[A Carnival Themed Party]: Music Playlist

Oh my goodness, I have so much to blog about! I've had work a lot this week and suddenly I was going through blog posts and realized how much I need to catch up on...I never finished blogging about the carnival party (which was over a month ago...oops!), I had a gazillion friends get married about two weeks ago, I have to tell you about my California trip I took with my roommates, and you definitely will want to hear about the Taylor Swift concert I went to on Saturday (it is a story worth hearing, I promise you!). Lots to do, but don't worry, I'll get to it all.

I threw a carnival themed party on April 24, and we all know that when I throw a party, I put a ton of work into it. Everything is important--decorations, games, food, guests, and music. I feel like sometimes music is one of the most important parts because it really creates a mood for the party. I always like having a playlist that people can dance to, especially when the parties are outside, so that's what I tried to do with this one. I loved this music and everyone else really did too, so I'll probably use it for future parties I throw.

You can download most of this music from iTunes or find it on youtube or Spotify. I just ordered it alphabetically and put it on shuffle, but you can always put it in an order that you like, if you want certain songs to play at a certain time during the party. If you want more tips on playing music at your party, you can read this post of mine. Enjoy!

Oh and for any of you wondering, this playlist will last about 4 hours, which could be longer than your party, but I like to have my playlists a little bit longer so you can start them early and have them going a little later, just in case there are any party stragglers or it goes longer.

A Carnival Themed Party!

Throwing parties is one of those things that keeps me alive, as ridiculous as that may sound. I love the planning and the preparation. I love the stress the day of the party, and the relief when people come, and the happiness I get from people around me being happy.

Never did I ever think I'd end up being a party planner type of girl. In high school I was insecure and scared. I wasn't some girl who could throw a party where people would have fun and actually show up. Never. I guess now that I'm in college--almost done with college, crazily enough--I've found this confidence in myself that I didn't know I had. It comes from a lot of good friends who I'm totally myself around and who I have fun with. It comes from amazing roommates who are my best friends and my soul sisters. I thank God every single day for them in my prayers because I'm so lucky to have people like them in my life. And it comes from the fact that I really do like myself right now, and to an extent, I don't care what people think of me. Especially not as much as I did in high school.

I've realized that doing what makes me happy is the best feeling in the world, so I try not to stop myself from doing those things.

This party was a fun one. I loved planning it, down to the details of the food, games, and decorations. I had a difficult time finding any carnival-themed printables on pinterest, so I made my own using Picmonkey, and they turned out fabulous. I set up a photobooth, complete with props like hipster glasses, speech bubbles, and mustaches (as much as I am tired of the mustache trend, they make for excellent and hilarious photo booth props). People that I knew and didn't know came and went. We had loud music going with some people dancing the whole night, some of us talking and then dancing, and others just enjoying being there socializing by the fire pit, the games, the photobooth, or the concessions. I wish I had taken more pictures of them, but we had carnival games lining the wall, like a ring toss (water bottles and bracelets), a clothespin drop (trying to drop a clothespin into a thin vase), and a fortune teller (magic 8 balls). If I hadn't been hosting the party, I definitely would have done face painting too. It was a delightful night and everyone who came had a good time.

See, that's the thing about parties, is that they make other people happy. And making other people happy makes me happy. Therefore, throwing parties make me exceptionally happy. See for yourself, and next time I throw one and you're in Provo, you should definitely come. :)

*If you want any copies of the printables, feel free to email me and I will send them to you!

**And if you want to read about any of the other parties I've thrown, the links are below:

Harry Potter Party

Hunger Games Party

Halloween Party

Hey Provo/Orem People!

As many of you know, I LOVE throwing parties. It's like one of my favorite things ever, only second to fashion. I've thrown Harry Potter, Hunger Games, and Halloween themed parties, and this Wednesday I'm throwing another one! It's gonna be totally great.

Above is the invite, and here's the link to the event page on facebook if you would like to come (which, of course you want to come..it's going to be awesome!). You can bring friends and invite whoever you want. I would love to see you there!

(ps. this is the reason blogging has not been happening for the past week. I've been working a ton and when I'm not at work, I'm party planning and preparing! But no worries, regular blog posts will resume shortly).