Party trends come and they go— some are classic, and others are fads. Thinking through the many trends that I play around with or decide to leave out of my events, I came up with the following series.

Love ’em or Leave ’em Party Trends

I’ll feature a different party trend every so often and share my thoughts on the trend. Then, I’d like to hear whether you LOVE them or would rather do without. Each month I’ll throw all of the commenters names in a pot from all of the Love ’em or Leave ’em comments and choose one winner who will get their choice of the party trends. So, let me know in the comments about your true feelings of these party trends for a chance to win your favorite of them all.

Paper Straws

Do you Love ’em or Leave ’em?

Reason I Love Them: Paper straws are super cute. I love the instant style that they can give a drink. I also love how they can be utilized in so many different ways. They needn’t be straws at all—but instead a cute party decor in the form of a garland, cake bunting, or a drink flag. I like that they come in different colors, and different designs.

Reason I’d Leave Them: They are super, duper impractical! Have you ever drank out of a paper straw? Yep, sorta tastes like paper. The longer a paper straw sits in the liquid the more icky and squishy they get. Even the really good ones that have a nice waxiness that keeps them from disintegrating give a different taste/feel after sitting too long in liquid. Maybe I’m just picky?

Overall…I’d vote for loving them. I will likely use them for other forms of decoration rather than drinking straws for most of my parties. But, darn it, sometimes you just want to elevate a drink in a way that only a paper straw can do.

Your turn… do you love ’em or leave ’em? And, why?

Comment below for a chance to win one of the featured “Love ’em or Leave ’em Party Trends” this month!

I really, really try to like neon.

I do. But, most the time it reminds me of this:

Old photo of me sporting neon tie-dye

or this:

Hubby sporting neon when he was younger. He had just scraped up his face pretty bad in a bike accident…boys, eh?

But, there are some people out there doing neon right.

I applaud the following for making neon look good:

1. This neon polkadot lunch sac via A Fabulous Fete is awesome. Of course, anything A Fabulous Fete does is awesome—check out her Summer Etsy product shoot in all its bright-colored goodness.

2. These neon beer bottles turned vases are so bright and cheery. Hey, they may even glow in the dark so you can see your pretty flowers at night as well! (disclaimer: probably don’t actually glow in the dark)

3. Cupcakes and Cutlery makes neon look like SO much fun. Her “Neon & Neutral So Glad You Were Born” party is such a fabulous idea for a birthday party.

4. The above party was also featured on Hostess with the Mostess blog….where I also found an awesome Neon & Radical 80’s themed 30th birthday bash. Celebrating a milestone birthday with a party based on the decade they were born– totally rad. Also on HWTM— “He Makes My Heart Glow: Neon Bridal Shower” which not only has a great, original theme, but also uses the neon trend with washi tape and gold fringe banners. This party is more than a little bit trendy and I love it.

5. Then, there are some of my real-life blogging buddies pulling off neon in such a stylish and fashionable way that I’ve been thinking I need some in my closet once again (might stay away from the tie-dyed variety though):

Check out Sam’s awesome neon-licious outfit utilizing a skinny neon belt paired with a neon top. Or, her guest post over at Freckled Fashionista showing how to bring neon details into an outfit without going over the top.
Sarah pulls off wearing neon and looking polished and professional… which I never thought would be a feasible thing. Funky? definitely. Sweet? Possibly. Trendy? If done right. Ridiculous? If done wrong. But, professional and polished? Never thought it would happen, but she does it right. She also has great tips on how to wear neon without looking like a glow stick.

So, how about you… are you feeling neon?

Party Trends