Boring and snoring – no way. Spice up your events and personalise

Party and event planning 101 – personalization

Stuck for ideas with a party to manage. Sounds tough. Particularly if time is short.

Years ago when everything seemed so much…slower…and less….need it now…there was time to stop, think, plan and, dare we say it, make things yourself.  Fast forward to the permanently plugged in and on the go world of today and see how much spare time everyone has. Not so much huh? In some ways this is a good thing. Fun, right now, easy to like and share, but…is any of it really real? Information overload but our senses starve for sensation, taste, smell, and touch. This is where the real world takes over, and comes into its own, with real life parties and events.

Some typical parties and celebrations :

From time immemorial humans have celebrated events, both natural, such as the summer solstice, or an equinox, to man made creations, such as Christmas, The Fourth of July, birthdays and weddings. Each event has a special significance, from the wild and free pagan type festivals and Goddess worship, to ceremonies such as the celebration of Australia Day, and the ritualisation and rites of passage associated with birthday parties, weddings and christenings. And of course, parties for these events generally need invitations, decorations and other party supplies. And similar – not limiting this discussion to only those events.

Even Australians have parties – she’ll be right mate

With the special significance of each event, the associated celebrations and party invitations need to reflect this. Using the Fourth of July as an example, common invitations themes would be patriotic and American. Australia Day too heavily features Australiana and cultural icons, such as the Kangaroo, Green and Gold (Australian national sporting team colours), and of course the Aussie flag.

A very true saying in life is that you get out of something what you put into it. Ho hum decorations and invitations might pay lip service to the basics but to get the response you really want, you cant go past personalised. Personalising your cards and invitations is a top way to show those you are reaching out to that you care.

Lets talk Christmas

Lets use Christmas as an example. Generic, cheap Christmas cards are easy to come by, and have a corresponding care factor associated with them. But personalised Christmas cards, with a custom message, and perhaps even a photo, are generally much better received. Here is a selection of personalised Christmas cards you can buy online in Australia. Loads of different designs and Christmas type themes including some with photos. Ebay is another great place to get all kinds of stuff, including party supplies, but there are benefits in dealing with a business with a presence outside of eBay, such asa phone number you can call or even a physical store.

 

 

Personalised party ideas – Bling your birthday!

Personalised party ideas – Bling your birthday!

 

Planning for a birthday party can be quite stressful. Selecting presents is one thing – getting it right, just right is critical. No pressure now….

 

And if selecting one tiny present causes you issues, how about co ordinating an entire event. Loads of guests, all descending on your venue, or worse, your house….expecting food, entertainment, in short it sounds like they are expecting a party of some sort!!!! And no food organised. No entertainment. Or decorations. Whatever are we going to do?? How did it come to this?

 

This is the stuff of party planning nightmares. Lets simplify, and start by covering the basics.

 

Invitations

 

Lets take a step back. In fact, quite a few steps. It doesn’t have to be that way. We can cast our collective memories back to the days of old, when things were so much simpler…and lets face it, less exciting. Plain invitations in tear off packs, hastily completed and handed out at school. These things still exist, and are a cheap way to hold a party. That said, cheap isn’t what every one is after, all the time.  Personalised invitations are a very good start to any kids birthday party, and are also an affordable souvenir. In fact, if you buy online, although you will pay a small amount for the invites to be designed and sent to you, the fact is that you would likely spend about this much on petrol, wear and tear and parking just going to the shops to buy some invites that don’t look anywhere near as good.

 

Birthday banners

 

Much the same can be said for party decorations too. Good decorations create and enhance atmosphere, and welcome your guests. They really know they are at a party when they see walls festooned with festivity, and nice big personalised party banners certainly add to this. These can also be bought online, from surprisingly cheap prices for a medium sized banner, all the way to huge backdrops like you would find at a wedding or behind a candy table. Yes, you can get them printed at a retail printer too, however online is so much easier its ridiculous

 

Birthday cake

A cake is expected, and anticipated, at nearly any birthday party. Nicely decorated, it shows the effort has been put in and makes the birthday boy or girl feel extra special. Even more so if their name or photo is on it, or if there is a cake topper that has been custom printed with a favourite theme. These are called edible images, and can look awesome – for a surprisingly low outlay. The only limit to the theme is your imagination really.

 

These are a few of our ideas on how to bling your birthday – in old fashioned grown up speak, that means make it a little bit more special!

Baptism ideas for 2016

A new year brings new seasons, new fashions and yes, new ideas.

This is true in all kinds of industries, from fashion and food to architecture, styling and design. Its not far fetched at all then to know that this extends to events, celebrations, parties, and yes, baptisms and christening ceremonies.

 

A common question we are asked is what is on trend for this season….of course, the answer will vary. Some years, for example, certain colours or shades are all the rage. Other years it’s all about colour combinations, such as black and white, or blue and green. Still other years everyone wants to feature photos as a part of their personalised designs.

 

This blog post is all about baptism ceremonies, so here goes.

 

When it comes event supplies, many people focus exclusively on price. While there is no denying that a cheap price helps when it comes to budgeting, there are times when this shouldn’t be your only consideration.

 

Take invitations for example. These are the first communication your party guests will receive about your event, in most cases. Remember the saying….first impressions count? Or perhaps this one…you never get a second chance to make a first impression? It is very important that your baptism invitations be right. Not expensive – there is not much value in paying too much – but affordable, well designed invites you can buy online are the way to go. Don’t sacrifice quality to save a small amount, everyone has a story about saving money, getting stuck with poor quality and regretting it.

 

Before we touch on trends, lets examine the event itself. A baptism.

 

Ingredients? Usually :

 

• A baby

 

• A priest

 

• A church

 

• Plenty of family and friends.

 

One of the more popular themes for a baptism is quite obvious to most people. Religion. After all, a baptism to many people means introducing a new soul, a baby,  to family, friends, the congregation and the world. So it has religious significance and therefore these overtones are entirely appropriate.

 

We see all kinds of custom invitations designs around the web, along with matching themed bonbonniere – these baptism chocolate bars are a great idea. Cute, reasonably priced, a custom chocolate bar is not only excellent bonbonniere, but a nice way to provide your guests with a delicious treat.

 

Popular themes emerging this year that we have seen? The perennial favourites are back, with gentle pastels as well as photo designs still leading the way. These can look particularly stunning on a bold black background. Have a look at some of these for example….

Here are some ideas for a girls birthday party

 

Popular first birthday themes for boys – Party Ideas Post

Do you remember your first birthday? We bet you don’t. I know I don’t remember my first birthday party. If there was one, I know I was there, that’s all.

I bet everybody else that was there remembers. Being a little boy, I probably made a big mess, at way too much food, made lots of noise and had a large amount of fun. Oh and ran around a lot, fell over a few times, okay, more than a few times, and there may have been tears.

In other words a good party as far as I, at the time, was concerned. The grown ups that were all there probably had lots of fun too. Now if you cannot remember your first birthday party, don’t be concerned. This, apparently, is normal. Which is because a boys first birthday, as much as it is held for the birthday boy, is just as much about family catching up, taking stock, and getting up to date with a new family members capabilities. Ever hear “Look how much you have grown?” Check.

In order to make sure that your boys first party is every success that you would like it to be, here is a short list of some great party ideas that we hope you will find helpful

Invitations.

This is where it all starts. Your little boys birthday invitations are the very first inkling your family and friends will have about the impending celebration. Choose a theme if you like, as this can help to plan your decorations, as well as be a whole heap of fun. Some popular invitation themes for boys include planes, trains, and automobiles, cars, balloons, or perhaps a favourite animal or cartoon character.

Banners

A bright, bold and beautiful banner is a good way to let your guests know that they have arrived – at the right place.  The uses for boys party banners don’t stop there however. You can use a pretty wide format party banner to brighten up a blank wall, or even as a backdrop for a candy buffet table. Speaking of which…

 

 

Candy Table

Highly anticipated at parties and birthdays around the world, a candy table is like a magnet for hungry children. Yes and little children too.  Most everyone likes sweets, and a candy table also fills the need for finger food. On that topic, it will pay t plan ahead, to ensure you buy enough candy buffet lollies and sweets. Online is excellent for this, particularly if you are in a large country, such as Australia.

Birthday Cake

No party is complete without a yummy cake, a sing a long, and that timeless – if rather unhygienic – ritual of blowing out the candles. Here is a page about birthday cake topper ideas that we think might be helpful.

Party Favours.

Send your guests on their way with a smile, and something sweet to remember you by. Oh and load them up with a bit more sugar too lol. Either small party bags and boxes full of candy, or – and this is a pretty safe bet cause everyone likes chocolate – custom chocolate bar wrappers holding delicious milk chocolate. All themed in the same theme as your invitations.

Perfect.

Angel themes for parties, birthdays, christenings and more

Angel themes for parties, birthdays, christenings and more

In life, the angel often signifies innocence. There is sometimes a religious connection as well,. As many people are religious, and many also like to accentuate the good qualities of those around them, it should come as no surprise to see that angels often feature in artworks and designs for events and celebrations.

Let us use kids parties as an example. For many, a party signifies happiness, presents, perhaps even some over indulging in sweets, lollies and fizzy drink.  And fair enough, a large proportion of kids party invitations reflect this sort of thing, with balloons, streamers, etcetera.

That’s all very well and good but what if things are planned to be a little more, well, gentle. Say it’s a little girls birthday. Perhaps a first birthday party. Planned activities include a game of pass the parcel, bobbing for apples, a lucky dip. Maybe even some dress up games. And your little angel is going to be the centre of attention on her first birthday, although she probably won’t fully understand what is going on. Under these circumstances we think most would agree when we say that angels make an excellent theme for little girls party invitations, especially first birthdays.

Now for the next topic – christenings and baptisms.

Pretty obviously, these are events with a religious significance, so it seems like a no brainer that angels are a perfect style or theme. They work well with either boys christening invitations, or with girls.

Cleverly done photo christening invitations can put a beautifully angelic aspect on any child’s face. Gentle wings, a halo, even golden rays of sunshine bursting through the clouds, illuminating the subject. Heavenly indeed, lol. On that note, we should add that it doesn’t really matter if it is a baptism, or a christening, angels work equally well for both, as well as for most denominations.

If you choose angels as a background or theme for your christening stationery, why not consider your favours and christening bonbonniere at the same time. We reckon these personalised chocolate bars are an ideal – and very edible – bonbonniere. They can even have wrappers printed in the same design as your invitations.

Now for a few worthy mentions – birth announcements, Christmas cards, and wedding stationery

The birth of a new baby is one of life’s most special events. Unlike getting married it can only ever happen once. No matter what. There is often a lot of anticipation preceding a baby being born, and immediately after the happy news, a lot of curiosity. Photo birth announcements are the perfect way to both announce your new arrival and at the same time satisfy that curiosity. Personalised, with a short message, and often a photo, the word angel is entirely appropriate.

Christmas. Or should that read “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing”

Angels are a huge part of Christmas. From the bible story, to the birth of Jesus, there are angels everywhere. While some people take a non religious view of Christmas the fact remains that for many, Angels are an integral part of the whole picture. Photo Christmas Cards are often embellished with the clever – and tasteful – use of angels as a theme.

And lastly, there are weddings. We won’t dwell a lot on weddings, suffice to say that angels probably shouldn’t be the focal point, but make excellent background art.

Girls birthday party post : Girls party theme ideas.

Girls birthday party post : Girls party theme ideas.

Hosting a girls birthday party? Need some good party ideas? Not a problem, we can help.

This blog post is all about how to hold a really good party for a little girls birthday. We have a few handy tips, ideas and photos that will come in handy for many people, especially if you are always on the go, and have no time to organize.

Lets start with the invitations. Personalised invitations are definitely the way to go if you want to make a good impression. But what sort to get? A girls birthday party is something that you really need to pay attention to detail on – showing even the slightest hint of a low care factor simply will never do. Your girls birthday invitations need to be in line with this – they don’t need to be good. They need to be right. Invites are a very personal item, and like the porridge in Goldilocks and The Three Bears story they need to be just right.

Spend some time thinking about the theme you are going to choose. Will it be glamour and makeover? Garden tea party? Perhaps an adventurous activity style party where an afternoon is spent at one of those places that expertly extracts every last dollar and leaves you exhausted – but happy – at the end of the afternoon. Too much sugar and loads of fun.

Got a theme? Excellent. Make sure your invites and other party supplies are in tune with this theme. Its no good having a fairy party, getting special fairy party invitations made, then not doing much else with the theme other than cheap plastic magic wands and some glitter. Nope, you do need to do a bit more than that folks.

So let’s decorate. Let’s talk costumes. Tell everybody to come in costume, with wings and a small dress. These don’t cost much – Spotlight sells cheap fairy costumes and wings and all sorts of magical things, for example. Prefer personalised? Excellent choice. We applaud thee. Trade the cheap looking mass produced stuff for something made just or the occasion. Again, online is the way to go.

Imagine your party room instead with custom bunting in your chosen theme draped around the outside. Very cute and very stylish. Or a big birthday banners, bold as brass, decorating the wall above your candy table. Another good use of a birthday banner is as a welcome on the door. An excellent way to both say hello  to your guests and get them excited and enthusiastic as they walk in the door. Literally make your party start with the right sort of attitude from all who arrive!

To make sure things go to plan it pays to be organised in advance. Shop around. Not necessarily on price mind you. You will likely find that when it comes to online invitation shops price is very similar. What differs is quality and experience. For example a boring website that is hard to navigate might give you an idea of the overall experience you will get shopping there.  Have a look at the Facebook page – a business with loads of fans is always a good start

Well these are a few handy tips – we hope they help. Have a fun girls birthday party!

Party ideas theme post : Racing Cars as a boys birthday party theme

Party ideas theme post : Racing Cars as a boys birthday party theme

Remember when you were young? Remember all of the things you liked? Chances are, if you are a bloke, when you were little, you really really liked fast cars. Perhaps matchbox toys. Perhaps you were more of a hot wheels kid. Or if you are 1970s vintage, maybe even slot car racing – way before radio controlled cars were even thought of.

It should come as no surprise then, that when the Pixar film Cars was released, that it was such a big hit. Fast red cars, older slower cars, and a secret race car emerging from retirement to train the new crop of racers. Personalities, humour, baddies, and yes, lots of racing. Even a catchy soundtrack and of course, merchandise. Kids loved it, and no wonder.

For many boys, this love for cars carries on from childhood, through to being a teenager, and beyond. Many grown up men still stop and stare, enraptured, when a special vehicle comes into view, or the sound of racing cars fills the living room on a Saturday afternoon.

If your son, or a male child in your life is a big fan of cars, you could do a lot worse than hold a cars themed birthday party. Either inspired by the movie if that is what they enjoy, although a few years ago now, or perhaps a Formula One or Mount Panorama V8 inspired birthday party. What a great theme – there are loads of things you can do to make this one special.

Let’s begin by discussing some invitation options. One of our favourite cars themed boys birthday invitations idea is to use photo invitations – with a picture of the birthday boy smiling at your party guests, backed up by clever artwork or a picture of a racecar and racing imagery. Here is an example of a race car birthday party invitation, and below we have a few pics if invites we found on Pinterest. Gotta love Pinterest when it comes to getting ideas easily for all kinds of things from decorations to colour choices.

Now that the invites are sorted, it’s worth your while to give a thought to how you will decorate your birthday party room. Bright and sparkly is probably not the best idea for this party theme.

Let’s think race track. Zoom zoom…..like huge chequered flags, the sort they wave as the cars cross the finish line….Perhaps a trophy, with two big handles…a winners podium even. These make excellent party banners – if you cannot actually HAVE a podium, trophy and winners flags, then a personalised banner using these as artwork ideas is a good second best.

Now for a birthday cake. With a bit of looking around you can find a business online that can help here too. Some options are small cake topers that look like race cars. Even candles. Our suggestion is to find an edible image business and get them to print one for your party. A good online provider might even be able to match the invitations and banner and edible images in the same theme. How cool would that be – your boy will really be the champ!

Creating a cute as a button girls birthday party : Ideas post

Creating a cute as a button girls birthday party : Ideas post

Most people who have a daughter will agree this us when we say that your little girl is your princess.  You want her to have the best you can provide. You want her future to be bright. And you want your precious little girl to have great memories of when she was little.

The way to make great memories is to ensure her todays, and tomorrows are awesome. And never a truer word was spoken on this topic than when we are talking little girls birthday parties.  Now there Is an exercise in managing expectations, and perhaps the bank balance at the same time.

In order to give you some free help with your girls birthday party planning, lets run through the basics, shall we?

Starting with your girls birthday invitations. We simply cannot stress strongly enough how important it is that these be the best, the most suitable for the occasion. They don’t need to be made of gold, but showing a little care and attention at this stage will reap big dividends later. We strongly suggest shopping around a bit, and if the event is going to have a theme, or a special significance, buy some custom invitations online.

You can often get these made for very reasonable prices, and if you choose a good store, prompt delivery. This can be important in the busy world of today we all work in, where things get left until the last minute all too often.

Now that we have our heart settled on the perfect invites, its time to pay some thought to the other standard party supplies that most girls birthdays will feature. Let’s start with decorations. Pretty party decorations are an absolute must have if your daughter is into pretty. These create atmosphere, adding a festive air to any room. Pompoms, banners, tinsel, even balloons. Whatever you do, do something. Don’t skip this bit. Looking for something different? Think balloons are boring and tinsel is tinny? A hot party trend that is very popular at the moment is personalised bunting. Long strings of paper bunting flags printed especially for your event, with your theme, perhaps even the party boy or girls name.  Cupcake themed bunting, fairy themed bunting, you name it, all online.

The last big ticket item on any birthday party shopping list is the birthday cake. Every party should have one, and every child looks forward to being the centre of attention, being sung to by the guests, and yes, blowing ALL of the candles out. Some modern birthday cake ideas include things such as personalized cake toppers, tier cakes, themed cakes and more. Don’t want to break the bank? Edible images are quite cheap and affordable – they are a printed frosting sheet that you aplly to the top of a flat cake. Easy to do, and can include a personal message, a photo, artwork of your choice. An edible image is only limited by your imagination.

We will be posting more in our party ideas series in another post – hope to see you back again soon!

Party supplies in Melbourne – Custom, personalised, different

Party supplies in Melbourne – Custom, personalised, different

Everyone likes a party. And if it’s a good party, that like can go from like to love. You know, the sort that all of the guests go home raving about.

And that’s the sort of party that most people would probably want. Form a birthday party, to a christening, or a wedding, we all want our event to be a memorable experience, for all of the right reasons, of course.

Good events start the right way, with invitations. You can save money if you like, and buy an ordinary set of invites, or perhaps go with free printable invitations that you got off some website somewhere….but remember, when something is free, there is usually a catch. Free electronic invitations you can email to your friends usually have some sort of catch in there.

So lets go back to the good old fashioned paper and card style invitations we used to use when we were younger. Before all this liking and sharing and twittering and whatnot. Back when getting kids party invitations delivered in the mail was something every kid looked forward to. When you received an invite to someone’s party, it meant you had arrived, socially speaking.

A clever party plan will often involve making sure that you have all of the necessary items for a birthday sorted well in advance. Things such as party favours, and perhaps buy some lollies online to go in your favour boxes or party bags.

They don’t need to be expensive – there are plenty of delicious treats you can find for surprisingly low prices, all for sale, online and delivered to you. Most Australian online shops will deliver to all of the country, however in some more remote areas increased delivery charges can apply. Fair enough when you think of the extra distance involved, perhaps not so great when you are the one picking up the bill at the delivery point.

If you have a little more to spend, why not personalize your party favours, perhaps with some delicious personalized chocolate bars – here is an example below, but there are often hundreds to choose from. A decent custom party supply website can often match these to your invitations. Very stylish and rather cute.

Its true to say too that party decorations have evolved over time. Once upon a time a few balloons and streamers would suffice, but these days there are so many more choices. Most party shops will sell happy birthday banners and welcome posters. These will be quite affordable in most cases, but will often be the ordinary, generic style. If you shop online, you can often find personalized items at reasonable prices.

Talking of personalized, how about a gift for the birthday boy or girl? Very popular these days – and a personal favourite – are these personalized mugs. With loads of cute designs, there is the option of either a name or personalized message. The perfect birthday or Christmas gift where the person you are buying for has lots of stuff already.

 

Looking for invitation ideas and don’t know where to start….

Looking for invitation ideas and don’t know where to start….

Perhaps we can help. A special event should be exactly that, special. And making that happen isn’t difficult but sometimes, particularly if you are a busy person, it can be troublesome knowing how to start.

Let’s take a 40^th birthday party as an example. Like all events, you will need a few basics, such as invitations, a venue, a guest list, some party supplies. But how to make it just that little bit extra special?

Most people look online these days. For example, you could buy invitations online – there are lots to choose from. Some are quite cheap, but will this get you the style that you like. Have a look at this 40^th birthday invitation design. Some great elements there, a photo of the birthday boy, and a photo of a much younger version. Flames. And a cheeky message – look what happened in 40 years?

Or you could go with a cheap set of invitations and party supplies, like you could buy at most supermarkets or bulk stores. Hmmm we think the effect might be a bit different – well okay completely different.

Or you could take a chance and buy from some random shop on one of those online bazaars in Australia such as Ebay, or Etsy or Zazzle or…or…well there are quite a few places. But do you ever know who you are dealing with. Can you pick up the phone and call them if you have a question. We think that’s important, both for peace of mind and rapid clarity if needed. Too many businesses hide behind an email and a mobile telephone.

Where were we? Oh yes, the price point question. It’s like this. You can focus on price if that’s all that’s important but we think you should focus on the desired result. Imagine you are going to have a big party at your place. Lots of people coming, everything is on show and under scrutiny.

If you want people turning up excited and enthusiastic from the get go, or not turning up at all, the difference between these two outcomes could be as little as a few dollars spend on getting quality kids party invitations designed and printed.

Lets face it. If you invited twenty people but sent out terrible invitations, and only ten turned up, how would that affect the afternoon. Don’t risk disappointment – we say buy from a reputable designer, from a shop with a strong online reputation and following.

Perhaps one area you can afford to skimp a little is getting bulk printing done. There isn’t as much pressure on a specific event, so  getting cheap flyers printed online makes sense. Often all you will be trying to do is get a message out, for example for a fete, or a garage sale, or promote a trades person’s services. The quality has to be decent but not gold plated. There are plenty of online print studios that provide this service, so while it pays to shop around it also pays to buy from a business that is in the same country if possible – that will minimise delivery delays. Plus, if you choose one with a local telephone number to call, any issues are quickly resolved.

That’s all for this post. Thanks for stopping by J