A Par-Tea to remember

Last month, my four year old daughter and I had the privilege of hosting a birthday party for one of her closest friends, Havilah, who turned five. I was so excited to finally be able to put together a truly "girly" party, and now I have promised my own daughter that for her sixth birthday (when she doesn't have to share a party with her baby brother anymore), she will also be given a beautiful tea party! Needless to say, she can't wait to turn six! :)

It is amazing how much you can do for a little girl's tea party! Armed with the plethora of craft and party supplies I have saved (hoarded) over the past few years, and even some from my wedding, I was able to do a lot with a little (money). And now that I have discovered Pinterest, the possibilities are endless and right at my fingertips. I started planning less than two months before the party (when I volunteered myself as Havilah's party planner.) I had these girly invitations I found for $1 a couple years ago, so I was grateful to be able to use them. I simply printed out the tea table clip-art and glued it on. 

The idea for having a "Tea Par-Tea" I saw on an invitation on Pinterest, so I can't take credit for that. The birthday girl's mom suggested using red and purple, so I incorporated those colors as much as possible. Looking through lots of tea party ideas and pictures, I thought that the ones that seemed old-fashioned were the cutest. It also helped that Maggy ("the mom") is quite the photographer and has a really nice camera. So the idea of taking "old-fashioned" (i.e. black and white) pictures just fell into place quite naturally. I set up a child-sized table with two chairs as the "photo op" area, set with my daughter's toy tea set and some adorable crocheted cookies and cakes I borrowed from a friend. The backdrop was a tall bookcase I covered in cheap "contact paper" from the dollar store with a floral print, and the birthday girl's white tulle curtains on either side. The plan was to get all of the girls' (dressed up) pictures during the course of the party, which worked out well, considering the fact that they didn't really want to stop "partying" to have their picture taken! My daughter and I had a little fun during the planning stage, while I tested to see what it would look like in black and white. 
 

pre-party fun

Here we are at the tea party, which was probably as much fun for me as it was for the girls!

me and Elli

Here is the guest of honor and "the mom" :) (You can tell that I took this picture with her really nice camera, as it is the only one off-center and out-of-focus! ) Sorry, girls! :)

Maggy and Havilah

Aren't they cute?

Considerations the mom and I agreed upon immediately were that the girls HAD to have hats, boas, fans, and possibly gloves.... where we would find those cheap, we didn't know! I find that when I set my mind to plan any event, things seem to fall into place because I keep the event in the back of my mind at all times (obsession), which makes it easy to find things when I am out shopping. Sometimes I don't know what I'm looking  for until I see it...but when I see it, I know it! [My husband, for one, loves it when I go shopping and don't know what I'm shopping for. ;)] Since the party was after the Easter season, I went looking for little hats (cheap). Having seen them at Target (in the dollar section too), I drove the 20+ minutes it takes me to get to the nearest one... and they were all gone! I was a little nervous because I didn't know where else to look, but the girls had to have party hats. Probably the same day or the day after that, my daughter and I scouted out the nearest dollar store, looking for ideas and bargains... and right when I was ready to leave, I saw them: adorable little hats that were even nicer than the others, and priced right at $1.25 each! :) And that, my friends, is why the Target ones were all gone... ;) 

The same day, I also went to Rite-Aid on a whim and founds bags of Easter candy (jelly beans, Robin's Eggs, Tootsie-Rolls, and Sweet Tarts) on clearance for about $.25 a bag... SWEET! Just as a side note, when I asked "the mom" what the party budget was, she said "whatever you spend is fine..." It's a good thing we are both frugal ladies, huh?! :) My goal was to spend as little as possible, and still make it amazing! At the dollar store that day, I also picked up some pearls for decor, small paper plates, and purple curling ribbon, and the day's total was still under $17!

all this for around $17

While we did look for feather boas and gloves, we couldn't find them at the right price. I did find some cute Asian fans at the dollar store, so I got a few to use during the photo shoots. We were going to take turns with the two pairs of gloves that Havilah already had, and just work with what we had. Thankfully, the birthday girl's doting aunt Molly went above and beyond, and shipped a box full of boas, fans, and gloves so that all eight girls could have a set! I'm so glad she did, because the colors were amazing, and I put up some hooks on the wall to display them. I think they gave the party decor the "wow factor" it needed, and they were my favorite part to set up. And the girls loved them too... except  my own daughter of course, who would not keep them on, and refused to get in the picture. Hey, we tried! :/ 

Here they are ( most of them) all dressed up!

Moving on to the other decorations.... One thing I did not want for this special party was boring, pre-made decorations...so I went on Pinterest in search of something more original. My searches ended up including "paper baking cups" and "coffee filters"... and I never imagined I would find so many ideas for each! While many of them looked gorgeous, apparently you had to be Martha Stewart to execute them and make them look like the pictures (believe me, I tried). But I did find these coffee filter "flowers/pom-poms" which came out pretty good. In wanting to make them red, white, and purple, I put my daughter to work. Together we painted (first with watercolors, and then food coloring) LOTS of coffee filters (free, because both I and "the mom" had them laying around already) You can search for them on Pinterest, but here is how I ended up doing them:

watercolors worked best

These are from the dollar store too... so many uses!

After stacking the painted filters in alternating colors (probably about 20-30 per stack), I placed a paper doilie on top.

Then I put a threaded needle through the whole stack and then back again, so that I could tie the thread to hold it together. The thread also served as the means to hang the pom-poms up. 

Taking a few filters at a time, scrunch them up towards the middle until they stay ( don't use glue, I tried it) in place and keep doing this until all the filters are scrunched...the more random they are, the better it looks. 

This one was my favorite, hence its place of honor hanging from the chandelier! :) I think we made four of them all together, placing the other three on shelves for the party. Had our ceilings been lower, I would've hung them from the ceiling at different lengths. They were cute, and fun to make. 

Another homemade decoration was baking cup garlands. Using baking liner cups I purchased for the party, some I already had, some "the mom" had, and small paper doilies, I used a threaded needle to string these together, and found that if I put a small doilie, then a large (muffin) liner, a medium (cupcake) liner and a mini-cupcake liner, it kind of looked like a hat, so that became my pattern! These were somewhat time- consuming, so I only made two. 

A last minute addition to the decor, these baking cup flowers added a cute touch to the girls' chairs. We didn't have enough tulle or ribbon to make bows for the chairs, but these were an adorable (and cheap) substitute. 

Seeing that it was a tea party, I had to find tea cups for all eight girls, and we thought candy-filled cups would also be the perfect party favor. A  friend suggested we look at a thrift store, but there aren't that many nearby, especially ones that sell dishes! Fortunately, on one of my trips to the Jersey suburbs where the good dollar stores are (*smile*), I came across adorable mini-cups at two different stores. It was early May, so these Mother's Day sets were out. The only ones that didn't say "mom" on them were these mugs (which would work for favors) and the floral design (which looked more like tea cups), so I got eight of each! They were in sets of two for $1 or $1.25, so for  50-something cents apiece, I think I hit the jackpot! 

                                   

The mugs I filled with the clearance candy, wrapped them in tulle, and put them in a bed of Easter grass (also on clearance) inside treat boxes that I already had (free) that just happened to be red and purple! Viola! :) I also added a $.29 candy necklace to each box. So each favor cost us around a dollar, and the girls were impressed! The floral ones we used for the party, and I will save those for the future tea party. :)

I did not own any teapots, so the mom brought a couple over for decoration. I still needed some to serve the "tea" (which for little girls, was apple juice), so I stumbled upon two little beauties to start my own collection with. Given the fact that they were $4.99 each, it didn't matter if the girls accidentally broke them  (and they didn't!)  Even the three year olds loved serving themselves tea! 

here's one thing you actually want to be made in China!

Food ideas was another thing I searched for on Pinterest, but I knew we should keep it simple and serve only finger foods. I did make an exception, and put out a yummy salad for the moms to eat (which was a mix from Trader Joe's that was given to me, free!) So I did buy plastic cutlery from the dollar store for the adults. Otherwise, the menu included flower shaped turkey and mayo sandwiches cut out with a cookie cutter (ooh), cantaloupe and grapes, some on cupcake topper "skewers" which I already had, and some in cute baking cups, cheese and crackers, and tea biscuits (surprisingly, a big hit!) We kept in mind that 3-5 year olds are probably the pickiest eaters around, and planned the menu accordingly... We did, however, get questions and/or complaints about the cantaloupe and the mayo!! ;) 

stacked tea cups and plates worked great (got idea from Pinterest!)

After the girls breezed through their lunch, all of them couldn't wait for "dessert" (ha, most of them had been eating the candy from my centerpieces and making trips to the "candy buffet" already!)  We appeased them anyway and gave them cupcakes. The tea party cupcakes on Pinterest were much too elaborate and complicated for me with all the fondant and everything.... Hey, I dropped out of culinary school after six months for a reason and never made it to the baking classes... :/ Nevertheless, I do enjoy baking and [attempting] decorating cupcakes! I came up with something simple that I could pull off, and although there was some trial and error, they turned out pretty cute. In case you can't tell, they're little hats... ;) Made with round tea cookies, white Reese's peanut butter cups, and Fruit Roll-Up ribbons, they were really yummy! 

It was a complete sugar overload for the kids... Did I mention there were cookies?! And a candy buffet, which I saw at every tea party on Pinterest, but wasn't going to do. Fortunately for the birthday girl, who definitely has a sweet tooth, I had extra candy and also wanted to get rid of what we had in our cabinets! So this ended up right beside the party table, and was probably the girls' favorite feature! Hey, you only turn five once, right?!

I loved these candy tea bags made with real tea tags and wax paper!

Remember all that clearance candy? I used most of it in the centerpieces to add color to the table. The Robin's Eggs looked adorable, and held my makeshift parasols (skewers and doilies), and the jelly beans were perfect for holding the silk flowers that "the mom" brought over.

One thing I failed to mention is that the first thing we had the girls do was to sit down and color personalized placemats. I then collected them and snuck into my room to laminate them, so that they could take them home ready to use. They turned out really cute, and my daughter now uses hers every day! I simply printed these out on my computer, using clip art and putting a border around it. Simple and sweet! 

One girl was sick that day and couldn't make it, but the seven girls there (and two baby brothers) had a blast! I even heard one girl exclaim "this is the best party ever" (true story)... Probably the best compliment I could've received. I loved every minute (every hour) I spent preparing this party for a very sweet little girl, and would do it all again if given the chance (*hint hint* anyone need a party planner?) 

the finished table

While I'm not the type of mom who spends hundreds, even thousands, of dollars on extravagant parties, I do think they should be special, personal, meaningful, and unique... kinda like our kids! And when they're over, they should be recorded somehow (or blogged about) to keep the memories alive.

when they saw it all for the first time!

So Havilah, thank you for allowing me to help your mommy throw you this special tea par-tea! I enjoyed it so much, and I know you did, too. You and your friends laughed, played, took pictures, dressed up, and ate a huge amount of sugar... all while celebrating the day that God brought you into the world five years ago.   

May you have the best year yet! 

~Joanna (you know, Elli's mommy)~

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[And all this in a 900 square foot apartment in Brooklyn]

                                      :)

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on the day you were born... (Elli turns two)

"The day you were born is the day

G-d decided that the world could

not exist without you."

~Rabbi Nachman of Breslov

I must say... I love birthday parties! (and weddings, baby showers, and all kinds of celebrations).... And as a mom, I love planning my little girl's birthday parties to make her feel special. Although I know in my heart that no matter what, she would be happy, even with a few balloons and a cake, I like to go above and beyond (and hopefully will be able to continue when our family grows). I enjoy making things personalized for her, party favors, games... all of that! No matter how many hours, weeks, or months it takes to complete, after a party I always look forward to the next one! As a rule, I start by picking a theme, and then visit http://www.birthdaypartyideas.com/ which has loads of creative ideas posted by creative moms, and you can search by age and theme, so that has been a springboard for me to get my creative wheels turning.

treat boxes for the kids

For Elli's second birthday, the theme was: Safari/Jungle Animals, which she was thrilled about because she loves animals of all kinds. I had been wanting to do an animal party probably even before she was born, because I saw the cute things they had at http://www.orientaltrading.com/ with "zoo animals" on them. That is where I ordered the treat boxes, bubbles, paper binoculars, and inflatable animal beach balls that I gave to the children there. I also found noisemakers and little Jungle Animal coloring book/crayon sets on clearance at Party City.

It has become a family tradition to have an annual "Elli Bingo" game at her parties. At her first birthday party, it was great fun and also a creative way to let people know about the things going on in her life at the time. All of the bingo questions are about the birthday girl, and people shouted out answers so I could say who was right, and then they mark it on their bingo card, which I made by printing out some blank Bingo templates (google it) and writing in the answers in different boxes on each card. I prepared "level two" Bingo for this year's party, but because we had the party in a multi-level house (and it was a big-game football Sunday), it was too difficult to get everyone on the same page and together for the game, but I recommend it. It lets everyone know about the child and it's a lot of fun! We also have a coloring contest (this year's picture featured Elli, which I made and printed at http://www.crayola.com/).

safari checklist for little ones

For the little ones this year, I made up a "backyard safari," which would have been perfect in Florida, but it was very chilly outside on the day of the party, so we didn't stay out there long! The toddlers loved it though, and they had fun "finding" the play animals and objects that I placed around the backyard while looking through their safari binoculars. The birthday girl, however, was not impressed. I think she was just tired and cold by that point. But all in all, it was fun and a success.

the little ones & mommies on safari (there's a tiger inside the fence)

Elli bingo questions and game sheet

Because our family parties usually involve having a lot of adults and not a lot of little kids, I like to give something to the adults to remember the party, too. This year, my sister-in-law helped me put together these "Safari Snack Mixes" in snack sized zipper bags. I made up a little poem to go along with what was in the bag that went like this:

Safari Snack Mix

Everyone knows that peanuts are loved by elephants;

but in a wild herd they actually eat fruits and plants.

With all those teeth, crocodiles give goldfish quite a bite;

And like these mini Oreos, zebras are black and white!    

Monkeys love all kinds of fruit, like bananas and even raisins;

and African lions eat anything they can catch grazin’. 

Ever wonder what happens when giraffes hug and kiss?

 If they’re not careful, they’ll end up tangled like these pretzel twists.

Today we celebrate Elli’s second birthday, and she loves all animals and crackers; Hope you enjoy this special day as you eat these safari snackers.!

(To be safe, I left out the peanuts and pretzels of the bags that I gave the toddlers. )

The pictures were ordered from www.snapfish.com which has prints for $.09 each and the safari animal border was free. We stapled the picture and the poem to each side, with the bag in the middle.

everyone got a safari snack mix & picture of Elli

Unlike last year, I decided to decorate the cake myself this year, which was an exciting adventure! With some help from my husband, I made a safari scene on a sheet cake using some plastic trees and rocks from a safari set I bought at Target, animals from the Little People Noah's Ark Playset (which was one of Elli's gifts), a picture of Elli glued onto a safari jeep sticker (from safari sticker scenes from http://www.orientaltrading.com/) stuck into the cake on a popsicle stick, and some frosting (blue gel for water and chocolate sprinkles for dirt). We were very impressed with how it came out:

close-up of Elli in jeep



tah-dah!

The birthday girl was very excited to see the cake for the first time, so I was pleased with my work. I got the "oh wow" from her that I was looking for. (:O) Other than this, the party was typical, with balloons, gifts, and eating lots of food, etc. One more thing that I strive to do is to put together a slide show of pictures from the last year to remind everyone of how much our baby has grown, and that a birthday is meant to celebrate the gift of life. (I'm actually still putting the final touches on this year's slideshow and there wasn't really a way for everyone to see it at the party anyway, but I'll figure it out.)

As our family grows, bizrat HaShem, I can't guarantee that I will be able to keep up with these insanely personal (and time-consuming for preparations) parties, but I will certainly try my best to make each one feel unique and extra special. It is really a pleasure to me, no matter how much work I put into it. Perhaps there's a future for me in planning birthday parties! The most important thing to remember is that birthdays are not about spending money and receiving gifts, but rather celebrating the uniqueness that each child has to offer the world, and that can be celebrated in many, many ways! So have fun with it!

felt is my friend



Rintoo

 For all of the mothers (like me) out there who have never learned how to sew, there's hope! I have been very blessed to discover the wonder of felt to make special little things for my daughter without having to sew them. Although I would love to learn to sew one day, for now felt is a very good friend of mine! Probably the first item I made using felt is Rintoo the Tiger (from one of my toddler's faves, Ni Hao, Kai-lan). The directions are here and it actually works for older preschoolers as well for discovering and expressing different emotions by changing Rintoo's facial expressions. For now, he stays happy, but his mouth is attached only by Velcro so that I can add other mouths later.


Cotton balls work great for stuffing felt creations, and I found a strong and durable glue, Aleene's Fabric Fusion, which has passed the toddler test so far. Bean bags are great fun and useful for many activities. I have made two of those so far: a square and a circle. They are different colors and also have on them the numbers "1" and "2" so that they are fun to throw and educational, too. They are filled with barley, and we haven't had any leaks! (Just more evidence that the glue works great!)

My daughter, after seeing a statue in the Poconos, has become quite enthralled with owls. Apparently, she's not the only one because I see them on little girl's things everywhere I go now! My latest project was the owl mommy and baby. My daughter saw a similar owl baby toy in a magazine and loved it. After seeing an owl sampler project using felt in another magazine, I put the two together and made her this.

The possibilities with felt are endless, and I'm sure I will soon be using some in Torah projects and crafts as we study the Parashot.

Felt projects are easy and fun, so enjoy!

tzedakah project

Here is a fun way to start little ones early with giving tzedakah, or money to charity. I mentioned this one in  post before on my other blog, which you can read here: http://messianicwoman.blogspot.com/2010/05/teaching-tzedakah.html
This one features The Wonder Pets because I found it on NickJr.'s website, but you can also make your own. This one is at:
http://www.nickjr.com/crafts/wonder-pets-family-charity-bank.jhtml

Any clear container will work. With it being see through, the kids can keep track of their progress. As a family, decide which charity or what purpose you would like this money to serve (and use a smaller container so that it can be accomplished in a reasonable amount of time!) If you choose to, you can come up with a kind of reminder to put money in the bank. For example, every time you come home from the store, every time the kids do something thoughtful, or something interesting or unique to your family. Involve the children in the process as much as possible so that they understand this money is to be given away (or spent on something) to bless someone else's life, not their own. It will help them develop their gift of giving, and lead to a lifetime of tzedakah.