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Let's Dish: What Are Your Party Planning Pet Peeves?

partysugar — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:50:51 -0700

To celebrate my birthday, I invited everyone I know to join me for happy hour. I took the time to make and send a special invite. However, I was shocked by how many friends didn't read it. One person thought the party was the day I sent the invite, another went to the wrong bar, and two people showed up four hours after the specified time. Not reading an invitation is my biggest party planning pet peeve. I made it a point to provide all the necessary details, so why can't my guests take five seconds to read the text? Since we all host parties in some form or another, I'm sure you have party planning pet peeves, too.

So whether it's a guest that shows up empty handed or your roommate's uninvited friends crashing, do tell: When planning a party, what behavior bugs you?

Come Party With Me: My Birthday Party - Invite

partysugar — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:50:55 -0700

Well folks, it's time for me to plan my favorite event of the year - my birthday party! Since I threw a blow-out bash at a bar for 27 and a big picnic at an oyster farm for 27.5, I've decided that, for 28, things should be more subdued. Thus, I'm hosting an intimate dinner party for me and my 20 closest friends. The dinner will be served in my grandfather's gorgeous backyard, but before I can think about the menu, I have to send invitations. To learn how I made the ones seen here, read more.

I wanted an invite that looks clean, fun, and is representative of my personality. After searching several paper stores in San Francisco, I decided on a navy, cream, and turquoise theme. I purchased the majority of my supplies at Paper Source. Here's what I used:

Dark blue cardstock
Decorative paper
Glittery paper
Satin ribbon
Single hole punch
Sequins
Glue
Cream printer paper
computer
printer

Here's how I made the invite:

First, I decided on the long rectangular shape (4 1/8x9 1/2 inch) of the envelope. Next I cut the navy cardstock down to 4-x-9 inches. This would be the base of the invite.
I created a stencil of the word party by opening a blank workbook sized at 4-x-9 inches in Photoshop. I made the font as large as it could be (to fit in the space) and printed on regular paper. Using a pencil, I carefully connected the letters and cut out the word. I traced it onto a thick piece of cardstock and cut out again to create a stencil.
I traced the stencil onto the glittery paper and cut out 20.

Next I focused on the text. I opened another blank workbook, this time sized at 3-x-8 inches. Then I wrote the following message:

Your presence is requested at a birthday dinner to honor PartySugar

Saturday, September 19, 2009
Cocktails begin at 6:45

Al Hogan's House
Alamo, California 94507

Dress your best!
Regrets only: 415.444.4444

I printed this out and had FabSugar check for spelling and grammatical errors. When I was satisfied with the text, I printed it with a thin border on 23 sheets of nice paper. I cut these down to size.

To create a border for the back of the invite, I cut the decorative paper into 1-inch strips.
Next I cut the satin ribbon down to 3-4 inch pieces. I needed 4 ribbons for each invite, in total 80 ribbons.

Once I had all of the elements ready, it was time to assemble. I punched a whole in the glittery word Party and the base navy cardstock in four places: at the bottom and top of the P and the bottom and top of the Y. I used the ribbon to tie the glittery party stencil to the navy-blue cardstock, and repeated until all the invites were complete.

Then I turned the invite over and glued the decorative paper strips onto the edge of the navy cardstock to create a border. I trimmed off the excess and used this to fill in the remaining sides, repeating until each invite back had a border.

I glued the text to the middle of the back of the invite and repeated until all the invite backs were finished.

To give the invites some sparkle, I glued several sequins to the front (the side with the word party) of each invite. Then I set all of the invites aside to dry for several hours.

I slide the completed invites into the envelopes, addressed them with a nice navy pen, and sent!

View 29 Photos ›

Come Party With Me: Technicolor Luau - Invite

partysugar — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:39:01 -0700

Every Summer FabSugar hosts a luau. Since Fab is so fashion-forward, the theme is not your typical Hawaiian-shirt extravaganza; each year she picks a different style for the luau. Last July she threw a sophisticated black-and-white soirée, and next month, she's going vibrant with a technicolor luau. Fab and I often collaborate on parties and this time will be no different. I'm doing the planning and cooking, she's doing the hosting. To get things started, I had to make Fab an invite. Learn how I made the one seen here and read more.

After spending some time in Costa Rica, Fab was totally inspired by aquatic life, so we browsed pictures of jellyfish and came across these amazing images.

Once I had several pics, I dragged and dropped them into Photoshop. I flipped one of the images upside down and copied it into a blank file three times. Then I took another image (one with plenty of room to write the text) and pasted this on top of the jellyfish. Next I inserted the following text:

Surf's Up...at FabSugar's Technicolor Luau
You're invited to have a tropical blast!

Saturday, August 15
9 p.m.
Fab's Grotto
San Francisco

Wear your loudest, freshest, hottest gear.
Neon encouraged.

Bring your preferred poison

I sent the invitation to Fab and she helped make several edits. Once we were both satisfied with the look, I saved it as a JPEG. Fab can upload the image to Evite or pingg, or simply send attached to an email.

Have you ever hosted a luau? How did you invite your friends?

Come Party With Me: Annabelle's Birthday - Invite

partysugar — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 10:15:55 -0700

Meet Annabelle Buffy Durbin, FabSugar's cutie-pie, social butterfly Frenchie. Always the adorable center of attention, Annabelle's fourth birthday is on July 14 and Fab's throwing her a paw-ty next weekend.

She asked me to help with the the planning, so all this week I'm sharing the details with you. Consider hosting a party for your pet! Before we can talk doggie cupcakes, Fab has to send the invite.

To learn how I turned this picture of Annabelle into an emailable invitation, read more.

I started by dropping and dragging the image into Photoshop. Then, I cropped the image, cutting out the excess top and bottom. I copied and pasted it into a new larger window. From there, I added this text:

Annabelle Is Turning 4!

To celebrate she wants to give you a kiss at her birthday pawty!

Sunday, July 25, 2009, 3:00 p.m.
The Durbin Domaine, Oaktown

Please RSVP to FabSugar. Doggie BFs welcome!

With the eyedropper tool, I was able to change the color of the text to match Annabelle's lei. After getting Fab's stamp of approval, I saved the image as a jpeg, attached in an email, and sent. Have you ever hosted a birthday party for a pet?

Announcing Our Free Invites on Pingg!

partysugar — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 03:30:02 -0700

Just in time for wedding season, I'm extremely excited to announce our partnership with my favorite online-invitation service, Pingg! Our fabulous designer has created a series of invitations for you to customize and send for free. Whether you're looking for an invite to an engagement or bachelorette party, bridal or baby shower, we've got you covered with multiple designs for each occasion. Pingg is incredibly easy to use: you simply upload the event information, customize the invite to your liking, and select your preferred method for sending (you can email, Facebook, or print and snail mail). I hope you will enjoy these wonderful invites as much as I do!

Come Party With Me: Bedazzle Bonanza - Invite

partysugar — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 10:31:06 -0700

Some people may think a bad economy is not a very good time to host a party; however, FabSugar and I disagree. Now, more than ever, is the perfect time to gather up a group of friends and host an affordable get-together. That's why were throwing a Bedazzling bonanza. We'll supply the sparkling snacks and rhinestones, and everyone invited will bring an item (t-shirt, canvas tote, belt, headband) to Bedazzle. A Sunday afternoon is ideal for this sort of crafty party because it's after lunch, so only small nibbles are necessary, and on a work night - meaning no one will have a desire to drink heavily. All week, I'll be sharing the details of our party with you. Use them to throw your own fabulously creative event.

If you don't have a Bedazzler, consider a painting party, a knitting soirée, or cooking class. Save money and time by sending the invites through email, Facebook, or evite. To learn how I made the invite seen here, read more.

Find an image that illustrates your creative outlet. For my invite, I searched "rhinestones" and came across this fun picture.
Drag and drop into Microsoft Word or Photoshop.

Insert a text box and write out the details of the event. I used the Baar Sophia in size 14-18 to write this message:

FabSugar and PartySugar
invite you to
Bedazzle Bonanza!

Join us for a creative and crafty afternoon with sparkling snacks and bubbly.

Sunday, April 5th, 2009
3:00 pm
FabSugar’s Pad, San Francisco

Rhinestones provided
Please bring something to bedazzle
RSVP: partysugar@sugarinc.com
If desired change the color of the background and font.
Check for grammar and spelling mistakes. Save as a jpeg and send!

Party Foul: Assuming the Kids Can Come

partysugar — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 10:15:16 -0800

Recently, I hosted an event where I wrote "Significant Others Welcome" on the invitation. You can imagine my annoyance and frustration when some people showed up with husbands and children. The party was a happy hour, an occasion that children do not normally take part in.

When you receive an invitation, it's important to read the fine print. One should never assume that a significant other or child is invited unless specified. The names listed on the outside of the envelope are the invited guests. If it says Mr. and Mrs. Smith, the Smith children are not invited. However, if addressed to The Smith Family, then the kids are welcome to attend.

Have you ever been in a similar situation? Share your stories with us below!

Source

Download Our Free Holiday Invites!

partysugar — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 09:00:56 -0800

This holiday season we're giving you free, downloadable invites. Last week I showed you two festive invites and today I've got two more! The Hanukkah invite is elegant and simple, while the Christmas one is fun and fabulous. All you have to do is download, print, fill in, and send. Happy hosting!

Download Our Free Holiday Invites!

partysugar — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 10:15:14 -0800

OK, so you're not throwing an ugly sweater party this holiday season, but what about a holiday party? A festive cocktail, a delicious dessert soiree, or a laid-back brunch are great ways to gather friends together. Set the tone by mailing them a red and green themed invite. We've created two free, downloadable invites that celebrate the season. One features a girl and a Christmas tree and the other has an ornament theme. Start by clicking on the links above to download them. Next print, fill out, and send. So what are you waiting for? Go get your holiday party on!

Download Our Free Ugly Sweater Invite!

partysugar — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:45:18 -0800

This year instead of hosting a swanky (and expensive) holiday cocktail party, consider throwing an ugly sweater party! The theme is informal and fun, yet totally festive. It's an ideal party for introducing new groups of friends because the ugly sweaters break the ice and create easy conversation. To help you get your holiday party on, we've created a free downloadable, ugly sweater party invite! All you have to do is download, print, fill out, and send. Voila - instant holiday party. Don't forget to carry the kitschy theme to the menu by serving cheese balls, Chex mix, and slippery Santa shots. Happy hosting!