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

[stealthsquiggle]

We appear to have filled another thread

I got fabric like this for tablecloth for DD's cooking party. It is now being slowly used up even more slowly as I failed to measure and bought twice as much as I needed in various costumes, bags, etc.

Thanks, will go off to ebay looking for table cloths. Fabric shop might be good too never need to be told twice to go to a craft shop . I'm not being lazy not doing home made (honest), but needing ideas that other people can go and buy and contribute, it is more for show than consumption on the day iyswim. Was thinking maybe nice jars of marmalade and honey to pay homage to padington and pooh. Think m+s or somewhere do teddy bear biscuits as mine are offered them at friends houses who are too good to their children rather than giving them tesco basic biscuits like me , glad you said bunting as that was my main idea beyond table cloth.

Hoorah, my mum is here - let the costume making begin :)

DH dragged us all out to IKEA and wasted valueable costume making time!!

Still, the bits we did get done are looking really good :)

Has the man no sense of priorities ?

My sewing machine and I managed the time-consuming bit of making a bag for Pirate party boy (the applique) - but yesterday was spent driving to Wales and back in constant driving rain/sleet and there was no electricity at home anyway so I certainly haven't got as far as dragon wings/tails. In fact, the way this week is going, sleep is going to be a luxury, let alone fun stuff .

Blathers - I we need pictures

Hi all i'm back! You know that rain, hail, wind etc you were driving in stealth? I was holidaying in that!!!

Had nice enough time but caravanning in that weather wasnt great, even with heating in each room it was freezing and i kept worrying about dd2 freezing to death. Although i did bring her into bed for a snuggly breastfeed which i hadnt dared do yet as she's so tiny. Was lovely to be snuggled up with her. Sleeping with dd1 involves constant chatter at 2am followed by feet in your face or being physically slept on. She's lost all co-sleeping appeal that one.

Lovely to hear of all the sewing sessions. I must promise to try my machine this week no excuses. And i want to see pics please all!

Did DD1 have fun, DrsW? I did think of you! We also passed a field full of people camping in tents which looked truly miserable. New table looks great, except that we need several strong people to help us get it out of the trailer

Hello , just reporting back from my housewarming party which was a fantastic night though I say it myself
we decided on the pulled pork idea , and I found a fab recipe www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/pulledporkwithsausag_88807
so good in fact that a VEGETARIAN was seen eating a huge plateful !
Cold turkey breast , pasta with creamy tomato sauce , potato wedges and a couple of cheeseboards , homemade bread and some bread rolls . I made a huge chocolate tray bake , covered it with fudge icing , chocolate stars and glitter ( obviously )
We had about 50 people ( including the teenagers ) had a fab time , last people left about 2-30 am .
Thanks for the advice , happy party planning !

Sounds like an excellent party

Yeeeeaaahhh glad the party went so well. Did these party go-ers have to help actually decorate the house? Wasnt it a grab a paintbrush party? And glad you went with pulled pork, shirleyknot would be thrilled.

Dd1 had a fabulous time thanks stealth. In fact i felt terrible as i spent most of the time feeding/cajouling dd2 and so dd1 was pretty much under dh's rule. Nevermind im sure i'll get some 1:1 time with her as dd2 gets bigger.

And stealth im not sure if your hinting for a hand with this table but cough cough cough wheeze groan...i've got embolisms ya know

I am not normally much into pre-made "ranges" for parties, but how cool is Sir Bakealot??

Forget him!!! I just found wheres wally party stuff. seven years til my 40th thats a long time to wait for a wheres wally party.

I saw Sir Bakealot a few days ago and thought of you Stealth

Will try to get round to taking pics of the outfits soon but DH was away last night and it was 2 on 1 round here!

Only 6 years and 26 days to my 40th DW :(

Only 6 yrs and 26 days wow you're even closer to a wheres wally party then!! Oh and i saw your 'fugly' convo. Pmsl at you getting judged.

I've had an offer from vistaprint, one of these freebie jobs. If i order by thurs i'll only pay postage and because ive got ages i can choose the slowest option so i should get it all for cheaps.

Instead of invitations where you get ten free, ive done postcards as you get 100! Still invite wording etc.then ive tailored a brochure into an order of service as you get 10 free but 25 is around 8 quid. Then thank you notes 100 free. The brochure doesnt match perfectly but you wouldnt notice as ive kept the fonts/colours etc the same. Just waiting for my lovely minister to agree the readings so i can order them before thurs. she'll say yes though, shes so cool she wears fishnets and stiletto heels with her cassock!

Only 5 years and 4 days to DHs 40th. He's just announced that he doesn't want a birthday cake though so I might not be around to organise a Where's Wally party as I will have divorced him.

Between sodding off on a work trip (curry and beer while being buttered up to buy software is "work" right?), no cake and Octonaut costume sabotage, he's not in my good books this week!

Yes, judged because clothes can't be fat

PS to my update
We chose the pulled pork because I don't eat red meat ( and porks not red , it's pink ) and as I was cooking , I was choosing !

No , it wasn't a paint party , we moved into my parents house , Mum sadly died about 10 years ago , Dad has remarried and is a bit difficult

It was a long , difficult , and at times heartbreaking move , so we had a party to thank our lovely friends for their support .

We do need to decorate , bring a paint brush party, hmmmm < walks away , clutching a Farrow and Ball paint chart >

Did you make the mistake of asking him if he wanted cake, Blathers, or did he come out with this heresy out of the blue? My DH is not getting a vote - I know exactly what I want to do for his birthday.

I asked what sort of cake he wanted. He said none. I have done cheesecake in the past but not even that apparently.

He is getting a birthday Dinner though and has asked for syrup sponge so I'll stick a candle in that :)

He's a bloody grinch about celebrations in general. Doesn't want cake, doesn't want presents, doesn't want to go out....it's no wonder I go to such extremes for the children!

I spy a common theme here - DrsW, what about you?

Ha ha miserable sod.you need to make a grinch cake.

Doilooklikeatourist - that must be very emotional and it sounds like you have some lovely friends. Perhaps best not have a paintbrush party then, you dont want some overzealous teenager sloshing about with a roller really!

Ive never made my dh a cake. Perhaps he'd like a full on fairy castle as an excuse to trial it.

www.google.co.uk/search?q=grinch+cake&hl=en&client=safari&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Sp2gT9i3AoLb8APZ6qyGCA&ved=0CCoQsAQ&biw=320&bih=356#p=0

Here he is blathers. Just change his hat to a party hat ha ha. In fact give him one of those party blower things.

www.google.co.uk/search?q=grinch+cake&hl=en&client=safari&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Sp2gT9i3AoLb8APZ6qyGCA&ved=0CCoQsAQ&biw=320&bih=356#p=0

Convert links!

Just seen this on active!! (cat got me up -damn him)

How lovely that this thread is still going!

Hi shirley we've missed you! I hope you dont mind that we'be kept on? We just chat idly amongst ourselves until a party planner stumbles in and then we pounce! And run amock with all our ideas. You'd be proud of us. Stealth had a 30ft dragon or some such thing for chinese new year, how very shirley like!