Yes, from the time our sweet babies turn one, we obsess over these milestone celebrations. Why? Because we want every detail to [...]]]> Children and birthday parties. It’s as natural a pairing as icewine and foie gras or cookies and milk or peanut butter and jam. Or headaches and ibuprofen (and NOT because of the icewine).

Yes, from the time our sweet babies turn one, we obsess over these milestone celebrations. Why? Because we want every detail to be ‘just so’. Planning a birthday party these days is akin to planning a wedding. (Party Mommas, anyone?) It is an exercise in frustration over balancing budget with guest list, finding the right venue, food and decorations. Whoa! News Flash: Your child just wants to play with her friends, blow out some candles and tear open some gifts! Really!

Okay, so as not to sound hypocritical, I love to throw a party with a theme. It’s fun to tie in colors and decorative touches. From the invitations to the games to the cake I go all out. But, I am also on a pretty tight budget and big on the DIY concept. So how DO you throw a fabulously fun theme party for your child without maxing out the budget and stress levels?

Here are 10 Tips for a Great Party on a Budget:

Here’s how I pulled off my son’s 6^th birthday Pirate Parrrty without having to walk the plank for over-spending (you can adapt these tips to any theme):

1. Theme:  Pick one fairly far in advance to ease the planning process. Not everybody likes a theme. I do. This year was Pirates.  Aye!
2. Timing:  Establish the date and time—beginning and end—(two hours is plenty long). Be considerate of nap times or other scheduling conflicts that may result in meltdowns later. Also, this year I followed up with an email reminder the day before the party (in full-on pirate jargon). The moms thought that was a great idea.
3. Location:  Plan to host the party at your home instead of renting out a facility. No minimums to respect. No worries. This has always been my preference.
4. Guests:  Keep the number manageable; for instance, forgo inviting the entire classroom and instead ask your child to invite a handful of his best pals. (Perhaps feel out the parents for workable dates to ensure everyone can make it.)
5. Invitations:  Channel your inner Martha. So you don’t fancy yourself crafty? What? You don’t have a color printer? Start Google-ing or Pinterest-ing for simple ideas. I printed off the party details on one sixth of a pirate treasure map for each child and rolled them up scroll-like with a sticker ‘seal’, all made from home. If your budget allows, order custom invitations on-line and have them delivered to your door. Grace Announcements does just that! Or if you want an eco-friendly and inexpensive alternative, send out e-vites.
6. Decorations:  Plan ahead, shop early, get crafty, beg, borrow and sift through your junk.
   • Depending on the theme, there is a chance some decorations might be seasonal so you may want to shop early for some items. I totally lucked out and found Halloween pirate bandanas & eye patches in January.
   • You also never know what you’ll find in your own backyard! Until my friend mentioned bringing one, I hadn’t even thought of using an old brass candelabra I had sitting in the garage!
   • In lieu of a big gift, my girlfriend volunteered to make the party decorations, lent me some pirate gear and helped get the house ready the night before, which was a HUGE help! Do you have talented friends and family? Barter for their expertise!
   • Make it a family affair. Enlist the creative genius of older kids for making, coloring and putting up decorations.
   • Troll the ‘dollar’ stores for paper streamers, plates, napkins and tablecloths in bright, complementary colors.
   • I also tend to splurge on a fun balloon bouquet so if this is up your alley, make sure to order ahead and book a pick-up time the day before the party to avoid last-minute running around.
7. Loot bags:  Not sure where the idea of giving loot at the end of a party originated. Regardless, there are few things that annoy me more than cheap-o loot bags. You know: the ones you toss in the trash the minute you get home. It’s not hard to find inexpensive quality items or one main loot item. I estimate each pirate loot bag (painting and baking aside) cost between $7-$8.
   • ‘Dollar’ stores carry great licensed products (pencils, erasers, notepads, books, stickers) if your little Bobby or Suzie are into superheroes or princesses.
   • You can also find great craft items there. My girlfriend scoped out fantastic little treasure boxes for the treasure hunt that she then painted so we could fill them with chocolate coins, candy necklaces (both bought in bulk), Ring Pops and pirate tattoos.
   • Though originally the pirate booty at our party was to be the treasure chest & candy plus a cake pop, a last-minute trip to the ‘dollar’ store yielded Pirate activity books and Peter-Pan and Tinkerbell books that I couldn’t resist.
   • Make an edible treat! I made pirate and jeweled crown cream cheese sugar cookies in addition to the pirate cake pops I make as my alter ego EG Cakes. The cookies were originally intended to nibble on during the party but since the kids didn’t touch them, I sent them home with their other treasures.
   • With enough advance notice you can also order the fabulous Loot Bag Combo from Mabel’s Labels in fabulously fun colors and designs.
8. Games and activities:  Structured activities should be kept to a minimum and a free-play area should be designated. You may also wish to have a craft or activity for younger or older siblings to keep them occupied. Six-year-olds are able to handle a couple of party games. When our swashbucklers arrived they each received a bandana and eye patch before setting out on a Treasure Hunt. Rhyming pirate clues were left at each location to spur them on their adventure! Afterwards they had fun with a home-made pirate “I Spy”-like game. Then they tore up the basement till it was time to eat.
9. Menu:  Keep it simple and make your own food. In my experience kids generally don’t eat much at birthday parties. Something about all the excitement, I guess. Prepare your own veggie and fruit trays, put out pretzels or Goldfish crackers. Make-ahead sandwiches free up kitchen duty and easy cheesy pizzas are a breeze on ready-made, individual pita crusts. Juice boxes or bottled water are easy drink fixes avoiding the easy spillage action of paper cups. Consider coffee for parents who may be sticking around.
10. Cake:  If you are buying it, make sure you have ordered it and are able to pick it up or have it delivered before the party. If you are making it, you will need to consider the timing so you are not rushing to finish it the day of the party. This is my strength, fortunately, because I would not be able to afford to buy the ‘fancy’ cakes I undertake for my kiddos. The commitment is one of time rather than money. If you have a friend that’s particularly savvy in this area, consider bartering or asking them to ‘gift’ the cake in lieu of a gift.

Above all, have FUN, me hearties!

Bonus tip:  Avast! Don’t forget thank-you notes to your guests! I prefer the old-fashioned hand-written note, but consider some other ideas: Order custom thank-yous at the same time you order your invites. An email to the parents is more acceptable these days, perhaps with a photo or two of the party attached. Or, time- and technology-permitting you could burn a CD or DVD of the birthday festivities with a video thank-you at the end.

Have you got any budget-friendly party-planning tips you would like to share? We would love to hear from you!

The Original Baby Soiree is a lavish affair with a focus on expected and new mommies.
This is not your typical mass-expo event but rather an élite experience and a true treat; an intimate and interactive show featuring the top companies in the baby, toddler and celebration industry.

SHOPPING | DELICIOUS [...]]]>

The Original Baby Soiree is a lavish affair with a focus on expected and new mommies.
This is not your typical mass-expo event but rather an élite experience and a true treat; an intimate and interactive show featuring the top companies in the baby, toddler and celebration industry.

SHOPPING | DELICIOUS TREATS | MOCKTAILS

FABULOUS GIFTING LOUNGE| EDUCATIONAL SEMINARS

SPA TREATMENTS | BABY + TODDLER QUARTERS

DATE: Sunday March 11, 2012                                            

LOCATION: Intercontinental Yorkville Toronto Hotel

HOURS:  10:00am to 6:00pm

VIP TICKET INCLUDES:

* Signature Mocktail
* Hors D’Oeuvres
* All Seminars + Workshops
* Entrance to the Mama Beauty Bar with spa treatments (spring water & caviar facial, manicure, makeup application, massage, skin care consultation)
* Access to Baby & Toddler Quarters complete with supervised activities & crafts
* Mini Consultations with industry experts
* Access to over 40 hand-picked baby, toddler and celebration professionals
* Live Inspiration Boards
* A copy of The Little Paper & Help We’ve Got Kids
* Automatic entry to win 1 of 5 fabulous prizes including 7 nights at a Club Med Resort
* Entrance to the Chanel-Inspired Lounge complete with a full Mocktail + Coffee Bar
* Access to the VIP Gifting Suite where you choose your own items/products for Swag Bags

CONTEST WINNER WILL WIN:

Two (2) VIP Passes to the event on March 11, 2012
contest value $90
Children 12 & under are FREE

To enter please post a cute baby photo on our Facebook page or tweet it to us at @graceannounce before 12:00pm EST (noon) on Thursday March 1st.

These are some of my favourites available on our website, pricing as low as $0.80 each and personalized with your [...]]]> There is something about Valentine’s Day that all kids love. It could be the exchange of cards and chocolate from their friends. I know that it is one holiday that I love designing for.

These are some of my favourites available on our website, pricing as low as $0.80 each and personalized with your child’s name.

They are offering all Grace Announcements clients a discount [...]]]> Mommies with Cameras is running a great crash course for moms only on February 25th in Toronto. The course is designed to teach the basics of photographing with your DSLR camera and learning portrait photography techniques to take better photos of babies and kids.

They are offering all Grace Announcements clients a discount to take the course, enter promo code GRACE when registering and you’ll receive 20% of a single ticket.

The registration link is: http://mwccrashcourse.eventbrite.com/

These are [...]]]> Who doesn’t enjoy receiving a little love throughout their day? We know all kids do, so we created “Love Notes for Lunch Totes” to make it fast and easy to slip in your child’s lunch. Send these little notes and brighten your child’s day – we are sure they will be smiling!

These are designed to be used with Avery Business Cards or you can print on any cardstock and trim along the lines.

Click here to Download Now!

Check back soon as we are going to be offering a print your own Valentine’s card for your kids too.

Well for those of you like me I wanted to share a gift [...]]]> Because we are so busy during November and December working hard to get out all of your holiday card orders our own personal shopping is usually last minute. I vow every year to do it early, maybe 2012 will be that year!

Well for those of you like me I wanted to share a gift to you, gift tags that you can download and print yourself. You can print them on any paper or Avery 10 Labels per Sheet pack and stick them right on your gifts.

Merry Christmas from Grace Announcements! Download them here ~ Downloadable Christmas Gift Tags