If this guide teaches you anything that you did not know... or simply helps you get better organized, Please vote yes for helpful!

Hello! I am ChloeJaneb and we are here to help you plan the perfect party! Don't be fooled by other seller's trying to imitate me and everything that I do! There is only ONE ChloeJaneb! I know that as a parent you want to help your children have the most fun and memorable birthday parties ever! Is sounds easy right? Well, if the first thing on your list is to run right out to the store and buy every Elmo party item you can find, then you aren't off to a very easy start! I hope that by reading my guide you will have a little better education on how to plan, shop for and buy party supplies. I will also tell you what to look for and what to stay away from. So please read on and have a great party!

The first thing that you should do before buying ANYTHING, is make a plan! I have created a party checklist with some basic to do's and ideas for your party planning. You would be surprised at the littlest things that you may forget, that make a HUGE difference!

1. Send the invitations. Always give ample time for the invitations to arrive 2 weeks prior to the party. Remember to ask for RSVP's and give your phone number.
2. Decide on activities that will take place and games to play! Keep in mind the age of the children that will be involved. You always want to have more activities ready that you actually plan on doing. That way if things go faster than expected (Billy the powerhouse breaks the pinata on the first crack) you won't run out of things to do.
3. Plan on your menu- feel free to ask us for ideas! We have lots of websites that have printables, party games and recipes. we also might even pass on some old home recipes.
4. Ask friends or relatives ahead of time for extra help on the day of the party. Maybe Aunt Cindy makes the best potato salad, now would be a good time to ask her to bring some!

1. Call your local bakery and order your cake. If you are baking your own, bake it now and freeze it.
2. Prepare any other foods that can be made ahead and frozen.
3. Sit down and actually write out your party day schedule, including last minute touches, party games, activities, cake, presents and lunch. This may sound silly, but it will make things a lot less hectic on party day!
4. Confirm order placed for the cake and make sure that you have received your party supplies or that they have been shipped!
5. Remember to let siblings each invite a special friend.  This will help them not to feel left out. It will also give them someone to play with either within or away form the party. They might also like to be the party helpers!

1. Buy any food that you might still need
2. Check the camera! Do you need batteries, film, videotape, DVR, or memory card? Get them NOW, so you won't forget later!
3. Try to get an exact guest count. Call anyone who has not responded. To be honest they may have forgot so this will also double as a reminder.
4. Make arrangements for your helium balloons to be filled, or pick up a do it yourself tank. (Tanks come with balloons and ribbon and fill about 20 to 35 balloons depending on how big you want them. Remember that large mylars may take a lot of helium, and it may cheaper to have a retailer fill those.)

1. Finish defrosting and decorating the cake or pick it up if you ordered it.
2. Double check to make sure you have enough candles and matches or  lighter that works.
3. Childproof the party area. Keep in mind  that children excite easily. You will want to remove most highly delicate items as well as make room for games and activities. Try to plan most activities on hard flooring that is easy to clean, rather than carpet. Hey spills happen!
4. Decorate the indoor party areas. Yes you may have to look at Dora for more than a day, but it will save lots of time and confusion on party day. It also helps your child get excited about their special day! (save outdoor decorating for the day of)
   
5. Prepare any food that can sit or be refrigerated overnight.

1. Pick up balloons from retailer, or fill them with your do it yourself tank.
2. Prepare remaining last minute menu items and get the drinks on ice.
3. Open packaging and set out your cups, plates, silverware etc. buffet style for easy access for guests. We recommend using one of the theme paper or plastic stadium cups as a cute silverware holder. It adds extra decoration!
4. Take lots of pictures of this special day that you have PLANNED SO WELL FOR! Most of all HAVE FUN!

IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN PLANNING YOUR PARTY!!!!

Keep the birthday child involved as much as possible! This is their special day, so they should get to be involved in deciding the theme, activities and menu. Make this a special time for the two of you.

ALWAYS have a back up plan if you are having your party outdoors. You never know when Mr. Weatherman might change his mind!

REMEMBER! Accidents happen. Try to keep a sense of humor about you. Even if things do not go as planned, the most important thing to remember is to have FUN!

You are celebrating another year in your child's life!


HELPFUL SHOPPING HINTS!

1st and foremost, BE AWARE! Don't run right out to the party supply store at your local mall and spend a fortune! 99.9% of the time you will end up spending a TON more than you should have! Small Grocery Stores and Major Toy Stores will burn you too! It's better to find a happy medium, or better yet, to get things here from us from our eBay Store!

Watch out for "SALES" a lot of times retail stores will "mark things down 25%" but then mark up the base price by .50 cents. So you aren't really saving at all.These are just scams to make you think you are saving money. They just do it to sell more items and make you think you are saving money. Really, they just sell more items and make same amount. Example, one of the local party supply stores here has everything "marked down" 25%, but if you look at the price has been blacked out with a marker. Under the marker you will see if you look closely, you will see a price lower than the supposed "marked down" price. shady huh!?

Keep in mind shipping! Some seller's offer an extremely LOW sale but don't specify shipping. Then you get nailed with an outrageous shipping and "handling fee" this is where they make up their profits. Always be conscious of how much the shipping is on an item. Add it into the cost of the item and divide by the number of items in the lot. This will give you the average price you are actually paying for each item. If shipping is not specified ASK the SELLER before bidding!

Be practical! I know that all of those little party favor toys can be tempting, but think to yourself, are the parents of these kids going to throw this away as soon as the kids leave for school tomorrow, or is it something that they will genuinely be able to play with or use in the future? Sunglasses, small cars, pencils, coloring books, crayons and activity books all make great favors, just to name a few!


THE RETAIL RUNDOWN!

You've seen it tons of times, even in our own auctions...
This lot retails at...
Where do these retail prices come from?

Well, we have done our homework. These are actual prices that we have seen in those no no stores that we talked about earlier. We are going to give you a retail rundown of those prices... and here they are...

We sell all of our lots BELOW ANY of these costs! And we try to give you the most accurate shipping possible! We want you to save money even after shipping!


Click here for more info on our ABOUT ME page!

Don't waste your time and gas money searching store after store! Come here to me, ChloeJaneb! If I don't have what you need I am willing to look for it! Our lot for bid doesn't fit your party? Ask me if we have more! I are always willing to work for our customers! I want YOU to have a great party!

Click here to see what itmes I am selling!