I am more than a little obsessed with fresh flowers as they always brighten my day, no matter what. I like to think of them as my happy makers. At this time of year, fresh flowers are in abundance so I love to treat myself to a bunch as often as I can. Many times it’s just a few daffodils or a single stem, other times it’s a full bouquet. When I get my flowers, I’m always thinking about different ways to display them. Just sticking them in a vase is fine sometimes but other times I like to play around with different displays. Here are 3 of my current favourite slightly more unusual ways to display flowers: Continue Reading "3 unusual ways to display your flowers"
Birthday’s are a big deal in our home. Everybody’s birthday is celebrated and marked in some way but especially Anya’s as for kids, there’s nothing more special. Anya’s birthday is in December and due to a major house move in December 2014, we weren’t able to have a proper party for Anya’s 6th birthday. So when she turned 7 last month, we wanted to celebrate properly.
Winter is always a trickier time for parties as having an outdoor party is out of the question. I didn’t want to hire a venue as it never feels personal enough so we decided on a small party of 10-12 kids at home. And then we thought about possible themes. We went through quite a few ideas but none felt inspired or exciting enough until I thought about a Bollywood party. Anya was so excited by this idea that I knew we had found our theme.
Nothing says Summer like some fresh, brightly coloured fruit. Ice-cold watermelon, bright red strawberries or even the odd fruit daiquri or two enjoyed in the sunshine is what it’s all about. With the Summer holidays coming up I have DIY’s on the mind and what better than some fun fruit crafts for kids to keep them busy. So I’ve rounded up 10 of the very best fruity DIY’s – some with free printables for a quick little project and others that are a bit more involved. Most of these fruit crafts for kids would make great decorations for a fruit themed Summer party too.
Nothing says Summer to me more than fresh fruit. OK, maybe ice-cream too but fruit is up there with the Summeriest of Summer things. The bright colours, the fresh flavours, the juicy consistency all shout Summer. Apart from eating it, I love the idea of having a fruit themed Summer party for a kids birthday, a family gathering or just about any excuse you can come up with to have a party. I went looking for some fruit themed party inspiration and here are 9 of the best fruit decorations, cakes and more for a fabulously fresh n’ fruity Summer party:
Last weekend we celebrated Anya’s 5th birthday with a small party at home. It was a very girly do with lots of paper pompoms, pink tissue and 5 giggling girls. Last year we had a big party where I hired a venue and invited loads more kids but this year we wanted a more intimate do at home. Anya loves lady bugs so that’s what we chose for the cake: lady bug cupcakes in pale pastels. I wanted to keep it simple with a home-made feel so we chose cupcakes instead of a big cake. I wish I could take credit for making them but they were made by my talented friend and cake maker Mirna. For the food we chose Anya’s favourites and very kid friendly things like pizza, chicken goujons and crisps all home made. I thought the food would look pretty served in little cardboard boxes lined with pink and white striped tissue. Having the party at home meant space was limited and there was no room for an extra table for the girls to eat on. So I lay a white sheet down on the floor at one end of the living room and scattered the sheet with little gold stars and some honeycomb balls and this is where the girls ate. The kids loved the honeycomb balls and started playing catch with them!With a December birthday you have to have the party indoors as it’s way too cold. So that usually means a venue but I so loved having the party at home and keeping it really small and simple. I think Anya enjoyed it more too. All in all the sun shone, the food went down well, the decorations were destroyed and the girls giggled and screamed while my husband and I watched and celebrated our baby turning 5!
One of my favourite ways to brighten up a kids room is to hang up a garland or some bunting. Even the most blah space can instantly come to life with one of these. And of course no kiddy party can be complete without bunting. Currently my favourites are these beautiful handmade ones by Numero 74 which include garlands made from vintage fabrics, crochet garlands and more. And they’ve just added party packs to their range with bunting adorned invitation cards and the prettiest party bags I’ve seen. You’ll find all these at Mokkasin which is fast becoming a favourite shop of mine not just because of their wonderful selection but also their photo styling is so stunning like in these picture above.
This week’s picks for mama & baby… this summer, let mama decorate her outdoor table with these cheerful confetti spoons while baby wears those cute confetti shorts*.
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 & Adelefor the beautiful paper party wares and decorations.
UPDATE NOV 2015: Unfortunately Hugo & Adele are no longer operating. But if you want some fab party decorations similar to these, you’ll find them at pretty little party shop.
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:
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.
Ebabee Likes is a style guide for babies, kids, teens and their mamas. It’s all about inspiration, ideas and indulging yourself and your brood. It’s written by me ~ Nomita ~ a style loving girl from Mumbai who now live’s in London. Read More...
