JULY 4TH BIKE HANDLE STREAMERS

Check out these bike handle streamers from Alpha Mom! They look fun and easy to make and would be the perfect decor for your bike parade!

SUMMER STYLE - SKIRTS

If you buy one skirt this summer, I think it should be this one. I adore this chevron stripe skirt from Old Navy. So much so that I stalked a woman wearing it at my daughter's dance recital all day on Sunday. We were always in a crowd so I never did get the chance to ask where she got it but imagine my surprise when I walked into Old Navy yesterday and there it was! (P.S. I never dreamed it was ON, definitely thought it was a much more expensive brand. It's that nice.) Super soft cotton, breezy and cool - add a tank and a jean jacket and you're good to go!

For other Summer Style finds, go here.

JULY 4TH BIKE PARADE!

Many thanks to Martha Stewart for placing my July 4th Bike Parade as #3 on her list of the top 21 Things to do this Summer! (psst...check back tomorrow for a free printable version of the invite)

One of our favorite party traditions is our annual bike parade to celebrate Independence Day. This tradition started one year when Pumpkin was in preschool. He was so distraught that we had to miss our town's celebration that we decided to plan our own. It was such a success that we held this event each year until Pumpkin and Petunia thought that they were too "old" to play. The good news is that Peanut will be riding a bike soon, so we can pick up our annual bike parades right where we left off. I am SO excited.

The photos used here are from our 2005 Bike Parade just because the kids are so little and cute and I love seeing photos of them as preschoolers. Of course, I was just snapping photos for memory's sake at the time so the party isn't documented perfectly, but I think you'll get a good sense of the spirit of the occasion and I'll get a chance to walk down memory lane.

The invitation for the bike parade really sets the tone for the event. We live on a small, quiet street, so we always hold the parade right at home, but a local park would be the perfect location for this celebration. I like to note on the invite that we will provide streamers and balloons and such to decorate the bikes but parents usually arrive with decorations of their own to share as well.

This particular year, one parent brought crown templates that she cut out of card stock large enough to fit around the children's helmets! I absolutely loved this idea and we used it every year after.

Once all the children arrive, we get right to embellishing the bikes in preparation for the big parade. As you can see, the moms enjoy this part just as much as the kids! Supplies to have on hand are red, white and blue streamers and ribbons, foam letters and stars to attach to card stock license plates, mini flags, balloons, shiny star garlands and some tape. Just take care to insure that the streamers and ribbons are attached firmly to the bike and do not hang down to interfere with pedals and wheel spokes and such.

Once the bikes are all decked out, it's time for lunch! We just spread out a few tablecloths on the lawn and have one big picnic.

Food for this event is beyond easy. I provide an assortment of star-shaped sandwiches and skewers of red, white and blue fruit kabobs (strawberries, apples, bananas and blueberries are perfect) and the other moms usually bring a few snacks to share as well.

After lunch, it's time for the main event. The bike parade!

The children put on their decked out helmets...

Jump on their patriotically adorned bikes...

And hit the road!

But I haven't told you the best part yet.

What would a parade be without music? And not just any music. That's right, we break out the bagpipes for this event!

No, not actual bagpipes played live at the parade (although, how cool would that be?). We fire up the ipod and speakers and blast the pipes as the children ride in formation up and down the street, neighbors on their doorsteps clapping and cheering as the procession passes. (Oh how I wish I had video of the big ride that could be uploaded here. You just don't get the full fabulous effect with a photo!)

After several laps up and down the street, the bikes are parked and red, white and blue rocket pops are enjoyed by all as they pose for one final photo in front of the flag. (The same photo in the same spot was taken year after year. I now feel the urge to display all these photos together this year as part of our July 4th decorations. I'll post back with what I come up with.)

I think I'll get Peanut on her tricycle tomorrow. Maybe we can beef up the pedals so she can reach - just in time for the 4th!

Note: The top photo is a shot of some indoor decorations that we always hang just in case party guests need to go inside. An abundance of these folded stars make a big impact and are easy as pie to make. Simple instructions found here.

SUMMER STYLE

How sweet are these gorgeous earrings for summer?
Even better, they're on sale. LOVE!

SUMMER! (FREE DOWNLOAD)

Thanks to a particularly harsh winter, summer does not officially launch for my crew for a couple more weeks but we have been rewarded for our patience with a glorious Memorial Day weekend and the beautiful weather appears to be sticking around all week! Woot!!!

So in the spirit of patience and sunshine, here is a summer banner that I whipped up to help you kick off your summer!

Download your copy of my Summer Beach Ball Banner below. (Just click on More and select Save or Print.)

If you would like a birthday version of the Beach Ball Banner, email me and I will create one for download, as well.

Beach Ball Banner

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Travel literature florida

Enjoy!

P.S. Scribd is not allowing me to link to this in my usual way so if you have problems downloading, please let me know!

PUMPKIN PETUNIA and STELLA & DOT - SPECIAL OFFER!

Offer extended through May 31st at midnight!!!

This weekend is not only the official beginning of summer, but it also launches party season!! With so many graduation parties, baby and bridal showers and birthday parties on the agenda, I'm here to help you all get ready in style! For the very first time, I am offering a joint special and I'm super excited about it!!! I hope you love it too!



Here's the deal! I'm going to help you get ready for those summer parties in more ways than one. First, get your style on with those must-have accessories to jazz up that summer wardrobe. You don't need a complete fashion makeover, just add some key jewelry pieces to your existing wardrobe and you're ready to go! Love that great dress from last summer but want to do something different? Accessorize it! When you do, Pumpkin Petunia will help you throw your own summer soiree - ON US!


Purchase $75 or more at Stella & Dot through this link and enter Pumpkin Petunia as your hostess (this is how we will identify that you qualify for this promotion) and receive TWO FREE SETS (that's 50 invitations!) of custom party invitations of your choice (retail value: $60). But the deal gets even better...



Purchase $100 or more of gorgeous jewelry from Stella & Dot (again through this link and entering Pumpkin Petunia as your hostess so we can identify your eligibility) and you will receive a COMPLETE CUSTOM PARTY PACKAGE (consisting of a set of party invitations, thank you notes and cupcake picks. Retail value: $90)!!



So get some gift-shopping done (think graduations, birthdays) or get something amazing just for you and score yourself some free party packages in the process! Pictured are just some of the designs available to choose from. We'll let you choose from absolutely any design or color scheme that we have available!

So go ahead and freshen up your wardrobe for party season and then get your party on with custom party packages on us!!! But act quickly - this offer is available this week only! It expires at midnight EST on Friday, May 27, 2011.

Fine print: All Stella & Dot orders are shipped immediately and arrive via priority mail in just 3-4 business days. Kindly allow three weeks for delivery of custom invites. Rush orders may be available but are not guaranteed; in short, we will do our best! Free party packages must be redeemed no later than December 31, 2011. If you wish to redeem the offer for custom Holiday cards, you will receive a credit for the value of the party package for which you qualified ($60 or $90). Holiday card orders must be placed no later than November 1st. For details on ordering your party supplies, email me here.

GRADUATION PARTY

It's almost that time again - graduations are just around the corner! Here is a recap of a party I designed for my niece and nephew a couple of years back (can't believe it - they're just home from their sophomore year of college!). You heard a bit about it here, and saw a bit of it here, but now is time for all the juicy details! This was a particularly fun party to put together because it was for two graduates, giving me a chance to have a bit of fun with the design. The two graduation caps on the invite are a good example of how we played off the fact that this was a party for both a boy and a girl graduate.

The graduate silhouettes used in the banner also played off this theme. I really loved this idea of using two silhouettes and the first invite that I designed played up this motif (seen below), but that design was vetoed by one of the graduates, making the double cap design next in line for consideration. It was their party, after all! (don't you just hate when the honorees have an opinion?!?) Luckily, I was able to sneak the silhouettes into other aspects of the party.

See. Cute, right?

If you haven't guessed, the graduates' school colors are blue and white which became the obvious palette for the decor. The dark blue and light blue worked well with the design for both a male and female graduate. I loved how the water bottles looked all lined up in the fridge.

Because the weather for the day was questionable, my sister decided to move the party indoors. This caused a few moments of panic as much of the decor planned for the tent would not work indoors, but a last minute banner and some other small details worked wonders to create the look we were hoping for indoors. The menu signs were very well received by the guests for their playful practicality.

For dessert, we served a cookie bar along with the cake and some fun, personalized M&M's. I just couldn't resist the idea of a sign that said 2 Smart Cookies!

The Class of 2009 whoopie pie flags were pretty darn cute too. Cellophane bags with coordinating labels were provided for the guests to take some treats home as well.

My favorite project, by far, for my niece and nephew's graduation was definitely the photo montage dvd that was created using iPhoto, iTunes and iDVD. These applications worked beautifully together to make this project really easy to do and super fun. I loved going through all of the photos of the graduates and reminiscing about their lives and all of their wonderful accomplishments. The DVD was shown over and over throughout the day for family and friends and the guests of honor even enjoyed watching it time and again and playing it for their friends. I was just happy to have chosen songs that were not considered dorky and uncool by the high school crowd! (for your reference so you can be as hip as I, the songs were "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield and "Time of Your Life" by Just Jinger)

For favors for the girls, Petunia and I made up cute little flip flops using a similar technique to the tissue poms that we love to make so much. You'll never guess what we used to make the poms to insure they would be water proof. I'll post a tutorial later in the week to fill you in on all the details of this fun project. The flip flops were displayed in my nephew's wrestling gym bag just to play down the girly factor a bit. I loved the contrast of how they looked in this old, beat up bag.

Despite the sketchy forecast, the day turned out perfect. After a fabulous party and tons of fun, the final detail: thank you notes.

It was an absolute pleasure helping to put this party together for my adorable niece and nephew. I am so proud of all of their wonderful accomplishments but even more so of the incredible people they have become. Congratulations Philip and Kayla! XOXO