Cheers to Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest is well underway. The 16 day event held each year in Munich, Germany is the worlds largest funfair and beer festival. This annual festival is often celebrated around the globe, so that those who can't make it to the world famous event can still get involved and sample a bit of German culture (and German beer of course!).

If you're planning an Oktoberfest inspired get together with your friends this year, then the only true way to get into the Bavarian spirit is with some traditional fancy dress! Think lederhosen, aprons, corsets, and the all important feathered Bavarian hat to complete the look.  

Oktoberfest Lederhosen   |   Tavern Girl   |   Oktoberfest Dress

Whether you are planning an Oktoberfest themed party at home, at an event or a local venue, don't skimp on the Bavarian inspired decorations to really set the scene. Use blue and white crepe paper streamers to create a decorative feature and add some colour to the party.

Bavarian Paper Fan   |   Blue & White Balloons   |   German Flag   |   Spinning Bavarian Decorations

Stock up on some Bavarian Paper Napkins ready for all the delicious bratwurst, soft pretzels and other German treats you'll be preparing for all your guests! Order your Oktoberfest essentials online now with delivery starting from just £1.40, or collect in store with our free Click and Collect service.

Are you celebrating Oktoberfest this year?

International Talk Like a Pirate Day

So today is the day! International Talk Like a Pirate Day.

We hope you've got your own pirate party planned and have a trusty parrot sidekick on yer shoulder to get you through the day?

So, of course you need to know how to speak like a pirate! The organisers of International Talk Like a Pirate Day (ITLAPD) have put together a helpful little guide to get you familiar with with lingo.

How to Talk Like a Pirate

The basics

Pirate lingo is rich and complicated, sort of like a good stew. 

But if you just want a quick fix, a surface gloss, a "pirate patina," if you will, here are the five basic words that you cannot live without. 

Ahoy! - "Hello!"

Avast! - Stop and give attention. It can be used in a sense of surprise, "Whoa! Get a load of that!" which today makes it more of a "Check it out" or "No way!" or "Get off!"

Aye! - "Why yes, I agree most heartily with everything you just said or did."

Aye aye! - "I'll get right on that sir, as soon as my break is over."

Arrr! - This one is often confused with arrrgh, which is of course the sound you make when you sit on a belaying pin. "Arrr!" can mean, variously, "yes," "I agree," "I'm happy," "I'm enjoying this beer," "My team is going to win it all," "I saw that television show, it sucked!" and "That was a clever remark you or I just made." And those are just a few of the myriad possibilities of Arrr!

If you think you've got the hand of this pirate lingo and want to experiment with the language further, we can certainly recommend ITLAPD's Pirate to English Translator to get those tricky sentences transformed into appropriate lingo! 

Are you spending the rest of your day talking like a pirate?

Ahoy! A Pirate Party

Did you know that this Friday is International Talk Like a Pirate Day?

What better excuse then to throw a pirate themed party?! Always a popular party theme for children's birthdays, it offers up a huge rage of opportunities to decorate, to bake pirate themed treats and to dress up. Not forgetting the chance to talk like a pirate all day long!

We've been getting inspired on Pinterest for some brilliant ways to add a little pirate spirit to your party.

From beginning to end, any pirate party has to look to part, so don't forget about the invites. Get creative with some tea stained paper to make your own DIY party invites. Then throw up some jolly rogers flags around the room for an instant piratey feel. We love creative blogger Tara from suburble.com's attention to detail at her daughters pirate party and has some great ideas for crafty treasure chest activity to keep the guest entertained at the party.

We've thrown together what we think are the party essentials you need to plan to your shipshape pirate party.

1. Jet Black Tablecover - £2.99
2. Treasure Chest Pinata - £11.99
3. Pirate Gold Coins - £0.99
4. Skull and Crossbones Balloons and Onyx Black Balloons - from £1.79
5. Supershape Skull Balloon - £4.59
6. Pirate Paper Cups - £1.99 for 8
7. Jet Black Paper Plates - £1.99 for 8
8. Treasure Map - £1.99
9. Pirate Party Favours - £0.99

All this and much more piratey goodness is waiting for you at Flingers Party Shop.  Order online now or collect in store ready for a good old fashioned pirate bash this weekend!

Will you be talking like a pirate this Friday?

Where's Wally and Wenda?

Fancy dress is always best when everyone gets involved. Where's Wally is a classic fancy dress theme which looks amazing when there is a large group of people all dressed up as our most favourite elusive book character!

A great fancy dress theme for Freshers Week costumes. Get your whole class or everyone in your halls of residence to dress up as Wally or his best friend Wenda and there is no way you'll lose your friends when you head out to the party. Plus, it is defiantly a great conversation starter to get you off to a great start at Uni!

Or if you're a family who loves getting dressed up, then we think a whole family of Wallys and Wendas would look brilliant when you arrive on the doorstep of your next fancy dress party!

Where's Wenda and Where's Wally for all!

At Flingers we have the whole Wally family in fancy dress ready for your next time-travelling adventure! With little Wenda for the girls, a cheeky little Wally costume for the boys and not forgetting Wenda and Wally for the adults too. Just make sure you keep your eye's peeled for Odlaw and don't let him spoil your fun!

Shop them online now, or collect in store for free with our new click and collect service.

Do you know Where's Wally?

Make Your Own Playdough

Nothing reminds us better of our childhood than playdough! The colourful, mouldable, sweet smelling clay is the stuff that children's childhood imaginations run riot with.

So what could be better than making your own! Having uncovered this simple recipe to make your own playdough we just had to share it with you. And even better, you don't even need to bake it in the oven and you are likely to have all the ingredients tucked away in your kitchen cupboards already! 

Playdough Recipe
Ingredients 

• 420g of plain flour 
• 180g of salt 
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil 
• 4 tbsp cream of tartar 
• 750ml of boiling water 
• food colourings 

1. Mix the flour, cream of tartar, salt and the oil in a large bowl. 
2. Split the dough into separate portions. As many portions as you have food colouring options. 
3. Pour the boiling water into as many separate bowls, adding a different food colouring to each.
4. Take the first portion of dough you are going to work with in the large mixing bowl and add one bowl of coloured hot water in increments. 
5. Stir until it becomes sticky and all the colour is combined, adding a little more flour should it get too sticky. 
6. Put to the side and allow to cool. 
7. Take the next portion of dough and repeat the process using another colour water. 
8. Repeat until all the mixture is used and the coloured dough has cooled. 
9. Knead each portion vigorously for a few minutes until the stickiness goes, this can take a few minutes so don't give up! 
10. Then let your imagination go wild with your homemade playdough!

Triangle Cellophane Bags

Make your own Playdough as a fun activity to do with the kids. Or mix up a big batch in the run up to a birthday party and had sombre out as party favours. Roll each colour playdoygh up into a small ball and pack a selection into a some clear cellophane bags, scrunch up and tie some ribbon around the top to close the bag. Or add a crepe paper tassel if you want to that extra quirky touch.

We're sure these would go down will with all kids as a children's birthday party and the best bit is that it would be so cheap to create! 

Would you like to make your own playdough?

Frozen Party Inspiration

Frozen has been a smash hit for Disney since first being released last November. And with the news that Disney are planning to release a short Frozen movie in the coming year, fearless Anna’s story isn’t over yet.

We’ve seen so many wonderful parties themed around the Frozen story, and we are always impressed by the results! With the film’s popularity, this has of course been a very popular theme for children’s birthday parties all year round. But with the nights drawing in, winter creeping up on us and the news of a new instalment of the Frozen saga, we see no reason why Frozen won’t continue to be a popular party theme.

A theme which is very easy to replicate as long as you remember to focus on the smaller details. Take Kristin from yellowblissroad.com’s crisp white treats, all topped with pearly white decorations and shimmering icing. Or make a snowball garland using cotton wool balls to hang from the ceiling. Create Frozen themed foods, like snowflake cookies or these ingenious Melted Olaf greek yoghurt pots by madebyaprincessblog.com! But you can’t go wrong if you take inspiration from Very Pretty Parties’s exquisite Frozen party full of the beautiful details and decorations.

If you want to plan your own Frozen party, we have all the basics you’ll need at Flingers. Keep your colour scheme limited to white, silver and blue to get a frosty atmosphere, scattering silver confetti across the tables for added winter sparkle and hang fluffy white pom poms from above for a magical touch. If you’re feeling crafty, stock up on blue, white and silver crepe streamers and make crepe tassels to add to party bags, hang from door handles and wherever else you can think to put them!

Flingers’ Top Frozen Party Essentials:

1. Silver Sparkle Plastic Table Cover £0.69
2. Metallic Balloons £1.99 for 6 (other quantities available)
3. Polka Dot Blue Straws £1.39
4. White Fluffy Decorations £6.99 for three
5. Silver Paper Cups £1.99
6. Silver Stardust Confetti £1.39
7. Silver Paper Plates £1.99
8. Ice Blue Crepe Streamers £1.29

Get these Frozen party essentials and much more online or in store now. Delivery starts from just £1.40 or try out our free Click and Collect service to get everything you need for the perfect Frozen party!

Would you like to throw a Frozen party?

Quick Link Balloons - Get Creating

We’re excited to announce a brand new balloon range that we really look forward to getting to grips with! Qualatex Quick Link balloons a very similar to normal balloons but are come with an additional feature meaning they can easily be tried together to construct impressive balloon features, sculptures and archways.

These balloons come in a wide range of colours and patterns so you can easily create balloon features to perfectly co-ordinate with a party theme or event.

From giant red balloon hearts, to rainbow arches, to animals, your imagination can really run wild with these balloons! Create a feature wall to use as a backdrop for a photobooth at a wedding or a party. Or construct a giant balloon archway for your guests to enter through at an event.

Examples of some awesome Qualatex Balloon Features made with the Quick Link Balloons

We’re excited to work with these balloons much more over the coming weeks. But if you would like to attempt your own balloon creation using these Qualatex Quick Link balloons, rest assured they are so easy to use! Order these unique balloons online or pop in store pick out your perfect colours in packets of 10, 25 or 50.

If you are would like to commission a super fun balloon feature for an upcoming party or event you are planning, come say hello and we’ll be sure to create something that will really impress all your guests! Team your quick link balloons with our awesome Orbz balloons and present them as a wonderful balloon cluster to celebrate an event or even surprise someone on their birthday with!

What would you make with these Qualatex Quick Link Balloons?