Welcome to the Party Planning Center!

As the publisher of several party printables Web sites, I've designed and posted many invitations, party hats, place cards, cupcake toppers and other printable images that make parties more fun, while also helping the host or hostess save money. After a while, it occurred to me that it would be a good idea to supplement the printables with other items that would help with party planning, such as recipes, to-do and ingredient lists, party games and other goodies that would make the process of planning a party easier.

It made sense to me that the best and most helpful way to arrange this information would be by party theme. This will also allow me to be creative with digging into the heart of what makes a great party and present it in ways that will be fun and easy to use. To facilitate that, I have partnered with Quentin Nardi, author of the wonderful Q-Made blog to provide theme recipes and document their creation with photography. Her work is top-notch and I'm sure you will enjoy what she brings to the table -- pun intended! A photo editor for national magazines for 12 years, Quentin's first passion is photography but something clicked when her mother-in-law taught her to knit in 2003 and a whole world of crafting opened up to her, including quilting, crochet, sewing, doll-making and DIY craft projects. This, combined with her love of cooking and the kitchen, created the perfect storm of photographing all the things she cooks, bakes and makes. She and her husband live in Silver Spring, Maryland with their two young children who play the role of constant muse, semi-willing models and provide an endless source of inspiration.

The first party theme is geared to the rapidly approaching season: summer. Using strawberries as our core recipe ingredient and featuring luscious-looking strawberry images on a variety of printables, we will present detailed information, printables, photographs, recipes and resources that will help you create a summer garden party your friends and family will never forget.

I hope you'll join us for all the fun!