Slumber Birthday Party

Completely without my permission, Agatha turned five last month.  I wasn't really in the mood to do a giant party like we had for some of her other birthdays so I decided to do a small slumber party instead.  (Cue Stefan saying 'New York's hottest club is Slumber. It's got everything - tents, cake and twinkle lights')


Fabulous cake by Nikki Berry


Of course I wanted to make it extra special so I did add a few touches to warrant the occasion.  Furry sleeping mask invites, DIY lip balm making, a killer cake and tents with twinkle lights.



We set up four sleeping tents inside the house so the girls would get to all sleep together but have their own space.


The DIY lip balm kits were a big hit with the kids carefully selecting their scents and patiently waiting for it to harden.  Another huge hit was an Instax camera (kind of like an old Polaroid)  one of the girls gave Aggie as a gift - they all loved taking turns and photographing each other (and me, and the faucet and the chair, etc) After pizza and cake and lots of running around it was time to settle in for a movie before bedtime.



Much to my shock, they all hit the hay and actually slept like logs until the next morning. The kids had a blast and it was relatively easy to put together so a win on both counts.  I'll definitely be doing this again if she lets me.



Sources:
Instax Camera
Mermaid Pillows
DIY Lip Balm Kits
Beanie Boo Slippers
Battery String Lights
Kid's Inflatable Mattress
Foldable Play Tent
Furry Sleep Masks

DIY Tiki Bar

Build a basic tiki bar for your next backyard luau with these easy to follow instructions.

Somehow Oscar is turning one next week and we wanted to make sure to mark the occasion in a way that would fun for the adults and the kids. A backyard luau is something we have never done before so we went with it.  In addition to the grass skirts and flower leis, I wanted to build a basic tiki bar to add to the charm. I made this one small enough for our back deck but you could adjust to any size.

I wanted to make something quick (I made this during baby naps over 1 24 hour period), easy (no special tools required) and reasonably cheap.   This was my solution and I think it looks appropriately Gilligan's Island. I also plan on reusing it for this year's Halloween display so doubly useful for me.  If you wanted to create something that would withstand the elements for longer and/or looked less rustic, you could use cedar which withstands moisture and rot but I just used the cheapest lumber I could find.

Materials used: 13 1x4 cut into 35 inch lengths, 2 1x2 cut into 29 inch lengths, 6 1x2s cut into 13 inch lengths, 1 16x36 inch wood piece for the top, 2 29.5x13 wood pieces for the shelves, wood screws, stain or paint

Build the Tiki Bar

• Line up 9 of the 35 inch pieces edge to edge. Screw together using 1x2s.  Place those pieces where you want your shelves to sit. I have them at 13 and 21 inches from the bottom. This will make the front of the tiki bar.
• Line up 4 of the 35 inch pieces edge to edge, screw together using 1x2.  Repeat.  This will make the left and right side of the tiki bar.
• Screw the left and right sides to the face by abutting the short edge to the back of the long edge.
• Screw in the 1x2s to the underside of the top.  Screw in at right and left for extra hold.
• Place the shelves on the 1x2s support
• Stain or paint as desired. I used a mix of brown paint and MinWax Coastal Grey stain.
• Optional: use scrap wood to create Tiki Bar sign hanging from the counter

The only tools you need are something to cut the wood with (or get your local hardware store to do it for you) and a drill.  It came together pretty easily and has a lot of rustic charm perfect for a luau display.

Pretend Paris Birthday Party

I like to think we did a nice shindig for Aggie's Baby, It's Cold Outside 1st birthday party but last year I was just not feeling so inspired and she really had no idea so we decided to skip it altogether. This year was very different - she is hip to all the birthday fanfare so I got to thinking on a theme.  We decided to go with a pretend play Paris themed party (Oui! Aggie is 3!) - not only because she has a love of the sparkly eiffel tower (she is positive every tower is THE eiffel tower -whatever!) but also because pretend play at this age is just about the cutest thing ever.

The centerpiece of the pretend play were three play stations - a patisserie, a dress up boutique and a make your own stuffed animal menagerie station.  I had plans to build them myself until the amazing That's My Letter offered to lend a hand.  I could hardly believe my luck!  (But more on that next week where I'll share lots more details on each).  The kids absolutely loved them.




Of course I had to stick with the theme for kids ands adults alike.  The menu included a crepe bar, french wine and lots of french desserts.






The birthday girl had a blast! We had almost 30 kids here and each seemed to find something to enjoy. (I will spare you a photo of the party underway or the aftermath as it looked like a toddler rave!)  But I think everyone had fun so it makes all the work totally worth it.

Stay tuned for more details on how to DIY those play stations next week.

Let's throw a...

...macaron party!

If I had even the faintest ability to make a billion perfect macarons or I wasn't too cheap to buy them from a proper baker, I would so be throwing a macaron tea. There is something about these little things that elevate a simple cookie into something much more posh.  Don't you think?


sources: macaron pill box via urban outfitters, kim le photography via brenda's wedding blog, macaron wrapping via paper source, one love photography via style me pretty 

I think this would make a pretty adorable theme for a shower or little girls birthday party too.  If you have thrown a macaron party, you have to share it with me!