Party Planning with Minted.com

**Although this post is sponsored by Minted.com, I only agree to write about products, sites, and services I truly enjoy and would use myself. All opinions are my own.**

If you can't tell by my posts, I absolutely love planning parties. I love the theme, coming up with ideas and decor, making everything match, and making things myself. Well, that last one has begun to wane. I still love to make decorations and supplies for the party, but the problem is finding the time. As it stands, I have less than 2 weeks until Charlie's birthday party to get things together and my ideal "to get done" list is much longer than realistically possible. I've certainly prioritized it, but to help, I went on the hunt for decor that would match without breaking the bank. I often like what I find on Etsy, but the back and forth and back and forth while designing and tweaking can take an eternity.

Have you heard of Minted.com? I hadn't, but am very glad I found out about it! Not just for decor, but for thank you cards, and even holiday cards. It's all there.

Here's how it works. Minted is a market place for independent design. Founded by Mariam Naficy, this is a place for all artists to introduce their work to the public in an accessible way regardless of where they were educated or what type of personal capital or connections they have. The only thing that decides what work is showcased and sold through Minted is the community. That's right - new designs and ideas are voted upon by us, the consumers. How cool is that? Currently, Minted has designers from 43 countries and the number of participating artists is increasing all the time. 

So check this out, whether you need to design your family holiday card, pick decor for your child's party, or outfit your entire wedding from save the dates to the reception, you can find it on Minted. You can even print business cards, day planners, and personalized wrapping paper. 

For Charlie's party, I was specifically searching for a birthday banner and thank you cards. Under the banner menu alone there were 280 options! Banners come with 16 flags and can be personalized with a message, spacers, and even pictures. 

Once I found a banner that matched his party, other coordinating pieces from other categories was listed right on the page. No hunting around if want other things to match. Purchasing multiple party items in a package reduces the overall cost, helping you buy what you need without excess items you're not going to use. 

The thank you card search yielded over 1,400 gorgeous, unique designs (don't worry, the search function helps you narrow things down!) That's the cool part of this, since they're all independent and different artists and designers, all of the designs have their own unique look about them. Sometimes when you're surfing other stationary sites, it's easy to see the same things over and over. 

While it makes me feel old to say it, I'm at that point in my life where I want good, quality stuff at a fair price, recognizing the individual responsible for making it. Since designers get paid a commission from each sale, this has a small business feel with big business convenience. 

I haven't started to really look at the Christmas card options, but once Charlie's party is over, you can bet that's on my to do list. With gorgeous foil pressed cards and free (for a limited time) Pinterest-esque card addressing, it's going to be a pretty Christmas. On a first pass through, however, I did find this one, which would be perfect, especially for little Miss Ginny. ;-)

Check out Minted and their social media outlets for updates about new artists and designs, coupons and sales, and gorgeous Pinteresty inspiration. Tis the season!

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