Shirley's party advice part 3 - in which Shirley may make a guest appearance

[stealthsquiggle]

We appear to have filled another thread

While we are linking to things, does anyone need bargain fairy wings? (they also have fairy dresses, complete with wings, for £4.97!)

I am in love with the Kara's Party Ideas website! I have spent all morning looking up where to buy skull and crossbone ribbons for decorations and how to make pirate cake pops! (Might be getting a bit over adventurous there, but will practise making them!). We'll probably have around 30 children aged 4 and 5.

I really like the idea of a pirate scarf/bandana as a parting gift, maybe coupled with a few gold coins/chocolate coins in a treasure chest like this? I've found some wholesale pirate skull and crossbone bandanas for £6 a dozen.

I also love the idea of the inflatable swords. I've found some for wholesale 68p each, but can only buy in increments of 12. It's still really cheap though and can give the left over ones away to siblings. here

I'm really torn between the two. The treasure boxes and bandanas will be something different, but then the swords will be fun for the children. Help me decide please!

In regards to fun and games, I have an idea about putting little sweets inside balloons and blowing them up, then making some kind of poking implement for the children to pop the balloons with and receiving the prize. I could put loads of blue balloons inside DD's paddling pool and one child can go in and pop a balloon. Does this sound like fun? DD is really keen on having musical statues too. Is there anyway we can play this game and make it so all the children get a prize with no overall winner?

Oh and I've also found this 3ft3" pirate cut out here. I was thinking I could take a picture of each child with it and email them to parents after the party. Is that a bit over the top? Would parents like that?

YoHo I officially declare you to be an addict. Welcome to the club [evil cackle]

I vote for bandanas - that's what I was trying to find to link to, but couldn't - so well done. I like the treasure chests, too - would hold a few chocolate coins and a bandana nicely.

As for the photos - we have always sent photos of guests as thankyou cards (printed, generally, rather than electronic, as the DC enjoy writing/delivering them) and I have been very gratified, on visiting other peoples' houses, to see them displayed (some kitchens I have been in have 4 successive years' photos scattered around ) so I think it is safe to say that most people appreciate them.

Inflatable swords are fun, but you need to have space for the chaos which will ensue - I have a classic picture of my DB backed into a corner by ~10 4yos wielding inflatable swords (DB had one too, he was just outnumbered!)

My #1 tip for pirate/knight parties is that you need a large adult pirate stationed at the door confiscating all weapons (for safekeeping) as they arrive - a nice pirate-y sign saying "all weapons must be surrendered at the door" helps to get the message over - otherwise there will be tears.

Sounds like you have some great ideas yohoho. I would go for the bandana and treasure chest, that would look brilliant with the gold coins as treasure. Also, if the children are dressing up some of them might bring their own sword anyway. Love the idea of taking photo's to use as thank you cards, will def be stealing that too.

Oh yes, swords should always be left at the door otherwise you can guarantee that someone will end up in tears. Little Friend is right too, if the kids are dressing up, you'll find a lot come with swords already.

I think the bandanas and a few chocolate doubloons in a little chest sound lovely. Tesco do very cheap skull and crossbones eye patches, balloons and mini telescopes if you wanted to add anything else.

Oh and DW, I got confirmation of dispatch for the peg dollies today so they should be here in about a week.

Brill blathers i'm so excited. Pm me about how much i owe you.

I'm in a proper making mood at the moment - although more the planning them and getting excited than the actual making I was reading "Where's Fred" to DD earlier and now want to make one of these but in white fur fabric. I'm not a confident sewer. It's too hard right?

The pic of the OTT wedding bags was on my phone but I've had to transfer all the photos off as there were too many. I'll upload it from the PC tomorrow when DH has stopped listing stuff on ebay

Would have to be very short pile fur, I think.

Bugger. I had forgotten about dragon kits. I had daft ideas about applique on their tummies.

We read "again" by Emily Gravett tonight and the dragons loved it.

It's got to be long fur to be Fred. I guess I could try just white?

I need to buy Again for my little dragon obsessive

Don't 'need to' buy it any more. Just ordered it :)

Cool. We want "Matilda's Cat" as well.

"We" stealth?

OK, I do.

:)

Stealth pm'd me the dragon bag picture. I love that dragon fabric its so fun and the little tail. I'm very impressed.

I should tell you that as i'm on my phone i copied and pasted your url but accidentally chopped off the last letter. It gave me some photo feed from kuwait which frankly i thought you were sending me some kind of al queda propaganda!

You didn't see the stream of tweets cursing Blathers for her brilliance, DW! That one bag took all evening - I don't have that many evenings between now and the party.

Ah but you'll get faster as you get more practised

OK, so make a decision for me then, now that you have landed me in it [glare]..

I was going to get cheap fabric in an assortment of the colours in the dragon fabric, but looking at the green one (which is just because that was the first plain fabric I found last night) I am thinking maybe the bottom of all of them need to be that colour (tail spike colours will vary as I have more than one colour of felt) - with brighter linings, maybe (prototype is lined in the same green).

DS (official arbiter of all things dragon-related) absolutely loved the prototype, even in the midst of his normal not-a-morning-person grump, so I guess I am doing lots. I keep telling myself that doing each individual task lots of times will be lots quicker than doing each one in turn.....watch this space for the nervous breakdown.

in less self-centered news - I saw some fabulous rainbox cupcakes at the weekend - they were iced in sky blue, with 2 clusters of mini marshmallow clouds, and an arch of rainbow belt (like this inbetween - standing upright, IYSWIM. They looked great, but I didn't get a chance to sneak a photo.

a bit like this but better done

I do love the green. It's very dragon-ish.

Would it make things easier if I let you off making one for me

I like the green too. I don't think I have enough though - I guess I will cut up what I do have tonight and then try and get to fabric shop tomorrow.

It's not the one for you DD that worries me, it's the fact that all my various party helpers will want one too!

I like the green too. I don't think I have enough though - I guess I will cut up what I do have tonight and then try and get to fabric shop tomorrow.

It's not the one for you DD that worries me, it's the fact that all my various party helpers will want one too!

Do you have other fabric or were you going to have to go shopping anyway? If you've already got other fabric then I think I'd go with what I'd got and just make the majority green.