Shirley's party advice part 6 - don't be afraid to interrupt us!

[Tinkerisdead]

Okay, this is shirley's party advice part 6. Shirley ducked out a while ago and you'll notice us chatting about all kinds of stuff whilst we wait for party planners to barge in.

So, don't lurk, jump in and chat. We'll give you any advice on parties from costumes to cakes....

[Blatherskite]

stealth, if we started taking the piss out of each other for getting obsessed with the minutae of party planning, then this thread would have ended within the first 10 posts about 5 threads ago

[jetstar]

Prizes - maybe something really simple like a winners party hat / crown? Then you can make sure someone else wins the next game.

[stealthsquiggle]

Invitations are all done, wrapped and labelled except for one where DD told me I had spelt her name wrong cos hers are still in the oven

On to christening cake. 2 small girls and an angel to make, cake to bake, 2 cakes to cover with fondant, tree to design. Aaaargh.

[Tinkerisdead]

Oooh another stealth cake coming. I have your flickr page bookmarked on my phone so i can browse it for fun.
My friend asked me to make a harry potter cake, and i really wanted to do a sorting hat but its four days after i move and i'll be cleaning this house/unpacking the new and had to say no. I really wanted to do it.

Dd has asked for a pizza cake, which i will merrily steal from blathers and stealth but shes having her grandmothers for a family tea on her actual birthday so im thinking of making a pizza chef peg doll for another cake.

Blathers, i had a nightmare last night, i dreamed that i fiund a lovely new house. It was like a farmhouse/barn/inn type place with loads of ramshackle rooms. It was lovely. Then my dad, stepmum and stepsister all popped out and it turns out i was living with them all. I was filled with horror, then you came in and said "oh dw dont worry your in "blatherstown" now, let me to take you to the junk shop place" calm was restored and we went to the junk shop and ikea.

[Blatherskite]

You really should move to "blatherstown", that would be ace :)

I need to get you those peg dolls! I looked up the prices last time I was in and then totally forgot! I'm going next week so I can get them then if you still need them?

[Tinkerisdead]

Yes please if you dont mind.

Ive had a wisdom tooth out. I used to be a dental nurse and panicked at the hospital cos i'd seen too many extractions shatter. They were dead good calming me down a bit and once they were doing the injections i was fine. But as he took the tooth out it was mega pain and ironically it was that point that i was dead calm saying im so sorry its really painful, could you inject me again. I had 9 vials of anaesthetic instead of three and now im numb right up to my scalp!! I cant blink one eye so ive had to tape it closed cos it was drying out!

Im on the sofa feeling really sorry for myself. And my dd's are staying at nannys and im missing them terribly!

[Blatherskite]

Ouch! Once more I'm feeling very, very grateful that I don't have any wisdom teeth!

The photos with the prices on are on my other phone and I can't find it! I think the peg dollies were about £2.60 for the dolls and another £1.60 for the bases. There were either 20 or 30 in a bag.

[stealthsquiggle]

Ow. Poor you, DW. Just what you need in the middle of moving.

No cake progress today . Shall be getting up early.

[Badvoc]

Gosh DW...I well remember having all my wisdom teeth out and it's not nice. That being said, I felt a lot better after day 3 so here's hoping the same for you...
So...have had 11 acceptances for ds's party! But he has invited another 14....:)
Dh out together our new expedit bookcase this morning (yes I did think if you blathers as I passed the sheets!) and so now we have a large cardboard box...what could we do with it for the party oh wise ones!? :)
(It's long but not deep and not high)

[stealthsquiggle]

Not sure about the box Badvoc. Is it big enough to fit small pirates in?

[stealthsquiggle]

Ok, thoughts needed. Do I try and make DD a "themed" cake (I am thinking rainbow cake with clay coloured chocolate buttercream and little pots /paintbrushes etc) or abandon the theme altogether and do something like this?

[Badvoc]

How about a potters wheel cake with a thrown pot on it?

[stealthsquiggle]

That was plan a, Badvoc, but since the potter is not actually bringing a wheel (too many DC) it seemed inappropriate somehow.

[Blatherskite]

I quite like the rainbow cake in clay coloured frosting idea

[Tinkerisdead]

What abouuuut...now hear me out, make it like an unglazed pot/vase...so instead of clay coloured buttercream and the pots, colour sugarpaste that murkey kind of grey. The flowers on the cake you linked to look pottery like but you'd still get the murkey gloomy unglazed look into a big colour reveal.

[Tinkerisdead]

I hope that makes sense, like the cake'll be tall if its a rainbow cake so cover the cake or sculpt it into a vase/bowl shape, add a big "lip" edge, do some really crude cut out flowers or suchlike detail to make it look like an amateur pottery attempt. Your airbrush should get it looking really claylike mych better than buttercream. You know yourself when you wet sugarpaste it behaves like slip.

I reckon you could make a real tongue in cheek bad pottery attemp looking creation and then the colour like you wanted. Easier and more striking than modelling pots/tools

[Tinkerisdead]

effects easily achieved in paste

[Tinkerisdead]

bad pottery cake inspiration

[Tinkerisdead]

the easiest way to make a bowl or cover a pottery looking cake!

[stealthsquiggle]

Thanks, DW. I am just unsure from a 7yo girl perspective - would she appreciate that it looked really realistic, or just be gutted that it wasn't "pretty"?

[Badvoc]

What about a really pretty floral huge cup and saucer?

[stealthsquiggle]

I might have a play and see what happens if you paint fondant "slip" over mud coloured fondant - making it slightly less drab and probably more like what they will have just made themselves. I need to get christening cake finished first though - figures drying all over the kitchen table at the moment .

Invitations were well received and seem to have survived the journey home.

[Tinkerisdead]

That is a very good point for a 7yr old but i'd decorate it up with her namesake and tell her theres a surprise inside.

Now hurry up with the christening cake

[stealthsquiggle]

I have to admit, mud coloured icing will be a welcome change when I finish this pretty pastels one - I am getting fed up with having to scrub hands, boards, brushes, etc every time I change colours because the colours are all so delicate. Plus the angel's head keeps falling off

[Tinkerisdead]

I just laughed out loud truly to that. Spaghetti!