Party Crafts | A Joyful Riot

April 4, 2016

3 Simple Citrus Centerpieces

There is just something so fresh and inviting about all things citrus! Fruits are such a great party and dinner decoration alternative to florals and if you have a lot of space to decorate it is also much cheaper! At my wedding we had several large apothecary jars full of lemon and lines for extra decoration in our dining space. And it was so easy for us to do ourselves and much cheaper than paying the florist for 4 more large bouquets in the room. I actually started this project thinking of combining clementines with flowers but the stores I went to on Saturday did not have great floral options. So instead I decided to try a few options using just the fruit.

February 25, 2016

DIY Bubblegum Popup Invitations

When it comes to party invites, I generally err on the side of a flat, simple card that I can just get printed and sent. Our Etsy shop is full of that kind of invite and it’s easy and I love it! But, what I love even more is added texture and fun/surprising elements. The only reason I don’t usually include these kind of parts to my party invites is simply because of time and money constraints. But, today I’m sharing a solution to that problem! Easy, easy popup invites!

These invites aren’t complicated at all, in fact you simply use honeycomb balls, which you can find at any party supply store, to get the popup effect! No crazy steps or intricate paper crafting to get this amazing wow factor.

And, I’ve created printables already for you that are free to use. They feature an adorable little boy or a girl, use whichever suits your party needs, in a cute little vintage style. The simple black and white, sketched style makes the invite not seem overwhelming with too many details and can also be super cost effective to print, since they don’t need to include any color.

I am just so in love with these sweet little invitations and I’m pretty sure I’ll use them soon for some fun party! I wish I had while I was growing up because I swear bubble gum was like MY THING :D

You could even do a variation of these invites using a photo of the person being celebrated. I love the idea of actually loading in a picture and still adding the fun honeycomb pop up element! If you go this route, just get a full frontal picture, load it into a photo editing program on a document in either 8″x6″ size or 10″x7″ size, this will result in cards that can be folded into 4″x6″ or 5″x7″, respectively, and will make your life so much easier since those will then fit in common envelopes.

For the front, we also provide a simple free printable or you could add your own embellishments after you’ve printed it, it’s just up to you! I love the idea of having your child, if that’s who the party is for, write a to and from on the front in their own handwriting! Just do what works and what you like and have fun! To see all the steps and get some tips for where to get the materials and also to grab the free printables, head right here!

February 8, 2016

90’s Salt N’ Pepa “Push It” Valentines | Free Printable

I cannot believe Valentine’s Day is already this week, gah! How do all these holidays always come up so fast?!

We don’t go very overboard celebrating V Day at my house so I’m not stressed about it at all I’m just kind of sad because I had so many more of these 90’s lyric inspired Valentine ideas I wanted to share with you! Now there isn’t enough time to get them all in so I guess maybe next year?? Gosh, I hope the 90’s are still cool in 2017…

Even if they’re not, I couldn’t let this year pass without paying Valentine tribute to one of my very very fave 90’s hits, “Push It” by Salt N’ Pepa. This tune will never get old! It’s universal I tell ya! And even if it’s not, you know what is? Party poppers! EVERYBODY loves party poppers. We’ve been trying to include lots of non-candy Valentine ideas this year and this is probably my favorite just because it involves confetti! (psst…we did confetti popper valentines last year too!)

If, for some unimaginable reason, party poppers aren’t your thing (ok, I understand if a teacher may not appreciate these being given out in class…) then there are so many other ideas you could do! Baby bottle pops would be perfect, Hersey’s kisses, candy or wax lips, lip stickers, suckers (pops!), ETC!

So click through to get the free printable available at the end of the post!

January 30, 2016

Minimal DIY Gender Reveal Nesting Dolls

If you don’t know yet how I feel about gender reveal parties, the answer is AWESOME! Any excuse to throw a party is GREAT by us and I think gender reveals are the funnest little trend that has popped up in the last few years. Getting together with your loved ones, taking guesses, making lots of girl and boy themed decorations! I love it all! And I especially love the actual big reveal!! There are so many fun ways I’ve seen to make the announcement, confetti poppers, cake, silly string, but my new favorite has definitely got to be this DIY nesting doll idea.

Traditional Russian matryoshka dolls get a minimal coat of paint and the very last little one is blue or pink, depending on your expected little one’s gender! Don’t you always feel like when you’re opening nesting dolls, “When on earth is the last one going to come?! They can’t get any smaller!” ? Can you just image that anticipation building up more and more as all your loved ones get excited to see what new little babe they can welcome into the world?!

I just love the thought so much. PLUS it’s not messy like all of the ideas I just mentioned at the beginning of this post! AND (this just keeps getting better huh? :D ) you can then use the dolls for decor at the party, your baby shower and/or in your new baby’s room! I’ve just added these little guy’s to Stella’s room decor and I love them so much! I think I’m also going to get a bare set for my room cus I just love the unfinished wood look so much!

Click through for instructions!Continue Reading…

January 14, 2016

Simple Heart Backdrop

There are a lot of mixed feelings about Valentine’s Day and I totally get them but I think if you just think of it as celebrating love – and any type of love – it is actually quite a beautiful holiday. You should not focus on just romantic love or unrealistic expectations from your significant other (however…Greg if you are reading this I do still want tulips, thank you!) but focus on those around you that give you lasting joy and that you really love. And if you want to throw in a party or two, well of course we both support you in that! And we specifically support you by providing super easy party crafts like this one.

Right when I saw these heart shaped plates at Michael’s last weekend I knew they would be perfect for so many simple crafts. I decided to first use them for a super quick backdrop for Valentine’s Day treats! Just tape up the plates and you are good to go.

Paper heart plates //
Tape

1. Take plain tape and start putting up the plates in a design or simple grid like I chose. When you are done you have a great, high-impact backdrop!

How great of a photo booth backdrop would this make?! If you are celebrating with your significant other, how cute would it be to do a series of photos in front of these?