Less Mess, More Yes

Devilish Drinks for your Halloween Bash!

By Natalie Aguilar of Sterilite Corporation

Get excited, because the best holiday of the year is right around the corner! That’s right, Halloween will be here in a week’s time. There is something about the spookiness of this holiday that I just can’t get enough of. From the haunted houses, to the creepy costumes that come out at night, Halloween brings together adults and kids of all ages – you are never too old to celebrate! But what’s Halloween without a good party, filled with creative costumes, fun decorations, and spooky snacks and beverages?

Last year, my family threw one of the best Halloween parties ever. Our guests were talking about it for months to come! What made the party truly successful were the details we incorporated into it. For example, we decorated the outside of the house with hay bales, cornstalk, beautiful mums, and spooky cobwebs. And we even got the whole family to help decorate!


We went all out with the party snacks, beverages and of course the costumes! If you’re looking to throw the ultimate Halloween party, here are a couple of pro-tips that made ours one to remember:

       • Plan Ahead- Know the age of partygoers to make sure your party isn’t too frightening or too boring 
       • Decorations- Homemade decorations are the best, not only can you personalize them to be as spooky as you want, but they are inexpensive and easy to make!
       • Best Costume Awards- Nothing gets the crowd going like some friendly competition. Costume Awards are the perfect way to get all of your friends and family excited to share their costume creations!

The most important part of your planning is to think outside of the box! Show your guests how creative you can be by making the best decorations, snacks and costumes. If you’re looking to host one of the best parties in town, here are a couple of ideas that should spark up some inspiration:

Frightening Fanta Floats
Ingredients: 
• 2 Liters of Fanta Orange Soda
• 1 tub of Vanilla Ice Cream
• 6-8 Sterilite 20 Ounce Tumblers – decorated with spooky faces

Directions:
Step 1: Using Sterilite’s Tumblers, fill a quarter of the tumbler with Fanta
Step 2: Next, add in 1 scoops of the vanilla ice cream
Step 3: Lastly, pour in some more Fanta on top until you start to see some bubbled happening
Step 4: Throw in a straw and enjoy! 


Frankenstein Bug Juice
Ingredients:
• 1 pouch of Green Apple Kool-Aid drink mix
• Sprite
• Sour gummy worms

Directions:
Step 1: Using Sterilite’s 1 Gallon Pitcher, fill it up with Sprite
Step 2: Next, add in the green apple Kool-Aid Drink mix
Step 3: Mix it all up and enjoy! 


Glow Stick Ice Bucket
Supplies:
• Sterilite Ultra∙Seal™ 8.1 Quart Bowl
• Glow stick necklaces
• Ice
• Juice boxes 
• Mini water bottles

Steps:
Step 1: Attached two Glow Stick necklaces together and place at the base of the bowl, you may want to stack two or three high
Step 2: Add some ice to the base of the bowl
Step 3: As you move up the bowl you will need to attached 3 glow sticks together, stack a few high
Step 4: Next add more ice to the bowl
Step 5: Repeat steps 3 and 4 until bowl is full Step 6: Add waters and juice boxes


With the help of Sterilite, party planning doesn’t have to be stressful! We hope you have a spooktacular Halloween party!

Get Down with Vinyl!

By Kevin Guimond of Sterilite Corporation

It’s Here to Stay


Spotify, Sound Cloud and Pandora – you’ve probably heard of these music streaming services that continue to grow at a rapid pace. In contrast, physical media sales continue to dwindle, with one glaring exception – vinyl. In fact, vinyl record sales have grown for 11 straight years and in 2016 alone, vinyl record sales topped 13 million units! With sales booming, even Sony announced that they are getting back into vinyl production in 2018.

The vinyl trend is being driven by a wide range of listeners from Millennials to Baby Boomers, and artists from all genres and generations are catching on and are releasing their albums on vinyl. You may recognize the artist Twenty One Pilots, who has not one, but two of the best-selling vinyl albums of 2016. They join other greats like The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, Prince and Miles Davis on this list. Check out the link above to see if your favorites made it!

Yes, I’m part of the growing trend and have a few of the most popular albums in my collection, such as Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours.” I can see why it’s a top vinyl album with some of the band’s most popular songs “Go Your Own Way,” “Dreams” and my favorite, “The Chain.” Other great records within my collection include Styx’s “The Grand Illusion,” ABBA’s “Greatest Hits,” a unique live album from the legendary Elvis Presley, and many more. I feel fortunate to enjoy the experience of the warmer sound that fills the room, even with the occasional crackling noises which I feel add a level of texture to the overall nostalgic experience.


Store and Protect Them

With the investment my family has made in timeless vinyl records, I wanted to make sure to store them efficiently and keep them preserved. Here are my solutions:
Sterilite’s 64 Quart Latching Box stores the albums perfectly! The Latching Box lid and latch ensures my records are stored safely and prevent damage. It not only fits the many records my family currently owns, but there is space for plenty more. This Latching Box is ideal for those who have a large collection of records. Should you have enough to fill one box, you can securely stack a second on top without concern for damage. As you build your own collection, you can organize your stored albums and label by genre, year or even chronologically. Have fun and enjoy separating your country albums from rock, the 60s from the 2000s, or even ABBA from ZZ Top.


Sterilite’s File Crate is a good solution for those who have a smaller collection. In addition to handles that make it extremely portable, it provides ease of access to your albums. So if you’re just starting to form your collection or have a more limited selection of music that you like to listen to, this is your ideal solution.


I hope you’ll find these tips helpful whether you’re new to vinyl or a long-time listener. Rock on!