All of us want our daughters and granddaughters to grow up to be self-confident, vibrant, well-rounded young women. As editor of Creative Girls Club, much of my day-to-day life focuses on developing creativity in girls. At Creative Girls Club, we firmly believe a creative girl is a confident girl. She is proud of her creative talents, whether they are artistic, culinary, literary or athletic! A girl who is confident in her own skills is far more likely to resist negative peer pressure or fall into the trap of always trying to please others. You, as her parent or grandparent, are key in building this value trait in her, and we're here to help you!

We're excited you are joining us for this eight-part series on creative party ideas! With this series, we'll take you and your girl through simple steps for planning and hosting fun, wholesome and yes, "way cool" parties. In this e-series, we'll bring you five fantastic party themes, complete with ideas for decorations, activities and crafts, easy-to-make and yummy-to-eat recipes, and fun games. As a bonus, our last two installments will feature more quick recipes and oodles of fun games -- good, clean fun brought conveniently to your desktop!

Aside from just giving you ideas for great parties, we hope this series will help moms and dads like you shape your daughters into confident, creative girls!

I hope you enjoy reading the tips and ideas listed below.

Laura Scott
editor, Creative Girls Club

Planning Your Party

You're going to have a party! What should you do so everyone will have as much fun as possible? Have a plan! Begin planning your party a few weeks ahead of time. Then everything will be ready.

Easy Party Ideas will give you lots of ideas for your party! There are many themes from which to choose. If you want, mix them up to make your own special, one-of-a-kind party! Each party will make lots of special memories for your girl and her friends.

Let's Plan a Party

Follow these 10 steps to help plan and organize your party. More details about each step follow.

4 to 6 weeks before the party

	Choose the kind of party you will have and its theme.
	Set the date and time for your party.
	Make a guest list.

2 to 3 weeks before the party

	Buy or make the invitations. Send them.
	Decide on decorations. Buy supplies you need to make them.
	Buy favors and prizes -- or buy the supplies you need to make them.
	Plan a menu. Will you serve a full meal, or simpler snacks?
	Choose activities or games.

1 week before the party

Take care of any details before the party. Double-check your lists. Put your favors or goody bags together. Do whatever you can ahead of time. After the party Have everyone pitch in to help clean up!

What kind of party should you have?

Birthday parties are very popular. Any of the ideas in this series will make a great theme for your girl's special day! You also might want to have a party at some other time, just a fun get-together where the girls can have fun! Look through each part of Easy Party Ideas and choose what you think will be the best fit.

Some themes are better for summer; some are better for sleepovers; some parties are better for birthdays; some are better for just a few friends instead of a big group. ... You get the picture!

Customize the party to your girl's likes and dislikes. You can choose one craft or activity from one party and something else from another. Pick ideas and activities that you know they are interested in and enjoy most.

Think about these things when you are making your party plans:

• Where will you have the party?
• Will it be indoor or outdoor?
• How much room do you have?
• How much money can you spend?
• How many friends can your girl invite?
• How much time do you have to get ready?
• How much adult help will you need?

Date and time

Before you set the party date, check your calendar. Are there other activities that you need to work around, like sports, vacations, lessons, holidays or your work schedule? Choose a time that will be best for everyone. Give yourself plenty of time to plan and get ready for the party.

Set a beginning and ending time for your party. A shorter party usually works better than a longer one. Set up a general schedule for each activity. Will you have time for everything?

A party usually lasts for two to three hours -- except for overnight parties, of course. Let parents know when the party will be over so they will know when to pick up their girls.

Guest list

Don't make your list too long! Smaller groups are easier to handle. Keep all your party information together in one place. Check off your list as each guest lets you know if she can come. List the following information for each guest: Guest's name Address Phone Parent's name RSVP RSVP is an abbreviation for the French phrase "Repondez s'il vous plait," which means "Please respond." In other words, you are asking your guests to let you know if they will be coming to your party or not. You will be able to plan better if you know how many people are coming.   Invitations Send out invitations at least two weeks before the party. Include the following important information: Kind and theme of party Time Place Address Host/hostess Phone number Special information (Should guests wear a costume or bring something to the party?) A date by which you'd like your guests to RSVP This is an example of how the inside of your invitation might look. Use colorful markers to print the information by hand, or use a computer and printer, which is faster.    Decorations A party is always more fun and festive when you have decorations. But decorations cost money, even if you make your own. They also take time to make and put up. Start early and shop smart. Make a list of supplies you will need so you don't make lots of trips to the store. You can also have the girls help with some of the decorating at the party as a fun activity.    Favors and prizes Party favors are small gifts you give to each guest. They can be as simple as a nut cup full of sweets, or a few crafting supplies that guests will use to make a project. If you give prizes at your party, be sure to be fair in choosing the winners. Give everyone a chance to win!      Food Choose things that everyone likes to eat. Use recipes that will be easy to make. Try out new recipes ahead of time. You don't need to serve a full meal. Sometimes cake, ice cream and a drink are enough. Order a cake from the bakery several weeks before the party if you are not making it yourself. Serve it toward the end of the party, since it is usually the favorite part of the party. If you are having activities at your party, serve the food afterward. You don't want sticky fingers when they're making a project. Spills could be a disaster!    Activities Make up a sample of each craft project the girls will be making at your party. This will let you test how hard it is to make, and how much time it will take. Remember to make sure everyone has a good time at your girl's party. Choose activities that will include all of her friends. Play games ahead of time (especially new ones) so you can see how long they will take. Work out any problems before the party. Don't have guests choose teams. Instead, pick names out of a hat, or line up guests and "count off." Odd numbers are on one team and even numbers on the other. It's a good idea to have extra games in case a game finishes early. Play games that have more than one winner. Prizes are not necessary. Enjoying the game is the best reward. If the activities are outside, have a plan for doing something else if the weather forces you inside. If you have a larger party, you may want to ask several other adults to help keep it organized.

Party details Start early. Begin preparing and making things for the party as soon as you can. Last-minute work will take away from your fun. Try to find a little time each day to prepare for the party. This is easier than doing everything the last weekend or last night before the party. Prepare the food and finish the last-minute decorating the day before or the day of the party. Decorate the outside of the house or other party site with balloons or a sign. Don't forget to have plenty of film for your camera. Take pictures at the beginning of the party, when everyone is freshest -- especially if they are wearing costumes. Choose one person to be in charge of taking pictures because you will be too busy!

Cleanup The girls will probably be willing to help clean up. That will make the job fast and fun.

Instead, they are turning on their own creative light bulbs like never before while they have a blast making bright, colorful craft kits that express who they are. They are gaining confidence ... gaining success ... gaining a grip on who they are ... and how to have fun with their own talents.

Now, it's your turn to find out what all the excitement is all about and enroll your special girl in the coolest, most talked about craft kit series in America.