I know you are all waiting for this week’s Let’s Party Monday’s (a.k.a LPM) party theme — uh, waiting two weeks in fact. Last week, the staff and I were at an off-site meeting at the seashore doing some intensive team building and sandcastle making. We are back — well-rested, inspired and ready to present to you…
A BEACH PARTY
Decorations
Get ready to get your MacGyver on (and join me as I unpack the mini-van after vacation). Take everything you take with you to the beach and throw it all over the place: beach towels, shovels, beach chairs, plastic buckets, sandcastle forms, and inflatable whatever. What about stringing a clothes line and hanging swimsuits? (Maybe not my big granny-suit, but the staffer’s suits are fun and colorful)
You may be thinking — ugh, that sounds like a big mess. Well, check out this classy pic from the May issue of House Beautiful where they put those Beach towels to work as a great (and absorbent) tablecloth.
You can also purchase shells at a craft store to sprinkle around. And depending on how brave you are, get a little sand from the craft store or playsand at the hardware store.
In college, I went to a party at a Frat House with beach volleyball on the third floor – that’s right a couple of inches of sand covering the entire third floor. Those boys knew how to throw a party. I don’t know how they cleaned it up, but those aren’t the concerns of a college party-goer.
A more practical solution would be spreading the sand in a couple cookie sheets with some shells to create a zen garden/mini-seascape for the table. (That seems so lame compared to full scale beach volleyball indoors. Is a Frat House really the standard I’m striving for? I’m really struggling with this one.)
Activity
This activity came to me as I was preparing for our trip to the seashore and saw two days with rain clouds assigned to them. I ended up not having to break out the crafts (YEAH!), but it was great to do post va-ca and perfect for this week’s theme.
Take a frame cut out of cardboard and paint one side with Mod Podge.(You could probably use white glue, I’m just digging Mod Podge lately.) Then take the sticky side and drag it though some sand – maybe take advantage of your mini-seascape decoration. Then have party guests arrange shells on the now sandy frame. While they take part in another activity, hot glue the shells to the frame.
The weight of the shells and the amount of white glue necessary to hold them will take forever to dry. Hot glue will ensure your guest can take their handiwork home, instead of standing by your door weeping with gooey shells lying on the floor before them. (Trust me on this.)
Game
Leaving the beach is always a feat of endurance and now it’s a party game! Create a “Packing It Up” obstacle course by spreading out all types of beach gear: blankets, sand toys, beach ball, hat, sunglasses, boogie board. The contestant has to collect and carry all the gear across the finish line. Think John Candy in Summer Rental.
At the finish line, you can take a picture and if you have the A-team of party helpers, that picture can then be printed and put into the beachy frame created earlier. I love it when a plan comes together!
There you have it a Beach party to squeeze in before the end of the summer, but could also be a real stunner in the winter – so unexpected!
I’d love to sea your beachy ideas in the comments – they’re great I’m shore!
(That last line was desperate, but did you get my A-team reference and quote? Anyone? Come on that was gold, baby! Someone is fresh from vacation.)
Party MOMster's Blog 
Need a sand pit? You can always grab one of those cheap kiddy pools…either the plastic or infaltable ones…and dump some sand in it. When the party is over, the kids can continue to use it as a sand box to play in. Throw some inexpensive shoovels and pails in there for a little extra fun. For decorations, you can buy some inexpensive plastic margarita or daiquiri glasses and fill them half way with shells and half with sand…or maybe alternate them and stick some paper umbrellas in them. For the kids, you could do some flip flop cut outs using construction paper and some foam stickers and do a "decorate your own flip flops".OK, so I also had a really warped idea…you could get another kiddy pool and float some clear balloons in it and you can play "Don't Touch the Portuguese Man Of War"..that is if you want a real authentic beach experience…ha ha ha.See…make things beach or luau themed and I'm FULL of ideas 🙂
You had me at "Need a sandpit?" AlyGatr — you complete me! Great ideas. I like the flip flop cut-outs: very inspired!The "Portuguese Man of War" is a nice touch. Nothing like a jelly-like, marine invertebrate to inject a little terror and up the party energy. Maybe a round it out with a Shark Cake accompanied by music to "Jaws" 🙂
Ooh shark cake…make it a tiger shark…they're scary boogers.
I had this fab drink in Corpus Christi when we went to the beach this summer. Get a big round glass and make a blue drink. Doesn't matter what kind, just needs to be blue like tropical waters. Take a small rubber shark and fill it with something like Grenadine (red syrup). They hung the little shark off my big glass as a shot on the side. When you pour a little into the blue drink it looks like the aftermath of a shark attack! How cool is that!
Cocktails anyone?! I think that might be my drink at my Back to School Cocktail Party (that is party of one).