Happy Monday! One of my caker friends had a Monsters, Inc. party for her Great Grandson this weekend. It inspired me to create a low cost party plan to share with all of you on the same theme! A great party doesn't have to cost a mint.  

You can find lots of fun, and affordable, designs for invitations over at Etsy! These are only $10 and you get a personalized digital file that you can use to print out as many invitations as you need! 

 Of course there is Party City for the party supplies! There are lots of choices when it comes to the balloons. You can buy all solid color balloons and just one mylar or you can use several other mylars to decorate special places in the room.

 And speaking of using solid colors to decorate. You can pick only one or two items that are truly logo items and make those the spotlights to carry the theme while using the less expensive solid color items as background. You can hang colored lanterns, even make them into "Mike" by adding layers colored circles for his eye!

 Tying off those balloons with the "Monsters Inc." colored curly ribbon is an inexpensive way of adding even more color into your party.

 Cups and flatware, as well as the tablecloths can all be found at the dollar store or discount store to help you add to your decor without taking up too much of your budget.

 LOVE the Juicy Juice boxes with Monsters Inc characters on them. They are popular right now due to Monsters University, of course, but why not take advantage of that?

 If you can't find the Juicy Juice boxes then you can make your own. Like with the paper lanterns just use plain paper to wrap the box then layer on colored circles to make Mike's eye.

Party City even has colored hard hats! Print out Monster's Inc. logos, punch them out with a circle punch and use a glue dot to attach to the hat! Use stick on alphabets to personalize each hat with the guests name and it makes a great take home favor! CUTE!

 Yes, Party City has the whole set up. For 8 guests you get a lot for only $30. This set up would make a great starter that you could then expand on with solid colored items!

Not everyone is a cake artist. And if you are trying to save a few dollars, or a lot of dollars, then make cupcakes. Just frost with green and then add a big circle of white, a slightly smaller one of blue and then add a black center of icing or candy (an M&M would work great for this!) and you have "Mike" cupcakes. Print out one of the many free party logo sets that are available online and attach to coffee stirrers to stick into the top and you have one cute dessert!

Lastly, there is a CONTEST going on over on our Facebook Fan Site! So stop on by, share lots of our tips or photos that we post between August 2nd and September 2nd and you are entered into the contest! The person who shares the most tips and/or photos for the entire month wins their choice of one of three gift cards! So stop by every day, share that days tip or photo and you can win!