Nostalgic and sweet decorating idea found on Better Homes & Gardens: “Add some patriotism to your porch by putting red, white, blue pinwheels into rustic buckets and watering cans filled with sand.” BHG files this under the Fourth of July, but of course it’s equally appropriate for Memorial Day tomorrow. Have a happy Memorial Day, everyone!

Featured pin • Original source: Better Homes & Gardens • Pinned to: Party Decor Ideas

There’s a lot going on here, but just wait and see, it’s all fun! In the kit, you’ll find a printable banner (with a “title” piece, plus blank pieces in every color of the rainbow), a Bingo game card, coupons, and two bookmarks.

First, you cut out the banner pieces and string them up where your child can see them every day. They’ll be filling in the blank pieces all summer as they read their books! Each time they finish reading a book, they earn a banner piece. You can fill in the book title at the top, and then your child can write a little summary of what the book is about in the blank area. (Wee ones can draw pictures instead.)

To get started reading, kick off the Summer Reading Star game! Print the Bingo card and fill in an age-appropriate goal time at the top of the page. This is the amount of time you’ll want your child to read before they get to fill in a Bingo square. They get to read in all sorts of fun places, like under a tree, in the bathtub, or while sitting on a beach blanket. They can also fill in a square for the day of the week that they read, and for some silly things, too – like reading while wearing a hat.

If your kids are really young, the goal time could be on the low end – maybe 5 to 15 minutes per reading session. If your child is a little older, or if they’re a big bookworm already, the goal could be much higher. The idea is that the whole game can be tailored to suit your child, no matter what age or reading level.

So what’s in it for the kids? When your child hits a Bingo, they get a coupon. When they complete a “blackout” (filling every square), they earn the Golden Ticket. You can set up the prizes based on your own tastes. Maybe the coupon prizes are tiny, like a Tootsie Pop or a goodie from the dollar store, or maybe they’re a lot bigger. It’s totally up to you! Just make sure the Golden Ticket is the biggest incentive – something that your little one is really hoping for. After the Bingo card has been filled and the Golden Ticket has been awarded, you can print out a new card and more prize coupons, and the game can keep right on going. You can play all summer long!

Shelley from HowDoesShe introduced her son, Noah, to the game, and he took to it right away! She says, “when I explained the summer reading program to him, he RAN to get his favorite hat and started reading.”

Noah couldn’t wait to check off the “while wearing a hat” box on his Bingo card!

And after Noah finished his book, he earned his first banner piece and went right to work drawing a summary. He’s excited to be a Summer Reading Star – and I hope your kids will be excited, too!

I designed this kit exclusively for HowDoesShe subscribers, so to download the free “I’m A Summer Reading Star” kit, you need to be on the HowDoesShe email list. Visit HowDoesShe.com to sign up. After you sign up, you’ll receive a welcome email with instructions on how to access the members-only download page.

For more information on downloading this printable – and a whole lot more that I designed just for HowDoesShe subscribers! – click here.

With that in mind, I’ve been working hard lately to add more “design it yourself” options to my shop. (That’s what I call my special line of designs where you choose the colors, font, and text.) There are a whole bunch of new patterns that I wanted to let you know about, like chevron, argyle, quatrefoil and stars. Exciting!!

Shown above: quatrefoil, stripes, chevron, and argyle • not pictured: polka dots, toile, and stars

Here are the font and color options:

And of course, not only can you choose the font and colors you like, but all of these labels can be customized for any event. Birthdays, baby showers, weddings, wedding showers, graduations, bachelorette parties, baptisms, first communions, sip ‘n’ sees… I’ve even done labels for sports teams, church events, and class reunions. Seriously, anything goes!

Pop over to my shop to check out all of the “design it yourself” water labels. And, here’s where you can check out all of the “design it yourself” options, including printable cupcake wrappers & toppers, printable circles, printable banners and lots more. No matter what your theme (or lack thereof) there’s something here for everybody! : )

A sign from Quax welcomes guests to the party, and gable boxes filled with party favors are displayed beneath. The Tootsie Pop tree centerpiece is homemade (more on that to come!).

Sock monkeys and more sock monkeys! The banner above the table came from Amazon.

Nikki says that Luke’s adorable cake pops “were made with much love AND profanity! : )” – hee! To make them, she started with this basic Chocolate Cake Pops recipe. The buffet card is a DIY printable from my shop.

The black and white utensils were dressed up in red napkins and printable napkin rings. They look charming inside of the galvanized bucket with gingham ribbon trim! (All of the ribbons throughout the party came from Hobby Lobby.)

Red and white polka dotted ribbon from Hobby Lobby and printable buffet cards dress up the jars of candies.

Sock monkey cupcakes! The food was all homemade, and the printable cupcake wrappers and toppers are found here.

The gingham ribbons on the ends of the spoons give them a special touch!

The cake pop stand was made by stacking 3 styrofoam rectangles together and covering them in brown burlap, then adding some red and white gingham ribbon and a brown button.

The sock monkey plates came from Amazon.

Chalkboard frames like this pop up all over Luke’s party, and they’re so sweet! They were purchased from Hobby Lobby, then jazzed up with buttons, ribbons, and small easels that were spray painted red. All of the supplies came from Hobby Lobby.

Adults sampled “Vootbeer” cocktails – root beer spiked with vodka, and topped with whipped cream and a cherry. Nikki served them in mason jars, with red paper straws from Bake Me A Party and printable straw flags from my shop.

Besides root beer floats, guests were also served Cokes and water with personalized labels.

Nikki used printable cupcake topper circles, skewers, and brown ribbon to create an adorable little banner for the top of Luke’s homemade smash cake.

The Tootsie Pop tree was made using a large wooden dowel, a styrofoam ball, a metal bucket, and Moda 5 Funky Monkeys fabric from Fat Quarter Shop.

Each little party guest made their own sock monkey puppet (the sign can be found here), then took turns putting on shows in the puppet theater.

How sweet is Luke’s puppet theater! It was homemade, and the lettering was made using large chipboard letters from Hobby Lobby that were spray painted red and chocolate. The curtains were made from fabric from Fat Quarter Shop. Nikki says, “I just ordered a yard and cut it down the center and used some fabric glue to create a faux hem.”

The framed sign on the favor table was another one of Nikki’s craft projects. She says, “it was an old black frame that I had and spray painted red. Then I added some brown burlap from Hobby Lobby and some white chipboard letters to spell out ‘Luke.’ The buttons and ribbon came from Hobby Lobby – everything was simply hot glued to the brown burlap.”

Inside of the gable boxes, favors included bags of red, cream and brown M&M’s from nuts.com, sock monkey stickers from Amazon, sock monkey coloring books from Ebay, sock monkey tattoos, and little bunches of crayons that Nikki tied together with strips of fabric.

The dessert table decor included a framed photo from Luke’s first birthday photoshoot, a handwritten chalkboard message thanking guests for coming, and a little red Radio Flyer that was an Amazon find.

The little brown paper bags on the candy bar were yet another DIY project! Nikki says, “I have to give my husband some credit here… he found the sock monkey stamp at Hobby Lobby when we were there one day. I didn’t really know how I would incorporate it into the party, and then I stumbled upon those small paper sacks and thought they would be perfect! I bought a brown and red ink pad for the stamps and then used a red and white stripe ribbon from Hobby Lobby that I tied in a bow and hot glued to the bags.”

The sock monkey rubber stamp from Hobby Lobby can also found here and here.

Smash cake time! The little banner on the front of Luke’s high chair was made from cupcake topper circles and ribbons, and his sweet tie and hat are by Stacy Bayless.

Such an amazing party – thank you so much for sharing, Nikki! Happy 1st birthday to Luke!

Welcome sign: Quax
Sock monkey favor boxes and plates: Amazon (boxes, plates)
Funky Monkey pennant banner: Amazon
Paper straws: Bake Me A Party
Ribbons and buttons throughout the party: Hobby Lobby
Chalkboard frames: Homemade (supplies from Hobby Lobby)
Theater sign: Homemade (supplies from Hobby Lobby)
Brown sock monkey textured fabric used for theater curtains: Moda 5 Funky Monkeys fabric from Fat Quarter Shop
Cream sock monkey fabric used for the base of the Tootsie Pop tree: Moda 5 Funky Monkeys fabric from Fat Quarter Shop
Luke’s tie and hat: Stacy Bayless
Miniature Radio Flyer wagon: Amazon
Brown paper favor bags: Homemade (supplies and sock monkey rubber stamp from Hobby Lobby; also found here and here)
Framed sign on the favor table: Homemade (supplies from Hobby Lobby)
Chocolate cake pops: Homemade (recipe from Quick Dish)
Cake pop stand: Homemade (supplies from Hobby Lobby)
Cake and cupcakes: Homemade
Water bottle labels and sock monkey party printables: Chickabug

A paper chain backdrop can make a huge impact for pennies! This ombre paper chain in refreshing citrus tones is from a wedding reception photoshoot by Floridian Weddings, but of course it would be lovely for an orange theme baby shower or birthday party too. Check out the original post for yummy (adult) recipes for Orange Creamsicle and Key Lime Frosting Floats!

Featured pin • Original source: Floridian Weddings • Photography: Michelle March Photography • Pinned to: Party Decor Ideas

Re-posted with permission from Rebecca of Floridian Weddings. Thank you Rebecca!

Just feelin’ beachy today! Here are some easy DIY cupcake decorating ideas for Under the Sea theme and pool parties:

1. Sea turtle cupcakes via Disney Family – decorated with gummy candies and mini chocolate chips for eyes

2. “By the beach” cupcakes via Harvard Common Press – the sand is made from graham cracker crumbs

3. Frosting crab tutorial via MyCakeSchool – the eyes are sixlets, and the crab is easier to make than it looks (it only takes 2 frosting tips)!

4. Bite-sized fish cupcakes via Life Is Sweets – these are miniature M&M’s on miniature cupcakes, so these fish are tiny and adorable!

5. Marzipan starfish cupcakes via Martha Stewart – it would be easy to make the starfish with white frosting if you don’t want to use marzipan

6. Crab cupcake toppers via The Seven Year Cottage – toothpicks are the secret behind these cute gummy crab toppers

Check out the most summery party themes in my shop:
Under the Sea • Luau • Goldfish

The favor tags on these cookies are from my shop, and they are not small (they measure 3-3/4″ tall). That means these are really large bowling pin cookies, which is fabulous! More cookie, more impact, right? : )

You can see more of Kiss Me Kate Events’ gorgeous work on their Facebook page. You can also view the beautiful white butterfly baby shower that they styled here on my blog!