Best Party Venue?

Recently I have been getting asked by a lot of Parent's of the best venues to host a children's party.  The venue is an important part of the party and can play a big part in the theme of the party... Here are some of the most popular ideas and things to think about when considering the options!

Your House

Probably the most obvious and popular choice of venue as well as a very cost effective option!
A themed party is great to organise at your home and you can choose to hire an entertainer to keep the kids occupied for an hour or two! For older children why not try a film and popcorn party, sleepover or BBQ?!

Top tips: Lock away any valuable items!

Best for: Any age group depending on the activities you have planned.  For younger children try hiring an entertainer, and for older children try a treasure hunt party or sleepover!

Price: Free!

Organisation required: Lots... But get the children involved and check out my previous blog post about organising a birthday party at home and you can't go wrong!


Hall


A hall is a very popular choice for all kids parties as they can hold lots of children, they normally have a large and well equipped kitchen attached, are easy to find and take away the stress of having children and their parents filling every nook and cranny of your lovely home!

Top tips: Do your research! Some halls are incredibly reasonably priced and others do special deals on certain days of the week / month.  If you are hiring an entertainer or DJ they will bring their powerful music players but if you are going it alone bare in mind that the size of the room makes music much harder to hear!

Best for: Large groups of children!

Price: Can be expensive, especially when you take into account the decorations of the hall, food and entertainment.

Organisation required: You will need to do your research on local halls.  Some halls have fully equipped kitchens and include decorations but do double check when booking!



Local Park / Outdoor space

This can be a great option in Summer months for all sorts of parties but best for active events.  You could plan a Football, cycling or rambling party, treasure hunt or picnic / tea party! Be sure to check if there are any events going on in your local park before sending out the invitations.

Top tips: Have a back up! You can never predict the weather in England so have a plan in case the skies open on the big day!

Best for: Older children.  Being in an open space you will need to be responsible for all the children and older children are easier to manage and better suited to outdoor activities like a  football or cycling party.

Price: Free!

Organisation required: Food and activities to keep the children entertained but definitely the most laid back party venue!

I hope these tips will help you in deciding your party venue... Be sure to check on my blog in the next week where I will be posting lists of top venues in your local area!

Top 5 Pirate Cakes

So, I'm hoping you have all read through my blog that revealed my top 5 fairy cakes! Today, I am going to share you with my top 5 Pirate Cakes- involving any thing from a huge showstopper or just miniature cupcakes, I want these cakes to give you some inspiration when planning your child's big day, or if you like the look of any of these cakes but your feeling a little lazy, you can contact Once Upon A Time parties to bring you along something similar. 

At number 5 we have this 'Arrrrrr'mazing Layered Cake

                                

To make this cake you need a little skill but why not give something similar a go. Decorating the cake is always the fun part so once you've baked the cake and put on the icing, try some pirate patterns such as the skull and crossbones. Like the decorations on this cake, the red and black balls reflect jewellery/treasure from a treasure chest- Try it!

Number 4

     This cake clearly represents the theme of the party! However it is very difficult to replicate- However once you've baked the cake and done the king, you simply need to cut out hard icing of different colours and make the pirate face! Along with that you want to add dots of icing for the stubble and of course chocolate gold coins to finish this masterpiece off.

Your little one would be more than happy to show this off to all of their friends.

Number 3- Cupcakes!

Cupcakes are a winner, this is because they are easy to just hand out to everyone! Theres no need of cutting through a magnificent looking cake that you don't want to ruin. Whats better than making individual showstoppers that look the part and taste delicious? Once baked, decorate with them with pirate themed toppings such as an anchor, a treasure chest, a pirate of skull and crossbones. These are very fun to look at and the children will absolutely love them.

Number 2- Wow!

Yes, this is a treasure Chest made out of ACTUAL chocolate. 

Filled with golden coins and other sweet treats, this looks incredible to eat! I'm not entirely sure how you would eat the actual chocolate chest covered in golden icing, but it is very impressive.

If you don't want to have a go at actually creating a chocolate chest, then simply buy or use an old box, and fill it with golden coins and anything else including chocolate dust to resemble sand.

At number 1 I had to give to give it to this pirate ship made out of chocolate. The detail given to this cake as well as the amount of work given to make the actual ship is amazing.

To add to the detail create an edible flag, however don't let the children eat the plastic pirates or the canyon. 

If you don't' feel like you could recreate this, try and make a smaller pirate ship cake and if it goes well, eventually make it bigger and bigger until you are happy!

I hope you take some inspiration from my top 5 pirate cakes- they may look difficult to make, but give it a go! Remember, you can always contact me and we can organise one to come to your little one's party.

Thankyou

                                                                                                                             

The Pirate Party - Fun Craft Ideas!

If you are hosting a Pirate Party for your little ones big day, a great activity to keep the guests entertained is crafts!  Not only does it let everyone get involved, children of all ages, boys and girls, get to take home something they are proud of, and add a competition for the 'most sparkling treasure chest', or for the 'ugliest pirate mask' are fun and light hearted.  Read on for some fab ideas:

Homemade Treasure Chest

• You will need: paint, craft glue, egg cartons, beads, sequins, coloured feathers, novelty jewellery,  gold chocolate coins
• Give each child an egg carton and tell them to paint their pirate treasure chest! You could try doing this at the beginning of the party while guests are still arriving as an ice breaker, and to allow time for the cartons to dry while you run other activities.
• After the egg cartons are dry, tell the children to decorate and fill up their treasure chest! Stick gold coins, novelty necklaces and rings, feathers, sequins and sparkles to make it as tantalising as possible!
• Put the finished treasure chests on display for the children to proudly show off their creativity!

Pirate Mask 

• You will need: paper plates, craft paint, stick on goggley eyes, felt tip pens, material for a bandana, craft glue, stick on eyebrows, glitter pens, sequins, thick cardboard cut into rectangles (to make into handles)
• Give each child a paper plate and tell them they are going to make a pirate face! They can opt for ugly, scary, funny, silly or even a pretty pirate and they can use the items supplied.  This will keep them well amused but parents will have to be on stand by to help with the tricky bits such as sticking on material bandanas and cutting things out.
• Once all the children have finished their masks, award the best (or worst!) ones with a prize!
• Get the children all together to take some hilarious snaps of them holding their masks in front of their faces.

** If you are planning a Pirate Party for your child's next Birthday Party and live in London, Hampshire or Surrey, contact www.onceuponatimeparties-london.co.uk and we will do are best to get one of our Pirate friends to sail to your venue and teach some new Pirates how to have fun!!

info@onceuponatimeparties-london.co.uk

Or call Emma on 07969 841770

Glittery Take Home Gift

A child's Birthday Party is never complete without a take home gift or party bag and is something that finishes the party off wonderfully and can be a lovely reminder of the party.

However, all to often these party bags are full of expensive tat that serve as a 5 minute wonder to the children and an extra expense to the mum and dad.  A lovely idea which is particularly effective at fairy and princess party themes is take home fairy dust.

All you need for this is: 

• Vials with a lid, jar or a drawstring bag (small sizes - think Tinkerbell sized!)
• Different coloured glitters. Craft stores will stock these in abundance and they are cheap!
• Sequins
• Dried flowers
• Ribbon
• Labels or tags

Step one: Fill the vial with different coloured glitters, sequins and dried flowers such as little roses.

Step two: After putting the lid on securely, tie a ribbon around the neck of the vial. Again, craft shops will stock pretty ribbons of all colours.

Step 3: Put a label, or cut out some fancy shaped tags using card and write the party and the name of the child who will take home this particular gift.

Et voilà! A simple, cheap but pretty and sweet take home gift.

Another idea that works really well with slightly older children (6+\) is to set out a fairy dust making station at the beginning of the party and get them to fill their own vial with glitters and sequins, much like a coloured sand activity.  To get the glitter into the vial with the least amount of mess, use a long thin spoon (latte) and put the different coloured glitters into separate containers.