15
Oct
2011
A mouse party for our little mouse
The invitation that started the magic. Or - the neverending birthday pain in the ar*se, as husband so charmlingly puts it.
We’ve been spending a lot of time recently talking about children’s birthday parties. Well, I have been talking, Jacqui has been doing some head shaking. And some muttering under her breath. But I think secretly she is obsessed as I am. Because I am a little bit. I think it’s the cake. And maybe the idea of bunting – I do love a bit of bunting. But mostly the cake. Oh, and umm of course, the delight on small children’s faces.
Anyway – I have become obsessed with party blogs. For those of you not up with it – beautiful children’s party websites are full on arty/styley/designy web p*rn for people with children. I have spent waaaaay too much time looking at these sites. They are full of divine looking angelic children in floaty outfits and parents with good hair, photographed with artfully placed looks of wonderment as they gaze upon dessert tables of such spectacular magnificence, one couldn’t imagine any child daring to take an item from the table. There is not a sausage roll to be seen – instead cloud marshmellow treats, rainbow coloured macarons and pastel cake on sticks adorn square white platters, surrounded by tissue paper garlands. I secretly think some of these people just set up the parties and the tables, take the photos and then dismantle the whole thing. Because where is the rain that inevitably pours down on party day? Where are the pictures of the birthday girl having a temper tantrum right before the guests arrive because she doesn’t want to wear the outfit you ironed for her? Where are the photos of the table when it has been drenched in pink lemonade after a party guest turns on the tap to the drink dispenser? And are the hosts handing out slaps to any child who dares to touch the table before designated eating time? Because I’ve hosted these parties, and there is a reason they used to hand out the food rather than have it all set up – those bloody kids want to EAT it when they see it. They get to your platters and TOTALLY ruin the carefully styled mini meriengue rows. There is none of this in the photos. Oh no. Between them, Amy Atlas and Martha Stewart have created thousands upon thousands of wannabe party stylist monsters creating stunning looking parties.
And goddamit, I want to be one of them. Unfortunately I am lacking a few things: an endless budget upon which to conjure up these parties, a supportive husband to help create said budget (‘it’s a TWO YEAR OLD’S PARTY’. WhatEVER husband.), any artistic bones in my body, and a large open plan kitchen and beautifully manicured garden in London. Oh, and angelic looking children.
But try I will with what I have, and thus I give you The Mouse Party. Details below for anyone who is interested.
my first attempt at bunting. Middle name is now changed by deed poll to Martha.
I am obsessed by big round balloons. This balloon was MASSIVE. Had I given it to our children it would have carried them all off. Some days I wish I still had it..
Chocolates for the adults. Painstaking. Crap photo. Styling needs work. Told you I was no good at this.
I confess I did not make the wafer biscuits. But I did painstakingly pick out pink ones from the packet.
please note how arty this shot is.
The party table. No-one under five appreciated it.
I am aware these look nothing like mice. Thank you.
Nor these. In fact, one child asked me if they were dinosaurs. I slapped him obviously.
The pink drinks with beautiful stripey straws would have been far better if I had had all the straws pointing the right way in the photo. Some child TOUCHED them. She wanted a drink — can you believe it?
OK, the party bags. The one thing I was SUPER proud of. In a non-smug way. FULLY creative though aren't they?
marshmellows - actually a triumph only no photos, so these are the leftovers put in a line in a pathetic attempt to show what they looked like.
I'm not going to point out the flaws. I made this cake myself based on a cupcake from the Bible (Australian Women's Weekly Cake Book). It had more icing than is probably legal, but does it or does it not look like a mouse? Genius.
The birthday girl. Shortly before the temper tantrum. Clearly awestruck at the styling.
Invitations by Sparklehen
Drink dispensers available widely in the US. In the UK, try eBay.
Stripey straws from Hey Yo Yo
Calico party bags from Celestial Gifts. Images created on computer and printed/ironed on using transfer paper.
Bunting based on details here (no sewing machine required)
Balloons from Party Nite
Kate, you crack me up! I think I might use those little bottles and straws for cocktails at my next grown-ups party though.
Love it! Where did you get the time? I think you made the bit up about Mouse having a tantrum. She’s angelic. x
OMG that is beautiful. Seriously, SO pretty. I am impressed. I do see what you mean about the sandwiches not looking like mice – why do they have human legs? – although everything else totally awesome and I am 100% confident that if Martha Stewart and her army of stylists are not totally drooling over your party shots as we speak, they will be as soon as google leads them to us. Although hopefully that won’t be via the phrase “web p*rn”? But you never do know.
Jacqui – if you look closely, you will see they are your standing-up type of mouse, rather than your traditional running mouse. A little Disney- like if you will.
Thanks all for the comments!
I love it!! But would also love to see the aftermath photos…..or are these too traumatic to share?
I’m devastated that our nearly four year old has decided against the ‘Dolly Varden’ cake for her birthday and has opted for a tacky butterfly cake she saw while I was browsing the internet. Do you know of any lovely butterfly cakes? She doesn’t want the Women’s Weekly one…..sigh.
Virginia – if you want to see a filthy house, you only have to come around to our place most weekends. This was just a few degrees worse. Although the last three remaining children did (alongside my angels) decide that they needed to ‘prepare for winter’. No, I have no idea why either – but we discovered chocolate bars and nuts hidden all over the bloody house for weeks. Kids are weird.
PS – Virgina, re butterfly cakes, jeez there are some HEINOUS ones out there aren’t there? She doesn’t like the Women’s Weekly one? SACRILEGE.
Have a look at our pinterest site for our butterfly party board (http://pinterest.com/odytm/butterfly-party/), there are some cakes on that. A good way to get around having to create the whole thing is to do a simple cake (you could do a multicoloured inside if you were feeling adventurous) and stick some butterflies on it? Genius. Alternatively, I am a bit in love with cake bunting, the lazy man’s way to a good looking cake – you could make your own little butterfly bunting (in the shape of butterflies or using butterfly printed fabric) – see here http://kikilaru.blogspot.com/2010/07/finnegan-cake-bunting-now-available.html
Seriously – I AM MARTHA.
Can confirm the easy cake route also works – have successfully managed a “My Little Pony” cake and a Thomas cake by making a large square cake, then making fences or train tracks with licorice/musk sticks etc and then putting small toy on top (pony/train) – the kids loved them and the cakes looked impressive. I do also maintain you could practically ice a cardboard box as most kids I know only seem to eat the icing!
On a funny note, a friend’s child wanted the dolly varden cake with barbi inside for her 5th birthday – the mother-in-law made it with a fruitcake inside and marzipan icing. You should have seen the kids’ excitement turn to horror at finding the fruitcake and tasting the marzipan – hilarious! Basically none of it was eaten.
[...] started looking for accessories for the next party. THE HORROR. I was RUBBISH at parties. (see also Mouse Party) In a world of people with more styling skills, more DIY ability, more money, more attention to [...]