Socially Yours: Invitation Review

I have had the privilege of reviewing invitations for Socially Yours. Socially Yours is an online invitation site that was among the first to sell their invitations online and before that have been in the business since 1994. What makes these invitations even more personal is that a few of the original 9 designs showcased her two young sons and are still some of the best selling invitations on the site!

One of my favorite invitations on the site is Yellow and White Floral Party Invitations. I am a fan of flowers and even more so flowers that have bright colors that stand out to viewers. It is perfect because you can use it for any type of spring or summer party. Whether it is a family get together, birthday party or bridal shower it works perfectly. 

I also loved the Precious Patriotic Baby Invitation! I am a sucker for babies and putting a baby on an invitation makes it an instant favorite for me! It is perfect for any type of patriotic party like 4th of July, Memorial Day, or Veterans Day. It also is the perfect baby announcement for a military family! LOVE LOVE LOVE babies!

Are you on the hunt for a bridal shower invitation? Look no further because this next one is perfect. The Satin White Wedding Gown and Colorful Floral Bouquet Bridal Invitation is just what you are looking for. Like I said earlier I am a huge fan of colorful flowers and the bouquet in this invitation is exactly that.  I love the detail in the wedding dress and flowers and it just makes it have that classic beauty feel. 

It was so hard to choose a favorite wedding invitation but I must say that I loved the Bride and Groom First Steps Wedding Invitation from the first moment I saw it. Everyone knows how important it is to find the perfect wedding dress BUT I think that having a good pair of heels for your dress is like the icing on the cake and the beautiful red heels in this invitation do just that. This card is perfect just like how any wedding should be! This invitation can be used as a wedding invitation or you could use it as thank you cards also. 

Last but certainly not least is birthday cards! Being that my littlest just celebrated her first birthday I enjoyed all the birthday invitations. Baby Girl in Flowerpot with Orange and Yellow Flowers is just the invitation for any spring or summer birthday party. The cute innocence of this darling baby staring at the flowers could put a smile on anyone's face! 

One of my favorite things about this site is the variety of all the invitations. Whether you are having a beach wedding or a rustic country one there are invitations for it all. This company has proven its quality, creativity, and customer service for the past 18 years so why not trust your needs to them! 

And for a limited time they are offering a code for 15% off your order! Just use the code Summer VIP! 

Enjoy! 

Tye Dye Cupcakes, Party and More!!

Awhile back I wrote about ideas for doing birthday parties and how to make them inexpensive but still fun. Well today we had Taylor's 8th birthday party and that is exactly what I did!

We did a painting party so I got all the supplies from Micheal's. I was able to get 10 8x10 canvas for them to paint for 12 bucks (with a 40% off coupon). The paint was $1 a bottle (I got 8 bottles) and the paintbrushes were 6 bucks for about 20 different ones. 

I had some leftover party stuff (paper plates and napkins) so I went to the store and got some more party stuff on clearance and paid a total of 12 bucks for 16 cups, plastic tablecloth, party poppers, goodie bags, blow pops, and lip gloss (for the goodie bags!). I also got some balloons for 6 bucks.

I spent a good portion of money on food since I didn't have time to make much more than the cupcakes. I got a HUGE fruit platter for 20 bucks, ham spinach wraps for 7 bucks, a dozen deviled eggs for 4 bucks and capri sun drinks for 6 bucks.

Then I made the cupcakes at home and frosted them with a can of rainbow chip frosting (2.39). I saw a cool tye dye cake in one of the family magazines for Arkansas and decided I would try it for the cupcakes! 

It is super easy to do all you need is cake batter and food coloring. First make the batter according to the directions on the box. Then divide the batter up equally into 6 different bowls (or however many colors you want in your cupcakes). Then follow the directions on the back of the food coloring on how to make the different colors.

 

When you have done that then you will scoop each color into the cupcake wrappers. There really is no wrong way to do this part. You can take and spoon the mixture one right over the other or you can randomly spoon it into the wrappers. 

Bake them in the oven for 20-24 minutes. Let them cool and then top them with frosting!

It so very easy to have a fun birthday party that doesn't hurt the bank!!

Kids Birthday Party for $100 or less!

With the economy the way it is doing things cheaper is the smart way to go! My oldest is turning 8 in 3 weeks so planning her birthday party has been on my mind so I thought I would share a few of my tips that make the party a little easier on your wallet. 

1. Dollar Tree!!

Everything is a dollar at the Dollar Tree and they have plates, cups, plasticware, napkins, hats and more there. If your child has a theme they want to do like hello kitty or sports but the Dollar Tree doesn't have specific decorations for it that is ok! They have solid color plates and stuff and you can use that and then decorate with balloons and banners that are specific to the theme. I learned early on with my oldest that not every single thing at the party has to be Princess or Hello Kitty.

pic source (dollartree.com)

2. Make the invitations at home on your printer! 

Chances are you already have the paper so you can go to a site that has free printable invitation templates like Do-It-Yourself Invitations. You can also make your own template on powerpoint too! Remember not to use an invitation that has a solid color background otherwise your printer will run out of ink fast!

3. Make the cake or cupcakes at home!

Even though it is so much easier to go pick up a cake or cupcakes its saves you money that you can use elsewhere for the party or for presents. Plus it is always fun for the birthday boy or girl to help you make them too! I am doing this with my daughter for her party in 3 weeks and we are both excited. 

 pic source (marthastewart.com)

4. Party Favors

There are so many places you can get party favors for cheap! Walmart has a section in their party area that has party favors in bulk for cheap. Michael's has a dollar section that you can get party favors as well. And of course the Dollar Tree has them as well. 

5. Call around and price out locations

My daughter wants a skating party. Instead of having the party at the skating rink (It would run me about 130 and that doesn't include the cake!) I am having it at home and then we are carpooling over to the rink. Since it is a group of people they are just charging us admission and not for rentals. When you call around ask if they have group discounts too. 

6. Strategic Party Time

The timing of the party is everything! If you have a party at noon then most parents are going to assume that some sort of lunch is provided unless otherwise stated on the invitation. BUT if you have the party at 2 you can just have finger foods for the kids to snack on. AND you can make those too. Some ideas are PB&J squares, chips and dip, quesadillas, and veggie or fruit trays.

7. Balloons

At stores like Walmart and Target they sell a portable helium tank made by Balloon Time for 50 bucks and it blows up 50 balloons. Sure it seems like a deal but if you aren't going to use all 50 balloons do you really need to spend 50 bucks? Instead you can go to Dollar Tree and buy some foil Mylar balloons for a buck each and they also sell regular plastic balloons. Instead of spending 50 bucks you may only end up spending 20 bucks and getting plenty of balloons.

pic source (giftblooms.com)

Hope this helps out! I know I am going to throw my daughter a really fun party but save money at the same time. 

Do you have any tips for the readers to save money on a birthday party??

Tea and Tiaras Tea Party

This past weekend I took my oldest to a tea party at the Country Club that benefited children with hemangiomas. It was so fun because it had been awhile since she and I had gone and done something that was just her and I. 

And when we stopped by a store on the way home she informed me that we learned something today.  That she knows how to look good. 

Oh this kid cracks me up! If only I could record every funny thing she says!

If she could be this dressed up every day she would be the happiest girl ever

Tea and Tiaras

Her "wand"

  So excited to walk the "red carpet"

Work that runway girl!

Pinkies up!