Picture-Perfect Birthday Party

Document a life and make a big, bold visual statement at the same time. It's a snap to do -- and inexpensive, too. Print photos in various sizes. Lay them on the floor in the shape of the birthday number to determine your arrangement. Then tape them to a wall. Attach more images to bottles with double-sided tape.

Serve drinks on a memorable tray. Line the exterior bottom of an acrylic tray with a snapshot, enlarged and cut to fit. Attach picture with spray adhesive.

Pick especially silly or endearing photos of the guest of honor -- choose a few -- for these personalized takes on the classic party hat.

Use the iPhone app Photo Booth Classic Plus to make a strip of snaps, and our clip art for an invite in the same size. Join them with a brad, and slip them into a glassine envelope.

Use spray adhesive to attach photos (use photo-editing software for round, white borders) to Mylar balloons.

Leave it up to your guests to make memories. Provide an instant camera, an album, tape, and a pen.

Combine a favorite image and a nifty computer program (called Rasterbator) to create a tiled birthday decoration that can fill a wall.

Have photos printed on edible paper, and smooth them onto frosted cupcakes.

Adorn a plain paper mat with a picture in photo corners. For a small party, use them as place cards too --- choose pictures of the guests with the birthday boy or girl.

Light up faces with candid candles as your centerpiece. Use photo corners to secure snapshots to the outside of glass candleholders.