{Easy Entertaining} Oscar Party Ideas

Table setting courtesy of Food Network magazine

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards are only a few days away!  If you're hosting a party, I've compiled a bunch of great ideas to dress up your tables and dining area.  The Food Network magazine has some easy ideas for an Oscar party. My favorite one is their simple table setting with napkins folded to look like the award envelope.

Photo courtesy of Bakerella.com

If you have time to bake, these cookie awards by Bakerella are a show-stopper!  You need 2 cookie cutter shapes - a circle and an award shape - to make these cookie statues.  For her full post and instructions, click here.

Photo courtesy of HowAboutOrange.blogspot.com

In addition to choosing the Oscar winners, I love this Oscar Bingo game! Created by Jessica of How About Orange, your family and friends can play Oscar Bingo by checking off actions like "Anne Hathaway sings" and "Winner apologizes for forgetting people".  You can give inexpensive prizes like movie theater candy or movie film reel photo frames (I found these on Amazon and have seen others at Michaels)   Click here to download the Oscar Bingo cards.

For easy party decorations, I always check out my favorite spots:
- the scrapbook paper area at Michaels (I love these sparkly cardboard papers for under $2 each to use as placemats like I did for my niece's birthday party and my family Christmas party).  I've also seen inexpensive gold charger plates at Michaels that would match any Oscar decor.
- the $1 area at Target (I found these $1 plastic popcorn containers at the E 117th/East River location in NYC). Sometimes various Dollar Stores also carry these popcorn containers.
- right now Party City online is offering 50% off these Director's Clapboard paper plates ($2.73/18 ct). They look cute, but you'll have to order them now in order to get them in time for Sunday. (In NYC, there's a Party City store in the Union Sq area).

photo courtesy of Twig & Thistle

Or if you're a crafty DIY'er, Twig & Thistle has a whole suite of free downloads for your Oscar party.  They've created these simple, yet striking, invitations, popcorn bags, Oscar ballots, and candy bag toppers in a red and white color scheme. Click here to see their full post and download instructions.

Lastly, you can take ideas from our New Year's Eve party for a star-studded Oscar party!  Make your own star-shaped chocolates, popcorn containers (out of plastic cups), and cookie truffles (wouldn't they be cute "wearing" tuxedos?).

Are you watching the Oscars this Sunday? What are your Oscar decorating tips?