Eye Candy Event Details

Of all the parties you've thrown, which was your favorite?

My all time favorite party would have to be my daughter's latest one - her 'Peace, Love & FUN-do' party as she played such a big role in helping me plan it -PLUS we had so much fun! I also think the 'back story' is cute as to how we came up with this theme: My daughter LOVES peace signs - period. Of course, I wanted to make sure it was different from other 'peace' parties + tried to think of an idea that we hadn't done before so I told her, 'ya know what would be cool?, we should have a fondue bar & then the theme could be "peace, love & fondue". Well she looked at me & said 'what the heck is fun-do?' I laughed. A lot. I explained the whole thing to her but decided to keep the name as it served TWO purposes.
One. We DID have a fondue bar.
Two. The kids had lots to 'FUN-do' at the party.

I also loved the color scheme we came up with, which of course were her favs & it's always so rewarding designing your own kids party collection because that is something that will be remembered forever. The food was a blast to plan out as I wanted to have some retro food items & make sure to coordinate with her theme! For the fondue station, we used sundae waffle bowls to hold the fondue & make it 'portable' & had everything from donut holes, potato chips, strawberries, vanilla wafers, angel food cake, Twinkies, marshmallows, graham cracker stix & pretzel stix for dipping. Ya know, just the typical kid-friendly foods! PLUS the bonus factor: the kids LOVED the fact that they could EAT their dipping bowl!
I also incorporated A LOT of DIY decor ideas since we didn't have a lot of funds to spend on the party - it can be done & still look great! Some fun DIY included ribbon chandeliers, peace flower wreath, dessert backdrop, tablecloth, lamps out of topiaries & more! I will be posting some fun DIY tutorials soon on my blog going into more details.
Activities that always get the kids moving included: hula hoop contest, dancing games and of course a photo booth with lots of props!

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What's a great tip for keeping a party affordable?

The best suggestion I can make for keeping ANY party affordable is doing as many things that you can yourself. Plan ahead & make a list of things you would like to make & have at the party & then when you are out shopping & find a good deal on something on your list - buy a little at a time. Some of my favorite places to get items on the cheap include: Target dollar section, The Dollar Tree, Hobby Lobby (use their coupons), The Christmas Tree Shops & IKEA.
Another suggestion would be to get on Pinterest & look around for inspiration on party ideas, craft suggestions, etc. & then figure out a way to make things yourself - you would be amazed at how far a glue gun will get you! Most of the ideas you will find, come with tutorials on how to make them.
Personally I LOVE to bake, cooking- not so much, so if you don't mind baking, try your hand at making some of the food items that are on your party 'wish-list', even if you have to practice a month in advance it will be worth it. Experiment in baking a recipe, attempt ways on how you can do it & make it cost effective. But what if you aren't a baker? Then buy the items 'plain" at the grocery & make them pretty yourself! Buy plain cupcakes or a cake & then put colored icing, sprinkles, etc on them to coordinate with your theme.
Sometimes your kids may give you a request that seems crazy but works out in the end. This year my daughter wanted a "cookie cake". SO I baked her favorite cookies (chocolate chip), thinly iced them, then stacked them "strategically" until it 'looked' like a cake. Added more icing on top, created a design pattern with the icing & then placed my cake topper on top & DONE! I think it turned out adorable & I took great satisfaction knowing that I DID it - it may not have been perfect but I designed it with LOVE & that's all that matters!

What are some unique ideas for party favors?

I love matching unique party favors to coordinate with the theme. Gone are the days of useless party favors that get lost or thrown in a junk drawer when your kids get home. Think USEFUL. Those are the BEST party favors. Having an outdoor pool party? - squirt guns or bubbles would be fun. Having a tea party? - give the kids chocolate dipped spoons as a favor - it coordinates & is yummy. Having an art party? Send them home with a paintbrush set.
Another tip would be to have a craft which could double as their party favor. For a princess party, you could have the girls make a piece of jewelry that could double as their favor as well. For a bug party give the kids a shovel to dig for bugs that they get to take home with them. Kids love USEFUL favors and so do the parents. If your budget doesn't allow enough for the items you want, simply wrapping up a cookie or cupcake with a cute tag can be the kids party favors too. Anything works with a little imagination.

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