I love giving parties, do you need some ideas?

[ShirleyKnot]

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.

I'm thinking I might do the astroturf for my Teddy bears picnic too Doctors :)

KatyMac, are they too big for those felt bag kits from Hobbycraft? There are some you can just decorate and some you stitch and decorate I think. You could buy extra buttons/ribbon to customise them a bit more?

OK, finally those recipes!!

For the brains cupcakes - make a batch of Red Velvet cakes (do you need the recipe for those too?) and you'll need buttercream frosting to top them. Ingredients are 115g butter at room temp, 500g iing suagr, 4 tablespoons full fat milk, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and red and black food colouring.

Beat the butter. Add 300g of the icing sugar, the milk and the vanilla extract and continue to beat until smooth. Slowly add the remaining icing sugar until you get a consistency that's thick enough to hold it's shape but soft enough to pipe. Add the food colouring until you get the colour you want.

Pipe a line up the middle of each cake and zig-zag down either side to make a brain-like pattern.

Refill the piping bag with cherry pulp and pipe into the gaps for a blood stained effect. I'm guessing you could probably use ice-cream topping for the same effect.

The fingers are marzipan with flaked almonds for fingernails stuck into chcolate frosting on the top of chocolate cupcakes. She's used coctail sticks to hold them upright.

There's gingerbread gravestones in the book too stuck into the top of more chocolate cupcakes but I always think they look better as a "graveyard" with lots in the top of a chocolate tray cake.

Blathers - I did teddy bears picnic for my DD last year (2yr) we did as Shirley suggested, everyone brought their bear, even DD's godmother brought her 50 year old bear. (make sure you have labels to put on each bear) we had some duplicate twin bears attend our party!

I got a lot of stuff from partyrama, red gingham style tablecloth, teddy plates as Shirley found.

I also made teddy shaped jellies for the jelly and icecream -I've got 8 little teddy moulds if they are any use to you?

What did you use to label them Doctors? Should I get Paddington style package labels or is there something better?

I'm thinking of doing something very similar. BYOB (Bring Your Own Bear) invites so that everyone brings a bear, then lots of balloons and bunting (we're hiring the local community centre so all decorations have got to be quick and easy to put up and take down) and maybe even a paper Sun. I find that children eat better when they've just got a plateful rather than too much choice so I was thinking I might have a few picnic blankets on the floor and then a buffet table with the food on. I'm going to pinch my fake grass idea I think and cover the table in "grass" and then a red gingham tablecloth (I can't find a gingham picnic blanket anywhere!) over the top, teddy bear plates and cups and some themed food (teddy bear jellies sound fab please) and maybe making the cake look like a picnic blanket and sitting it on the table with some extra bears sat round it. All I've got to do then is think up some teddy based activites and party bags...I've got till December though so I should be OK :)

DD is going to be 2 but we're going to have quite a few almost 5 years olds as well as assorted cousins of various ages. They're all young enough to have a ear though I think so I hope it will work for everyone. It sounds like it went down well for you with a 50 year old bear in attendance

Hey all.

I've been having a wee internet break for a few days (and it's not quite over I'm afraid)

I'll try and get on to read all these posts tonight, but I've got some reet DRAMA going on at the moment and it's making me a bit...meh.

In other news, THANKS Blathers for the recipes, I will deffo be giving them a whirl. I made homemade marshmallow yesterday.

Ooh, only just useful thread! Sorry you having drama Shirley, hope you ok. When you (or anyone else!) get a chance, any ideas for doing a treasure hunt?

DD1 is turning 5 and having a pirate party - really want to do a hunt but there will be a mix of ages, with some younger ones. Should I do something in two teams, led by adults? Any advice appreciated....

only just SEEN useful....!

OK.

TheDoctorsWife - On that link upthread (for Blather's tea party) there was a plastic tablecloth that looked like grass. Squee! (My knowledge of The Gruffalo is a bit sparse I'm afrais, I will have to defer to other posters.)

Blathers - got that paper sun hanging in the shed. I'll take some pics and you can see if it's any good - it's only one of those crappy tissue paper ones - you might want something bigger. How about a teletubby style one with your daughter's face as the sun's face?

Katy - I'll have a little google for you

Omni - WHOOP! (and BOO! for the having to ask the ex for help)

Tabby - Pirates, Pirates, PIRATES! I've loads of ideas as I've done a Pirate party before. Give me a little while and I'll sort you out.

Right, is that everyone? ARGH Exitpursuedbyatroll - will PM you later (not having much luck TBH, will have another look later)

If I've missed you out gimme a shout.

I'd missed the grass table cloths! I was looking at greengrocers grass which was about £8 for a 6' x 3' piece on ebay. Not sure it's worth the extra cost.

I know the Gruffalo quite well. I think if I were doing it as a party theme, I'd go with the woodland theme and make it more Gruffalo with some print outs and maybe some stuffed characters if you have any. You could have fun with the food, maybe make some chocolate cupcakes and cover with chocolate frosting made to look like fur and then some purple icing 'prickles'. Owl Ice cream could be chocolate ice cream with an icing beak on or maybe a feather? Trying to remember the other foods now...might have to go and dig our copy out. You could buy the DVD and put that on in the back ground? Play 'Pin the Wart on the Gruffalo' or 'pin the tail on the mouse'? Themed goodies for the party bags or pass the parcel should be easy as there are loads of gruffalo mini books/pens/rubbers etc around. You could maybe have a copy of 'The Gruffalos Child' as a big present in the middle of the pass the parcel.

Does any of that sound OK?

I love the idea of doing a Teletubbies style DD Sun Shirley. That's a brilliant idea.

link to the grass tablecloth

Blathers - (we are sisters in this party planner stuff, I feel it) I think a lovely digital pic of her - close up and smiling, easy to do with a digital camera, keep going till you get it, then tinted yellow and either sent off to somewhere like: this and then cutting into a sun shape...or somewhere online like here That you could create a poster/picture to keep after the party.

Getting back to the pirate party for Tabby - Some ideas here This is from my blog, there's some ideas here.

Further to that you wanted some stuff about treasure hunts? This is helpful Depending on the age/number of the children, you can either go for clues for each child - or divide into teams and allow them to guess together. In your case I would go for two teams, headed by one adult each (who have no idea of the clues) and make some of them tricky!

I LOVE the idea of close up pictures to show the location of a clue.

I did a treasure hunt with close up pics for our Easter egg hunt this year worked well with DS who is 4. I cut out egg shapes from bright paper so they were easier to spot and then stuck a close up of where the next clue was on the back and hung them around the house. Worked well as DS is not able to read yet.

Oooh, you could make "pirate scrolls" by crumpling up and reflattening pieces of paper before staining them with strong, cold tea (just wipe it over the paper and hang them up to dry. The crumples will soak up more and make it all mottled and old looking, you could tear the sheets into rough squares to make the edges rougher and more authentic) Stick your photo on one side and then roll it up with the photo inside. Tie them with bright ribbon to make them easier to spot. If the children are bigger, just replce the photo with a written clue, the tea staining shouldn't smudge it as long as you don't soak the paper - wiping will be enough.

Remember to chase them round with a video camera too. We have some wonderful shots of the excited faces DS pulled on our hunt :)

I'm loving this thread and am storing all of these ideas up for future birthdays. Mine are 4.5 and 21 months so I have plenty to go before they just want to get pissed with thier mates - I hope!

Going to go and look up DD suns now

Ooh, just remembered that if you sprinkle over a few coffee granuals on your wet paper, they'll leave brown spots too. Just rub them off when the paper is dry.

There's some good Gruffalo party ideas here and some invites to download and colour in too...

Thanks for the help -that link for treasure hunts is great. Have already been busy with the tea staining - DH thought I was mad as he has never done it but had to admit it looks good!

The photos is a good idea, and collecting ingredients would be great for a party when they're a bit older.

Think I saw some Gruffalo bits in Sbury's for whoever was doing that. Would be a fun one to do face painting at...

Thank you for all the gruffalo ideas. Gonna write a big list of things I need. I thought about putting the gruffalo film on at the end of the party as bit of a wind down, so people can take their kids away calmly rather than tearing them away but would you be pissed off with a three year olds party where they put a dvd on at the end?

I found some more Graffalo party ideas on whispers NetHuns.

I've copy and pasted so you can spare yourselves from the tickers

"Musical corners (name each corner after a character)
Mouse Hunt (Hide pictures of the mouse around the room and the children are the gruffolo make sure there is enough for each child to find a mouse each)
Make animal masks of the characters in the story.
Adapt the game duck duck goose to mouse, mouse, gruffolo.
Read the story.
Footprints race. Each child has a set of gruufolo footprints and they have to use them to cross the room without stepping on the floor.
Animal pairs using the characters in the story.
Stuck in the mud. The catcher is the gruffolo and the others are the mouse.
Adapt whats the time mr wolf? to mr gruffolo?"

I liked the Mouse hunt and the footprints race ideas

That should have been and have a big (sic) at various points obviously :)

What is the game duck duck goose?

Thank you for the info. Hmmm lots of games there and not sure my ten little guests may be up to instruction!

I have absolutely no idea.

The mouse hunt is probably do-able for 3 year olds, making masks might work as long as you keep them simple, and reading the story would be OK too. TBH at that age, a room with toys and perhaps a bubble machine is all they need to have a great time.

Yes we have a playroom so i thought maybe do woodland theme stuff in dining room, masking making in playroom with the story. Then dvd for any stragglers later. Gruffalo themed food etc. Next year im gonna steer her towards fairies thats easier!

Collects up the @@@tumbleweed@@@ just in case anyone's having a Wild West/Toy Story party and blows the dust off the thread...

How's everyone's party plans coming on?

Well ive been trying to organise a time for mine as i was gonna have it on a sunday, then dd's two best friends could come. Then mil says they cant do the sunday and they missed party last year so major guilt. So now two little friends will not be able to attend, which keeps my numbers down as it would have meant three kids and four adults for my pil. Bit sad for dd but hey ho.

On a positive note i've told dh he's reading the gruffalo at the start of the party to set the scene. I then started toying with a potential playdough party for dc who isnt even born. I do love parties. I've even mentally planned out its christening. Maybe i should focus on the birth part more.

Well ive been trying to organise a time for mine as i was gonna have it on a sunday, then dd's two best friends could come. Then mil says they cant do the sunday and they missed party last year so major guilt. So now two little friends will not be able to attend, which keeps my numbers down as it would have meant three kids and four adults for my pil. Bit sad for dd but hey ho.

On a positive note i've told dh he's reading the gruffalo at the start of the party to set the scene. I then started toying with a potential playdough party for dc who isnt even born. I do love parties. I've even mentally planned out its christening. Maybe i should focus on the birth part more.

Sorry my phone posted that twice!

Getting a date that works for everyone is always the hardest part of party planning. It's the bit I hate the most.

When I was expecting DD, we planned having our first ever Christmas at home as there was no way I was travelling far 8 days after a c-section! We invited my Mum, Sister and Brother over (who drove down on the morning bless them) with the intention that they would do most of the cooking if we just provided the food (DH is an awful cook) but in reality, I spent so much time obsessing about it in the last few weeks (and therefore thankfully not thinking about my upcoming surgery) that all they had to do was the veg in the end. I'd pre cooked and frozen anything I could, pre-prepared other stuff and found easy recipes for other stuff. I'd even obsessively studied Good Food magazine and had been to multiple supermarkets to get whatever won the taste tests for various things!

We had a great Christmas and I got to spend most of the day just sat BF DD while Christmas went on happily around me. It was wonderful. I love planning Christmas - it is just another big party after all :)

When is your new DC due?