James Bond ***recommended***

This was a fantastic theme as it meant that blokes turned up in black tie! For decorations we tried to stick to zones according to the different rooms.

Drinks

Vodka martini is the obvious choice but most people really didn't like it. Vodka jelly went down well, or you could try a few cocktails with suitably Bondish names like Gold Finger, SMERSH's Revenge etc.

Opening Sequence

Stick up silhouettes of women cut out of various coloured sugar paper sheets. For poses look through magazines and trace from them - they don't have to be too precise.

From Russia With Love

For a wintry theme, cover sofas in white sheets. Add fairy lights and empty (or full!) Smirnoff bottles. Cut out minaret towers out of card, decorate with gold pen/paper and put them on top of bookcases.

Casino Royale

Luckily we had a toy roulette wheel, but you could paint a frisbee black and white if you really want to. Put green sugar paper on the table for green baize and leave lots of packs of cards hanging about.

Underwater

Stretch garden wire across the ceiling and hang a fish mobile up. Cut the fish out of sugar paper and hang by thread. Shark silhouettes are particularly effective! Put in a blue covered lightbulb and blutack cut out green seaweed to the fridge.

Villain's HQ

Stick a few piccies of Pierce Brosnan and Sean Connery up and a map of the world with Places to Threaten marked by drawing pins. Cover any incongrous things in silver foil. There was an attempt at a ray gun using a bicycle pump and a magazine rack, but it really didn't work.

Silhouette

If you've got an open cupboard or something, tape up white tissue paper, cut out a Bond silhouette out of white card and project a light from behind so that it shows through.

Solitaire

In Live and Let Die the sappy Jane Seymour played Solitaire who could supposedly predict the future through tarot cards. Later on in the party go round with some tarot cards, (real or photocopied onto card - the Tarot web site is a good source), fan out some cards and ask a guest to pick one. Some of them will be so soozled that they reckon you know what you're doing, so try to keep up the pretence of being serious. When they show you the card make up a reading. Here are a few suggested ones:

• The Sun: "That means you're bright!"
• The Wheel of Fortune: "You're going to present a game show"
• The Magician: "You're Paul Daniels!"
• The Moon: "you like to pull moonies" - I know, pretty pathetic but it seemed to fit at the time!

Of course you could make up alternatives like "Drink Bearer" or "Lambada Leader" or stir things up by predicting gossip. Be careful of the cards though. At our party, an undertaker selected The Hanged Man!

Bullet holes

Shamelessly nicked from a Pulp Fiction party we attended! Print out some bullet holes (or draw them - black hole surrounded by jagged spokes). Fix to wall using artist's mounting spray.

COSTUMES

James Bond

This is a cinch if you've got black tie (and it definitely helps your image with the girls!) Top tip: wear a ready made bow tie at the beginning of the evening and switch to a undone proper one at the end of the evening for that really dishevelled look. If you want to be original, what about coming as Roger Moore?

Henchmen

As they say in Austin Powers: Man of Mystery, nobody ever remembers the henchmen. Be the power behind the throne in a fetching black polo neck.

Vodka Martini

Background: Bond mixed his own brand in Casino Royale and named it Vesper after the beautiful double agent he was with. Olives as a necklace and as earrings give the desired effect, with a splash of martini as perfume.

Bond girls

This is the perfect excuse to wear a glitzy dress, and say "Oooh, Jeems!" alot. Other alternatives:

• Jill Masterton (the one who died from being sprayed gold in Goldfinger)
  This took two cans of gold hairspray (check that it's solid colour and not just glitter) for just my arms and face. If you go for more, remember to keep a patch of skin clear. Warning: you will get very warm as the evening goes on and will leave a trail of gold wherever you go!
• Miss Moneypenny
  Suit, glasses, notepad and pen and hair up. Dramatic transformation later in the evening.
• Xenia Onatopp - villainess in GoldenEye
  Plunging black and red ensemble and the ability to take part in the inevitable "Onatopp?" "Onatopp" exchange with a straight face.
• Octopussy
  All credit to you if you feel you can cope with the jokes! Basically an octopus perched on one shoulder and a cat on the other should do it. In cardboard or small soft toys.
• Pussy Galore
  lots of soft toy /cardboard cats pinned to you!