The kids love to throw summer parties to gather all of their friends together they got to see daily at school, and I love to add little crafted touches to said parties!

We've had enough parties for me to learn that I find happiness when picking a few areas to craft instead of trying to create an entirely handmade party when I become overwhelmed.

One thing I always handcraft is the invitation. Not only is it the first thing everyone will see (even those who might not be able to actually come to the party), I always keep every invitation we've had with our keepsakes. I have so much fun going back through all of the invites through the years.

Here is a unique invitation for a pool party full of personality! This card will definitely be one I will treasure for a long time to come. To recreate this card, take a photo of the child filling up the width of a 4" x 6" photo, convert to black and white if desired, and silhouette with Micro-Tip Scissors or Craft Knife. Mat on a 4" wide blue rectangle of cardstock with a wave punched border using Boundary Waters. Using the Rectangle Shape Template, cut a 3" x 1.5" rectangle out of orange cardstock using the Ultra ShapeXpress. Center the 3.5" x 2" rectangle template over previously cut rectangle and cut again to create frame for goggles. Cut another rectangle from a transparency and adhere beneath. Adhere to card along with a straw cut to size as shown using glue dots and foam adhesive.

While you have out the Boundary Waters border punch, run a wave border along one edge of your napkins, too!

Another area I like to add a little handcrafted charm is the food. Simple punched shapes attached to cupcakes with toothpicks is always an easy choice! Here I added splashes using leaves cut from the Flowers & Fun Shapes Set. Super simple way to add a little something extra to cupcakes. Don't forget about the drinks, too. Straws are fun to decorate! Either tape a design on or punch a hole to thread the straw through. This submarine goes together quickly and can double as a cupcake decoration, too, by cutting down the straw and inserting instead of splash toothpicks. The submarine is a speech bubble from the Bubbles template with the tail trimmed, layered with three pop-up circle punches and a medium Round 'n Round squeeze punch cut in half. Trim top of straw if needed.

Another popular summer party is a luau, with fun games like limbo and hula hoops and the bright, colorful flowers! And what luau would be complete without a lei? Having a craft for the kids to make themselves can be fun and rewarding.

Cut thin twine long enough to be tied and easily removed over the child's head. Tie a button on one end temporarily to keep everything on until tied. Punch a bunch of assorted Poppy Burst flowers. The Lever Punches come with a built in confetti catcher which comes in handy when doing so much punching at once! Punch a 1/4" star at the center of each and have children thread onto twine with cut straws for spacers.

While I enjoy adding décor to the food as shown above, it is also simple to add crafted touches to serving dishes. Here I cut 3" strips of green cardstock and cut slits to mimic a grass skirt. After crumpling up the skirting, temporarily adhere around cake stand with Glue Dots. Top with leftover flower punches with white lines drawn radiating from center.

And finally, I enjoy sending guests home with a creative goodie treat. Tropical Lifesavers seemed fitting for a luau, and we definitely needed to fit some palm trees into the décor as well! Cut a 3-1/8 x 3-5/8" rectangle of thin, brown cardstock and run through Paper Crimper. Adhere around roll of candy using line of glue dots where paper overlaps. Cut a random shape from chipboard for a little island to anchor the tree. Adhere roll of candy to island using a couple Glue Dots. Top with leaves cut from Flowers template, folded in half and fringe-cut with scissors, and coconuts punched using pop-up circle punch.

How can you add a few hand crafted touches to your next kids' party? Take time this summer to gather friends together to enjoy all that summer and friendship have to offer, and throw in a little creativity and handcrafted goodness!