Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Parties/celebrations

Whether you're planning a birthday or a hen do, you'll find plenty of ideas for your celebration on our Party forum.

Original poster

I love giving parties, do you need some ideas?

999 replies

ShirleyKnot · 03/09/2011 21:56

Hello!

If you don't know me I'm Shirley and I'm a great lover of planning parties. I do a blog about it (which I'm not going to link here, but if you look on the bloggers network for PartySpanner you'll find me)

ANYWAY

If you're chucking a do, I might be able to help - I'm not a business, I don't charge for my ideas or owt, I just love to trawl the internet find good invite ideas, games and food.

Jump in and I'll see if I can help.

OP posts:
Tinkerisdead · 02/12/2011 16:40

Right hold on i'll google round shrewdbury but send dh to yoyr biggest tesco if you can i just posted a tablecloth.

Tinkerisdead · 02/12/2011 16:42

Sorry for typos im on ipod and dd playing hairdressers yanking my hair out.

BlastOff · 02/12/2011 16:45

Oh, you star! Yes, we have massive tescos so will send him there now.

Tinkerisdead · 02/12/2011 16:47

Right the giant party shop near you could get you silver napkins. The man there says he could source them for you buy early tomorrow but you need to call him if so.

BlastOff · 02/12/2011 16:47

The silver plates came from a different company so do have those, and cups but no bowls because they were from delights.

Any tips on how to pipe buttercream??

Tinkerisdead · 02/12/2011 16:48

He also does balloons banners etc so could well have sparkly candles.

Tinkerisdead · 02/12/2011 16:51

Do you have a piping set?
I'd use a large star shape fitting if we're talking cupcakes. Practice! Shirley blathers or stealth are better at cupcakes. Or blob it on and chuck edible stars on them to hide any mistakes. Dh could grab some at tesco easy.

BlastOff · 02/12/2011 16:56

Oh thank you so much. Dh gone to tescos, and it is near the party shop im sure you mean, so will text him and get him to drop in. I thought from their website the only did costumes, so thank you for phoning them.

Tinkerisdead · 02/12/2011 16:57

Ooo i forgot dr oetker do pack of gold and silver birthday candles. I used gold ones on dd's cake! They were in the cake decorating stuff not the party section of tesco? Any good? You best send dh off with a list. Use normal paper bowls thats not vital to decor. Have i sourced it all yet? X

Original poster
ShirleyKnot · 02/12/2011 17:01

Argh! (again) typing this on my phone so advance apologies for errors.

Piping cupcakes - do you have an icing bag and thingie? If so just squeeze the bag and push down in a 'blob' lifting up sharply at the end to give a peak.

If not then using a pallet knife (if you have one, of not a rubber spatula, if not a butter knife£ put a blob of icing on the top of the cake. With the flat surface if the knife spread the frosting around the top of the cake. Put the flat tip of the pallets knife in the centre and move in a circular motion to make a smooth swirl.

Hope this helps. Drw - you've been ACE!

OP posts:
Blatherskite · 02/12/2011 17:02

Hummingbird bakery don't use piping bags, they blob it on and swirl it with a palette knife (but a table knife would work) If it's good enough for professionals, it's good enough for me. I shall find the instructions.....

Blatherskite · 02/12/2011 17:05

You tube video [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M08BAvT5NVc here] on how to frost a cupcake without a piping set.

It's got me wanting to make some Red Velvet cakes though!

Blatherskite · 02/12/2011 17:08

I got the gold and Silver candles for my Mum's birthday cake from tescos so I hope your one has them too. I think they might have little silver balls too which might make good stars??

BlastOff · 02/12/2011 17:08

You are all FANTASTIC!

And TheDW you are a miracle worker.

Thank you so much. In the midst of making the icing as we speak, and DH at Tescos with ds2. Ds1 in front of tv...

Thank you thank you thank you.

Blatherskite · 02/12/2011 17:10

If you really want to pipe, you can make an impromptu piping bag either from a plastic freezer bag or a cone made from baking paper. Just snip the corner off and you're away. You won't get funky effects but if you pipe a swirl, it shouldn't matter.

What else are you missing?

Tinkerisdead · 02/12/2011 17:14

Yes party pieces you are shite. Im offended at you advertising on our party page. By definition you should realise that late deliveries may upset someones bloody party. And dont blame your couriers. You choose your couriers. Hopefully we've got blast off sorted at a fraction of your prices so two fingers to you. We'll use partyrama now so there!

BlastOff · 02/12/2011 22:12

Right, I have been in a whirl of pastry and chocolate and icing... And also done bedtime and supper... Thank goodness they both went off to sleep without any fussing tonight.

TheDW - thanks to you I now have silver napkins, a navy tablecloth, clear bowls and am much less stressed than 12 hours ago. Tescos were brill. (It was 'delights' not party pieces though - they did send me some stuff which did arrive on time!)

I also have silver candles, and also found some sparkling ones.

I am about to attempt the icing. I've left it until last because I am terrified. That you tube video was great. I have things to sprinkle on top to cover up the mistakes Xmas Grin Shirley and Blatherskite - fancy a trip to the lovely Shropshire countryside to do it for me?

I have also decorated the cake, made mince pies, and am about to decorate a gingerbread rocket.

And bless my DM, she is going to make the sandwiches for me tomorrow morning, and I've given her a star and rocket cutter to cut them out.

I'll post some photos - it's pretty amateur to say the least, compared to all your creations, but I feel I owe you a nose after all your fabulous help Xmas Smile

Thanks to you all again Wine (not so keen on flowers - would rather be given wine myself)

Tinkerisdead · 03/12/2011 08:01

Lol -sorry party pieces pass my comments on to partydelights.

Blastoff im so glad you're sorted. You sound very well prepared!! Please make sure you do post pictures, we all get so interested in each others efforts. The thread is nearly full, shirley will you start another one? I think we've formed a party planning quiche.

Blatherskite · 03/12/2011 08:56

Just go for it with the cakes BlastOff. Remember it's how they taste that matters most - any mistakes will be short-lived once people start eating.

Plus, I am way too hung over to drive anywhere, never mind Shropshire. It turns out being on the pre-school committee was worth it just for the Christmas do Wink

Good luck for today. Hope everything goes smoothly. I can't wait to see the pictures

Blatherskite · 03/12/2011 20:12

How did it go BlastOff?

BlastOff · 03/12/2011 22:58

I've just written a long post and it's disappeared - how annoying. Anyway, I'll write it again tomorrow and will also upload some photos.

But essentially, it was brilliant! We all had a great time, and ds1 loved every minute of it. I'm now knackered, relieved, and going to bed having had a very large glass of well deserved wine Smile

Tinkerisdead · 04/12/2011 12:08
BlastOff · 04/12/2011 15:42

It's all done! It went brilliantly and DS1 loved every minute of it. Actually I really enjoyed it too Grin

The weather was lovely and there was a little courtyard outside with a playhouse, and the children played out there with a balloon rocket I'd bought. You stamp on it and it shoots a foam rocket (which has a multi-faceted balloon wand on the bottom) into the air, and bubbles come out. It was such an afterthought on my behalf, but they loved it. And because they are only little, they couldn't shoot it too high and everyone got lots of turns.

They didn't all do the craft things, in fact I think I only needed one really. Decorating the gingerbread rockets was the most popular. But it did work well, especially as a chill out as there was a lot of running and bouncing going on.

They enjoyed playing with the balloons, but unfortunately they took the rocket and stars balloons which were decorating over the table almost immediately, so I didn't get a 'before' photo of the table. But the colours looked lovely, and the rocket shaped and star shaped sandwiches were very popular.

Thanks to the video on you tube the icing wasn't too bad, and I've got photos of the cake and cupcakes. Unfortunately all the other photos have peoples children on so I don;t feel I can upload them, but I'm going to crop one so there is a bit of the table!

Blatherskite - they entertained themselves, and even by the end of pass the parcel half had gone off to play, so really don't worry about entertaining them.

Tinkerisdead · 04/12/2011 16:21

Loving the big no 3 and the cupcakes! It all sounds fantastic. Really well done and glad to see you had your table as you wanted it.

Are we all partied out now? Just blathers to go?? Dont all run off and leave me, remember i'm still planning a hypothetical christening!!!

BlastOff · 04/12/2011 16:31

Thank you The DW!

It's a real shame I didn't get the table - it had three balloons at different heights, two silver stars and a rocket, with star weights. The table cloth with silver plates etc were ok, but perhaps not exactly as I'd envisaged.

I've got a photo of the party bags I'm going to add when I can find it too!

Bizarrely, the delights box arrived this morning... despite it apparently being lost. And no use now - unless anyone is in need of a navy tablecloth?!

No, I'm not going anywhere - I've been loving this thread, and anyway I've got a first birthday part to plan for in six months time... Grin