I wanted this office party to be an "Italian Cruise" themed one.  I created this three window wide cruise ship (each panel was 37" x 72").  These windows are right by the office check-in desk.  Party goers were each issued a games card to record their scores.  I have several stand-alone sign posts to give directions for various things.

                                     Here is an example of the one by check-in.

This opening into the conference room was the "gangplank" leading into the buffet area. I ordered Italian food from a local catering company, and it included waiters and waittresses.

I always have MANY Christmas trees in the office.  The one in this room is not shown in the photo.

I used red and white bows with silver and gold balls to accent my tree. Here by the seating area were four panels of the Almalphi coast I created.  My hubby says these were his all-time favorite ones.  I will post the actual posters below.

                 The ship needs a pool deck, so we used the building's lobby space to do this. If you follow me, you've seen my river rugs many times.  Here they are as a pool.  I placed a shark in the pool and a net.  Each of my beach chairs had a nerf gun and balls to try to shoot at the shark.  Yes, the large nerf balls went through the net.  Notice the umbrella and life guard chair.  We added the life guard's sweatshirt to the back of the chair.

Behind the pool, in the hall running 90 degrees, was a mamma flammingo.  I put 6 small

stuffed baby flamingos in a 12" square painting canvas. I velcroed this to a gym scooter.

With a mop handle and the soft side of velco to save the floor, the object was to push the babies to the mom under three pvc stands like the one above.  You got three chances to

get all six babies to their mom.  If one or two fell off, you could put them back on a start

again.  This was VERY popular.

Across from Flamingo Game was Tante's Farm Game.  A wolf was trying to get at her

border collie and farm goat.  Here was target practice to get at the wolf. The target was

a poster stand I bought on Amazon.  I bought wooden hoops and hook and looped them to the stand.

An easy fishing game.  I bought a child's wooden fishing pole on Etsy.  It has a hook at the end.  I bought half circle metal rings on Amazon and sewed them to about a dozen

stuffed fish.  This was a timed event.  Any simple game timed makes it fun for adults.

I made a kitchen stove out of black foam core from Michael's.  I found metal food warmers at a discount store and used them as burners.  I bought two big pots, heating pads, salt and pepper, even a paper towel holder, and two sets of tongs.  The object was to get the lobsters, and/or veggies into the pots.  The winner won the whole game.

 

 Since it was Italy, I brought out my precious hand crafted with that hangs on a broom (not pictured).  She played La Befana.  She had turned something into frogs.  It was a basic toss, but very popular.  The frogs and targets ended up in an employees' wife's pre-school. The targets were cheap wooden disks I painted green.

Above are enlarged chefs by the tossing game.

There is usually a game just for employees the week before the party. Since the Almalphi Coast grows a LOT of lemons, I had LOTS of lemons in all eight of the office ficus trees.  I also bought a TON of soft white large lemons on AMAZON.  The adult trikes came out of storage. I added baskets.  The employees had to race down the "coast" and back tossing lemons at targets.  Much fun ensued.

Here is the office kitchen area they raced towards.  I placed a small thin tree for them to go around on their trikes. ( Not my first time doing this). You can see more of the coast villages on the back windows.  You can also see Grandma's (Nana's) blown-up poster with the wolf.

She is in her garden.  I enlarged garden items and pests as targets for the disc guns you see in the photo above on the bar.  These shot disks RAPIDLY, so I had a broom and dust pan there to sweep them up for the next contestants.  I head a LOT of laughter at this game.

Here is sample of another one of the signs with directions for the game that was up by the pool.

Here are the babies in their "sled." You can also see the mop handles and my collection of "shooters."

Finally, we also had a dessert competition.  The partners and their wives all gathered in another of the conference rooms (with Christmas Italian decorations) and read and tasted all of the entrees.  Yes, I said read.  Part of the competition was to describe your Italian themed desserts.  You got points for doing so.  You got points for theme.  You got points for presentations.  You got points for taste.  With ten judges, we had a great time with the FABULOUS desserts these talents architects in interior designers presented. The top prize was $500, so they go out in their efforts.

 

 

Backyard Games

LOBSTER TOSS

I have been creating games for parties for over 20 years.  I have a stockpile of game props
in my basement that adapt to different themes.  I thought I would start you off with the
simple props that you could use in the above photo.  I have a basic stock pot (inexpensive).  I also have a basic metal trash can.  Both of these are easily obtainable targets.  To make a game, you need only two basic ideas.  A target + projectile thrower/what you are throwing.  In the above case I used a grabber and stuffed lobsters.

I had a camping themed party.  Before I found plumbing pieces I could weigh down with
cement and add PVC poles to, I used heavy pots.  Here are some foam core bears with
holes cut in them.  I learned through the years, that I can enlarge patterns by converting images to Adobe PDFs.  This is a choice given to you in your printer options.  Who knew?
Once your image is a PDF, it comes with it's own grab bar of options.  One of those options is print size.  Choose the poster and an enlargement percentage.  It will print your option
in multiple pages that you can glue together.  OR... put the image on a portable drive and take it to Office Depot to enlarge.  I cut the pattern out onto fun foam and glue it to backboards.  Those science boards work well as does wall insulation.  Yes!  Wall insulatin panels.

The projectile above was a Nerf ball shooter with balls.  

CARNIVAL GAMES

I have occasionally used backboards for directions and props to add to the themes.
If I am having table games, I like to have wooden boxes to help contain the items being tossed.  I have used wooden trays, etc. for this.  An old window from, minus the glass, provides a target that I have used MANY times. The middle game that bouncy dinosaurs banks.  I stuck cardboard targets in the slots.  The projectiles were potato pellets made from a toy potato gun, found easily online.  I also have a collection of toy buzzers found online.  I used them for quiz games in the classroom, but mounted on a board, they became great noisy (which kids love) targets.  I opened some stuffed frogs and added beans to them--to make them heavier.

SHEEP HOOP TOSS

Ring tosses are more fun if the targets are adorable.  In this French countryside themed party,  The farmer stands by his sheep.  I order oversize stuffed animals from Melissa and Doug on Amazon. I loved putting them behind my tiny fence.  Next to them was one of my collies and a goose in a wagon.  I have a collection of different sized rings from small diving rings (my favorites) to large plastic ones.  At the holidays, I bring out my big stuffed deer.  Their antlers make great targets.

FEED SALMON TO THE BEARS

I love my oil pan target.  I attached it to an easel with hook and loop tape.  I also velcroed curtain rings to it.  I printed out salmon to add to the theme.  The kids loved it.
I used my swimming rings to toss onto the rings.

Baby pools make GREAT targets.  They are inexpensive and easy to store.  You can adapt them to so many themes.  For this game I used white plastic balls I bought online.  I also used my stuffed salmon fish in them.  I bought inexpensive children's sized plastic shovels and buckets for the contestants to move the balls back and for with.  The polar bears set the salmon fishing game theme.

Here's the red bucket I mentioned above.  My raccoons are guarding it.  I bought the green rubber rings online, and have been using them as targets in many ways.  I have hung them on ladders, from small flag poles, etc.  I used stuffed food to toss into the trash can.  You could use plastic children's food also.  I bought my stuffed food on Etsy.  It has gone to quite a few parties.

Here are three of my over-sized animals behind a pen (which is actually a plastic shoe rack).  I got matching stuffed babies for guests to toss into the pens.  It was fun, but difficult.

Here are the rubber rings on the ladder.  I have pvc bow and arrows that I bring out for different themes.

I found rubber boats and kayaks make great game pieces.  Here are two office party goers using the nerf ball shooters while on a MOVING raft shooting a golf chipping targets.
Yes, golf targets are portable, have nets, and POCKETS.  Hubby and I built a wooden base on wheels (or you could use dolleys) to do this.  It is still talked about in office lore.

I found this tent camper online.  I knew I needed it for a prop.  Here is Santa at the campground with a few of his dogs. The target is a raised dog bowl stand.  The projectiles are rubber bones.  You can search from projectiles on Amazon is the pet toy section.  I LOVE this section.

I buys small squares of wood and put 2 lengths of industrial strength Velcro on the bottoms of each.   If you have a slide-able surface, you can push these with brooms or mops, etc.  I glue stuffed animals on them.  Here is my skunk family.  I have also used bobble heads and prairie dogs.   People never get tired of shuffleboard.

Not all of my stuffed targets are large.  Since I do a lot of woodland themed parties,
I have owls, foxes, deer, bear, beavers, and possums.  In this easy target game I just used a tin bucket and plastic twigs (dog toys) to "feed the animals."  

When their not being used as targets, they are also being used as props.



                                  
In the above photo collage of a Moana party I designed, You can see the window used as a game and my corn hole game used with bean bag stuffed fish.  I also made a huge stand-on Moana bingo board.  I have lots of stuffed parrots I use as game pieces and props. I cut up strips of plastic tablecloths to ruffle for the headbands.



                                   In the above photo, the target is these stuffed and wood trees.  I ordered stuffed axes on Etsy (yes I did)!  You can see how I've reused my stuffed animals for props.  I actually gave this fabulous small table away.  It was a big mistake.  But I have replaced it with foldable
step stools that are easier to store.


                                  
Above you can see the step stool holding a tray of stuffed/plush shrimp.  They are just the right size to use with my snowball throwing catapult (Amazon).  You can also see the plastic kayak I used for the salmon tossing game, along with the rubber ring attached to a flag pole on top of my red trash can.  I used a pool noodle as the buoy.  Of course I have a full sized stuffed seal on the bouy.  My water rugs are new.  I LOVE them.

                      

Even better than a hand held catapult (snowball shooter) is a STOMPING one.  I finally
figured out how to make this.  If you want the directions, go to my post on catapult.
I acquired most of the superhero bean bags that were available online for my Super Hero party.  Well, most superheros DO fly.  But, it is fun to watch any stuffed animal fly.

                         

Here are backboards I painted for a carnival game party.  On the left is a spinning target I bought on Etsy.  I used it with my rubber band guns.  Next to it are the dragons which we
tossed rings over.  Third is one of my basket boats.  I found these adorable round stuffed fish in a toy section of Target.  Last was my fling the rubber frogs game, using a net tied up with a rubber band to make it shallower.

I bring games to the beach.  I threw a mini "Olypmics."  I divided my daughter's friends into two groups to compete against each other.  I used my nerf ball shooter for one of the games.  I brought two small tubs and foam water shooters for a relay game.  I used my three person rope skis for a race.  I brought along my corn hole game.  The twenty somethings had fun.

BAZOOKA AIR BLOWERS KNOCKING OVER COWS

                                  

Whamo has air blasters.  I bought these on Amazon.  Then I made cardboard standup cows from pizza boxes to blow over.  It was actually a very popular game.

Ski Resort Themed Office Party

Since I was setting the scene of a ski resort at the office, the lower photo with Santa starts with arriving at the town and with holiday shoppers. (You can click on any photo to enlarge it.  The second scene is the bus arriving at the lodge with skiers in the background.   In the top scenes, farther into the office, above the couch, is the skating
lodge with ice skaters taking up all four panels.

To add to the outdoor theme, I made 12  6" x 8 foot birch trees from wall insulation.  I painted all sides white, then marked them with black sharpies.  I bought white birch branches on Amazon and poked holes in them to add the branches to the stems.  (The staff and guests LOVED these.  In above photo you can see the inexpensive coat rack I bought on Amazon, but used as a ski rack.  Add a few artificial trees, and I set the scene.

 Every lodge needs a fireplace.  The company who prints them made them too short, but I used them anyway.  I had a wooden frame from a construction project that was 5' x 5'.
I added another piece of trim for the mantle, black science boards, birch logs, and flashing lights for the front of the poster.  The moose is one of my new acquisitions.  He was a popular guy at the party.

Here is an up close look at the fireplace.  That is yellow cellophane I've wrapped around
remote controled flashing lights.

The MAIN EVENT, which the office participated in for the 3 days previous to the party, was a dog sled event.  Our dog sled was built with a 24" x 45" handled dolly.  I  velcroed a 
stadium seat to the back and added a pillow.  Please notice the pool noodle velcroed to
the front to protect the office walls.  We have a very long and wide main hall that lends
itself to these rides. If you will also notice there are two snowball launchers and a box
of bean bag snowballs that are going along for the ride.

How do the dogs tie in?  I am glad you asked.

The dogs are waiting to be fed at the feeding station.  I bought two fold-able step stools.
I recycled 12 empty 20 oz pineapple cans and made new husky dog food labels.  Have you figured out that they are going to use the launchers and snowballs to knock them over.
Since this is a timed event, they were given points  for their speed added to the number of points for each can knocked over. The oil pan actually worked for catching most of
the snowballs.  Each team had to pick them back up after riding through the kitchen, around the tree, and back to the start.  
                  BUT...after the first day of runs, they were still going way too fast.  Hubby was afraid of someone getting hurt, so we needed a way to slow them down.

We adapted this game for just the office pre-run.  I had large hoops you had to throw around the goat's head.  It worked.  No points, but it slowed them down.  This area
was the ski resort's PETTING ZOO.  You had to get the baby animals back in the pen (shoe rack) by their mamas.  There were 3 babies per mama.  I brought the Chicken Toss game back from last year.  Instead of throwing rubber eggs, you just tossed the baby chicks in their "nest" baskets.  Each basket has a different points value.  I bought this game on Amazon for the beach. It comes with bean bags (which you can swap out for your games).

Back in this nice area of the kitchen, I reused my baby skunks on sliding boards and my
mop stick (minus the head) for a shuffleboard.  This is always a popular game, and not an easy one either. 

Above is my fun foam- science board Caps Hockey player. Since we designed the Capital's Hockey Center, I felt this was a nice touch.  There is a triangle beneath his legs and a net behind him.  He is standing in front of a shelf with bricks loaded on it for weight.
The hockey sticks have furniture moving slides velcroed to them.  I bought a teen-sized
set on Amazon that included the stick, pucks, and net.  This was fairly inexpensive. The
kicker was they strapped on carpet skates (made with furniture sliders).  I bought those on Amazon also.

                                                        

You might have caught a glimpse of an empty baby pool earlier and wondered what it was being used for.  Well, I had four of them.  I filled two of them up with white play pit balls for the POLAR BEAR CHALLENGE.  I bought the plastic play shovels at Target when I first saw them, then built the game around them.  I already had the polar bears from the polar bear birthday beach party (see post about that).  The object of the game was to ride a 
scooter back and forth across building lobby, fill up small bucket with balls, bring balls to other side of lobby, and empty them into other pool.  This was a two team relay.

You can see that the lobby was a very popular spot.  On right you can see a raccoon food toss (I bought felt food on Etsy last year).  You can see the small scooter I bought for little kids to ride on.  You can spy the large scooter by the pools. And you can spot three of the company's partners, including my hubby.  But to see the most popular game of the evening, you will have to see photo below.

You had to throw 3 bean bag axes, while standing on a balancing exercise board, at the stuffed tree target--to try to knock them over. I had this game--minus the exercise
 board--- at the Chili Contest Lumberjack Party a few years back.  So many people played it, that it broke the trees and I had to install rulers in them to make them stand up.  So I bought cheap ones on Amazon that worked just as well.  Since they weren't falling to the floor this time, they ended up being stored intact.  WHEW!!

                                          

This game also shows the tree signs I made for each game with directions on them. I had bells on the balsam tree you could ring as an option.

What were people doing in the small conference room?  Rolling dice to draw a snowman,
of course.  You're never too old for a favorite elementary school game.  Only the dice chart was using combinations that made it harder and more fun for adults. I posted my snowman drawing on the wall.  Soon it was covered with many more.

We have a phone booth in the office, in case a client needs to take a call.  But, during parties, it is usually a fun place to sit for a small group gathering.  This party, though, it was used for the bear fishing game.  Please note the tree and directions and the raffle box for winners.  Each game has it's own raffle box.  I used my other oil pan which I velcroed to my easel.  I also velcroed shower curtain hooks to the pan.  I laminated pictures of salmon to adapt it to the theme.  There were swimming diving hoops you tossed from the doorway to land on the hooks.  This was a VERY popular game.  Mama bear and her 3 cubs were standing by waiting for the fish.

If you follow this blog, or visit it regularly (thank you, by the way) you are waiting for the DESSERT BAR photos.  Above are the graphics I did for the two monitors that are installed above it. Notice Santa in the red truck.  I am always on the hunt for good tree graphics, and I love the snow covered one I found.

Out came all of my rustic serving pieces, including this new cupcake stand.  I had two of the office wives help me bake this year.  Wowzers!!!!  It was fabulous.  Those little peppermint cheesecakes I made went FAST.  I crushed up Hershey peppermint kisses for the cheesecake part.  I always use Oreos in the bottom of my mini pans, because when you pop them out, these cookies make them easier and sturdier to handle.

I made brownie trees, cutting the cookie sheet layer into triangle shapes (seen on Pinterest).  I drizzled melted green chocolate disks and added holiday sprinkles on each.  I dipped a pretzel in the chocolate to add to the bottom.  All of the desserts nestled on round snowflake doilies I printed and cut out.

I cheated and bought a big chocolate cake from Costco, along with cream puffs.  I added
mousse cakes and cookies from Wegman's.  One of the two Samantha's helping me made
48 s'more pops on sticks.  So, I am HAPPY TO SAY, I made no cake pops for this party.
But I am making moose ones for the Alaska Chili Contest in March.  I am using the same trees, same tableclothes, same stuffed wild animals, same rustic wooden serving pieces. 
Are you getting the drift.  Reuse.  Reuse.  Reuse, and twig the theme so people think you're just so creative.  This same Samantha made all of the live centerpieces on the tables, and the big box of greens.  She has agreed to start taking over the Christmas party, so that I am not so stressed, now that we have even more employees.   



                                                                   A special thank you to the band, Irresponsible.  Bands love this gig because they get to play games.  Too many games (insert sad face icon here)options, so noone danced to the music this year. But a live band always makes for a more festive party.

Just in case anyone was wondering, yes we played Wii Ski on the monitor in the conference room. We gave away lots of cash and prizes for the drawings.  Below are random photos of our party guests.

Samantha the Greens Designer

People waiting hopefully that their envelope from wall has money in it

Yours truly during raffle drawings

Newest member of my stuffed collection, Chocolate Moose.
Bags are prizes for winning sled race team.

Buzz's partner looking festive.  Note
Wii Ski in background.

Happy family

My tech guru and his family. Best cleanup helpers ever, also

First time EVER--line for the buffet.   They'd heard about the meatballs!!!