Party Tutorial Contest #2: First Place

I'm thrilled to announce that the winners of the second Party Tutorial Contest have been selected! What an honor it was to have Kate of Kate Landers Events, Lacey from Le Box Boutique, Paula of Frog Prince Paperie, and Candace of Candy and Cake as our guest judges. Thank you so much ladies for being a part of my one year blogging celebration. The entries were judged on creativity and how easy they were to follow. And the top prize goes to...

Julie over at So This is Julie for her Crepe Paper Flowers tutorial!

Here is what some of the judges had to say about her tutorial and why it chosen as the winner.

~ Vibrant colors were EXCELLENT for the tutorial. She immediately drew me in with the two-tone fringed crepe paper flowers. I also appreciated all the images of the supplies, and being honest about how it can be tricky at first. She shared inside-tips on making it easier by not using the frige scissors, as well as where to cut top-to-bottom to decrease chances of there being rips (shows for a good teacher). She also showed that you can hang on a garland, or put on bamboo skewers (more than one use for the finished product) which can then tie the theme across many decorative elements--this stood out to me the most in terms of creativity. All required supplies were inexpensive or likely something you had at home already, making it more accessible to a wider group. And how great that this decoration/project can be used for parties (not limited to birthdays) and celebrations of all sorts, and even used as home decorations after an event.

~ I like the simplicity of the materials and how do-able this tutorial is for the average person; that and the impact it makes in a party's decor make it a winner!

Julie wins a $50 gift certificate to Bird's Party, plus 3 months of sidebar ad space on her blog. Congratulations! Be sure to check back tomorrow to find out who won the custom designed party pack from Love Party Printables valued at $80. Ohhh...the suspense.

Party Tutorial Contest #2

A year ago, I had an aha moment. I realized that I had spent most of my thirties focusing on the kids and being a mom. I think Dawn of Not Just A Mommy sums it up perfectly when she says, "it can't be just about the kids". That same week, I signed up for a photography class, hit the gym for the first time in ten years, and started this blog.

My official one year blogging anniversary isn't until June 13th, but I couldn't resist the urge to start the celebration a little early. What a better way to get the party started than with another Party Tutorial Contest.

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Lacey, Paula, and Candace were the sponsors from the first contest, but I wanted to keep the name of the fourth judge under wraps until now...

Kate - Kate Landers Events

It's such an honor to have Kate as our special guest judge. She was the very first person to feature my parties on her blog, and has continued to be a true inspiration to me and so many others.

Lacey - Le Box Boutique

Lacey admits that she has an obsession with kraft boxes/bags, washi tape, and baker's twine. Her shop, Le Box Boutique, provides eco-friendly gift packaging, gift consulting, graphic design, and photography services.

Paula - Frog Prince Paperie

Paula is a brilliant invitations designer and party stylist, and a pro when it comes to DIY projects. As one of my first blog followers, I'm thrilled that she's on board to help me celebrate this milestone.

Candace - Candy and Cake

Serving the Saskatoon area, Candy and Cake offers cakes and confections baked from scratch. Candace's blog is dedicated to creative cakes and party planning. As she puts it, "what is a party without a cake anyway?"

Again, the judges will be looking for party tutorials that are creative and easy to follow.

Since the contest will be opened to everyone this time, our sponspors are offering digital prizes totaling over $200.

1st Place

Bird is giving the lucky winner a $50 gift certificate to her shop, plus 3 months of sidebar ad space -- a total value of $80. Have your 125px x 125px button seen by 50,000 unique visitors each month!

2nd Place

Get this -- the runner-up will receive a custom designed party pack from Love Party Printables worth $80. The pack includes party circles, invitations, tented cards, banner, napkin rings, straw flags, labels, favor tags and water bottle labels.

3rd Place

Shop for custom party printables with a $50 gift certificate from Lindi of Love the Day. Sweet!

To enter your DIY party project(s), you must:
1. Be a blog follower or Facebook fan of Pure Joy Events.
2. Mention the contest on your blog, Facebook page, or Twitter.

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: Fairies and Butterflies

Fairies and butterflies continue to be a popular theme for girls in all parts of the world. What little girl doesn't love to wear fairy or butterfly wings while waving a wand?

Remember Junita's robot party from the last link party showcase? She does it again with another stunning party. This time it's a fairy princess party for Rania's fourth birthday held at the Martabak House in Indonesia. Junita always makes it look so effortless. I love the use of the lavender net canopy over the dessert table, the yogurt drinks, and the watermelon marshmallow skewers. See more pictures on her blog, Kinderplays Toy Rental.

This Tinkerbell party for Janelle's sixth birthday came from Candy and Cake. Isn't this 2-tier cake is simply beautiful? The cake, plus the other sweets that you see on the table, like the meringue mushrooms, were made by Candy and Cake. Journey to Pixie Hollow for more details.

Rene Takes the Cake linked up Madelyn's pink and purple butterfly party. Can you believe that the cake used for the centerpiece is actually made out of Styrofoam cake dummies? Even without a real cake, there were plenty of goodies on the sweets table, including banana split cupcakes, chocolate covered pretzels, bubble gum, grape licorice, and lollipops!