermarkets. Best to hunt for them in dry markets (I got mine at Cainta market) from stall that sell packaging materials. They are cheaper there too!

3. There are many colorful paper cups and cupcake liners in various sizes. Party suppliers and baking/confectionery shops sell them in abundance!

Party Venue: Whitespace Manila

Planning a grand celebration for more than 300 people and wants to do away with hotel reception? There's a venue in Makati that could accommodate that crowd (up to 450) and still exude a grand, luxurious atmosphere.

Here's Whitespace.  

Photo from Whitespace website

720sqm of all white space (hence, the name) that can be setup any way you wan it - garden-themed debut party, a Victorian fantasy wedding, Carnival-inspired children's party and many more. The possibilities are endless with this huge hall with no huge obstructing pillars whatsoever.

The rental cost could be an game-ender though for those on a budget. The whole 720sqm hall can be had at Php140,000 (VAT excluded) for 5 hours use, while the smallest hall (Hall A) with a 150-seating capacity costs Php55,000 (add VAT).

The rental includes a basic sound system, caterer's gallery (a room with glass walls so you can view the caterer's activities), 5-hour use of dressing room and lounge, bathrooms with dedicated attendants and use of parking space (23 slots free). 

For more details and to view their packages, visit their website. I recommend watching their video to see how they transformed the huge space into unbelievably beautiful debut and wedding venues.

School Birthday Celebrations Dos and Don'ts

My eldest first attended school a month before she turned 3 (her birthday is July) so it didn't take a month before I was faced with the new dilemma - celebrating her birthday in school.

Classes started mid June and although it may be a bit weird to announce a party when school had just started, we pursued with our plan of throwing my daughter's 3rd birthday party with her classmates. From then on (and in the last 4 years) she always had a birthday celebration in school.

Over the last four years, I have learned a lot about partying in school based from my own mistakes, boo boos and successes. With 2 kids now going to school, it means I have to plan 2 class parties annually. Thankfully, I am now armed with these tips to help me execute simple but unforgettable school parties for my adorable little ones.

Please allow me to share my two cents worth of bright ideas to help celebrate your kid's birthday in school:

1. Send out an invitation one week before your intended day of party in school. Better if you can get a list of names of your child's classmates so you can personalize each invitation. Invites doesn't have to be expensive - you can buy those pre printed generic ones at National Bookstore or if you have creative hands, go design and print your own party invites. There's a lot of free printable invitations too ready for download from the internet.

2. Serve food appropriate for children. Save your morcon and chilli crab recipe for adult parties. This is for your kid, hence, serve party food for children like spaghetti or mac and cheese, fried chicken, pancakes (if early breakfast).

It's also good to serve what the celebrant likes to eat so he/she enjoys the food too! Example, if your child doesn't eat spaghetti (like my daughter) but you want to serve that on her birthday, make sure you have a separate pack of her preferred food for her to eat (take it from my own experience!).

3. Pre pack the food so it's easier for you to serve each child. Consider that the teacher allotted only the recess time for your child's celebration and would want to go back to class schedule on time.

Better yet and if your budget allows it, just order from your kid's favorite fast food (read: McDo, Jollibee or KFC).

4. Serve "just enough" food depending on child and his/her classmates' age. For example, a nursery (3 year old) may be overwhelmed with chicken, spaghetti, rice and burger so it may be best to serve in smaller servings.

5. Consider cupcakes for candle blowing instead of regular birthday cakes. Cupcakes are easier to serve and distribute although the downside is it may be more expensive.

6. Bring extra food for teachers, and other relevant people (hehe). If your child is taking a school bus service, allocate food for the bus driver and assistant too.

7. Prepare loot bags with small toys and a few goodies. All kids love getting some treats to take home after a party. Consider that as a 'thank you' token to them for helping you celebrate your kid's milestone.

Remember you don't have to make the celebration grand. The important thing is your child is happy and he/she knows you made her birthday with her classmates and friends a memorable one.

DIY: Super Easy Marshmallow Pops

You don't have the knack for baking but wants those cake pops for your dessert buffet or for give away for your little princess' party? Try marshmallow pops instead!

It's super easy to make as you don't have to touch the oven (maybe just the microwave to melt the chocolate coating) and you don't have to worry about making the cake into perfectly shaped balls because your pops just take the shape of your marshmallows. All you need are a few ingredients and lots of creativity!

I am speaking from experience, I tell you. I did marshmallow pops for the first time and called it "Mushroom Wands" for my daughter's fairy party.

 

 

You too can do this and these are the ingredients/materials you will need:

 

- Lollipop sticks OR

- Colored straws (the hard ones, not those used for softdrinks) OR

- Barbeque sticks (if colored straws are not available)

- Marshmallows (the huge ones) in your desired color/s but I recommend to use white

- Candy sprinkles, (vermicelli sprinkles is the one I used in my mallows above) or other colorful sprinkles in various shapes (I've seen stars, hearts, and flowers at Chocolate Lover)

- White chocolate - I prefer to use this especially if sprinkles to be used are of light shades (baby pink, light green etc). I find the chocolate color a bit messy to look at.

 

Here's the very easy steps:

 

1. Melt the chocolates using a double broiler. Some would recommend using a microwave but I find it doesn't melt the chocolates evenly and the possibility of burning the chocolate is likely.

 

TIP: If you don't have a double broiler, the easiest way (but slow) is to put very hot water into a bowl then put a smaller glass bowl on top of the water. Melt your chocolate on the smaller bowl. Chocolate melts better in small chunks so slice the bar into bite size pieces for melting.

 

2. Insert a lollipop stick into each marshmallow and gently dip it into the melted chocolate. You can dip the entire mallows or just half of it, depends on what you want or the design you want to achieve.

 

3. Gently shake off the excess chocolate and roll or dip into the candy sprinkles!!

 

It's as easy as 1, 2, 3!!

 

How to Maximize Your Photobooth Rental

Photobooth has become a regular extravaganza during special occasions especially weddings and birthday parties. It's a great alternative to giving a pre ordered souvenir which we're not sure if the our guests will like or even use.

 

 

Being a fan of photobooths, I rented a photobooth for my daughter's 1st birthday as we want our guests to have a souvenir photo from the party. The rental was good for 2 hours with 30 minutes stop-time option. I decided to rent it only for 2 hours (compared to 3 hours during my son's 1st birthday two years ago) because we're holding the party at a pizza chain and the party reservation is only for 3 hours.

Anyway, when I reviewed the DVD copy of the photos from the party and counted the total prints, I was disappointed that there's only less than 40. That means we paid Php100 for each print and for me I could have bought a really nice souvenir with that amount.

 

From that experience that I came up with a list that I will arm myself with next time we will rent a photobooth service. I want to maximize it; ensure all my guests have at least 1 print each to take home and get the value for my money.

1. Inform your guests in advance (perhaps when you email the invites or through your event invites in FB) that you have hired a photobooth service.

2. Encourage your guests to line up and have their photos taken while waiting for the program or party to start.

3. Get a package with a stop-time option. This is to ensure your guests are with you during the highlight of your event and not lined up for wacky photos.

 

4. Base the hours of rental with your party duration. If your party is at a fastfood chain like Jollibee which is strictly 2 hours only, get a 2-hour package only. In fact, a 1-hour package would probably be OK.

5. Choose a layout of only 3 or 2 photos per print. It would not only make the prints less crowded but would also make the queuing time shorter ergo more photos printed!

 

6. Skip the Customized Backdrop option unless it's free. In one of my kid's events, I just used a generic backdrop of the photobooth provider and it looked just fine. Believe me, your guests will care more on how they look at the photos than what's the print behind them. This could easily save you Php500. 

 

7. Occasionally ask your program host or emcee to announce when the photobooth is still open, especially when there's less people waiting their turn.

8. Come up with a game or contest during the party for the "Wackiest Photo" taken from the photobooth. If you have an LCD projector, flash the photos and let your guests be the judge.

Hope other mommies find this helpful. Have a great time posing!

DIY Hanging Balloons Decor

For a balloon decor that is as simple as the banderitas type or popularly referred to by balloonist as Balloonderitas, a professional balloon decorator is almost not required. Do it your own and save money! You can use the extra fund for food or additional give aways.

To be able to save significantly, balloons must be purchased at wholesale price from Divisoria. There are plenty of stores at 168 Mall and Divisoria Mall. Personally, I prefer 168 Mall as it is more accessible if commuting and there is ample parking space if you dare drive to Divi.

A regular sized balloon costs about Php100 for 12 pcs in SM or National Bookstore, but you can purchase them for as low as Php200 for 100 pcs at 168 Mall. You'll be amazed at the selection of colors too, and the sizes. Mylar type balloons are also available.

A simple balloonderitas consisting of 100 pcs of balloons can cost anywhere from Php1500 - Php3000. If you have the energy and patience, you can do your own for a humble price of Php200-Php300 (materials only, including nylon strings).

Here's what I did for my son's birthday bash at Jollibee. I hanged 10 sets of cluster-of-4 balloons as added decor to our party (stage part only). I spent only Php70 (and a sore arm from inflating the balloons).

How to make a balloonderitas (with curled ribbons):

1. Inflate balloons and make sure the sizes are uniform.

2. Attach curled ribbons at the end of each balloon (where you knot the end of the balloon to close it off) either by tying the ribbons or by taping them using transparent tape (Scotch tape).

3. Using a Scotch tape (preferably at least 1/2 inch width), attach each balloons to the nylon string. Tip to secure the balloon on the nylon string: tape the nylon diagonal from the left and right (creating an "x").

4. Depends on how scattered you wish to decorate the balloons,  a foot distance between each balloon should be fine.

How to make a cluster of 4 balloons:

1. Inflate balloons in uniform sizes.

2. Pair the balloons by tying 2 balloons together. Make several pairs.

3. Get 2 pairs of balloons and twist them together in the middle. You have now formed your cluster.

4. Tie a nylon string to the balloon (at the point where all 4 balloons are joined together) and hang as desired.

If you want a deviation from balloon decors, you can try tissue or paper pompoms.

Happy Partying!

Party Venue : Palladium Clubhouse

Accessible party venues are hard to find. Normally, clubhouses are located in the middle of a village and guests either need to go by taxi or tricycle.

Thankfully, that's not a problem with Palladium Clubhouse as it is within a short walking distance from the entrance of Palladium. Guests who will take public transportation going to your event can alight at the gate along Shaw Boulevard and walk to your party.

There are actually 2 options for rental: The function room and the poolside.

We've rented the function room twice already and I'd say we were happy with the venue. The room can accommodate up to 100 guests or maximum of 120 if the buffet table is setup outside.

The only downside that didnt go well with me is they prohibit sticking of decors on their walls and ceilings. It's a nightmare for mommies who love elaborate decors for their parties.

I had to content with floating balloons to address this decor challenge just so my son's baptism reception would not look dull and lacking. I also instructed our caterer to use tall and elaborate table centerpieces to augment the decorations.

As for the poolside area, it is spacious and clean and can approximately hold 150 guests. Swimming is not allowed though as well as floating decors on the pool.

Pros:

1. Convenient location - guests can take public transportation going to your event without difficulty.

2. Easy to find - no need for maps or detailed directions as Palladium is along Shaw Boulevard and very easy to locate.

3. Budget-friendly - considering the location, accessibility and the appearance of the function room, the rental fee is reasonable.

Cons:

1. Decorating challenge - sticking anything on the walls and ceiling is strictly prohibited. Only the glass windows and glass panels are allowed to be used for sticking decorative materials. So say goodbye to ceiling swags and hanging balloons (unless your decorator can do magic).

2. A security bond of Php8000 needs to be paid beforehand and is refundable (subject to deductions for breakage, damages, time extension, electrical fees etc if applicable) a week after the event.

Notes:

1. There is a minimal electricity charge of Php300 for any electric-powered equipment brought in.

2. Spot cooking is not allowed.

3. List of guest names and suppliers need to submitted to the Clubhouse admin prior to the event.

Rates (as of February 2013) for 4 hours use:

Weekend booking (Sat-Sun):

Function Room - Php10800

Poolside (swimming not included) - Php14000

Weekday booking (Mon-Fri)

Function Room - Php9000

Poolside (swimming not included) - Php12000  

Palladium Clubhouse

The Palladium (Village)

Shaw Boulevard, Brgy. Wack Wack

Mandaluyong  City

Tel No. 533-3048, look for Margie

Welcome Party Mommas!

It didn't take long after I gave birth for me to realize that alongside being a mother, I have to be a party-planner for the many many occasions for my children. I've always loved planning events and parties -  my own debut, my wedding, my sister's wedding, my children's christening and yearly birthday parties. I even plan parties for our office!

To say that I've been through heaven, purgatory and hell with all these hullabaloos of party-planning is an understatement. I'd say weddings and baptisms are always harder to organize mainly because when choosing dates there are always two factors to consider - church and reception venue.

It's migraine-inducing to nail a church schedule only to find out your target reception venue is unavailable or fully booked. Not only that, you also need to worry about the catering, decorations, give-aways and the list goes on!

Lucky for those whose pockets are deep enough to shell out extra funds for a party coordinator, all they need to do is sit and write a check. But for mommies who are on a budget, there is no choice but to be hands on.

So here, I'd like to share with all the mommies out there who are planning their children's parties all party-related information that I find useful as you might find them useful too.

Happy reading!