Here’s to a COLORFUL school year! 

A colorful back-to-school collaboration

We can’t contain our excitement, as it’s nearly time for school again! In order to get the kids as enthusiastic as we are, we decided to throw them a colorful back-to-school party. First we started with a wall sign, colorful balloons, and an amazing sweets table. 

   

The kids activity table was set up with personalized pencil cases and water bottles on top of coloring sheets serving as placemats. Next, they each were given custom T-shirts to wear as good-luck pajamas for the night before their first day. A cute tradition to start is a first day of school interview. For example, you can create your own questions or get a free printable list online. Keep it somewhere safe! It’s fun to read it again at the end of the year. 

 

The final activity was loads of fun: a school supply scavenger hunt! We hid all the essential supplies around the house with clues, and set the kids running to fill their backpacks. The kids felt so proud as they read the clues and figured out where to go next. 

   

Finally, as you prepare for their first day, be sure to send them off with four things: 

  • A good joke. Here’s a simple one:

Q. What’s the king of all school supplies?

A. The ruler!

  • A survival kit for their new teacher filled with fun treats. 
  • A sweet note to remind them how amazing and brave they are. This ruler cookie will do the trick! 
  • A giant hug.

Rachel Hunter is the owner of Celebrate You Events, offering bespoke party planning for all occasions.

She can be reached at (305) 389-0550 or CelebrateYou2020@gmail.com.

For information on any of these activities, contact the following:

  • Rachel from Celebrate You Events (IG: @celebrate.you.events) — concept creation, party styling, and activities
  • Alex from Hullaballoon (IG: @thehullaballoon) — custom balloon arch
  • Claudia from Claumellows (IG: @claumellows) — custom cookies
  • Kim and KJ from Tis the Season Favors (IG: @tistheseasonfavors) — personalized pencil cases and teacher survival kit
  • Miriam from City Girl Sweet Shop (IG: @citygirlsweetshop) — custom cake and cupcakes
  • Nicole from Luv My Creations (IG: @luvmycreations) — custom T-shirts and personalized water bottles.

Go for the Gold! – An Olympic Collaboration

Go for the Gold! - An Olympic Collaboration

Five years in the making, the rescheduled 2020 Summer Olympic in Tokyo are (at the time of print) set to forge ahead on July 23rd. We cannot wait to see the amazing physical feats that these athletes perform and cheer on Team USA! We created this Opening Ceremony party to help build the excitement, and show some creative hosting ideas and family activities. 

Go for the Gold! - An Olympic Collaboration

The fun is in the details. From torch cupcakes to Olympic Rings cookies to food in the five Olympic colors. We made it bright, colorful, and easy thanks to some talented local bakers and crafters, and a quick trip to Trader Joe’s. 

                 Go for the Gold! - An Olympic Collaboration

For the adults, we created a signature cocktail called Go for the Gold (2 parts bourbon, 1 part freshly squeezed lemon, 1 part honey syrup – 100% delicious!). Dipping the glasses in honey and Olympic-colored sugars makes them extra festive, and custom-made Olympic Rings stir sticks topped off the look. We made a flag game to test how worldly our friends were. Simply choose 26 flags and assign them a letter. Then have your guests try to match them to the correct country name. Be sure to throw some obscure ones in there to really test them!

Kids love a good contest, and when gold medal cookies are the prize they get really excited! We set up a basketball station, a golf station and had swimming races. We ordered temporary tattoo flags to make it really authentic. 

Whatever sport you tune into, whatever country you cheer for, we can all be united in this historical sporting event.

Enjoy, stay safe, and GO TEAM USA!

For information on any of these activities contact:

Rachel from Celebrate You Events (IG: @celebrate.you.events) – Concept creation, party styling, activities & fringe banners

Lindsay from ARCH the Party Co. (IG: @archtheparty) – Balloons & helium bundles

Daniela from Tulle & Tools (IG: @tulleandtools) – Cupcake torches & mini cake

Ana from AO Craft Décor (IG: @aocraftdecor) – Hanging Olympic Rings & acrylic stir sticks

Crystal from Riley Black Designs (IG: @rileyblackdesigns) – Custom acrylic cone stand, flame cake & cupcake toppers

Melissa from That Girl in Pink Bakery (IG: @thatgirlinpinkbakery) – Custom cookies

Let’s Fiesta! – A Cinco de Mayo collaboration

Let’s Fiesta! – A Cinco de Mayo collaboration

By Rachel Hunter

Owner of Celebrate You Events offering bespoke party planning for all occasions.

Tel: 305.389.0550

CelebrateYou2020@gmail.com

While Cinco de Mayo originated as an historic battle won in the city of Puebla, Mexico, here in the US, it has become a celebration of Mexican heritage. So, grab your sombreros and get ready to party! Here are some family-friendly ideas to liven up your hump day.

A few days before the holiday, get the kids involved in creating the decorations. The local dollar store has tons of seasonal, inexpensive crafts. Make them together, or give them the tools and enjoy a few minutes of downtime. (Wishful thinking, I know!)

On the actual day, I like to set up a festive kids table with more activities. Don’t put the Easter eggs away just yet! Save a few for them to make their own maracas. Simply have them put dried beans inside the egg, grab a couple spoons and secure the egg in the spoons with some colorful tape. They’ll enjoy decorating them as well as dancing around afterwards with their new musical instrument. I also found a free, downloadable Cinco de Mayo themed “I Spy” for them to play. Throw in some adorable avocado cookies, and you’ll have some happy kids!

While the kids are busy with their crafts, make yourself a well-earned margarita. Instead of a salted rim try using Tajin for extra bite. Order food from your favorite Mexican restaurant, or whip up some quick fajitas like we did. But be sure to treat yourself to some almost-too-cute-to-eat sweets like these festive cookies and stunning cakes. Believe me, these coconut lime cactus cupcakes will not disappoint.

 

Stay safe and enjoy your Cinco de Mayo!

 

For information on any of these activities contact:

Rachel Hunter of Celebrate You Events (IG: @celebrate.you.events) – Concept creation, party styling & banners

Kelley Jomant of Caked with Love by Kelley Inc (IG: @cakedwithlovebykelleyinc) – Custom cakes

Ana Ortiz of AO Craft Décor (IG: @aocraftdecor) – Extra-large paper flowers

Claudia Ovalle of Claumellows (IG: @claumellows) – Custom cookies

Crystal Aguila of Riley Black Designs (IG: @rileyblackdesigns) – Custom signs & acrylic lime wedges

Can you catch a leprechaun?

St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Wednesday this year, so why not liven up hump day with these fun kid-tested activities? It’s easy to create a festive experience while still practicing COVID safety.

Start the morning with rainbow necklaces! Grab some yarn, tape, and your favorite colorful cereal and get those fine motor skills working. Tape one of the ends to make it easier to thread the O’s. The kids can wear, eat, and enjoy. If you’re lucky they’ll make one for you too!

Spread some joy. My kids love to leave surprise treats for their friends and neighbors. I found some inexpensive containers for them to fill with gold nuggets and printed off festive tags. It is a great excuse to hop on their bikes and get some exercise while delivering these small gifts.

The grand finale is a leprechaun scavenger hunt! The kit includes the clues, a hiding cheat sheet for the parents, and a pack of gold cookie “coins” as the treasure. The clues are simple and offer great reading and problem-solving practice. Hide the clues all around the house to get your kids running around. The sheer joy and sense of accomplishment as they find each clue will make your heart melt, and I think it makes the treasure taste even better.

Stay safe and Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

For information on any of these activities contact:

Rachel Hunter of Celebrate You Events (@celebrate.you.events) – Party styling, scavenger hunt kit & banners

Amanda Fletcher of Cookies by Amanda (@cookiesbyamanda) – Scavenger hunt kit & Cookies

Daniela Herrera of Tulle & Tools (@tulleandtools) – Cake pops

Maribel Giraldo from Designs for You (@maribel_designsforyou) – Balloon garland

LOVE YOU TO PIECES- A Valentine’s Collaboration

This Valentine’s Day is going to be different for our kids, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be special. What has been reinforced these past 11 months is that what our children want most is quality time with us. Here are a few fun, easy, and inexpensive activities you can do together.

First, set the scene with bright colors. We used pink, peach, white, and marigold. When the kids saw their Valentine’s craft station they immediately got excited and wanted to participate. To make it extra  make sprinkle rimmed paper cups for their juice by dipping them into corn syrup and then sprinkles.

We started with a puzzle craft. Simply spray paint the pieces different colors beforehand, and the kids can glue them onto a heart shape. I printed off small banners that said “I love you to pieces”, and then hung them up with ribbon once dry.

Supplies:
Inexpensive puzzle
Spray or acrylic paint
Tacky glue
Heart shape
Printed banner
Ribbon

The highlight for the kids was making, and then devouring, the DIY cake pops. The kits come with pre-made cake shapes, chocolate, sprinkles, and sticks. They are super easy to make and my kids loved making them! Of course, half the sprinkles ended up in their mouths or on the floor, but it’s guaranteed to put a smile on your children’s faces too.

Stay safe and Happy Valentine’s Day!

Party styling and fringe banner by Rachel Hunter of Celebrate You Events (@celebrate.you.events)

Balloon garland by Yadi Baker of Bria Styles Balloons (@briastylesballoons)

Puzzle sign and heart shapes by Crystal Aguila of Riley Black Designs (@rileyblackdesigns)

Cake pop kits by Daniela Herrera of Tulle & Tools (@tulleandtools)