Showing posts with label Invitations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Invitations. Show all posts

The 5 Musts of Party Planning

April 26, 2012

I love party planning.

I love the brainstorming, the crafting, the intricate attention to every detail.  All of it.

My love for party planning always leads me straight down the path to insanity.

But, I still love it.

Over the next 3 days I am going to reveal what remains of my Harry Potter party projects and on day 4 I shall unveil my masterpiece.

This is my baby.

This is the first party that I have put together that makes me think I might have lost my mind.

But, I still love it.

Are you as crazy about party planning as I am?  Or maybe you aspire to be?


1.
Time.

Start brainstorming months in advance.

If this seems crazy to you, then you aren't ready for a party like this.

Depending on the size of your gathering and the complexity of your theme, you will likely need at least one month for the crafting portion.

Plan your time wisely.

2.
Theme.

Make sure you choose carefully.  No pressure.  The right theme should have you buzzing with ideas.

You will know you have chosen wisely when you can't sleep at night because brilliant idea after even more brilliant idea keeps creeping in...

3.
Delegate.

This is something that is new to me and I'm still not very good at it.

It has to be done.

Hopefully you have a wonderful pool of friends and family that you know well enough to have some insight into their craft skill level.

Early on set aside a few party tasks that you feel comfortable handing off.  Make sure you hand out assignments in the early stages of planning.

Over time it gets easier... I promise.

4.
Sleep.

As the big day approaches you will discover a lengthy list of things that have to be done and realize you have fallen behind.

It is inevitable.

You will be tempted to stay up late, crafting until your fingers bleed.

Don't.

Get to bed at a decent hour every night.  If you start pushing it you will start to hate your precious party baby.  Once your feelings start to sour it will only get harder to get everything done.

5.
Cut.

During the final week of prep time make a list of everything that remains to be done.

Everything.

No task is too small for this list.

Evaluate all that remains and then...

...accept that you will not have time to do it all.

Stick with the projects that you can't live without.  If there is anything on the list that isn't a major component to your theme then let it go.

No one has to know.




Be sure to check out the rest of my Harry Potter party posts.  





Linking up to these fabulous parties:


And the Award for Best Party Invitations of the Year goes to...

April 16, 2012


... Maia's Harry Potter Party!

**Cheer.  Applause.**


The details are my favorite part...


My favorite part of the wording?  The RSVP.  Expecto Textum!  Oh man, I hope everyone gets it.


The Words.

For the inside of the invites I came up with my own creative wording.  I used the landscape layout with two columns in Word.  For the font I chose Charlemagne Std Bold in size 13 {size 8 and 10 for the smaller wording}.  I printed them in black ink on 8 1/2 x 11 kraft paper.

The Envelope.

I folded them in 3 parts to create an envelope look.  To crease the seams I used a cheese knife {I don't have the fancy tools actually designed for such a thing}.  The cheese knife was perfect.

I cut the shorter fold to create the triangle envelope closure.  I just eyeballed it, so none of them are perfect.

The Stamp.

I bought this on Etsy {HERE}.  It also included a little owl face stamp that I didn't use.  The ink is black and was included.

I stamped the postage stamp first and then topped that with the Hogwarts post office squiggly line guy.  Not sure what the post office refers to this as... but you get it.

The Feather.

I purchased a bundle of 3 feather designs from Silhouette's online store for $0.99.  I ungrouped the bundle to just use the feather you see here.  I sized it to about 2.5 inches long and less than 0.75 inches wide, filled the sheet and cut on white cardstock.

If you don't have a Silhouette, get one.  It is a lifesaver.

The Names.

I printed the names as neatly as possible and in an "official" looking style.

The Seal.

I purchased the faux owl wax seals on Etsy {HERE} in bronze.  They come with adhesive on the back so I just had to stick them on like a sticker.

For the invitations that won't be hand delivered I will probably add a glue dot to the back just to make sure they stick well enough to withstand all the handling between here and their destination.  I want them arriving perfectly {of course}.

Done.


Be sure to check out the rest of my Harry Potter party posts.  


Oh, and did you notice the gorgeous bamboo flooring in several of the pictures?  My husband got the living room and dining room done {with help from some awesome fellas}.   I mentioned the other day {HERE} how worried I was, but all is well!

 I am going to hold off on the reveal because I have a few other things to do before it is complete.


Linking up to these fabulous parties:
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