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!

Stealth is indeed a star -

I was so chuffed that a complete stranger went to all that trouble!

Good luck with the rainbow cake, they do look very impressive. And slightly more appetising than the green/blue swirl sponge I did for DS's Octonauts party a couple of years ago!

I think this thread is generally full of lovely people. Always ready to spend an hour or so googling random party themes to find ideas and make a strangers child's party special.

DW posted me little teddy bear jelly moulds on our very first thread for my little girl too.

for everyone.

DS's lego snowman arrived for his cake this morning. Just got to get some trees now but bugger me they're expensive.

Thinking of these for candles as I think they'd fit the cold theme rather well. The whole cake will be 6 shaped. It's either that or 6 normal candles...?

Blathers - does it need to be Lego trees? I got some snowy plastic trees for our Christmas cake this year, which were pretty inexpensive I think?

To appease my perfectionist side, it does I think. I'm making a snow slope with lego ski-ers, snowboarders and sledgers on. I've also got a lego snowman, skater and ice fishing eskimo. Non-lego trees would be OK but lego trees would be perfect.

I think I'm going to bite the bullet and buy some and just keep reminding myself that lego-mad DS will probably play with them loads so they won't be wasted.

Ultra perfectionist me has her heart set on some taller, more rounded pine trees but they must be some sort of collectors item as I've seen them going for £15 each so that's never going to happen!

I can relate to that - sometimes it's very hard to pull your finger away from the 'buy' button!

I liked the happy birthdat candles btw.

I've ordered the trees - and the handwarmers

Apart from candles, I think we're done then and I can get on with panicing about making it!

DS and DD are both lego mad so once the trees have finished their job on the cake, they can go into one of the many lego tubs and become playthings which means they're probably better value than purely cake decorating trees - right?

I've bought the party children 1 handwarmer each. I know it's tight but they're about £1 each and I needed 8. 1 should be enough to warm hands enough to eat and then they can pop them in the bag of plastic tat that the slope is providing along with the little lego birthday man kit.

Definitely better value for money in the long run!

Hi I just wanted to jump on the star wars party bandwagon as DS has requested one for his 5th birthday at Easter, with 12 4-5 yr old boys - eek!. Love the Jedi training stuff - Ithought about splitting them into groups and doing light sabre stuff, obstacle course, throwing balls at cardboard cut outs of baddies. I am trying to persuade DH to dress up as Darth Vader at the end - anyone know where you can get a cheap DV mask?

Am also thinking of attempting a Darth Vader pinata out of paper mache.

Would also like to make a cake - there is no way I could do that r2d2 one though. I wondered about a millenium falcon as I think it's just a round shape with a few extra bits on but if anyone finds any (simpleish) ideas I would be so grateful.

I have got those star wars sticker books from book people as well so can just give 1 of those at the end with some sweets out of the pinata and they can take their light sabres home too. Getting quite excited actually but can you all pray for good weather!

I am currently trawling through Pinterest looking at Star Wars ideas betterbet! There are some great ideas on there. I did come across a millennium falcon cake & instructions, but I didn't pin it. I'd search and link but on the train on iPad and web pages are taking forever to load!

If I can get DH to be Darth Vader, we're going to have 'what's the time, Darth Vader' (time to join the dark side). I'm also thinking of some kind of Jedi boot camp to put them through their paces - so with an obstacle course followed by star jumps and some other exercises.

Oh goodness, I love the idea of 'what's the time, Darth Vader' (time to join the dark side) That's genius!

I think if it were me, I'd attempt a Death Star pinata as you could easily make a globe using a cheap light shade from IKEA for a base or even papier mache over one of those punch ball balloons.

I might have to talk Ds into Star Wars for next year as these parties sound amazing.

Would it be safe to throw paper mâché mini asteroids at a bunch of 5 year olds? Thinking of a space walk that involves an asteroid shower! DS helped come up with What's the time - he's a party planning fanatic in the making! He also wants to play Darth, Darth, Jedi as a variation on duck, duck, goose.

I've had a look on ebay and you can buy foam balls which might be safer. Grey ones are a bit harder to find but you could maybe either paint them or wrap them in thick grey tights?

Good idea, Blathers, I'll have a look. My train journey is almost over so I'll have to suspend party planning for a while much to DH's relief. I am trying to explain why I'm starting on it when there's three and half months to go...

I have a death vader robe suitable for anyone up to about 6ft 4" - we did Darth Vader's footsteps. It may be available for loan .

Death star is a good call for a cake. You can get spherical cake moulds really cheaply nowadays and I have seen some good online tutorials for it. I do not recommend trying R2.

DT we always say its never too early to plan a party. My dd's birthday isnt until nov but as you saw, i was already on mermaid ideas!!

We all have themes in our heads so we often dream of dream parties and then force them on people. We've gone mad on mad hatters parties in the past. My dd2 was 1 in feb (the rainbow party) but im seriously gonna try and force my playdoh party on her when she's 2. I also want a cake decorating party, an art party, a science party.....

Thank you party heroes for your advice - party was a huge success and is being talked about in the playground :o

No parents stayed which was a big relief and the sticker suggestion for the children who were 'out' in musical statues was a genius idea - they were all really pleased with their stickers and I gave the kid that won (he really was very good indeed at standing stock still!) a mini bag of Haribo which he was really pleased with.

I think next year I might do a trad style party with just standard games. They seemed to really enjoy it and I realised that none of them really knew how to play pass the parcel which is shocking! I might even do things like Oranges and Lemons

Glad it went well :)

There is only one downside to hosting a party so good it becomes the talk of the playground.....you're expected to top it next year

Just ask Stealth!

My little Lego trees arrived today and I've paid the balance on the party. DS is 6 on Sunday but the party isn't until the weekend after. Did a test cake yesterday which was good.

Getting impatient to get making now!

I always find party day after actual birthday works much better than the other way around, otherwise actual birthday risks ending up as a bit of an anticlimax.

Does DS know about your plans or is some of it going to be a surprise?

He knows we're going to Legoland but not about the hotel that night - which may very well be his favourite bit :) - He's got no idea what we're doing on Sunday but that's mainly because DH and I haven't decided yet so there's nothing to know. We considered London but if it's this cold, that might be an awful plan anyway.

I've ordered him Skylanders as a present which he has no idea about at all but I think he's going to adore. We might have the best day at home letting him have a good play with it and maybe going out for lunch?

Anyone else considering a red nose lunch for Friday?

Do you think this would be OK cold for lunch?

That'd be fine cold blathers!

We have a rat in the house and i dont mind telling you ive sobbed about it this evening. My house is bloody immaculate bordering on ocd clean and theres a rat!! Its caught between the lounge ceiling and my bedroom floor and i keep hearing it scratching and bolting across the plasterboard. Well tonight i just cried. Rat man has been. Its either coming via the loft or the more likely cause, there is an old soil pipe under my bedroom floor still attached to the house/active manhole. I can only assume its not capped off and ratty keeps popping in for a visit. Rat man is back on thurs but i cant take much more of the noises etc its genuinely making me depressed to be on edge in my own home!

On a brighter note, the kids have been invited to a pirate party. Ive tried to convince bigg'n to wear pirate style pillowcase dresses but she wants to dress as izzy from neverland pirates. Soo, im gonna make littl'n a dress and hope that dd1 wants one after!!