it's a circus celebration

After attending a day camp at the circus last summer, my DD developed a fascination for all things acrobatics.  She looked forward to jumping endlessly at the trampoline, braving a tightrope walk, practising her somersaults and swinging on the trapeze.  And of course, good ol’ hula hoops.  Soon after, we found ourselves a regular at a local gymnastics class and then, preparing for a circus-themed party.

Last weekend, we celebrated her fifth birthday under the big top.  And oh what fun everybody had!  Here are some photos from the happy occasion.

my little gymnast going all acrobatic 



fun with hula hoops



Craftmates was there to help bring to life another memorable dessert table. 

all the stuff you can find at the circus interpreted as desserts

those burgers are made of chocolate and vanilla cupcakes

pardon the wonky cake pops :)

 Here's a close up of what's at the table setting...

The invite and thank you card...

The kids' loot bags are my labor of love.  I sewed all 20 drawstring bags, handmade the girls’ hairclips and created pretty packaging for the chocolate goodies and the scarf set.

Judging by the smile of the celebrant, I think she had a blast!

fabulous cake from bebsy

Thanks for stopping by!

eat this!

I was planning my daughter's birthday party one year when I read a magazine article about fun creative kids party giveaways, an alternative to the usual bags of dollar store items.  On it were innovative ideas that included a variety of edible gifts including a miniature hard candy sculpture of an actual loot bag.  

Because I have no sugar sculpture skills, I developed my own version using marshmallow fondant, brownies and store bought candies and made each bag personalized.

The kids' surprised reactions when they received their loot bags were priceless!

Here's another version of the edible loot bags I did for a client...

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a sweet week!

Bebsy

golden globes

A craftmates friend, Claire, recently celebrated her 50th birthday and our dear Virna and Aimee threw her a Golden Globes themed party that is quite fitting for the fabulous lady that she is.  I was very excited and challenged to do this cake for her. 

The base of this creation is the actual cake- dark chocolate with dark chocolate ganache filling, while the trophy stand and the actual golden globe are made with rice crispy treats, covered in marshmallow fondant and airbrushed with edible metallic tone.

I replicated the trophy, its actual size bearing the logo of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the governing body of the Golden Globes.

Happy Birthday, Claire!

Have a sweet week!

Bebsy

Tearific Party

For those who follow our blog, it is no secret that craftmates simply adore tea parties.  So when my niece Emma turned 6 last September, the craftmates decided to help throw a tea party for her.  Half of the fun is in planning, shopping and of course, crafting.  

The hats, boas, pots, tea cups, plates and multi-tiered plates were all thrift shop or dollar store finds.  Handmade paper pompoms (a signature decor at craftmates party) adorned the ceiling for a festive touch.

Sassy sewer Virna created the photo booth with an oh-so-sweet fabric as the backdrop.

The birthday girl

The guests were treated with giveaways and game prizes consisting of notepads & headbands packaged in personalized paper bags, chocolates packed in mini-bags and lot of other loot.  In all of them, you can see Paper Addict Irma's craft (and imagination) at work. 

For the food, what tea party would go without canapes, quiches, mini-sandwiches and sweets.  The kids were served with a variety of fruit-flavoured teas (decaf of course).

 

My sister, Michelle, found a local baker who created a teapot shaped cake.

The kids all had fun especially the birthday girl, Emma.  According to our 6-year old, "this is the best birthday ever."

Thanks for looking!

summer soiree

Hope you have been having a great time with our Party Week posts over here at Craftmates.  I am back today with a grown up party this time, my birthday last year.

I have a spring birthday (so near and yet so far from summer). So for this birthday get together, I tried to incorporate the anticipation of summer and worked with the sunshine-y colours of green and yellow.

First up are the pompoms (I know, shocker!).

   

Pompom frenzy the night before

I decorated some water bottles...

... created these cake slice boxes (with some goodies inside) from Cricut to be given away as thank you gifts...

... put together a collection of white and patterned paper wrapped vases...

... baked and embellished these petit fours...

...  got the bacon-wrapped chicken breasts going in the oven...

... added some corns on the cob (delish!)...

... tried out Sassy Sewer Virna's secret Southern Ice Tea concoction ...

 ... and came up with this fresh and stylish table setting.

Birthday celebrant with family...

... and friends...

Of course, guests were required to wear yellow or green...

All in all, a perfect gathering of family and friends on a gorgeous spring afternoon.