Entertaining Automated: 3 Parties From Your Laptop

By Margaret Mason (from Mighty Girl) on July 29, 2011

Your friends put you at ease, but the stress of hosting them makes you want to live in a cave. You've already automated the rest of your social life -- why not plan your next party from your laptop? Invite friends online, let Pandora handle your party mix, and have 90 percent of your supplies delivered to your doorstep. Here are three Summer parties on autopilot:

1. CLAMBAKE

Invitation:

Pingg's Green Car by Ben Watts

Music:

Set your Pandora station to "All Summer" by Kid Cudi, Best Coast, and Rostam Batmanglij

Online Shopping:

Lobster Crackers You're armed.
Red Stripe Border Napkins A preppy nod to Cape Cod. Good idea, you guys.
Wet Naps Now a nod to practicality. This is gonna get messy.
Life Ring Hang it from a nail at the end of the table.
Galvanized Tub Dump in a bag of ice, add a case of beer, and you have yourself a bartender.
Red Stripe Lager Beer. Let's not get too precious about this.
Red Lantern You know, for attracting the bugs after dark.

Party Upgrade:

Maine Shore Clambake Gram will deliver the entire menu to your door.

2. ICE CREAM SOCIAL

Invitation:

Paperless Post's Ice Cream

Music:

Set your Pandora station to The Andrews Sisters

Online Shopping:

Amarena Cherries These are nothing like maraschino cherries. The texture is dense, and the cherries have a rich, fruity flavor.
Hot Ginger Caramel Sauce Caramel Sauce with a kick.
Pink Sprinkles If you've outgrown sprinkles it's possible you're dead inside.
Kado Bowl Technically it's a rice bowl, but I'm pretty sure it will hold ice cream too. Test it out and call if you run into problems.
Whipped Cream Dispenser Pour in some heavy whipping cream, screw the lid on, and press for fresh whipped cream. Game changer.

Upgrade:

Rent your own ice cream truck, or have Ben and Jerry's cater.

3. TIKI PARTY

Invitation:

Paperless Post's Pineapple Motif Card

Music:

Set your Pandora station to Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys

Key App:

Mixology, a bartending guide with over 7,900 drink recipes and 1,300 ingredients.

Online Shopping:

Kraken Spiced Rum First, turn your attention to the punch. Kraken rum has a hint of vanilla that blends especially well.
Punch Bowl Set Otherwise the blender will be drowning out conversation all night.
Tiki Torches It's a Tiki party. Stock up.
Grande Cocktail Glasses I like these because they suggest bamboo, or the shape of vintage Tiki Mugs, but you don't need to have an annual luau to use them again.
Cocktail Parasols You need these. You do not need the grass table skirt. Or the coconut bras.

Party Upgrade:

Order a whole roast pig online or fresh floral leis for your guests of honor.

Now some questions for you:

Do you prefer to send paper invitations, or do you find that online invites give you a better headcount? Which do you prefer to receive? How you choose your music for parties? What are your favorite resource sites for party decorations and food? How else do you use the web to make entertaining easier?

Happy summer, friends.

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Maggie Mason is the author of No One Cares What You Had for Lunch: 100 Ideas for Your Blog, publisher of Mighty Mighty Media, and a Twitter power user (@Maggie). Her personal blog, Mighty Girl was recently nominated for a SxSW Lifetime Achievement Award, and she was named one of Silicon Valley's Top 50 Influencers by Now Public.

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