Using party clip art when planning an event or celebration is a creative and affordable way to complement your theme and create an unique atmosphere that will make your party your own. With so many free or reasonable resources available, you can choose a variety of images that will bring a cohesive look to all the elements of your event and allow you to customize everything from the invitations to the favors.

If you are planning a luau or beach party, you can create invitations by attaching images of palm trees, hula dancers, flowers, or leis to a pair of sunglasses or a bottle of suntan lotion. Carry the theme into your decorations by building a surfboard from cardboard or styrofoam and covering with tropical clip art images, print Hawaiian pictures and glue to the pots of tropical plants, and if you are in a public venue you can even label washroom doors with male or female surfers. Use clip art to decorate sand pails for food containers, drinking glasses, or serving trays. Create your own version of luau picture bingo, or design an album cover for a cd of island music and give as favors at the end of the party. With a few clicks of your mouse you can find the ideal images that will welcome guests to a fun night of hula dancing, limbo, pineapple bowling, and tasty drinks with those cute little umbrellas in them!

Use clipart to help you host a carnival themed celebration for children. Design invitations with images of clown faces or circus tents, or make an admission ticket that contains all the important information and details. Print coloring pages so kids are kept busy while you are waiting for all the guests to arrive. You could even hang the pictures on the wall as part of the decorations and give awards for the best artistic masterpiece. Create name tags using images of various circus animals or print clip art pictures onto label paper to make stickers that can be used to decorate balloons. You can even use these stickers to dress up candy floss or popcorn bags, or print them onto temporary tattoo paper so your little guests can wear a picture of their favorite carnival creature. Clip art can even help with all your party games. Create your own Pin the Nose on the Clown, print pictures that can be used to decorate targets in a beanbag toss, and design a banner to announce the midway games area.

Invite children to a dance party with a cute ballerina hippo invitation and then use other clip art images to create name tags that will divide guests into teams such as tap shoes, ballet shoes, hip hop shoes, or flip flops for the hula dancers. Create a dance studio sign, make stickers for trophies or medals for dance awards, and design decorations for your personalized version of musical chairs.

Clip art can also help you customize your themed dance party for grown-ups. For a 20s theme print images of saxophones, flapper dresses, and gangster hats. Create your own speakeasy sign or design custom labels for bottles of wine and champagne. If you are going with a 50s theme, make an invitation using an image of a vinyl record with the information printed on the front. You can even enlarge these same pictures and hang them from ceilings or walls as decorations. Design your own candy bar or vintage Coca-Cola labels for refreshments, and make musical notes to enhance your venue.

Whether your dance party guests are young or old, clip art can help make your favors truly unique. Design a label and attach to a cd of popular dance songs or make dance themed tags and tie them to hula hoops as gifts for guests.

Are you hosting a baby shower? Use party clip art to create an “It's a boy/girl” banner, design stickers to decorate balloons or a set of baby blocks, or make your own picture version of Baby Bingo. Create an advice card for each guest to fill out, offering their favorite baby pointers that can be put in a book for the new mom. Of course, you can begin the whole affair with a cute invite designed from stork images, or make adorable tags containing the shower details and attach them to rubber ducks or mini teddy bears.

You can make any party fun and professional by using party clip art that will help you customize your event by bringing a cohesive look and adding a personal, yet affordable, flair to your celebration from beginning to end.

Author's Bio: 

Rita Nygaard (a.k.a. ClipArtQueen) is a cartoonist and illustrator who shares her original clip art images and drawings at www.funny-clip-art-cool-drawings.com. Customize your parties with her fun party clip art.