Ii Need Help

Talea,
I think it`s great that you`re thinking ahead and no, it`s not too early at all!

I can understand that after watching sweet 16 tv shows, having your own party on a budget seems scary but there are lots of things you can do and still stay within a budget.
It`s great that your birthday is close to Christmas and there are already so many things you can use to decorate for a party right at your own home.

White lights, glitter, tinsel...a Sweet 16 Winter Wonderland Party could work and I`ll bet you already have a bunch of stuff in boxes you could use.

Stick with a main color scheme that`s easy to work with - like white and silver or white and gold, and then add your favorite colors to compliment the scheme like deep Christmas Red or Frosty Blues.

Would your parents allow you to move some furniture out of a room to decorate? If so, then borrow some different size Christmas Trees (even a couple will do) and set them up in the room to look like a forest. Decorate with spray snow and glitter, fill helium balloons to fill the ceiling, put up lots and lots (more the better) of white and silver twinkling lights everywhere. Cover tables with "snow batting", the kind they sell to put around Christmas Villages and sprinkle them with gold and silver glitter. Glue silver or gold garland around edges of the batting.

Use old white sheets, spray with spray glitter & using Fun Tack, temporarily hang on walls or else use some foil wrapping paper. For the floor scatter balloons that are not helium and create a fantasy snow palace. Take wide lengths of ribbon and place bows on the backs of folding chairs. If you know someone who can sew, get some inexpensive shiny fabric and make simple circle seat cushions to tie on to the chair (they don`t have to be stuffed, just a flat circle for looks will be fine).

Sparkling non-alcoholic juices would look great in a large clear glass punch bowl with lots of ice blocks tinted to your color scheme. In advance of the party dip plastic cups in lemon juice then superfine sugar - let dry to look like snow frosted cups. Place them around the punch bowl.

If the Winter Wonderland theme isn`t your thing, how bout a tropical party in mid-winter? Decorate like a tropical island, get a limbo bar to go under, lots of straw hats & ask everyone to come in summer clothes! Lay beach blankets down on the floor, put some instant suntan lotion in baskets around the room, hand out funky/silly sunglasses when guests arrive.
Ask your parents if you could buy a few bags of sand for the front path for your guests to walk across to get to the front door (you`ll clean it all later right?). Use one or more giant beach umbrellas decorated with white lights (set them up in a large plant stand held down with a bag of rocks or sand) as the focal point of the room and beneath it set up the drinks & some snacks you`ve placed in coolers and snack tables. Play beach theme music or even play an ocean CD that sounds like the waves. A lot of stores sell ocean breeze candles & room spray. You can buy a box of drink umbrellas and you can still use the frosted plastic cup idea from the winter wonderland ideas above.

Decorate with some coconuts & pineapples, string patio lights around the room and use beach chairs and lounge chairs to sit on (no couches allowed!) Remove the curtains in the room and substitute beach towels that you`e sewn together to make a funky beach bum window. Borrow some beach towels to cover chairs and table tops. Serve summer foods & tropical desserts.

The main thing is to try & borrow stuff that you can use for a few days and return. Start gathering supplies at least a month or more in advance. Summer things might be easy to borrow in the winter too. (Remember to always return an item with a handwritten thank-you card!).

Most of all plan your party around what YOU think is fun and try not to worry so much about what other people do or think. There will always be someone with more money, more clothes, more jewelry, etc. But there are many more who won`t be able to have a party at all. To be somewhere in the middle is a pretty good place I`d say. And what a good role model you`ll make for the other 7 still to go!
Have fun whatever you decide!!