The Wanda Witch Party Roundup Post

MeckMom — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 23:16:36 +0000

I can tell it’s getting close by the emails coming in…that wonderful time of year when dozens of you readers anonymously invite all your friends to a big party and take on my favorite pseudonym…Wanda D. Witch.

I hosted my first Wanda Witch party 10 years ago and I’m still going strong. We’ve done variations of it in 4 different states. It’s been the source for new friendships and awesome memories we retell with friends to this day. But the benefits don’t end there. Some of my favorite family memories happened while my husband and I were out scouting for clue locations with our kids. Here’s a picture of them last year as we were scouring the hills of Branson, MO for a good spot to hide a clue (I was pregnant with #5 at the time).

I’ve hosted loads of parties over the years, but I can definitely say that this one is still my all-time favorite. If you’re looking for a way to kick up your Halloween status or build up your friendship base, this is definitely the party for you.

Several of you have mentioned in your emails that you’d like a quick refresher on the party concept – and that you’d like them all the steps & free printables in one place. So for today’s post, I’ll be offering links to all the Wanda Witch info. Remember, if you’re new to this party you’ll want to read the posts in order.

Wanda Witch: The Ultimate Halloween Party (intro to the party concept)

2008′s Wanda Witch Clever Clue Giveaway (loads of great clue ideas in the comment section)

Hosting the Wanda Witch Party the Second Time Around (how to host the party w/out the anonymity)

2009′s New Wanda Witch Clue Ideas and Party Fun (fun new party twists and clue ideas)

Wow, that’s a lot of posting. We hosted another successful party last Halloween and I can’t wait to share the details (and free printables) with you. I’ll be posting all about it next week.

Good luck out there, Wandas! I can’t wait to hear about your successes (I love it when you email me or send me links to your party recap blog posts).

*As a side note, if you have questions about certain aspects of the party please try to post them in the comments area of that particular post. Lots of you have similar issues, so if you ask in the comments area it’s easier for other Wanda’s to learn from my replies. Thanks!

Hosting the Wanda Witch Party the Second Time Around

MeckMom — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 03:52:28 +0000

When I posted the Wanda Witch anonymous Halloween Party two years ago, I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to pull it off again. Unfortunately since my name is posted on my site it’s pretty easy for party guests to figure out my identity. Of course I love Halloween way too much to just let the holiday pass me by so last year I decided to host my first non-anonymous Halloween party. I kept the same basic premise – an amazing race style bash with a spooky twist – but this time I skipped all the secrecy and just focused on putting together a great party for my friends. I called it our Haunted Halloween Challenge.

Since I didn’t have to stress over keeping my identity hidden, I had a little more time to experiment with new clue ideas and new challenge options. Some things worked beautifully, others… not so much. Over the next week or so I’ll be posting some of the most successful stuff from last year’s party. Many of you have emailed me over the last few weeks for clue ideas and party advice – hopefully the next few posts will help spark the creativity of those of you who are in the middle of your Wanda planning right now.

To kick things off I thought I’d share my invitation idea from last year. I planned to invite a lot of guests so I needed an invitation that was easy and inexpensive to create. I designed the invitation in my graphics program, printed it silvery vellum and then mounted it on a simple square of black cardstock with glue dots. Specialty vellum can be kind of expensive so I designed the invitations to fit two to a page so I could use as little as possible. I purchased the vellum (and the 6″ square envelopes) at Michaels and the black cardstock WalMart. Overall, each invitation only cost me around fifteen cents and took less than five minutes to create. I must say, I think it’s my favorite invitation so far.

Unfortunately, I created the file in my Adobe design software, so posting it on the site wouldn’t be very helpful. However, you are more than welcome to click on the pictures above and duplicate the idea. Of course, if you’d like to save yourself a lot of time, you could also just order the printable file in my Etsy store. All you have to do is place the order and send me an email with your party information. I’ll edit the invite details for you and then send the finished file to you via email within 24 hours. Just think, in less than two days you could have a set of fabulous, inexpensive invitations right in your hands. It doesn’t get much easier than that!

Don’t forget, if you haven’t had a chance to comment on the MyNurseOnCall post, you’ve still got time. There are still three $25 Target gift cards up for grabs so hop on over to that post and join in! More Haunted Halloween Challenge details to come soon. Good luck to all you Wanda’s out there! Just thought I’d pass it on.

MeckMom.com » haunted halloween challenge

The Wanda Witch Party Roundup Post

Wanda Witch: The Ultimate Halloween Party (intro to the party concept)

Wanda Witch Party Plan: Part 1 (getting started)

Wanda Witch Party Plan: Part 2 (making a plan)

Wanda Witch Party Plan: Part 3 (finding clue locations)

Wanda Witch Party Plan: Part 4 (create invitations)

Wanda Witch Party Plan: Part 5 (gather supplies)

Wanda Witch Party Plan: Part 6 (set up teams & plot locations)

Wanda Witch Party Plan: Part 7 (create clues)

Wanda Witch Party Plan: Part 8 (make trophies & send out captain instructions)

Wanda Witch Party Plan: Part 9 (plan clue hunt agenda)

Wanda Witch Party Plan: Part 10 (day of the party to-dos)

Wanda Witch Party Plan: RSVP Troubles? (what to do if no one is RSVPing)

2008′s Wanda Witch Clever Clue Giveaway (loads of great clue ideas in the comment section)

Hosting the Wanda Witch Party the Second Time Around (how to host the party w/out the anonymity)

2009′s New Wanda Witch Clue Ideas and Party Fun (fun new party twists and clue ideas)

Hosting the Wanda Witch Party the Second Time Around