Father's Day Party & Gift Ideas

This is a bit last minute but I thought I would do a Father's Day round up today. I don't actually celebrate Father's Day (or Mother's Day) as my family never have but I know plenty of you do.

OK, so first up is this amazing "Beer Cake"! A bit like a nappy cake but with beer and sweets!! I found this on Pinterest but couldn't find a website for it.

You could also make it using cans of pop instead of beer.

Next are these delicious looking cakes. Yes I did say cakes.

And a party dessert table idea from Birthday Express. The colours are so fresh and even if you can't get hold of the Mustache tableware, you can use black & white to really great effect with a dash of lime green to lift it all up.

And finally for our short round up today some yummy savoury treats from Tinkerbean.

I'm sure these would be fairly easy for the kids to do themselves too.

I'm dashing off now to help one of the Party Padawans prepare for a last minute mini party tonight! Check back tomorrow for details and photos from that!
Take Care
Suz and the Party Padawans x

Avengers (And Other Random Heroes) Assemble!!

Firstly, sorry I didn't get around to doing my Saturday party round up last weekend. It was quite hectic getting everything ready for Theo's party. So today I'll share some of the photos from his super celebrations and we'll get back on track with the round up this weekend!
My idea of a red, white and blue theme was overshadowed by Theo's ideas and all the different colours of the various heroes he wanted but I still like the look of everything and most importantly he liked it!

Theo insisted on having a candy buffet again this year and like last year it was extremely popular. We had lots of different types of sweets for the children (and my husband!) to choose from.

I made some buildings from different sized boxes covered with black paper which were used to decorate the table along with some of Theo's superhero action figures. Here's Spiderman keeping an eye on our yummy blue cupcakes with edible toppers. 

I also tried my hand at icing biscuits with hero logos. I actually printed out the logos and iced onto waxed paper over the top of them rather than directly onto the biscuit. They're not perfect (I still need to practice getting the right icing consistency) but I had fun doing them I'm quite pleased with how they turned out. I do like to try these things myself when I can!!

Theo also wanted an ice cream bar this year just in case we didn't have enough sugar!! I think they just enjoyed getting free reign to add lots of sauce and toppings to the ice cream!

The final dessert was Captain America Jelly shots! And we also had fruit skewers for a bit of healthy balance!

The main part of the party was spent at the amusement park, where the boys went on rides and played crazy golf. When we came home they played computer games and just hung out. I made a target shooting game with Nienna for them to play and the also had their photos taken in front of my painted backdrop.

All in all, a good time was had by everyone and Theo coped really well throughout the day - I got lots of hugs and cuddles and a huge thank you from him for making his day special which just melted my heart! 

He was especially pleased with the special glasses I made as party favours using transfer paper. 

So that's it for family parties until August when I'll be doing the annual garden party with my friend and Nienna's birthday party. Better get started!! 

Take care

Suz and the Party Padawans xx

Ship Ahoy!! Let's set sail for a nautical party roundup!

Well today is my big brother's birthday and as he used to be in the Navy I thought I'd celebrate with a nautical party round up.

First up is this cute 1st birthday party from Partylicious. I love the invitations!Aren't they just adorable? And the balloon decorations are just amazing.

Next up is a lovely pastel coloured party. I like the colour scheme of this party as most of the ones I found focused on blue, red and white. The photo booth in this party is great too - go check it out!

OK, so on to something sweet to eat!! These little jelly (jello) pots are just perfect for a nautical or sea themed party. I still need to have a go at making my own blue jelly! I think kids would go mad over them!!

The next party I'm sharing from We Heart Parties has a lovely vintage feel to it. The colours are gorgeous and all the decoration elements really bring the party together.

This next one from My Clever Nest has a great tutorial to make a life preserver and it looks pretty easy too. There are also lots of other ideas and instructions for great things to make for your nautical party.

We'll finish up with this party featured on Kara's Party Ideas. It really is gorgeous! I think using white decor in your styling gives the party a really crisp look and is a good idea as you can have a basic stock of white table ware and just add a splash of colour for different themes.

Oh and I really want one of these boat shelves! Who wouldn't?

Well that's this week's round up all rounded up! Please pop over and have a better look at each of them.

Take care and have a lovely weekend
Until next time
Suz x

Super Hero Party Round Up

Over the next few months I am hosting 2 super hero parties so I've been scouring the net for inspiration and ideas. So here are some of the parties which really caught my eye.

First up is this bright party featured on Chickabug Blog. I love the use of primary colours and the skyline table centre!

Next, another party using primary colours - they work so well for a hero party.

This one is from This Girl's Life and is a wonderful example of how you can throw an awesome party in your own home. I love how they have decorated the fireplace and all the other DIY elements they used look fabulous.

This Captain America inspired party from Creative Green Living is packed full of cool game ideas.

I really like the look of the strawberries too! I'm sure they will feature in one of my parties!

And remember, Super hero parties aren't just for the boys! My younger and myself both love our super heroes but we still have a girly side so I think this party from Lily Paul Designs is totally adorable.

Silly string and Kryptonite shooters are surely a must at any self respecting super hero party! And giving your little guests their own super cape is a lovely way to get everyone in the spirit.

This next on Spaceships & Laser Beams party uses lovely colours which would be lovely for the littlest heroes.

And finally, from Liebsbotschaft come this party in red, black and white.

This colour scheme is one of my favourites - it's so simple and classic. The gumball machine works really well and the little figures look great.

Well, I hope you have lots of fun looking at these parties more closely.
Take care
Suz x

Summer Theme Party Round Up

I thought I would have a go at my first party round up today! I've been meaning to do one for ages but never quite gotten around to it!
With summer just around the corner I thought I would look at summer themed parties - so here are some of my favourite ideas I have found.

Ice Cream Party
Ice cream is the perfect summer treat and is perfect for indoor and outdoor parties (the weather in Scotland can be unpredictable so it's good to have plenty of indoor ideas!).

Provide your guests with plenty of toppings and sauces and don't forget you can include some yummy summer fruits for a healthier option!
I love the idea of an ice cream bar as you can use it on any scale and it can be set up quite quickly so if the kids have some friends round you could surprise them with a mini ice cream bar treat. You might find you have twice as many kids at your house the following week!

Watermelon Jellies
How about these cute little jellies for a watermelon themed party or just as a sweet way of serving up pudding?

Luau Party
An Hawaiian theme is great for summer. There are loads of UK based companies who stock Hawaiian themed party products too.
 

Cupcake Cup Covers

I'm sure we're all familiar with flies getting into our drinks at outdoor summer events so this simple idea is great.

Buckets & Spades

I think the use of buckets and spades in your summer party decor is a must!! You could use plastic buckets for a fun party or those little tin ones in pretty colours for a more chic sophisticated feel.

Glow Stick Fun

Who doesn't love glow sticks?! And you can get them at Pound shops too so they are a great cheap way to brighten up your party when the sun starts to set! 

There are lots of fun ways to use glow sticks at your party. Personally I wouldn't use any that suggest using the liquid from inside the sticks unless you can be sure it's sealed in a jar or bottle. 

You can make cheap lanterns by cutting the end off a couple of glow sticks and pouring the contents into jars or bottles of water. Make sure you secure the lids well (maybe some tape or glue).

Use them to make a ring toss or bowling game or bury some in an ice bucket.

Well, that's it for today's round up. I hope it has helped to inspire you!

Check back soon for more party fun!

Suz x

A Night At The Movies

We had a lovely trip to the Living Room Cinema last night. The food was fantastic and included hot dogs, nachos and cheese, popcorn, pick and mix, cupcakes and sodas.

 I used a stash of old 3D glasses to decorate the table. Large tin buckets from Poundland were used for popcorn. I added depth using boxes wrapped with white wallpaper and a few paper doilies added a nice touch.

We watched Oz, The Great & Powerful and everyone had a great night.
If you want to download any of the printable products click here. And I'd love to see any photos of your movie nights.
Suz x

Alice In Wonderland Tea Party

Hello! It's me! Did you wonder where I'd gone? I've been spending some time with the family as the kids have been off school for the summer holidays for just over a week now and my eldest daughter has come home to stay for awhile (or maybe longer!).
The Alice In Wonderland party was a great success and we had gorgeous weather! I think it was the hottest day of the year so far!

Above, you can see a small coffee table with an old tea set I found in a charity shop and my 3 tired fruit basket which had little favours of tea bags and candy pouches for guests to enjoy. 

The children at the party really enjoy the mini pick and mix bar. The sweets were mostly from a pound shop or on special offer from the supermarkets so weren't too expensive. At the back there are two fish bowl vases with lollipops and marshmallows and a old glass sweet stand from the charity shop. I also used popcorn treat boxes and food trays from my Wonderland range. Small candy bags and tongs were bought from Amazon.

Delicious red cake pops were also a huge hit with the little ones. You can also see two large tin buckets which we used for popcorn and crisps. 

I'm not much of a flower arranger but I'm really pleased with the arrangements I did using teapots and these tea cup garden decorations. Once again, I kept prices down by buying these from a pound shop and I simply repainted them to match the colour scheme. 

Some bunting from the Wonderland range.

This juice dispenser was a great find at John Lewis. The kids really liked the fact they could get their own drink without having to have an adult open up tight lids on bottles.

Cute mini tea set in a spotty suitcase! Perfect for decorating this party.

This is a selection canvases my daughter painted. They should have hanging around the marquee but it was quite windy and the sides were blowing in a lot so we decided it was safer if they went on the ground. 

My friend made these cool signs which we nailed to a tree! 

Theo as the Doormouse posing in my photobooth frame! Nienna and Lorien added some red hearts for the occasion.

And that's me!! But anyway.... quickly moving on something far prettier...

Here's Nienna as the White Queen!

And finally, napkins with the napkin rings from The Wonderland collection.

So there you have it... my Wonderland Tea Party. I hope it has helped to inspire you with some ideas which are pretty easy to pull off even on a budget.

Take care 

Suz x