Farewell Summer (An ode to ice-cream)

Today, in our part of the world, we officially kiss summer goodbye. Today, in our part of the world, it is still 35degrees celsius! Yes, it is quite clear that, as we know and love, summer will indeed linger a little longer. Maybe a lot longer.

In our part of the world, it’s pretty much Summer all year `round in fact, which is a good excuse as any for the fact that going out for ice-cream is a firm favourite-thing-to-do in our house, whatever the weather.

When Baskin-Robbins moved in just up the road, a few years ago now, there was much happy dancing going on in our house. If you should ask Mia, our eldest, what one of her most favourite things in the world is, there’s a good chance she’ll tell you `Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough’ – of the aforementioned BR variety.

And so it was that an Ice-cream Parlour party was set for Mia’s 5th Birthday - a simple, fun celebration inspired by her great love for all things cold, melty and delicious.

Now, Mia is soon to turn 7, so forgive us for reminiscing a little here. In the two years since we threw this little backyard shindig, everybody's favourite dessert has trended as a theme for all sorts of celebrations. There have been many gorgeous parties and a whole host of inspiration out there for this theme - like here and here and here and here. See, lots! We hope you don't mind having to look at another, but it seemed a fitting way to say `goodbye' to summer, and well, there can never be too much of a good thing right?

For Mia's party, delightful invitations, favour tags and signage from Imprintables set a soft gelati colour palette which was not overly girlie so could be used if your son is a bit partial to Cookies `n’ Cream too.

I put my very handy and patient parents to work on building our very own parlour, complete with candy stripes and scalloped awning and booked Baskin-Robbins in to cater (who else?). On the Parlour menu: Raspberry and White Choocolate; Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough; Mint Choc Chip; Hokey Pokey; and Rainbow Sherbert (the much parent-friendlier version of that ghastly rainbow ice-cream that just seems to talk only to children!).

The best part – making D-I-Y sundaes from jars filled with mini marshmallows; meringues; M&Ms; Maltesers and smashed chocolate honeycomb; topped off with Flake, Wafers, 100s and 1000s, Choc sprinkles or Rainbow sprinkles and Nana’s Hot Chocolate Fudge or Uncle Luke’s best Butterscotch sauce – or all of the above! Wooden spoons stamped with `yum!' and `cool' were a fun touch.

The rest of the party buffet included ice-cream cupcakes (baked in cones), home-made marshmallow sherbert cones; paper cones filled with trail mix (popcorn, pretzels, m&ms); chocolate brownies; fruit salad (served in vintage ice-cream cups found on etsy); mini hotdogs; mini B-L-Ts and vanilla milkshakes.

I created Mia's birthday cake from a book I’ve had in my collection for many years – Anna Von Marburg’s `Happy Birthday’ – adapting the `flavours’ to suit the colour palette – chocolate, strawberry, vanilla and neapolitan. Many at the party mistook it for real ice-cream and hurried me along to get it served before it melted. The original design actually does use scoops of ice-cream, but I crafted these scoops from cupcakes and so avoided a melting mess!

We decorated an outdoor party tent with bunting sewn from sweet ice-cream themed fabrics and giant ice-cream cones fashioned from paper lanterns and cardboard. I recall having a string of games planned - including a lovingly created felt version of `put the cherry on the ice cream cone' - only to discover that a bunch of five-year old friends, a backyard to run in and the freedom to create an ice-cream sundae of their dreams was about all that was necessary. We did manage a round of pass the parcel, the layers of which revealed a fun button badge for each player.

Personalised favour boxes were filled with old-fashioned sweets including those great chewy ice-creams, milk bottles, and creamy chupa chups, plus kawaii-style ice-cream stickers and erasers and for the girls, button hair ties I made with the cutest Japanese fabric – ice-creams of course!

This photo makes my heart happy everytime I see it and reminds me why it is we do what we do - such joy a birthday party can bring to a child.

Wherever you are in the world - whether you have already bid a fond farewell to summer, are hoping for all its sunshine-y beauty to linger a little longer with you too, or just wishing it would hurry up and hug you with its warmth - we wish you joy and a big bowl of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream! With whipped cream and fudge? You bet. xo

Real Hip Hooray: A lovely ladybird's garden

The promise of Spring fills the air this week. Can you feel it? And it's not even so much about the weather where we are from - it's actually kind of lovely warm-ish all year round - but rather that wonderful intangible something that puts a little skip in one's step. The promise of new growth and new babies, of morning walks and longer days, of lighter, somehow happier clothes, of clean cupboards, airy linen and the scent of blossom on the breeze.

What a lovely time of year to party in the garden.

We are playing a little catch-up on sharing with you some of our favourite Real Hip Hoorays from recent weeks. And while it is certainly possible you have already smiled at this sweet soiree held in Ella's ladybird garden, if there was even a chance that you might not have seen it yet, we could not live with ourselves if it passed you by. Besides, there can be no harm done in a double dose of this kind of happy, right?

Inspired by her very own Lovely Ladybug invitation design, Suzi Waters of Alannah Rose Stationery transformed her inner Melbourne family home into a sweet garden scene for daughter Ella's 4th Birthday party. We adore the soft colour palette of pinks and lilacs against a blanket of green grass - a gorgeous twist on the traditional red and black of your average ladybird.

Tin pails, watering cans, bug catchers and fresh flowers bring to life the ladybird's garden home - watch for her nestled on flower cookies and hidden atop of cupcakes.

(All images provided by Suzi Waters, Alannah Rose Stationery)

Suzi shares more delightful images and details from this celebration on her blog.

Blue skies are promised here tomorrow and we are looking forward to a day spent with grass beneath our bare feet. The girls will reach for butterflies and peek beneath leaves in search of ladybirds. And we might just pop in to share another gorgeous outdoor celebration with you. Happy weekend xo

Real Hip Hooray: Vintage Chick (en)

images via Jennifer Birkhead Design

What a wonderfully sweet and creative celebration for little April's 1st Birthday.

Just the coordinating vintage `chic' outfits alone were enough to make our heart skip a little beat. But then, oh, the details! Cupcakes and chicken cookies served in doily-lined egg cartons. Vintage glassware and fresh flowers. Pretty paper garlands and a clever doily backdrop. Chicken wire framed for guests to peg their birthday wishes to.

This party embodies all that we love about celebrating with children at home - creating a theme out of something that they love or is special to your family, beautiful mum-made details, a space that is so personal and reflects family all around. It simply made our hearts warm.

April's mum, Jennifer Birkhead is a talented stationery designer and one we predict is going places. Happy First Birthday little April, you are one very chic Vintage Chick.

Oh and doilies are on our new favourite things list. Yours too? It just makes our Mum shake her head!

Real Hip Hooray: Flying High

I must say we were literally giddy when we spotted this kite themed first birthday party. Isn't it just a delight? Talented photographer - and party thrower! - Tracey Lau, has taken the dessert table to dizzying new heights with this incredibly original and creative party designed for son Jeremiah.

We just adore every perfect detail from the soaring backdrop to the grassy blanket beneath; the picket fences containing kite cookies and the simple elegant cake; the blue soda with those fun stripey straws and the handmade kite embellishments woven throughout the table. Oh and cloud marshmallows! Squeal!

All images via Tracey Lau

Aside from all this sugary goodness, Jeremiah's guests delighted in kite-making and decorating and were blessed with a perfect day for letting them fly. Tracey has lovingly handmade most of the creative elements of this party and kindly shares her tips and sources - and lots more `sky' candy - over at her beautiful blog.

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.

Real Hip Hooray: A little birdie turns one

When this little Lala bird flew into our store last year, she immediately captured the attention and hearts of our customers and ever since has spent her time flitting to homes all over the country. Mine was one of those hearts captured by her simplicity and sweetness and so, inspired by the colour palette of red, pink and chocolate, I set about creating `an afternoon of sweet tweets' for friends and family to celebrate the first birthday of the littlest birdie in our nest, Zoe.

I have been promising our customers this post for far too long now - so for those of you with a little Lala bird party already in the planning or those of you seeking inspiration for a theme that is unique and adorable all at once, settle in and enjoy!

For the littlies -

Birds Nests (an absolute hit! I will share the recipe for you in another post)

Worms in dirt
Baby birds (mini cupcakes with simple birdie features

The sweets buffet -

Raspberry Friands
Caramel Tarts
Chocolate fudge brownies
Cupcakes
Individual berry trifles
Individual Tiramisu
Chocolate-dipped strawberries
Hazelnut meringue sticks

All made with love in our kitchen

Drinks -

Lemon iced tea
Pink party punch (with three girls, we pull this one out at every party!)
Bubbles and Beer
Hot chocolate shots

A little Lala bird onesie for the birthday girl complete with polka dots and heart-shaped button eye.

That cake - inspired by this one and made by my oh-so-clever Mum, who always denies she is capable and then takes my breath away. There was tears! Oh and just because I'm a details girl, can you guess what the cake was on the inside? Mmmm - hummingbird!

Repurposing an already existing shelving unit as a background for the dessert buffet - simply move contents away - or to the shelves below eye level - and fill the cubes with elements to style up the party.

Separate dessert buffets for adults and children - adults often outnumber kids at a First birthday party and it is nice to honour grown-up guests with something other than fairy bread and cheerios (although I know we all secretly love that about children's birthday parties!)

Framing the invitation as decor - a mini masterpiece!

Incorporating photographs of the birthday girl as a baby and with her sisters into the buffet display.

Homemade bird softies as favours for Zoe's little friends too young for sweets.

Take-home lolly bags for the adults too - yes, it really is all about us!

Party drinks served in clear vessels - a nice touch of colour.

Mini hot chocolate shots in pink polka dot espresso cups - a simple, fun way to warm up!

A creativity table to keep kids of all ages busy with bird-inspired colouring pages, collage and ornament making using feathers, love hearts, flowers, beads, bells, paint and sequins.

One Little Lala Bird invitations and tags by Alannah Rose Designer Stationery at Details, details! Similar designs using this motif and colour scheme are available for Baby Showers and other parties, so the one-year-old is optional for this party theme!

Zoe's outfit by Little Choopie (onesie) and Oobi Baby (skirt).

Birdcage paper cutouts by Little Retreats (Etsy). I mounted these onto painted canvases to create artwork.

Beautiful wooden tree at Hart & Heim - now a lovely addition to Zoe's woodland nursery

Pattern for sewing fabric birds from Spool

Bird's nests (holding labels) from Prior Engagement

Happy Birthday and Bird Garlands and Bird tags used as labels - all by Paperklip Design at Details, details!

Personalised Cupcake toppers from Details, details!

Chocolate take-out boxes as children's favours from Details, details!

Sweets from Tom's Confectionery Warehouse (jaffas, jelly bellies, strawberries and cream, milk bottles, musk sticks, maltesers, strawberry and chocolate bon bons, mini musks) and Coles (red gummi love hearts, marshmallows and cute gummi toadstools!)

Vintage-inspired name print (with `Sweet Tweets' table) from Sarah + Abraham

Wrapping paper as table runners from Details, details!

Paper lanterns from Details, details!

I have had such fun remembering this party - but I do wish that my baby bird would stay little just a bit longer. March officially marks the start of Party Planning 2010, so to officially archive the parties of 2009 we will be bring you more great details from these celebrations over coming days.

Real Hip Hooray: Up in the Air

How lucky is this little birthday boy to have Amy Atlas, undisputed queen of the dessert buffet, as his MUM! Amy has shared a few `flying' pictures from her son's adorable plane-inspired party over at her blog - we love every sweet, coordinated detail from the personalised placemats and party hats to the clever runway tablescape. Most of all we love that Amy's `details' are heartfelt and handmade . . . . and not beyond the creativity and budget of the not-so-famous party planners of this world! Thanks Amy for reminding all of us just how sweet life can (and should) be . . . .

Images via Sweet Designs: A Blog by Amy Atlas. Read more

Real Hip Hooray: Pinwheel Preppy

This one's for the boys. Pinwheels are one of our favourite party details and the inspiration for this perfectly preppy celebration designed by the talented Sharnel for her young man's 4th Birthday. These gorgeous pictures whizzed around the blog world last week (1st blog lesson: no sleeping allowed or you miss stuff!) - but we figure you never really can have too much of a good thing, so for any of those who didn't catch it elsewhere, these are just for you . . .

Sharnel and her business partner Keren are creators of the yummiest ever cupcakes and other goodies over at The Cupcake Company and we had the pleasure of working with Sharnel on some polka-dot pretties for our first Mathilda's Market stall last year. This talented Mum has since grabbed the attention of the party glitterati, including THE Amy Atlas, for her simple, beautiful party styling. Sharnel shares many things of beauty on her blog, My Life, My Loves and has kindly provided all the resources for William's party there.

Love this colour scheme as much as we do? Here are a few of our favourite Navy and Green details to help you get the look:

Top row L to R: Navy spot wrap, Specklefarm stripe placecards via Details, details!; Pinwheel via Twirlie Whirlies

Middle row: Paper flags and baking cups by Paper Eskimo, Paper lantern (Grass) all via Details, details!

Bottom row: Navy tin pail via Details, details!; Invitation from Smallprints; Paper lantern (Navy) via Details, details!

Real Hip Hooray: Pink Poodles in Paris

Mia was a guest at a perfectly pretty parisian party recently. The cute age-appropriate twist was that it was all about the pink poodle. With lashings of pink and black, mini french yummies and adorable puppy details, the little guests returned grinning from poodle ear to ear.

Details we heart:

• Pink poodle ears for all the girls on arrival
• Patisserie-inspired party buffet filled with mini croissants, mini chocolate eclairs, those macarons, polka-dot cookies, bone shaped pastries, and raspberry meringues
• Fabric awning suspended above the buffet for `store window' effect
• Luella's boutique where the girls could `shop' for jewellery and cosmetics - all candy of course!
• The much-adored Fifi the Poodle cake
• Babycinos created from marshmallows and whipped cream
• Eiffel tower drinking cups
• Pass the Shopping Bag game - each guest retrieved a dog-bone shaped trinket box filled with crayons
• Limbo beneath a boa of pink feathers!
• Goodie boxes overflowing with poodle-inspired gifts - bracelets, stickers, notepads, and even fifi herself

Sonia's style file:

• Invitations, paper accessories and signage - designed and created by Sonia
• Cake - lovingly homemade from The Australian Women's Weekly Kids Party Cake Book
• Black spotty fabric for awning - Spotlight
• Party accessories and tableware, Poodle pinata, poodle ears and poodle goodie boxes all from birthdayexpress.com
• Spotty baking cups and sugar bow toppers from sugarlandcaketoppers.com.au
• Gift wrap, ribbon, flower dishes from Details, details!
• Striped parlour - available for hire (Brisbane Only) from Details, details!