Party Week: Invitations and Swizzle Sticks (DIY)

It's party week!  All week, I'll be posting how-to's, recipes, and tips for planning the perfect summer soiree.  Everything is fairly simple and takes less than an hour.  So put on your party hats and let's get started.  Up first: invitations and a super easy swizzle stick DIY!

I'm a big believer in the invitation.  In a world of mass communication and social media, the invitation seems to have fallen by the wayside.  I think they're as important for small gatherings as they are for large ones.  They set the tone of the event and seem to make everything more special.  I always send some kind of invitation to any event I'm hosting.  Sometimes it's an e-vite, which largely does the work for you; sometimes I'll actually mail something; and often I'll create something and send it by email.  

One of my dear friends is leaving Texas for the summer.  She has a clerkship in Nebraska.  "Clerkships" are a pretty big deal in the legal world, and I knew she needed an appropriate going away party to celebrate.  The template for the invite came from Love, Obsess, Inspire and can be downloaded here.  I'd seen it a while ago and was just waiting for the perfect opportunity to use it.  I changed it up a little in Photoshop, but you could just as easily write-in the info, scan, and email it.

And now for the fun part.  I am a sucker for anything cute, even if it's not particularly useful.  I'd seen several adorable swizzle sticks on various wedding blogs and knew they'd be perfect for the party.  And they're somewhat useful for summer time drinks, because they're perfect for swirling around herbs, fruit, ice, and whatever else makes its way into a summer cocktail.  Best of all, they're cheap and easy!

Hope that was easy to understand.  Let me know if you have any questions; I'd be more than happy to help out.  And, in case you were wondering, I've been using these pretty much non-stop.  It's like everyday's a party!

On the docket for tomorrow: quick and easy bunting!

Have a lovely day, and if your weather is anything like mine: good luck staying dry!