Luau Party

Here are some ideas for a luau party that I found really fun and bright and gave a lot of pop to my party!

 

 

LUAU CUPCAKES

 

 

 

 

These are super easy to do, however I had to get a little creative when I realized at the last minute that I didn't have any powdered sugar to make butter cream frosting for the top. So I improvised.

 

1. I used white chocolate melts and colored it blue, and while it was warm, dipped in the baked cupcakes...

 

2. I put about half a package of graham crackers into a Ziploc baggie and beat the heck out of it with my rolling pin. When they were all grainy like sand, I put them onto a plate and dipped half of the cupcake into it, creating "sand" on the blue "water".

 

3. I used gummy bears as the sunbathers and drink umbrellas as their protection. Even though I didn't have frosting, the chocolate turned out nice and they did taste yummy!

 

 

WATERMELON GRILL AND FRIUT KABOBS

 

This was a little tricky, and the instructions I found on Pintrest and other sites, made it seem soooo easy. I guess it is if you had all the exact kitchen tools, but I'm not that organized and I just kinda wing it. How I did it:

1. Try and find the roundest melon possible, otherwise it ends up lopsided. Also, smaller is better as it needs to be functional (mostly, anyway).

2. Cut in half as evenly as possible. For me, this was the most challenging, but I managed :-) Once cut in half, use a melon baller to remove balls of melon until you are left with just a little bit of red before the rind. My melon baller broke half way through, so I had to wing it and used a spoon and some creative knife tricks

3. Gather all the other fruit you want to use - or you can just use watermelon if you really love it - but my little melon produced a lot of melon and I had a ton left over. I used strawberries, cantaloupe, watermelon and pineapples (Yes, it was a fresh pineapple and for next time, I will probably use the canned stuff - just to take off a few minutes of prep and mess).

4. Skewer the fruit in alternating pieces and set aside.

5. Use the skewers and insert them into the open cut side of one half of the watermelon. This will create a "grill" effect - however, be safe and use a potholder or towel when putting these in - one slip and you can have a pretty bad cut/jab. Once the grill is in place, use kitchen scissors to cut off the ends and are flush (as possible) to the melon.

6. Prop the "Top" of the grill at an angle on the bottom and add your fruit kebobs. The links and other sites I got this from say to put some celery in the bottom of shallow holes to make "legs" - I find this to be a sham and the melon and kebobs are way to heavy to be supported but just 3 stalks of celery. But more power to you if you can do it.

7. I made my kebobs with a side of fruit dip (another post) and put them on a fun bright flowered tray. Everyone enjoyed them and the grill was a hit!

DRINK STATION FUN

 



 

I usually find a lot of my party supplies at the dollar store. They always seem to have themed stuff I can use - luckily while I was shopping for the luau, most stores had their luau/outdoor party stuff on sale or clearance - why? Because it was the end of summer! I guess it was perfect timing for me!

 

1. I found this pink luau table skirting at a party store for $3.00 and then fish net about for $2.00. The most "expensive" thing I really bought for this party was the umbrella toothpicks - they were 8.99 for a box of 144. However, you can get them on Amazon.com for way less, and if you have prime, its free shipping!

 

2. The drink dispenser is from Bed Bath and Beyond, and cost me only 12.00 with two coupons I had come across both online and in the mail. Totally worth it, as we have used it for many parties since then.

 

3. The hula girl and table confetti, flamingo straws and napkins (to the right) were all from the dollar store. I was very happy with these coordinated pieces :-)

 

 

A few other small touches:

1. Blow up flamingo from the dollar store
2. I put colored goldfish in a large mouthed glass vase for some fun.
3. I bought a coconut for decoration, but never actually used it
4. The top of  the pineapple I cut up for my fruit kabobs above was reused as part of a centerpiece in other cut fruit
5. All the guests had Leis (all from the dollar store) and even if they were only worn for a little bit, it added a nice touch!