News and photos

Issue No 39:
15 October 2006

Welcome to our thirty-ninth PartyChitChat. Just to let you know our news first:

• We have created a standard version for 15 to 17 for Caught In A Spanish Web.
• We are still working on our "Merri Parties" book full of tips on how to run parties of all kinds. If you have any party tips you would like us to include in our book, please send us an email via info@merrimysteries.com.

In this issue, we have articles about:

• Our photo competition winners
• Decoration competition winner.

Our photo competition winners

This time we had some very interesting entries. We would like to thank everyone who entered. The 3 winners are:

• Katie Darcy (USA) for a group photo from her Celebrity Celebrations party and also a picture of Fred and Ginger
• Christina Moreno
  (USA) for a group photo from her Celebrity Celebrations party
• Karen Allie (USA) for a photo from her Poetic Justice party.

We are commencing a new competition with a closing date of 1 December 2006 (see photos.htm for details).

Our decoration competition winner

The winner is Shawna Williams (USA) for the handmade invitations which she and her friend Greyson Billingham created for their Who Stole The Cookies? party (see below). They also decorated the nametags and memo pad books for taking notes as well. They used the name tags as place cards on the dinner table.

We are commencing a new competition with a closing date of 1 December 2006 (see decor.htm for details).

Shawna sent in this feedback:

My friend and I held a "Who Stole the Cookies" party. We decided to handmake all the nametags and invitations without scrapbooking tools. I think it added a special touch and may have even given some guests ideas about how to dress for their characters. It also was a great way to allow our guests to keep a memento from the party. I've included a picture of our invitations. We enjoyed making theses almost as much as the party itself.

Shawna Williams"

Katie's photos from her "Celebrity Celebrations" party:

Christina sent in this feedback from her "Celebrity Celebrations" party:

We used the mystery dinner party as a youth fundraiser at church. The actors were middle and high school aged students. We added an MC (Ed Sullivan) to make general announcements, start the acts, and introduce the cast. All the kids dressed up as their character.

We held 3 rehearsals prior to our event. With each rehearsal, the kids got more and more into their characters.

We made a CD that we played throughout the evening with 1960's music (from the celebrities that were starring in the show), and served a "Happy Birthday Jerry Oilman!" birthday cake for dessert. We also took a photo of each of the kids dressed in costume for display at the event - like they were real stars! It was really a fun show, everyone was very impressed with the entertainment, and were astonished (including the actors themselves) when the murderer was revealed at the end of the show!

Karen sent in this feedback about her "Poetic Justice" party:

"HELLO!

JUST RECOVERING FROM A FANTASTIC NIGHT WITH POETIC JUSTICE. EVERYONE WAS JUST GREAT! THE COMMENTS WERE THEY HAD A GREAT TIME AND WE WOULD HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN. WE HAD A VERY ECLECTIC GROUP, YOUNG AND OLD, SERIOUS AND HUMOROUS...EVERYONE PARTICIPATED AND ENJOYED THEMSELVES.

IT STARTED AS A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION. THE BIRTHDAY GIRL GOT TO CHOSE HER STORY. THE REST WAS A SURPRISE. I HAD LESS THAN 10 DAYS TO PREPARE FOR IT. I KNEW IT WAS A WINNER SO THAT MADE ALL THE EFFORTS WORTH IT. WE SHARED THE MAGIC OF THE EVENING. I TOLD ALL THE GUESTS THAT IT WAS $20 FOR THE WIG, $6 FOR THE CIGARETTE HOLDER, BUT THE REST OF THE EVENING IS PRICELESS! WE WERE ABLE TO CREATE A MEMORY THAT WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN.

THE KIT WAS USER FRIENDLY. THE REST WAS UP TO EVERYONE'S IMAGINATION. WE HAD A GOOD LAUGH OVER THE ONES THAT HAD TO FOCUS ON THE FINE PRINT TO READ THE LINES!

THANKS FOR MAKING IT POSSIBLE.

SINCERELY,

KAREN ALLIE TAMPA, FL."

Decor competition: Here are the invitations Shawna Williams and her friend Greyson Billingham created for their party: