Shirley's party advice thread part 2

[stealthsquiggle]

...can I take the liberty of starting another thread, since the other one filled up?

I too am looking forward to seeing this cake!

Bloody hell! No pressure then

The base is in the oven now....

LOL at the strangers-on-the-internet induced pressure.

I thought of you this morning Blathers (apart from because it is party day!) - DS finally threw out the box from his Lego advent calendar, and embossed in the bottom of one of the compartments is a Lego logo which would have been a perfect mould for buttons on Lego cake. I nearly kept it, just in case - but sanity and the fact that the kitchen cupboards are overflowing prevailed.

Photos are up. Help! Why doesn't it look right?

What are you on about?!! It looks brilliant. I'd be chuffed with that. If you're comparing it to some of the ones you linked then maybe its the 'whiteness' of the mushrooms compared to your inspiration ones which have been more pepperoni/olives. It looks excellent. Fab job. In fact i hate mushrooms and they look so real it makes me want to pick them off!

I have got it up on my screen next to the picture of the mega cake which is maybe my problem.

I made the mushrooms out of ivory sugarpaste but they are still a bit white. The peppers are wrong but it needs the extra colour I think. It could do with some more red but I don't want to put more peppers on when they look so unrealistic.

Think I'm going to pick off some of the more yellow "cheese" and put on some more white chocolate cheese

step away from the cake, Blathers, it is utterly brilliant.

(well, OK, add some more white chocolate cheese if you want to - it won't do any harm - but other than that leave it alone, it'sfab)

OK, have replaced some of the yellow cheese and have put a piece of greaseproof paper under the cake as it's making the box go all warped.

Leaving it now

Right, cake done, party bags packed, balloon bought.... time to go and get DS from school and head to the restaurant.

Wish me luck!

Good Luck - not that you need it - this is going to be the best pizza party ever in the history of pizza parties and Pizza Express are going to be left feeling all inadequate about their standard offering

I hope so

Will take lots of photos.

I really want a pizza party for myself now.

Flipping heck, the cake looks amazing! I particularly like the mushrooms. I bet your DS is thrilled with it. Hope he's enjoyed his party.

It went really, really well. All the children were well behaved, loved their aprons and the badge making and everyone was impressed with my cake.

All the Mum's were raving about how much fun the children were having and I think there might be a few more parties there in the future now

DS had a great time too, which was of course the point so I'm classing it as an out and out success.

Treated myself to a take out pizza in celebration :)

Great - well done Blathers.

Of course if someone else now decides to have a party there then they will discover how much extra effort you put in to it over and above what Pizza Express do

Somebody did say "don't they do lovely aprons" at which point I had to admit that I made them :)

Hooray. Glad he had a lovely time!! And lovely boast moment over the aprons, they are fab indeed. Im truly gonna steal this idea blathers be warned. So on my party wish list now i want a playdoh party, a rainbow party, and now a pizza party. Well done you. Dare i say it but i think you out did your teddy bear one. Thats huge pressure for your next birthday bash.

Come on then party peeps what parties do you dream of holding, ideas whizzing around your heads that the dc's have no doubt poo-poo'd.

See i'm all about the poo lately.

Feel free to pinch. It was really lovely and I'd definitely recommend it.

The cake was waaaay easier than the teddy bear one, I started baking this morning and had time to take DD dancing and have a sit down this afternoon after making it. I spent hours on the teddy bear one!

I really want to do a Knights and Dragons party and an Alice in Wonderland party now so that's next year sorted No more birthdays until DD in December again now unless I can talk DH into something for either his or mine?

I made the mistake of showing one of the Mum's the picture of the LEGO cake I made last weekend and she asked if I'd make her one if she paid me!! Tempting but not sure if I can cope with the pressure. Obviously, I wasn't totally happy with DS's one but at least it was just for us so it didn't really matter, it's a whole other thing when it's something you're almost 'selling' to someone else! I guess I know where I went wrong and could make changes but I'm still worried that it wouldn't be good enough to be something that someone is paying for.

I totally understand that. Ive been asked to do it before and im only happy doing them as gifts so there is no expectation if i think its crap. Stealth talked about making that leap on the cake quiche if i remember but i only dared lurk. Could you do it for the cost of ingriediants?

Wow - Your pizza cake is Fabulous Blathers! Well done .

Glad the party went well. DS loves Pizza Express so it might be in the running for a party in the next few years. Obviously I would need to hijack all of your ideas.

Totally get what you mean about making for other people - Agree with DrsW, perhaps do it for the cost of ingredients. I suppose it depends what you 'get' from it - I've found I really enjoy the whole cake-making thing, and find it quite relaxing when I'm not stressing out about it going completely wrong so if someone wanted me to make them a cake I'd probably consider doing it for cost, if I had the free time to do it.

Glad it all went well blathers, it's lovely to see everyone enjoying themselves when you've put the effort in behind the scenes.

I realised this morning that it's only 5 weeks 'til DS's party and I haven't actually done/bought anything yet. After thinking I was being ridiculously premature I'm now starting to worry I need to get more organised.

I plan to send invitations out in a week or two so really need to sort out the guest list. I need help with that! We have 13 on the list, all friends from nursery, other close friends and cousins. All fine so far; we're having it at home or village hall do not too concerned about numbers, and I'm sure one or two (at least) will decline. But DS has recently started preschool and has become great mates with a little boy and he'd like to invite him too. Only trouble is there's only two other boys at preschool and I'm worried that the other parents will think I'm being odd (or mean) by excluding their boys, especially as they're all fairly new so just getting to know each other at the moment. I could invite all three boys but then I think that looks bad to invite the boys and not the girls (four of them too, can't cope with they many extras, plus DS not bothered about them). Anyhow, do you think I should invite his friend or leave it this year while he has plenty of nursery friends there (not sure joe bothered DS will be, he's only turning 4 so still at the age where I might be able to distract him so he forgets about inviting this boy).

Sorry for the essay again!

I saw one of the Mum's at School today while I was at DS's Mum's to School for Mother's Day thing and she was telling me that the party was "Perfect"

LOL at not inviting them next year - the number of parents who, quite openly, go "oh, Minisquiggle's party - this should be good...." worries me more each year.

I agree with Blathers, Silver - just invite the one - talk to the parents if you possibly can and tell them it's basically a family & friends thing but that DS would really love their DS to come - that way, they know what to expect.

Yes, it's very nice that everyone had such a good time but the pressure to get it so right again next year is panicking me already!!

I've just made banana chocolate cupcakes to take with us to legoland tomorrow. I'm going to use up the last of the bought choc fudge frosting to top them rather than making another batch I think. I've still got a tub-full of "tomato sauce" in the fridge that I'm not sure what to do with!? I've also bought a cake to take to soft play this afternoon when DS meet his out of school friends. I know it's cheating but I've already made 2 cakes so I'm taking it easy for once.

Lol at all the 'parties' and cakes you're making blathers then saying you'll take it easy. You're supermum i reckon.

We're all still rough here. Dd2 just projectiled all over me and ive got blood clinic in 45 mins. My mum rang to tell me about her decorating, her garden, her dental work. When she asked how we were i cried. Saying dd2 still isnt well and i was back at gp with her yesterday. Mum starts crying cos i'm crying and still doesnt offer help. I'd only want her to cuddle dd whilst i get some jobs done. No hardship.