As summer winds down, I thought it would be fun to revisit some of our most memorable beach and pool parties of the year. Enjoy!
Lindsey M’s Girly Gecko Birthday Party
Lisa R’s Carnival Party
Sarah Y’s Popsicle Party
Katie I’s Flip Flop Fabulous Party
Christina C’s Splish Splash Party
Maureen A’s Blue and Green Pool Party
Jen C’s Brinley’s 2nd Birthday
Lisa R’s Hannah’s Flip-Flopped Party
Claudia S’s Surf’s Up Party
Tonya B’s Splish Splash Soiree
Hope you’ve had a wonderful summer!
I thought I’d post a few of the amazing cakes we’ve seen on our site. Take a look at these…
From Kristy L’s Alexa Cate’s 2nd Birthday Party
From Anne P’s Milk & Cookies Party
From Laura L’s Chanel Inspired Bridal Shower
From Meredith E’s Welcome Lainey Jayne Baby Shower
From Kate P’s Bailey’s Farm Party
And more to come…
The winner of our Le Creuset dish giveaway is…
Ann Marie B. who is a friend on Facebook. Congrats, Ann Marie!
And thank you to everyone who entered our first giveaway!
There are some beautiful, touching, funny photos on our site, so I’m starting a new feature where I highlight my favorite party photo of the week.
This week, that honor goes to this photo from
Joanne W’s Tate’s Bug Bash.
I love Tate’s expression juxtaposed with the festive party table. Brilliant!
HOW TO TAKE GREAT PARTY PHOTOS
As I’ve been thinking about photography (and trying to become a better photographer myself), I checked into what some of the experts had to say about how to take great shots. Here are some tips for all you photographers out there:
Tip 1: Get down to your subject’s level, especially if you’re shooting kids.
Tip 2: Pick a plain background for your subject to makes it pop. (And make sure there are no trees sticking out their heads.)
Tip 3: Move in close and fill your picture with your subject.
Tip 4: Even outdoors, use your flash. On bright days it will fill in shadows, and on cloudy days it will brighten things up.
Tip 5: Know your flash’s range (for many cameras it’s about 10 feet). This way you don’t end up with dark pictures.
Tip 6: Turn your camera sideways and take some vertical shots.
Tip 7: Place your subject off-center. Imagine a tic-tac-toe grid and place your subject at one of the intersections of lines.
Tip 8: Lock the focus on your camera to take pictures of off-center subjects. That way your subjects won’t be blurry.
Tip 9: Watch the light. For pictures of people, cloudy days are the best. On sunny days, pay attention to shadows.
Tip 10: If you’re taking a group shot, aim the center of the camera at someone’s chest. That way, the heads appear in the upper third of the photo, and you’ve filled the photo with people rather than background.
Tip 11: Be a director and get creative. Add props, use different angles, take a ton of different shots (to increase your chance of getting that one “great” photo), and have fun!
I hope these are helpful. I’m going to start using them and I’ll report back.
Sources: Kodak and weschan.com
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Here are some of my favorite design elements from the July 4th parties we’ve seen on our site.
From Lindsey M’s Little Firecracker’s 4th of July Riverside Soiree
This party is all about the gorgeous sweets and the beautiful party printables. Lindsey and her partner design the printables themselves at Paper and Pigtails.
Some of my favorite things: the delicious confetti cupcakes, the hand-dipped marshmallows, and the lemonade bottles and straws. The whole party has such a festive spirit. It puts me in a good mood.
Daphne J’s 4th of July Backyard Bash
What’s great about this traditional BBQ is how it’s taken to a whole new level by adding all these gorgeous printables. The printables are designed by Daphne and are available in her store Moo Moo’s & Tutus.
Notice how the hamburgers, and even the straws, become something to celebrate when they’re given a little decoration.
Molly E’s Celebrate Our Independence!
This is a sumptuous party. The flowers, food, and decor make it seem rich and beautiful. I want to eat everything: the sliders, the corn, and those fabulous parfait and tart desserts.
And to finish it off, the favors are sweet and simple — red, white, and blue candies in little jars. They look elegant and give the table punch. It’s true, sometimes less is more.
Staci G’s Old Fashion 4th
This party has “kid” written all over it. My favorite details: the red, white, and blue robot and the painted coffee filter decorations. What a great way for a mom to come up with arts and crafts projects for her kids that she can then use for a family celebration.
And how fun are the firecracker cookies with sprinkles and pop rocks? Nice touch.
Claudia S’s Red, White, and Blue Ladybug Party
Great idea for this party — a July 4th “slash”ladybug birthday party for a seven-year-old.
Again, custom decorations is where it’s at this July 4th. Claudia and her partner designed these. You can find more at Tini Posh.
My favorite thing about this party is how both themes are incorporated. Check out the red, white, and blue cupcake toppers with ladies bugs, stars, and photos of the birthday girl on them. Combining themes does bring something new and exciting to your party. Definitely try it.
It’s so much fun seeing all your great ideas. Thanks for sharing!
We’ve gotten two beautiful Canada Day parties on the site.
Candace M’s Canada Day Party
And Genevieve B’s Celebrating Canada Day… Philly Style Party
For those of you who don’t know, Canada Day is celebrated on July 1, commemorating the day when Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada were combined into a federation on July 1, 1867.
I’ve already asked everyone to upload their July 4th parties so I could blog about them. Well to honor our Canadian friends, I also everyone to add their Canada Day parties, too.
I plan to do a big blog post about all these recent festivities.
I can’t wait to see what everyone has done!
I’m planning to do a TRENDS post after the July 4th weekend to showcase all the great parties you’ve thrown to celebrate.
Please add your photos to our site. We’re excited to see all the cool creative ideas you’ve come up with!
Until then… have a safe and Happy 4th!
I don’t know if you saw the Hazardous Teen Birthday on our homepage, but it’s one of my favorite parties. It was planned by Pamela Smerker for her 13 year old son.
Pamela is the creative mind behind Party Starters, a site that sells handmade party essentials — party favor boxes, party banners, cupcake toppers, bottle labels, signs, and invitations. You can see her products in her Etsy shop here but she also loves custom orders.
She has a great blog filled with party ideas, inspirations, and tutorials. She even shares with her readers what it’s like to be both a mom and an entrepreneur, a balancing act many of us struggle with.
But let’s get to the good stuff!!
Her site is turning 1 and she’s throwing a party from July 5th – July 9th. A real online party!
She’s having guest bloggers all week (of which I will be one, thanks Pamela!) and there will be festivities and prizes galore!
So what should you do?
First, check out her blog and her shop. Then from July 5th through the 9th, keep checking back to see all the great stuff she has in store.
Knowing Pamela, I think this will be a very good time!
Last night we rolled out our newest feature, our “like” button!
Now on each party page, in the info box at the top, you will find one of these. (In case you’re wondering, we’re big fans of cupcakes over here.)
So if you like a party, please give it a click, and help us spread some happy cupcake love all over the site.
