Stella's Tea Party

A few weeks ago we celebrated Stella's 5th Birthday with a Tea Party for 9 little friends and of course, her.

I have found it hard in the past to draw the line with invites to our kids parties, friends of yours, friends of theirs, invite one child and the parents come with all the siblings etc and soon enough your party is bigger than planned and you are cooking and baking for weeks in preparation.

Well I didn't have the time, as I left the organising a bit late, and Stella has quite a gorgeous group of friends from school and had recently been to 2 parties with the same girls at both, so the decision was easy!

I thought the idea of a tea party for the little girls would be nice. Something different and a little grown up for them, and we all know how little girls like to pretend they are grown up ladies!

We held the party at our home, in the living area, and we borrowed a table from our Playgroup and a few extra chairs that we needed too. The table was a perfect size and it was nice that all the girls had somewhere to sit.
Our dining table was just moved to the side and used as an extra food table.

I have come to the conclusion that afternoon parties are easier, you have the morning to prepare and cook and everything is more relaxed, so that is what we did. I set the table out like this (above) in the morning and just plugged away until everything was done.

This is after I had set out the basics on the table.

A simple pink runner, some gorgeous disposable plates (similar here, I purchased mine in town) and serviettes (from IKEA here) and some roses from our garden.

We also hung a few gorgeous pom poms from the ceiling above the table and they really set the scene off!

(Just hang in the ceiling with a drawing pin)

Each little lady had their own REAL tea cup , glass milk bottle and table setting and the 2 Cake stands were filled with a variety of the yummy food on offer

(My apologies about the quality of the photos, as luck would have it, I had major issues with my beloved DSLR on the day )

I stuck some pretty butterflies (made from cardstock and purchased from Spotlight) around the cake stands and some cute flags on toothpicks to tizzy things up.

Stella, all ready for her girly Tea Party, dressed like a real little English rose too!

The table set and waiting!

Over to the side of the room , where we put our dining table, the main food table was set.

A pretty paper bunting was strung from the ceiling (with drawing pins again, and I have had the bunting for some time but a similar one here) and some more gorgeous roses from our garden.

I used a really pretty paper tablecloth that suited the occasion perfectly (available here)

, some floral disposable plates (again sourced locally but I will try and find some similar and add the link later) and some pretty cups.

The food was kept simple, but still to the theme and super yummy. No tea party is complete without Macaroons and these are yummy and affordable (from Woolworths for around $8 a pack)

Muffin size quiches, fruit kebabs, biccies, Teacup biscuits, cupcakes, fairy bread , scones and some assorted hot food , all disappeared pretty quickly (5 year old girls sure know how to eat!)

The gift bags were kept simple also because each guest received a novelty necklace on their round of Pass the Parcel, but I found the cutest little buckets at our local Red Dot store and knew I just had to have them!

 Inside was a stamp, hair clip, lollypop and a few Starburst lollies in wrappers. I made the tags using a punch and pretty papers and a piece of ribbon to attach them.

So sweet and about $3 for 3 in a pack.

I usually use cupcake toppers for our parties but time wasn't permitting to source, and print and punch them so I made some little flags instead.

Its amazing what some Washi Tape and a tooth pick can look like with a bit of love :)

Of course the cake had to be a tea cup. Well at least that is what it was supposed to look like!! I am not the best at making cakes that is for sure!!

This cake is just a round chocolate cake on the base and a upside down 'dolly varden' tin on the top.

And the moment that it is all made worth it.....

All the kids had such a lovely time at Stella's little party. They felt very grown up sitting and sipping from their tea cups and the party was so so easy to do, everything looked great but wasn't time consuming nor too much trouble! You've got to love that!

On Sunday we are having a party for our twins, Max and Lacey. Again... I am not that organised and the theme is 'Ice cream Party' but I am hoping I can pull something together in a small amount of time with big impact!! Wish me luck!!!

She turned Five!

Last week I kept super busy with birthday preparations for our big Five year old!! I can not believe that our Princess Stella is now 5, she certainly acts it, but its always had for Mum to accept! Right?!

Anyway, we held a Tea Party for Stella and some school friends on Saturday afternoon,  so things for her actual birth day were kept quite simple.

I made some small pom poms to hang in her door way and curled some ribbon. The look on her face when she came in to us in the morning was priceless. So excited and it was all heightened with a bit of effort in her room.

I like to think we don't 'over spoil' our children. They certainly do NOT go without  but gifts for Birthdays and Christmas' are kept simple. Clothing for the coming season, some colouring/activity books, a book to read and a few toys. A few of Stella's parcels didn't actually arrive on time but she was more than impressed with her loot!!

The main present was a gorgeous dolls house that I purchased on sale from Sweet Creations, the roof lifts and stays open and the front opens out. All the furniture came with the house so that was a bonus!!
Everyone has loved the new addition to our house, the boys especially!!

Such a gorgeous girl is our Stella x

Thankfully, the rest of her parcels arrived while she was at school that day, so when she came home she was surprised with another package. Her eyes lit up and she was very happy!!
As you know, we are all bunny lovers here and these are just the best additions to her collection.
These can also be purchased from Sweet Creations

I made cupcakes for school , 34 to be exact, and they were well received. I love how excited they get for taking along goodies like that. Sharing a piece of her birthday happiness with everyone I guess.

Instead of a family dinner where we are rushing to eat , so the kids don't have a late night before school, we decided on an afternoon tea with family. Having their 4 cousins over is a party in itself, so some simple nibbles and everyone was happy.

A birthday in our home is not complete without a green ice cream frog cake. Such a big tradition that everyone looks forward to!

She put all her bunnies to rest on her bedside table that night, so I knew they were a success!!

When saying goodnight and showering her with love and kisses, Stella confessed that it was "the best birfday ever ever" and my heart swelled. As a parent you can't ask for much more!

Fridge To Go - Review

I couldn't believe our luck when the lovely people from Fridge -to- go asked if I was interested in trying one of their cooler bags. I had only just thought to myself that Stella's lunch bag had nearly seen its last day and I was already on the look out for something as practical!

I will be honest and say that we have actually been using this lunch bag for school and everything for a few weeks now ( I have been insanely busy and haven't managed time to write anything lately , but also wanted to try the cooler bag over a few weeks, a true test if I still love it!! )

And I do!! And so does Stella, so that's a bonus!

Fridge-to-go® cooler bags are good for the environment...BPA-free, PVC and lead-safe ! I love that there is no nasties in them and they can be used over and over without feeling worried about harmful chemicals.

I love that the cooler bag comes with this fantastic large but thin ice pack that actually zips into the base compartment and therefore keeps the entire bag nice and cold.

I love that I can now fit more in Stella's lunch box (as she has been eating all her food and I wanted to add a few more thing) because the precious space isn't being taken up with an ice brick , and I love that her cut up fruit (usually grapes and strawberries) stay lovely and chilled , as does her sand which , or the occasionally juice she has (Sunraysia juice packs)

As you can see, the cooler bag can fit quite a lot of food in it, the size is deceiving.

I still like to use the Yoghurt cooler and always multiple containers and everything fits beautifully.

All in all, I really like the Fridge- to - go lunch bag. I like the size, the ice block and convenience.

Perfect not just for school, but family outings, play dates, picnics or car trips.

You can find the lunch bags and more products in the range on the website HERE or on Facebook HERE

Please Note-

I was gifted this lunch bag to use and review as I wish.

All the statements and opinions are my own

I was not paid to write this post, just genuinely like the lunch bag!