Best part of turning 22 YOU ask? hands down Being able to blast Taylor Swift's song and obnoxiously use it for an instagram caption.

If you've been following me for a minute, first off ILY. Second, by now you probably know how much I love to celebrate birthdays.

Haters will say I'm extra...I say it's my birthday dammit.

Birthday...birthweek...birthyear...same thing amiright?!?! This year I kicked off my birthweek by spending 36 hours in one of my favorite places (Atlanta) with a few of my favorite people and it was incredible to say the least.

Shockingly, I thought I was going to make that trip to ATL the only thing I do for my birthday, but then I quickly snapped out of it and realized that's not at all how I work. So the Monday before my birthday I decided I wanted to have a cute lil birthday shindig (and if you look at my "22" highlight story you can check out some of the moments I captured.) I had 48 hours and minimal money to put together a birthday "party" so I below I've shared how I did it. ;)

CUTE + INEXPENSIVE BIRTHDAY PARTY HACKS:

1. CAKE

This right here is going to change your life...I don't know if you're ready. If you're every throwing a party (or just are craving cake) and need a BOMB, inexpensive cake that tastes like heaven and looks like it too Sam's Club is your place. Not only did they do this minimal design...but it was only $16 for 25 slices of heaven.

You're welcome ;)

2. DECORATIONS

Dollar Tree + Target. I literally got all of the decorations from these two places and best decision I've ever made

Dollar Tree (All $1 each):

+ Cups + Table Cloths + Napkins

+ Cutlery + Paper Plates + Popcorn/Chips Bowl

Target :

+ Candles ($4) + Confetti ($3)

+ Glitter Crowns ($5) + Number Balloons ($1 each)

3. FOOD

This was easily the most expensive thing that I bought, but it was well worth it. I got a platter of 120 chicken nuggets from ChickFila because who doesn't love CFA (unless you're vegan or gluten free lol.) I also had chips, popcorn, and drinks for everyone to munch on, but nothing too extravagant ~ain't nobody got money for that~.

4. DIY PHOTO BACKDROP

Most important part of the party can i get an amen?!? I had a photo backdrop that was literally some champagne metallic cloth I picked up from Joann's (ps. check out their coupons on their site...you'll save hella $$$$) and white balloons from Party City. Instead of having a professional photographer, I had a polaroid and a lot of film and took pictures of and with everyone on that film. (Currently my camera's back camera isn't working or else I'd upload a few to this blog post :/ )

5. SNAPCHAT FILTER

Yes I made my snap filter. And no I'm not that extra. I would like to say this right here...was the icing on the cake. I made it on my own using an online program, submitted it for approval and within 20 minutes got it approved from Snapchat. I've heard people get their designs declined, but i didn't have an issue at all. For 6 hours I only paid $5 for this bad boy and I'd like to think she looks bomb.

Got any questions? Leave a comment or DM me! ;) Have fun being extra af on a budget.

xx,

Demi B

Here it is folks, the post you've all been waiting for [and if you haven't been waiting, this is super awk and well here it is anyway lol]. Ever since I can remember birthdays have been such a big deal to me. like a really big deal. From my 4th birthday party at Chick-Fil-A to my Sweet 16 with a special appearance from Justin Bieber (okay yes it was a cardboard cutout, but its basically the same thing)

This year I was blessed to be surrounded by some of the people that I actually consider my friends. *queues "Fake Love" by Drake* (lol jk jk no shade intended, its just hard to find those real ones, and I'm beyond lucky to have them). There was something beautiful about being surrounded by people I love and genuinely care about. Not even kidding, words legit cannot express how happy and blessed I felt. It was the best birthweek ever and most fun I never want to have again... I think I'll stick with birthweekends from now on.

During my birthweek (lol I can't take myself seriously when I say that) I realized something really important. I always thought that the more people around to celebrate, the more fun the celebration, but I found this year that's not really even true. As ironic as this may sound, that's when you tend to feel the loneliest. Yes, you're surrounded by so many people, but how much do those relationships ACTUALLY mean? Do these people even really know me or really even care about me or are they just space fillers? I guess you really do get wiser as you get older.

So what did I do? I had an intimate brunch with some of my closest gal pals and it was the best decision I've ever made. We ate (after pics were taken of course), talked, and made flower crowns (then took more pics) and I couldn't be more blessed to have celebrated 21 years of life with any other group of people.

XX,

DEMI B

Side Note: In planning this brunch, a lot of meetings and Pinterest boards were made, but I'd say it's very worth it. ;) If you have any questions you can email me or comment below. <3