When I first saw these balloons, my heart skipped a beat.  How striking are they?  Digging a little deeper I found out that they’re made right here in London by Bon Bon Balloons.  These are the most wonderful balloons I’ve ever seen and the whole idea behind them is very special too.  The balloons come in a range of colours each with a beautifully decorated handcrafted string and when the person receiving it opens the box, the balloon floats up out of the box with your special message attached to the string.  Sweet!

They can be sent for any occasion, they can even be individually crafted for you and Bon Bon Balloons also offer a design service for parties and events.  But I personally love the idea of sending these as birth announcements instead of cards… what an impact they’d make (admittedly it’ll be expensive but so stunning!).   To check out the entire range visit Bon Bon Balloons.  And if my husband is reading, I just want to add forget flowers, I want one of these very soon!

*via Un beau jour

I’m a bit garland, bunting, pom pom obsessed so when I saw these colourful ones on Style Cookie I just had to feature them.  Garlands and pom poms are an inexpensive way to add a splash of colour to any kids room or a kids party and they look so fabulous too.  These bold and bright ones are by the Dutch Engel who say that hanging these up makes you feel happy and I couldn’t agree more.  There’s something so celebratory and cheerful about pom poms and garlands.

I’m loving these honeycomb pom poms too and think it’s a fab idea to hang some above a kids bed.  I bet that would bring a smile to your face each morning.  These ones come in a huge range of divine colours so choosing just one colour is going to be hard.  I’m loving the sunny yellow but I also love the deep, rich plum colour.  You can visit Engel to see all the range or visit Lifes a Party where they have a selection.

I’ve been wanting to do an Easter themed post and I’ve been thinking of ideas ranging from bunny decor to Easter crafts.  But then I stopped to think about what kids (and I) love the most about Easter and the answer was obvious… chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate.  I don’t mean just chocolate eggs, but fun, yummy and slightly unusual chocolate desserts that kids and adults will adore.  So I went on the hunt for sweet chocolate treats that aren’t too hard to make but still have the wow factor and of course the yum factor.  And since it’s Easter, there’s no need for any guilt… just indulge, I know I will.

How delightful does this chocolate tart look?  But it gets better… this chocolate tart is made with a dash of tahini (sesame paste).  The creator of this delicious tart didn’t have peanut butter and used tahini instead… I am dying to try it.  I found this over at Cannelle et Vanille where you’ll find the recipe.

I don’t know a kid who doesn’t like nutella so these nutella tarts are sure to be a hit.  And for that extra special dimension, they have some salt in them.  The best part is that you don’t have to get involved in making the chocolate filling, just scoop it out of a jar.  These are mini ones so they’re great for a party too.  You’ll find the recipe at Spoon Fork Bacon.

The ultimate chocolate chip cookie?  That’s how they’re described by their creator and I believe her.  The gooey, chocolatey, deliciously inviting centre has me sold.  I think this is a sweet treat that no kid or adult can possibly resist.  I found the recipe at Not without Salt.

What a great idea!  Chocolate covered potato crisps (or chips if you’re not British).  Could this be the ultimate comfort food treat?  And in even better news, there’s no slaving over a hot stove or oven involved.  They’d be great for a kids party although I can’t imagine the adults laying off but also perfect as a lazy {Easter} Sunday afternoon treat.  Find out how to make them at Spoon Fork Bacon.

Have a lovely Easter! And before I go, here are some more delicious and beautiful looking sweet treats.

Ever since I laid eyes on these divinely delicious looking cakes and treats over at the lovely Paul et Paula blog, I haven’t been able to think of much else… seriously!  How good do they look?!  I love cakes and sweeties anyway (who doesn’t?) but when they look this scrumptious, I just can’t resist.  These cakes are the creation of Aline Caron, a French lady with a penchant for food, styling and photography.  These treats are part of her first cookbook called ‘Gouters Rigolos’ which means funny snacks.  Perfect for kids birthday parties or just snacky treats for a kiddy get together, these yummies are full of fun and oh so beautiful too.  For me, food should appeal to all the senses and these do that in abundance.  You can find more pictures on Aline’s blog My little Fabric or if you want the recipes, Amazon sell her book ‘Goûters Rigolos’ 

I often dream of making big, gorgeous impressive cakes embellished with stunning decorations.  Then I wake up and remember that my cake making skills are, well… zero, nada, zilch.  Today I woke up and found hope.  I can buy a (fool proof) cake mix,  and decorate with these oh so cute cake toppers.  Just imagine a gooey, fudgey chocolate cake topped with the happy red elephant or the sunny yellow giraffe.  These kids cake toppers are just so delicious looking, shame they’re not edible.

Made of wood, the cake toppers are by Bunny with a Toolbelt.  A quirky store name to match the humourous goodies on offer.  While cake toppers they may be, I can see endless other uses from nursery decorations to table ones.  The shop also offers custom ones so you could get your kids favourite book or TV character made just for them.  For mama’s living in sin, checkout the wedding cake toppers too.  They might just make the man propose.  Not really, but anythings worth a try right?  Bunny with a Toolbelt sells her wares on Etsy and the animal cake toppers cost from $35 plus $5 shipping to the US and $10 to anywhere else.

P.S. If you’re planning a bambino bash, check out these fabby French decorations.

Birthday parties, they’re oh so important for the little ones and why not?  A day filled with lots of presents, lots of cake and lots of fun… what’s not to like?  I still love the magic of my birthday and always celebrate.  None of that I’m too old to celebrate rubbish for me!  Back to the bambinos though, a kiddy birthday-do needs decorations, needs colour, needs fun things and maybe even a theme.  Oh and lets not forget the party favours (known as ‘back presents’ where I come from… you get presents on your birthday so you give back too, get it?).

Kids party decorations aren’t hard to come by, but if you’re looking for something that little bit different, check out the delightful ‘my little day’.   It’s a French kids party store with lots of bits and pieces for all your kids party needs.  They’ve got party theme packs including a dinosaur theme, a carnival theme and a pretty as a picture liberty print theme too.  Also gracing their online shelves are favours or ‘back presents’, themed invites, beautiful bunting, plates and napkins, even fancy dress; in fact they have everything you could possibly need.  And all their stuff has been infused with a style so sweet coupled with a happy childishness… perfect to delight both mama’s and kiddies too.

Head on over to ‘my little day’ to check out their goodies.   Only problem is that the site’s in French, so if you don’t speak it, grab someone who does, or learn… it’ll be worth it!  Their prices range from €1.50 for party favours to around €35 for a themed party pack.  And they deliver to Europe.  Have a browse, smile and think back to your childhood birthday parties, what lovely memories.  Now, if only ebabee no.1 would hurry up and have her next birthday!

P.S. Checkout ebabee, out baby auction site with loads of bargains.