FREE cancer survivor's celebration invitation

What better day than  Sunday to post our latest freebie. Because we are a Christian business, we believe that there are times when we should do things without expecting anything in return. So we've created a fill-in invitation for a cancer survivor's party. May it be a blessing to anyone who finds it useful.

God bless!

You cannot overplan a 1st birthday party!

"She's just a baby", "She won't remember this". Sound familiar? Chances are, if you're planning or have planned a 1st or even 2nd birthday party, at least one person has said this to you. I'm currently in the middle of planning my little girl's first birthday and I have definitely heard both of those. And yes, I am going overboard, in terms of decorations, food, what she's wearing, setting up photo shoots, and stress.

No she won't remember this, and yes, it is only her first birthday; but in my opinion, that first birthday is the most important of all. Between all of the changes that occur during that first year, new mommy stress, sleeplessness, worrying about SIDS and other baby illnesses, this 1st birthday is the ultimate celebration ...for ME!  I think that parents have a right to go overboard. We deserve it. And while my little one won't be able to remember her special day, there will be pictures!

Celebrating adult birthday milestones - part 1

Whoever it was that first decided that adults didn't need to have fun birthday parties obviously didn't know how to have a good time. But, that does seem to be the prevailing belief...except when it comes to celebrating adult birthday miles stones.

Celebrating a 21st, 30th, 40th, 50th, and so on has become a right of passage. Unfortunately, despite the fact that the Boomers and Gen Xers have clearly redefined what it means to get older, the party industry hasn't quite figured this out. Head down to your local party supply store and you'll still see the same old tired collections of black decorations splashed with 40, 50, or 60 and proclamations that the birthday boy or girl is over the hill.

Now, I don't know if you've met any 40 or 50 year olds lately, but the only time the 40 and 50-somethings I know are over the hill is when they're on a snowboard or mountain bike.

If you're thinking about throwing one of those "older Milestone's" in the near future, we strongly urge you to look beyond that cheesy "over the hill" stuff and consider a theme that reflects your celebrant's interests or personality.

Christian Easter Party printables

We know from personal experience just how challenging it can be to find Easter party decorations or invitations that aren't covered in bunnies and baby chicks and colorful eggs. Lovely imagery and perfectly wonderful for many party planners, unless you happen to be planning a Christian Easter tea party or brunch and would like to put the focus on that old rugged cross.

So with Easter on the horizon, the first thing on our todo list was to create a set of Christian Easter party printables that put the focus on the cross while still playing in the fresh and beautifully bright color scheme of the season. There are 3 separate parts to our Christian Easter party set:

 

 Printable 5x7 or 4x6 Christian Easter party invitation

This invitation can be personalized for a Tea Party, brunch, or lunch

 

Printable Christian Easter Party printables

 

 

Personalized buffet pack

 In the spirit of Easter, we've decided to offer a special! When you purchase the Invitation and Party pack, you can have the buffet pack for FREE! Visit us on Etsy for more details!

Providing tips and consultation on affordable party planning is a bit of an obsession here at PartyOn, because like you, we don't have a "skies the limit" budget to spend on marvelous parties.

If you're planning a wedding, a shower, birthday or holiday party, you've probably been scouring the internet for ideas. Of course, the ideas and inspiration you find are likely glossy pictures on Google, various planning sites or Pinterest. There you'll find oodles of fabulous parties bright and brilliantly colored, expertly styled with interesting props and meticulous dishes, and chances are, way out of your budget.

The key is to take aspects of theses budget-busting parties and apply them in a way that works for you. For example, if you want to style a magnificent sweet table, but don't want to spend the money on a fabric backdrop that you might never use again, go to your local party store, discount store or even a local dollar store and buy several roles of crepe streamers in one or more colors. Then hang then cut lengths of streamer, from ceiling to just below the table and hang them butted up right next to each other down the wall. You create a gorgeous, photo-worthy backdrop for under $5!

Meat + Beer = Men's birthday party perfection

We have two basic rules when it comes to planning men's birthday parties: a) keep it simple and b) keep the guest of honor in mind. Admittedly neither is always easy. Sometimes when we're fantasizing about perfectly styled parties with tiny finger foods, delicate macarons in just the perfect shade of azure and oh so clever details as far as the eye can see, we have to take a minute to stop and remember that maybe our guy just wants to celebrate by having a few buddies over for a beer and some bbq.

In this case, if you have a beer and burgers guy with a birthday on the way, the absolute best way to have your birthday cake and eat it too is to throw a beer tasting with a gourmet burger bar to round things out!

This men's birthday or women's birthday theme is easy peasy. In fact it's so easy, you don't even have to foot the bill for all of the beer! Simply tell you guests that you're hosting a beer tasting, and that instead of gifts for your birthday boy that they should bring a 6-pack of an interesting craft beer. Of course you'll still need to provide any other beverages, including plenty of water and other non-alcoholic options for your dds.

As for the burgers, you can go as basic or as gourmets as your tastes and your budget allow. You can go with just a basic beef burger or offers a selection of patty options like veggie, salmon, or even bison! Offering different types of buns is also a good idea. However the real fun is in the toppings! Blue cheese? Bacon? Grilled veggies, or wasabi mayo? The sky is the limit on what you can do. Don't forget the side dishes, and as for desert? How about a dark, delicious chocolate stout cake? Beer-tastic!

Showing love with a Free Valentine's Day Invitation

Hello! Welcome to the inaugural post for PartyOn by Simply Soirees party printables. We can't wait to get started bringing you our latest ideas, pics and advice on planning fabulous parties even when you don't have a fabulous budget.

On our sister blog, Domestinista, we've already gotten started posting about ideas for affordable men's parties, throwing a hot sauce tasting party, and a brief how-to for hosting a wine exchange. We'll talk more about those topics here and much more, but to celebrate our very first post, we thought there would be nothing more fitting than to offer a freebie! Just in time for Valentine's Day, here's a little love, on the house:

Please click for the full size version of our Rockin' fill-in Valentine's Day invitation!

If you would like a customized version of this Valentine's Day invitation or to see the coordinating printable party pack mini, you can find us on Etsy. Party On!