Almost every little girl has had fun with make believe tea parties. Why not celebrate her birthday this year with a real afternoon tea party? Look for ideas on this week’s tea themed inspiration board.

“My Very First Tea Party” by Michal Sparks is a fun picture book and makes a great gift to give to the birthday girl and her guests. The fabric tea set by Pottery Barn adds pretty decor to the party and the pink tea cup and dessert set can be used for all their sweet treats.

Kara’s cupcakes makes pretty sweet treats with mini and regular sizes in flavors Sweet Vanilla and Coconut. Flutter tea for one is filled with dainty butterflies perfect for tea time. Invite guests to the tea party with Tea Time Birthday Party Invitations.

One of my best memories as a child were the times I spent camping with my family. It’s a great way to bond with your kids and a creative way to celebrate their birthday. Here are a few ways to help you get ready for fun, fall nights, roasting marshmallows and camping under the stars.

1) There are specific camping equipment made for kids. Check out some of these cool camping gear. (Kids Dome Camping Tent and Youth Glow-in-the-Dark Solar Quad Chair from Coleman.)

2) Then, before you go make sure to test out all your equipment and gear outside or inside of your home.

3) Don’t forget to pack the essentials such as lots of water, sunscreen and an emergency kit. These are from REI.

4) Choose somewhere nearby and make sure to find out if you’ll need to obtain a permit to camp there.

5) Have fun with food! Check out Familyfun.com for recipes from everything from s’mores and trail mix to pan-fried trout! Yum!

6) And if you’re throwing a camping birthday party or just a casual gathering with family and friends, send out one of these fun, party invitations.

7) Check out Budget Travel’s article, “Camping Tips for Parents,” for more information.

A gift basket is a thoughtful and easy way to give a birthday or shower gift. The only downside? Gift baskets can cost a lot, running up to $200 a pop! But, there are some great ones out there that are much more affordable as well. Here are a few that I love, including one for baby and one for the new mom:

The Little Seed is a celebrity haven for eco-friendly baby and children’s specialty boutique items. It was started by Soleil Moon Frye and Paige Goldberg Tolmach. Here is their cute (if a bit pricey at $200!) Little Toddler Gift Basket.

This Basket of Wisdom by Martha Stewart has everything the new mom will need such as a thermometer, booties, and tea and candy for her.

From cupcake lip gloss to peas and carrots cupcakes, these are definitely not your ordinary cupcakes. Here are some unique ideas for a birthday party or baby shower theme filled with cupcakes and everything sweet.

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1) Cupcake lip gloss from Wedding Things. 2) Fuzzy Pink Baby Cupcake Hat from Etsy. 3) Cupcake plates from Target. 4) TV dinner cupcakes (peas and carrots) from Martha Stewart 5) Pizza cupcake from the Hello Cupcake Book. 6) Popcorn cupcake from Family Fun. 7) Bubbly Bear Birthday Party Invitations from Tiny Prints. Jessie Steele Children’s Cupcakes apron from Sas Cupcakes.

Real Simple magazine occasionally prints a special family issue chock full of ideas from unique birthday  themes to fun outdoor activities and book reviews. In a recent issue, they included unusual themes such as “the little Italy party” and “the treasure-hunt party.” Here are a few ideas for a treasure hunt party that hopefully will inspire your next shindig.

1st row: Pirate bag with gold coins from Oriental Trading; Treasure chest cake from FamilyFun

2nd row: Pirate Panda from Etsy, Pirate hats from PotteryBarn Kids and Pirate Birthday Party Invitations from Tiny Prints.

A common trend for children’s birthday parties involves renting an inflatable bounce house for kids to jump in, throwing themselves around like maniacs for as long as parents will let the party keep hopping. This idea is a great way to entertain the little ones during birthday parties, but it also serves as an excellent way to integrate exercise into your child’s parties. By making fitness fun, you help to establish lifelong associations among exercise, energy and enthusiasm.

Try throwing a themed party for your children this year that includes fitness on both a fun and functional level by using some of these ideas:

• Got a soccer fan running around the house? Host a soccer-themed party and include a friendly game as a part of the entertainment.
• Give your kids and their friends a rockin’ dance party.

• Make a splash by hosting a pool party at your local YMCA. You can even organize water games like Shark and Fishies to encourage the kids to swim a little harder.
• Have a bowl-o-rama birthday at the bowling alley.
• As a part of the entertainment, organize a bike ride or group rollerblading outing at the local park.

These type of events offer the perfect way to play while you celebrate your child’s big day!

Have an aspiring cowboy in your family? Here’s few tips on how to plan a cowboy birthday party that they’ll get a kick out of.

1) Invitations. After you’ve gone over the guest list, choose or have your child use their favorite invitation. Here are some adorable ones from Tiny Prints.

2) Decorations. Sites such as Oriental Trading sells fun decorations such an inflatable cactus and gold nugget bubble gum to give as favors. They even have a pinata shaped like a cowboy boot!

3) Activities. Purchase inexpensive cowboy hats, vests, bandannas and other fun costumes for the kids to play dress up. Play pin the tail on the horse. Or how about playing pass the cowboy hat to a Country Western music CD. The person who ends up with the hat when the song stops wins!

4) Food. Barbecue goes best with a cowboy themed party. Serve hamburgers, hot dogs, corn bread and baked beans. End with a cowboy shaped cake and root beer floats!

A lot of people don’t realize that the invitations on Tiny Prints are so easy to customize that it allows you to get really creative. For instance, one idea I had was to give your guests a recipe as a unique party favor idea. All you have to do is select a Tiny Prints invitation design and change the text so that it features one of your favorite sweet treats. Then the “recipe card” can be paired with a baking utensil (cookie cutter, measuring cup, etc.). This is a fun way to share your most-loved recipes with your friends and family.

Check out two different examples with my favorite recipe for Red Velvet Cupcakes (yes, we love cupcakes at Tiny Prints and like to blog about them):

And these recipes can be paired with these delightful measuring cups…

Image: Beau-Coup.com

What are some creative ways that you have reworked Tiny Prints designs? We would love to hear your ideas!