Even if you have a great party store in your neighborhood, I'd suggest checking out some on-line party stores because they carry a really wide range of themes. I often find the "perfect" items to pull my party theme together and the prices are often less than what I'd pay at a party store.

Birthday in a Box provides fun, high quality, all-in-one party boxes that are less expensive and much less time consuming than if you tried to pull everything together yourself. They even includes ideas and instructions for games and activities for the specific party theme.

When ordering on-line be sure to allow enough time for delivery. Some sites are really great and ship the next day with 2 day delivery at no extra charge. Other sites seem to be stuck in the old catalog mail order mode where they only commit to 2 week delivery.

Also keep an eye on shipping charges. If you're ordering a lot of party supplies from one site, the shipping charge won't seem unreasonable. However, if you're just ordering a $5 package of napkins on-line, you may end up paying $10 for them by the time you pay the shipping charge.

First check off the items you already have and the items you know you can borrow (note who you plan to borrow a particular item from). Then X out the items you don't need for your particular party.

That leaves you with the items you plan to make or buy.  These two categories are usually related, because you often need to buy supplies for items you make. Note where you plan to buy each item or supplies and when. Example: Invitations at Birthday in a Box 3 weeks before party.