DIY Murder Mystery Party


Murder Mystery Tea Party

The reason we chose a tea party, is because of the attire. There is nothing better for Girl Scouts than an excuse to dress fancy! Plus, throwing an outdoor party is always so much fun. I am obsessed with Alice & Wonderland, however wanted to save the card theme for another day. Add in a wrap up party, mystery, slumber party, lunch and dinner, and the Alice theme will have to wait. But anyways- let's get started!

There are a TON of ideas online, that are for $ or don't fit with your theme. This one is absolutely customizable and FREE! What is the point of the internet without information share. Sharing is the emphasis. My kiddos don't offer their toys to their friends for a price- Nor will I.


Tasks:

  • Create Guest List - The friends you invite will play a large part of the Theme.
  • Decide on Setting / Location - You will need to know where to hold the party, in order to design the game. i.e. Will it be dinner, lunch, tea, mixed etc.
  • Choose Your Theme.
  • Start Your Script - This is the most difficult part. Step-by-step tips below.
Scripting:

The best way to begin your script is to start with a table of contents. Mine is below. Mystery parties can loose track, and become confusing very quickly. As a host, you will want everything planned out to be interactive, and self sufficient. 



  1. Setting- For our theme, the two great aunts (my youngest daughter & my Co- Leader's younger daughter) are reading their final will from their cookie fortune. We all toast with tea to kick off the party. Suddenly, the great aunts are found to be (pretend) poisoned, the will has gone missing, and the mystery begins! The younger girls turn into ghosts, and are able to run freely, and drop clues when they are needed.
  2. Outline & Timeline- This part is the most essential for the party to go smooth. You may split the party into three parts, maybe five. I chose five. How many do you need?

  • Determine your meal needs. If you are having dinner, is it a sit down dinner? Appetizer grab? what will you do in-between clue reveals to encourage mingling?
  • Will you have a detective? I highly recommend you have someone else play the part. They will be in charge of moving from section to section. You will not be able to do this if you are taking care of your guests. It is also fun for one of the reliable guests to play this part. 
  • How many clues will you drop? If you are going to be extremely detailed with clues, ensure that they are enough for your guests to figure out the murderer. If you are creating the clues for children, as I am, it is as easy as one clue suggesting each of the suspect, and the final clue adding higher emphasis of guilt, leaving the murderer with the clearest guilt and an extra clue than the others.

3. Characters - Give each of your guests a funny persona for the theme. List their names, give them occupations, accents/ where they are from, a quirk. This will keep the party entertaining, and interactive. Some examples below.
  • Daisy is from Texas, and explores the world to make scientific discoveries. Daisy recently discovered a pollen which does AMAZING things! However, she will not share her discovery with anyone until they invest a ‘simple’ $2.5 Billion.
  • Georgia lives in the woods of Oregon. She talks very quickly, and refuses to give anyone eye contact for longer than 5 seconds. She has a farm filled with llamas and peacocks.
  • Beth owns a wonderful bakery which she will announce the new name of at the party. She is famously known for her cupcake, inside of a donut, inside of a cake. She is always inventing new baked goods. When she gets an idea, she shouts, “Oh my!”, and runs off to write it down- whether she is in the middle of a conversation or not.
  • Frankie is an attorney from Louisiana. She is most famously known for representing the World's Cutest Dog Boo, in taking ownership of his humans. 
4. Choose your suspects, randomly with the use of apps, straws, or simply choose them. If you do not have the RSVP counts, select three, and at least 4 or more backups. Give them each a motive. 

5. Invites- You can get so creative with these! Send a free evite, from evite.com, or create a custom invite on your own. Check out the zazzle app for affordable custom invites- I am in love with their giant selections.

This is also where your set the theme, and give the guests their personas. You are much more likely to get an RSVP with a fun, and excited guest.

6. Clues- Easy as pie! 
  • Draw maps of the area, and on the back side make notes that the suspect would have made. 
  • Make a check out to the suspect from the "victim" that has been returned or cancelled, along with a bank note describing why. Perhaps the victim no longer wants to help, or support the suspect.
  • An email from or between suspects threatening to continue operation [Code Name Here] or else.
  • A letter from the suspect to the victim, with a threat for some kind of action.
7. Last but not least- The Murderer!
  • Get creative in your own way. Who will the murderer be? Will you pass them a script to read dramatically once they are revealed? Will they take a glorious bow? Choose your best actor among the suspects, someone who will not spill the beans and set the party to a halt. Maybe they find a note on their cup that they are the murderer?



That is all for now :) I hope you are able to host the best, and most AMAZING mystery party of your own. 

If you have any questions, post them below & don't forget to follow me on Pinterest!

-TSM

End of Year Scout Party!



What Am I Planning You Ask?
Why- Nothing better than a ...




We have had SO many fun activities this year with the Girl Scouts. To name a few : 
  • Learning the Roles Women Play
  • Internet Safety From a Terrific Female Officer
  • Cookie Sales!
  • Pumpkin Patch Trip
  • Winter Getaway at the Mountains- Ice Skating, Snow Shoeing, Sledding & S'mores
  • Daddy Daughter Game
  • Earned Cooking Badges
  • Veterans Parade
  • Babysitter Training
  • Court Legislation Learning Visit
  • Be a Vet for the Day
And More...

So the end of year is on the way! We are going to have the most AMAZING Murder Mystery Tea Party.

The challenges are that most of the resources online cost money, provide little to no guide, and or are not appropriate for children.

So- I wrote my own! It was not all that difficult either! Stay tuned for a DIY Murder Mystery Party!


More Amazing Idea Apps


I'm currently enjoying the disaster of the cable company moving our internet a month ahead of time… so bare with me while I post from my phone.

I am enjoying some great apps for home decorating and ideas that I wanted to add more on from my last post.

Redecorating and deciding what to keep and what to trash is no easy task ;). We decided on all new furniture for the whole first floor, leaving me with two offices, kithen, dining room, living room, and a small entry way to design. 

This is also the time where my things will fully merge with his. And some will get "lost" in the move… oops! 

So I find myself in a FLOOD of ideas and learning, from what goes with dark cherry floors, dark cabinets, do we repaint, etc.

Here are some of my LOVES and the organization I am loving to narrow down the field.

How will I decorate my white fireplace mantel? I like the mirror, probably some candles with a vase, but I need color pops. 

We have definately settled on a statement chair, and coordinating pillows with a darker couch.

2 kids and 2 dogs, I could never have white couches like this.

Which makes finding an idea hard- because with so much dark, without the color, most of what I find looks like above. How do I filter out all the ideas you ask?

• While looking online & through apps, keep in mind what is realistic.

• Find elements in the images that are similar to your home, a mantle, a corner, wood, carpet, cabinets etc. that you have in your own home.

• Stay organized! Sure each app has it's idea saver, but when you need to see them all at once, you don't want to print and waste all of that precious and expensive ink. Screen Shot! Pin to your Pinterest albums, find one area that works best for you. 

Meanwhile, here are the amazing apps I live for ideas.

[ Houzz ] I've mentioned it before, but I am in love.
[ Old Kings Lane ]
[ Joss & Main ]
[ Wayfair ] Don't forget their Facebook page- their ideas are stunning!
[ Restoration Hardware ] I love this store. It is on the pricey side, but everything is gorgeous. I redid my bedroom last winter with their amazing bedroom spreads. I will note that after falling in love with a quilt set of theirs, anything close to it at all that stores ran in the same price range. I checked target to Bed Bath Beyond, so the price isn't too outlandish.
[ Crate & Barrel ] From sofas, to kitchen requirements… this place amazed me. I used to joke that they only carried CB boxes on their commercials because their products were ugly, but wow was I surprised when I stepped in the store last week. Love love love. They have come a long way. 

• Take catalogs when you are in the stores. You will find better ideas here, than from pricy and advertisement ridden magazines.

On that note, I will end with some more amazing images. 

-> Don't forget to follow me on Pinterest

- That's Sew Mommy

Love the chairs.

Ottoman obsession. 

Not in love with the Spanish feel, but it looks great.

Mantle, yes, white couches, I wish.

Curtains, lighting, tables oh My! Love it all.

A great example of Houzz, and how easy it is to use.


Found this beauty on Pinterest. 

That's all for now! Ciao.