It's Birthday Week!!!

In just a few short days my oldest daughter will turn 7.  A child that I fell in love with the moment I knew she existed, that has made me smile, cry, laugh and beam with pride more than I thought to ever be possible. 7.  As in almost half way to driving.  It seems like just yesterday her daddy and I were laying on the ground trying to teach her how to roll over. Anyway...birthdays are a big deal at our house, when I was growing up my birthday was usually me, my brothers and 87 cousins gathered around a homemade cake and a few presents. I haven't been to counseling but it obviously left me scarred. So, my kids birthdays require much thought and prep work to ensure it is a fabulous day for them.  But, birthdays are can be expensive and we sure aren't gonna abandon our frugal ways for a one day whim.

In the 10 parties I have thrown thus far wearing my mom hat we have manged to have a great time and never needed a bounce house or  any other expensive activity.  We have experienced a barnyard bash, gone on a safari (my fav), brought the circus to life, went boyish with a tonka truck, a princess party that any little girl would love, got all aboard a train party, and went crazy at a luau. This year though is different, my lil' girl is growing up and wants a rockstar party.  Yep, we are gonna party like rockstars!  Rockstars on a budget though.
We are going to have a rockin' party for less than $100, including the favors, food, cake...everything.  I think that is a reasonable amount for a kids party and will be sharing some of the details here on the ole' blog!

Of coarse, the invitation sets the mood for the entire event so here is what all the cool kids in 2nd grade had in their mailboxes this week:

I used Photoshop to create this gem. Confession: I am a self taught Photoshop junkie and have a small card design business so I have spent a good deal of time creating cards.  If you don't have Photoshop you could easily print out the wording from word, and layer it on some colored cardstock to create a similar look.

Invitation cost: $1
All I needed was a few sheets of the cardstock I already owned.  If you had to do the layered look it would probably run more like $7-$10 depending on how many you were sending out.

I'll also be sharing:
DIY decor that will knock your socks off, our Entertainment, and the rockin' favors the kiddos will be packing home.