Party at home? Things to think about 2 weeks before the Birthday Party

Following on from my last blog on things to think about a couple of months before the BIG day, here are some things to think about around 3 weeks before the party.

Selecting a theme for the Party

Most children love typical fairy, princess, pirate, superhero, animal themes at their party.  Encourage originality!!

Book an Entertainer

Most entertainers get booked up quite far in advance if they are good so you will want to make sure that you book a good one! Friends, family and social media are good places to get referrals!

Plan Party Games and activities!

If you are deciding not to have an entertainer, it is a very good idea to make a list of the activities and games you are going to do - and in what order.  The order is surprisingly important and often overlooked! For instance, you do not want to encourage the children to do a running / dancing game straight after their party food or you might have some horrible 'extras' to clear away...

Crafts are an excellent party activity and can often be incorporated into a take home gift... Please check my previous blog posts for some cool ideas or check in the future as I will be sharing a lot more craft ideas with my readers :)

Purchase your party supplies

My advice is to do this sooner rather than later in case you find you need to get more supplies closer to the time.  The main areas to think about are tableware, decorations and party bags and supplies.  I have lots of tips on these main areas in previous posts!

REMEMBER - This should be fun and your child(ren) will love helping you and feeling a part of the process... So enjoy!

For information on what our entertainment packages include please contact Emma at Once Upon A Time Parties on info@onceuponatimeparties-london.co.uk or 07969 841770

We provide fully insured and CRB checked entertainers including games, music, theme, interactive storytelling, dancing, singing, themes, a glitter make over, crafts, prizes, sweets and a gift for the Birthday Child!

Party at Home - Things to think about 2 months before the big day!

Planning the Party

• Think about which room / rooms to use in the house and if you have the space! Parents and brothers and sisters often stay on at the party so you may have more guests than you planned!
• How many children are going to be invited? Plan the room accordingly and add a plus one for the mums!
• Does your child have a favourite character or hobby on which to base a theme on?
• If you are planning an outdoor summer party in the garden, do you have cover if the weather changes?
• Pets. They may be the soppiest animal on the planet but some children will be scared of cats and dogs! Plus loud noises are not ideal for your animal so you may want to think about putting them in a separate room or leaving them with a trusted friend.
• Are you planning on hiring an entertainer or a bouncy castle? If so now is the time to book!

Invitations   

• Confirm names and numbers of guests
• Include an RSVP on the invite with a contact name, telephone and date you need to reply by.  Always include directions to your house and any key features to look out for!
• Include clear start and finishing times
• Parking instructions are a must.
• Include the theme of the party on the invitation and if children should wear fancy dress or old clothes if there are going to be messy crafts and games!

Food

• Are you going to be serving a meal at the party, or nibbles and snacks? 
• Where will the guests be eating their meal?  If space is an issue, a buffet table and floor space will suffice for children, or plan for a table and chairs.
• Don't forget to think about how many chairs and tables you will need for lots of guests!
• Decide if you are going to use an outside caterer.  If so, two months before the party is a good time to book to ensure you get a good caterer!
• Remember to get some adult friendly snacks for the mums and dads!

Cake

• If you are getting a custom made birthday cake start thinking of what kind of design your child would like and do some research!  Ask bakers for some previous examples and book well ahead of time.

Read my blog tomorrow for some tips on a venue at home to think about 2 - 3 weeks before the big day!!

Thanks for reading :)

Once Upon A Time Parties xx

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www.onceuponatimeparties-london.co.uk

Hello again readers...

Hello my lovely readers of all things sparkly, lovely and celebratory!

It has been a while since I last posted on here as I have been a very busy fairy indeed bringing entertainment to kid's parties in London, Hertfordshire, Surrey and Hampshire but I promise that I will be making regular blogs about how to make the most of your child's birthday party.

As a gift to my readers, I am also offering a 15% discount on all parties!

If you are planning a magical party for your little ones big day with interactive games, themed entertainers, singing, dancing, and lots of fun is what you are looking for then look no further than Once Upon A Time Parties! 

Very experienced entertainers will take over the party and entertain the children for up to two hours and will include the following:

- An entertainer in full costume
- Theme (princess, fairy, pirate and more!)
- Dancing
- Themed games
- Music and music player
- Prizes for every child
- GIft for the birthday child
- Sweets
- Glitter Makeover

Other Information

Once Upon A Time Parties is available on weekends and some weekdays through the entire year. Please contact us for particular dates you are interested in. As we get very busy, it is advisable that you book an entertainer at least two weeks in advance although we do sometimes have an entertainer available at short notice.

We cater for children from 3 - 10 years old. It is advised that the maximum number of children per party is 25, but please do contact us for more information.

To make the day as stress free as possible for you, we come to the location of your choice either before the party or we are also able to make a surprise entrance! If you need any advice on local venues to you please ask although a party at home is ideal or even in the garden!

For more information please check out www.onceuponatimeparties-london.co.uk or contact Emma on 07969 841770.

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

The Fairy Party- Makeover

Every little girl wants to grow up fast, start wearing make up and girly clothes.. so why not give them a taste of this with a fairy makeover during the party? 

The party girl would go first of course and get her hair and make up done whilst the other children are occupied with food, music and games. To reduce costs you could always ask the children to come in fancy dress (Fairy outfits) and highlight that whichever child has the prettiest fairy costume will win a small prize. 

            The Fairy Makeover could consist of a catwalk, where at the end of the party all of the children walk down the 'magical catwalk' wearing the outfits that they came in but with their hair and make up styled. The winner again will win a small prize! The children would be sure to love this fun and friendly competition with their friends. 

Now to the important part- the Makeover itself

*Pop down to your local Claire's accessories and buy some  sparkly eyeshadows, glitter, glittery mascaras and some lipgloss- Maybe even some face paint too!

             * As shown in the picture to the right you could use your face paint to create patterns such as this butterfly with bright, girly colours such as pinks and whites. This will sure to make the girls feel more fairy- like and pretty! 

            *You can ask the girls what colours they would like when doing their make up such as pink eyeshadow or blue glittery mascara! After all they will want to look the best fairy there!

Finally, when applying hairstyles on the little ones, make sure you have a relatively quick and easy style, but also one that is comfortable for the children.  Whether they want a plait, left down or up in a bun you can always make them look even more fabulous with decorative headbands such as the ones in the pictures below! 

 I hope that you find the tips on this blog helpful and will apply them to your own littles one's party! Or if you want OnceUponATimeParties to do it, we are sure to include them in our hour long parties! Book now for our special deal of £99

My Top 5 Fairy Cakes

On a horrible rainy day, what is better than looking at some very impressive Fairy Cakes in which you can take a lot of inspiration from when planning your little one's party? A Fairy party isn't all about the savoury snacks, the sausage rolls and crisps, so why not have a go at making a cake to make your child's day even more special. My top 5 cakes might look extremely complicated, but why not have a go at something more simple, you don't need advanced culinary skills- all you need is some creativity and a little spare time. 

At number 5 we have this showstopper- 

What would please your little girl more than having a birthday cake themed like a fairy castle? This cake really caught my eye- the different sized layers and the detailed decorating is more than impressive- However, if you want to re- create this why not try a more simple version but keep the idea of a fairy castle! Some different coloured icing and some edible fairies will more than likely put a huge smile upon your little angel's face!

This next cake certainly made me hungry! At number 4, check this out...

This woodland style cake decorated with edible flowers and a detailed icing patterned around it would definitely impress the children and parents at the party!  Named the Flower Pot Fairy Cake, this cake is made up of red velvet layers with a cream cheese icing- sounds tasty doesn't it? Take some inspiration and try it out yourself!

At number 3 is this masterpiece..

This is the Garden Fairy Cake decorated with pink and green to reinforce the idea of fairies and the woodland! It's not only stunning looking, but also looks incredibly nice to eat. If you don't believe you could even attempt to re-do this, why not book one to be delivered for your little ones party? Or even use Once Upon A Time Parties to business to bring along one similar at a special request?

Number 2 really is an impressive Fairy Cake!

This is one impressive piece of work and whoever has made this certainly is a culinary genius! However, don't give up without even trying- why not invent a cake that is based on a Fairy book theme but a little easier? Your child would absolutely love this magical idea! I had to put this at number 2- it really is very eye catching, it doesn't even look like a cake, don't you agree?

My number 1 may surprise you a little, but it's something you party planners may find a little easier- but it still looks a treat!

An alternative to the large fairy cakes, these small cupcakes are easy to eat and take a little less time and effort. One for every child at the party- they will love to choose which fairy belongs to them! Make sure you include the magical fairy wands and maybe even add some edible glitter too! May not be the most healthiest treat, but who cares! Your little one will only have this Fairy Party once, make it special and one to remember.

The Fairy Party - Take Home Gift

After all the carefully worded invites, the tastefully decorated party venue, the (hopefully) tastier food and the entertainment itself there is just one more hurdle to cross - the take home gift!

Now it is very very easy to go to a local party or pound store and stock up on plastic yoyo's, toys and other 5 minute wonders, but why not finish off the party in style with some of my top fairy party take home gifts:

1) Pop to your local Claire's accessories and pick out some child friendly pretty pastel nail polishes for each of the children.  Add to this a homemade glitter dust vial and this is a fantastically fairy way to polish off the party!  (Tip: See my earlier blog post on how to make a glitter dust pouch!)

2) For a magical way to end the party, give each child some fairy wings and a wand to take home!

3) For a really personalised memory of the day, take a picture of each guest with the birthday child when they arrive at the party (or a big group one!) and get them developed whilst the party is taking place.  Put each one in a pink or sparkly photo frame and send them home with a lasting memory.

4) Another personalised present, as well as a great way to get the birthday child involved prior to the party, is to make homemade jewellery.

• You will need the following: ribbon or thread, beads with letters, colourful beads.
• Simply pierce the beads through the ribbon or thread to spell the name of each guest. Be sure to add pretty coloured and shaped beads and gems to the bracelet and tie a know at each end to secure the beads.  Ensure that there is enough ribbon / thread left over to tie the bracelet into a bow on the child's wrist.

5) Send home each child with a fairy book (Flower Fairies, Tinkerbell, Peter Pan etc). You can find many great deals on websites such as amazon, and the parents will be grateful that you are not sending them home with a bag of 'E' numbers but a good excuse for a lovely bed time story.

I hope you will find these take home gift ideas useful and I would love to hear some of your ideas to!

Please keep reading my blog as the next theme I am going to cover is Pirate and Mermaid Parties! 

Once Upon A Time Parties x

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Theme 1: The Fairy Party - Invitations

So I thought it would be a great help to my readers to give some tips and advice theme by theme and topic by topic, starting with my favourite theme of the fairy party!

Appealing to children of all ages, the glittery, pretty, fantastical fairy party is a timeless hit that never gets boring. From fairy tea parties to fancy dress to makeovers to baking, there are literally hundreds of ideas on how to get the fairy party started!

Today I am going to start at the very beginning: the all important party invitation!

Fairy themed party invitations can be really easy to make, and your little one will enjoy getting involved with the card making activities.

Fairy Wand Invitation 

1) Cut out a star shape from coloured card

2) Either print invitation onto card, or handwrite using pen (try metallic or glitter pens to make it more fun) or paint. You can also use tags and attach to the wand.

3) On the back of the card, attach either a skewer or straw to make the 'wand' using sticky tape.

4) Add streamers or ribbons to the base of the wand

5) Decorate the wand with glitter, stick on sequins, dried flowers, feathers and whatever else you can get your hands on!





What to put in the invitation?


- Date and time
- Age, name of child
- Location
- Activity and theme
- Dress Code
- RSVP

To put some fun into your invite, try making up a little rhyme to go along with the theme! Some examples are below:

• You are invited to an afternoon of fun, this little fairy is turning one!

• Fairies slip on your dancing shoes, For Fairy Roxanna is turning two!

• Come one come all to this fairy tea, Fairy Emma is going to be three!

• To enter fairy land: Knock knock knock on our fairy door, As little Tanya is turning four!

• Fairies, Pirates, Pixies and Elves, All come together and jive! For this is no ordinary party as Dexter is now turning five!

• Fairy dust, spells and magical tricks, What are you waiting for? Leona will be six!

I hope this has inspired you to get to work on your home-made fairy wands!

Check back for my next post on decorations to create a magical fairy setting for your child's birthday party!

Once Upon A Time Parties x

Cheap Party Idea and Take Home Gift for Older Kid's

Wouldn't it be nice if children could stay at those magical ages of 5 and 6, where they are easily pleased by traditional parties and everything is exciting and new for them... But sadly they don't, so you  have to get more creative. Here is a party idea for slightly older children (7+) which should keep them well entertained and best of all, combines the entertainment AND the party food!

I am talking about a cooking party!

There seems to be a bit of a trend for baking and making at the moment, but for a fun party I would recommend keeping it simple - we are talking more decorating rather than flambéing!  Personally, I would opt for pizza and cupcakes, as both pizza bases and cupcake bases are easy to buy and would suit a tight budget.  

For the pizza you will need the following:

- Pizza bases

- Sprinkling cheese

- A large variety of vegetables

- Tomato pizza sauce

- Tuna

- Olives

- Different meats

- Onion

- Whatever else you can think of!

For the cupcakes you will need:

- Plain individual sponge cakes

- Frosting

- Edible glitter

- Sweets (dolly mix, jelly tots)

- Edible decorations - go to any baking section in a supermarket!

And then let the children create their own foodie masterpieces, encouraging them to add their favourite ingredients to the pizzas and cupcakes and challenging them to make it as aesthetically pleasing as possible! 

While the pizza's are baking, you can play some party games with them, or send them on a scavenger hunt around the garden or your house (or both!), and then sit down to a lovely party tea.

A great idea for a take home gift that goes well with the cooking theme is a home-made recipe book.  Put together some yummy and simple recipes that children can make with their parents. Google or check out my next blog for some great ideas.  Get the birthday child to design the front page and then copy and print your pages and bind them, staple them take them to a copy shop to get them bound professionally.  

For some great recipe ideas to put in your cook book, check out my next few blogs!

For some great scavenger hunt ideas, keep reading my Once Upon A Time Parties Blog!

Thanks for reading!

Emma x