The DIY Fabulous New Year's Eve Party on a Budget

Start with invitations. You can create your own invitations on your computer. You can either design them yourself, or you can purchase various styles of invitations designed to be printed on your computer at most office supply stores and some party supply stores. Of course, you can also do hand written invitations like in the "old" days.

Decorations: A beautiful centerpiece or buffet decoration is to fill crystal stemware with silver wrapped Hershey's Kisses and stick long silver taper candles into the center. Of course candles are one of the best and easiest decorations. If you can't find candles in the colors or sizes that you want, they can be spray painted to get the desired effect. Of course, for New Year's Eve, silver and gold are usually the most desired colors. Wired garlands (you know the ones with the little stars springing out from them) are inexpensive and can be used anywhere and everywhere to add sparkle from your house plants, on chandeliers, as napkin rings, around the bases of candles, on door knobs, just about anywhere you need a little sparkle.

Want a lit ball for your New Year's Eve party? This is a very simple do it yourself project.

Purchase a Hanging Paper Lantern. These are usually available at Pier One, World Market, Target and similar stores. They start in price around 10-15 dollars. Take it home and punch holes in the shape of "2008" and insert a string of battery operated mini Christmas lights into the inside of the lantern and then carefully poke individual lights into the holes forming "2008".

Music: Make a long CD (or several) with your favorite Jazz or instrumental music, show tunes, etc, that will provide lively music in the background that is also conversation friendly.

Favors: Of course, you must have noise makers. You can purchase noise makers at a party supply store, or make your own out of 8oz. Water bottles filled with beads, marbles, stones and jingle bells.

Bring a fun English tradition to your holiday dinner or party. One Cracker is placed at each place setting or is giving to each guest. The guests cross their arms and hold one end of a cracker in each hand. All guest pull at once and the crackers pop open to reveal surprises.

You will need: Bathroom Tissue tubes, Ruler, Heavy Weight Gift Wrap Paper, 11" long cracker snap(Paper strips with a small amount of gunpowder in the center), Rubber Cement, 1/4" ribbon, confetti and wrapped hard candy.

Cut gift wrap into 12" x 6" rectangles. Fill tubes with confetti and candy. Lay filled tube in the center of the gift wrap rectangle, wrong side up. Place the cracker snap just above the tube on the paper rectangle. Apply rubber cement to the top and bottom edges of the paper and wrap it snugly around the tube with the snap inside. Tie each end closed with ribbon.

Children find these fun party favors too and can be filled with small toys.

You can find the cracker snaps as well as tubes and all other items needed if you wish to purchase them at www.oldenglishcrackers.com.

Last but not least, FOOD:

Finger foods are the easiest. Dips, cheese balls, finger sandwiches, Fruit trays, vegetable trays, cookies and candies are all easy to make at home, require little or no cooking and are easy to eat while mingling.