In my experience of planning a few parties for various occasions, I decided that there must be a basic formula that could be followed for creating a fun and interesting get-together.

Below is a basic "recipe" that can be loosely followed to plan and execute a fun party for both you and your guests.

Other things to consider:

$$$ AVAILABLE: How much money you have available to spend will play a big determination in the size and scale of your party.

TIME AVAILABLE: How much time do you have to prepare for this gathering? I'm speaking not only about calendar time, but the amount of daily time you have to make preparations. Do you have very little free time? Be aware that time and money are inversely proportional. This means that the less time you have, the more money you will need to spend on pre-made items like food and decorations. The more time you have, the more money you can save by doing things yourself.

Having a theme for your party or gathering can give you direction and ideas for the different elements involved. It simplifies things in one way, but can add a creative twist that makes your party unique and enjoyable.

Deciding on a theme:

First, think about the occasion for your party. This may already provide you with a theme. Holiday parties can use the holiday itself as the theme, but you can also narrow that down. For example, a Christmas party could be narrowed down to a tree decorating party or a Christmas caroling party. The season of the year can also provide you with a theme. Other occasions also have themes that are just natural for them.

Many parties, including birthdays are theme neutral and you do just about anything you want. Let your imagination run wild.

If there is a guest of honor (as you would have for a birthday party), what are their favorite interests?

When the guest of honor is a small child who has difficulty expressing his or her favorites, ask them who or what they would most like to dress up as. Let them look through a catalog of costumes for ideas.

What to do with your theme:

Once you have your theme decided, you need to create a theme list. Get out a notebook and write down everything that makes you think of that theme. Let this be a stream of thought.

For example, if your theme is cowboys, some of your ideas may be: lassos, red bandannas, horses, cows, bulls, cowboy hats, spurs, 6-shooter, rodeo, westerns, rope, sheriff's star, the old west, cowboy boots, horseshoes, etc.

Keep this list in mind as you plan the various elements (ingredients) of your party. Use the things on your list to decorate for your party and to create your party activities. It may be wise to pick just 3 or 4 items from your list to focus on. Narrow it down by picking your favorites and/or choosing items that you have available or can purchase inexpensively for decorations, party favors, etc.

This is an obvious party ingredient. The guests are the reason for having a party! Generally the guest list doesn't change because of your party theme, but the different ingredients of your party may need to be adapted to fit the needs of your guests. Keep your guest list in mind through out your party planning. Keep in mind the ratio of space available to the number of guests when planning activities. Some activities may require more space than you will have. Also, keep in mind the appropriateness of the various foods and activities you are planning for the ages of your guests.

Also consider:

# OF GUESTS: How many people are coming? Will they all arrive at the same time?

AGE OF GUESTS: Is this a children's party and your guests will be needing room to burn off energy? If so, are you going to have adequate adult helpers and supervision? Is it families with mixed ages with various needs to be met? Or is it all adults? They are (usually <g>) easier to keep under control.

Where will your party be and how much space do you have?

Obviously, smaller location = smaller guest list.

Keep in mind that children, although smaller in stature, may require more space because of their activity level.

What size and type of space you have will be a big factor in what type of party you can have. Parties with lots of games and activities obviously require more space and may be best suited to the great outdoors, but a tea party, on the other hand, just requires space for everyone to sit down.

Consider the theme of your party when choosing the location.
Sometimes the location of your party can tie in well to the theme of your party. Some locations are obvious like a roller skating party at a roller rink. Other examples might be a farm themed party at a local farm, a camping themed party in the woods. Often you can decorate your location to look like the appropriate place for your party. Instead of going to the farm, you could bring in hay bales, a large toy tractor and other items you would see on a farm. If you are having your party at home, there are no restrictions to how far you can go transforming your location to fit your theme except time, money and perhaps your dear spouse <g>. If you are having your party at an alternative location, you will have to find out what type of decorating is permitted. If you have limited space at home, it may be wise to find another location.

Invitations may be simple or elaborate and still tie in to your party theme.

Some options for types of invitations are:

Pre-Made: You may be able to find pre-made invitations that follow your theme. These are the fill in the blank type. Many times they can be found where party decorations are sold and will have matching plates, cups, party hats, favors and decorations.

Computer Generated: There are many inexpensive desktop publishing software programs available. Most likely, there was one that came with your computer. Some of the more common ones are PrintShop or Print Artist. With these you can make cards, signs and many other things. Many programs have pre-made layouts for invitations that you would just need to add the party details to or you can create your own from scratch using the many graphics included in the program.

Create your own:

Sign type: You can neatly write the party details along with some drawings or graphics that support your party theme on an 8 ½ x 11" sheet of paper and make photocopies onto any light colored paper.

Card type: Use cardstock paper for the card and add decorations that follow your theme. Since card making has become a popular hobby, there are many idea books available to purchase or at your public library. There are even many websites filled with examples of handmade cards. You can use stickers, patterned paper, rubber stamps, paper punches as well as your own original artwork to decorate your invitations.

Unique Items: This is where things can get really fun and creative! Your biggest limitation is if you have to mail your invitations, how much is it going to cost you? Unique party invitations are sometimes better to hand deliver.

Most all parties include some sort of food even if it is just cake and ice cream.

HOW MUCH: Do you want a full sit down meal, simple buffet, snacks, or just dessert. When your party is scheduled is a consideration in this. If your party runs right in the middle of a common mealtime, most guests will expect to be fed enough food to make a meal out of.

WHAT KIND: What kind of food best suits your party theme? A tea party calls for dainty food like little cucumber sandwiches and tiny pastries. A pirate party could have "peg legs" (little chicken wings) and ale (root beer in the bottles). If it were a character themed party, what kind of food would that character eat? If it is a children's party, you might want to stick with basic, kid-friendly food.

The Cake
Many parties, especially birthday parties include cake. As with anything, they can be very simple or elaborate. You can make them yourself or have them custom made at a bakery. Cakes can be a focal point of a party. If you host many parties, it would serve you well to learn basic cake decorating. And if you a mother of small children, you will find that this is a very useful skill to have which in the long run can save you lots of money. You can take a class, but an even cheaper alternative is to acquire a basic cake decorating kit, a book on basic cake decorating and practice, practice, practice. Get together with a friend, whip up a batch of icing and practice together. You will have a ball laughing at each other's mistakes!
Here's a site with many cake decorating tips:
DECORATING CAKES 101
For clever theme cake ideas:
FAMILY FUN'S CAKE FINDER

SERVING YOUR FOOD:

SERVING PIECES: What serving pieces are you going serve your food in? Is there something that you can use that fits your theme. Think beyond traditional serving dishes. Is there something that you wouldn't normally use to serve food in that would work? Now, it must be very clean or lined with clean plastic or foil. For a construction theme, food could be served out of big toy Tonka trucks. New, large plastic dog dishes could be used for any dog themed party such as Blues Clues or Clifford the Big Red Dog. For a pool or beach themed party, food could be placed in clean, new sandbox pails and the matching shovels could even be used to serve. Bowls can be placed inside a larger item that fits your theme such as a baby bassinet for a baby shower or a small treasure chest for a pirate theme.

TABLEWARE: Next to consider is what your guests will eat off of. Party stores carry a wide range of attractive themed paper plates, cups and napkins as well as just about ones in just about every color of the rainbow. You could consider using something unique. To follow the dog theme mentioned above, small dog dishes could be used instead of plates. Bandannas could be used instead of napkins for any outdoors/ western theme. Stroll through you local discount store with a fresh eye. What kind of unique items can you find that will hold food or drink? Baby bottles for a baby shower (cut a larger hole in the nipple) instead of cups. Could you use flower pots, vases, pie pans?
Consider designing your own coordinating table service. Purchase clear plastic or glass plates. Cut a paper circle the size of the bottom of the plate and design an image to fit it that goes with your theme. Glue the circle to the bottom of the plate (under it not on it) by using spray adhesive on the face of your image or running it through a xyron machine upside down. The image will show through the bottom of the clear plate.

What are your guests going to do at your party?

LOCATION: Your location itself can provide your entertainment. For example a party at a pool, roller rink, Chuck E. Cheese's may require no extra entertainment although you could have one or two simple organized activities.
ENTERTAINER: You can hire some kind of entertainer for your party like a clown or magician. There are hypnotists, musicians, and performing animals (I've even seen a kissing pig!) Check your local yellow pages for ideas. Maybe you know someone with a skill that they could demonstrate or a friend who is a storyteller.
EQUIPMENT: Your local rental place has many fun carnival type games for rent as well as large items like moonwalks. There are things that both young and old would get a kick out of.
GAMES: There are many basic traditional party games. (See list) Most of these can be adapted to match the theme of your party. Pin the tail on the donkey can become "Pin the Crown on the Princess", "Pin the Bee on the Flower", and "Pin the Stem on the Pumpkin" just to name a few. Simon says can become "Batman says" for another example. Look at the list of basic games and use your imagination.
CRAFTS: Any age appropriate, themed craft can be fun. You may think that this is just for children's parties but many adults enjoy having a chance to try a new craft or work on an old one. Parties and get-togethers centered around scrapbooking or rubber stamping are very popular. Get a group of ladies together that have this hobby and you may have difficulty getting them out of your house!
MOVIE: Watching a movie can be good entertainment and in fact the movie could be the whole theme of your party, whether it is a children's video or a feature film for adults.
FOOD: You food can be your entertainment as well as your refreshments. How? Make your guests cook their own food! For example, have a pizza party where guests assemble their own pizza. Have the dough for the crusts made up ahead. Let your guests try to toss a pizza crust and then add their favorite toppings. Have a cookie baking party. Have a cake decorating party. Have small cakes baked ahead, lots of icing and let everyone decorate their own special cake. Have a contest for the best looking cake.
ICEBREAKER ACTIVITY: Give your guests something to do when they first arrive after they get settled. Usually guests don't all arrive right on time and early arrivals might not know anyone who is there at that time. It may be nice if they have something to do while they are waiting for the main festivities to begin. This is especially helpful for children who aren't as good at introducing themselves and making small talk.
GIFT OPENING: At a party with a guest of honor opening gifts, you will want to allow time for this. Plan where they will be seated. For a gift exchange where everyone is opening gifts, plan how this will process. Will everyone open at the same time or in a particular order such as youngest to oldest. You could even consider making a game out of the process.

These are optional. These are the special party favors for guests to take home with them. Any small inexpensive token for each of guests can be appropriate. These can follow your theme as well. Because goodie bags have become a standard for children's birthday parties, I'll focus on this area, but this truly can apply to any type of party.

THE BAGS:
Economical: Paper lunch bags. These can be purchased reasonably in a variety of colors. They can be decorated with markers, stickers, or rubber stamps with the guest's name and pictures relating to the theme.

Small gift bags. They can be purchased plain and you decorate as well as bags with many attractive designs.
Bandanna with corners tied together
Sandbox pail
Pencil box
Small basket
Cookie cutter wrapped with cellophane (great for holding little candies.

THE CONTENTS:
Candy. You can be economical and use the inexpensive penny candy or splurge on the fancier stuff.
Small toys. A good source is www.orientaltrading.com .
Fun pencils, erasers, or crayons

I saved decorations for last because so many of the other elements that make up a party can also act as decorations.