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Wednesday
Aug262015

100 DAYS OF MOCKINGJAY WEEK 3 - #ParTHG - THE HUNGER GAMES PARTIES & CELEBRATIONS

 

"The presidential palace, the party of the year. Eyes bright, chins up, smiles on! I'm talking to you, Katniss."
gif by mockingjaysource.tumblr
It's Week 3 of our 100 Days of Mockingjay celebration (what the heck is that? Go here.) and this week we're talking about Hunger Games parties. "Hunger Games parties?" you say, "Isn't that a little antithetical to the entire message of The Hunger Games trilogy? Isn't that just a little too Capitol, Panem Propaganda?" To this we say: 

 
gif by gifthgNot only are parties just plain fun, but they’re also a great excuse to get your loved ones together to celebrate something you love - The Hunger Games. They break up the monotony of the everyday, and they give you a chance to express gratitude and caring towards those around you. So PARTY ON!

This week we’re focusing on Hunger Games celebrations of all kinds: fan created parties, cakes, decor, weddings. We’ll also be looking at celebrations within The Hunger Games books and movies and some of the crazy bashes Lionsgate has thrown for the franchise.

This week (Aug 26 - Sep 1st) share your Hunger Games party, food, decor, etc. photos on social media with the hashtag #ParTHG. We’ll be pinning them to our Hunger Games party board on Pinterest.

Another week, another giveaway! This week we’re going to get you started on your own Hunger Games party with a set of 4 drinking glasses by PanemPropaganda (that’s US!) plus a black Mockingjay pin to wear. You’re the host; you need to look the part. 

The giveaway is a RANDOM DRAWING and is, we're sorry to say, US only this time around due to weight restrictions. You must enter through the widget below to qualify. Sharing on social media isn't required to win or part of the giveaway selection - it's just for fun!

 

Saturday
Aug292015

How To Throw A Hunger Games Party



You know you have reached the next level of "obsession" when you want to throw a theme party celebrating the release of the DVD in your favorite movie franchise. My friends and family long ago accepted my tendency to obsess over book and films, and they just go with the flow. Fortunately for me, most of my friends and family are equally obsessed with The Hunger Games and were super excited to attend my DVD release parties for Catching Fire and Mockingjay Part 1.

I started planning the parties as soon as I found out the release date for each DVD. You could get as creative as you want to with this type of party. Honestly, the possibilities are endless. I have seen some awesome Hunger Games birthday party invitations that could easily be converted into regular party invitations if you want to go the traditional route. To start, I created an event page on Facebook where I was able to keep a tally on the number of guests and keep them informed.

 

The next thing I started working on was decorations. I gathered everything I owned related to The Hunger Games (books, posters, dolls, magazines) and put them in one place. Then, I looked for different ways to display these items in a decorative manner throughout the party space. I also began to search Pinterest for ideas. I found a ton of free printables and lots of creative ideas. (Check out our Hunger Games party board here for tons of printables, including the ones in this story) I purchased inexpensive tablecloths, streamers and tissue paper in fire colors to create decor. I lucked out and found a cardboard Peeta on clearance at a local record shop, so I snagged him. Ebay and Amazon are great for decorations if your budget allows.



I did my Catching Fire party myself, so I didn't get very creative with food. It was just typical party fare. Before my Mockingjay Part 1 party I got my hands on "The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook." My best friend took over the food part and made lots of recipes from the cookbook and labeled every food item we had with a coordinating Hunger Games tag. She even made the bread that Peeta tossed to Katniss in the rain! This is another area where you can go as big or as small as you want. You could just do chips, popcorn, and drinks if you want, or have a desserts-only party featuring a Mockingjay cake.





After having one successful party under my belt, I started to think big for my Mockingjay Part 1 DVD release party. Any time I found any Hunger Games related merchandise on sale I got it and saved it for the party. I had my guests put their names in a bowl, and we did a "reaping" where I gave away prizes. We also rented a screen and projector to really give it the "theater" feel. If you wanted to, you could do a trivia game (there are several on our Pinterest party board) or play one of the Hunger Games board games (The Hunger Games: Training Days Strategy Game and The Hunger Games District 12 Strategy Game are both on Amazon) This was such a fun party, and all of my guests seemed to genuinely have a great time. I am already working on ideas for the next one!

You can find Amber on twitter @AmberHRailey.
 
Don’t forget to enter this week’s #ParTHG giveaway in our #100DaysofMJ celebration through the widget hereand stay tuned as our countdown to Mockingjay Part 2 continues with more fun themes and prizes!

 

Monday
Aug312015

DIY Mockingjay Pin Hanging Chandelier



We’re three weeks into our "100 Days of Mockingjay" Countdown to Mockingjay: Part 2, and this week is all about Hunger Games parties and celebrations. If you’re planning a HG-themed bash and don’t know where to start, have no fear – you know PP has you covered! Here's an awesome how-to by our friend and follower, Stefan, for a beautiful Mockingjay Chandelier that can serve as the centerpiece for a Hunger Games gathering that even Effie would be proud to attend! 

DIY Mockingjay Pin Hanging Chandelier

By: Stefan Marin

So you want to throw a Hunger Games party, but need some ideas? Well here is one that will blow away your guests! As the Mockingjay is one of the most important symbols of the Hunger Games (well, arguably the most important), why not make it the centerpiece of your next party? You can find most of the items you'll need for this project at stores like Wal-Mart or Target. You can also acquire them from art stores such as Jo-Ann’s and Michael’s (Which usually have great coupons!). 

 

Here’s what you’re going to need:

1x Large Foam Graphic Board

2x Styrofoam Pool Noodles

1x Exacto Knife or Box Cutter

2x Cans Metallic Gold Spray Paint (such as Krylon or Rust-OLeum)

1x Roll of White (or Color of Your Choice) Cloth, Ribbon or String

1x Hot Glue Gun w/ Glue Sticks

1x Roll of Duct Tape

1x Pencil w/Eraser

The Steps: 

1) The first step might be the hardest, but it’s definitely where you want to start. First, take your two pool noodles (one is fine too if you want it a little smaller) and hot glue the ends together to make one large circle. There are plenty of ways to help it stick, like putting a wooden dowel rod into the hole, but I’ve found it just as easy to use hot glue and duct tape! This will be your foundation for the ring of the Mockingjay pin.

2) Take the large foam board out. You’ll outline the Mockingjay for the pin on the foam board in pencil. I'm including a few different mockingjay outlines that you can enlarge and use as your template, but you could also draw your own. Remember, the Mockingjay is going to get spray painted, so you don’t have to worry too much about erasing your marks.
3) After you have made the outline of your giant Mockingjay, take the Exacto Knife or Box Cutter and carefully cut out the outline of it. 

4) Next, hot glue your Mockingjay cut out to the ring that you made from your foam noodles. Let dry.

5) After it is nice and dry, you’re going to want to glitz and glam it up! Take it outside and spray it with your gold spray paint. Make sure you get it front and back and everywhere in between! You will need a few coats with drying time in-between.

6) You’re almost done! Take your cloth, ribbon or string and tie it around each side of the pool noodle. Make sure that it is balanced so that when it hangs it isn’t lopsided. You could also hang it with one string from the top of the ring - just be careful where you joined the pool noodles together. 

7) You’re done! All you need to do now is hang it up. I hung it using the ceiling tiles but you could also use 3M Command hooks on the ceiling to hang this. The finished product should look something like this!

 


Some other things that you could add to your finished product would be red and yellow tissue paper to make it seem as if it’s on fire! Though we don’t suggest you actually light it on fire (we’ll leave the realistic flames to Cinna). You could add glitter, use a different paint color, the possibilities are endless.

Whatever celebration you’re planning on having, whether it’s a huge HG themed birthday bash or an intimate viewing party, this huge Mockingjay will make the perfect centerpiece. Plus, your friends will be amazed at your creative abilities, because there’s no need to tell them how easy it was! ;)

If you feel up to the challenge of making your own Mockingjay Chandelier, we’d love to see how you bring it to life! Share your pics on social media using #MockinjayChandelier and be sure to let us know if you think of any cool additions or adjustments to the steps!

Also, don’t forget to enter this week’s giveaway through the widget here. The giveaway ends tomorrow at 8pmEST.

 
You can follow Stefan on Twitter @Alexandermarin9 and on Instagram @Stefanarchuleta.

By: Stefan Marin