Figuring how much food you need for a party can be frustrating. Follow these guidelines to help plan the perfect menu for your whole crowd. Details that Affect How Much Food to Serve The first thing to remember, is that there are several factors that will affect how much food you need to make for […]
How to Make Tissue Paper Pom Poms (and When to Buy Instead!)
In this tutorial, learn how to make tissue paper pom poms (also known as tissue paper flowers) and how they stack up against store-bought versions too! Whether you DIY or buy them, tissue paper pom poms are a great way to add big impact to your party decor for very little money. I’m going to […]
The #1 Thing You Need to Know to Plan a Birthday Party on a Budget
Whether it’s a first birthday party or a fortieth, this is the most important thing to remember when you need to plan a birthday party on a budget. (Bonus: it’ll help save you stress and time too!) I recently read an article that was supposed to be all about ways to save money when planning […]
25 Crazy Easy First Birthday Party Foods to Serve
Wondering what food to serve at a first birthday party? These 25 first birthday party foods make menu planning easy, tasty, and safe for the guest of honor! The first birthday. It’s such an awesome milestone, and totally worth celebrating. With our three kids, we’ve done a variety of first birthday parties that ran […]
The Best Choice for Making Waterproof Water Bottle Labels
Want the best way to make waterproof water bottle labels? We tested all the papers and DIY techniques to find the right choice for your budget and schedule. I love it when readers ask questions. I especially love it when readers ask questions that need a little bit of digging and experimenting. Why? Because […]
Winter Birthday Party Ideas | 10 Party Themes They’ll Love
Stuck trying to come up with creative winter birthday party ideas? Here are 10 fantastic party themes and activities that kids of all ages will love! Parents of winter babies, I feel for you. From figuring out what to do with a gaggle of kids indoors for a couple hours to praying that the weather […]
Breakfast Tailgate Foods | Tips & Recipes for Game Day Morning
Early games call for the best breakfast tailgate foods. Here are easy, make-ahead recipes, tips, and a downloadable checklist for a fun game day experience. What do you do when a neighbor offers to sell you lower-level tickets to a Redskins game at a discount? If you’re our family…you move heaven and earth […]
RSVP Reminder | Three Ways to Stay Better Organized
When life gets chaotic, it’s easy to forget to RSVP to kids birthday parties. Try these three tips to keep you organized so you don’t need an RSVP reminder! It happened far more often than I’d like to admit. Despite my best intentions, the deadlines would come and go without proper action on […]
Hostess Tips | When Your Guest Has Severe Food Allergies
Food allergies are becoming more common with kids these days. Here are 7 tips for handling a birthday party or get together when your guest has severe food allergies. Sometimes it’s hard to remember how lucky we are. I don’t have to worry that a friend at school will share a treat from […]
Party Activities for Kids | 5 to 8 Year Olds
Once you’re beyond the toddler years, it can be difficult figuring out party activities for kids that are still too young for complete independence. Read on to find out 20 activities they’ll love and a simple system to make it easy for you, too! Congratulations! Your child is finally past the toddler parties […]
8 Easy Cleaning Tips to Make Your House Party-Ready (Free Pre-Party Cleaning Checklist!)
Follow these 8 easy cleaning tips to make your house party-ready (with a free pre-party cleaning checklist) & you’ll be ready to host the best party of the year! Good morning friends! Today I’m excited to introduce you to my friend Maria from the blog Leisurely Does It. She is the queen of […]
How to Plan the Best Treasure Hunt for Kids
Want to host a treasure hunt for your kids’ birthday party? Read on for the best kids treasure hunt ideas, tips and tricks to make it as much fun as possible. Confession: While I love to plan parties, I do not like to plan structured activities for those parties. While the kids were young, […]
The Best Party Games for Toddlers | 20 Easy Ideas
Whether it’s for a birthday, holiday party, or a simple play date, you’ll never run out of party games for toddlers with this 3-step system. So you’ve decided to host your three-year-old’s birthday party at your house. You’ve picked out a theme, planned an amazing menu, and started crafting decorations. Then, it suddenly […]
5 Tips for Planning a Party on a Diet
If you’re trying to stay healthy on a strict eating plan, planning a party on a diet can be frustrating. Follow these 5 tips to make you and your guests happy! “Food, most definitely. Whether or not to attempt our gluten free, healthy versions of things for all guests?” A while back, I […]
7 Ways to Create a Kitchen Perfect for Entertaining
If you love to host parties, then you will want a kitchen perfect for entertaining. Here are 7 common recommendations with budget and small-space options. Between parents, siblings, and extended family members, I’ve had an up-close view of how at least 9 different kitchens worked for a variety of parties. And that doesn’t include […]
10 Stress-Free Tips for Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner
Follow these 10 stress-free tips for hosting Thanksgiving dinner so you can enjoy spending time with family and those who matter most! I am always fascinated when people say Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday. While I enjoy Thanksgiving, something about it just feels so stressful. You work the first day or two in the […]
How to Build the Most Versatile DIY Backdrop Frame
The right backdrop frame is an essential part of a well-designed party. This DIY backdrop frame is so easy to build and store, why would you make any other? From across the room, I see the other moms pawing at it. They inspect the layers of tape, ribbon, and/or twine. They peel the […]
How to Make Custom Party Printables with Free Art Prints
Gorgeous art prints are available for free all over the internet. But did you know you can quickly and easily turn them into custom party printables? “I could never stay long enough on the shore; the tang of the untainted, fresh, and free sea air was like a cool, quieting thought.” – Hellen Keller Summer […]
Exactly What You Need to Plan a Picnic with a Toddler (or any kid!)
Family picnics are always fun. But it’s so easy to forget something essential. Find out exactly what you need to plan a picnic with a toddler or any kid. At about 11pm, our then 5-year-old daughter came inside, soaking wet. Her very first camping adventure with her Daddy was a bust, with late-night storms and […]
How to Make Adorable Party Favors with Glassine Bags
Find out how purchasing glassine party favor bags in bulk saved time and money, and how to make unique and adorable favors every time you use them. Financial gurus say that to save money, you should buy in bulk. While that advice makes sense if you have the space, I hesitate to follow it when […]
The 15 Greatest Washi Tape Crafts for an Amazing Party
Take a look at these 15 washi tape party crafts to get started creating an amazing party with one of the most economical and versatile supplies available. It all started in 2006, when a few artists approached Japanese company Kamoi Kakoshi and ended up developing a colorful and ultra-versatile masking tape. Not long after, Japanese […]
The Downside to Over-the-Top Kids Parties
The end of July and beginning of August brought 20-hour days filled with birthday party preparations for my oldest. It was my own fault, really. I started the summer with the best intentions to keep the party planning stress-free. But life always gets in the way, and I was 10 days out from the birthday […]
30 Kids Birthday Party Songs That Won’t Drive You Crazy
Don’t get stuck listening to the same kids music on an endless loop. Mix in some of these 30 kids birthday party songs that won’t drive you crazy. Just over a year ago, I walked into L’s class for pick-up like usual. That’s when I saw something that I’ll never forget. I watched, stunned, […]
There is a Better Way to Plan a Birthday Party (and this is it!)
Are you sick of going crazy over your kids’ birthday parties? There is a better way to plan a birthday party, and it only takes 10 simple steps. Most parents I know plan a birthday party for their kids one of two ways: They start months in advance, with lots of homemade decorations and projects, […]
How to Take Great Birthday Party Pictures (5 Ways to Capture the Magic)
Professional photographer Tamara Bowman shares 5 tips on how to take birthday party pictures that capture the magic of the day. Is anyone else happy it’s Thursday? I think the fact that we’ve finally started having beautiful weather around here has made a huge difference in my outlook. That, and it looks like we’re […]
Design & Party Trends
I look at a lot of blogs on a regular basis…especially blogs that are all about design. I may often be deficient in executing many of my design ideas, but I just can’t seem to tire of looking at all the pretty things. There are a few trends I’ve seen a LOT lately that I […]
The Complete Inspiration Guide for Frozen Birthday Parties
I’m still in a bit of shock that my oldest daughter didn’t want a Frozen theme for her 5th birthday last year. It seems like at least 75% of the girl birthday parties we’re going to these day are all Frozen parties. I’m jumping the gun a little bit and expecting that one of our […]
The Cheater’s Cookie Platter & a Peanut Butter Icing Recipe
With a little bit of chocolate and this peanut butter icing recipe, you can fool your guests into thinking you spent hours baking delicious holiday cookies! This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for […]
Getting Creative with Casual Yet Elegant Thanksgiving Decor
Taking the stuffiness out of Thanksgiving decor can make everyone relax and have a good time. Find out how to design casual yet elegant Thanksgiving decor. This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means […]
{Guest Post} Eco-Friendly Tips from Pepper Design Blog
In the aftermath of our new baby right in the middle of our family “birthday season” (seriously – we have no less than twelve birthdays to celebrate during the months of June and July!); I’m giddy with excitement to have on of my favorite lifestyle and design bloggers sharing some tips with you today. I’ve […]
{Entertaining Tips} Hosting a Holiday Brunch
The holiday season is fast approaching. With that comes entertaining family from morning till night. Like many women, I have visions of preparing a fantastic brunch, hot off the stove. But my family wakes up and wants to eat NOW. Anything cooked just ends up being either a mid-morning snack or breakfast for lunch. Over […]
{Entertaining Tips} Less is More
Maybe I’m the only one with this problem, but often I end up finding the perfect dish to hold something…except it’s too big. Or maybe, as was the case with our Football Kickoff, I sometimes want a series of dishes all in the same size, but I may not need equal quantities of food. Thankfully, […]
{Lessons Learned} Picnics & Pinwheels
Over and over again, it seems like I keep bemoaning my lack of time management. After having now designed, planned and put together 10 parties in 9 months, the real problem has become clear to me: letting go. Whether it’s having to do everything myself, creating too many projects, or cooking complex foods – I […]