This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ShareFunshine #CollectiveBias “Treat Your Friends To A Hawaiian Staycation: Easy Party Ideas & Recipes”
Cabo, Australia, Paris, New Zealand, Greece, and Japan are just a few of the amazing places I’ve seen as some of my friend’s Summer vacation destinations. If you’re on Facebook, or any Social Media platform, I’m sure you’ve seen a flood of amazing vacation pictures, too. My friends really deserve a nice vacation and I’m happy for the ones who got one. It’s been a long time since our family has been on a vacation. I thought this Summer we would finally go on that dream vacation. Instead, my older kids got Summer school, and I got to keep waking up extra early to get them through their morning routines. We weren’t alone, though. So many of my kids’ friends are in Summer School, too. Many of my own friends used their vacation time during the Holidays, for emergencies, or simply don’t have enough hours accrued to take time off for a family vacation. So I decided to treat my kids, their friends, and a few of my girlfriends, to a Hawaiian Staycation! I quickly turned my front yard into a Paradise.
All you need for the perfect Staycation is people, food, and ambiance. The two biggest concerns people seem to have with throwing a party is that we all know, it takes time and money. But hold on smarty-pants, don’t get all cynical! I have a solution. (Okay, a few) After all, that’s what you’re here for, right? I’ve promised you Simple Solutions for Complicated Lives. I’m not about to quit on you, just because we’re talking parties! I’m going to help you save time and money. Before I get carried away with showing you my no-cook desserts or all the fun we had, let me help you out with some coupons. Also, you can enter daily for a chance to WIN a $100 Walmart e-gift card.
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Have you gathered your coupons and entered to win? So, let’s party!
People
For a fun and intimate gathering, 5 – 10 guests is easy to accommodate.
Food
It doesn’t have to be overly complicated. I’m sure our guests would agree, food is a favorite part of the party! Remember when I made the Skittles® candy garden? That was the easiest and most adorable way to to display one of our favorite candies. In fact, it’s becoming a tradition! For the main meal, I bought pre-roasted chickens and quickly whipped up a few homemade salsas, rice, macaroni salad, veggies, added some chipes and included some guest favorites:
- M&M’s® Plain 42 oz. bag
- SNICKERS® Ice Cream Bars 6-pack (we added sticks in the end for added convenience)
- Dr Pepper® Cherry 2-Liter and 6-packs
- Skittles® 14 oz. bags
- Juicy Fruit Starburst® Cherry Gum – 3 pack
- Juicy Fruit Starburst® Strawberry – 3 pack
The food was ready in no time and it was an almost effortless preparation. We even surprised our guests with Pedigree Dentastix® Original Flavor, a little take-h0me party-favor for their pets! See, we thought of everything!
These adorable Tiki Parfaits and Poppers were a hit!
We made them like this:
Gather your ingredients. We used strawberry cream cheese, graham crackers, pre-packaged vanilla pudding, whipped cream, and of course, M&M’s® Plain!
Smash the crackers until they become a consistent texture of crumbs.
Stir in the strawberry cream cheese. Mix until the texture becomes firm enough to form balls.
Add a flattened cream cheese/graham cracker ball, a spoonful of pudding, (vanilla or tapioca), a small handful of M&M’s® Plain, whipped cream, then repeat layers. So easy, gorgeous, and yummy!
To make the “poppers,” dip the cream cheese/cracker balls into pudding, then top with M&M’s® Plain. You can also freeze them for an hour for even yummier results!
- M&M’s® Plain
- Graham Crackers
- Vanilla or Tapioca Pudding
- Whipped Cream
- Strawberry Cream Cheese
- Smash crackers uintil they become a consistent texture of crumbs.
- Mix in cream cheese until the texture becomes firm enough to roll into balls.
- Roll into balls (For Tiki Poppers, leave them in the ball form. For the parfaits, flatten them.)
- Layer your parfait cup with a flattened ball, pudding, M&M’s® Plain, whipped cream, then repeat.
- For the balls, dip into the pudding, set on plate, then top with M&M’s® Plain. Freeze 1 hour for yummiest results!
Ambiance
Creating the right mood for your staycation party is well worth the extra little effort. It will help encourage guests to interact and have fun! It will also give you a chance to enjoy the party too, rather than simply playing hostess. This is a chance for you to join in the fun.
TIPS:
- CREATE AN INTIMATE AMBIANCE BY SECTIONING OFF PARTY AREAS FOR A MORE PRIVATE SETTING
- Use themed wall cling rolls to cover fences, close off sections, and block visual distractions. You can even use garden stakes and pvc pipe stuck into the lawn to connect the wall cling to and close off designated party areas.
- PLACE TABLES AND CHAIRS IN THE SHADE
- HANG DECORATIONS IN TREE BRANCHES AND RANDOMLY THROUGHOUT YOUR PARTY AREA FOR FULL COVERAGE DECOR AS YOUR GUESTS WALK ABOUT AND INTERACT
- CREATE SPECIFIC FOOD TABLES & KIOSK-STYLE STATIONS
- Main course items
- Refreshments
- Snacks & Desserts
- MAKE TABLE TENTS TO CREATE AUTHENTIC LOOKING KIOSK STATIONS
- Pvc pipe is an easy and affordable way to cover a table. I placed four 1″ pipes into the ground at each corner of our Tiki Bar and attached a table skirt around the top of the pipes.
- A FEW CHAIRS UNDER AN UMBRELLA INSPIRES YOUR GUESTS TO SIT DOWN AND ENJOY A CONVERSATION
Don’t forget to use your coupons at Walmart to get all the treats you need to make the best Staycation Tiki Bar! Download the Blippar app from your Apple or Android store to scan your package and receive exclusive content.
What kind of Staycation party would you create? If you loved this, please share with your friends and let us know in the comments!
By: Alicia Gonzalez
Aloha! Fun party!!
Thanks, Diana! It was a blast.
This is so much fun for the whole family! The whole setup is amazing and it looks like everyone had a great time! (client)