Club Party Reviews - Rhapsody Music Service Free Trial

"Without music life would be a mistake."

~ Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche







This review is part of a series based on the nightclub-themed birthday party I held on 02/26/11. Over the next week or so I'll be posting several of the ideas and items that really helped make it a success!



What would a dance party be without great music? While planning out what we wanted to play for the night club party, we ran into a bit of a blockade: if we bought all of the songs we wanted, we'd have to pay a lot, which we'd rather not do. We didn't want to download them illegally. We also didn't want to use a dance radio service (even though I love Pandora) because of any commercials or songs we didn't want.

What to do? The answer: Rhapsody online music service. The cost? Zero (they offer a 14 day free trial), but we had such a good experience we might keep it if we throw more parties like this.

Rhapsody lets you create playlists and play music from their HUGE database. We were able to get every song we wanted, make multiple playlists, and even edit them on the spot or change songs.

We hooked up a computer to our sound system and Rhapsody worked like a dream. The songs buffered well and the music kept everyone dancing all night long!

Rhapsody is now on my must-have list for any party, and it should be on yours too!



I am not being compensated in any way for this; I simply want to let you all know about how great Rhapsody was for party music.

What a Weekend!

"I am thankful for the mess to clean after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends."
~Nancie J. Carmody






Remember that big chalkboard I made for under $10? This is what it looked like after the party. We hung it on the wall, put out chalk and let people draw/write on it. I think I'll hang it in my office/music room.

The party was a complete success. It was high-energy but nothing was damaged, it was rowdy but not too loud (no cops!), people were dancing all night long and we never ran out of food/drinks/ice.

Since I worked full days both the day of and the day after the party I didn't get a lot of before/during/after shots, but over the next week or so I'll be posting some of the things that turned out really well.

It's my Birthday!

We're not doing a lot to celebrate tonight since we're having the big party on Saturday, but my sweetheart did surprise me with flowers, a small cake and a great gift (more about that in another post).

On another birthday note, I won a $15 Amazon.com code from myCardz.net (my 3rd win from them!) and it showed up in my email this morning. I splurged and bought this light for my party:







I'll definitely put up a review once we get it in and set up! It's sound sensitive (lights move to the beat of the music) so hopefully it will add some great atmosphere and put on a bit of a show. It might be a bit expensive for a light, but thus far I've spent very little on this party. There was room in my budget - and this will definitely be a big decor centerpiece!

Well, that's about it for today - time to go have another slice of cake!

Make your own chalkboard (mine cost under $10)

“I will not waste chalk.”
~ Bart Simpson







For my nightclub party on Saturday I wanted something interesting for a particular wall and decided to do a chalkboard. It's large, stark décor and people can draw/write on it as they please - which could get interesting as the night goes on!

Chalkboard wall decals in the size I want are a bit too expensive for this party, and because we're renting I can't actually paint the wall. Instead, I decided to make my own framed chalkboard to hang!

Many months ago I picked up this picture for $1 at a local thrift shop. It never got hung up, so it's been sitting around taking up space. Time to transform this baby!




It's hard to tell in the picture, but the whole thing measures aprox. 3'4" x 4'4"



I used FolkArt Chalkboard Paint:








On the first coat, I started out trying to be too perfect. I figured I should have a fairly good spread to act as a base layer, but I ended up just pushing paint around on the glass, causing formed ridges between strokes. I ended up just painting whatever would stick in a thin layer, which turned out to be the right idea:




See how the picture is still kind of visible through the first coat?




I thought I'd need three coats, but two turned out to be fine. I might still add another layer tomorrow if I'm feeling frisky, but it looks pretty good after just two:







So there you have it! A large framed chalkboard for under $10. In a few more days it'll go up on the wall and I'll get some more pictures for you all!

Party Recipe: Mozzarella, Cherry Tomato and Basil Skewers

One of the things I'll be serving at my upcoming nightclub-themed party:







I love these easy yet artsy hors d'oeuvres. Basil, tomato and mozzarella is a classic flavor combo (the insalata Caprese), and serving them this way makes for great finger food with great presentation.




Click here to see the recipe page where I found the mouth-watering picture.

My Birthday Party {Target.com e-code Giveaway}

"Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance."

~Dave Barry








My birthday is this week! This will probably be my last birthday in Oklahoma, at least for a while, so it's a good excuse to throw a party!

I'm transforming my house into a nightclub for an evening, and I'll be posting my progress/ideas here for you all to see as the week goes on.

To celebrate, I'm offering one winner a $15 Target.com e-code!



To enter:

Give me an idea for my party! It could be food, inexpensive decor, or anything else you think might help me set the club mood.



For bonus entries (leave a comment for each bonus activity completed):

Subscribe to my feedburner emails
Follow me via Google Friend Connect
Follow me on Twitter




The last day to enter the giveaway is Sunday, February 27 (02/27/11). I will use random.org to choose a winner and will contact him or her by email (please leave an email if it is not visible in your profile).