Today is my daughter Anya’s 4th birthday… happy, happy birthday Anya!  We had her first proper birthday party on the weekend.  So far, we’ve only had a little celebration at home but I think 4 is the age where they really start to appreciate a party with their little friends.  She asked for a pink party and a purple princess cake and that’s what she got.  I thought I would share some pictures of her party and also take this opportunity to introduce my newest sponsor Hugo & Adele which is a super pretty party shop.

When I started looking for her party decorations, I soon began to despair as all I could find was shiny plastic things which I am really not keen on.  And then by chance I stumbled upon Hugo & Adele and it was love at first sight.  Hugo & Adele are a small shop selling the prettiest party wares and they had nearly all the stuff I was looking for.  So I ordered all the paper plates, paper cups, paper straws, party bags, bunting and more for the party from there.  When the goodies arrived wrapped up in soft pink tissue, I was delighted as they looked even better in person than in pictures.  I’m so happy they’ve since become a sponsor as I really love their store and would wholeheartedly recommend them because not only is their stuff lovely but they were also very efficient and pleasant to deal with.

For the kid’s table I bought a white paper table cloth and thought it would be fun to give each child a set of crayons so they could draw while they waited for their food.  This worked really well as not only did they have fun but it kept them occupied {read: out of trouble!} while the food was being served.  I kept the decorations simple on the table as I felt the cups, plates and straws looked lovely and didn’t need much embellishment.  I did however make some washi tape bunting which I hung all around the table.

I served most of the food in pink and white cupcake holders for the kids but made disposable platters for the adults, using cardboard and pink patterned tissue paper.  The party food was simple and of course very, very kid friendly!

While the whole party theme was pink and white, I used a combination of polka dots, stripes and solids.  I also used a variety of pink shades ranging from pale pink to bright.  I loved these spotty party bags and thought it would be fun to stick those cute pencils on the front.  The party bags turned out to be a bit of a kid magnet so it was a little difficult convincing the kids to wait till the end to get one!

Anya really enjoyed her pink party and I loved putting it together for her.  I couldn’t have done it without the help of my husband and very good friend Angus.  I’d also like to say a big thank you to our friend Antoine Aoun for the stunning photography, Mirna Cakes for the striking cake and finally to Hugo & Adele for the beautiful paper party wares and decorations.

I’ve been feeling the love for neon lately.  I feel like I can’t move for neon… it seems to be all around me and yesterday I even bought myself a gorgeous neon pink shirt.  With neon on the mind, this is what a found for the kids:

1.  Wooden neon party spoons perfect for a summer birthday… 2.  A diamond printed neon yellow tee for boy or girl…   3.  Super bright neon twine for embellishing gifts, crafts, decor or anything you fancy…  4.  A DIY neon pinwheel necklace that will stand out from the crowd…  5.  Trendy neon yellow aviators for the coolest kids on the block!

P.S. Have you entered our fabulous Oeuf NYC giveaway?

Earlier in the week I was on the hunt for some washi tape.  You know, the Japanese stuff that’s like masking tape but comes in the most wonderful colours and patterns imaginable and can be used for endless decorating purposes.  I found my washi tape and I also found Papermash…  a little London boutique full of wonderful, colourful, bright and happy paper goodies. 

Their collection is small but everything in it is gorgeous.  There are cards and posters from the Rifle Paper Co, there’s lots of washi tape in solid colours or patterned (I went for the neon ones in coral and turquoise and I love them), then you’ve got party supplies including pretty floral paper cups, stripey straws and gorgeous honeycomb balls.  Papermash also have a few crafts that you can download for free and make yourself.  I’ve got my eye on the super pretty doily wraps which I’m picturing as party favour holders for my daughter’s next birthday bash.  Visit Papermash to see all their goodies.

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 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.