Party Girl: Crabfest.

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I lived on the east coast for some time when I was very little and although the only memories I have from there are a big blue house and the toy store, there is one tradition that I wish I would have been able to experience: the crab boil. In the south (where I mostly grew up) this would be a crayfish boil, but I've never been a fan of the smell and I've always wanted to learn how to crack a crab. Living in the Bay Area now, I have the fine fisherman at the wharf to crack my crab for me, nonetheless gathering a bunch of friends for a casual crab boil would be a perfect party to have on a warm weekend such as this one. Keep reading after the jump to check out all the party details. File as party time.

• The party: Backyard crab boil
• The invite: Old-fashioned and simple. Easy enough.
• The place: On the porch out back. Set up a makeshift cabana with a swath of linen fabric attached to some old tree branches over the largest table you can find. 
• The table: Collect old newspapers for the most simple tablescape ever. Make sure to include striped napkins and all the utensils needed to pop open those crabbies. Decorate with colors of the crab harvest- blue, bright orange and green.
• The food: Good ol' fashioned boiled crab complete with corn, potatoes and lots of lemons. Rainbow sodas keep it festive and Boston cream pie cupcakes will have everyone leaving on a very good note.
• What to wear: Nothing that would mind getting a little dirty, no silk or anything white here, instead try sturdy denim or basically anything from J.Crew, Gap or Banana Republic. Do like Jenna Lyons above and try an all denim look.
• Don't forget: Give a mini tutorial on how to properly crack crabs before the party so no one gets hurt!

[Images via: left column (from top): Erin Jang at The Indigo Bunting, photographed by Paul Ferney for Oh Happy Day, Apartment Therapy, Corey Arnold for Good; right column (from top): These tings take time, The Sartorialist, Pinterest, Flower School, Pinterest]