A birthday party for ME!

At the end of last year I had a significant birthday!

Earlier this year I celebrated with friends and family.

Being a party planner (perhaps with control issues) I staged my own event in our backyard.

Here's the invitation...all hand made by me...but you knew that!

The invite pulled out of the front of the box.

The details were on the inside.

There's a little switch on the top of the box (I had to make the boxes from scratch).

Of course there had to be miniatures in there!

But what's the switch for you're wondering...

Well, that switch turns on a little flickering light!

And now the party...

 I wanted to create an outdoor lounge.

Fortunately we had a lovely summer evening for the party.

I found the old door in a roadside rubbish collection a few days before the party.

Hubby was away so Liberty and I had to load it in the car ourselves...I have no idea now how we managed it. That door weighs a tonne! 

I borrowed the little tables and chairs from a friend.

There's my tolerant husband standing. 

He kindly told me he would do whatever I asked to make my party perfect!

Those are all fake flowers I found at op shops.

A real life version of the invitation.

Liberty baked and decorated the cake...and cut it!

 The backyard lounge...we were out there until after midnight it was such a warm evening.

Of course I made take-home cookies for my guests!

The couch came from an op shop. In my haste to re-cover it I forgot to take a before pic. But you can see the old upholstery on the bottom of it there.

Hubby painted it for me and I covered it with fabric also found at an op shop...sometimes when you're op shopping things just fall into place!

After! Just what I envisaged for my outdoor lounge.

I hung some of my prettiest decorations inside the house. 

I was looking after my two little nieces that day and they helped by handing me the decorations while I was up the ladder.

Although they weren't coming to the party they were dancing with delight when they realised they were here for the starting of the party - the start of the decorating!

I used a photo of the outdoor lounge to make the Thank You card. 

I had a great time with many friends at my little celebration! 

Ten years old today!

Somehow my little girl is already 10 years old!

I can't quite believe it!

 

These are the party invitations I made.

You pull the rosebud and magically the box opens and you see the invitation inside.

I made all the little dolls to go inside.

 

This year Liberty wanted to take her friends to a place called 'Jump' to play on trampolines!

After that we had an afternoon tea party at home.

 

I made wrappers for chocolate bars to send them off to Jump.

We had her party in the school holidays when three of her friends from the South Island were here.

Liberty had a lot of her own ideas for her party décor and asked for 'bright pastel colours'.

I was happy to oblige!

 

She asked for a chocolate cake with two layers and chocolate icing...as usual I iced it at the very last minute - while the kids were at Jump (hubby took them there - which is why there are no photos!).

 

Liberty wanted the pastel m&m's  to spill out of her cake when it was cut.

 

It was her friend's actual birthday on the day we had Liberty's party so they blew out the candles together.

When I was out shopping and saw those umbrellas in the party colours I had to have them!

 

Once again my fabulous friend Pauline was there to help!

 

The girls all made their own ice cream concoctions - that was fun!

 

 

 

We put together DIY Slime kits for the girls to take home...making slime is one of Liberty's favourite things to do!

And I made the dress cookies Liberty requested...although she thought they looked a little too princessy!

 

The party was a couple of weeks ago.

But this morning for her actual birthday...

 

 I lit these candles just before she got up.

 

Her brother gave her 100's & 1000's chocolate that she had been wanting to try.

Her daddy took out to breakfast on the way to school...it's not every day you turn ten!

After school I took Liberty and her friend to an ice cream bar - Liberty had been wanting to go there!

 

Ten years later and that funny little dark haired baby has grown into a beautiful, fun loving blonde!

 

Liberty's 9th Birthday - Alice in Wonderland Party

A couple of weeks ago Liberty turned 9!

This year she requested an 'Alice in Wonderland' party.

She asked me to make her an 'Alice' dress...I finished it at midnight the night before the party.

My helpful hubby built me a trestle table especially for the party!

I've done many parties for other people in the past year but Liberty had a lot of her own ideas for her party!

 

We made all the cookies and cupcakes.

 

The birthday cake with a candle in a little tea cup! 

She's a girl with refined taste - she asked for macarons! So I made mini macarons.

 

The party guests all got a china teacup to take home.

The take home cookies.

 

It was Liberty's idea to have the girls make a collage at the party.

 

Everyone had fun!

The results!

The teacup printies are from the Graphics Fairy.

We used Liberty's playhouse as a photo booth.

My wonderful friend Pauline was once again my star photographer.

The girls all had fun making themselves look extra tall!

'Throw the Sugar Cubes into Teacups' was a fun game!

They also played croquet.

There was lots of laughter!

 

Liberty had very definite ideas about how the invitation should look.

She asked me to make a pop-up card.

When I said I wasn't sure I could do that she replied, "But mum, you can do anything!"

As it turned out I discovered I could make a pop-up!

 

 

 

It was another great party and all the little ladies really enjoyed themsleves!

Liberty said it was better than she had even imagined!

 

As for me - I'm all partied out!

Mercedes