One of the girls in our office just discovered lots of great Popsicle recipes in the current issue of Parents magazine, and we thought this would be a great follow up Brandi’s post from earlier this week.

The article featured fun Popsicle flavors including banana split, mint chocolate chip sandwiches, and root beer float.  To see these recipes, go to Parents.com.

A girl’s sixteenth birthday is her first chance to have a stylish soirée thrown in her honor. With all of her friends and family there, it’s her opportunity to let her budding sense of style shine as bright as her rhinestone tiara! As a result, the pressure is on to make this party as chic and sassy as possible.

If you are having trouble deciding what theme, decor, food and games to feature, draw some inspiration from these flirty and fashionable ideas from our very own party planning experts. There is even a cake sculpted to resemble a Marc Jacobs bag! You’ll make sure no one is crying over her sixteen candles by suggesting these fun and fabulous themes!

• Modern Masquerade
• Roaring Twenties
• Alice in Wonderland
• Once Upon a Time
• Sixteen in the City
• Winter Wonderland
• Caught in Candyland
• Red Carpet Rendezvous
• Tahiti Sweetie
• Murder Mystery
• Mall Madness

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The other day, a relative of mine who is planning our family reunion forwarded a family tree spreadsheet via e-mail to every member of the family with a request to update any missing or incorrect data and to verify addresses for the customized party invitations she created on our site.

As soon as the e-mail arrived, I thought to myself, “There has got to be an easier way.” Imagining each person making changes and returning the document, I wondered how all the information could be merged into one cohesive family tree.

A quick search indicated there are several products available to help categorize this kind of information, but the problem was that she wasn’t just interested in the family tree–she wanted current e-mail, phone numbers and mailing addresses as well.

In this case, a spreadsheet makes sense because it can be converted to a document that most contact software can read and convert to mailing labels. But, instead of an e-mail attachment, the real ideal solution would be to use a relatively new product called Google Documents. Her existing spreadsheet could be uploaded and shared with all of the family members at once. Since they would all be editing the same document, no merging of the data would be necessary. Even better, everyone can access the document through a simple web portal, so no additional software is required. Voila!

Since Tiny Prints is in the business of helping people keep in touch, we’re always interested in hearing your techniques for keeping friends and family connected. If you have something to share, please let us know!

Sandals, shade and sundresses aren’t necessarily enough to keep your kids cool as the summer heats up. Since children are particularly susceptible to heat stroke, dehydration and sun poisoning, it is important to keep them cool, comfortable and safely sunblocked.

But this doesn’t mean your kids need to be tucked away in air conditioning and long sleeves! Try these tips for beating the heat and giving your kids a safe and stylish summer:

• Make homemade popsicles by pouring sports drinks and fruit punches into molds and inserting your own popsicle sticks before freezing.
• Get kids their own stylish personal fans, like the ones below, to use when they feel overheated at camp or when playing with friends.
• Revive old summer pastimes by making lemonade or sun tea with your kids.
• Keep the elements at bay with the proper outdoor gear. In particular, look for a good hat that will cover their ears and neck, like these from REI.
• Put oranges, apples, carrots and celery in the fridge before you cut them up to serve as snacks.
• Save the environment while keeping the kids hydrated with fashionable aluminum water bottles like these from SIGG.

These simple tips and tricks will have your family on the fasttrack to a fun summer in the sun in no time!

I love Hostess with the Mostess‘ ideas for an eclectic baby shower. This mix of stunning shades of blue glass with punches of red, orange and yellow turn traditional baby shower pastels into vibrant hues. I also love that she used tatoos as an unconventional source of inspiration. The entire look is sophisticated without losing the whimsical sense of fun that every baby shower should have. Tiny Prints also carries the perfect invitations to match this bohemian theme–I can’t think of a better way to celebrate a fun and fashionable mom-to-be!

Whether you’re barbecuing, watching the fireworks display, having a picnic or staying in, here’s hoping you stay cool, take lots of pictures and make tons of memories. If you’re going to take photos of the fireworks this year, you’ll want to pick an ideal spot, choose a wide-angle lens and keep your hand steady. For more tips check out BudgetTravel. Their article on Fireworks Photography is sure to bring out the professional photographer in you. In honor of tomorrow’s special holiday, we at Tiny Prints want to wish you all a safe, fun 4th of July.

If you’re planning a baby shower, here’s an idea for creating something memorable for the mom and dad to be. Have little note cards personalized with their baby’s name on it and leave one for each guest. If they don’t have a name yet, just personalize it with the names of the parents-to-be. Bring a handful of colorful pens and ask each guest to write words of advice or little notes to the new parents on them. These are sure to be a big hit with everyone and something that they can save, put into a scrapbook and treasure forever.

When I was looking for a fun, casual venue for an event I was planning, I stumbled upon the zoo. Since most kids love animals and hence love the zoo, I thought that this would also be a great place to have a birthday party. Keep reading for tips on how to make your party, wild, crazy and lots of fun!

1) Check out your local zoo’s website. In addition to finding out if they have special birthday packages, you can get all the details about having your party there. In November and December, for example, I learned that the San Francisco Zoo hosts ice skating parties at their zoo.

2) Get chaperones. Depending on how many kids you invite, you might want to gather up some parents and family members to help you supervise and keep track of all your guests.

3) Favors. Cute stuffed animals or a small bag full of kid-sized water bottles and snacks will be much appreciated after a long day at the zoo.

4) Food. The best thing about having a party at the zoo is that food can be conveniently ordered and purchased there. You might want to see if they also provide utensils and paper plates. A birthday cake or cupcakes designed with animals are sure to be a big hit with guests!

5) Activities. The zoo itself is filled with tons of things for kids to do. For the party, you could bring crayons and coloring pages of animals for a little something extra.

6) Invitations and Thank you cards. Here are a few animal themed birthday party invitations and thank you cards that would be perfect for a zoo party!

If you’re having a birthday party for some roller skaters you know, read on for some cool party tips.

Location. First of all, think about where you’ll host the party. Places can include your local roller rink, a park, a gym, or anywhere that has concrete for the kids to skate. While it’s hot, you might want to plan a trip to the ice skating rink which is a fun way for them to cool off.

Guests. Go through the guest list with your child to figure out who to invite. If you’re planning a party at a roller rink, take into account the number of kids you’ll be paying admission for.

Food, Favors, Decoration. If your party is at a roller skating rink, decorations can be simple and you can usually order food there as well. If not, go simple by bringing pizza or easy to eat finger foods since most kids will want to quickly return to playing after they eat. Choose decorations such as balloons and birthday cake with a roller skate theme. For favors, make small gift bag filled with snacks, candy and roller skate themed items such as pencils and keychains.

Invitation. You might want to tell guests to bring their own skates and/or safety equipment such as a helmet and knee pads which can be included on these two adorable Tiny Prints birthday invitations perfect for a roller skating theme party.

Have a teenager in your life? If so, you might be having a hard time deciding what to get them for their birthday. I have a girl cousin who just turned 13 so I know how difficult it can be. One thing about teens is that they really want to embrace their individuality. A gift option that would be perfect for my cousin and any teenager is giving them something personalized and unique. Tiny Prints has a line of new note cards especially for the teen in mind. Match these with a personalized address labels and a gift certificate to really create an outstanding birthday gift!