Long story short... My daughter loves piano, so my husband found a used keyboard on Craigslist. We picked it up in Manhattan Beach (about 40 minutes from our house) and there's a HomeGoods nearby. My husband, being the kind, generous, and patient man that he is, hung out with my four-year-old, while I got to shop.

It turns out that HomeGoods is owned by the same people as TJ Maxx, where I went a few weeks ago, so it was no surprise that they had many of the same items, but much much more. The store is heaven if you love parties, entertaining, and decorating. I felt infinitely creative just walking through the door.

Since we're all trying to save money throwing parties these days, I'm always looking for new ideas. 

Mariah L threw this incredible Sock Money Baby Shower and I can't believe she did it for $100!  I had to know more (and make sure she wasn't lying :)). So here's what she had to say about her party...

Today we're giving away this sweet set of FREE under the sea birthday printables from Neta at NecessiTees. Now if you're thinking under the sea, think of these happy little printables!

The collection includes invitations, party circles, favor tags, water bottle labels, napkin rings, and a banner.

My friends Rebecca and Shannon from Fresh Chick Design Studio sent me these FREE back to school labels they designed and I had to post them!
How cute would it be to send your kids off to school with their books and lunches labelled like this?

Woo hoo!! We are giving away another collection of free back to school printables. This fun set was designed by Krysten at Clickable Party.

What's great about this collection is that there is every kind of printable you'd need to throw a fabulous back to school party (party circles, cupcake wrappers, banner, food tags, etc)... But there are also book labels, tissue box labels, and hand sanitizer labels for you to add to little gifts for your teachers. Love this idea!

Now that I've shared what's in my party toolkit, I thought I'd compile a list of all the items you have in your party toolkits (thanks for all the comments) so everyone can see and maybe add to theirs.

3M Mounting Strips - Love these, have some. Must get more!

Maria D made this adorable DIY birthday wreath for her daughter's Puppy Party.

Using gift bows she spotted at the Dollar Store, a grapevine wreath she had painted for another project, and a letter "A" she had saved from another decoration, she came up with this idea for a pretty birthday wreath to welcome her guests.

You have got to see this new collection of free back to school printables designed by my friend Ana at Love Party Printable. They are adorable!

The collection includes everything you'll need to throw your kids an amazing party: invitations, party rectangles, a "back to school" banner, party labels, tented cards (in two sizes), drink flags, napkin rings, water bottle labels, and favor tags. Told ya...

Harry Potter parties are some of the most popular on our site. So when I spotted Allison W's Magical Harry Potter Birthday a really original party that cost $200, I got excited and had to ask her how she did it.

Well, here are Alison's top 5 tips for how she saved money throwing her very cool party...

It's getting to be that back to school time of year again. Can you believe how fast the summer has gone?

If you're in the mood to celebrate, we've got these FREE back to school printables for you, designed by Emily from Magnolia Creative Co.