Shirley's party advice part 4 - Better at party planning than Pippa Middleton

[BlatherskiteOfTheLivingDead]

New thread :) Everyone welcome.

Pmsl can't you tell we have a new theme to play with!! You can get sectioned party plates From places like Partyrama. Which by the way blathers I discovered is br you and you can collect from their warehouse to avoid postage.

Toffee I have a huge proper camouflage net - real one from army surplus (we used it for a jungle party) - where are you?

Thank you all. Has anyone made an easy pirate themed cake which looks impressive?

Treasure chests are reasonably simple but look really good. There are loads of step by step tutorials online too. You make a rectangular cake, coat it in chocolate frosting and then fill it with chocolate coins, candy necklaces and jelly beans. I think the hardest bit would be getting the lid to stay on and propped up without cracking but you could always strengthen it with a thin cake board. You can use liquorice laces etc to make strapping on the chest and crushed up biscuits to make 'sand' to cover the board in.

A bit like this

Step by step

M&S sell one ready done I like the wood effect and the pink prawns in the chest on this one

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. My head is spinning! I'm lucky in that I have hired an entertainer for DS2 for the first time, so she will do the party games, however the decorations, party food and party bags are all down to me.

DS2 does not want an army cake, even though it's an army theme. He says he wants a Minecraft cake (it's an online game that he's watched his big brother play). I asked if he wanted a model of a Minecraft creature on top, but he said no, just a picture. That should be fairly easy as I think there are cake toppers available. I know all the other DC (and parents) will be baffled by the cake, but at least DS2 will be happy . I love the mess food suggestions, but I'm planning to go the easy route and fill camouflage party boxes with food.

TheDoctorsWife - yes, maybe mentioning princesses is going too far. I'll just put 'civilians welcome too'.

Stealth and Blathers - that's really kind of you both to offer camouflage nets. I'm in Sussex.

And what is it about boys and army stuff? Neither of mine were in any way encouraged to play fighting games yet they both love anything to do with warfare (in fact I refused to let DS1 have toy guns for some years, but he just made guns out of Lego instead. I can't believe I am now letting his little brother have an army party. I have been worn down!).

My DS adores minecraft. We put it on the non violent version and he just builds stuff. He made a beacon the other day and even DH had no idea how he'd done it!

Oooh, could you build something minecrafty out of iced squares of sponge? Otherwise there are plenty of places on ebay that will print anything you like onto a sheet of rice paper that can then just be laid onto a pre-iced cake. IME, you need a tube of icing to finish off the edges though.

I'm in Bucks but if you wanted some netting I'm sure we could work out a way to post some. Not sure where Stealth is

I am on the other side of the Midlands from Blathers. Similarly, I would be happy to post net, but check out army surplus first to see if buying would be cheaper than posting. We got ours cheap because it was "damaged" - it turned out to be a bit dusty /grubby - nothing that a couple of days on the washing line didn't deal with.

Hello party sprites

Just back to update on (lack of) progress...

Went to buy the butterfly cake tin I saw. THIRTY FIVE ACTUAL QUID. There's no way I'm buying that, I don't love DD that much. So am back to square one and need advice.

TheDoctorsWife, I managed to do the invitation- not sure how to show you if you're interested... it's a bit shit, but it'll do. I could email it to you if you PM me?

Man down, man down, i'm hit, i'm hit...

Okay well ive got flu/tonsilitis something nasty that has left me flaked out with a raging fever, throat like needles and i cant lift baby dd.

Tethers ive messaged you.

Ive managed to take orders for lunchbox sandwiches. One child has asked for salad?!! Hope she dont want jam with the rest of them when she sees! Ive orinted colouring/activity sheets and bagged up the rapunzel paints, mini canvas and easel party bags! Before i was struck down. Dd1 is currently wiping my brow with a flannel!!!

Have emailed you, TDW- that's shit that you're ill

Hope you feel better soon- I had it last week. It's no fun with a baby.

£35 ? That's mad. Do they do anything sensible like hiring them out? Or I could send you mine (it's a jigsaw one like the baker ross one I linked to)?

• I am just shattered, but not, hopefully, ill.

I found a big bag of army men (little green ones like in Toy Story) on ebay the other day, which could be split up for Army party bags, but failed entirely to post a link to them.

here we go (easier on PC rather than phone from an airport lounge) - and there are also various camouflage fabrics on ebay and elsewhere which would make good party bags (but so would brown paper bags!)

That's a brilliant link, stealth - thank you!

Tethers invite looks cracking. You have passed your initiation by making your own party initiation.

blathers - my older son (13) has only just got bored with Minecraft (since receiving an XBox for his birthday), but DS2 is now hooked instead, so we are obviously facing a few more years of Minecraft-related talk in the house . We let DS2 play it on peaceful mode and he has made some wonderful things. He's building a village at the moment, complete with rollercoaster! He wants his cake to feature a creeper, which will be very bewildering to all the children who don't know anything about Minecraft (the majority, I imagine).

A friend who has just held her own son's birthday party is lending me a 20cm square cake tin and is emailing me the sponge recipe she used. She is also going to give me some special stuff that you put in icing to make it easier to model. I'm not sure how I go about making the 'creeper' design. I suppose I could print out a picture, then trace the outline on rolled-out icing. Luckily, DS wants a flat design, rather than a model.

I was so relieved that I'd finally sorted the party venue and theme that I completely forgot the guests , so I was up till the early hours this morning, designing invites and printing them out. They ended up looking a bit like <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=oXu&sa=X&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1366&bih=598&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=V4d8-OW96Bkn2M:&imgrefurl=www.onceuponaparty.com.au/shop/kids-parties-c-47/camoflaguearmy-party-c-47_17/&docid=MBDilu6dkcOs2M&imgurl=www.onceuponaparty.com.au/shop/images/LCP016.jpg&w=400&h=283&ei=H0qdUNC0FYWf0QXUu4GYCg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=594&sig=114990980940142744511&page=1&tbnh=135&tbnw=191&start=0&ndsp=14&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0,i:81&tx=79&ty=88" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this.

That would be sugarcel. Invitations look good.

I spent lunchtime today talking a (male) colleague through making a raa raa the lion cake

DS is 5 so I can see us having a few more years of Minecraft yet. He calls it "The Grass Game" for some reason we can't quite fathom but it's stuck so that's what it's called in this house now :)

I'm suffering with my weird blood thing again and feeling like crap. Went for another blood test today to get checked out. Am still stuck with a massive yearning to go running while being simultaneously knackered and cold all the time. It's very odd.

I've started picking up things for DD's birthday as it'll be easier to get now than in December. So far I have white paper bags on the way that I'm going to design and print some labels for. I found these on ebay that I thought I might copy. I've also got the rainbow crayons. Need to decide on what else to get and get it ordered. I was thinking of maybe a bag of rainbow drops, a rainbow lolly and a coloured notepad...? What else do you think I could put in? I need to get my arse in gear with the stuffed dragon and the dolly cake topper too - and everything else of course!!

I love your invites Toffee. I am actually considering buying some for DD Another ebay bargain I just can't find the time to do anything at the moment. The house is a tip and I'm soo tired.

Hope you feel better soon DW

Come and talk to me...

I've been awake all night, raging fever, ive been sick a zillion times and my tonsil (just one) is massive and agony. Dd1 has a party but I can't lift dd2, so have called my mum to come and play with the kids whilst dh juggles them. I tell you I feel that ill I woke dh cos I was frightened. Hope my mum has some tlc in her. My whole body hurts and if I'm bedridden I'm meant to get an antithromis jab but I ain't got the energy to visit out of hours.

Oh DW, I'm up. You sound very poorly. I really hope your Mum can be helpful today.

Can you go back to bed? Will you be OK without the jab?

I'm in bed. Ain't been out of it since 8 last night except to wee and puke. I think I've got flu, proper flu. Cos if a spider ran over me I couldn't muster a flinch. I'm trying to keep legs moving etc to avoid a jab because I really could no way get to the walk in centre. I'm really tearful cos I feel properly poorly!

Could the doctor come to you for the jab? You need to be sleeping not moving around

Eeek. DW, sounds to me as though DH should be ringing the GP to get them to come to you (a lot easier said than done, I know - maybe you could set your formidable - sounding DM onto the job?)

What is it about party planning? You two appear to have collapsed. I am looking over my shoulder waiting for the lurgy to come and get me....

The cavalry has arrived. Dh has taken dd2 swimming and dd1 is shrieking with excitement at nanny and upcoming party. Went downstairs to acknowledge them and back to bed. Think I'm ok jab wise if I can move about so had some wee stops! Off back to sleep now xx