By now you should have decided upon the date, time and the location of the party. You should also have decided upon a theme for the party and finalised the guest list.

The next step in your party planning is to decide about the party invitations. The [...]]]>

So, how’s your kid’s party planning coming along?

By now you should have decided upon the date, time and the location of the party. You should also have decided upon a theme for the party and finalised the guest list.

The next step in your party planning is to decide about the party invitations. The invitations should fit the theme of the party and should contain all the details about the party.

You can find a list of these details in the 3 Tips for Party Invitation Planning as well as information on when you should send out the invitations.

As you will see, it is not necessary to send out the invitations more than 2 weeks before the party, however, don’t wait until that time to start with the invitations.

It is all too easy to forget about the invitations and before you know it, your child’s birthday party is just around the corner and you will find yourself without any invitation cards (and worse, no guests!)

Once you start thinking about the party invitations, you should also decide if you are going to buy them or make them yourself.

Of course it is easier to buy them and you will be able to find something that will just be right for the theme of the birthday party. In most cases party supply stores stock the whole range of a party theme, from the invitation cards and envelopes right through to the decorations, plates, napkins, cups and cutlery.

On the other hand, it is so much more fun to make the invitations yourself. You can make them as plain as you like or you can put in some extra effort and come up with something totally different from the everyday, normal printed cards.

An invitation card needs an envelope! Move away from boring white or plain coloured envelopes by decorating the party invitation envelopes with paper shapes.

Not in the mood to fold envelopes from scratch and then cut and glue paper shapes to it?  Download my tutorial to fill envelope and  stamp templates with your own images.

With all the coloured paper and card stock on the market, it is easy to make invitation cards that will delight your child and the  party guests.

• Decorate plain coloured cards with different shapes cut from plain paper and arranged into patterns.

• Design shaped cards by drawing round a template to make all the cards the same shape – the party’s theme will be obvious from the shape of the card.

• Party extras like paper hats, crowns and masks can be sent as the invitations to be worn to the party.

• Write invitations on deflated balloons or beach balls with instructions to bring it along to the party.

• Write a message in secret code or with invisible ink for a mystery or science party.

• Use music sheets to write invitations to music parties or make drums from small empty coffee tins and place invitations inside.

•  For a safari party you can make binoculars from two empty toilet rolls painted in green and yellow and attach the invitation to the binoculars.

• When you host a spa party for your daughter, you can write the invitations on squares of pastel tissue paper.  Place each square in a small box, add a small soap or fizz ball/bath bomb as well as the invitation. Close the box and tie with a narrow ribbon.

With a little bit of imagination and some creativity, you can ensure that your child’s birthday party invitations will be remembered for many weeks after the party.

Your turn: What was the most unusual invitation you ever made for your child’s birthday party? Were the party invitees impressed with it when you delivered it?

Tell us about it, please.

Thank You cards are  just as important as [...]]]>

Whether you make your child’s birthday party invitations yourself or buy ones from a store or order it online, there are times that you really forget about the Thank You cards that have to be delivered at the end of the party or a few days afterwards.

Thank You cards are  just as important as the invitation cards. Not only let they make the party guests feel special after the party, but Thank You cards also play an important part in teaching your children good manners from an early age.

Your child should take part in all the party planning from the early stages of deciding about the party theme, guest list, the party invitations as well as all the other stages of the planning, so why not also let them lend a hand in making  Thank You cards and envelopes that they can personally deliver a few days after the party.

Here’s an example of a cheerful Flower Garden Thank You Card with pretty little “flowers”. It is sure to delight all the party guests and brings back happy memories even years after the actual party.

Please note: For the purpose of the image/example, I designed the card on my computer and used photos of my granddaughter.

The instructions to make the card is for a handmade card that your child can make.

You will need:

• Face shots of each party guests, so do remember to take individual photos of them during the party.
• White card stock (approximately A4 or letter size – yes, this is quite a big Thank You card)
• Coloured paper or old garden magazines
• Koki or  colour pencils
• glue
• scissors

With all the invitation card and envelope ideas posted during the past few weeks, maybe it is time to again take a look at a few important points about party invitations and what you should keep in mind when you plan this part of your child’s birthday party.

After [...]]]>

Finding Nemo Theme Party Invitation

With all the invitation card and envelope ideas posted during the past few weeks, maybe it is time to again take a look at a few important points about party invitations and what you should keep in mind when you plan this part of your child’s birthday party.

After you and your child have decided about the theme of the party and the number of guests that will be coming to the party, the obvious step  is to decide about the party invitations.

If the party will have a definite theme, the invitation cards should be in keeping with the theme. For instance, an invitation card with an image of a Dalmation puppy will let everyone know the theme before they even get to the party. It is also a subtle suggestion for gift ideas for those who don’t have any idea what to get the birthday boy or girl.

When I planned my granddaughter, Mia’s, Finding Nemo theme party, the invitation card really reflected the theme of the party. when she turned 4, the party did not have a theme, but I still used an image on the envelope to show that the children were invited to her 4th birthday party.

You can buy themed and personalised invitation sets or you can  make the party invitations yourself, the important thing is to make sure that  all the details of the party are enclosed in the card:

1. Information that should be on the invitation cards:

* The day and date of the party

* The location of the party

* The time the party starts and ends – that way parents will know when to pick up their children again.

* A contact number or RSVP so that parents can let you know if their child will attend.

* If the party guests are expected to dress according to the party theme, you should also include this information in the invitation.

* In the case of babies and toddlers you should always mention that a parent or grandparent must accompany the child to the party.

2. How long before the party should you send out the invitations?

Invitations can be send out a mere two weeks before the party. People tend to read an invitation card, then put it down somewhere and in our busy lives, it is so easy to forget about the invitation, so don’t send it out too early but also try not to deliver it a mere two days before the party.

Something else that you should keep in mind is not to expect everybody on your list to let you know that their child/children will attend the party. Even if it is a little extra work, phone the ones that have not responded at least three days before your kid’s theme party to find out if the child or children will attend. A parent may not have  responded because they were not even aware of the event.

This action will also help you to confirm the total headcount that will be attending and you will be able to plan the catering, games and activities as well as the party favours more accurately.

If parents drop off their children for the party, subtly remind them about the time they must pick up the children again. I know it is sometimes difficult as you can feel that it is impolite to do so, but you have worked hard to make your kid’s party a success and unless you really have enough energy to handle some tired, grumpy kids after the party, it is your right to do it.

3. Delivering the invitations:

There are quite a few ways in which you can deliver the party invitations;  the easiest way is to either mail the invitations if you have the addresses of the party guests.  You can also take your child by car and drop off the invitations in the mailboxes if he or she knows where the party guests live. If it is possible to do it, make this an exciting outing when it is dark, your child will love the secret element of dropping off the invitations when his or her friends are in the house and not being able to see him/her.

If your child is hand delivering the invitations at school, take care not to hurt the feelings of the children not invited to the party. One solution for this is to ask the teacher to put the cards in the invited child’s bag at the end of the day. If your child is old enough he can discreetly hand out the invitations, just make sure that he understands why it must be done discreetly.

Invitations to a kid’s theme party should be part of the fun of the party and if you involve your kid in it from the start, you will be able to form a special bond with your child and one that he or she will always cherish and be able to carry forward to the time when they have to plan their own children’s theme parties.

Have fun!

Not only is it an invitation and envelope in one, but the ways [...]]]>

A few weeks ago my daughter received an invitation to a baby shower. At first glance I was not really impressed with the card, but the more I looked at it, the more I realised the potential of a card like this.

Not only is it an invitation and envelope in one, but the ways that you can decorate and personalise it to suit any party theme, are endless. All you need is a square piece of cardstock, (the size is entirely up to you), and then you can use your imagination to come up with beautiful, unique party theme invitation cards.

I think that these invitation cards are more suitable for hand delivery, but there is nothing to stop you from making an envelope when you have to mail it to the party guests as well.

The blue card on the photo is the one that my daughter received. See the interesting way that the card was sealed? It is a 3D image of a bull (Blue Bulls, to be exact)!

The father to be ( I think the mother too), is  a big fan of one of the popular  rugby teams in South Africa. The couple expected a boy, so the theme of the baby shower centered around bulls and the blue and white colours of the rugby team.

 The seal was made by printing and cutting two images of the Blue Bulls logo, then turned into a 3D image by putting the two images together with two small squares of double sided mounting tape. It was then glued to a small square, cut from red card stock.

I made two other cards to show you how easy it is to make them for a theme party for your child’s birthday.

This is how you will fold the card after measuring and cutting a square from a piece of card stock (I used the A4 (80g) card available in South Africa for printing and craft purposes and cut a 20cm x 20cm square from it.)

                                                Invitation card inside                                                Front of the card with a fake flower and a name tag

The next card is an example for a zoo party. I made the invitation on my computer and then used a few foam stickers, (bought for next to nothing at a dollar store) for further decoration.

A few ideas: Write the invitation details with a coloured or glitter pen instead of using printed invitations. You can even write down the party details on the flaps, inside or on the outside, the choice is yours.

Don’t just use card stock – gift wrapping paper glued to sheets of white paper and then cut into squares, can make interesting cards, especially if you can find wrapping paper that fits in with the theme of your child’s birthday party.

Use ribbon to close the card, simply make holes in the flaps with a paper punch, thread ribbon through the holes and tie. Finish with a pretty bow.

So there you have it, an easy invitation card and envelope all in one.

As always, remember to have fun when you plan your child’s birthday party!

You need two shell templates for each invitation card.  Print the templates on coloured card stock and cut out.

Write or print the invitation on a piece of paper, cut out and glue to one of the templates. Use this [...]]]>

Here’s an easy invitation card that you can make for your daughter’s mermaid party.

You need two shell templates for each invitation card.  Print the templates on coloured card stock and cut out.

Write or print the invitation on a piece of paper, cut out and glue to one of the templates. Use this template as the back of the shell invitation. (It is easier to attach the invitation before you begin to make the card.)

Cut a piece of double-sided tape to fit the bottom edge. Stick to the inside of one of the templates and remove the paper cover on the tape.

Place a few strings of coloured rafia on the double sided tape and place the other template on it to fit.

Decorate the templates with glitter, glitter glue, sequins, small beads or tiny shells.

Punch two holes in each side then thread a coloured ribbon through the holes to form handles.

As the shape of this invitation card is somewhat unusual, you will most likely have to make your own envelopes to fit the size of the shell shape which is approximately 14.5cm (6in) (w) x 12.5cm (5in) (h).

If you have to mail this invitation card, use padded envelopes and personalise them with mermaid stickers.

Talking about mermaids… I received some nice positive feedback from a few of my newsletter subscribers who received the Number 5 Cake Party Guide where I “turned” the cake into a mermaid.

When you subscribe to receive the Number Cake Guide,  you also receive a new guide every week that shows you how to decorate the specific number cake of the week as well as ideas for a party theme that can be planned around the way the cake has been decorated.

If you have still not subscribed and downloaded your Number Cake Guide, you can head over to this post to read more about it and also sign up on that page. There is another  image in the sidebar that you can click to go to the sign up page. If you don’t want to receive follow-up e-mails, you can simply subscribe at a later date.

Oh yes, don’t forget to download the template for the mermaid party invitation card, and as always, have fun when you plan your kid’s birthday party.

I received an e-mail from a reader wanting to know how I made the envelope and photo postage stamp that I used for the army party invitations.

I used an envelope template that I have on my computer. I made the original template a few years ago by tracing a store bought envelope [...]]]>

I received an e-mail from a reader wanting to know how I made the envelope and photo postage stamp that I used for the army party invitations.

I used an envelope template that I have on my computer. I made the original template a few years ago by tracing a store bought envelope on blank paper, scanned it, opened it in a graphics program and cleaned it up, then saved it as a .png file to get a transparent background.

Now whenever I need a template to personalise an envelope, I just open  the template in Photoshop and fill it with a background of my choice.

The postage stamp that I used for the army invitation envelope was done in the same way, but I used a photo of the two boys to fill the template.

Here are  images of filled envelopes and postage stamps that I made yesterday as part of a step-by-step tutorial to show you how easy it can be to do this.

The first image of the stamp was simply filled with the whole background image, while the second one was filled with only a part of the background image. I also changed the colours of the stamp borders.

The tutorial was done in Adobe Photoshop but I am sure that it can be adapted to other graphics programs too.

Click the link to download the tutorial and templates.

NOTE: The link was down for a few hours but are working properly again.

Credit for the corner flower and postage paid image on the yellow envelope:

Corner Flower:
“Cottage Garden extra items” Kit and Elements © 2008 Robyn Littlejohn

Postage Paid Stamp on envelope flap:
http://www.storeide.se/gunhild/index.htm – unfortunately these stamps are not available for download anymore, but do visit this site, there are a few new freebies there.

Yellow Background Paper: Own – designed with Pixie Brushes from Obsidian Dawn
http://www.obsidiandawn.com

How do you personalise the envelopes for your child’s birthday invitations?

Please share your ideas with my other readers in the comment section…  it’s right down there if you scroll a little further on this page.

Have fun when you make the invitations and envelopes!

A birthday party invitation card can be an indication of the actual theme of a party, but you can go one step further and also decorate the envelopes to [...]]]>

Whether you mail your kid’s birthday party invitation cards or deliver it by hand, you will in most cases, need an envelope to protect the card.

A birthday party invitation card can be an indication of the actual theme of a party, but you can go one step further and also decorate the envelopes to lend a “party feeling” to the invitation.

Take a look at the few examples in the image to see how you can decorate  plain envelopes with coloured paper shapes to suit the theme of your child’s birthday party.

When you design (or buy/order online) an invitation card for your child’s birthday, the last thing you think about is the envelope. Normally you will get plain white or coloured envelopes to put the invitation card in, you write the names of the party guests on the envelope and either mail or hand deliver it and forget about it amidst all the other party planning activities.

Why not spend a little more time to decorate the envelopes as well and give an indication to the party guests about the theme of the party? It can also help the parents of the party invitees to decide upon a suitable gift for your child.

You can use plain white envelopes and just use cutouts from coloured construction paper to assemble different images. For instance, for a flower or garden party you can draw a big flower that will completely cover the envelope when it is pasted to the back of the flower.

Another idea that comes to mind is the lovable ugly face of Shrek! Just find some images online, copy and print it and attach the envelope to the back of the face. You can even use double sided tape to create 3-D envelope covers.

Colouring books are also a great source for finding images that can be photocopied or scanned before printing it out. Just imagine the delight on the faces of the kids you and your child invite to the party when you present them for instance, with an invitation that has a big zebra, giraffe or elephant face on the envelope when you host a safari themed party!

It may happen sometimes that the invitation card will not fit into a normal sized envelope.  Don’t stress!  Make your own envelopes from either white or coloured construction paper by just measuring the invitation card and adding a few inches/centimetres to make the flaps.

Measure the length and width of your card and add 20 mm to each. Use these measurements to draw a rectangle in the middle of a large sheet of paper of choice. Draw a bottom flap approximately three-quarters the width of the rectangle and a top flap approximately half its width. Draw two side flaps each about 40 mm wide.

Cut out the envelope, tapering the sides slightly to make folding easier. Fold in the side flaps first, then glue the bottom flap to them.

Be careful not to get glue inside the envelope. Put your card inside the envelope and glue down the top flap.

You may need to adjust your measurements slightly if your card is an unusual shape.

Please note: The image of the envelope is not an envelope template. It is purely for information purposes.

You can also design the envelopes on your computer. Again measure the width and height of the invitations cards, open the graphics program and draw a rectangle to size. Then play around with different flaps before printing out the envelopes.

The envelope that I used for the spiral invitation cards for my granddaughter’s 4th birthday party was designed by drawing a square and circles in one of my graphics programs.

Have fun designing your child’s birthday party invitations and coming up with ideas to decorate the invitation envelopes as well.

That is what happened this past weekend while I was still busy making the plantable handmade paper I originally wanted to use for Mia’s birthday party invitations.

My [...]]]>

Sometimes when we plan a birthday party or any other event, circumstances beyond our control can force us to change our plans, sometimes with a neckbreaking speed.

That is what happened this past weekend while I was still busy making the plantable handmade paper I originally wanted to use for Mia’s birthday party invitations.

My daughter and I decided to change the Rapunzel party theme to a “normal” party and I had to come up with something else for the invitation cards.

My computer and I have a wonderful relationship…lol, so after an hour or two of playing around, this is what I came up with:

A spiral invitation card printed on pink card, cut out with decorated edge scissors. Small paper butterflies and some glitter glue lend a festive touch to the invitations. (The glitter does not really show up well on the photo, but it was a lovely purple/blue/pink mix)

Not a very good photo but it shows you how the spiral card opens and twists around – nice to play with!

The envelopes were designed using a square and 4 circles and printed on white paper.

The front of the envelope were decorated with the image I used in the countdown to my granddaughter’s 4th birthday party post. It added a personal touch to the invitations and immediately told the recipients that Mia will be 4 years old on her next birthday.

I actually forgot to add the names of the guests on the envelopes but since Mia handed it out personally, I guess it did not matter so much.

With a few hours and a little bit of work it is so easy to make unique cards and envelopes for your kid’s birthday party. I will admit it is also just as easy to go out and buy some invitations in a store, but to go that extra mile shows your kid that you really love him/her.

If you would like a blank template of the envelope, just use the contact form (in the navigation bar) and I will send you a .png file you can personalise yourself.

Don’t worry, your e-mail details are safe with me, I value your privacy as much as I do mine!

I would really like to hear what you think of these spiral invitation cards, so please leave a comment in the comment section of this post.

Remember to have fun when planning your kid’s birthday party!

Do an [...]]]>

You have finalised the guest list and now it is time to start thinking about the invitations for the theme party. You can purchase invitations online, make them, or buy them from a card shop or discount store. A great many sites allow you to create your own birthday party invitation online free.

Do an internet Google search for “Free Printable Birthday Invitations” and you will have hundreds of possibilities at your fingertips. The great thing about creating your own is you can make the perfect party invitation to match the theme of the party.

If you have an odd or bizarre theme, it may be hard to buy one that is fitting. Your invitation sets the mood for the party so try your best to reflect the theme in your invitation. In addition, add any special requirements such as if there is a dress code as far as the theme (e.g. sledding party you would want everyone to have proper gear, roller skating, bring them if you have them, dress up parties and costume parties, pirates, e.t.c.)

Invitations should be sent out no later than two weeks prior to the grand event. The delivering of the party invitations can sometimes be a bit tricky especially if your child is hand delivering them at school. Those not invited may feel jilted and have hurt feelings. One suggestion is that you ask the teacher to put the individual cards in the appropriate student’s book bag at the end of the day, or if your child is old enough, ask that they discreetly hand them out and why. Mailing the invitations is another option but if you do not have all the guests home addresses, it may not be plausible.

Make sure to always include a RSVP within the invitation, the time the party starts and ends, if gifts are not required, state that as well. A week before the party, call anyone who has yet to RSVP. When dealing with children they can be known for misplacing things that are to be given to their parents.

A parent may have not responded because they were not even aware of the event. Approximately two or three days before the party confirm the total headcount that will be attending. This will help you to know if you may have to pick up a few more items.