How to Not be Awkward at a Party

When I moved by myself to a new city, I wanted very badly to meet people and resume a normal social life. Normally outgoing and easy to make friends, I found myself a hermit for basically a year until a co-worker from another office across town invited me to a party. Boy, was it awkward for me to get back into the swing of things and reconnect with my old self - the one who knew how to have fun at any party!
One important thing to do when feeling awkward at a party is to assume a role or take on a job. A great way that I have found to feel like you're blending right in is to show up a little early (make sure it's ok with the host or hostess first) and help them with food, decorations, etc. This not only helps the person hosting the party, but it also ensures that you will be introduced to people one-by-one as they enter Way better than showing up late when everyone is already there and the party is in full swing!
Can't show up early? You can still assume a job no matter what time you get there. Help the host with serving drinks, help make cocktails, or take the birthday card around for everyone to sign. Keep your eyes open and you will see a role that needs to be filled! This is a great way to mingle and meet people, and you won't feel awkward doing it since you have a purpose.
Obviously you know someone at the party (at least a little), or else you wouldn't be there. Be bold and ask your acquiantance to introduce you to some of his or her friends. Even if you just meet them in passing at first, you can take note of who seemed friendly or who you had something in common with, and go back and visit them later.
Go with an open mind. Parties are for fun and mingling, so don't be a wallflower! If your connection at the party is busy, be outgoing and introduce yourself to people. Even if you feel like you have nothing to say, you can just open with, 'Hi, I'm _____. Great party! How do you know (host/hostess)?' and go from there.
Parties don't have to be intimidating! Have fun and go with a goal of meeting at least one new person that you will hang out with in the future/network with in the business world/play tennis with, etc.
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How to Plan Family Meetings (9 Steps)

Set a time that works for everyone involved. A Sunday evening before the beginning of the new week is one possibility. Families normally have meetings each week or every other week. Family meetings shouldn’t run longer than about 45 minutes. If you have younger kids, it's a good idea to keep the first few meetings between 10 and 20 minutes, then gradually increase the time so they can get used to sitting through the meetings according to the article '10 Tips for Successful Family Meetings' on Colorado State University's website.
Choose a comfortable location for the meetings such as the dining or living room. It’s a good idea to have family meetings in the same location each week, but don’t shy away from picking a fun location away from home if you’ve had a tense week. A pizza place or ice cream parlor are easy, fun locations.
Plan the agenda for your meeting and keep it consistent. It might include sharing and coordinating schedules, complimenting each other, discussing and solving problems, a fun activity and information on the next family meeting.
Design and post a chart showing the agenda ahead of time so everyone knows what to expect. Keep the chart up as a reminder.
Discuss and write down rules before the meeting. Possible rules include everyone gets a chance to talk, no interrupting and no putting others down. At the first meeting you might also explain using “I” rather than “You” statements to avoid blaming others. For example, “I feel frustrated when you do x, y, z,” is better than saying, “You make me frustrated when you do x, y, z.”
Designate a leader for the first couple meetings, ideally a responsible adult family member. After that, it’s important to rotate the role so everyone feels they're involved. Adults can help younger family members who aren’t quite ready to lead on their own. Other roles you might consider are a secretary to keep notes and a time keeper to make sure the meetings run on time.
Plan activities to help younger children share their ideas. They might draw a picture of what they want to do or give something special to someone as a compliment.
Gather supplies for the meeting. A family calendar where you can make notes of weekly activities and family meetings, a list of activities, paper and a pen are all supplies to have handy.
Plan a fun activity for after the family meeting. This ensures the meeting ends on a good note and encourages more bonding.
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How to Make a Website for Arcade Games

Pick a web host service (see Resources). You can pay yearly for a service or choose a free service. The advantage to paying for a web host service is the amount of storage space you'll be provided. If you plan to use a lot of graphics and media files, they will take up a lot of space. Opt for the paid web hosting. Free services don't offer much space. Also, if you want to have advertising on your web site that brings money to you, opt to pay for web hosting. Free web hosting often includes advertising on your website that goes to the web hosting service.
Design your arcade game website. Since you're making an arcade game website, make it fun and flashy like a real arcade. Use colorful backgrounds and graphics. Don't be afraid to include animated graphics and blinking text. This will add to the arcade feel of your website and make it more attractive for arcade enthusiasts. Embed a free arcade sound file on your website for additional authentic arcade feel.
Use the built-in design and upload tools provided by your web host to develop your website and upload the files you'll need. Create an easy menu with simple game categories. Create a section of the website devoted to articles about the history of arcade games, tips on playing arcade games and reviews of arcade games. Devote the rest of the sections of the website to games. Include a section specifically devoted to early classic arcade games like 'Donkey Kong' and 'Pac-Man.'
Embed a wide variety of arcade-style games on your website. There are free resources for games you can easily embed on your website. You can easily embed these games in your website by copying and pasting the code to your web pages. The games are made using Adobe Flash, Shockwave and Java code. Include links to the Adobe Flash and Shockwave players on your web site in case you have visitors that need to download them before playing games on your arcade website.
Use Google Ads to generate income from your website. When you sign up for an Adsense account, Google places content relevant advertising on your website that generates money for you when visitors click on ads. It's free to start a Google Adsense account.
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How to Run 'Friday Night Magic' at Home

Ask yourself whether you want your Friday Night Magic to be officially sanctioned. If you want your event to be officially sanctioned, you will need to host the event in a public facility that is accessible to everyone, preferably a gaming store that can qualify for a Wizards Play Network level. You will need to find a Magic the Gathering judge who can attend the event, and you must follow the guidelines set out by Wizards of the Coast (Resources). However, if you just want to host a friendly get-together to play just for fun, keep reading.
Decide whether you want to just get your friends together or whether you want to open game night to anyone who wants to play. Keep in mind that opening it to anyone who wants to play means letting potential strangers into your home.
Find an area in your house that can hold the number of people you are going to have attending. Hosting a gaming night is like hosting any other party. Consider the number of people that you can easily accommodate, and be sure to provide enough snacks and drinks for everyone.
Make sure you have enough tables and chairs for everyone. No one is going to want to have to take turns playing at the kitchen table or resort to playing on the floor.
Invite your Magic the Gathering playing friends. If you are going to open the event to all gamers in your area, you will need to advertise the event. You can advertise via fliers or any other creative way you can think of. You just need to make sure people understand that your event is not an officially sanctioned Friday Night Magic event. Some gamers might not want to give up an official event, where they can improve their tournament rankings and win prizes, just for a friendly get-together.
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How to Organize a Purse Party

Establish guidelines for your party. Set a value range for the purses traded at your party to ensure no one arrives with a couture handbag only to leave with a retail store purse. You may also choose to set basic style parameters such as business appropriate bags only or no clutch bags allowed.
Issue invitations stating the date and time of your party to friends and family members who would enjoy a fun handbag swap. Include a list of any guidelines you have set for your party. Your invitations can be issued by email or postal mail for more formal parties Telephone calls are sufficient when you are hosting a casual party for close acquaintances.
Prepare for your party by purchasing snacks and beverages to serve to your guests. Pick a couple of low-maintenance party games for you and your guests to play if conversation happens to dwindle.
Set up a display area for guests to place their handbag trades upon arrival. Arrange your seating in a semi-circle to allow guests easy viewing of all potential trades and to allow each guests the opportunity to show off the bag they brought.
Let your guests determine if they want to assign handbags based on a random number drawing for each handbag or a random number drawing that lets guests pick their favorite handbags in order based on how low their number is. Your party can also use an alternate pick and choose method if your guests prefer.
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How to Invite Friends to a Jewelry Party

Think of your close friends. Those that you interact with frequently are a must for your invite list. The girls that you gab with on the phone and get together with during the day and evening hours should be the first friends you invite.
Invite your friends and acquaintances from your place of worship. Jewelry parties are a great way to interact with these ladies in a fun and relaxing environment.
Remember to invite your co-workers. Everyone needs a fun chance to socialize outside of the work place.
Send and invitation to your friends. A paper, snail-mail invitation is best. E-invites work well for the computer savvy, but make sure that your girlfriends are good about checking their email if this is your choice.
Give your friends a courtesy phone call a few days before the party. This will be a quick way to give them a reminder just in case the invitation was misplaced.
Let your friends know that this will be a low key evening for socializing and fun. Of course it is fun to earn free and discounted jewelry, but your focus should be on the friendships and fun. Any jewelry purchases should be an added bonus to your evening.
Invite your friends to bring guests with them. The more, the merrier, and this will increase your total party sales. Many party hostesses offer free gifts to those who bring an uninvited guest to the party.
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How to Host a Church Fair (11 Steps)

Organize a fair committee to help make plans and make sure the fair runs smoothly.
Institute a budget for the fair. The budget helps establish plans and needs.
Establish a date and location where the fair will be held.
Plan for the fair to be held during lunch or dinner hours. This allows people to enjoy a few hours of play and entertainment and is an opportune time for fellowship.
Chose a location that will best suit games, entertainment, food and social interaction. Set up a stage for the entertainment, booths or areas for games, and tables and chairs for people to eat and visit.
Create a fun theme for a church fair. A theme can add character and fun to your fair. Try a theme like Noah's Ark or God's Creation with a petting zoo and animals, or try a theme that is Carnival Fun with games and clowns.
Prepare a menu that will go along with your theme. Ask volunteers to make potluck dishes, set up barbecue grills to cook burgers or hotdogs or make sandwiches. Add chips or fruit to go along with your menu and be sure to include pop, punch or water. Also, ice cream or floats are a hit!
Ask the church body to set up and run booths of home made crafts, baked goods or garage sale items to sell.
Create a game atmosphere of fun and joy for kids of all ages. Plan for carnival games, booths or stations for the kids. Also you can rent a 'Bounce House' for kids to jump and have a ball.
Select entertainment. A few ideas for entertainment may be: a Band, a DJ, talent show, karaoke, comedy or theatre. Chose entertainment that is appropriate for your church fair but is also geared to entertain and have fun.
Explore the opportunity to use a church fair as a fund raising opportunity. You can sell food tickets or game tickets to help raise funds to cover the costs of the fair or use the funds as a donation to a charity or organization.
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How to Plan a Menu for a Jewelry Party

Reserve time at the end of the showing and a special place for socializing and snacks. In providing a separate area for gathering, the potential for dropping crumbs or spilling drinks on the jewelry is minimized.
Choose a menu with food that is easy to prepare. Jewelry parties should be fun, not burdensome. Most guests are satisfied with something to drink and a light snack.
Consider putting regular and decaf coffee and hot or iced tea on the menu at your jewelry party. Include flavored creamers. Hot chocolate is a great option during cold-weather months.
Choose an assortment of Danish, muffins and scones or other pastries for a late-morning or early-afternoon party.
Find fresh fruit in season for a delectable treat. Serve alongside cheese and crackers.
Plan a menu with bagels and an assortment of flavored and low-fat cream cheese.
Make use of limited table space for snacks by creating an edible centerpiece, such as a fruit or vegetable centerpiece. Serve with your favorite fruit or vegetable dip, such as a caramel dip for apple slices or a ranch dip for crunchy veggies.
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How to Host a Successful Party (8 Steps)

Pick a theme for your party. It doesn't have to be anything elaborate but it should be the reason friends are gathering to celebrate. A loved one's homecoming, an engagement announcement, or a block party to meet the neighbors are only a few examples of party themes; decide upon yours and plan the rest of the party around the theme.
Send out the invitations. Optimally, guests should receive their invitations 2 weeks before the party. This gives them time to schedule the event into their time frame, arrange for babysitters or make travel arrangements. If a guest will be traveling a long ways, the earlier they get the invitation, the better.
Create the proper atmosphere. Parties should be fun. If you're hosting the party at home, look at your surroundings with a critical eye. Put knickknacks away for a clean look and add a banner or decorations to make the room more festive. Provide adequate seating for your guests.
Schedule the party events. Allow enough time for guest arrival before serving a meal or showing a film. If your party centers around a televised sports event, plan for guests to arrive at least 30 minutes before the event starts. Allow time for latecomers if you're planning a sit-down meal.
Plan your food list and shop a few days ahead of time. Dishes that can be prepared in advance and frozen will save you much-needed time on the day of the party. If you're hiring a caterer, she will need lots of advance notice of your menu and the number of guests you are expecting. Popular caterers are often booked months in advance.
Double-check the details the night before the party by doing a quick walkthrough, starting at your front door, as if you were a guest, and proceeding through your home. Make sure there is an area for guest's coats, extra soap and clean hand towels in the bathroom. Count your serving plates and glasses to make sure there are enough.
Dress early for the party to prevent last minute dashing. Some guests may arrive early and you'll need to be ready. Preparation is the key to a successful party.
Greet all your guests in person, if possible, and welcome them to your home. Follow your schedule, excusing yourself to tend to party needs and relax. Even in the best-planned events, something inevitably goes awry. Smile and focus on having fun.
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