One Week From Today...

I will turn the big 3-0. It is a little bittersweet, and when thinking about the date months ago, I really wanted something low key, maybe a nice dinner party with family or close friends. I had thrown a rather large and elaborate party for my husband on his 30th, and had vowed to not repeat it for mine. It was just too much work, although he had a blast and so did all our friends.

It was not until about a month ago that we went to an event at the local and historic shuffleboard courts that I pictured this as the place for my 30th birthday bash. It will still be a small affair, with family and a handful of great friends, but with some very special, Hostess touches, of course! And just to give you a little preview, here is the invitation, made by me:

My wonderful husband is working on some other details, so after the party, I will post all the details! Until next week, hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July Weekend!

Monkey-ing around

I am helping host a baby shower in two weeks and I am excited about the colors and decor. Here is a little inspiration for the party:

Invitations via FineStationary, Flags via Etsy.

Since the baby is a boy, and the parents are going with a Monkey theme in the nursery, we decided to keep the colors brown, yellow and green. Since the invites are out in the mail, I can show you what I made (of course, personal information has been removed, it looks a little more awkward than it really is):

 

There are some similar invitation styles online, but I created this one from scratch, since we were under a time constraint using my trusty Microsoft Publisher. I know there are better programs out there for invitations, but it is so easy to use and they always turn out well. I can't wait to show you the rest we have planned for the shower!

They Say Old Fashioned Post Is Dead...

But I love receiving party invitations in the mail! This practice is only getting better and more creative, as it should!

Invitations act as the first impression for any party. It gives guests all information about the party details, as well as the theme and environment, so it is important to make sure your party preview is what you want it to be. I usually search the internet to find a few invitations for inspiration to make my own on Microsoft Publisher, but for those who are less creative or savvy, there are some wonderful sites that provide perfectly cute invitations. Here are some of my current favorites (click on the photos for links to invitation websites):

Etsy is also a great site for handmade letterpress and custom printed invitations with any theme by many local and national artists. I got my wedding invitations through Etsy! I also love the online e-mail invitations from Cocodot and eVite, that are decorative and you can make quickly to get the word out to guests for a last minute get together!  Sometimes an Inbox is just as good as a Mailbox, but don't rely on e-mails for serious parties.... spend the money and/or the time on real invites. Your guests will be more excited and eager to come to your next event!