Shirley's party advice thread part 2

[stealthsquiggle]

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

[stealthsquiggle]

DrsW my previous machine was a £100 one from Argos and lasted me for 15 years - in fact if I am desperate I still have it hiding from DH upstairs somewhere, and it does still work (or did when I last saw it) - I made curtains for 3 houses on that machine as well as loads of other stuff. DH bought me my dream Janome one for my 40th .

You'll be fine - most machines have numbers showing you how to thread it. Just get a spare bit of fabric to play with for a while before you try and sew the stuff that matters. If it's skipping stitches or tying knots on the back of the fabric, just unthread it all and try again.

[Tinkerisdead]

Cant find what i thought i'd seen in any of my books but in the debbie brown 50 easy party cakes book there is a piss easy treasure map cake. I mean shockingly simple. We've recommended the book on here before loads
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1897730349/ref=mp_s_a_6?qid=1334837807&sr=8-6&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[Blatherskite]

Shark infested jelly and swashbuckling pinata are fabulous ideas!!

You could always make a plain square cake, drape it in sugarpaste and paint it to look like a treasure map. No fiddly/expensive tins needed.

[Tinkerisdead]

Thats what the easy cake is like. Sand coloured sponge with brown sugar scattered all sandy-like. Sugarpaste painted like a map with gold thread having tied it up and gold coins all scattered over etc. i'll add a photo to my profile if you like sound of it sociallife? (excuse me shortening your name i'm on iphone and holding baby and its not easy tuping on the qwerty).

[Tinkerisdead]

www.sanza.co.uk/Aeroplane_Jelly_Berry_Blue.asp

Blue jelly to infest with sharks.

[Tinkerisdead]

picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2yA0DArd1U6g3c7Lyt9QDuvTEuuwrFWHPVn1GYD7tGs?feat=embedwebsite

Invites!

And look on here for some brilliant ideas:

befickle.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/pirate-parrrty.html?m=1

[Blatherskite]

I was wondering where I you could get blue jelly from...

That book is on my birthday wishlist (I saw you said you'd done May DW but you missed me! ) along with a whole heap of other party related stuff. I really must thing of some other things I'd like.

[Tinkerisdead]

In fact never mind ideas from that blog. Just copy the woman her party looks amazing.

www.cottage-industrialist.com/blog/2010/5/2/aaargh-pirate-birthday-party-free-printables.html

go.tipjunkie.com/pa/1814/blog.catchmyparty.com/2011/08/24/free-pirate-birthday-printables-from-b-nute-productions/

[Tinkerisdead]

Pmsl do u mean you saw i'd shopped for may birthdays on the organised thread? When's yours?

[Blatherskite]

Pirate food ideas...

Ships biscuits - any you like really.

Jelly boats - scoop out oranges, fill the skins with jelly and leave to set. Once set, cut the halves into quarters and add a paper sail on a cocktail stick. As a bonus, these can be eaten without spoons.

Tuna sandwiches - with lettuce seaweed maybe. Any old sandwiches cut into pirate-y shapes will probably be a hit - parrots, skulls, boats, fish...

Salty Sea Dogs - Hot dogs. Sometimes it's all in the name :)

Chicken Seagull drumsticks

[Blatherskite]

That's the one. I'm not stalking you I promise.

Mine is at the end of May. I shall be old

[Tinkerisdead]

How old?
Stealths already tevealed she's had her 40th as she got her sewing machine.

[Tinkerisdead]

Revealed rather. Damn this phone!!

Stealth i need you.

Right picture this. Cot bumper. Layer of fabric. Layer of wadding. Layer of fabric. Now, would you make an envelope and slude the wadding in, so its effectively smaller and free floating in there. Or seam round the whole lot and then trim any excess from the seams so that the wadding is secured within the envelope. Im thinking free floating is easier but if i wash it it may ball up inside.

[stealthsquiggle]

Also on phone waiting for DD to stop dancing in the shower and get clean.

Either seam round the whole lot, or make the envelope and then topstitch / "quilt" the finished thing to hold wadding in place, otherwise it will indeed scrunch up inside, probably before you even get as far as washing it.

[Blatherskite]

Put it this way...I'll still have 6 years to wait until I get my sewing machine Although I'm holding out for a Kitchen Aid Artisan. I got a Classic for my 30th.

Aren't cot bumpers on the current "don't use them they're dangerous" list? Risk of suffocating or something? Would save you an awful lot of sewing too

[Tinkerisdead]

Yes blathers your absolutely right it is purely for aesthetics to inject a bit of colour in my shabby rented house. Otherwise poor baby has magnolia box. She isnt even in there but her cot has net canopy over it with butterflies clipped on and im turning dd's bright butterfly bedding into a set to cheer it up a bit.

We chose this house as it is huuuuge downstairs with lounge diner, kitchen diner then a playroom with a loo. The garden has greenhouse, veg patch and polytunnel but the place is so shabby the landlords are having a laugh. We retiled the bathroom ourselves as it was gross!

[stealthsquiggle]

[Tinkerisdead]

Come back you ole gimmer. You're the voice of experience!!

[Blatherskite]

Come back Stealth. We neeeed you.

Not sure why I'm struggling so much with 34. Birthdays have been getting progressively less appealing since 29 imo

Might organise a piss up to numb the pain a little

[leftmysociallifeatthedoor]

My birthday is in May too but no party - boo!

Ds is 23rd Dec and Dd is Sept but will only be 2.

I haven't used the tin again tbh, no. I will though, I will. Yes, I really will. [Hmm] it only cost me £7 in the sale though...the added advantage of making a pirate ship cake is if you make an arse of it you can just splodge on some icing and put some eyes on and say its a sea monster :)

I am going to try and make a Driver Dan cake for dd this year. I'm not sure how it'll turn out. That reminds me, I made pirate cupcakes for ds when he was. Really easy - just ice a face onto each cupcake top - add details like bandana / patch / stubble etc. Takes minutes but the kids loved it.

You can also make mini treasure chests with small square rolls and sliced hot dogs tumbling out or with tray bakes sandwiched together with sweets coming out.

[leftmysociallifeatthedoor]

Oh and you can buy a big tall loaf of bread - almost slice the top off and either scoop out the inside or leave as is and fill the gap with small cubes of cheese / rice cakes / whole cherry tomatoes etc.

[Blatherskite]

Love the treasure chest sandwihes social - Brilliant!

[stealthsquiggle]

wasn't really sulking - just busy. Blathers - getting older hasn't (to date) really bothered me, TBH - as long as everyone takes notice of my birthday .

Just remembered I did pirate cupcakes for DD's princesses and pirates party - the pirates are made from a mould, which I still have and could lend...

[stealthsquiggle]

Oh my word I went to look for message in a bottle invitations and just look at all this amazing pirate stuff they have.

TheScottishPlayer - getting these people to ship to the UK is not easy, but I have done it - you would have to pay customs charges and VAT though...

[leftmysociallifeatthedoor]

The cupcakes I did were like this