A very happy 'unbirthday' to you!

One of my daughters favourite movies is Alice in Wonderland. She loves the old Disney version and sings the song.."a very happy un-birthday to you" from the Mad Hatter's Tea Party scene over and over again, every time she watches it.

So, when I saw this twist on the currently popular Alice party theme that Moonlight and Whimsy put together for her daughter's 11th birthday, I loved it immediately.

Taking advantage of a lovely sunny QLD day, the table looks fabulous set up in the back yard, with the fresh red and blue colour scheme. The addition of the ribbon and lantern chandelier strung across the table, waving in the breeze, is divine.

Guests were treated to a delicious looking spread and played a host of Alice themed games... I can see why it was the 'talk of the class' with all her friends!

For a look at all the pictures from the party, along with a full list of suppliers (including some of our favourites - Candy Soirees and Giggleberry Creations) make sure you check out the Moonlight and Whimsy blog.

Euro Style - Perambulation

In my first contribution to the Inspired Occasion I discussion getting the kids around using bikes, now it's time to talk prams...

Choosing a pram for your bundle of joy seems to be as much about style these days as it is about safety, comfort and maneuverability. Where once prams were simply a way to get your children from A to B without breaking your back, they're now more like a large handbag on wheels...

 

As with handbags some women will opt for sheer practicality when choosing a pram and end up with the pram equivalent of a hessian sack. Some will opt for sheer style perfection- as the women in London do with the extremely popular Maclaren prams (in a variety of colours, but always, always the same shape).  

It's lovely to look at, but not terribly practical in rough terrain or bad weather conditions and it doesn't have much in the way of storage. It is the Louise Vuitton luggage collection of prams, if you will.

The Danes, on the other hand, prefer a more classic model. More akin to something that I would refer to as a baby carriage rather than a pram, the prams wheeled around by the mothers of Copenhagen are once again a stylish twist on an old favourite. Make no mistake - these prams are large and sturdy. But not large and sturdy like a tuck shop lady's arms, more like an environmentally friendly BMW 4WD.

Danish brand, Trille (pictured above) makes a number of models frequently sighted in my neighbourhood- complete with snowsuit wearing babies inside. They keep baby warm as toast in winter and guarantee shade in summer. 

Plus, the storage room is incomparable with any lower riding model. The downside of this extra room is that they can be quite difficult to maneuver around the supermarket, but with style oozing from  every spoke of your pram, no doubt the crowds will simply part for you...!

And what do you do when baby gets to big for the pram? Why you make them ride a bike of course! 

Claire

Flutter on over... a foodie review

As promised, tonight we would like to share part two of our Butterfly party (see part one here), focussed on the food for the little butterflies. We had clear directions for an afternoon tea filled with sweet treats suitable for our 5 year old guests.

Knowing the birthday girl loves anything chocolate the task was set to perfect my chocolate mud cake with rich chocolate truffle filling and turn a plain 32cm round mud cake into something that resembles a butterfly. After many late nights researching, I decided that lashings of vanilla buttercream and rainbow coloured coconut would be all that was needed to decorate this edible table piece. It tasted as good as it looked!

In keeping with the butterfly theme and wanting a more delicate flavour, I thought a fluffy vanilla cup cake would help balance the flavours on the table. Filled with strawberry jam and whipped cream these butterfly cakes took flight with dusting of pink and purple sprinkles and icing sugar. 

Thinking we needed something not only refreshing but mildly healthy on the table, Strawberry and Jelly Cube cups were created, which gave great colour and variety to the table. Such a simple idea but a food choice that went down well with all the chocolaty goodness and something we will definitely do again.

However the show stopper on the table would have to be the White Chocolate Pops with the pink and purple sprinkles. With our twist on a modern classic, believe me these new treats were a party pleaser for all - and no left overs!

With additional extra's of popcorn and chip cones, assorted lollies and candies, bubbles, tot bags and butterfly back drops care of my partner in crime our wonderful desert/sweet buffet table was set....and with lots of games, face painting, music, pink lemonade and presents the party girl was a magical butterfly for the day.

 

 

We will do another post later in the week looking at some of the other aspects of this super fun party! 

PS - A big thank you to Candy Soirees for the fabulous colour coded chocolates that we used - they were so fabulous and looked so effective on the table!

Flutter on over....

This weekend we had the joy of helping a beautiful little girl celebrate her 5th birthday party. The brief from the birthday girl was purple, pink (but not flowery) and lots and lots of butterflies...

Tissue paper pom pom chandelier

We had 12 guests and we chose to do an afternoon tea with the girls. We included games, craft and face painting... if the smiles and giggles were anything to go by, a good time was had by all.

Despite having to move locations from the picturesque front yard, under a large tree, to the (enormous) back deck at the last minute, due to the crazy Melbourne weather, we are still really pleased with how it all turned out.

Over the next few days we will share some more of the details and of course, more photo's... but tonight enjoy a few of our favourites!

The table

Tiny butterfly bubbles for each guest to add to their tote bags

Strawberries and Jelly cubes... a big hit!

Lollies, lollies and more lollies!

The craft activity table

The kids table... complete with fabulous butterfly tree and butterfly antennas for each guest... One of my favourite parts of the day was just before the guests arrived and a REAL butterfly landed on the table... we grabbed for the camera but just missed it.. must have been a sign though. 

A thank you....

The butterfly flutter space

Tomorrow night, Alex will take you through the menu (including the amazingly delicious butterfly cake) and then later in the week, I will do a how-to on making the butterfly antenna's for your own little butterflies...

Big thank you's to our fabulous suppliers;
Candy Soirees - for all the colour coded smarties and the super cute tote boxes
Maggie Made - for the beautiful butterfly tree (look out for this tree, we are using it again in a couple of weeks at another party)
Sweet Little Birdy - for the gorgeous jelly and strawberry cups

Hope you enjoyed - we sure did!

The Big Give - how can you help?

It’s the time of the year when our thoughts naturally turn to Christmas and the festive time ahead. The stores are filling with decorations and soon carols will be heard in every shopping centre. It’s a time where we naturally reflect on Christmases past and look forward to what this year will bring.

As a child, my favourite Christmases were those where the whole family was packed around Grandma's big table. Pulling bon bons, wearing silly hats and telling dumb jokes. Eating too much and still having left-overs. My uncle always asking, "so Nay, what's the goss" and all the kids laughing because it sounded so silly!

Now I have my own family and we have all grown up, things are different - but still the so much the same. Family, friends and lots of good food. My uncle still asks "so Nay, what's the goss?' and I still laugh.

I can't be certain, but I would guess you could relate to my Christmases... some things will be different, sure... but I bet the core elements- the food, the family and the friends - are the same. Because really, that's what special Christmases are made of, aren't they?

Last Christmas - Gracie and I

As a parent, I can't imagine the desperation, the heartache of knowing I couldn't make Christmas special for my family. And it's not the toys, the gifts - it's the family and the friends. Having someone care and want to spend time chatting and asking me "what's the goss?". Having enough food to have eaten too much and still have left overs.

This year, we will be adding something new to our family Christmas memories, as we spend the day with those less fortunate. We will be extending our circle and enjoying a very big table, hopefully piled high with food and lots of laughter, as we work with St Mary’s House of Welcome and a dedicated team of volunteers in putting on The Big Give.

The Big Give has one aim - no one should be alone on Christmas Day.

This year, The Big Give will be hosting around 300 homeless and disadvantaged families for Christmas lunch at the Fitzroy Town Hall. Now in it's 7th year, The Big Give has become something of a Melbourne institution. It relies heavily on generous donations and volunteers to ensure this event is a special one for all the guests.

So, we are asking, can you afford to share some of your skills or time to make Christmas special for people who may otherwise have to spend it alone? Details of specifics required are to come in later posts, but if you think you may be able to help we would urge you to contact us via email at: occasions@theinspiredoccasion.com.au