THERE’S ALWAYS SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE

If you know me, then you know birthdays and any celebrations for that matter don’t go unnoticed. I’ve always loved a good party, but unlike most people, it’s behind the scenes where I have the most fun. It’s in the details!

Event planning began at a young age for me when I first planned Barbie’s dream wedding – complete with a custom wedding gown, tiled dance floor, and of course, a “diamond” hot glued to Barbie’s left ring finger. The planning continued throughout high school, college, and I even dabbled in a birthday party-planning business for a short while before time took me away from my young children.

While party-planning as a business is no longer in the cards for me, I still enjoy paper-design in the form of invitations, announcements and holiday cards. It’s again, in the details, were I feel my creative energy come alive.

How to plan the party details:

Choose a theme or color scheme. Themes don’t have to be a cheesy. Inspiration can come from the time of year, location of the party, or an interest of the child.
Invitation design. Call me old fashioned, but I still love a paper invitation. If you prefer an Evite, choose one that coordinates with your theme or color scheme.
Party goods and create homemade decorations. If creativity is not your thing, check out Etsy.com. One of my favorite Etsy-finds lately has been the shop, Shoppe3130, which sells DIY tissue paper tassel kits. The kits are easy and give you the same tissue paper tassel look for quite a bargain! I always love the party headbands from Shop Bracket; they are such an easy way to set the stage for any party.
Party entertainment. This depends a lot on the age of your party-goers. For Eloise’s 6th birthday, a face-painter and coloring sheet was perfect. For her 5th birthday, we had a couple LSU Golden Girls to teach cheers and dances. For Charlotte Cate’s 4th birthday, Santa Claus himself made a special visit and read Twas the Night Before Christmas.
Food and drinks. Again, this depends a lot on the age of your party-goers and the time of day of your party. Will you need to serve a meal? drinks? cake or cupcakes? etc. Eloise’s first birthday was in the morning, and we celebrated with a champagne brunch. Her fifth birthday was a “tailgate” theme complete with finger foods you may find on game day.
Favors. Party favors should match the theme of the celebration. For Eloise’s first birthday, a Mardi Gras-themed celebration, we chose feathered masks as the favor. Tassel necklaces with an ice-cream charm were the favors for her sixth birthday at Dearman’s Soda Shop. Twas the Night Before Christmas books were the favor for Charlotte Cate’s Breakfast with Santa-themed party.