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My Holiday Party Planning Begins with Invitations from Punchbowl--and a Punchbowl Membership Giveaway

I used to host a party every couple of months--and with two daughters in or near the teen stage--I think our party hosting may ramp up into full gear again soon!  We are currently hosting a Cooking War Winter Challenge Party--with my two daughters inviting friends (as teams)--and, at first, I was a little overwhelmed by my party-planning to-do list.  I am a little out of practice--and wasn't so up to date on my available resources. The holidays are hectic--and planning a holiday season party (even if it isn't holiday related) can really be stressful and time consuming.  Since holiday party planning begins with invitations--I needed to check out my available options--and I re-discovered Punchbowl.  I used Punchbowl a lot a few years ago--in my party hosting heyday--and spent some time, recently,  checking out their new digital format (and the Punchbowl apps for that!)--and I wanted to share my thoughts on Punchbowl and offer THREE readers a wonderful opportunity to WIN a 1-year Premium Membership to the  Punchbowl site.  If you plan a lot of parties--large or small--you need this membership!  It will make your life so much easier this holiday season--and for the next year!

I was ready to plan our December 4th Cooking War Challenge Party with Punchbowl...then I hit a couple of snags...which were readily solved.

Punchbowl does not offer an option to print and mail your invitation--no matter your membership level.  I still have a few guests on my list who prefer to receive paper copies of invitations.  Also, my younger daughter (who is 10) still really needs paper invitations for her to send home with some of her friends. You can print your basic invitation design at Punchbowl--but, if you have added details beyond the face of that invitation--you will need to find another option (and maybe an alternative design) for printing.   We printed the basic design of our invitations onto white card stock--and then included our extra "details" on a copy/paste word processing-generated insert and all was well. 

We also couldn't text our invites via the Punchbowl app.  This was an almost catastrophic issue with my teen daughter for her friends' invitations...She was adamant that "nobody has email"...."everyone texts".  While it was a bit inconvenient for her to text and ask her 10 friends for their email addresses (it probably took about a minute) --they all actually "had email addresses"...they just realistically don't really use them...but, they will check them if they know they need to. Emailing her invitations worked fine--but, if we could have simply hit a button and texted the invitation links--the experience would have been perfect for her. 
 
Now--let me tell you a little bit about what I like about Punchbowl.   

I love the site's card designs.  I always have.  I have never visited Punchbowl and left without finding a card or invitation design to customize to suit my needs.  Even before there was an app for it all.  I have been known to wander a variety of categories on the site when I've been looking for something a little off the mainstream....but, the designers offer some unique options that just speak to party hosts.  I have looked for everything from Superbowl party invitations to Princess birthday invitations....to random Mardi Gras Invites.  I have always found an invitation that worked for my party.

This month...it's a Cooking War in our Corner of the World!
 
The Punchbowl app makes holiday party planning SO easy.  I hate my cell phone--and, while I'm all-thumbs--those thumbs just don't always do what I need them to do on my phone keyboard--especially when I'm working on something important like a holiday party invitation!  I loved this app.  The steps were so easy to use--even my Mom-aged-non-thumb-adept-body was able to easily create and customize my invitation.  The application synced with my phone's contacts to email my party guests.  I loved the design--I loved the ease of customization--and I loved that I didn't need to type in 10 email addresses with my slow mom-thumbs!


The invitation animation is great.  I still like to mail physical cards--so, I like that my guests can "open" a virtual envelope on Punchbowl and "pull out" these invitations...at least virtually.  The colors and graphics are great--and many of the invitations are animated and fun. 

Punchbowl helps hosts manage the party.  I receive notifications when I have a party RSVP and I can manage everything from my phone (or my computer) via my Punchbowl account or app to add guests, change my invitation, share via social media, or manage a party-specific message board.  My membership allows me to run a poll among my guests--and this is awesome since I am picking a theme for the cooking challenge party today--and that's a fun way to get them involved and excited about my party!  If you are a classroom parent or a team parent--it is great to sign on co-hosts and work that virtual message board rather than making 50 phone calls per party like we use to!

My teen daughter loved the app.  Her world is paperless.  Period.  She LOVED the Punchbowl app.  She loved designing the invitations--and she loved the animation and the speed and ease of the application. If she could have texted the invitation link to her friends--I think she would use this app for every sleepover and event she plans.  It was great to watch her get excited about party planning.  No printing.  No invitation addressing or hand-delivery.  RSVP's were almost instantaneous.  She loved it.

Why would I recommend Punchbowl for your Holiday Party Invitations?   I am busy.  Every day.  The Punchbowl website and app make it easy for me to plan and manage my holiday parties on the go.  I like the design options of the cards and invitations--and I like the finished results of them as well.  I do wish I could print and text my invitations to some of my guests--but, those issues were easy to remedy.  It was certainly easier than my party planning from a few years ago!  I could see me using these invitations for all of my parties--large or small.

Need an App or Website to Make your Holiday Party Planning Just a Little Easier?

Check out Punchbowl.  I have recommended this site for years--and now recommend the app.
I used the application for iPad and Android phone--and loved both.

There are still free options for users on Punchbowl--but, there are various Membership Levels as well to make your invitation, card creation and party planning even easier.    

Would you Like to WIN a 1-Year Platinum Punchbowl Membership?
 I have THREE (3) Platinum Punchbowl Memberships to give away to my readers! 
Platinum Membership holders may manage up to 500 guests per party--all advertisement free--and utilize guest polls, member-only designs, co-host helpers, and more! ($79 Retail Value)

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