STARLET INVITATIONS

Get the party off to a bright start with these stylish shades. In addition to party details, include a note encouraging guests to come dressed in their favorite Hollywood fashions.

For 4 shades, you will need:

• 2 sheets of 8 1/2- by 11-inch pink card stock
• Scissors
• 8 1/2- by 11-inch sheet of vellum (available at craft stores)
• Glue or double-sided tape
• Decorative details, such as stickers, glitter glue, or plastic gems

Step 1: Cut each sheet of card stock in half horizontally. Draw a sunglasses shape on each piece as shown or trace our 8 1/2- by 5 1/8-inch template.

Step 2: Fold the card stock in half along the top of the rims. Cut out the glasses, leaving the top fold intact to use as a hinge.

Step 3: Cut out the lenses, leaving a 1/2-inch border on all sides. Cut a piece of vellum to cover each opening. Affix the vellum lenses to the back of the frames with glue or double-sided tape.

Step 4: Write the party details inside, then have your young hostess decorate the invites.

RED-CARPET WALK

To get her daughter's movie-themed party off on the right foot, Bonda Snyder set the stage with a homemade red carpet. "We wanted to mimic the arrival at an awards show," says the Katy, Texas, mom. To that end, she posted a version of the landmark Hollywood sign in her yard and enlisted partygoers' parents to pose as paparazzi. She even sported a headset and clipboard "to check guests in," while her husband, microphone in hand, hammed it up as an ersatz Joan Rivers ("Who are you wearing?") and her son videotaped nearby. The video got its premiere that very night. "It was fun to watch and gave the girls something to do later in the evening," Bonda says. To roll out your own red carpet, simply purchase about 4 yards of crimson felt at a fabric store (ours cost $12), or you can tape down lengths of red plastic tablecloth from a party store.

AUTOGRAPHS, PLEASE!

Dollar-store autograph books make stellar party favors and nice mementos for all to take home, especially with inscriptions penned by each guest. And who knows, you may have the next Oscar® winner in your midst.

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