As you may know, my youngest son, Jack, just celebrated his first birthday! Happy birthday, little buddy! , the awesome online design marketplace, contacted me with the desire to help celebrate this milestone in his (and our) life! How cool is that?
Basically, I was charged to find some amazing party decorations on Minted, use them, and share what we thought. Easy, right? Let me just tell you how something so seemingly easy - picking out party decorations - became so hard! THERE'S SO MANY AMAZING DESIGNS TO CHOOSE FROM!!!
First of all, I'd heard of Minted before, and actually considered using them for wedding invitations when Michael and I were in our wedding whirlwind a few years ago, but I didn't know they did anything else. So when they reached out to me about kids' products, I was more than excited.
When I found the kids' party area, I was floored. Are you kidding me with how insanely cute the designs were? No. They're not kidding. And neither am I. There's a theme for every party, including Barnyard Crew, Cakeasaurus Dinosaur, Blue Big Top Circus, Vintage Race Car and more! After nearly a day of deliberation, I finally went with Argh! Pirates! Because... pirates...
When I clicked on the design I chose, I was prompted with " Bring your party dreams to life with chic bunting banners, centerpieces, table signs and more. Designed by our community of independent artists and customized by you." Cool.
I also saw that I could pick a pre-made package of decorations, available in 3 suites, one at $65, the next at $98 and the final at $144. None of the packages suited what I needed, so I decided to build my own, which worked amazingly well. Plus, if you order three or more items from the same theme, you save 15% on each item. Win!
I chose the personalizable bunting banner, circle garlands, a personalizable party sign, table confetti, party crowns, and a personalizable table runner. I wanted to deck out our dining room in the pirate gear for baby Jack. Yes, I know babies don't remember their first parties, but guess what? It's for us, and of course, he'll love looking back on the photos when he's older. That's just how it goes.
As far as customization goes, I added a photo of Jack to the bunting banner, and I actually left the table runner alone, since it ALREADY said Captain Jack on it. Convenient.
In addition to Jack's party supplies, I went ahead and got our older son, Major, a fun picture to hang in his room, and another picture for the family to add to the kitchen. I mean, why not? They not only have awesome party decor, and gorgeous and unique wedding invitations, but they have art, stationary, and so, SO much more. I'm pretty sure you can even make business cards through them!
So I placed my order, and thanks to expedited shipping, I had my decorations and wall art a week later.
The first thing that surprised me was how sweet the art was. Major LOVES his bear print, and especially loves that it has his name right there on the chalk board. He was so happy and proud to hang it in his room.
I was also super happy with the foiled map of Maryland that I've hung in our kitchen. It's the perfect addition, and being next to the window, the foil shines and shines, really adding a little somethin-somethin to the room. I love it.
The party decorations were amazing. I was so blown away by the quality of the products I ordered, and I LOVED how they all came together in the dining room, transforming it into the perfect festive party room.
I also was happy with how easy the bunting banner and garlands were to put together.
They were sturdy, and held up to all of the pulling that happened once Jack saw his face on it. That personalization was such a cool touch, and really made the party special.
The decorations really set the stage for SO much fun, and provided the perfect backdrop for Jack's 1st.
Check out all of the photos below in the galleries!
Jack had such a great time, and his big brother was the best helper ever!
We all had a blast helping him open presents, and seeing his face when each one was revealed!
And it's not a party without cake!
I mean, check out that face!
And even though we're far from our family, they were able to participate in all of the fun at the party, thanks to Skype & FaceTime!
Something else cool is that some of these decorations are reusable as bedroom decorations for our little Captain Jack. I plan on using the runner and the circle garlands as wall decorations in his room to spice things up for a little.
- If you find a design that really strikes you, you click on the designer's name to see more designs by that artist! It's a bit of an Alice in Wonderland Rabbit Hole situation if you get too caught up, but it's fun while you're in it.
- Almost all of the designs on Minted.com are personalizable/customizable. Whether it's the wording, the color, or orientation, you can make any design uniquely yours.
- Do you a specific photo you want to use? Go the filter bar, and click "see more filters," then you can choose to only view designs that match the orientation of your photo, so that your photo will fit PERFECTLY with a design. No awkward cropping!
- If you have a photo you want to use, you can upload it, and "test it out" in any of Minted's designs before you buy. Make sure that what you imagine it'll be is how it will actually be with this awesome feature!
- You can make special requests with your photos too. Do you need a blemish removed? Colors adjusted? Awesome. Just note that in the "special requests" box, and a designer will get in touch with you to complete your request. Some special requests may cost extra, but not too much.