Shirley's party advice part 5 - Here to Help - come and say Hi

[Blatherskite]

Didn't notice we'd gotten to the end of the thread!

I love biscuit decorating! My tips are...

• Use powdered icing sugar made up in little bowls with spoons to apply to the biscuits. Those tubes are way too hard for little fingers and the children will get frustrated. The adults will end up decorating the biscuits while the kids run off and play
• Buy a stack of cheap, white paper plates for decorating on. The plates will catch the majority of the overspill saving you from finding sprinkles in your carpets for the next year and you can also write names on the plates so you quickly know who's is who's (for the ones that aren't eaten immediately) and they can also be slipped quickly inside a food bag/wrapped in cling film to make them easy to take home if needed.
• go for big decorations like smarties, chocolate buttons and jelly diamonds etc. They're a lot less messy than hundreds and thousands and a lot easier for the children to get to grips with.
• Gingerbread is easy and tasty to make lots of. I usually allow at least 2 biscuits per child as the majority will want to make multiples in my experience. Peppa Pig cutters should be easy to find if you want to theme them.
• If you haven't got the time to make biscuits, a pack of Rich Teas work just as well

DW, we had both of those bubble machines. DS had the ELC one which despite me being anally retentive about cleaning out and storing, gave up the ghost after not being used for a winter. I always thought the bubbles were a bit disappointing too.

I replaced it with a Billion Bubbles on when DD was tiny and it's been brilliant. Sorry yours didn't work

I's DH's birthday on Sunday so I'm planning a cake. I'm thinking chocolate fudge with chocolate fingers around the edge and the top filled with his favourite M&Ms - I've been wanting to do one of those for ages :)

Ive wanted to make that cake too but with kitkats.

But im thinking here

That made me chortle, DW.

Would he get it, Blathers?

One of DD's friends had the kit kat & smarties cake - very effective.

That made me laugh

Maybe for this year's Christmas cake....

I can't do KitKats because we boycott Nestle so it has to be choc fingers instead.

I also need some advice on a project for DD. We're going to redecorate the kids bedrooms this summer and DD needs some more storage. I was considering covering one of those hanging toy storage nets in grey fabric and making it look like a castle tower with windows all the way up. I thought maybe I could put a pointy roof on the top and stitch vines growing up the sides..... Would be a ace place for the dragons to live! But what fabric would i use? I don't want it to be too heavy.

How about http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=181130484745 this?

Gah. http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=181130484745 try again

This?

Yes, that. My 'phone and I seem to have lots of issues an issue around cutting and pasting.

It would add almost no weight, and then you could paint on a brick/stone pattern, and use felt for window surrounds and plants growing up the sides and a dragon wrapped round the base guarding it

Maybe. I'm struggling to find a grey toy hanger though, they're all green, blue or pink and would show through.

You reckon? Not if you painted bricks on, I don't think.

Cant you use a light weight cotton? You could use fabric paint to paint a stone wall effect? I cant search n link at the moment as im stopping Dd2 from heading into the newt pond.

I think it'd end up a very odd colour when the light caught it.

And I'd have to paint the whole thing and they're quite big.

I mean a grey cotton?

If i was painting it i'd do random groups of accent stones at intervals http://www.popcardboarddisplays.com/china-corrugated_cardboard_toys_paper_toy_house_castle_ento006-145827.html like thisto give the impression of a wall maybe with a fabric pen?

Yes, it might have to be grey cotton...or some sort of Nylon like they make the other IKEA things out of? That'd be a nightmare to sew though wouldn't it?

Random stones had been my plan too DW

[[http://www.popcardboarddisplays.com/china-corrugated_cardboard_toys_paper_toy_house_castle_ento006-145827.html bugger]

dammit

I think buy a blue one and make it a cover with something like item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewitem?itemId=281049796972&index=21&nav=SEARCH&nid=56515778406

You have said before your a bugger for not finishing projects so let me just check you haven't got anything else to finish first?

Oh i give up linking today

That fabric looks good, DW. If it were me, I would attach it at as few points as possible - hand stitching or ties at the loops. That way, the cover could be taken odd for washing. So I would make a tube and wriggle the toy store into it, IYSWIM.

I've not got any projects to finish just yet bar the christmas books which are never going to get done now but I do seem to be setting myself up with about 5 at once right now. I might do the cake first, then the butterfly/caterpillar as I've bought the fabric now, then a huge dolly bow for my dress for a party in a month and then the toy tower...

Hello, not sure I am in the right place but looking for advice.

My ds will be 9 soon and we are having a film at a local theatre. (We hire the whole venue, it is not huge).

I can't decide what time to have it! What film to buy and whether I should do party bags?

We are inviting a mix of family and a few school friends and other friends and their dc. My ds is into dinosaurs at the moment - he doesn't like anything scary. Thinking of getting 3D dinosaur cookie cutter I have seen online - would maybe work as party bag treat with mini eggs as dinosaur eggs?

We are going to have some sit down and team games but nothing to boisterous because kids can't run about there - any ideas welcome - pass the hat will be one.... Was thinking of team dinosaur bone treasure hunt, first team to build a dinosaur wins a prize? Pin the tail/claw/teeth/moustache on a dinosaur? We won't have loads of time but ds does want games.