Playing Catch Up

Oh blog, how I’ve missed you. Over the last few weeks I’ve thought of plenty witty remarks and opening lines for this post, but now that I’m sitting here at my computer none come to mind. Oh well, I guess the important thing is I’m back and posting.

What crafty goodness have Anna Mae and I been up to over the last month? Let’s see….oh yes! That’s right! Miss A turned five and I threw a spectacular Madeline-themed party for her. If you’re unfamiliar with the Parisian adventures of a little red-headed girl named Madeline, you must immediately catch up here. And here’s the sweet girl’s face.

I am so sad that I didn’t get as many fab shots of the party as I had hoped. But here’s what I did get.

With 288 balloons, countless floral pins, and an 18-inch straw wreath, I made this birthday balloon wreath (tutorial here).

Despite the multiple “you’re making what and why?” comments I got from Dan, I’m happily please with the end result and look forward to bringing it out and proudly displaying it on our door signaling future birthdays.

And I went all out this year and had a wonderful lady named Betsy on Etsy (hey, that rhymes!) custom design invitations and other paper products for Miss A’s 5th! The banner is my favorite. I cut out all the pieces and sewed them onto an aqua ribbon to hang over the mantle.

I’m sad that I didn’t get bigger picture of the banner as it hung from the mantle, but it now hangs in Miss A’s room.

And then, there’s the food. I am so very lucky to have such amazing and loyal friends! They came and helped me cook and set up the amazing French-inspired menu. Without them guests would have arrived to haphazardly thrown together croissant sandwhiches and a slew of sides just out for the taking. I instead served a fabulous table full of beatifully prepared and absolutely delicious food. Again, so so sad that I didn’t get a picture of the table. But I did get a picture of the chocolate cake I baked and the super yummy cupcakes I got from Lovely Confections.

I was so very happy to have been able to throw such a special party for Miss A. In years past, we’ve always had her birthday at my parents’ and I was always limited by budget and not wanting to mess up my mom’s house too much. However, this being the first year we were living in a house with a beautiful backyard and plenty of space, I couldn’t help but go all out for her.

And I know that Miss A and our guests had fun and appreciated it. In fact, here’s a pic of Miss A. rocking out after singing her happy birthday.

Oh, and then there’s the fairy garden. Aaahhh…..this is amazing. One of our family friends is so very talented in all things gardening and whimsical. She made the most beautiful fairy garden for Miss A’s birthday. While it was a gift for Miss A, I find that I might even play with it more than she does.

There’s been lots of other sewing goodness happening these days, too. But I’ll save that for my next post.

Until then…

🙂 E