Jazz Age Jeopardy - My Murder Mystery Birthday Party!

Proof that Facebook advertising does work.

It was about a month before my birthday, and Husband asked what I wanted to do with my friends.  We've played pool, bowled, pubs, bars, nicer dinners, etc.

I saw an ad for Murder Mystery Dinners - and checked out the cost of going to a local venue - with the cost of diner, show, and drinks, it would cost each person WAY more than I would expect them to shell out.

So I posted an event to determine how many people would be interested in attending a murder mystery, and started researching DIY murder mysteries.

The free ones looked meh and had a lot of gaps into what I was supposed to do and how the party was supposed to run.

I found one that a woman would write in extra parts for a Doctor Who Mystery party, but the quote was a bit out of my comfort level.  And as much as *I* love Doctor Who, not all our friends know what the show is about, and it would be difficult for them to act out their parts. (this would STILL be SO cool).

I hummed and hawed between two better sites, and the pricing was sort of comparable, but Playing With Murder won out as not only did I find a discount code, but it included the number of players I had (19) with no upgrade cost.

I am SO happy I chose Playing With Murder - Jazz Age Jeopardy, as the 120 pages of paperwork involved with instructions, scavenger hunt clues, certificates, and character development was well laid out, and I was able to set the scene.

I think with DIY Murder Mysteries, you get out of it what you put into it.  Pinterest was awesome assistance with ideas for setting the stage, and I did a pretty kick arse decorating job.  I love creating, had most of the materials to create decorations, and it really did set the mood for the night.

Flapped Sequined Headbands I made

I made a Check In sign for the club, and you can see the handmade bottle labels behind me

If I hadn't had decorations and no one had dressed up as their characters, it would of been sub par and awkward.

I set up two photobooths - one upstairs, where guests who entered the Club had their picture taken with an intake sign;  the other was in the front entrance area.  I set up hand-made props, hats, and other accessories from our Halloween boxes. I found a frame for free, so people could "frame" themselves in the photos - as this looks really cool on Pinterest.  it works well in real life too :) 

Husband was doubtful that anyone would use it, but our guests did - they had a lot of fun with it and used the props, giggled, and asked people to take their pictures.  As usual, he said he doesn't know why he ever doubted my craziness and ideas.

Check In - I made everyone hold this when they put their coats away - as proof they were suspects!

Husband and me - we got goofy

The upper level was the Poker room where there had been some bloody mess from the past along with weaponry. 

Bullet holes were throughout this level and the remainder of the house - it was a Prohibition Age mobster-ridden Jazz Club in the 1920's afterall!


Pictures from the 1920's were also throughout the house - the basement level having old movie pictures - and was also the scene of the murder.


When Gared found out he was being murdered, he was SO stoked!  I loved his reaction :)  I think he was laying on the ground about 10 minutes before I got everyone together for Act II though.  Poor guy!

The main level was the main part of the club, with pom-pom banners creating a buzz and where the food and drinks were being served.

At first it was a bit awkward, as two guests arrived before 6pm, and the rest not until 6:10 and thereafter.  I was a bit nervous that people would bail out.

BUT, I created hype on the Facebook Page by posting the work being done to create the club, 1920's words, and talking about the food.  People put a LOT of effort into their costumes.  Every Single Person was dressed to the 9's and got into character. 

This made this party a great success!

I had no idea what my name was, but we found out that my name was "Narrator" - and I spoke like the main character on Schitz's Creek. And was told to use my indoor voice a few times - ha ha! 

A few people were confused about some of the clues (but 19 people = lots of talking + missing clues), but half guessed the right killer.

I think I chose the right parts for the right guests - it was pretty bang on! 

Friends having fun!

I would do a Murder Mystery every year if I could - but we want it to stay nice and fresh, so probably every 3-4 years unless there is demand for a higher frequency.

I should be a party planner - that would be SO much fun, as I'm SO into these kinds of things!

Pinterest and its ability to allow me to find & organize my thoughts and ideas is a fabulous tool in my life.  Unless I get lost in the Vortex.  Then that's just hours of my life gone away into outer Pinterest Space.  I really DO utilize the ideas I find on it though, so there is reasoning to my insanity.

Maybe we'll do Pirates next. I'd love to talk like a Pirate all night long!  Or in outer Space....or Zombies. SO many ideas!

If you're at all creative and have fun friends, I highly encourage you to check out the murder mysteries on Playing With Murder.  It's so simple, and worth the cost and effort put into creating an awesome party!

The Artsy Side of Crystal

Better late than never - and a little bit refocus not just on awesome products I have been given the opportunity to review, but focus on life in general.



Anyone who really knows me knows that I'm creative.



If people don't know me, they're amazed by my awesome creations.

I may be Clark Kent by day...but my true passion is being artsy!



Here's my whirlwind of September/October creations.



The Stairwell Family Tree

We painted most of the house at the beginning of September.



After painting, Husband requested a tree in the stairwell.  So I painted  a tree covering 3 walls. Then the birds. Later on, the pups.


There are also 2 leaves on the tree, as I couldn't decide if I wanted leaves on it or not - they in turn represent Husband and myself.

This was all Freehand.

The dogs...I couldn't finish these until I knew Fynn would be ok

The dogs, The Tree, The Parrots

Merlin & Rosco - Rosco even has fangs

Stryder doing his dance

Calvin & Hobbes zipping down the stairs (covering up where Fynn broke the wall 3 times)

Halloween

I won the Costume contest FINALLY at work.  I've been the Tardis, a Zombie Pirate, Parrot, and this year - Dragon!  Shazam!

My boss is also awesomesauce and let me decorate the workplace like a crime scene.  It was a lot of fun, and made me thankful Pinterest wasn't around when we got married.  

We forced all team members to wear silly hats and take Prison pictures to post on our wall.  Everyone got a laugh out of it, and people really came out of their shells :)

Handprints and writing were mainly myself and my boss - we're a bit crazy. Weapons and Evidence Tags were hand crafted by moi.

I'm in the Pen!

Merlin and me - our annual Halloween Selfie. Awesome 5 minute mesh makeup for dragon scale effect!

YES! I finally had a reason to make the Dexter Cupcakes!  Handmade Sugar Glass and all :)

My co-worker was Spaghetti and Meatballs - I was heating her up. Such a fun day!

I also created Christmas gifts for family - we're having it a month early with my family as my parents leave for Amurica on December 1st this year.  So weird.  

What's next on the creative list?  

Crystal's Epic Murder Mystery Party at the Cat's Meow Jazz Club - Prohibition Age debauchery will ensue!

Photobooth with props there will be!

Chickadvisors MasterCheeseClass - I Heart Cheese

So I know cheese isn't very good for my daily fat content.  I try not to splurge often.

I, however, was one of the 100 or so lucky ladies to be chosen to be part of Chickadvisor's Master Cheese Class held today in Toronto - I didn't even have to leave my living room/kitchen in Ottawa for it, thanks to the power of You Tube.

I received a snazzy apron, ingredient list, and recipe cards earlier last week, so I could keep organized and clean throughout the afternoon

My goods!

Sporting my newest apron (last one I got 20 years ago from Dairy Queen as Cake Decorator)

In a whirlwind afternoon, I am in a cheese coma!

Some of us were fortunate enough to spend the afternoon (either in class, or like me, via You Tube) with Christine Cushing, chef & cookbook author.

Frankly. I love cheese.  I've cut it out of most of my diet, but decided to give ChickAdvisor's awesome opportunity a go!

I cooked from home in a whirlwind, and whipped up 3 totally new recipes to add to my culinary skills - Fondant, Souffle, and Gnudi.

First time whipping eggs.  That sounds bad.

Soufflé ready for the oven!

Soufflé before it fell (which Christine says is normal - even hers fell afterwards)

The Souffle was created with mainly Canadian Aged Cheddar - I purchased St. Albert, as it was the best price, and locally sourced.  Eggs, flour, fresh herbs, and a few other ingredients one should already have in their house, and voila.

This was the first time I'd ever whipped egg whites, so I wasn't really sure what to expect...until it happened, and the egg while started to resemble whipped cream.  I poured it into the cheese mixture, and baked it for about 25 minutes.  I think it could of stayed in another few minutes, but it still tasted delightful.

I cooked along with Christine as best as I could (I didn't have my ingredients pre-prepared).  Successfully, as everything tasted fabulous!

I did half size recipes, as there are only two of us in the house - I was able to freeze most of the Gnudi for a later date - I inhaled four of them, as Husband fell asleep during this part of the class.

Mixing up the Gnudi

Still don't know what Gnudi is other than Good!

The Ricotta Gnudi is a type of dumpling - and with the fresh herbs, tasted fabulous and was SOOOOO filling. I'd make these again - and will, considering I put 8 of the freshly rolled Gnudi into the freezer already.  The parsley sauce took about 5 minutes to make - and again so simple to create.

Even Merlin, our African Grey, joined in the fun!

Merlin can cook too!

I'd love a different kind of cooking class via ChickAdvisor - I learnt a lot of new cooking skills, and Christine had a lot of useful tips.

The Fondant was the simplest, and I could literally make this in less than 10 minutes if I wanted to, and serve with fresh veggies and breads - I used a melba-type toast bread that we already had, and it was a hit.  Husband and I finished it in less than 5 minutes.  Gideon, the dog, took his broccoli piece, licked off the cheese and left the broccoli - what a goof!

You can follow Christine on Twitter & Instagram @ccfearless 

For now, I'm going to roll away and finish that glass of wine I poured...because wine was necessary in the Fondant recipe ;) That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it!

I think I did this right...

Fondant - SO simple and scrumptious!