Did you know that June 29th is Camera Day ? So for this week’s Tip Tuesday, bust out your camera and check out these suggestions on how to take your best birthday pictures!

The website Best-family-photography-tips.com has a fantastic article that lays out some tips for taking great birthday photos. Here are a few that we found particularly helpful:

• Know The Location: Whether the party takes place at home, a party room, or an amusement park, realize that each location has its own photographic “blueprint.”
• Are there obstacles that will get in the way of any birthday party pictures (columns, fixed objects, plants, etc.)? If so, plan your seating or your shooting location accordingly.
• Equipment: Have fully-charged batteries, memory cards, chargers, external flash, lens accessories, and a tripod ready.
• The Birthday Party Pictures List: Jot down the “Must Have” pictures, as well as the ones you would like to capture, if possible.
• Capture Some Shots Before the Party: Calmly take some birthday party pictures before any guests arrive. Identify your most gloriously decorated areas and snap some “before” photos.
• Use Color: Take advantage of the one thing you have plenty of at the birthday party… COLOR!

The site also offers these suggestions for photo-ops that are sure to be keepsakes in your family picture album:

• The birthday star surrounded by all the presents.
• Mom and dad collapsed with all the torn wrapping paper and ribbons placed (or dumped) on top of them.
• A few party hats and/or decorations on the family pet.

We hope that these tips will help you capture your best birthday photos yet!

Tired of the same old birthday cards you keep seeing at greeting card stores? We certainly were!

Our tip for this Tuesday is to make your own cards instead. They’re a lot more personal (not to mention often a lot less expensive) and we bet that you already have most of the supplies you need at home. Plus, most of them are so easy that you can turn birthday card making into a fun project with your little one.

We found some great ideas on Martha Stewart’s website. Take a look at this gallery of adorable homemade birthday cards:

The Cupcake Card

Digital Snapshot Cards

Flaunt Cards

Wallpaper Cards

Paper Cutout Cards

Yarn Cards

Family-Tree Photo Cards

Pressed Pansy Cards

Floral-Cutout Cards

Potato-Stamped Cards

Find more of Martha’s ideas here.

If your child celebrates their birthday during the cold, winter months, why not give him/her a taste of a summer birthday? Throw a “half birthday” party and let your little one experience a party like they never have before.

Peppers and Pollywogs has all the tips you need to throw a great party in honor of your child’s half birthday.

Here are some tips for celebrating a half birthday:

1. Send out a half invitation using one side of a card. Name it a “Half Birthday Party!”

2. The party theme has to be something that goes well outdoors: swimming, camping, a Luau, beach, etc.

3. Serve half foods, i.e. half sandwiches, half a birthday cake.

4. Break popular party foods in half: brownies, cupcakes, fruits, veggies, etc.

5. If swimming, make the kids wait a half hour before going into the pool. Play games during this time.

6. Hold a half treasure hunt, hide one half of plastic Easter eggs with half-sized candy bars.

7. Play one-legged and one armed relay races.

8. If girls are attending (or it’s an all-girl party) paint half of their nails.

9. Ask guests to bring half a birthday present, and half wrap them.

10. Fill goody cups half-full.

For many of us, public speaking is pretty scary. All those eyes on you. People waiting on your every word.

But when hosting a birthday party for a friend, there is nothing more special than giving a meaningful birthday toast. So I went looking for some tips on how to face my fear and give the perfect birthday toast.

Thanks to ehow.com for the help.

Instructions:

Step 1

Keep it simple. You don’t have to re-invent the wheel. Simple toasts are fine. Everyone would much rather hear a short, general toast than a long rambling one that lacks a point. Think of it as a tactical mission: do what you need to do and get out. For instance, no one has ever been punished for a birthday toast consisting of little more than the person’s name.

Step 2

Be kind. Sure, roasting a person is great. Everyone loves a funny toast that makes fun of the guest of honor. Those toasts are great, if you can pull them off. Often, they simply end up sounding mean, even petty. Remember, everyone listening to you likes the person being toasted. If you think there is even a chance what you say will veer away from funny-don’t say it.

Step 3

Be personal. Don’t spill out state secrets, but there is a reason that you are saying something. Whether you volunteered to give a toast, it was foisted upon you or anywhere in between; you probably have some sort of relationship with the person you are toasting. Use it. You don’t have to say much, but even mentioning the nature of your connection will improve the toast.

Step 4

Act confident. It doesn’t matter if your legs are jelly and your insides are squirming. Act as though you own the room. Stand up straight. Speak slowly and clearly. Make eye contact as you look around the room. Often, how you say something matters more than what you say.

Step 5

Steal. If you want to make an impression rather than just escape, borrow from those who have come before. Go back to greats and borrow a line or two that fits the occasion. Nothing makes you sound as impressive and erudite as a well chosen line.

Step 6

Remember, as Shakespeare once wrote, “brevity is the soul of wit.” Keep it short.

Throwing an amazing birthday party can be expensive – but it doesn’t have to be!

You can throw a great party without spending a fortune (and let’s be honest, we could all use a little extra cash these days)!

Check out stretcher.com for all the useful advice!

Inexpensive Kid’s Birthday Party: Guest List

Begin by counting the number of kids that are likely to attend. Many of your expenses will be priced ‘per child’ so you’ll need an idea of how many kids will be celebrating with Susie. When you’re counting noses, don’t forget to include ‘paybacks’ (where your child has attended their party). You may need to check your child’s school. Some have rules that say if you invite one girl from your child’s class you must invite all the girls from the class. There may also be neighbors and relatives that you’ll want to invite.

Plan for the highest number that could reasonably attend. That way all your estimates for expenses will be on the high side. You don’t need to be ridiculous, but just guess a little high. If there are three kids that are 50/50, put two in your count. That type of thing.

You’ll probably feel a little pressure to downscale the party. That’s good. It’s far better to simplify now than have the bill come in 25% higher than you planned. If you don’t like the total now you have options you can pursue. If you don’t like the bill later your choices are very limited!

Inexpensive Kid’s Birthday Party: Location

Next you’ll want to start thinking of where to hold the party. Think of places that kids like to go. Are your children interested in bowling, baseball, museums, karate or gymnastics? All these are possible sites for a party. Of course, all of them aren’t frugal. But you won’t know until you pick up the phone and ask.

When you call you’ll want to know what the charge per child is. Some places will have a minimum charge, too. Find out what’s included in the price. Are they including party favors, cake or other food and drink?

Find out if you have the option of bringing in your own food and drink. It’s a pretty sure bet that you can make a birthday cake cheaper than the price you’ll pay if it’s included in the package. In many cases is cheaper to bring the cake even if you have to buy it at the local grocery store.

For many of you the temptation will be to hold the party at your home. In some cases this WILL be the cheapest place to hold the party. But, make sure you compare costs first. Sometimes, when you add up food, drinks, cake, party favors and entertainment you could end up spending more to have it at home.

Inexpensive Kid’s Birthday Party: Entertainment

If you’re having an at home party, live entertainment may not be as expensive as you might think. By asking around you may find a stay-at-home Mom who moonlights as a clown, magician or puppeteer. Many of these part-timers are very affordable and will provide a lot of smiles per dollar spent.

Perfect entertainment for your party may be as close as your friends or family. If your brother-in-law is a fireman find out if they allow public tours. A FREE trip to the firehouse could precede a pizza party at your home and provide a unique theme party for your child.

When you have your party is also important. If you can, plan to have the party during the week after school. Most places that host kids parties are busiest on weekends. Naturally, they charge more then. You’ll get a much better rate if you can schedule your party during the week.

Inexpensive Kid’s Birthday Party: Get Creative

Try to think creatively. Last fall our daughter was heading for her eighth birthday. We didn’t want to try to compete with some of the expensive parties that she had been attending. To further complicate matters, we were remodeling our house, so an at home party wasn’t very practical.

My wife discovered a ceramics studio that gave classes. Better than that, they also held kid’s parties. For a very reasonable amount they hosted the party. Each child had their choice of unpainted ceramic items. They all selected one and painted it at the party. The ceramic became their party favor.

We were allowed to provide our own cake and drinks. The studio had an arrangement at a local pizza place for pizzas at $5 each.

The party was a hit! No one had ever had this type of party before in her crowd. The kids loved it! And the modest cost of the party was a hit with my wife and I!

Don’t let the high cost of kid’s birthday parties get you down. Worse yet, don’t let it turn you into a Scrooge. Sure there are parents who are busy playing ‘can you top this’. But like most things, a frugal mindset can solve the problem. A little planning mixed with a little research and creativity will have you singing “Happy Birthday” without leaving you frowning in the pictures you’ll take at the party!