wrapping 101

I purchased a 'pull along puppy' from Phillips Toy Mart for Jack's 1st birthday party. The theme was dog days of summer, and from the pictures his mom sent, it looks like he had a blast! 

The pull puppy was challenging to wrap, with open sides on both the top and bottom. My solution was to secure the sides with thick stock cardboard paper, which I had leftover from some Epson paper packs. This gave the present the hard edges I needed to get crisp corners on the gift wrapping, while also preventing the paper from caving in on the sides. 

choosing an invitation

Invitations are often the first thing that get decided for a party. They generally set the tone for the celebration...whether to convey a mood (think dressy casual supper), define a theme (like the dog days of summer) or establish a color palette. That's why they can be one of the most exciting (and stressful) parts of party-planning! 

Some people set out to buy an invitation with an idea of what they are looking for. Others decide the direction of the party based on the chosen invitation. And for those crafty few with a very definite opinion(who don't mind spending some extra hours), they make their invitation! 

Amy's party already has a couple of key things established, including: 1) the 'where' (their house) and 2) the 'what' (dog days of summer 1 year old birthday party). Her son, Jack, is in love with their family dog, Otto, who is a dalmation-mix. My guess is that Amy will want to incorporate Otto into the celebration, and may even have him serve as the mascot! Since dalmations already come with a preset color palette (black and white...and often fire-engine red), it gives Amy an opportunity for an 'easy button' color scheme.

Above are some favorite choices for dog-themed celebrations. From top: bone-shaped paper clip (great for attaching a picture or directions), fire engine & dalmation invitation from meri-meri, tartan plaid invitation from stacy claire boyd, brown puppy-dog invitation from checkerboard, and a dalmation invitation from drenculture. 

 

dog days of summer

The hottest and muggiest part of the summer season is almost upon us! It's a perfect time of year to throw a dog days of summer party. A couple of years ago, I threw one for my yellow and black labs' birthdays. Really, it was just a good excuse for a party, but it was fun to make bone-shaped cookies, have their 'friends' over, and take some cute pictures of them.

Webster defines 'dog days' as:

1) the period between early July and early September when the hot sultry weather of summer usually occurs in the northern hemisphere

2) a period of stagnation or inactivity

What a perfect time of year to jazz things up and have some friends over! 

This year, my dear friend Amy is throwing a dog days of summer birthday party for her soon-to-be 1-year old, Jack. She is busy getting ready for this August event, and looking for some inspiration. I plan on dedicating this week, or at least part of it, to Jack's big day. Feel free to throw in your ideas as well! (And to my reader throwing a 'flea' birthday party...you must send in pictures soon).

For the story behind how 'dog days' came about, go to http://wilstar.com/dogdays.htm

I love finding out the meaning behind names, but if you're not interested, I won't bore you on this blog. More to come tomorrow...

Dog toy from Three Potato Four.