Thursday, April 29, 2010

Well, hello

Art print by Shira Sela on Etsy

Hello blog, hello friends - we have missed you. Sorry we've kept you waiting. The last two weeks have been a rollercoaster ride of family travels, family celebrations and sadly, some family heartbreak. We are pleased to be back and can't wait to share a few snippets we've been collecting while away. xo

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Real Hip Hooray: Rainbows `n' Ruffles


My big girl, Mia, turned 6 on Monday. So we held a little un-party to celebrate.

Mia is a constant whirlwind of colour - from what she chooses to wear to the art she creates and everything in between, there is simply no place for black in her world. As a Mum not particularly fond of the rock chick look for my little girls this is a passion I am quite happy to nurture. So when these gorgeous invitations were launched last year, Mia was quite besotted with them and announced there and then that her next party would be a Rainbow Party. I liked the idea too - not too young, not too grown-up and simply a perfect fit for my unashamedly girlie girl.

Mia is a creative type and always has big ideas (not sure where she gets that from!). In the moments when she was dreaming up the decorations, carefully selecting the guests, and poring over the Womens Weekly Kids Cake Book to find the perfect cake we, of course, didn't have the heart to tell her an elaborate party might not be coming her way this year.

Over time I eased her into the concept of `less is more' and in doing so realised, that despite her having a strong creative vision of her own, my definition and Mia's definition of `elaborate' were two different things. It seemed she would ultimately be happy with some candles to blow out on a cake - oh and the dancing she had written playlists for and carefully choreographed. I simply could not deny her the sheer joy of celebrating with a few friends on her special day. So we pitched it to Daddy as a `playdate' and I set myself the challenge of creating a special afternoon that didn't leave us poor or frazzled.

Lucky for me, Rainbows went through a little popularity surge in blogland recently and the planning was made easy - first I spotted this cake, then this inspiration board, and a cute downloadable colouring sheet. I love it when a plan comes together!

So Mia celebrated being 6 amidst a cascade of gorgeous colour - fun rainbow ruffles, umbrellas, yellow gumboots, ribbon wands, a surprising cake and a sugar rush of rainbow-inspired treats.




Mia had been understandably sceptical about a white cake at a Rainbow party and I had deliberately not given too much away about what was on the inside - there were nerves cutting this one, but she was full of giggles and excitement when the fun stripes of colour were revealed!


What I loved most about this `playdate' is that it felt `elaborate' without being expensive or stressful to create. I pulled it off with only two days at hand after our camping holiday, including the sewing of the oh-so-ruffley rainbow table skirt - Mia's favourite thing (and mine!). She already has plans for me to convert it to a dress for her. Might even get one for myself - mmmm, maybe not! I like a little black in my world.




Couldn't resist popping this pic in of Mia - the grumpy face, getting tired and bored of all the picture taking and just wishing everyone would arrive - and her middle sister Ava offering up one of her `don't worry' cuddles.


Happy Birthday gorgeous girl. Keep dreaming big and always dream in colour. xo


Oh and I'll save you commenting about there being no pink in the rainbow, by simply repeating what Mia said when I mentioned that small detail: `But there HAS to be pink in the rainbow'. Girls!

Check back in later for my Rainbows `n' Ruffles style guide and a few tips on recreating the look.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Real Hip Hooray: The Most Elegant of Elephants...

So after showing you a sneak peak of this darling invitation and inspiration back in January, we have been counting down the days until the lovely Sarah from Style Me Gorgeous celebrated her sweet son Max's Naming Day. Wait no longer - here are some of the divine details of this beautiful and hip celebration!


Using an adorable colour palette of baby blue and chocolate - inspired by Martha Stewart paper lanterns - Sarah has managed to serve up a table of treats that make our mouths water!


From the delightful cake toppers perched above shaggy coconut in just the right shade, to the delicious elephant cookies with their darling themed packaging, Sarah has managed to take the charm and whimsy of a children's celebration and given it an elegant twist that any grown up would love to have for their special day.

We love the idea of the little suitcase, inviting friends to leave special wishes for Max on his Naming Day, such a lovely keepsake. Of course we also adore the take home Lolly Bags, including our all-time favourite, Milk Bottles - no self-respecting Lolly Buffet or Sweets Table would be complete without them!

(Images via Sarah at Style Me Gorgeous.)

Thanks to Sarah and Max for sharing this special celebration with us and our readers. You can see more of this gorgeous and oh-so-stylish celebration here.