Earlier today I had the fantastic opportunity of going on TV One Breakfast to chat with Tamati and Toni about kids parties. It was great fun! You can watch my interview here. If you don't want to watch the whole of Breakfast, you can skip through to 1 hour and 25 mins to see me x Add Comment Love this! Directions 1. Cut a glow stick and shake the contents into a jar. 2. Add diamond glitter. 3. Seal the top of the jar with a lid. 4. Shake. Can't wait to give it a try. My kids are going to love it!  Loving my Washi tape. Two days after Ella's party, it still looks fantastic. I removed a few of the lines to make it a bit more interesting. The best part is it's waterproof and wipes clean, which helps when you have kids. I think I might try a lattice pattern next.  Here's what I did with the offcuts from Ella's rainbow birthday cake and excess jelly from her jelly cups. Made with custard and topped with cream and rainbow sprinkles, it's probably the most colourful trifle ever. It made a great party dessert for the adults. Tasted delicious too!  Today we celebrated my daughter Ella's 4th birthday. Ella’s wish this year was to have a rainbow unicorn themed party with a visit from a princess and a pink unicorn. On the eve of Ella’s party we crept out into the garden, sprinkled fairy dust on the lawn, lit a candle and made a wish for a princess to come the next day. We hung the candle from a tree branch so the fairies could find their way to collect the wish. An early start on the birthday morning, Ella jumped out of bed and ran to check if the fairies had left anything for her on the tree. To her delight she found a note from the fairies saying they had visited last night and wished her a magical birthday. After a hearty breakfast of princess porridge (porridge with rainbow sprinkles on top) Ella and I got busy preparing for her party. Together we blew up balloons, hung fringe streamers and cut fairy bread for the food boxes. Ella’s friends arrived and there was a chorus of giggles as the girls opened presents together. After a game of pass-the-parcel it was time for Princess Belle and Princess Primrose from An Enchanted Party to arrive. Ella was thrilled to see the princesses. Her wish had come true! Hungry from playing games, listening to princess tales and dancing the morning away, it was time for a delicious rainbow tea party in the garden followed by cake. It was a wonderful day filled with sunshine, girly giggles and sugary smiles. The birthday girl is now tucked up in bed dreaming of princesses, pink unicorns and Princess Belle’s magical kingdom in the clouds.    Rainbow tea party in the garden  Rainbow fruit tray  Rainbow jelly cups  Princess Belle    Everyone knows what's at the end of a rainbow... cake!  Take home gifts  I just love princess parties! So does my 3 year old daughter Ella. Her birthday wish this year was to have a princess party and a "sparkly" princess cake, so on Saturday we hired the Kennedy Park Observation Post in Castor Bay and invited 10 of her closest friends to join us to celebrate her 3rd birthday. The table was set with gorgeous Meri Meri princess tableware in pastel pinks, yellows and blues, heart-shaped table sprinkles and personalised 'Prince' and 'Princess' guest place cards. Lolly jars filled with jelly beans and Cinderella's sugar mice, miniature pink roses in glass jars tied with delicate ribbon and a princess carriage made out of a Chinese paper lantern gave the party a fairytale touch. Ella and her friends were served crown-shaped gingerbread cookies, lollipop rings, delicious donuts topped with sprinkles, delightful heart-shaped ham sandwiches, Princess and the Frog hummus dip with vege sticks and sparkling pink grapefruit juice served in mini milk bottles. The children danced the afternoon away to the Disney Princess Party soundtrack and enjoyed a game of pass-the-parcel before the party came to a close. As it was Easter each party guest went home with a bag filled with delicious Easter treats. It was a wonderful day spent with family and friends which resulted in one very happy little princess!        Wow, what a busy, fun-filled morning we had at the Browns Bay Pre-school Christmas Party yesterday! We were approached by the Browns Bay Community Centre back in October to help out with their annual pre-school Christmas party by entertaining 100-200 children with some party games. Grandma's Footsteps, Coin and Spoon Race, Balloon Stomp, and Duck, Duck, Goose were just some of the games we played with the children. As well as keeping the children entertained with party games, we had a gorgeous 'cupcake party' table on show complete with our lovely birthday throne, lolly jars filled with chocolate fish, loot bags, delicious chocolate and vanilla cupcakes and homemade lemonade served in mini milk bottles - each one embellished with a beautiful pink and purple corsage. Gorgeous sunshine, lots of smiles and a visit from Santa. Happy days!  Balloon Stomp Wow, what fabulous fun we had at Lucia's Alice in Wonderland party yesterday! An arts & crafts activity decorating 'mad' hats, giant playing cards and toadstools, upside down tea cup cake stands, delicious mini heart-shaped sandwiches, yummy ‘eat me’ cupcakes, fizzy drinks served in mini ‘drink me’ bottles, tea pots filled with bright flowers, a fashion parade, and to top it all off, gorgeous sunshine. Thank you Lucia for letting us share in your special day. All the best at your new school. Big hugs xx  Lucia's Mad Hatter's Tea Party Toffee apples take me back to my childhood. I remember eating them at school fetes and birthday parties and loving every sticky, chewy, crunchy bite. I have noticed they are making a come back so I thought I would have a go at making some myself. It took me a couple of attempts to get the toffee just right but in the end I succeeded - much to the delight of my children. It was like nostalgia on a stick - they tasted just as delicious as I remembered. If you would like to take a trip down memory lane and make some toffee apples, here's what you need to do. You will need: 8 wooden sticks (I used a chopstick cut in half) 8 small red apples 1 1/2 cups of caster sugar 1 tablespoon of vinegar 1/2 cup water 6 drops of red food colouring 1. Wash the apples and dry thoroughly. Remove any stalks and push the sticks into the centre of each apple. 2. In a heavy-based saucepan place the sugar, water and vinegar and heat gently for 5 minutes or until the sugar is dissolved. 3. Turn up the heat and boil vigorously for approximately 8 minutes until the toffee just starts to turn golden. Test to see if the toffee is going to set by getting a small amount on a teaspoon and dribbling it into a glass of cold water. When the threads are hard, it's ready. 4. Remove from the heat and add the food colouring. Wait for the toffee syrup to stop bubbling (otherwise you'll end up with bubbles on the toffee coating) and dip the apples in one at a time, making sure they are well coated. Place the toffee apples on grease proof paper to cool. Wrap in thick plastic and store in a cool, dark place for up to 2 days. Do not refrigerate. Enjoy! xx  A very special birthday wish to James who turns 5 today - hip, hip, hooray! Happy school days to you James. Big hugs xx |  AuthorJo ArchivesJune 2012 CategoriesAll |
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