BYOT and let the fun begin!
	Other cool things you can do: • Ask people to come in flip-flops or wear an item of clothing with a tropical print. • Play reggae, beach, or island music. • To keep drinks cold, use plastic ice cubes in the shape of fish instead of regular ice. • Have a contest to see who can name the most ocean-related characters from movies and books. • At the end of the party, give each guest a bottle with a funny or thoughtful message inside.

Have a Sea Bash!

By Maria Caban, staff writer

Share your love of the ocean by throwing a refreshing ocean-themed party! And make it strictly BYOT—Bring Your Own Towel.

Invitations and Decorations

Use your imagination and explore yard sales and dollar stores—this is a great party for any budget.

Invite

Instead of regular card invitations, put some sand, a little paper umbrella, and maybe a small shell inside of a plastic bag with a zipper-type lock. Include a piece of paper or index card with the party information.

Decorate

• Cut rolls of crepe paper in water colors (like blue, turquoise, and green) into long strips. Hang them in a row from the doorway, so that guests have to walk through the "curtain" to enter the party area.
• Print pictures of fish, starfish, sharks, jellyfish, etc. from the Internet, or find a colorful book on ocean life from a used bookstore or draw them yourself. Then cut out each animal and hang from the ceiling at varying heights with thread or ribbon. Cluster the cut-outs in areas where people will be less likely to bump into them.
• Drape fish netting from corners for a nautical look and use sand, costume-jewelry pearls, and shells to decorate the table.
• Place plastic or stuffed sea animals like dolphins, whales, and octopuses around the room.

Make an Entrance

• Get your kid sister to blow soap bubbles near the guests as they enter.
• Wear some glitter to represent the iridescent sparkle of ocean.

Dig In

Serve themed snacks in translucent sea-green bowls:

• Goldfish crackers
• Salt-water taffy
• Dried seaweed from an Asian grocery store
• Swedish fish

Fill a punch bowl with "seawater"—add blue food coloring (or use blue-colored drink mix) to apple juice or lemonade mixed with ginger ale. Float some sea stars cut from apples or limes (use a cookie cutter) on top.

Recipes

Seafood Dip

Ingredients
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions
• 6 Tablespoons seafood cocktail sauce
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 24 ounces shrimp, crabmeat, or imitation crabmeat
• 2 cans (10 1/2 oz.) asparagus cuts and tips (drained and
chopped)

Directions
1. Combine first four ingredients.
2. Fold in shrimp and asparagus; chill.
3. Serve with crackers.

Serves 8-10

Sand Cake

Ingredients:
• Vanilla sandwich cookie (crushed)
• Vanilla pudding
• Whipped cream topping
• Plastic beach pail and shovel

Directions:

1. In a clean beach pail, place a layer of crushed vanilla cookies.
2. Add a layer of pudding and then a layer of whipped cream topping.
3. Repeat all three layers, finishing with a topping of very finely crushed cookie crumbs to represent the sand.
4. Stick some gummy fish and sharks into the "sand" w/their heads poking out. Place some chocolate seashells on top.
5. Use the shovel to serve.