rI'm starting to think about Clara's 2nd birthday party in August and thought she would love to have a fancy, felt crown for her special day. Here is a group of adorable handmade crowns that I've come across...(clockwise from the top left)
1. Nifty Kidstuff
2. mette
3. frosting couture
4. my cakies
5. beek
Most of you have probably heard of the Slow Food movement and perhaps the Slow Design movement but have you heard about the Slow Party movement? In our world of bigger, better and most impressive -- the pendulum is swinging where moms' are slowing down rather than showing off -- it must be true, I read it in the April Vogue *wink*. The Slow Party movement means that there's a more responsible, meaningful, nutritious and eco-healthy approach to entertaining. Veer away from spending hundreds or thousands of dollars to hire excessive entertainment. Instead, get creative. A few ideas from the article for a Slow Party included:
So, with that, I simply had to share Miko Design's photos from her Japanese-themed birthday party that she recently threw for her daughter's 7th birthday. Erika's also thrown an Alice in Wonderland Party and Babushka Party. It's inspired me to start thinking about Clara's birthday in August already -- though it's going to be much simpler since she's only going to be 2. To go along with the Japanese theme, Erika made sushi, wrapped the goodie bags in origami paper, made origami banners and had the girls decorate their own kimonos (love this idea). What a great memory for Sofia. What ideas do you have for you Slow Party movement?
I had a personalized book as a kid that was about a mouse named Ellechim. For you sleuths out there, that is Michelle spelled backwards. I loved the mouse character so much that I truly believed that she lived in my house. Naturally, I built her a suite of furniture made from spools, popsicle sticks and match boxes (seriously). So, the reason why I had a momentary flashback was due to this personalized children's book by Custom Made for Kids. You plug in the child's name, birthday, friend's name,etc. and you get a beautifully personalized book to give as a baby gift or keepsake. Speaking from experience, I can tell you there was nothing cooler than having a book with your own name in it.
I'm absolutely, positively in love with these crowns by Bay Area mom, Jess Nicole. I will now bid farewell to our cheap, plastic crowns and happily replace them with one of these gorgeously knit head pieces. You can clearly see the attention to detail in each one. She's also got an Etsy site and many of her sold pieces are to die for. Perhaps she would take special requests (if I begged).
I can't get over how adorable The Small Object's Celebration Candle Kids are. I may just throw a mock birthday party!
Little Mini's 1st birthday is this Saturday and it feels like I've got so much to plan for. I ordered a cake for the friends and family yesterday and decided, after a bit of deliberation, that I had to make her first cake -- especially since I made Ms. Bean's first birthday cake. Afterall, it's only fair. I didn't want something so momentous to come back and haunt me 18 years later when the Mini can't suppress her disapproving opinion about my mothering style any longer..."mom, why didn't I get the same treatment as my older sister...?!". It's bound to happen one way or another but if I can dodge this bullet, then I will. So, I set out to find a unique cake pan tonight. I flew into Williams-Sonoma before they closed and found this fantastic octopus cake pan. It was perfect because it would be nearly impossible for me to screw it up. Frosting decoration is not one of my strong suits. I could handle the octopus because, if I happen to be short on time and energy, I can pour a simple glaze over him and...voila! Done!
I found this Backyard Bug Cakelet Pan on Williams-Sonoma site. If they'd been in stock this evening, I would've probably purchased them too; however, I would have become a hopeless baker all weekend. Whew...
