Luau Party!

Hawaiian history shows that Luau's were held for many reasons. Several reasons include honoring their gods, honoring a victory in war, or to celebrate a bountiful harvest just to name a few. The modern Hawaiian Luau has become more of a luau party with lots of food and drink. The guests are generally the entertainment as they are asked to participate in many activities. Typically, in Hawaii, they are tourist attractions held on the beach by the resorts. They may include pre-dinner entertainment, but most if not all, have a Hawaiian Hula Dance. Many Hawaiian families still gather for the traditional Old Lahaina Luau, but they are very private affairs that celebrate very special occasions.

Today's modern Hawaiian Luau doesn't have to happen in Hawaii. They happen in the beaches, backyards, hotels, and civic centers in your local neighborhoods. Ok so it's quite unlikely to see a Hula dance performed in your backyard, but there are plenty of ways to decorate your party to bring a taste of this Hawaiian tradition to your gathering.

The luau invitations get the ball rolling.  The next step is decorating.  The Lei is the most common decoration used in the Luau party. They are very inexpensive and easy to obtain. They come in many colors and types. The host of the Luau purchases and passes them out to the guests as they arrive for the fun. Your guests will love them as they provide the feeling of authenticity.

Flowers also add a color touch. Outside of the lei, flowers have many different places to add color and texture to your décor. The Hibiscus is a native flower to Luaus. There are many artificial versions you could purchase to decorate the cake table and around the buffet line. The Hibiscus also makes a good ladies hair accent.

These are just a few Luau party ideas just to get you started. You can easily expand on these thoughts as you go through them to make your Luau party the absolute best.

Baby Showers and Baby Bottle Banks

 Don't you love the pitter patter of little feet or the anticipation of the first of many firsts your baby will accomplish?  Well even before the firsts, there was most likely a baby shower.  The baby shower is a very common celebration today which requires appropriate preparation.

Baby shower banners are a good decorative item as well as games.  Balloons generlly are the biggest decorative item used in baby showers.  They are easy to find and can be placed just about anywhere.  They also can be used as art as well.  The baby bottle banks shown here are a creative item used in baby showers. 

They can be filled with baby items and/or money.  They can be used as centerpieces with balloons attached or they can addorn the gift table as accents.  After the party they become baby toys or in most cases are just used as a bank.  Other customer responses love their durability and were definite eye catching items at the shower.  Still others have commented that they were also used during baby's 1st birthday party with great success.  The kids were asked to bring loose change to the party just for the baby bottle bank along with a small gift under a small spending limit.  We are always looking for other creative ideas.  Please comment if you have one...

The Beach Party: Vehicle of fun and memories

Grenada, The Spice Island, is a place I am quite familiar.  It is where my family is deeply rooted.  On many visits, growing up, we would pull the entire family together for a full day of beach fun.  My uncles would don their snorkling gear and leave early in the morning for several hours in deep water harpooning fish, grabbing lobster and other sea delicacies for us to cook on the beach.  Everything we ate was either freshly caught or picked from the water or land.  Everyone ate, swam, and rested numerous times throughout the day and not necessarily in that order.  Those are some good memories.

Having family around always creates long lasting happy memories that we all cherish.  You don't have to have alot or spend alot to achieve that goal.  You will not need balloons, table covers, or table skirts.  They are certainly great decorative items, but a beach needs no decorating.   The sights and sounds of your favorite beach is the reason it's your favorite.  What? You couldn't dream of bringing your entire family out to a public beach?  Nonsense.  It's public!  Get out early and claim your area.  Bring lots of food and drink and let your family self entertain.

There are some essentials a beach party needs...a cooler is most important.  With the weather being a warm as it is during the summer months, dehydration could be an issue.  Now you can get creative with your cooler style.  For instance a palm tree cooler, can bring a palm tree to your beach if one isn't naturally growing and it can hold significant quantities of ice and drinks.  The generic blue box cooler works just a well.  Don't forget your plates, cups and napkins.

Make sure it's a family affair and share the work load.  With that everyone will have an opportunity to enjoy themselves and leave your event with memories they will never forget.

The Pinata: A Kids Party Essential

One of the challenges many parents face is how to entertain any size group of children during a birthday party.  The decorations are usually simple in that they are based on a theme, but what really entertains the attendees?  You could hire a clown, rent a bounce house, or buy water games and toys.  One othe idea to consider is the Pinata.  Consider it an essential part of your entertainment package.  The pinata automatically lets the kids know that no matter what toys and candy are about to be all over the place.  They will grow with anticipation of the moment when the loot hits the ground.

Our current best seller is the Blues Clues Pinata.  In general customer response has been very positive.  The directions are attached to each pinata and filling with toys and candy is easy.  The Luau pinatas are generally used by customers as decoration rather than an entertainment item.  Other responses consistently reveal the party mood as being very joyus leading up to the pinata busting and after.

Give any of our many pinata a try and as always we ask you to add your own response.  With kids results always vary, but our customer's results have been very positive.

Ardyss Body Magic Shaper - Corset Golden

Ardyss Body Magic garments have fast become a household name and are synonymous with losing dress sizes in minutes. Ardyss fashioned one of their best selling garments after a article of clothing that has been around since the early 1500s, the Corset. The most common and well-known use of corsets is to slim the body and make it conform to a curvier silhouette. For women this means reducing the waist and thereby enhancing the breast and hips.


The Ardyss Corset Golden is designed to close the ribs, thereby reducing the waist size and producing that dream figure. Its functions are listed below:

• Can reduce waist up to 3 sizes.
• Prevents rib expansion or separation.
• Excellent after pregnancy.
• Comes with three rows of clasps, thus fitting three different sizes, enabling a continuous refinement of the figure.

Reviews of customer responses say the outwardly appearing benefits are amazing. The garment is supportive and comfortable. The overwhelming response is that you will absolutely love the way you look and feel. One customer reported, “The corset golden “cinched” my waist by pulling it in, immediately giving me that hourglass look I had so very many years ago.”

As with the other garments, sizing is a key aspect. Getting the right size increases the consumer’s satisfaction of their purchase. Ardyss Body Magic Shapers are no exception, and Ardyss International is well aware of this concern. They have provided a link here to help you choose the correct size.

If you own an Ardyss Corset Golden or have heard any feedback, please share here with us.

Party Supplies: The Table Cover

Celebrations bring out the best in everyone, and no matter the state of the economy we find inexpensive ways to celebrate.  One of the easiest and cheapest way to set a mood or theme at any party is with the table cover.  Bare tables scream a serious lack of thought or effort put into setting up a party.  Imagine a table with a beautiful centerpiece, place settings for eight people, and the table cover is missing.  Yuck!

Plastic table covers are a standard item at any party store you visit.  Your local grocery store even carries small quantities of plastic table covers.  ShopDollarD.com carries Unique Industries full line of plastic table covers.  They come in both round and rectangle shapes for your choosing.

What are our customer saying about these plastic table covers?  The number one response is that they are durable.  They can withstand a large variety of mishaps, which also makes them resuable.  The typical colors which are reused the most are white and black.  Rips and tears are difficult to avoid, so the replacement cost is very important to our customers.  The color variety is extensive and well liked, except Unique does not manufacture a brown table cover.  The plastic table covers are 4 star rated.  As always any other information is welcome.  Please post.

The Ardyss Body Magic Abodmen Men's Shirt

Ardyss International was actually started in 1989 in Mexico but it wasn't until 1991 that their popularity began to hit mainstream. The main reason for this growth was a result of a directional change in their product line. The Ardyss Body Magic Shaper was born not only as a corset, but with reshaping capabilities as well. The invention of Mr. Antonio Diaz de Leon has been instrumental ladies around the globe in changing their appearance and boosting self esteem. With the success of the women's line of products, what about the men?

Ardyss expanded their product line to include the Ardyss Body Magic Abodmen Men's Shirt. The shirt is claimed to provide the following benefits:

• Firms the abdomen.
• Supports the back.
• Helps protect the spine from backaches.
• Helps relieve muscluar fatigue.
• Reduces your waist up to two sizes.

This shirt is the number one selling Ardyss item on http://www.shopdollard.com/. A review of customer responses rate this item as a 4 star product. They all agree it performs better than advertised including improving posture and reducing back pain. In a few cases the product has not performed to standard mostly due to sizing problems. In each of these cases the user purchased a replacement because they enjoyed the results of wearing one.

Sizing is key to any garment purchase. Getting the right size increases the consumers satisfaction of their purchase. Ardyss Body Magic Shapers are no exception, and Ardyss International is well aware of this concern. They have provided a link here to help you choose the correct size.

Since this is a 4 star item and a hot seller we felt compelled to spread the word on to you. If you have any information to share about the Ardyss Body Magic Mens Abdomen Shirt, please feel free to respond.