Host an Awesome Drive-By Baby Shower

Plan A Drive-By Baby Shower Ideas

by Liz Grisham and Carmen Lopez

Honk If You're Having A Baby!

Having a Baby Shower is part of the excitement when becoming new parents. With the Corona virus and Stay-At-Home order in place around the world, many of these special celebrations are being canceled. Unfortunately, pregnancies cannot be rescheduled. These are milestones that need to be celebrated because we will never get them back. 

From drive-by celebrations to virtual ones, people around the world are getting creative on ways to continue the celebrations. Drive-By Baby Showers won't replace traditional ones, but they will make the expecting parents feel loved. Read on to discover how to plan the ultimate Drive-By Baby Shower Parade. 

How or Where to Set Up?

Depending on the neighborhood and if you have a driveway available, set a time and date for friends and family to line up their cars and drive by your house. If you are living in an apartment complex, schedule a meet up at an empty parking lot where you can wave at your guests from afar. It could be a church lot or school parking lot. Decorate your driveway or car trunk with balloons and garland. Grab a chair, kick back and be ready to feel the love as friends and family greet you with honks and cheers. 

Layout some fun printable games like baby bingo and baby word scramble, and your guests can fill them out or take home to play together virtually through a Livestream. You can find some fun baby shower printables at The Spruce. 

We can't forget the gifts, so make sure to set up a spot for guests to drop off gifts.

Expectant mothers are not only anticipating the arrival of their little ones, but they are panicking about being prepared for their little love. The stores are bare, and necessities have become hard to find at times. Help the mom-to-be stock up on essentials such as diapers, wipes, sanitizer, and food, so everyone is staying safe at home

Shower Me With Love Baby Shower Parade

How many can say they've had a parade for their baby shower? Not many!

Getting all loved ones involved by having them decorate their cars for a drive-by parade is an exciting way to celebrate in these crazy times. Your loved ones will be even more excited to drop off their gifts when they get to see the visuals you have been spending hours planning on Pinterest. Get everyone even more involved by holding a fun prize for the winner of the best-decorated car, and it will make their drive-by appearance feel even more special! Gift cards make for good prizes and will be easy to mail out to the winners. They are also a great way to support your local businesses at this time. 

How To Plan A Drive-By Baby Shower or Parade

Here is a quick rundown of how to get it done!

• Start Planning Your Party at LYFETYMES -It’s a FREE Party Planning and Free Guest Websites for all thing parties.

• No more Paper Invites or boring e-invitations-Create your Free Party Website to text/email to guests to RSVP to your party, you can add a virtual party link, so all they have to do click and party with you! Add a Picture or Video to capture guests’ attention!

• Title Your Party “Drive-By Baby Shower” Make the location of your party your house and explain in the comments section of your Website guests should drive by the location.

• Add an easy registry link for guests to buy gifts to drop off at your door! Including a registry is a great way to get what you want and need.

• Have a “Drop Station” and decorate it so they know. Fun to add yard signs, balloons, decorate a porch, add garage door banners, or decorate your front door.

• Set up your social distance spot, where you can wave, say hello, and thank them

• Get Your Guests involved- have a contest of best-decorated car, sign or custom.

• Video yourself opening gifts or host a Virtual Gift Opening Happy Hour so guests can enjoy seeing you open gifts.

Hosting a Drive-By Baby Shower probably wasn't what you pictured your celebrations were going to be like, but it's a great way to overcome the circumstances. Nothing will make you feel more showered with love then your friends and family making time and coming out of their shelters to celebrate your growing family.

Need Help Planning a Drive-By Shower or Parade, visit our LYFETYMES Vendor Marketplace or plan for free at LYFETYMES.com

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The At Home & Virtual Quarantine Survival Guide

How To Celebrate In 2020

by Liz Grisham and Katie Cunningham

Celebrations both large and small have been canceled or postponed that was planned for the Spring and Summer, which are the most popular Seasons for major milestone life events such as Weddings, Showers and Graduations. Not only has this interrupted these important life events friends and family had looked forward to, but the entire event infrastructure we use to help us with these Celebrations mostly made up of small businesses, have been severely impacted.

Many of us have considered canceling a Birthday Party, Baby Shower, Graduation Party, etc that are coming up in the next few weeks or months due to Social Distancing related to COVID-19. This may seem like a realistic approach to celebrating “when this is over” leaving some very disappointed kiddos, graduates, and moms to be, but the Leading Physiological Experts say this does more damage than good.

Take Your Party Medicine

It’s important to revisit why we celebrate milestones in the first place and the positive emotional effects brought forth by continuing it. It is not just important for our children, but there are major benefits that we as adults can benefit from celebrating.

According to social psychology researcher Fred Bryant and others, when we stop to savor the good stuff, we buffer ourselves against the bad and build resilience—and even mini-celebrations can plump up the positive emotions which make it easier to manage the daily challenges that cause major stress. Which is so important for all of us right now.

When we have something to look forward to or look ahead to something worth celebrating, we feel more optimistic, according to research led by Hadassah Littman-Ovadia.

Dr. Allen Schwartz states:  In my opinion, as a therapist, mental health worker, and human being, these (Celebrations) things are not only not childish, but are extremely important. These celebrations are markers of achievements in our lives and the celebrations to recognize or remember these events help to reinforce to each of us our significance as unique individuals. Perhaps the most important celebration of all is the birthday because it demarcates our arrival on this earth.

Traditions and celebrations surrounding birthdays are important for other, deeper reasons, too, and are a “special – and necessary – part of childhood,” says Heather Ulrich, Ph.D., child, and family psychologist in Asheville.

“Children come to depend on these events for consistency and continuity in their lives and birthdays, in particular, provide unique benefits for children cognitively, socially and for parent-child relationships,” says Ulrich, who is also an assistant professor of psychology at UNC Asheville and the parent of two girls, ages 4 and 7.

“Celebrating a child’s birthday allows parents to demonstrate the joy and love they have due to the addition of that child to our world (and the family),” says Ulrich. “Sharing special experiences and creating memories enhances the bond and security between parent and child, and increased secure attachment has lasting effects on a child's self-esteem, development, behavior, and emotions.”

Celebrating a child's birthday every year helps them to understand “the growing up process of aging each year and assists them in understanding what each age means and its developmental significance,” says Ulrich. “It’s not the party or elaborate celebration that matters; it’s the focus on the individual child for that day and a focus on their new age and development.”

Neuroscience on https://www.psychologytoday.com/ explains what impacts by having positive celebrations can have on emotions:

• Celebration Conversations elevate the level of such “feel good” chemicals like oxytocin and the endorphins—neuropeptides produced in the central nervous system. Their release into our system gives us a sense of well-being.

  • Serotonin that is boosted by cheering and pleasant conversations is widely known for increasing motivation and can even transform stress into success. 

  • When you celebrate, endorphins are released inside your body and you feel incredible. When you accomplish something and don't take the time to celebrate, you are robbing yourself of an important feeling that reinforces your success.

  • Conversely, if you fail to celebrate, you are training your brain that what you are doing isn't all that exciting and important. Simply put, the lack of celebration will lead to a feeling of emptiness lower our self-esteem over time.

So What in the Confetti do we do?

There are still many ways to still celebrate with your friends and family and put on the best celebration possible in 2020 you can give them while at home during quarantine and engaging in social distancing. Whether it is a Virtual Party, At-Home Party, Drive-by Party, or Hybrid of them all, we have gathered some innovative ways to celebrate the moments that matter most.

Virtual At-Home Party: Great for Birthdays and Baby Showers

Most commonly, you will physically be with less than 10 people, most likely people that live in your home only, and having friends and family join virtually. You can still decorate, open presents, have party activities, etc. You may want to move things traditionally at the end of a party to the front- So start with singing Happy Birthday, Blowing Out Candles, opening gifts, that way if people cant stay they at least get the big highlight!

Do a Drive-By: Great for Birthday Celebrations

Even though we’re social distancing, that doesn't mean you can't get into your car! Deck out your car with balloons and signs then drive by your friends or family’s house. Tell them to look outside and start singing "Happy Birthday" when they come out to look! The extra thought, time and attention decorating your car will make anyone smile.

Trunk Party! Great for Graduation and Baby Showers

The way this works is you have a specified time and date at your house, you turn your vehicle around or put up a table and friends get out of their car (one at a time) and drop off the gift and set it in the trunk or leave on the table. We have many vendors that offer services that set up some amazing banners and balloon displays in the front yard. You can say hi and wave from a socially safe place.

Virtual Major Moments- Great for Proposals, Gender Reveal, Sip and See’s, and College Admissions

These are intimate feel-good moments that people are going to love to attend. We will celebrate more of them than ever because we want to connect even more with friends and family, as these are the precious memories that will bring smiles. These can last around 15-30 minutes, decorate a cute backdrop and have confetti bomb ready!

Hosting a Successful Virtual Party

At Home & Virtual Parties can be fun, but if you want it to be as successful as possible, then it does require some planning and effort. Here is a quick rundown of how to get it done!

• Start Planning Your Party at LYFETYMES -It is a free one-stop-shop for all thing parties.

• No more Paper Invites-Create your Free Party Website to text/email to guests to RSVP to your party, you can add a virtual party link, so all they have to do click and party with you!

• Add an easy registry link for guests to send gifts to your door! Including a registry is a great way to receive cash or gifts directly.

• Determine where in the house, backyard, or space you will use for the party, a fun backdrop can be great for gift opening, a central focus of the room for photos.

• Determine Theme and Decor and order to your door ahead of time there are a ton of delivery solutions, like yard signs, food, cake, and balloons that can be dropped outside your door. We are obsessing over Hero parties where they dress as our Front line Hero’s reinforcing how critical these roles are in our community.

• Make a mental agenda, especially for your video call - make sure you have put some thought into the call- the last thing you want is a boring virtual party!

What will be your first Virtual Celebration?

So At-Home and Virtual Parties can still be festive and engaging. It does not just have to be a Face-time call, you can make it as memorable as you want and it is important to celebrate those milestones and recognize they have been accomplished. You can plan for free at LYFETYMES or if you don’t have the time or non-technical, head to the LYFETYMES Vendors Marketplace to find a party stylist or wholesale goods to help plan and style your entire party at an affordable price.

How to Throw An At-Home Easter Shell-ebration

Throw an Easy At-Home Easter Party In 2020

by Lata Singh and Liz Grisham

You don’t need to bend over backward to throw a great Easter Party!

Here at LYFETYMES, we will be sharing some easy DIY Easter Planning options and services that can help you plan the party, decor, food, activities, Easter Baskets and create a Virtual Party for friends and family to join.

It’s not the size of the Celebration, it’s who you Celebrate with- Get your “Peeps” together!

Although 2020 has put many celebrations on hold or TBD. At LYFETYMES, we are committed to helping friends and family connect and celebrate. Having the ability to maintain those traditions we cherish with the family is important so we are all learning to adapt to how we celebrate because some milestones and Holidays can’t or won’t be rescheduled.

Stay Close, Even When You're Apart

Great news, is you can still throw a great At-Home party or celebration even if it is smaller than a usual gathering. We've made it super easy to create and share Virtual Parties on LYFETYMES, The All-In-One Party Planner, with free Celebration Websites that you can SMS, email, and share on Facebook. Stay connected and get the word out about your Virtual Party on Zoom, or live events on Facebook Live and YouTube Live.

Stay Close, Even When You're Apart

A virtual Easter party is a perfect opportunity to invite family and friends to celebrate, share well wishes and most importantly connect with one another.

Whether you are having a small At-Home Easter Celebration, a virtual party or both, Easter is the perfect excuse to have a party.

Delicious brunch food, Easter-filled baskets, lavish flowers, bright colors, fun crafts and games, and dare we say, undecided weather. As any good planner or mom knows, throwing a celebration to remember isn't as simple as waving your magic wand.

Pulling off an Egg'stra special party requires thoughtful arrangement, some thoughtful food prep, creative decorations and yep, even some crafty party games and activities to keep everyone, including antsy toddlers, entertained! After all, there's so much more to a Hoppy Easter Party than the bunny hop. The Egg'stra Special has distinctive details, like amusing centerpieces, activities that go way beyond color me happy, thoughtful take-home gifts, and elevated table decor. 

Is your head Hippity Hoppity yet?

Deep breath—we've got you covered.

Whether you have a small gathering or a big virtual family affair, throwing an Easter party is no small task. You can DIY and plan with our amazing free party planning tools on LYFETYMES or head to the LYFETYMES Vendor Marketplace for help planning, and styling your event. For the family & friends that can’t attend in person, LYFETYMES makes it easier to plan your event from curating decor, customizing your party website, and getting all of your virtual party links set up, so you can easily live-stream the kids’ Easter egg hunt and share it later when the day comes!

EGGS-Cellent Easter Decor

Decorations and FUN are key to a viewing party and keeping viewers engaged so they’re not just witnessing the third meltdown over stolen cake. Gorgeous shimmer walls, garland, balloons, and fun activities like watching the kids put together their carrot balloon animals and partaking in the traditional Easter egg hunt will be sure to put a smile on the faces of all your family and friends viewing. One of our party experts’ favorites are the Hoppity Easter Balloon Garland below and can be purchased here.

We also love these small budget-friendly at-home party sets designed by local artists for up to 10 people. We have a number of easy At-Home Party Sets that can be sent directly to your front door.

At- Home Easter Activities

We wanted to share and show some of our favorite indoor and backyard activities for Easter that the kids are sure to enjoy and make great memories.

One of the most popular traditional family Easter activities is the Easter egg hunt.  These days, it's the perfect excuse to get outside and use a little creativity! Plot a hunt that’s small-but-spirited for the little ones and if you are having a virtual party, keep your viewers engaged by allowing them to participate as well.

Setting up a kids station to keep the little ones occupied while the adults have a bit of time to catch up, allows you to get some screen time for yourself. Stocking it with activities like Easter arts and crafts and egg painting will keep the little ones busy. Studies show that slime has been linked to stress relief, so why not set up a slime- friendly station where the kids can make their own Easter-inspired slime. Below are some great visual ideas of activities for a fun-filled Easter.

Now let’s get comfy and grab some wine! Whether you prefer the Innovative digital party planning tools on LYFETYMES or prefer to collaborate 1:1 with your Hostessy party expert, we are here every step of the way to help organize everything you need, making preparing for Easter stress-free!

How To Throw The Ultimate At-Home Mother's Day Bash

How To Celebrate Mother’s Day 2020

by Liz Grisham

New Ways To Celebrate Mom’s

2020 sure has a way of making us think outside the box! Here at LYFETYMES we have come up with some exciting, creative ways you can still celebrate Mother’s Day with all the #momboss’s out there.

So kick back, relax, and enjoy all those hilarious Cardi Corona videos while we take care of some innovative ideas to still celebrate mom if celebrating from home.

We often scramble to find gifts or appreciation for mom and usually can get her out to a planned Friends Brunch, Spa Day, or big family gathering celebrating several moms. Unfortunately, most of those options are off the table at the time where we are reminded why moms are the glue that holds it all together for us. But the bright side is this; mom only cares about the thought you put into how you celebrate her.

Mimosas With Moms!  A Virtual Happy Hour!

First, Let’s discuss the most important thing all hard working mama’s need right about now. The bubbly!

A mimosa bar is perfect for your Mother’s Day celebration and is perfectly acceptable before noon (some little light-hearted emoji face to enhance the haha?) Whether your taste buds become electrified at the drop of Prosecco or some vintage Dom Perignon be fully stocked with the bubbly without even leaving lockdown.

A DIY mimosa bar complete with all the makings for the perfect mimosa is perfect to get the celebration rolling. Be sure to stock up on plenty of chilled and bubbly sparkling wine, juices and fruits.

Now is the time to be adventurous with your taste buds since the options on the shelves are thin. Apart from the traditional OJ, pick up some other flavors such as Pomegranate, Pineapple and Mango juice to keep the options rolling. Mimosa’s are not complete if they’re not served with some delicious fresh fruit like raspberries and blackberries.

Mimosas are best served chilled, without ice so you’ll want to be sure your champagne is kept cold. Using a carafe and a beverage tub will do the trick along with some champagne flutes that will round up the essentials. Add a beautiful balloon garland and you have a celebration space for some great photos.

I would bet that the majority of us moms pretty much know the basics of making a great mimosa, so let me get down to how you can experience Mother’s day safely with your squad. 

Livestream The Party

Invite Mom’s close friends and family to a live stream party, so they can have a mimosa and catch up! The goal is to have this organized ahead of time and surprise mom! Nothing stops you from decorating a space as her backdrop with pictures, decor or “I love You Mom” signs to show off a bit. And please, take the kid’s in the other room and really give her some time and space to enjoy herself. You can purchase adult and kid’s size here. Be sure to adorn mom with an adorable crown for her virtual party!

A beautiful Mother’s Day Brunch

After wowing mom with such a thoughtful virtual party, it is a perfect time to move to a wonderful brunch. Good news, GrubHub, etc exists so you don’t have to go far to get her favorite meal. Decorate it easily with our beautiful party sets to transform your table setting.

Gifts

Remember, this state of our lives is not forever and we really need to support our small businesses. So consider purchasing gift cards for products or services for a future date from your local small business owner's mom loves to visit.

Head to LYFETYMES to begin planning the ultimate mother’s day event. LYFETYMES makes party planning easier from creating your customizable party website, keeping track of your RSVP’s, Creating and adding your gift registry or cash fund link for your guests to easily access, to sending out your invitation via SMS, and more.

For help planning and styling your Mother’s Day event check out the LYFETYMES Vendors Marketplace to find everything you need.

Times are uncertain but one thing we can always count on is our loved ones to come together when we need them the most. With decor to drool for, sharing memories, laughs, and love all come together seamlessly for an unforgettable Mother’s Day.

2020 Party Trends By Top Party Planners

At LYFETYMES, you could say we love all things parties. And you'd be right. We love collaborating with the latest and greatest party planners and stylists on the hottest trends in 2020!

Cake and Confetti

Meredith Timms Staggers is the face behind Cake and Confetti predicts Unconventional Parties as major trends. A Star Wars Baby Shower? YEEEESSS!

Roz Schlumpf of Poptarts and Peonies predicts Charcuterie Boards and Dessert Boards will be a major trend in 2020.

Fun and Confetti

Party Stylist and Decor Maveens Myri and Isabel of Fun and Confetti predict Fringe as a trendsetter in 2020!

Coterie Party

Coterie Party is an amazing, innovative Party Supplier founded by Sara and Linden who are Expert Party Stylists. 2020 Party Trend Prediction From Celebrity Party Stylist & Co-Founder Sara Raffa, @coterieparty “Party favors have changed a lot over the years and I think we'll see this continue into 2020. In the past, kids used to get a bag filled with a bunch of candy and random toys that they'll play with once and then never touch again. We're seeing more and more parents buy one bigger and more practical item to give to the kids, like a fun personalized lunchbox or a favorite book. Similarly, for adult parties, hosts tend to prioritize practicality and sometimes even chose to skip the gift altogether. We see hosts choosing to donate to a charity in lieu of party favors, or just skip them altogether. At my wedding, for example, I skipped the favor that most people would've tossed when they had to travel home the next day, and instead put the money I saved to create really fun and delicious welcome bags that people could enjoy leading up to our wedding.

Glamfetti

Tiffany From Glamfetti predicts Balloon Garlands will continue to be huge but adding dimension to a garland will be all the rage and more acceptable in wedding adorned with Greenery .

Birds Party

Prediction from Celebration Expert & Party Stylist Bird @birdsparty
Grazing Tables and we agree and love it! It’s an innovative buffet with a new twist and wow factor.

Blissed Events

Metallics and pampas are on Blissed Events Event and Party Stylist Elizabeth’s radar for 2020!

Just Add Confetti

The party animal in all of us will continue from prehistoric, to farm to safari!

LYFETYMES

LYFETYMES predicts PERSONALIZED NEON signs will be huge in 2020, especially at the milestone events.

LYFETYMES Party Planning Site

We also floral will continue to be a huge trend and be incorporated into backdrops, balloon garlands, and decor.

Go to LYFETYMES to plan your next big bash for free!

LYFETYMES: Why it's The New Way to Plan a Party in 2020

Here’s a little backstory of why LYFTYMES was created.

I volunteered to plan my close friend’s baby shower; I figured I'd crush it. I’ve been the right-hand gal supporting huge corporate organizations in many roles for years. If I could do that, how hard could it be?

So when it came time to start planning, I started with what everyone does. I pulled out my laptop and entered:

"How to plan a baby shower."

"Tools to plan a baby shower."

"I need help planning a baby shower."

I kept getting printable checklists, helpful blogs, and great articles. There were plenty of pictures and inspiration, but I could not find an end-to-end website for all things party outside of weddings.

I went through the same thing planning my niece's graduation party (and let me promise you one thing, you do not want to screw up a teenage girl’s party). I was running around like a crazy person, trying to divide and conquer with co-hosts, worried sick it wouldn’t be the guest of honor’s vision, or I would forget something important.

I was so stressed over it and a full-time job working mom with little time.

I love to celebrate life’s milestones or just throw a party on the weekend, just because. My fondest memories are from these moments, and I hope there are many more.

But as I sat at my computer and thought of everything that needed to be done for my friend’s baby shower, I knew it should not be full of pain points—a baby shower should be full of joy and most of all, fun!

That's why I decided enough was enough, and LYFETYMES was created.

LYFETYMES is a free, fun, DIY website that is easy to use for any celebration or party. It's like having a personal party planner. It’s great for baby showers, birthday parties, bridal showers, graduation parties, holiday get-togethers, or ANY occasion. LYFETYMES has you covered, no matter what you are celebrating!

When you join our party, you will have access to powerful tools like:

• Celebration Dashboard

  Easily to read dashboards to keep track of important information and updates, including countdown clocks.

• Free Sharable Party Website to share celebration details with guests and gather RSVPS

• Invitation Station

  Build easy email, mailing and texting lists(coming next month), import previous guest lists or from your contacts, send invites and track RSVPs and the numbers of attendees. Great for Save the Dates & Thank You notes. Email & message co-Hosts and guests party updates.

• Inspiration Boards

  Upload and share your favorite pictures to capture or inspire your vision for decor, cakes, themes, etc.

• Vendor & Venues

  Your “party motherboard” of all the things you may need for a party all in one place!

• Registry & Gift Board

  Create wish lists or add registry URL’s that can be shared with guests or begin a new registry with your favorite store.

• Planning & Tools

  Interactive checklists, add and track to-do’s, assign tasks and due dates. Assign your celebration a budget and track spending.

• Food, Drink & Dessert Center

  It’s the center of every celebration! You can order catering, book a restaurant, order food delivery or DIY grocery lists – it’s all in one place!

• Decoration Center

  Browse decorations based on the occasion, purchase from top suppliers or get inspiration for your celebration!

• Include the Guest of Honor

  Are you hosting for someone? Maybe graduation or baby or bridal shower? No problem, with LYFETYMES you can send your guest of honor a link to help personalize the celebration with a limited view (so you don’t give all the details away!) to help with invites or provide registry information or theme favorites.

• Guest View

  Guests will be able to view invitation details, mapping directions, gift, and registry information and send the host or co-host questions.

We know that not every day is a party, but it’s still important to remember someone's birthday, anniversary, or any special day. To keep you organized so that you never forget one of these special days, we created LYFEMINDERS: Lyfe’s little reminders - you pick the day, and we will send you a reminder so you can send your love.

You can even plan multiple celebrations at the same time and access past celebrations to reuse tools and information like past invite lists to make LYFE easier!

LYFETYMES has also personalized the experience for all party goers including:

• Star of the Show (Guest of Honor)

• Hostess with the Mostess (Host & Co-Hosts)

• LYFE of the Party (Guests)

We can't wait to start celebrating with you. Come for the party, and stay for a LYFETYME!

Check out our website at www.lyfetymes.com and start planning in 30 seconds and follow us on social media for the best tips, inspiration, and trends.

Unforgettable and Unique Bridal Shower Themes for 2020

Bridal showers are an important event leading up to any wedding. There are a lot of moving parts in this celebration! Today we've rounded up the most current trends we're seeing in bridal shower themes to get your creative juices flowing!

With the right theme (ideally one the bride is head over heels for), all the other details will start to fall into place, from finding the right decor ideas or picking the perfect bridal shower dessert to match the vibe.

Whether the bride-to-be is always ready for brunch or has a long-standing traditional style, you'll find the idea to match her every pre-wedding dreams in this unique list of bridal shower themes.

Unique Bridal Shower Themes

Make a Special Bride to Be Cocktail

Have some fun and create a special cocktail name in the bride's honor! Or, make her favorite drink and put it on the menu for all of the guests to enjoy! Check out LYFETYMES Pinterest Board here for ideas!

Spa Day Bridal Shower

If the hustle and bustle of wedding planning have your bride completely worn down, one fun bridal shower alternative is to pack her and her guests off to a day at the spa. The pampering possibilities are endless and she'll end the day completely relaxed and ready to keep planning that dream day.

Garden Party Shower

If there's one bridal shower theme that will always sound like a perfect fit, it's a garden-inspired shower. There's just something about floral displays and overflowing arrangements that shouts "wedding!" This shower theme is a great one to make co-ed and get the groom in on the party.

Extend this theme to your pre-wedding event with the help of a flower-packed setting and you're well on your way to an unforgettable garden party. Click here for inspiration.

With a wedding in the works, sometimes it's best to stick to a bridal shower idea the bride already has on her brain—like a flower arranging class. Even if she's not even thinking about hand-making her own wedding arrangements, learning how to create her own centerpiece (or flower crown) may be the perfect way to unwind and still acknowledge the upcoming celebration.

Race and Brunch Bridal Theme

Is she a runner or biker? Have everyone sign up for a local race followed by a brunch to celebrate the bride. This is a fun bonding experience because you'll be working towards a shared goal AND there's brunch. So...

Tea Party Bridal Theme

Let the sweetest bite-sized delicacies tempt guests at an afternoon tea style shower. Tea sandwiches, towers of handheld desserts, and, of course, the tea itself will ensure your event goes off without a hitch. A theme shower is especially suitable for brides who have already accumulated many of the housewares that tend to be given as gifts at traditional showers. For awesome Tea Party Ideas, click here!

Kentucky Derby Themed Bridal Shower

Look no further than this particular bridal shower theme for an idea that's worthy of the Triple Crown. You'll definitely impress the bride to be and all her favorite ladies with a celebration packed with mint juleps, Southern snacks, and all the best hat fashion.

Sweet Treats Brunch Bridal Shower

If the bride considers brunch the most important meal of the day, your theme decision is simple. Pile plates high with her favorite flavors of donuts, or feel free to get extra creative with a waffle or pancake cake. Just don't forget the mimosas! Check out our brunch inspirations here.

Candy-Themed Bridal Shower

Plan a shower that is sweet like candy -- just like Darcy Miller did for bride-to-be Dylan Lauren, owner of Dylan's Candy Bar in New York City. "This theme is so much fun and perfect for Dylan," Darcy says. "But, really, who doesn't like candy?" Inspire your sweet tooth here!

Co-Ed Formal Bridal Shower Theme

Include the groom and his beaus in this formal affair--black tie optional, but encouraged. A decadent evening out to celebrate their upcoming nuptials is the best way to kick off all of the celebrating!

Or, if that's too formal for the couple, rent a room at their favorite restaurant or have everyone meet at the bar for a casual couples night out bridal shower theme.

Sports Bridal Shower Theme

Is the bride-to-be a big sports fan? Rent a suite at a local ballpark and cater the event with high end beer and party food. Have a blast doing something fun while celebrating the bride before her big day.

We're talking everything from guest lists and invitations to food and drinks, entertainment, and even items like party favors. Fortunately, LYFETYMES makes coordinating the perfect bridal shower infinitely easier, no matter which theme the bride chooses!

For some more amazing ideas check out our Bridal Shower Inspiration Board here.

And be sure to save this pin for later!

Fun Party Planning Trends in 2020

Who doesn’t love a good party? There are so many cool party planning trends that we’re spotting in 2020 and you know we love to share all things party! We’ve rounded up the top party planning trends for 2020 below.

LYFETYMES Best Party Planning Trends 2020

Balloonscapes

Balloons have come a long way…they can add great color, and an overarching balloon installation is a fantastic way to compliment the theme of a party and fill up the room at a low cost to bring even more joy to a party. By using different sizes and colors and even incorporating some flower elements you can transform your balloons into the centerpiece of any celebration! There are plenty of online tutorials and examples of balloon garlands you can create on your own!

Trendy Cake for Parties

Let them eat cake? Trendy drip cakes, cupcake towers, donuts, cake pops, and more are taking on an architectural theme. Higher and more creative options are popping up at baby showers, graduation parties, and holiday celebrations!

Dessert options have evolved and are more innovative to reflect the tone of the party. Instead of going the normal sheet cake route, there are creative and delicious options for every celebration. We are seeing pie bars, cannoli pyramids, and ice cream stations. Just have fun!

Bonus: you don’t have to break the bank! Talk to your neighborhood grocery store bakery to talk trendy cake options. They’ll love having something different to create and you can save money.

Cake & Cupcake Toppers

Speaking of creative dessert and cake ideas, many people are using cake toppers to elevate classic cakes. Cake toppers are a party planning trend that will allow you to bring some personality into your party. They can be funny, milestone specific, personalized, and more! Cake and cupcake toppers can be anything you can dream up.

Not only do they look great on cakes but they look adorable on cupcakes also. Fun for all ages!

Food bar

This is a fun creative way to feed the hungry gang! Everything can go into this category. If you are having a shower with a brunch menu, for example, try a parfait bar with fruit and granola. For drinks, create a mimosa bar where the guests can add fruit or fruit juice of their choice.

Food bars are a trend that has staying power because they’re so convenient to implement and they are crowd pleasers. They also help you deliver healthy options like fruit and salad bars!

Other Ideas:

• Taco and Nacho Bar

• Hamburger Bar

• Pancake Bar

• Biscuit & Bagel Bar

• Shellfish Bar

• Coffee/Hot Chocolate Bar

Backdrops for Photo and Selfie Stations

A party trend in 2020 is creating a photo station with a backdrop for selfies or group photos. These are widely popular and are an inexpensive feature to plan for your party.

This can be extravagant backdrop with flowers or lights or as simple as a homemade decorated picture frame that people can hold up to frame their face!

People love to take pictures, it’s a fun activity to have at any celebration and a great memory of your event!

Party Planning Has Gone Digital in 2020 with LYFETYMES

LYFETYMES Digital Party Planning

We created LYFETYMES for busy parents, one place where they could manage and plan important moments and celebrations like Birthday Parties, Baby Showers, Graduations, Holidays, etc. As moms ourselves, we spend hours and days planning, we get it. We want to be able to save moms all over the world hours and days of stressful planning.

Another reason was to create a place to share tutorials, DIY Ideas, and support women and build a community of sharing. And we wanted it to be free.

Planning Has Never Been Easier

To us, planning a party is more than décor, that's why we created a Platform and Marketplace that is one-stop and will help you plan from ideation to memories. When you join our party, you will have free access to planning tools where you will be able to start planning in 30 seconds. Anyone that is the family or friend designated “Party Planner” knows there are many verticals to plan for.

Party Planning for The Future

Party Planning for birthdays, baby showers and Holidays. Plan any party for free. All in one party planner. Free event planning for any party. Easy party planning tools and checklists.

• Create Personalized Party Websites to text email your guests who can RSVP and get party details. LYFETYMES just launched where you can send a video, not just a picture, and we think it will really knock your guest's socks off!

• Celebration Dashboard-Easily to read dashboards to keep track of valuable information and updates, including countdown clocks.

• Invitation Station- Build easy email, mailing and texting lists, import previous guest lists or from your contacts, send invites, and track RSVPs. Save the Dates & Thank You notes.

• Inspiration Boards-Upload and share your favorite pictures to capture or inspire your vision for decor, cakes, themes, etc.

• Vendor & Venues- Your "Party Motherboard" of all the things you may need for a party all in one place!

• Registry & Gift Board- Create wishlist’s or add registry URL's that can be shared with guests or begin a new registry with your favorite store.

• Planning & Tools- Interactive checklists, add and track to-do's, assign tasks, and due dates. Assign your celebration a budget and track spending.

• Food, Drink & Dessert Center- It's the center of every celebration! You can order catering, book a restaurant, order food delivery or DIY grocery lists – it's all in one place!

• Decoration Center- Browse decorations based on the occasion, purchase from top suppliers, or get inspiration for your celebration!

Hostess With The Mostess

Are you hosting for someone? Maybe a graduation party or baby or bridal shower? With LYFETYMES, you can send your Guest Of Honor a link to help personalize the celebration with a limited view (so you don't give all the details away!). That way, they can help with invites or provide registry information or theme favorites.

We know that not every day is a party, but it's still important to remember someone's birthday, anniversary, or any special day. To keep all those dates organized, we created LYFEMINDERS: You pick the day, and we will send you a reminder so you can send your love.

You can even plan multiple celebrations at the same time and access past parties to reuse tools and information like previous invite lists to make LYFE easier!

To Infinity and Beyond!

As we grow LYFETYMES, we will continue to share party ideas via our blog. So you can bring a party together quickly with the latest insights around themes when it comes to décor, food, games and activities, and everything party. Hopefully, make some friends, collaborate, and have some laughs along the way!

LYFETYMES Your Celebration Platform and Marketplace

We are committed to eliminating the pain points in planning celebrations and the stress that comes with it. We want to enable you to spend more time with your family and friends enjoying the moment and less time sweating over the details.

Here at LYFETYMES, we want to hear from you as far as the information you want to learn about. With the holidays fast approaching we will have a ton to share with each other, and we can’t wait to start Celebrating all of the milestones in LYFE with you.

Please feel free to reach out to us directly at katie@lyfetymes.com if you have feedback, ideas, or just want to connect. We have BIG things coming for the rest of the year and can't wait to share them.

Keep Partying,

Katie Founder & CEO LYFETYMES

5 Tips For Throwing The Best Thanksgiving Feast

When I think of Thanksgiving, I sometimes wonder why I would want to get my head into this time-out from the rest of the world. I suppose it is because I like feeding people — cooking is my favorite thing to do. I think of all of the smells that go into making the meal, seeing all of the cooking happen is really exciting and if a part of me is lucky enough to be a host on Thanksgiving, I’m sure a part of me wants to become more like Martha Stewart as I try to impress the guests with my “gourmet dishes”.

Just like holiday dishes, Thanksgiving planning can often be overwhelming. There are so many options, there are so many activities to do, and even if you have a specific plan, it can still seem like there is always room for revision. The best way to tackle this stressful week of Thanksgiving preparations and have it go as smoothly as possible by being organized. Need help planning? Christmas has come early….

TIP #1- HAVE A PLAN

LYFETYMES - YOUR FREE DIGITAL HOLIDAY PLANNER

LYFETYMES is Your FREE Digital Party Planner. We will help you plan your perfect Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving stress-free so you can enjoy the party and soak up every moment. Start Stress-Free Planning in 30 seconds: Forget the boring Holiday card,

Create Free Celebration Websites at LYFETYMES.COM

Tip #2 - COUNT MOUTHS- How Many People Are Your Feeding?

PAPER HOLIDAY INVITES ARE BORING

Get the word out fast, Create a Sharable Celebration Website for FREE on LYFETYMES, Manage guests & track RSVPs, shop amazing decor, create menus and invite Co-Hosts to help out! You will never know how you did it before LYFETYMES.

If your Thanksgiving plans have not yet been finalized, don’t fear — there are some simple ways to get started and prevent the holidays from becoming a high-stress mess. This Thanksgiving season, start with the most important thing — Guests! Create a Thanksgiving guest list in LYFETYMES and folks can RSVP on your personalized website to get an accurate count of who and how many people are coming.

TIP #3 MAKE YOUR FOOD MENU & BUDGET

Remember to keep those already invited in mind when you plan your Thanksgiving menu. It can be tempting to let your family dictate what you serve and what you don’t, but it is far better to have a plan in place and then listen to the suggestions that your family gives you. Don’t underestimate the ability of your family to make your life easy by sharing what they like to eat and bring and enjoy the things that you don’t normally order from your favorite store. You can build your menu and budget in LYFETYMES and email to yourself or assign tasks to other hosts or guests.

After deciding on the menu, you can set up your kitchen and make as many of the preparations day before. I like to prepare all of my vegetables at the same time and then cut, slice, and boil them all at the same time. This will ensure that I get all of my time-consuming cutting done before I go to bed.

TIP #4 DECORATING CAN BE EASY

LYFETYMES Featured “TALK TO ME TURKEY” PARTY SET

If you are looking for Thanksgiving decorations visit LYFETYMES for our amazing party sets, that will handle all the decor, delivered in one box to your door and you can set up in minutes, Don’t forget about decorations for the kitchen, roll out some butcher paper and write what your dishes are and it looks great and easy clean up. You can buy inexpensive versions of all of the bowls you would use for the hostess gift, your platters, and napkins. One great idea is to download free Thanksgiving printables (we will have on our Pinterest Page) to add some extra “wow: factors. Follow us for the latest party ideas and trends at https://www.pinterest.com/lyfetymes/

TIP #5 ENJOY THE DAY- IT DOES NOT NEED TO BE PERFECT

By the time the big day comes around, your guests will be ready to enjoy a great meal, there will be plenty of decorations out and ready to be used, and you will have a less chaotic feeling to you. Of course, the recipes can change each day and even the food can change from week to week, but by laying things out and doing some necessary things early on, you can focus on what is important — making sure that the food tastes great and is served the way you want it.

We make a big thing about the concept of doing “what you love” at any time. By deciding ahead of time what you want to have the guests eat and use as decorations, you ensure that your Thanksgiving week will be exciting, fun, and enjoyable. By using LYFETYMES the needs of your family and sharing those with your guests, you can ensure that everyone is happy. This will be one of the best and easiest preparations you have ever made. It is important that you enjoy yourself on Thanksgiving, but more important is not to overdo the food. Create a delicious feast, which everyone will enjoy while keeping the stress of the day down.

Halloween Printable's So Easy They Will Freak You Out.

LYFETYMES is the #1 Fastest Growing Party Platform around. Use it to plan any party or shower for free. We will start to include free printables for you also. Here is the light launch for Halloween. Follow us for more especially around the Holidays!

Free Halloween Printable Wine Labels To Get The Party Started! Here are 14 Labels To Choose From! Click below to grab them from LYFETYMES.

If you are having a fun Bar Area or Cart- here are some fun printables to stick on or hang around a bottle. You can also use for cookies or candy bag tags or stickers.

Halloween Printable For Drinks or Food

Banner Time

We made three printable banners for you to enjoy. For best results print on card stock. Click Here for the Ghost Banner. Print as many ghosts as you want.

Pick Your Poison Banner

Drink Up Witches

Here For The Boos

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The 10 Best Halloween Decorations We Love

With Halloween right around the corner, we wanted to share some of our Top 10 favorite finds.

So this great find can be placed in the yard or used to make a Halloween Charcuterie Board!

You can create this look with classic meats and cheese, candy or fruit and veggies.

Up next, some outdoor fun. We love these hats, and they are perfect for decorating the front of the house or the tree inflatable that is a great size to take up space and fun.

Busy and don’t want to deal with a pumpkin carving station from Hell? Here is the easy way out.

Witch overboard...or, over-cauldron that is! Add a hilarious touch to any Halloween haunted house with this animatronic accent of kicking witch legs. Motion-activated, the legs move as though the cackling witch is stuck and trying to free herself.

We here at LYFETYMES are not huge scary fans, so we try to keep it PG. But we do love this spider web set

Another great way to incorporate some Halloween is desserts. We love these cupcakes containers and toppers.

There are so many banners but we had to settle on this that can be used for food or booze

Next up, we love an easy DIY kit you can order and decorate a large space with. This kit has a bit of everything and easy for any Halloween Party.

We love anything that glows for Halloween. These glow in the dark rings are so much fun and can be a great substitution to candy or cool party favor.

If you plan any party, you know it can be a pain in the pumpkin bumpkin so use LYFETYMES for all your parties and holiday events. LYFETYMES is a free place to plan any party or get-together. You can create personalized party websites, and guests can  RSVP in a click. It has all the party planning tools you could need, and you start planning in seconds. It is free, and you will never use anything again. And check out LYFETYMES Pinterest Page for almost 1,000 Ideas on Halloween decorations, food, and party ideas.

This information is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. We do not accept any responsibility for any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, incurred consequently, directly or indirectly, from any information or advice contained here. LYFETYMES may earn compensation from affiliate links in this content.

The Best Smoke Bombs For Gender Reveals on Amazon

What are Smoke Bombs so Popular for Gender Reveals?

Here at LYFETYMES we love a smoke bombs for an extra element of excitement to any event like Gender Reveal parties.

Gender Reveal Smoke Bombs

By far the most popular are Gender Reveal Parties where a particular FBI like family member or friend holds the baby’s gender secret, usually makes the purchase and the parents are surprised by whatever color will be revealed. Not only is it another reason to get folks together to celebrate the soon-to-be newest family member, but everyone gets involved in placing bets until the main event. Here are our favorites based on all the customer reviews, highest star ratings, and a high number of product sold. Have fun!

Plan A Gender Reveal Party For Free at LYFETYMES

LYFETYMES is Your FREE Digital Party Planner. We will help you plan your perfect party stress-free so you can enjoy the party and soak up every moment. Start Stress-Free Planning in 30 seconds: Create a Party Website, manage guests & track RSVP, add a registry, shop for decor, and more! You will never know how you did it before LYFETYMES and start planning for free.

This information is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. We do not accept any responsibility for any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, incurred consequently, directly or indirectly, from any information or advice contained here. LYFETYMES may earn compensation from affiliate links in this content.

Party Like A Mother

Mom, You Need to Party

We, as moms, think of parties as an obligation. Mostly kid-type events we attend that eats away at our weekends. Tit for tat, we must attend theirs, or they won't participate in yours. Some are more fun and meaningful like a friend or family members baby shower (we go for the Mimosa Bar). When you have kids, you become consumed by their events, but when was the last time you took time for you and your Girl Squad?

Friends or Kriend?

What’s a kriend? It is what we call mom’s we meet through our kids. Sometimes we assume the parents in your kids' circle are your friends, because you see familiar faces at all the parties, sporting event, or class functions. But the truth is that is not the universe putting you together to really bond (if it happens excellent), that's the school pulling a name out of a hat.

It's so important to keep touch with those and more importantly connect with friends (if they are family, even better) on an ongoing basis. You deserve it, also seeing each other once a month is fine, you can keep up to date on day to day or week to week updates through social media.

Leave the mom guilt at the door, because you are the only one who can care for your mind, body, and soul and if that isn't a bit balanced and in check, then you can’t be your best for everyone else who are depending on you. Most importantly, it gives you something to look forward to that is just yours.

Self Love Challenge

Let's challenge all the women we know: stay at home moms, work from home, corporate moms (work dinners three times a week with colleagues DO NOT COUNT), and mompreneurs. Let’s take a 3-month challenge, and get your squad together to meet. At the very least, do it once a month, put it on the schedule and treat it as doctor appointment, it’s immovable.

I promise after three months you will realize how much you not only need it, but enjoy it and look forward to it. Here are some fun ideas to get this challenge started for you and your squad.

Watch Party

Watch parties are great to bring your squad together. No matter if it's an Oldie but Goodie Movie Night, Newly released PPV, Real Housewives Season Finale, Oscar Watch Party, or Little Big Lies we can always find something that we love to watch. We get we could be doing more productive things, but we somehow know it is the food for our soul and makes us all warm and fuzzy inside.

This isn't a sit-down dinner kind of dinner party. Depending on the length, have everyone bring an appetizer or take turns. Everyone gets to show off their favorite little culinary specialty, and the person hosting won't have to clean AND cook. Have one person bring a dessert. We love this showstopping 3-D Marilyn Monroe Cake. If you're in the Champaign, Illinois area contact her at carissa.thomas1972@gmail.com to have your fantastic cake at your next Movie Party.

Ladies who Lunch/Brunch

Nothing is better than brunch. Keep in mind brunch is defined as between breakfast and lunch, a two-fer, two birds, one rock. Most associate it with Sunday, but it can really be any day of the week. From an outdoor place setting to dressing up and meeting up at a favorite restaurant, so you leave the cooking to someone else, it's a beautiful treat to know you can sneak away for a couple hours and relax. Let's also get "Linner" trending, combing Lunch and Dinner, you're welcome moms. Check out out favorite Brunch Ideas here.

Tea party

This is a bit posh, but who doesn't love a summer dress, a nice cup of tea and delicious finger sandwiches? Coupled with a beautiful table setting, you can cover any topic, favorite book you are reading or favorite new life-saving app. If you want to kick it up a notch, try an Alice In Wonderland Theme to showcase your sense of humor. Get some inspiration for a great Tea Party here.

Wine Tasting

Rose All Day Party. Get your Wine, cheese, crackers, fruit all equals a sexy charcuterie board. This is a great way to share new wines and pairings. Just make sure we are all responsible, and we have designated rides home. But let your hair down and have a good laugh with friends. Check out our favorite wine tasting parties here.

CBD Party

A CBD Spa Party was Kim Kardashians last baby shower! Introduce your friends to the world of CBD topicals and spa product that are providing new relief and healing to millions. You can now find CBD in creams, shampoos, skincare and there is a ton science to back up its claim on how wonderful these oils and lotions are. Click here for the article cover Kim (yeah, because we are that close) Shower.

Game & Appetizer Party

Nothing will get people out of their comfort zone and everyone smiling like playing games. It sounds cheeky, but we kind of long for it. I'm not talking Twister or Chess, but there are a ton of funny games to play that will crack the entire group up. One of our favorites is Heads Up, an Ellen favorite. Its an app, all you need is your phone, and you will laugh, guaranteed. Click here for other great ideas

Farmers Market/Food Mall Field Trip

Food Malls and Indoor and Outdoor Farmers Markets are some of the best outing experiences with your squad. They are quaint; usually, you can find something fresh and new you want to try, fantastic ambiance, experience getting out and going somewhere. Most places have a place to grab a quick bit or eat along the way. All you have to do it google it and you will be surprised how many options you have. This is also a wonderful fall activity when it is a bit cooler and every mom welcomes backs jeans and riding boots.

Now Go For It!

So now that you have some ideas, the question is, will you do it? Invest in yourself, just do it, no "thank you" required. You will feel immediately better and excited and looking forward to your next adventure.

Free Digital DIY Party Planner

LYFETYMES is Your FREE Digital Party Planner. We will help you plan your perfect party stress-free so you can enjoy the party and soak up every moment. Start Stress-Free Planning in 30 seconds: Create a Party Website, manage guests & track RSVPs, add a registry, shop for decor, and more! You will never know how you did it before LYFETYMES. Follow us for the latest party ideas and trends at LYFETYMES. 

Best Tips for a Magical Unicorn Party

Create a Unicorn Party that is Magical

Do you still believe in Unicorns? It’s been a couple of years and this trend is always at the top of the lists. There have been millions of pictures, decor ideas, purple and pink food combinations shared with edible gold glitter. I mean we really (I’m looking at you moms) have beat this horse to….never-mind.

It’s not going away anytime soon so slap on a horn and let's talk dreamy decor, gorgeous cakes, and magical moods - it’s what all unicorn parties are made of. We've rounded up some of our favorite ideas for throwing an awesome mythical unicorn party kids will love and will make you look like you have magical powers.

Your Free Digital Party Planner

LYFETYMES PARTY

Start Your Party

Planning Your Unicorn Party

LYFETYMES is Your FREE Digital Party Planner. We will help you plan your perfect unicorn party stress-free so you can enjoy the party and soak up every moment. Start Stress-Free Planning in 30 seconds: Create a Party Website, manage guests & track RSVPs, add a registry, shop for decor, and more! You will never know how you did it before LYFETYMES. Follow us for the latest party ideas and trends at https://www.pinterest.com/lyfetymes/

Pick a Unicorn Theme

Didn’t know this was a thing? Yes, it is. Good news is you can't mess it up; it could be pastel and magical, purple and mystical, or rainbow color scheme. Usually, if you consult the H.C.I.C. (head child in charge), then they will let you know their preference. After all, you are their party stylist. Check out LYFETYMES Unicorn Pinterest boards at https://www.pinterest.com/lyfetymes/unicorn-birthday-party/ to get inspiration

Unicorn Treats and Eats

The gift of Unicorn Parties is that as long as you put edible sparkle, glitter or sprinkles on it, it looks like Unicorn Food! Easy to make Unicorn Dip, Unicorn Bark, Unicorn Fudge, Unicorn Pretzel Horns, Unicorn Sundaes, and Unicorn Party Snack Mix. Click on any the images to get the recipes!

Unicorn Drink Ideas

You can also get in the Unicorn Mood with some amazing drinks. Click on the image below to get easy DIY recipes.

.

Healthier Unicorn Party Food Options

OK, we get it, you cant just pour sugar on everything. Click below to stay on theme and not become the most hated parent in the group!

Unicorn Party Decoration Ideas and Unicorn Party Favors

The best part of a Unicorn Party is Decor! Here are the top picks for the Ultimate Unicorn Party! We have researched Amazon and looked at the customer reviews and selected the best rated products.

Unicorn Party Activities

With every great Unicorn party are the Unicorn Games and Activities. And let’s face it, you and the other parents will appreciate anything that will drive down the sugar rush and tucker those kids out. A great DIY idea that is cost effective, great take home gift and party favor is Unicorn glitter play dough. Click on the image above to get the steps from a bubblylife.com

Other activity ideas that make our horns glow?

Make it Super Special for the “Star of The Show”

There is nothing better than owning your role as the H.U.I.C. (Head Unicorn In Charge) by adding some special items to really make her stand out. Below are the favorites and a hot Unicorn toy idea for 2019/2020!

Most Important tip for a successful Unicorn Party?

Enjoy the moment and take in the experience. If you would like to share your party ideas, pictures and memories, contact us at LYFETYMES here to be featured on the #1 Party Planning Site!

Blume Dolls All the Rage for 2019

What is the Blume Doll Toy Trend?

Blume collectible dolls are flower pots that "sprout" dolls when you add water to them. They are adorable and colorful, and children love them! Blume Dolls originate from parent company Skyrocket Toys. They’ve the brand behind Pomsies and Grumblies, for example. Blume Dolls Series 1 will include 22 different dolls (some are rare, and others are ultra rare-oh Pokemon days), Series 2 and # are already on their website with the caption “Coming Soon.”

• They are being called the Hottest Toy of 2019

• After much anticipation, they will finally available for purchase, and we imagine they will be flying off shelves, so act fast (see our Amazon Blue Buys Below)

• Get ready for Blume Parties and Blume Halloween and Blume Christmas Presents

Why are Blume Dolls the Toy of 2019?

Here is Blume’s Value Proposition from their website https://blumedolls.com/

My opinion? Outside of an adorable and cute concept, kids love the experience of surprise and collectibles like Blume. What parents like about Blume: It's fast, easy and won't break the bank. It's mess-free, stress-free and pot becomes part of the toy — something your child can even personalize and decorate! Price ranges around $10 per Blume (see below to buy on Amazon, also purchase at Walmart & Target. Pre-Sale until 8/1/2019).

I need the Blume Dolls 101

Here is what we know:

Blume Dolls as stated “grow” out of their flowerpot in around ten quick seconds.

Once Sprinkled, up comes one surprise doll with colorful foam-like hair (rainbow color, flowers, crystals embedded, and more).

The hair is soft, squishy, and foamy. You can remove the foam hair and clothes and mix-and-match with other dolls.

• There are ten different surprises in each pot

• Each doll also comes with her very own accessories: a pet, purse, watering can, etc.

• Every doll comes with a miniature friend that’s a cute accessory with eyes.

• Once your Blume doll “blooms,” the flower pot can be used as a play-set to stash and carry doll and accessories.

The Official Blume Doll Checklist:

Blume Doll Types, Blume Doll Options, Blume Doll’s

There are 4 different varieties you can get (with their 22 names!)

1. Mystical (Leilani is the one to get!)

2. Super Rare (Skye, Gemma, Cleo, Kit)

3. Rare (Lola, Poppy, Sierra, Cora, Roxy, Reese, Valerie)

4. Adorable (Sedonna, Tess, May, Mandy, Nori, Alana, Tate, Celine, Cammie, Krystal)

Here is where Blume Dolls can be purchased on Amazon, I would buy in advance, since it’s being predicted as a craze!

Planning a Blume Party?

Go to www.lyfetymes.com to plan an epic party for any occasion and follow us for more Blume updates and Blume party ideas!

This is your P.S.A- you’re welcome!

Best Sprinkle or Sprinkles Party Ideas or Shower

How to Throw an Instagram Worthy Sprinkles Party or Sprinkle Baby Shower

OK friends. My girl squad was up in a Housewives worthy debate over one of the best questions in parties; Is it called a “Sprinkle” party or “Sprinkles” party? If you get that line, then you get us and are in the right place. So after discussing with some of the best and brightest in the industry, here is the result.

Sprinkle Shower and Sprinkles Party?

A “Sprinkle Party” is a toned-down baby shower. A baby sprinkle tends to be more casual than a traditional baby shower because it is second child and parents still have a ton of large items from the first bundle of joy they can use on the second. So “Sprinkle” in literally lighter than a shower. However, you see folks combining Sprinkles Baby Shower with a Sprinkles Theme.

What’s a Sprinkles Party?

A “Sprinkles Party” is usually a child's birthday party whose theme and has a rainbow aesthetic focused on actual yummy sprinkles.  

Here at LYFETYMES, we are finding Party Themes are going across all celebration verticals, so you see Coachella Theme for Teen Birthdays, Bridal Showers and Baby Showers. A Hawaiian Luau (my personal favorite) you see at Anniversary Parties, Graduation Parties, and Birthday Parties.

Our Post will be focused on Epic Parties using Sprinkles theme, and you can decide on which celebration to use it in. OK LYFER’s here we go.

How to throw a party like a pro!

LYFETYMES can help you plan your perfect Party stress-free so you can soak up every moment. Start planning your party 30 seconds: create a party website, assign tasks, make a food menu, track RSVPs, pin inspirations, and more! Plan for free at https://lyfetymes.com/

LYFETYMES- Your All-In-One Free Party Planner

 Pinterest Party Ideas

Check out our Sprinkle Party Pinterest Board here for the best ideas and inspiration https://www.pinterest.com/lyfetymes/sprinkle-party-ideas/

Food, Drink & Sweets for a Sprinkle Party

There is no shortage of what you can put sprinkles on- You need this tub of sprinkles and go nuts, or um, sprinkle crazy on:

Everything is better with Sprinkles

Sweet confetti

Start Your Party Now

• Cake- All day long. Make the inside rainbow layered for extra pop!

• Cookies- who doesn’t love a cookie with sprinkles on it?

• Cup Cakes- Great for a baking theme and have guests decorate cupcakes

• Donuts- I’m sorry, who doesn’t love a donut wall?

• Ice Cream- Awesome to incorporate in the theme and have a ton of toppings to choose from

Drink Ideas for Sprinkle or Sprinkles Party

Sprinkle Rimmed Glasses- Super Easy, take a couple of minutes. If parents are having cocktails or mock-tails, great added detail. I’m sharing the most straightforward way I have found that will hold up

Frosting Method

• Supplies Needed:

• Vanilla Frosting

• Nonpareil Sprinkles (see link below to purchase)

• Fun glasses/cups

  Directions:
  Place Nonpareil Sprinkles on a small plate. Dip the rim of a glass in frosting, ensuring that the entire rim of glass gets well coated. Immediately dip the frost-covered rim in sprinkles.  Set prepared glass aside until needed. Easy, peasy.

How to Decorate for a Sprinkles Party

Sprinkles decorations can be incorporated from standard décor bought from Amazon, or you can integrate actual sprinkles in a few key eye-catching pieces. Here are a few simple ideas:

• Centerpiece Vase Filled with Sprinkles as the “water.”

• Tea Lights set in sprinkles- I like the ones from Amazon below because they are multi-colored and fits into the theme

• A Large Letter and Photo Frame that is DIY “Sprinkled.” Apply some clear glue and dip it in Sprinkles- make sure the little ones know its not for eating!

To Embrace the sprinkle theme, I curated some of the decorations. I have spent hours hand selecting on Amazon.

Sprinkles Party Photo Backdrop

This is now a must at every party or shower and the easiest DIY project you can get your hands on. To tie in the theme for Sprinkles, use bright, pops of color, like colorful pom-poms.

 Sprinkle Party Games

Since it is summer, you could embrace the sprinkle theme in another way, by turning on the sprinkler in your backyard. Remember, it's about creating memorable moments, and a great activity to keep kids busy!

Sprinkle Party Thank You Favors

White powdered donuts in sprinkle gift bags are the perfect thank you treat for party guests.

4th of July Party Ideas for 2020

July 4th Party Planning Trends

July 4th is upon us, and one of the most important times of year to bring friends and family together and we want to help you plan and celebrate America's birthday in the best way possible. It’s the perfect time to throw an outdoor BBQ get-together and show your American Spirit. So let’s get Red, White and Blue cover some great themes, food, and activities to knock your guest's socks off and have the party everyone is talking about!

Planning: Plan Every Aspect of Your Party for Free

LYFETYMES can help you plan your perfect July 4th Celebration stress-free so you can soak up every moment with your guests. Start Stress-Free Planning in 30 seconds to send invitations, food planning menus, track RSVPs, get decor, and more! Follow us for the latest party ideas and trends at https://www.pinterest.com/lyfetymes/

What's more, using LYFETYMES is like having your own party planner, easy to plan any party end to end...which means you can put together any party, no matter how little time you have.

4th of July Party Décor

Decorating for your 4th of July party is simple: stick to red, white, and blue. The American flag makes the perfect backdrop for photos or food displays, work it into your decorations whenever possible. Check out our Patriotic Pinterest page here https://www.pinterest.com/lyfetymes/4th-of-july-party-ideas/ for over 1,000 amazing ideas to get your creative juices flowing! Pin those ideas to your free LYFETYMES Inspiration Board for your Party.

DIY PRO TIP-DIY Knot bandannas to create a spirited streamer!

Broad stripes and bright stars make easy decorations. Get your DIY creative on and make American flag-print bandannas. Just tie the ends together and string them from tree to tree or above the food table. You can use them with Tablescapes and food displays. A bandanna runner adds rugged country charm -- and slips right off the next day. Here are some easy Decor options, and save them for every Red, White, & Blue Occasion! Here are some of my favorites and paper lanterns are a game changer!

WOW FACTOR: 4th of July

In the mood for some easy WOW FACTOR? One of our favorites is Painted Lawn Stars or Sidewalk Stars. Wow guests with this DIY project that will only take you minutes to complete. Cut out star shapes from old cardboard and use red, white, and blue temporary spray paint that you can use on grass or sidewalk. Also a cool lighted display will stand out in the evening!

Decorations for Your 4th of July Party

Table Spirit: 4th of July centerpieces are also a great way to display patriotic party favors. Mix different sizes of American flags and pinwheels in a bucket. It's a bright and colorful display, and the guests can use them during the celebration!

4th of July Menu Ideas

Your July 4th food menu should feature some pretty simple classics. Maximize your time outdoors by cooking almost everything on a grill. Buying all the ingredients for a party can be expensive and time-consuming.  Here are some ideas that we love for guests:

DIY PRO TIP: "You Bring It, We Grill It” style potluck. Each guest brings their favorite grilling item or a side to share. https://www.pinterest.com/lyfetymes/bbq-party/

Small Grill or Kitchen? No Problem- Have each Guest bring their favorite famous outdoor family appetizer- people love to show off and share their secret recipes!

Bake OFF!

Have everyone bring a Red-White-Blue dessert, it is fun and makes an instant Dessert Bar that is an Instagram worthy picture! Give a small traveling trophy that gets passed around each year- like that Statue of Liberty replicas you get at JFK Airport.

S'mores Favors

This delicious party favor does double duty as dessert. You can hand out the jars at the end of the night as Thank You’s or the toast at firework time. Remember you can usually find the Red, white and blue marshmallows at this time.

Let Guests Know What's on the Menu

The gift that keeps giving for every party you will have. Paint a big piece of plywood with black chalkboard paint for a professional-looking board. Then list out what you are serving. Devil in the details.

Drinks to Celebrate Independence Day

A great drink setup is essential to any party for a cocktail or mocktail? In addition to your drink offerings, create a signature cocktail for your event. There so many red, white, and blue drinks to DIY from adding red and blue Jello Ice cubes to layering colors in equal parts, to adding star cut watermelon and blueberries- all are refreshing, delicious, and completely on-theme. The recipe picture here https://www.pinterest.com/pin/858146903977296623/

4th of July Party Fun & Games

Not fireworks time or not allowed to have them, you can fake it with confetti-filled balloon bombs. Create firecracker favors out of kid-friendly Party Poppers that shoot out confetti and streamers. Check our https://www.pinterest.com/lyfetymes/4th-of-july-party-ideas/ for all the DIY Poppers and confetti balloon ideas.

No Pool? Give it up for Water Balloons! Especially fitting for a fun cool-down on a toasty day, a water balloon bin can spark some friendly competition and hilarious sneak attacks. Buy them in red, white, and blue colors.

PATRIOTIC PHOTO BOOTH

Give your guests something fun to do, Instagram fun and memorializes the celebration with fun photo booth props. Check out some of our favorites below on Amazon.


PRO Tip: NO-SEW AMERICAN FLAG PHOTO BACKDROP

Finally, a use for all the scrap fabric and ribbons in your crafting area! A backdrop takes less than 30 minutes to make and will be one of the most popular stations at your party, mix in some white string lights for a great night time picture!

4th of July Party Ideas for Kids

Kids Attending? Having a great kid's creative table is essential for any party. Sport your patriotic pride with the red, white, and blue friendship flag, where the kids can create something for their parents to take home with their hand print on it.

Music: Create A Summer Song List for Your 4th of July

No party is complete without some music! Keep your playlist upbeat for the daytime, and switch to a more mellow mood when evening comes around. Here’s a pretty stellar list shared with us for Patriotic Holidays.

https://mashable.com/2014/07/01/fourth-of-july-playlist-spotify/

Look the Part! 4th of July-Inspired Outfits

Above all, make memories and have a great time. LYFE is short, Celebrate the Good TYMES!

Here’s a few more notable items we love on Amazon for a 4th of July Party! 

So there you have it! We hope this inspired you to plan an epic 4th of July party for your friends and family!

7 Tips to Plan an Epic Slumber Party

Are you organizing the perfect slumber party or sleepover for your boy or girl? We gathered up seven tips to plan a slumber party that will make your life easy, and your child ecstatic! With school out soon, slumber parties are a great way to bring kids together and help them keep in touch over the summer. They help keep friendships alive even when they aren’t in school.

Slumber parties can be chaotic and they aren’t for the faint of heart! But you can control the chaos with these tips. You can throw a trendy and unforgettable slumber party and live to tell about it!

7 Slumber Party Planning Ideas and Tips

LYFETYMES can help you plan your perfect slumber party stress-free so you can soak up every moment. Start Stress-Free Planning in 30 seconds: send E-vites, plan food, track RSVPs, pin inspirations, and more! Follow us for the latest party ideas and trends at https://www.pinterest.com/lyfetymes/

Movie Night Slumber Party

Organize the best movie night around! So you can now easily set up outdoor Movies thanks to technology or indoor with pillows everywhere for ultimate comfort. Have some fun and introduce them to movies you grew up with and fell in love this.  Make a sweet and salty DIY popcorn bar or candy buffet and enjoy watching their favorite animated movie in pajamas!

See hundreds of ideas on our Movie Party Pinterest Board here: https://www.pinterest.com/lyfetymes/movie-party/

Pajamas and Pancakes

A pajamas and pancakes slumber party can be done two ways: For Dinner (Who doesn't love breakfast for dinner?) or Breakfast!

Pancakes and pajamas are precisely what it sounds like. Kids arrive later in the evening in their pajamas and after whatever evening festivities (maybe a spa evening or movie night), they stay up late having fun. In the morning, Mom or Dad can whip up a fabulous Pancake Feast for all the guests to attend and eat in their PJ’s. Then parents pick them up. It’s genius because it’s a cool theme, inexpensive, and easy to execute.

Plus, since they show up in their pajamas and leave in their pajamas, it’s less packing for the guest’s parents! Win-win.

Here is some inspiration to get your griddle going: https://www.pinterest.com/lyfetymes/pancakes-and-pajamas-party/

Tents, Forts, BoHo Teepees

image: Sprinkle and Dot

Whether you are glamping, camping, building an indoor fort with sheets or going all out and letting a vendor set up like one of our favorites above from Sprinkle and Dot .

Building a blanket fort is one of those things that is fun to do at any age! Even as an adult! It's a great place to get away with friends and drink mocktails. The kids love to sleep in them, get a couple of strands of twinkle lights and some pillows or couch cushions and let the kids create ultimate experience of a slumber party.

Spa Slumber Party

The big party trend right now, especially with older children, is a slumber spa party. Guess what? It does not have to be at an actual spa! There are great fun, low-cost, home-based spa treatments. Drop cucumber slices in ice water to cover their eyes while they let a face mask settle in and offer soft and cozy robes and slippers and twirl their hair up in a towel for pampering.  

Camping or Glamping

This slumber party theme works great for boys and girls. For a camping slumber party, you could pitch a tent in your backyard if the weather allows and have a night under the stars. If the weather won’t cooperate, set up inside and they can “glamp!”

Whether they’re camping, or glamping: Kids.Love.Tents. Maybe it makes them feel secure? Or maybe it makes them feel like they’re in a secret hideout? Either way: slumber parties are a great time to break out the tents!

Bonus points if you have a fire pit: Have everyone bring sleeping bags, BBQ some hot dogs & dig into s’ mores. https://www.pinterest.com/lyfetymes/glamping-party-ideas/

Slumber Party Game Night

Every party needs games! Why not make it the theme of the slumber party? It’s a great way to get the kids interacting, having fun, and off their phones.

Game night at your house will be a night they won't forget; complete with snacks, drinks and all the board games you can imagine! Twister is great for kids, monopoly to teach finance (nerd mom) or even team-based games- get them up moving, interacting, and laughing.

You could keep track of how many times a kid wins and hand out a low-value/high-fun prize at the end of the night! A cheesy trophy will do the trick.

A Slumber Party Tip for Parents (you don’t have to lose sleep)

If you’re worried about turning into a zombie after your kid’s slumber party, we highly recommend: EARLY PICKUP! That’s right; if you pull an all-nighter, you have every right to send those rascals packing after breakfast. That way you have the rest of the day for yourself and family, and you just made yourself look like a hero with your kid.

More Slumber Party Inspiration

Check out our Slumber Party Pinterest Board here for the best ideas and inspiration. You can pick any theme you want or combine them. For example if you’re planning a slumber party after seeing the new Aladdin movie, you can plan a Moroccan Slumber Party…you can go any direction, but the ultimate goal should be to bring friends together and create LYFE-long memories!

Baby Shower Trends for 2020

There are so many ideas for baby shower themes and we’re seeing some cute and unique trends popping up in 2019 for baby showers. Check out our ideas below on how to make your baby shower extra special.

Baby Shower Trends in 2020

Baby Shower Balloon Arch Decoration

image: Tula Mama

Looking for a way to add some dimension to your baby shower decor? Balloon installations are the hottest trend to help transform any party into a masterpiece. Balloon installations provide the perfect backdrop to your celebration, but they are particularly fun for a baby shower as they feel young and happy. Balloon arches are definitely trending for baby showers in 2019. Tip: Try having greenery tucked in with the balloons to add a tropical touch.

Check out the decoration section of LYFETYMES for our favorite suppliers

Make Baby Shower Menus Easy with Food Bars

Food is a major component for a baby shower and we suggest making your life easy with a food bar. Guests love them and your hostess will, too. Great food bar options for baby showers include mini sandwich bars, fancy taco bars, burger bars, waffle or pancake bars, biscuit bars (perfect for a baby shower brunch!), coffee bars, hot chocolate bars—okay, we think you get the point.

Food bars at baby showers is a trend that we’re seeing in 2020 and you can see why!

Something Old to Celebrate Someone New Baby Shower

Beautiful vintage-inspired baby showers are whimsical and romantic. Complete with antique furniture, like a dresser as the main food table, these baby showers are the perfect blend of cool and chic.

Incorporating burlap runners or dollies can add to vintage fell. Vintage touches like these are the perfect way to add “something old” to your celebration of someone new!

Boho Shabby Chic

Celestial themes are the perfect mix of whimsical and chic. Boho themes are having a huge moment for moms-to-be, for both boy and girl showers. New and unique baby shower colors that more and more moms-to-be are opting for in the decor give a happy vibe. Not only does this trend allow for more creativity in event decor, but it provides so many stunning options for gender-neutral showers.

Treat the Mom-to-Be to Queen of the Baby Shower

It’s the little things that can make a shower fun- seeing flower sashes or flower crowns for moms-to-be to wear vs. the traditional corsage are a trend for baby showers.

You can even get the guests involved by creating some for them to wear, too!

Woodland Baby Shower Theme

image: Baby Chic

The woodland baby shower theme is a tried-and-true classic and offers gorgeous color options for the baby shower decorations. Plus, it’s a great idea for a boy or girl baby shower theme (the image above from Baby Chic was for a baby girl’s baby shower, but it could’ve easily also worked for a baby boy!).

Recently, we’ve seen so many gorgeous, modern variations of the theme—we’re obsessed! Greenery is the perfect touch for this lush, outdoorsy theme. Of course, there should be no shortage of baby forest animals in the details (who doesn’t love baby animals?). This laid-back theme is sure to be enjoyed by everyone and is a top baby shower trend in 2020.

Co-Ed Baby Showers Are Rising In Popularity

Beers and BBQ’s are huge for co-ed baby shower themes! This couple-centric event is the number one baby shower trend gaining in popularity - why should the ladies have all of the fun celebrating a new baby? Plus, co-ed parties usually involve alcoholic beverages, a grill, and takes place in the late afternoon to evening rather than the traditional late morning to early afternoon. Co-ed baby showers are a special way for ALL of your friends and family to celebrate your new baby.

Gender Reveal Baby Showers Make the Event More Exciting

The celebration before the baby shower OR at the baby shower! Usually a gender reveal party is thrown about mid-way through the couple’s pregnancy to reveal the gender of their baby. This is how it goes down, you have your ultrasound tech write your baby’s gender on a piece of paper and put it in a sealed envelope. You can take the envelope (and exercise huge amounts of willpower) to a baker who can bake a baby shower cake around the envelope. As you can imagine, a lot of fun can be had before the big reveal.

But who’s to say you can’t combine a gender reveal party WITH a baby shower to make it extra fun and exciting!

Creative Baby Shower “Cakes”

image: Events By Kristin

As baby showers change, so have the goodies. And goodness me, there is some crazy amazing stuff being done with cakes or opting for other yummies. Donut Bars, cupcakes, and cake pops are an important center of the baby shower. Cake toppers are a big part of the theme and can pull everything together. Be sure to check out our cake toppers which really bring some WOW to the cake or dessert table.

Fun Baby Shower Party Favor Ideas

Nowadays women are ditching the baby-themed favors of pale pink or blue chocolate covered almonds and sending their guests home with something they can really use.

Seed packets, plants, champagne, or keepsakes. Baby shower favors is a great way to personalize the theme and create a memory that will last long after the baby is born.

Check out some of the best party favors we see on the market in our decoration section of LYFETYMES.

Baby Shower Mommy Mocktails or Cocktails

image: Just Bright Ideas

Just because the mom-to-be can’t have alcohol doesn’t mean you can’t serve fancy drinks or mocktails at the baby shower! A baby shower is the perfect time to get creative and create something special that’s pretty and refreshing.

Freezing flowers inside of ice cubes, to pretty and fragrant garnish (like rosemary!), these baby shower drink trends are giving us major mocktail vibes. We’ve also seen champagne and mimosa stations for those who are drinking at the baby shower.

While baby showers are a traditional way to celebrate and gift the mom-to-be, we’re seeing some unique trends to make the baby shower extra special!

This information is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. We do not accept any responsibility for any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, incurred consequently, directly or indirectly, from any information or advice contained here. LYFETYMES may earn compensation from affiliate links in this content.