In keeping with our annual tradition, we’re sharing a peek at Clara’s invitation and a few of the party supplies, just as we did in previous years. This time the theme is a sweet, kid-friendly dragon motif—a natural choice after Clara declared her love for dragons, began requesting to wear her dragon cape around the house, and proclaimed that “dragons are coming to my party.”
The dragon idea grew gradually. Clara started calling Dragons Love Tacos one of her favorite books and even enjoyed hearing it read to her preschool class. Combine that with her enthusiasm for dressing up and the theme felt right: friendly, colorful dragons that still read as very “Clara.”
We decided to make the invitation personal by turning Clara into the dragon herself. To pull that off we needed a candid photo of her with an open-mouth expression—harder to capture than you’d think. When we found the perfect shot, it felt just right: she looks coy, like “oops, am I breathing fire?” The expression captured the playful, silly energy we wanted to convey.
For the design, we layered hand-cut paper elements in Photoshop to create a low-fi, three-dimensional paper-cut look. We scanned construction paper to capture a tactile texture, then built layered shapes for the flames and wings to give the invite a handcrafted feel while keeping the finished product clean and polished.
In past years we printed through a service that allowed full-bleed custom postcards, but this year we used a different stationery option that worked out well. We found a pack of 5 x 7″ postcards in a discount section and were able to take advantage of a promotional credit, which left us paying only for upgraded shipping. The final cost was very budget-friendly.
With the invitations out, we could turn our attention to the small details we love: favors, table décor, and simple activities for the kids. Clara is a big fan of novelty socks, so we picked up themed socks for party favors—fun, inexpensive, and delightfully practical. A clearance ikat serving plate became part of the table styling, and plastic eggs will be used for a gentle dragon-egg hunt during the party.
Clara also helped with a little DIY project: painting small wooden castles that we’ll use as part of the table display. We bought inexpensive wooden castle shapes and let her decorate them while the house alarm was being installed at the new place. It turned into one of those small parent-and-child projects that are as much about the memory as the finished piece.
The gathering will be intentionally low-key and family-friendly—around eight children and roughly fifteen adults—so the activities and décor are playful but simple. The dragon egg hunt will be mellow, the favors easy for parents to tuck into bags, and the food setup straightforward so everyone can relax and enjoy the afternoon.
We chose to hold the party at our current home. It feels right for Clara to celebrate here since she’s already had cozy moments and milestones in this house, and the new house isn’t quite ready to host yet. We’re looking forward to a warm, familiar spot for cake, games, and a few silly dragon roars.
P.S. Tonight at 7pm we’ll be chatting in person about parenting, decorating with family in mind, and gift ideas at a local bookstore. The event includes a Q&A and book signing, and we’d love to see anyone who can make it.