Here are some of my favorite cake disasters:

This blog is right up there with another one of my favorites.

I thought Cocodot’s invitations looked cool, but what hooked me was the free trial.  After having used Evite so many times, I wasn’t going to step up and pay for an online invitation.  Crazy.

So I used my free Cocodot invitation for a charity event I hosted with a friend.  I liked that I was able to upload my own background photo, and except for a few little sniggly things, I thought the process was pretty easy and the invitation turned out looking good.  Here it is.

My first Cocodot invitation

I even got a few compliments.

Then my daughter’s 3rd birthday rolled around, and having used Cocodot once, Evite seemed less interesting (especially with all the ads).  Plus, I didn’t want to do a paper invitation.  Not only are they expensive, but tracking down people’s actual addresses… way too hard.

So I stepped up, paid my $19 to use Cocodot again.  I photoshopped together some pictures of my daughter dancing, uploaded the image, and used one of their birthday templates to make the invitation.  And I have to admit, again, I was pretty impressed.

My second, but not my last, Cocodot invitation

So now I’m actually thinking I might step up and ( gasp!) even buy the one-year delux membership for $99.  That way I can do all my birthday cards, holiday cards, thank you notes, and invitations at Cocodot, too.  Crazy!!

A must-have for a kid's party!

Rocket balloons are really simple.  They’re just colorful long balloons and a hand pump.

You use the pump to blow up the balloons.  Then you let the balloons go and they fly super high in the sky and make a funny noise.  Simple, and yet the kids LOVED them.

We used them right as the party was starting to bring the kids together.  It worked like a charm.

The only downside was we used up all the balloons pretty fast so make sure you buy replacements.

Trust me, rocket balloons are a cheap, fun way to get your outdoor party started!

Setting up before the party.  Everything was in Lainey’s favorite colors — pink and purple.  The day couldn’t have been more beautiful and if you look in the distance, you’ll see the ocean.

The birthday girl arriving at her party…

Lainey and me before the party started.  Notice our party beads.  All the kids got pink and purple party beads as a welcome gift when they arrived.

One of the guests brought rocket balloons, which was a great addition to the party.  Here’s David surrounded by the kids as he works the magic rocket balloon launcher…

Goofy Gil, the entertainment, who really got the party started…

And it wasn’t called “Lainey’s Dance Party” for nothing.  Serious dancing occurred.  When I asked Lainey what her favorite part of the party was, she said, “The dancing!”  I did my job.

And to any three year old (and most adults), the most important element… the cake!  This one was from Susie Cakes in LA.  It was well worth the expense.  Beautiful and delicious.

At the end of the party, I gave out these gift bags.  To seal them, I got stickers made at Kinko’s of the picture on the Cocodot invitation.  Inside was a pink glow stick, some Silly Putty, and some Wikki Stix.

All in all, it was a really great day!  And to make sure Lainey remembers this when she’s 20, I’ve got the pictures to prove it!

Instead of an official Sweet 16, with invitations, food, and the lot, this guy sent out a text,  said that he was having his Sweet 16th birthday at a certain local skating rink with the date, time, & how much it cost to get in.

This way his friends had to pay for their own admission, but the parents provided the birthday cake.

It was a night of skating, cake, and a little dancing at the end of the evening thrown in by the rink.  Brilliant.

Via Free Birthday Treats Blog

Now that it’s all set, here are the details… For the kids, I’ve ordered pizzas from Rosti, a tasty local Italian joint up the street, and for the adults, as I mentioned earlier, I ordered the most awesome 24 inch sandwiches from Bay Cities Deli.  Delish!  To go with the sandwiches, I bought a case of Kettle Chips on Amazon.  I’m addicted to Amazon Prime.

I splurged and got the cake from Susie Cakes.  It should be pink and purple with lots of hearts.  Direct orders from a 3 year old.

For entertainment, it’s still Goofy Gil and we’re thinking an hour of crazy dancing.   Let’s burn these kids out.  And to make it festive, mardi gras beads in hot pink and purple for everyone (including the parents if they’re game).

And as for party favors, I initially wanted to put together a mix CD of Lainey’s favorite dance songs, but it got a little complicated, especially with song rights and duplication, so instead I bought pink and purple glow sticks, some Wikki Stix, and some old fashioned Silly Putty.  To be honest, I bet these go over better with the discerning toddler crowd.

In this economic climate and because we are starting a business, I’ve been trying to keeps costs down, but all in, this casual, low-key, (but hopefully still awesome) party wasn’t as cheap as I’d planned.   This is why we will soon be creating a simple-to-use party budgeting tool to put up on the site.  I promised my husband I will be the first to use it.

Hugo is one of the main photographers for both Quinceaneras Magazine and My Quince Magazine, so he says 99% of the Quinceaneras he shoots end up in print.

His photographs are both gorgeous and one-of -a-kind.   He uses eye-catching backdrops and interesting props to show off his clients, and he designs his pictures so they look like professional modeling shots.

And to top it off, he’s a really nice guy who takes pride in his work and understands that to be a great Quinceanera photographer his job is to make his clients look and feel like princesses.

Here are some “modeling shots” from his Quinceaneras’ Signature Photo sessions…

And his breathtaking Quinceaneras in their gowns…

So if you live in Southern California, are having a Quinceanera in the near future, and have the goal of being famous someday, start by hiring Hugo.  He’ll give you your first taste of stardom.

45 inch sandwiches from Bay Cities Deli in Santa Monica.   They make big Italian sandwiches on fresh baked slightly sour, slightly sweet bread.   Their “godmother” and “caprese” sandwiches are their most famous.  We’ll order a few of both and maybe a turkey and cheese.

I’m also ordering about 8 pizzas for the kids, not sure from where yet, and a big fruit platter.  The question is do I need a big salad too or is that overkill?  Any thoughts please comment.

For my daughter’s 3rd birthday party, my goal is to create a hip, fun, and relatively simple shindig, with low stress.  A tall order, I know, but here’s how I’m thinking of doing it…

The party will be at a local park.  I’m limiting the invite list to just school friends to keep it manageable, however, we’re still talking 25 kids and an equal number of adults.

I’m sending online invitations from Cocodot, my new favorite online invitation site.  For $20 you get something like this.

Made with Cocodot and some simple Photoshop

I’m serving pizza, salad, and a big fruit plate, but still deciding where the food is coming from.

For dessert, initially I was thinking I’d bake cupcakes, but now I’m talking to some bakers I found on Craigslist to see if they can do it for a reasonable price.  Otherwise, I might splurge on a cake from Susie Cakes, my favorite bake shop in LA.  I might not be able to control myself.

An array of cakes from Susie Cakes.

For entertainment (this is LA after all), and since my daughter LOVES to dance, I’m calling it her  “dance party” and I’ve hired Gil Santoscoy, aka “Goofy Gil” to get the kids grooving.  He’s a kids’ theater and movement teacher and he’s fabulous — funny, silly, but always in control (even with seriously out-of-control three-year-olds).  Trust me, the man has a gift.

Goofy Gil is beyond great for kids' parties

And for favors, I’m thinking of buying a slew of mardi gras beads to pass out during the party and then as a little gift for the kids to take home, getting CDs made of my daughter’’s favorite dance songs — some Laurie Berkner, some Dan Zanes, some Yo Gabba Gabba… It’s gonna rock (especially if you’re a toddler).

Okay, so this is what I know so far.  As I move forward, I’ll keep posting.  And if you have any thoughts or ideas on how to make this party simple but awesome, I’d love them!

(Isn’t it funny how we’ll go to such lengths to throw a party for our kid who won’t even remember it when she’s 25.)

Tara's Twilight Party Blog

Some pictures from her Twilight-themed 30th birthday party.

Tara's invitation

Her table setting

And some other people’s Twilight and New Moon party pics.

A Twilight birthday invitation

A Twilight Sweet 16 cake

Twilight themed drinks

Twilight party favors

So if you want to throw a Twilight-themed party and get great ideas, learn where to buy  party supplies, find cool inspirations for favors, invitations, and decorations, Tara’s Twilight Party Blog – A blog dedicated to Twilight Saga Parties is the place to be.