Party Tutorial Contest Winners

I was so impressed with all of the entries from our first Party Tutorial Contest. I'm sure it wasn't easy for the guest judges to pick their top three tutorials. The winning tutorial goes to...

Rainbow Slush entered by Wendy over at Ramblings from the Sunshine State. In her own words, "it's really easy and inexpensive, and the kids loved it". We love it too! Enjoy your Rainbow Party Packaging Kit (how fitting) from Le Box Boutique, which includes Japanese washi tape, baker's twine, kraft boxes, glassine bags, and other goodies.

Jaime from That's My Letter takes 2nd place with her DIY Treat Tower tutorial. Inspired by a cupcake stand by Martha, she designed and built a 4-tier round tower, complete with holes to hold cake pops! Jaime wins a $25 gift certificate to Frog Prince Paperie.

The winner of a dozen fondant covered cookies or custom chocolate covered Oreos from Candy and Cake is Paula of JC's Loft. She shows you how to make Faux Lamps out of dollar store candlesticks, floral foam and scrapbook paper for just $4 each.

Honorable mentions go to Twin Dragonfly Designs' Mad Hatter Party Toad Stool tutorial, and the Goldfish Soap tutorial by Cupcakes and Lemonade. Heather and Laura will receive 3 months of free ad space on Pure Joy Events.

Congratulations to these incredibly crafty and creative ladies! Thanks everyone for sharing your party tutorials. If you haven't had a chance to check out all of the entries, go here. Of course, a special shout out to the fabulous judges, Bird of Bird's Party, Jillian from Catch My Party, Becca over at Birthday Girl, and Paula of Frog Prince Paperie.

Party Tutorial Contest

Yippee! Pure Joy Events recently reached 200 blog followers and is approaching 200 fans on Facebook! To celebrate and show my appreciation to all of you, I'm holding the first ever Party Tutorial Contest on PJE. Just link up a tutorial for a DIY project that you made for a party (like no-sew bunting, fabric cupcake toppers, or custom cake stands) for your chance to win one of these fabulous prizes.

The 1st place winner will receive a Rainbow Party Packaging Kit valued at $30, which includes Japanese washi tape, baker's twine, kraft boxes, glassine bags, and other goodies from Le Box Boutique. Paula of Frog Prince Paperie is generously offering the 2nd place winner a $25 gift certificate to her shop. And for 3rd place, a dozen fondant covered cookies or custom chocolate covered Oreos from Candy and Cake.

I'm ecstatic to announce that the guest judges will be Bird of Bird's Party, Jillian from Catch My Party, and Becca over at Birthday Girl. They'll be looking for creative projects with easy-to-follow tutorials.

The contest rules are simple:
1. You must be a Pure Joy Events blog follower or Facebook fan to enter.
2. The tutorial must be a DIY project that you made for a party.
3. Mention the contest on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.

That's it! The contest is opened to U.S. and Canadian residents only, and ends March 31st at 11:59pm ET. Please spread the word and grab our contest button.

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Link Party Showcase: Race Cars and Superheros

Character parties are a real challenge, but these ladies nailed it. Rachael of Phoenix Event Planning did such an amazing job with this Mario Kart birthday party. The dessert table looks stunning, but my favorite element from the party has to be the Mario caps with mustaches.

This Disney Pixar Cars party from Melissa is jam packed with creative ideas. Make a pit stop over to Buckets of Grace to see why her party was featured on Catch My Party and Pizzazzerie.

Dandy Delights linked up this Megaman inspired party for her little superhero, Haydn. Of course, Sara's cookies looked superb!

At Elijah's 4th birthday, the mission was simple -- defeat the villian and save the party! Find out whether the superheros were victorious by visiting Tai Dye Original.

End of 2010

I've been planning my kids' birthday parties for years. But it wasn't until June when I decided to start this blog to share some of my ideas. I was a complete newbie to the blogging world, but I fortunate enough to come across some wonderful bloggers early on. I will always be grateful for Melanie at ewe hooo!, Kate of Kate Landers Events, and Jillian from Catch My Party for featuring my parties when I only had a handful of followers.

Recently, Kate showcased my Mad Science and Under Construction parties, along with dozens of other "extraordinary parties for children" from 2010 on her blog. And today, the Mad Science party was selected as one of Jillian's favorite parties of the year. Her site features so many amazing parties, I'm totally blown away to have even been considered. What an incredible way to end 2010!

Party of the Day on Catch My Party

A big thank you to Jillian Tohber Leslie for showcasing my "Mad Science" party on Catch My Party, a free online party scrapbook.

Be sure to look for my "Under Construction" party and toolbelt tutorial on her site in the upcoming weeks.