Schools Out – Hurray!

At least that’s what the kids say. Sometimes the parents aren’t so positive, although with all that happens the last month, I usually found it a relief. Here in Kansas schools get out this week. I know in Washington state they go another month.

At the start of summer vacation kids usually are just so pleased to sleep in and play, play, play, that they’re pretty content. But it’s also fun to give them the anticipation of a party, say at the pool, or lake, or park.

Encourage your kids to plan the party themselves (of course, adults always have veto power over any ideas). Have the kids pick a theme—whether it’s a food theme (i.e. ice cream sundaes) or an activity theme (i.e. pool party)—decide on the guest list, the food, decorations, if any, and make or choose invitations. Fill-in party invitations are quick and easy, yet are another task to occupy the kids while they enter all the info. Of course, you’ll want to remind them, that part of party duties are the clean-up, too!

Need party ideas? Check out these sites:
more4kids.info
home.ivillage.com
wilton.com
healthy-kid-recipes.com

And here’s one with Slumber Party Ideas:
Summer.about.com Click here to read more!

Ordering Invitations - What You Need to Know

Questions you should ask when getting invitations or announcements printed.

1. What is included in the printing fees?
2. What fonts are available? Is there an extra charge for specialty fonts?
3. What color ink is available? Is color extra?
4. What’s the minimum order requirement? (i.e. Is there a minimum number of cards I have to order?)
5. How long is the processing time?
6. Can I get a proof? If so, how?
7. If ordering online, you’ll want to ask about shipping options.

Checklist of information you’ll need when preparing your invitations
- What kind of party or event
- Who the party is honoring, if applicable
- Date and time
- Location – may need to include address
- Special instructions, such as what to bring or wear or pick-up time for a kid’s party, or “dinner following”
- RSVP or Regrets only and contact info, whether phone, email, or both

I know this list is pretty basic, but it is surprising how many invitation orders on our site leave off time, location, address, contact info for RSVP.

Other things you might want to know about invitations. Invitations can be flat printed or can be raised printed. Raised print is also called “thermography.”

Have other questions about invitations? Ask me at info@iby.com or via commenting to this entry. I’ll answer here. And if I don’t know, I’ll find out! Click here to read more!

RSVP

Sometimes you’ll see “regrets only” on invitations instead of RSVP. RSVP came from the French "répondez s'il vous plaît" and simply means "please reply." The response gives hosts and hostesses the chance to be sure they have enough food and drink for a party or event.

Often an RSVP date is set a week or so ahead of the actual party or event date. However, if a caterer is involved, invitations may have an RSVP date of several weeks in advance. This is very common with wedding receptions.

The RSVP lettering, date and contact info, whether phone or email, are often on the invitation itself. For a more formal invitation, or an invitation where food choices are requested, a response card made be sent. These smaller cards come with a self-addressed envelope to be returned to the event’s host.

If you want information on RSVP etiquette, check out this site. Click here to read more!

Graduation Party Time

When you have a high school or college graduate—or you yourself are a graduate—it’s often nice to have an “open house.” With this style of party your invitations give a span of time when people can drop in. Family, friends and neighbors of all ages can come, visit with the graduate and others, enjoy refreshments, and leave when they are ready to go. Sunday afternoons are often a good time for an open house.

Make your food easy to replenish and self serve. I’ve been to parties where the offerings are appetizers and finger foods, others with sandwich platters or plates with sandwich makings to “build your own,” desserts or a large sheet cake, or combinations of these. Beverages have ranged from punch or sodas to tea and coffee. Whatever food items you choose, you don’t want to have to spend a lot of time during the party with food preparation. Instead enjoy visiting with your guests.

Decorations can be as simple or as elaborate as you desire. Balloons are always festive. It’s nice to set out some graduation pictures, if the party is after graduation. Or how about the high school yearbook for those high school graduates with pages bookmarked where their photos are found. I’ve also seen baby books or photo albums on display. They make fun conversation starters.

I’ve not seen games at these type of parties, though I have seen a room set up for the younger set with toys and videos playing.

We’re featuring some of our graduation invitations on the front page of our website. For more click here.

And if you’d like to read about Graduation Announcement Etiquette, check out this article. Click here to read more!

Bachelorette parties

Often put on by the bridesmaids or close friends of the bride, this party can be a fling before the wedding. Or just a fun female celebration. Here are some resources:

14 rockin’ bachelorette ideas from theknot.com

Bachelorette party icebreakers

An article – “Ideas for Throwing a Bachelor or Bachelorette Party” from about.com

Bachelorette Parties from bridesmaidaid.com

Welcome to Bachelorette Party Tips from lifetips.com

IBY has a Bachelorette Party Invitations section, too. Click here to read more!

Women only parties

Baby showers and bridal showers are often women only. But I’ve been to just for fun women’s parties – most recently Bunco parties. The ones I went to had prizes for the winner, the one with the most buncos, and whoever ended up with the necklace. To pay for the prizes we each contributed $5. The loser got their $5 back. Different gals brought food and the hostess provided beverages. We had a lot of fun, got to get acquainted with ladies we didn’t know before, and of course, enjoyed talking and snacking.

Here are some other games that might be fun – haven’t personally tried them, but would like to:

Visual Eyes Game by Buffalo Games
- Shake 19 dice to display thousands of combinations of simple icons. Now Quick! - take down all the words and phrases you can spot before your opponents. Creativity counts.

Buffalo Games Imaginiff Game
- Imaginiff is the hilarious party game where your opinion matters and you find out what people really think of you. Assuming you want to know, of course. The object of the game is simple! Just imagine what the other players are most like. Keep choosing the most popular answers to win the game. iMAgiNiff your boss were an animal? Would he be a Sheep dog?... or maybe a Bull?

Last Word Game by Buffalo Games
- The ultimate creative party game. Be the first Player to advance to the Finish by creatively connecting Subjects and Letters, while racing a Random-Interval Timer and the other Players! For example, Subject: "Vegetables"... Letter: "C". Players yell out... Carrots! Cucumbers! Corn! Cauliflower! 'tick-tick' ... The player with the Last Word before the timer sounds advances.

Here are more “Games for women’s parties” at Diva Girl Parties.

IBY has a whole section of “Girl Time” invitations. This is my personal favorite: Girls Night Out Banner Click here to read more!

The goody bag

I remember the days of looking for inexpensive ideas to fill goody bags for my children’s birthday parties. I wish I’d had so many internet choices as we do now. One of my favorite places to shop these days is the Jungle Store. And I found out they had a whole goody bag section! So if you want some animal themed items check them out.

A good place to go in person is dollar stores and dollar sections in stores like Target.

Sometimes though instead of a good bag per se, it’s fun to do a craft project together and each child gets to take their craft home. Here are some fun ideas from Arsa Toys.

For Girls
-Bracelet Kit for $15 by Fashion Angels - Wrist Pix
-Fashion Angels has a jewelry kit to make all kinds of fun jewelry - Bead Party! Jewelry Workshop

For Boys
-Fast Car Race Cars Pull Back kit - only 3 cars come in this set for $15 – but what a cool project.

For Either
-When I was a kid we only got to do spin art at the county fair, but you can have your own machine for only 20 bucks! My Art Spinner - Alex
-Mask making using a small paper plate – adults may want to cut the eye holes – but then use miscellaneous craft items to decorate. If you need a good supply of craft material – check this out: Giant Art Jar - Alex
-Makit and Bakit Sparkling Decorations
-Foam Craft Workshop- Scratch Art

Some of the birthday invitations that have been ordered quite a bit lately on our site are related to science experiments--another fun activity at a party. I think this one is my favorite: Mad Scientist, but this one is fun, too: Slime Time Click here to read more!

Calligraphy markers & Fill-in Invitations

Can’t afford printed invitations? But don’t want to use fill-ins because you don’t have good handwriting? Don’t despair! Get fill-in invitations and buy calligraphy markers—these special pens turn regular hand-printing into special printing. They are easy to use and come in different thicknesses of marker. Calligraphy markers can be found at Office Supply stores and Art Supply Stores and are less than $10 for a package of 5 or 6.

And we have tons of fun fill-ins to choose from. Here are some of my favorites.

Fairy Fill-in
Fish Bowl Die Cut Fill-in
Kitty Die Cut Fill-in
Party Bubbles Die Cut Fill-in
Robot Die Cut Fill-in Click here to read more!

Fun birthday party idea

A friend just told me about a Puppy Party for young elementary age kids or preschoolers. The mom has ordered a variety of stuffed animal puppy dogs from The Jungle Store. Each child at the party will get to pick a puppy and name it. Mom has prepared “birth certificates” for these stuffed animals. Plus, as a craft the children will be making collars for their puppy. (The puppy picture is $8.)

I could see this being done with a variety of animals. And invitations that might compliment this party idea come in fill in variety and printables.
Poodle Fill-in
Girl Dog Die Cut Fill-in
Spot the Dog
Puppies and Kittens

Click here to read more!

Bridal Showers

Bridal showers come in as many varieties as brides. Some are hosted by family or friends or coworkers. They may be held in a home or a restaurant or even at a spa. I’ve been to ones that were a specific product party – where you purchased presents for the bride at the party and if you wanted anything for yourself, she got credit for those items ordered, too. Bridesmaids or close friends may do a lingerie shower. There can be kitchen showers, bed and bath showers as well as general showers.

At IBY we have some fun invitations to go with about any kind of bridal shower you can imagine. Here are some of my favorites:

Recipe Shower
Vintage Shower
Gathered Shower
Wedding Shower
Lingerie Shower
Bridal Scrapbook
Elegant Affair

Of course, any invitation can be personalized to fit the theme you are planning. Click here to read more!

New products

We are so excited about new cards we’re adding to our site. See New Arrivals for a sampling. Whether you are looking for birthday, wedding, baby, holiday, engagement or graduation cards—something new has been added in each category. And, we’re in the process of adding more!

Plus soon we will have tableware – plates, cups, napkins, tablecloths. I’ve been picking out designs and am very pleased with the variety of choices our vendor is providing. We’ll let you know when they are up on our website. Click here to read more!

Invitation Tips

Whether you are designing and printing invitations yourself or having us design and print, here are some tips to assist you.

Wanting to do a formal invitation? Then spell out your numbers – see examples below:

Thursday, the seventeenth of January two thousand and eight at eleven o’clock in the morning…

Less formal? Possible choices of formatting:

January 17, 2008 or January 17th (if you use the day of the week, put it first, followed by a comma: Thursday, January 17, 2008) at 11:00 a.m. or 11 a.m. or 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Need help with wording? Some cards have sample wording you can use. Or you may like the wording on one card sample and want to use it on a different card. Feel free. We’ve recently added a link on our website that gives you ideas for wording by category; browse Verse-It for just the right text.

Pesky prepositions. Wondering whether you need to say “on” Thursday or “at” Jungle Jane’s? If you break up lines, the prepositions are unnecessary:

Thursday, January 17th
11:00 a.m.
Jungle Jane’s
123 Wild Street
Animaltown

Is there a better way to say it? We also have customers ask us for advice on wording they have created. Don’t be afraid to ask when placing your order. If designing your own invitation, ask a friend for suggestions.

Have questions we haven’t addressed here? Email us at info@IBY.com and we’ll post the answers in a future blog.

Click here to read more!

For Two

Planning something special for your Valentine? How about a party just for two. Make it special with a personalized invitation. We can print a single invitation at IBY. Pick a design, tell us what you want it to say, choose font, and color. You can ask for a proof, or we can just ship it straight out to you.

And if you need help on what to say, check out romantic quotes and love poems. Lingerie Diva has them in English and Spanish! Click here to read more!

Planning a Valentine’s Day Party?

Today’s offering is a collection of resources for you.

For Children

Valentine's Day Party Ideas and Party Games for Kids

Valentine Crafts for Kids

Valentine's Day Party For Kids

Valentine's Day Games and Activities – with printable resources

Valentine Party Games for Children

For Children, Teens and Adults

Valentine's Day Party Ideas for Kids, Teens and the Young At Heart

Games with a Valentine Spirit

Valentine Fun

Everything Valentine’s

And, if you need invitation ideas – click here for a selection of Valentine related Invitations. Click here to read more!

Making a Splash! Pool party Ideas for kids and teens.

Have access to an indoor pool or live in a warm climate? Then plan a pool party!

Games
A fun pool party game is Marco Polo. Whoever is "it" has to swim around the pool with their eyes closed trying to tag other players. When "it" calls out Marco, everyone else has to yell "Polo." "It" tries to find people by sound.

Of course, there’s always Pool Volleyball and Pool Frisbee or races with floatable water toys. Here are some Game Resources for you, too.

Swimming Pool Games for large groups

More Swimming Games

Sharks & Minnows How To

Fun and Games for the Swimming Pool

Resources for pool themes and ideas

Kids Pool Party Ideas

Pool Party Ideas for Older Kids and Teens

Pool Party Ideas for Kids – this is aimed at summer parties, but many of the games and décor ideas could be used for an indoor pool

Pool Side Party Ideas - themes

Pool Birthday Party – tons of ideas

Here are some invitations that are great for pool parties, too.

Thanks to M Connors for the pool photo from morguefile.com!

Click here to read more!

Christmas Party Ideas

Want to invite friends to celebrate the season with you? You can make your time special by planning ahead. This article by Julie Henry “Christmas Party Ideas” has some great suggestions. So do these 2 articles by Coral Nafie: “Plan a Memorable Christmas Party” and “Gearing Up for Holiday Guests.” This article, “Christmas Dinner Party Ideas” by Susan Crowley, has a variety of ideas.

The Invitations

Want a unique wording for your Christmas party invitation? What about using a quote about Christmas? Or a quote may inspire what you want to say. Here are some Merry Christmas Quotations for you.

Ideas for Children

Or maybe you want to plan a party for kids. Here are a few resources:

“Christmas Party Ideas For Kids” includes Christmas party games and ideas for a classroom or home party.
“Planning Your Child's Christmas Party” by Kimberly L. Keith
Christmas Party Ideas for Kids

My best advice for any party, is do as much prep as you can ahead of time so that you can enjoy the party, too!

Later this week I'll blog on Christmas games and activities. Click here to read more!

Company or Office Christmas and Holiday Parties

Now that Thanksgiving is over, our thoughts turn to Christmas. I’ll first start with some talk about work Christmas (or holiday) parties.

I’ve gone to company parties at museums (Museum of Natural History and Museum of Flight in Seattle), at convention centers, on board ship, private homes, and more. There’s been food, music, dancing, casinos (with play money and an end of evening auction to spend play money), prizes, photos, etc. Obviously, the bigger the party the sooner planning must begin. Top places can get booked as early as January. Bigger companies can obviously offer bigger more elaborate parties. Sometimes even in a big company, groups do their own special holiday gathering, such as a potluck lunch.

Here are a few resources for your party planning:

Company Christmas Party Planning and Ideas

International Social and Business Etiquette Quiz

Company Christmas Party Games

Christmas Office Party Games

Some of my favorite Christmas and Holiday invites from our site.
Christmas Cocoa Die Cut Fill-in pictured above
Rudolph
Peppermints
Pretty Packages
Ornament Distinction
Did you know you can order as few or as many as you want?

Even just one for the office bulletin board!

Click here to read more!

Thanksgiving Parties

Many of us celebrate Thanksgiving with family, but sometimes it’s nice to do a party, too. And, if you’re going to invite people who don’t know each other well, party games and activities can be fun mixers.

Here are some internet resources:

Thanksgiving Party Ideas from 123greetings.com

Be sure and scroll down as well as click on tabs to see all the offerings here.

Holiday Spot – Thanksgiving Party Ideas – check out the links, too.

How To Throw A Thanksgiving Party, Man Style

Kids often get to celebrate Thanksgiving at school or in clubs or church groups. Here are some resources specifically for kids parties:

Kid’s Thanksgiving Party Fun

Classroom Party Ideas

Kid’s Party Ideas

Crafts for Thanksgiving Classroom Parties

Thanksgiving Party Ideas for Kids from Holidaypartyideas.com – choose by age and/or by theme

Thanksgiving and Autumn Harvest Party

And if you need some invitations, check these out.

Click here to read more!

More ideas for invitation wording

How about starting with a movie quote?

Take this one from the The Godfather, "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse."
Change it into an invite:
I’m going to make you an offer you can’t refuse.
See you at my party next Friday, 7 pm.

What lines do you remember from movies? Play with them and see what you can come up with.

If you need movie quotes, at this site you can download 100!

If you want to continue with a movie theme for your party, this theater invitation could be fun. Click here to read more!

Help! What do I say?

Don’t know how to word an invite? Try a simple poem.

Some easy types are:

Cinquain – a short, unrhymed poem of five lines. The first line has 2 syllables. The 2nd 4. The 3rd 6. The 4th 8. And the last 2 again. Want more info? Here’s another method: http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/poetry5.html

Haiku – 3 (or fewer) lines of no more than 17 syllables total – go here for a good explanation on how to write one: http://haiku.cc.ehime-u.ac.jp/~shiki/Start-Writing.html

Light Verse – usually brief and humorous – check this site for more info: http://www.absolutewrite.com/specialty_writing/attempt_light_verse.htm

Limericks – you’ll probably remember these from your childhood – here’s a how to link: http://www.poetryamerica.com/Limerick.asp

Or change one.

Take a familiar poem and alter the last two lines:

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Sugar is sweet,
And so are you

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Party time, we said,
You’re invited, too!

If you want more info on writing poetry, go to this site: http://www.poetry4kids.com/

If you get frustrated trying to create your own, here are some poetry sources. Note: Poets really appreciate it if you give them credit for their poems—this protects their copyright. You can do so at the end of a poem or under the poems name.

http://www.funnypoets.com/

http://www.poemsforfree.com/

And, of course, we do have some suggested wording on our site. Just look up an invitation by the specific occasion and see if something appeals to you. Then match it up with the design you like best.

Here's an example of a fall or halloween poem on one of our invitations.

Click here to read more!