I love planning birthday parties for my kids – helping them pick a theme, venue, party invitations and all the personalized decorations. It is always so much fun. Jess Cardona of Itty Bits Designs has worked with thousands of birthday celebrators. “I started Itty Bits Designs back in 2014 by making just invites. It was a quick and easy way to help pay for school. I was a full-time student and nanny at the time as well,” she recalled. “The shop name has become part of me and my being. People hear Itty Bits and they know exactly who it is and that just means everything to me.”

Itty Bits Designs has become a one-stop small shop for custom celebration décor for all occasions. “I went from making simple 4×6 invites as a student living in a basement in New York City to full service party decor in Florida in an in-house workspace. It has been amazing,” Cardona exclaimed. I really like the themed letter and number sets, ideal for birthday photos or cake toppers. “Itty Bits Designs creates custom letters, numbers, favor boxes, tattoos, invitations, party packages and even SnapChat filters and I do 98% of it on my own. I am a one woman show. I do have help from time to time, but my hands literally touch and create every single order placed (which is 6000+ orders!).” Her favorite part is the “challenge of a new theme and being told ‘do what you want.’ It allows me to have full creative control and that is the best,” she laughed. Over the last five years, Cardona has worked on all different types of party themes, including sports, super heroes and princesses, mermaids, unicorns and animals, popular television and movie characters, and even a divorce-themed party. “A lot of people ask me if I search Pinterest and other shops for inspiration. When an order is placed and I read the details, most of the time the design pops into my head then and there,” she explained. “If I don’t know enough about the theme, I take some time to research, meaning read about it, watch a show or movie, or ask my VIP group for suggestions.” Cardona’s creations have caught the attention of celebrities like Cardi B, Ice T and Coco, and T.I and Tiny, and she has appeared on MTV shows Teen Mom 2 and Jersey Shore. “I planned the first birthday party for Brianna from Teen Mom and I am currently planning her daughter’s second birthday,” she shared proudly.

Cardona also recently released a line of custom temporary tattoos. “My favorite so far has been the paw print one because it was the first one I printed on my good printer and it was just amazing to see it work,” she said. What a fun party favor! Collaborate with Itty Bits Designs for your next birthday celebration and check out all the different designs on the shop’s website here, Facebook page or Instagram account. Plus, use the code TEAMIBD10 to save on a future purchase. Thanks Jess!