'Party in Paris' - Liberty's 8th Birthday!

A couple of weeks ago we celebrated Liberty's 8th birthday.

This year she wanted a Paris party...I was only too happy to oblige!

These are the invitations I made...



   The invitation strip pulls out of the side of the box and can be wound up again at the top of the box.

The details were also on the back of the box.

All wrapped up and ready to be delivered by hand.

    

I love this picture of Liberty. I made it into a poster for the party.

 

We turned our lounge into a Parisian café for the party.
 



I made a glittery, vintage style 'bon anniversaire' banner.

  

The guests (11 girls and two boys) made pipe cleaner Eiffel Towers...



...and they made Eiffel Tower collages.

I had covered the boards already and cut out all the pieces, they just had to glue them on. 

I gave everyone a little bag to hold and played a CD with the story of Madeline.
Every time they heard the name 'Madeline' they had to pass their bag to the person next to them.

They opened the bags at the end of the story.
     



I made little street sign name tags with pegs on the back for everyone.   

                  The girls made bracelets with glass pearls and Parisian charms.

  And the boys made wooden Eiffel Towers from kitsets.

 

I made all the decorations, I just love those ruffle streamers!



I made macarons!!

The Eiffel tower cookies were extremely popular.

I piped royal icing flowers on top of sugar lumps...very hard to stop at eating just one!

I bought an Eiffel Tower chocolate mould and my friend Pauline made the chocolates for me.

     

Drink bottles labelled with an image from the 'Graphics Fairy'.
    

The kids really enjoyed being in the café!

We played the 'Amélie' soundtrack to add some French atmosphere.

 Liberty asked for a ruffle cake with blue icing.

After watching a tutorial on YouTube I made her one.

She said it was exactly what she was thinking of!
     

    

 

I made a little snowy Paris in a bottle for a take home gift. 

 

The guests all posed wearing a beret and holding a baguette by a Paris street sign.
 (The sign was bought at Typo).
     

Liberty and her cousin Hope with my wonderful friend Pauline...

who is always there when I need her - and I really needed her that day!

  

Liberty and her little cousin Mia.



The party bags to take their bits'n'pieces home in.

Each guest took a mini baguette home.

    

 

    

Liberty and Rosa.
    

I was up after midnight icing these Eiffel Tower cookies.

I've iced a lot of cookies this year but these were by far the most labour intensive!
    

...but worth the effort!

I found the perfect present for my little artiste!

'Doodling in French' by Anna Corba is the most adorable book.

The end of the day.

Happy 8th Birthday to my little Parisan Party Princess!

...and she's already planning next years party!!

Mercedes

Minis from Auckland to Almere to Paris!

Here's a post 'specially for those who have been wanting to know if I'm still making minis!
I am still making things and hope to be building something new this winter.

I thought you might like to see some of the miniature gifts I made to take to Sylvia, Sabiha and Rosanna when I went to meet them in Almere last year.

Auckland is where I live, Almere is where Sylvia lives and where I was lucky enough to meet with my three European friends.

I'd love a real life one of these blackboards but they're so expensive.

If I can't afford something in 'real life' I usually try and make it in miniature.

I gave each of them a miniature watercolour painting, painted by my mother.

I made tiny suitcases and filled them with books and things from New Zealand.

And I just had to take something rusty so I made some New Zealand kiwi garden stakes.

I also made some French themed minis...

I gave them to Sylvia and Sabiha when we were in Paris.

And now for the wonderful mini gifts I received from my friends...

Syvlia made me the most delicate shawl and a vintage Dutch cooking pot with a special box to store it in.

Sabiha made me the gorgeous boots with matching bag and the spectacular underwear,

along with a little shell dish and rosebud wreath.

And made by Rosanna, the cutest baby basket - if I could have ever asked Rosanna to make me something this would be exactly it!!

Thank you all!

Mercedes

That was Easter! 2012

I can't believe how fast this year is flying by!

I would have blogged these pics at Easter but it has taken me forever to figure out the new camera software.

 I really hate reading instructions...I did read them in the end and it didn't help!

However, not giving up paid off and I worked out.

So here, finally, is Easter at my house.

I've become addicted to hanging decorations above the dining table.

Hubby was getting a little tired of crashing into the Christmas pompoms...

so I took them down a week before Easter and then put these up.

Sabiha sent me these incredibly gorgeous Easter egg shaped lanterns.

 I put a little egg wreath together for the front door.

All of the eggs on our little tree were made by Sylvia.

 On Good Friday all the Grandparents, most of the Aunties and the cousins came over for afternoon tea.

I finished the 'Bonnes Pâques' sign about half an hour before everyone arrived.

It means 'Happy Easter' in French because I didn't have the right letters to spell it in English!

 I made the button flowers for a party I did recently.

They were the perfect colours for Easter.

The cute little egg shaped bowls came from an Op shop.

 I made these cupcakes for a friend's daughters to give to their classmates.

 Here they are all 'Bunny' bagged.

Liberty on her Easter egg hunt.

She was running so fast around the garden it was very difficult to get any photos.

 She loved the way the Easter Bunny placed all the little chick eggs in this plant.

 Sabiha also sent me this fabulous cardboard cake stand.

 Once again the Easter Bunny left lots of Easter ornaments in the playhouse.

This vintage eggcup was my favourite.

I had five wonderful friends over for a leisurely lunch the week before Easter.

  I made these cute little chick cookies for them to take home.

 

Chick cookies for Liberty to give to her friends.

We had a very busy, fun Easter filled with family and friends!

I hope you all had a happy one too!

Mercedes