For my daughter's 9th birthday, she wanted an Oriental Arts & Crafts Theme Party. It took a lot of planning ahead, organization and preparation before the party, but it was all well worth it. Everything turned out perfect and the party was a huge success!  If you are looking for complete details of games, activities and crafts or recipes mentioned below, you can visit the following website: http://www.freewebs.com/birthdayparty06/, which my son created for consultation purposes. You can also view some pictures from the party. INVITATIONS: Fortune Cookie in Chinese Take-Out carton Box. These were really easy to make and were a hit! I printed on clear labels the girls' names in Chinese and in English. For translation of names see http://www.chinese-tools.com/names. Below the names I wrote What is your fortune?  The answer is inside. I used store-bought fortune cookies. To soften them, I placed them individually into the microwave for a few seconds, and then bend them to take out the old fortune and replace it with the new message (On the first side, it read like this: You will be attending a fun filled birthday party on May 27, from 11 to 3 party at Cassidys house. Games, activities and surprises are in the works On the backing it read: Lucky number to confirm your presence (telephone no.) I predict we will have a great time. Signed Cassidy. I then wrapped the cookies in nice tissue paper and slipped them into take-out boxes (used as gift boxes) purchased at an arts & crafts store. When the girls called to confirm their presence, I asked them their birth year for a project I had in mind for the party. DECORATIONS:We wanted to set a relaxed and soothing environment to give the girls a Zen kind of feeling, so we decided to keep the decor simple and to play oriental music during the party.  Simple didn't mean it was boring it looked very pretty.  We decorated the room with paper Chinese Lanterns, Parasols Lanterns, and Balloon Lanterns, Butterflies, Streamers, Balloons and Ribbons. As a focal point of the room, my husband made a Dragon Head, which would later be used for a game(we were extremely lucky to find everything at dollar store and in our local Chinatown!).   The table had color matching plates, napkins, glasses, etc., and mini balloon lanterns with battery-operated lights. Before the party, I prepared personalized placemats on the computer for each guest.  Each placemat had the girls' names, a picture of their Chinese astrology sign, including a complete profile of their sign.  I also added a frame to later insert a picture of the guest with the birthday girl.  My husband set up a special corner in the room for pictures. He created a backdrop by using an old vinyl blind on which he painted an Asian flower theme and a thank you note on the very top. To make the pictures a little more interesting, I purchased a kimono and a Chinese parasol.  As the girls arrived, they each had a turn to put on the kimono, hold the parasol and take a picture with the birthday girl. The pictures turned out really cute. As the party took place, my husband downloaded the above-mentioned pictures, inserted them individually into the placemats, printed them, ran to the copy center to get them plasticized, and made back in time to have them on the table for a tea ceremony at the end of the party.  The placemats made a nice souvenir picture and also served as thank you cards. AGENDA FOR THE PARTY: We started with a few games, then moved on to the first activity (rice bowls see below), had lunch, did another activity (beaded chopstick see below), and then played a few more games. Then, my son who has his black belt- third rank in Karate, along with the birthday girl, demonstrated a few self-defense moves to the girls. The girls then practiced the moves a little and giggled a lot!  Next, the birthday girl opened her gifts.  Finally, we had a tea ceremony for the closing of the party!  The girls sat on the floor with pillows, sipped on Chinese tea, munched on the birthday cake (Fortune Cookie Cake) and Fake sushi (Japanese-style Crispy Candy Sushi rolls- The girls loved these!!), while my son read to them about Asian culture.   He also played a trivia game on what he had read to them about.  GAMES:  Chase the Dragon's Tail and Chinese Dragon Parade - This time-honored Chinese game is played by at least 10 kids. One child is the head of the dragon and wears the mask. The other players line up behind him with their hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them. The head has one minute to tag the last kid in line without causing the line to break apart. If he succeeds, he wins; if not, he becomes the tail, and the child behind him wears the mask. Chinese Whispers - Whisper a long phrase (to one person, that person whispers to the next, the last person announces what they heard) I had the girls whisper San Yat Fy Lok, which means Happy Birthday in Chinese. Fuku warai - a Japanese game (a funny version of Pin the tail on the donkey, except facial features are arranged on a face by blindfolded players-the results of this game can be quite amusing). Chopstick Relay # 1 (Pick up an object from one dish and move it to the next dish using chopsticks.  Pass the chopsticks to the next player. Objects could be jelly beans, rice etc.  Chopstick relay # 2 (Chopstick relay- Each team gets a pair of chopsticks and must carry, push etc a balloon to one end of the course then back to the next in line. They may not touch the balloon with their hands.  Chinese Chances (Chinese are famous for their belief in luck and good fortune and this game is all about that). For this game you will need 2 confetti filled eggs for each child invited to the party (one egg filled with one colored confetti - an unlucky color, the other egg will be filled with a different color of confetti - a lucky color). The person who gets the unlucky egg will get a task - make it a silly, or funny task... The person who gets the lucky egg will get a small treat! Tokyo Doodles (Each player gets a sheet of paper taped to their back.  The players stand in a line, with each player facing the back of the child in front with piece of paper taped to their back.  First player draws an object on the paper of the person in front. Second player then tries to draw the object, by only what she felt was being drawn on her back, then the 3rd player does the same, and so forth. At the end, you compare the drawings this is quite a funny game. Balanced Chopsticks 4 Players stand around a stool, blindfolded, are give a chopstick. They are asked walk around the stool an balance their chopstick on the top of the stool. The first one to complete the task wins. PRIZES: I had several prizes for the games and activities, including oriental fans, Chinese bead bracelets, small oriental purses, small paper lanterns, Chinese coins and envelopes (good luck Chinese tradition), origami sets, Chinese parasols, Candies imported from China, etc., I also gave away the kimono purchased for the pictures, and Chinese parasols used for the d'cor (everything purchased at our local Chinatown). FOOD: For lunch I prepared Japanese spring rolls and Lo Mein Beef Noodles. For snacks, I made Crispy Candy Sushi (Mock Sushi), Almond Cookies, and finally the Fortune Cookie Chocolate Cake.  ACTITIVES: CERAMIC RICE BOWL PAINTING.  We purchased porcelain rice bowls in white at the dollar Store and porcelain paints for this activity.  In order to avoid having the girls spend too much time on this activity, my husband decided to personalize each bowl in advance with each girls name (in English and Chinese Symbols) in black porcelain outliner.  On the other side of the bowls, we had the girls decorate them by adding their own Chinese zodiac sign (the girls used the zodiac picture from their placemats). The girls loved the idea of having their own personalized bowl with the special touch of their own art. Since the bowls need be baked in the oven 24 hours after painting(Very easy to do), I printed instructions for parents to do it at home on the following day. BEADED CHOPSTICKS. Since I give beading classes - see http://sweetspot.ca/montreal/archives/beauty/001556.php and have hosted several jewelry-beading parties for young girls and women, my daughter asked that I come up with a beading project that would fit into this birthday theme. I enjoyed the challenge and came up with the idea of the beaded chopsticks, which the girls could use with their new rice bowls or as hair ornaments.  Once again, I prepared several color coordinated kits with all the material for this project in advance (this saves a lot of time at the party) and had the girls choose their own kits. I purchased small wood chopsticks and assorted beads. These turned out really cute! To display these dazzling sticks, the girls poked them into a bun or ponytail. At the end, I had the girls vote on the beaded chopsticks and came up with several categories (most colorful, funniest, trendiest, etc.)  to make sure that every guest would win a prize.  The girls took home their rice bowls, beaded chopsticks, personalized placemats souvenir, red envelope containing a Chinese coin for good fortune inside, prizes and a full load of fun memories!