NEW!!!! Share Your Party with Cupcake Wishes & Birthday Dreams

CALLING ALL PARTY PEOPLE!!!! 

There are so many of you outside the blogging world that are kind enough to share your party photos with me.  You are inspired by so many of the talented party planners and stylists in the blog world and what you, in turn, create is absolutely amazing.  That is why I'm so excited to annouce I just added a new Share Your Party page on my blog for anyone who wants to submit photos of their parties and have them featured on Cupcake Wishes & Birthday Dreams! 

I receive at least 3 emails a month from so many creative people who share photos from their parties or folks looking for ideas to help with their parties.  I figured that a good way to get more party inspiration, outside of my own personal style, is to create a page where other people who have a love for throwing parties and entertaining can showcase their talents!

If you are interested in having your party featured click on the Share Your Party page link to find out how to get started.  As an added bonus, every month one featured party will be selected to receive the high honor of being named the party of the month!

So, are you ready to show off your party skills???? 

Tip Tuesday: Less is More

When I first set out to plan my 35th birthday party, I really wanted to go with a Midsummer Night's Dream theme....and if you read this post you will know that did not happen.  I was really bummed about it because I loved the theme and thing it's a great idea.  It might not be something I can plan right now, but a great possible theme for a future event.  In any case what I learned by switching up themes and scaling down when you're short on time and money is that less is more. 

What I was able to produce with a few pieces of paper, ribbon, twine, mason jars, sand candles, paper table cloths, fake silverware, and some honeycomb balloons actually turned out better than I'd hoped.

When planning a party that you really have a tight budget on my tip is to use low cost items.  I went and got a lot of items on clearance and between $1-$3.  My biggest expense were bulk packs of plastic plates and cups.  I am an advocate of the Dollar Store and Discount Stores, you can always find something fabulous without cringing at check out.

Don't be afraid to use items you already have on hand.  My husband jokes that I keep the mason jars that we have from our spaghetti sauce.  However - those empty jars made great candle holders, filled with a bit of sand and a tealight candle, dressed up with ribbon - and voila!

I also purchased honeycomb balls at the party store and wanted to add a touch of elegance and charm by enhancing it with ribbon.

 

These are just a few simple ideas on how to do a lot with less.....just be creative and have fun with it!

Picture Sources
Room filled with Balloons
Simple Table Setting With Balloons

Tip Tuesday: Tips for Planning Kids Parties Part 2 - The Dollar Store is Your Friend

For the second post in my five-part series on Tips for Planning Kids Parties I am going to give you some sage advice - LIVE, BREATHE, LOVE THE DOLLAR STORE. It's very easy philosophy to follow and not a hard thing to do.  Just go there and saunter, meander and stroll down the aisles and take it all in. 

Dollar stores have an expansive amount of items that are just as good as those you find at the party stores. This is because most of the items are remnants and leftovers from warehouses that get passed on. I have found plenty of decent items at the dollar store for my parties. When it comes to party supplies & decor, the dollar store can definitely be your friend.  Here are my tips on shopping at the dollar store (or as I like to call it the 'DOLLAH STOW').

Stick to your list
When it comes to planning parties I try and keep costs as low as possible and in this economy every dollar counts.  You can always go there for the basics like plates, napkins, cups, utensils, candy, snacks, gift wrap & bows, games, party favors and a host of unique items to create a fun-filled event.  You can even get your balloons there!  It is however easy and tempting to want to put everything you like in the cart.  Go in there with a list of what you need and a budget.  Otherwise, you could easily turn your bargain shopping trip into a wallet busting disaster.

Somtimes, there is a good reason it costs a dollar.  Don't look to buy dollar store items and hope for an investment piece.  Some things you will find are just not going to hold up.  A lot of the toys you'll find are not going to be made with the greatest quality.  I purchased a butterfly net for The Mini Diva over the weekend - and it lasted all of 2 hours.  So be careful when purchasing items for goodie bags or favors.  Consider the age of your party guests and use your best judgement.  Realize the purpose you have for the item and determine if it's worth purchasing.

A bit of ingenuity and imagination will see you through.  You might not always find an item that matches your theme exactly but, with some creativity you can take items you've purchased at the dollar store and use some crafting items to make them your own.  I am currently working on making tutus for the Princess party next month.  I found some dress up tutus for sale at the dollar store! I purchased several bouquets of fake flowers to enhance them and they are so adorable.  There are even sites dedicated to using dollar store finds to create budget friendly party decor.  Check out dollar store crafts for some ideas.

Pick your favorite and stick to it
Depending on where you live, there are several dollar store franchises to choose from.  Prices generally ranges from $1 to under $20 per item. I prefer The Dollar Tree (where you can shop online wholesale) and my local mom-pop shop dollar store, Clinton Dollar.   I just know what to look for at these particular stores and when to go to get the good stuff, plus the customer service is up to par.  If for some reason you don't have a dollar store near you, check out the dollar &  bargain bins at Target, Walmart or one of the larger craft stores.  There are always great party items there as well.

These are just a few of my tips on 'dollah stow' shopping.  Please feel free to leave a comment on any tips you might have.

Also - don't forget to enter this week's giveaway for a custom Princess and The Frog themed party pack!

Tip Tuesday: Tips for Planning Kids Parties

When I first started writing today's tip I started out with the intention of sharing five tips.  However, I realized halfway into the post each tip had a backstory and a lesson and this post started to get too long.  So, I'll be posting one tip for the next five Tip Tuesday posts.  It's like a series!

I have had four (going on five) years of practice when it comes to planning my own kids' parties and let me just say that with each party I have taken away a great deal of knowledge.   One of those things is learning why less is more.

Today's Tip: Eight is enough

If my parties were a 70's era hit tv show and Willie Aames was my brother, I would have known that inviting too many people to a kid's party is not the best idea.  I also would have taken a clue from those fill-in invitations at CVS that only allow ya to invite eight people.  I could never figure the reason behind that until last year when I had a house full of kids and felt a smidge overwhelmed. 

In the past I have had a house full of family, friends, kids & parents over for my kids' birthdays.  Anyone that knows me will tell you I love a good party, but really, I can't remember anything about them except how stressed I'd get from doing so much.  This might not make since for an event planner, but we're talking about my daughter and son here.  I should be able to see how excited they are and not why my poor child didn't get a piece of cake at her own party!

I think a good rule of thumb is to invite a maximum of eight guests to your child's party  if they are under eight years old.  I once read somewhere that you should invite as many kids as your child's age plus two.  I always thought that was a silly concept - until The Mini Diva's last bday party.  In hind site there were too many people, too many kids of different ages, and she got pushed out some activities and games when the attention should have been on her.  I was so busy going back and forth between the parents and my friends and the kids, that I was too overwhelmed to know that she wasn't having fun as she should have been. 

It really makes life easy for you and also allows your child to enjoy the party guests if you keep the guest list at a low number.  A good example of how this works best is another party we threw for The Mini Diva.   I got rsvp's from six kids and only two girls showed up.  At first I was a little sad for my daughter because she was so excited about the party - but there were so few guests.  I was also mad at the parents who didn't show because I'd bought all those cute party sets and favors from Party City and then not to show up - ugh.  Well, when it was all said and done I realized she had just the right amount of party guests and I didn't feel overwelmed.  A good time to be had by all!

In the next Tip Tuesday post I'll share with you why you should steer clear of the grocery store bakery - I have a horror story that will make you cringe!  .....and don't forget to enter to win this week's Princess and the Frog DVD GIVEAWAY!!!!