Party Tip Tuesday with Chickabug

Welcome to our very first Party Tip Tuesday of 2013! Party Tip Tuesday is a new weekly feature on Moms & Munchkins that we’re super excited about. Each week we’ll be featuring a fabulous party designer (decor, food, planning, etc.) and answering some of your party related questions! For our first feature, I’m excited to introduce Heather from Chickabug! I found Heather while searching for some party supplies for my son’s first birthday party (an Under the Sea theme). Since I discovered her site last year, I’ve been back plenty of times to check out all of the fun ideas she has posted. I absolutely love her designs and all of the party inspiring ideas on her blog. If you’ve been following Moms & Munchkins for a while, you’re likely already familiar with her work since we’ve featured quite a few of her fabulous printables. For the Chickabug Party Tip Tuesday feature, we sent Heather a list of some fun questions so let’s get straight to her answers!

1) When someone asks you “What is Chickabug?”, how do you answer?

My go-to summary is “Since 2009, Chickabug, LLC has specialized in high-quality paper goods and easy-to-use, fully personalized DIY printables for parties.” And, on the side, I also blog! That’s where I show off party pictures, share ideas, and give away free printables.

2) When did you know you wanted to be a party designer?

I actually wanted to be an invitation designer – the big parties came a little later, as I talked to my customers and started learning what they were looking for besides invitations and thank you cards. I had no idea how intricate and detailed children’s parties were when I first started out. I figured it was still just cake and balloons, like when I was a kid. Needless to say, I’ve learned a lot since then! It’s a continual learning curve, really, so I keep adding new products and new themes all the time.

3) In all your years of party designing, what stands out as one of your most rewarding moments?

All of my most rewarding moments have happened one-on-one, a single customer at a time. You might not think that making birthday invitations and party printables was such a highly emotional business, but it really can be! Some people have really touched my heart with the personal stories they share and how kind they are. And, thanks to having loyal, repeat customers I’ve come to know many families very well considering I’m just their birthday party gal. ; ) Over the years I’ve made some good friends and have been watching their kids grow up before my eyes, which is pretty amazing!

4) What advice would you give to a mom that is trying to choose a theme for her child’s first birthday party?

Choose a theme that’s personally meaningful to you. Inspiration is everywhere – you could base the theme on one of your child’s favorite toys, the patterns used in their nursery, or the color they’re most drawn to, for example. You could also choose a theme based on your family’s interests, like golf, or a place that you love, such as the beach. Pick themes for the first few years that are sweet and that you’ll remember fondly, before your little one starts asking for parties based on the latest trendy TV characters!

5) If you could design a party for any celebrity, who would it be and why?

It’s so funny, I’ve been asked this before, and I always say Bethenny Frankel! I think she’s fabulous and so stylish without trying too hard to be. She’s really particular about details, yet she’s realistic and down-to-earth too. (Um… can you tell I’ve watched all of her reality shows?!) It would be a fun challenge to try to keep up with her.

6) What are some easy & creative decor ideas that people could use Chickabug products for?

My customers are so creative, they always think of the most interesting ways to use my products! One very crafty mama used pennant banner pieces – which are traditionally strung in a row, of course – to create a unique table centerpiece. Another used straw flags to decorate marshmallows on a stick, and you can also use straw flags to make cupcake toppers too.
Here’s another good one: putting a pennant banner piece inside of a wreath. That idea spread all over Pinterest because it’s just so cute, and now lots of people make wreaths like that! A really clever idea that I’m waiting to see take off is using cupcake wrappers as an ice cream cone wrap. I never would have thought of it, but it’s a perfect fit.

Besides coming up with these great ideas, it’s also really inspiring to see how good people are at paper crafting. For example, check out all of the “extras” a mom added to these bowling party printables. And one recent customer created all the decor for her daughter’s mermaid party by hand, using just a few sheets of stickers as the finishing touches. My customers never cease to impress me! Photos courtesy of the Chickabug blog.

We’d like to send a big Thank You to Heather for being featured in this Party Tip Tuesday! Be sure to check out the links to her social media accounts (right hand side of  the Chickabug blog) to keep updated on all of the fabulous ideas & printables.

Do you have party related questions that you’d like me to ask an expert? Do you have a favorite expert that you’d love to see featured? Please contact me to let me know!

For more birthday party ideas, head over to our Birthday Party page. If you’re looking for adorable party supplies, check out one of my favorites – Birthday in a Box and save 10% off on all orders over $50 – Use code BDAY10 (a Moms & Munchkins affiliate code).

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