Appreciate or Emulate - Celebrate

Continuing on from this weeks Finding Everywhere theme, Stripes and Flowers, how to celebrate with this pattern perfect match.

I am in love with the stripes and floral combo for a party - bold and bright and festive.
Add a bit of gold or silver tableware bling and it's a classic soirée setting.

Image Source: hellomay.com.au

Image Source: greenweddingshoes.com

Image Source: Two Delighted

Image Source: Miss Brache Etsy Store

Image Source: southerweddings.com.au

Toot Toot He's Two

Our little man is two - it's hard to believe even though we've had the party, eaten the cake, sung the song (many times) and opened the presents.

His birthday was this Monday just gone be we got in early for a party last Saturday. There was no other choice for a theme but Thomas the Tank Engine - his favourite by far - but I wanted to avoid the overly merchandised decorations and make it a little more 'dandy'.

I was fortunate to find red, white and blue decorations that I could add a little touch of Thomas to. I made my own 'stickers' with circular printing labels and added these to party hats and bunting and also to the favour bags I bought from Ikea, which are intended as a sweet advent calendar but I saw them and knew straight away what I would do.

I found blue and red shoe sized gift boxes and added the opposite coloured bottle tops for wheels and these formed a party train full of fairy bread, popcorn, lollipops and chips.

The finishing touch was a Thomas cake - I made it based on the traditional Woman's Weekly train cake and several others I found online. I modelled the face from fondant from a tutorial I also found online (happy to share this link if anyone wants it just comment below), it was my first time working with fondant and I was pretty pleased with the results. 

It was a fantastic day and he enjoyed himself very much which was very obvious from the mix of dirt and sugar coating all of him at the end of the day. I was also very grateful to my very generous parents in-law who helped us out with a last minute emergency venue change.

What I am most grateful for though is this little person in my life. He is turning into a little boy very quickly, he has cheek and never-ending energy but also the sweetest of ways and manners and charm. He surprises me every day and makes me feel like celebrating too.

Happy Birthday Little Man

My little boy turned one on Saturday - oh my how that has flown

The party went beautifully and the weather stayed clear so we enjoyed a beautiful morning in the park with family and some friends.

The decorations and party favours all turned out as I hoped but I was especially happy with the cake and his name bunting topper that matched the invitations. My craziness of separating a kilo bag of smarties into colours so only the 'right' ones made it onto the cake paid off I think - I remain grateful of my craziness. See some pictures below.

While I am grateful the party went well I am mostly grateful for having this dandy little fella in my life, there are some days I feel I will explode with it and moments so fabulous I would have hardly thought they were possible 368 odd days ago. I am the luckiest by far.

Found Friday

This is the first of what I am hoping will be a great little weekly post - my 'Found Friday' where I get to share with you the thing I have most enjoyed finding this week.

While we are on the track with all things party and festivity this weeks FF is the 'Australian Women's Weekly Children's Birthday Cake Book' (Collectors' Cookbook). 

This is the real deal - the old school one that my mum has. I have discussed finding and buying it for some time but hadn't gotten around to it - now with my first birthday responsibility as a parent looming I saw it in my local newsagency and I nabbed it.

Flicking through it was like a visit from ghosts of birthday cakes past - mine and my sisters. We would get to choose one and mum would make it, dad would cut the shape and assemble and we would help decorate. It made me smile to look back. I hope I can get a few great ideas from there for all the birthdays to come - even if some of them are a little retro - a typewriter and a handset telephone - you wouldn't!.

Party inspiration

In just a few short weeks my little man turns 1! I can hardly believe it - where has that year gone.
In thinking about a 'theme' for his party I realised it was, at this early stage, not something he
would understand or appreciate so have set about making it just a fun and colourful occasion.

Before he was born I bought a number of polka dot things - vintage and new - thinking that they
would be appropriate for both a little boy or a little girl (I was still awaiting that big surprise 12 months ago).
On later reflection polka dot clothes are a little more suited to girls (into storage they go - just in case).
There is no reason polka dots aren't right for a little boys party though. I think I have gone dotty in the process.

Here are some ideas I came across. How gorgeous is this cake? I have also found straws like this and am tempted.

I then searched the web for dots and dot invitations and came across these images (below) that
grabbed my attention colour wise and have now formed the basis for the colour palette of the party.

I also found a great little invitation (not pictured) with bunting that I liked and tried to emulate in
my own way. Here is the result - quite close to the original but I liked it so much






















I am hoping there will be time in the next week to make some decorations such as pom poms
(but who knew dot tissue paper is so hard to find?) and bunting and will be making favour boxes
covered in dots. Fingers crossed I can find green, orange and blue smarties for the cake.

The actual results to follow!