1st Birthday Party Preparations

The start - items for Cupcakes & Carousel Birthday Cake

Time to prepare for my second daughter's first birthday party.  We're having a picnic party. Because it's this time of year, many of the lovely people I've invited cannot attend due to prior commitments. I guess this is what happens for many December babies.   Today's food plan is to make: jelly fruit cups; chocolate crackles; cheesy pastry puffs; and start preparing the birthday cake. I'll need to make two, one for the birth day and one for the party. Do you too do this?  I'm superstitious and think that it's necessary to have the cake cutting done on the actual birthday.  Baby Pink & Blue Carousel -- that's my idea for the birthday cake for the party. I have bought the carousel horses, but somehow will need to make the carousel part.  It will consist of covered bamboo sticks with ribbons, and pre-made icing fondant for molding and covering the cake's surface.  It should be fun making the cake. But less hope that this time I don't leave things to the last minute and I rush and burn cupcakes, meatballs, stay up to 1am etc etc.   Focus focus focus.

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Christmas Tree Decoration


Gosh, I just love how my kids get so excited about decorating the Christmas tree. I love it too. Their enthusiasm is contagious. There's nothing like feeling the joy of Christmas through the merriment of children.  

decorating the tree

My littlest didn't do much, but insisted on being held. It was the safest position, otherwise the tree would be on top of her.  She's at the stage of grabbing and pulling up to stand.   So this year, the tree had to go on a table barricaded by the sofas so the one-year old could not grab it. We've made paper-cut snowflakes, cardboard cut stars decorated with stickers and glitter, placed all the tinsel out and decorated the kid's room with tinsel.  Having children is a good excuse for me to relive my childhood craft desires.   Do you do anything particularly cutesy/kitsch for Christmas just because it is Christmas (and as it is said, the 'silly season')?

handmade decoration

vintage santa & wooden bell and angel decorations

the final look

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Vintage Decorations & Cards

I recently found some gorgeous wooden and plastic decorations at the op-shop.  Still in their original packaging, they are no happily hung up on my tree. But I've also found some gorgeous vintage Christmas cards. They look like calling cards, but I think they were actual cards sent to friends and families.  They're very small, the biggest only 8cm by 5cm. What adds to there charm is the beautiful words on the back "To Harriett from Mother" and "with love and best wishes from Mary" written in gorgeous old-fashioned cursive writing with fountain pens. My guess is that they are from the 1920s. I think this is the start of a beautiful obsession -- vintage paper paraphernalia.

Card reads: "Christmas. Good times to thine and thee Through sunlit days to be."

Card reads: "Happy Christmastide" 

Card reads: "A happy New year to you"

Good Cheer to you all.